REVIEW: Astra Girls Valmora & Oriana

Ah, these make me so happy! 

First of all, many thanks to Amsiluis for finding these two for me. My nearest Macy's Backstage is almost 50 miles away, so it's not like I'll ever be getting there. As of right now, I have no idea if this line is carried anywhere else. I wrote the company, but they haven't replied. 

All the dolls have the same box. There isn't even a spot for the name anywhere. So here's the back where you can see all the characters. 

We'll begin of course with Valmora, my obvious favorite. 

These come packaged with their shoes off. They all have the same boots, which are amusingly labelled "angle boots." 

The box is taped shut in 3 places on the top and the doll is held down only in two places, so it's easy to snip the plastic straps and free her. She's in a little plastic tray that's designed to hold the wings in place, so you just pop those out and she's loose. The wings are held on by a plastic band, which is easily removed. I love things that are easy to open. 

I didn't undress Valmora. Her outfit is in two parts. The metallic top and purple top are all one piece, and then all of the bottom layers are all one piece. The purple stockings are thigh highs. 

It doesn't show well in photos, but she has three different hair colors. There's the bright blue and a purple that matches her top and stockings, but on her left side, there's also a section of hair that's the same bright aqua as her wings. 

These dolls are cheap so the hair is nylon. It's not terrible though. 

Her hair isn't in just a simple ponytail. It's like there's a ponytail on top of the main ponytail. It's held once nearer the front and then the main ponytail has another plastic band farther back. I should have just taken a picture of this instead of trying to describe it. 

There, you can sort of see it. 

These dolls have two molds: one smiling with teeth showing and the other with no teeth. 

Valmora has purple eyebrows and eyeshadow. Her eyes are the brighter blue and aqua. She has little sparkle decorations around her eyes in aqua and purple. Her bright pink lips are the only bit of pink on her. 

I love all the detailing on the outfit. Again, these are cheap, so they're not quality materials, but they took the time to add a black sequin belt and the translucent plastic panels at the hem of the short skirt. 

The sequins on the lightest silver fabric do fall off, but she only lost one so far. 

Her boots were a bit of a struggle to get on over the stockings. 

These remind me of Winx boots or EAH's Fairest on Ice without the skates. I'm not sure if they borrowed the mold from another line or if they're original. 

Her wings slip on over her shoulders and stay in place pretty nicely. 

Overall, I absolutely love her. She immediately got a spot on the coffee table. (Oriana almost bumped Dolores, but Doloresssss. I couldn't move her. So I'll find Oriana a nice spot to fly in my toy room.) 

Naturally, I'm drawn to the darker elements of her costume. Oriana is fire-themed and Dryade is Earth. Celestina looks more like a basic angel only more fashiony. Valmora is more the cosmic type and I love that. The ponytail and widow's peak remind me of Icy from the Trix. The Giochi doll even has similar bright blue hair, though it's not as dark. 

Despite the lower quality, you're still getting a great doll. I think she's very fairly priced at $12.99. 

Moving on, here is Oriana. She was my second most wanted of the four and she doesn't disappoint. 

Like Valmora, Oriana also has three hair colors. The main curly awesome mass is red and black, but there are places in front where a lighter orange is woven in. 

The light orange is not tightly-curled so it's a bit rough. 

I love this braid. 

As with Valmora, the hair is nylon and it's not great, but it's exactly what I'd expect at this price point. What it definitely is though is fun. 

Oriana's outfit is only one piece so it was easy to remove.

The dolls have only basic articulation, and their bodies are made entirely of a light plastic. Even the head is less vinyl and more of a hard plastic. 

I didn't take any pics, but the hands are different. The fingers on the left hand are all together, while the fingers on the right are more splayed. The index and pinkie are separate from the middle and ring fingers, which are together. It's a nice little detail. 

Oriana's outfit is made of several different materials, which is nice. She shed a couple sequins. 

Her wings are the same mold as Valmora's. On the back of the box, the front pieces that go around her neck are molded differently, but the actual doll's are the same as Valmora's. 

She has the closed mouth mold. Her eyebrows are black. Her eyeshadow is yellow and red with a couple lines of orange eyeliner, and she has stars and sparkles in a light peach color plus some red bursts around her eyes. Her irises are very unusual. They are completely black with a red and yellow design in them. It's really awesome-looking. 

Oriana is an amazing doll. I love her hair, her outfit and her eye detail especially. 

Seriously, if you like fairies, angels or magical girls in doll form and you have a Macy's Backstage, go look for these girls. They're definitely worth the $12.99! I hope to get the other two eventually!

Gotta end with some shots of the girls together. 

And a size comparison. 

And back to only them. 

They stand on their own, too! I was surprised at that. 

These get a solid good recommendation for me. Not so much for quality, though again, they're fair-priced at $12.99, but for sheer fun. And sometimes fun is all I need from a doll.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine.