REVIEW: Naturalistas Series 2

Target had Series 2 of the Naturalistas, too. 

I never got Dayna from the first series. 

 

I'm glad I waited. This one is stunning and has the best outfit of the line. 

Gorgeous. 

I did buy Liya from the first series, but her hair was incredibly thin and I'm happy for this new one. 

Her hair is definitely not thin. 

I love the outfit, too.

Whitney is the new girl for Series 2. 

Profile blurb. 

The doll is stunning, but the outfit isn't nearly as good as the other two. 

She's so stunning. Love her!

I'm happy this line is continuing. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine.

REVIEW: Purpose Toys Latinistas Part 1

I ordered the three Latinistas available on Target.com. Dani, the one in purple, is not there for some reason. 

These ladies cost $12.99 and they're worth it. 

Let's look at Lola first. 

Lola is a designer from South Florida and her best friend is Liv. 

She's lovely. 

I love the sheer layer of the skirt over the stompy boots. 

She wears hoop earrings with the Latinistas logo, as well as two black bracelets. 

Her hair had the most gel, though it's not like Rainbow High gel. It doesn't sit in horrible crusty clumps. I didn't even notice it until I combed her and gel gathered at the ends of her hair. 

All of these ladies got the salon treatment, so these pictures are post-gel rinse. 

Love these shoes. I'm so happy the footwear has improved this much. 

From Lola to Liv. 

Lola's BFF is a music student from California who wants to be a singer. 

I love the little bios. 

Love all these colors together. Liv might be the most beautiful of the line, but they're all gorgeous. 

She wears a watch, necklace, and tiny heart-shaped silver earrings that I didn't try to photograph. 

Liv has giant boots. Love them. 

And finally, Julianna, my favorite. 

I adore the bright orange!

Julianna doesn't get a best friend, poor girl. She's an artist from New York City. Yay! I love that she devotes her time to promoting local artists and teaching the community about art. 

Julianna's overall warm color scheme is excellent. 

I even think the gold hoops work well for her, and I tend to think hoops are overdone. 

Cute shoes. 

All three girls can stand on their own. 

She has a purse smaller than the size of her pocket. Ha. 

Thrilled with these ladies! I'll be watching for Dani. I still have my Amazon preorder for her, but it's not 'til September.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine.

PRE-ORDER: Latinistas

Amazon has the Latinistas up for pre-order! I bought all four of the dolls. They come out on September 1st.

LOLA (pink):

https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Toys-Latinistas-Fashion-Doll/dp/B0BZT6YNSY/

Lola is a design student from South Florida.

DANI (purple):

https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Toys-Latinistas-Fashion-Doll/dp/B0BZT8MVWB/

Dani is from Texas and she's a writer. She was the one I was least into, but I gotta support my writer characters!

LIV (green):

https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Toys-Latinistas-Fashion-Doll/dp/B0BZT7SGPR/

Liv is a singer from California who attends a performing arts school.

JULIANNA (orange):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZT7NKLY/

Julianna is an art student from New York City. I loved El Museo del Barrio and I could see Julianna taking the kids she teaches in her neighborhood there. 

DANCE NIGHT Fashion:

https://www.amazon.com/Latinistas-Fashion-Pack-Dance-Night/dp/B0BZTB8919/

I'm considering this for Dani, but I'll see if I like her outfit better in person first.

FESTIVAL DAY Fashion:

https://www.amazon.com/Latinistas-Fashion-Pack-Festival-Day/dp/B0BZT93NX6/

This one's not for me. Too much yellow and pink and too many logos. 

Can't wait to see these girls in person! 

REVIEW: Naturalistas Kelsey

 

I ordered Kelsey from Target. My store is currently remodeling and I have no idea how long it's going to take them to actually put new stuff out. They have bits and pieces, but I have zero patience. 

I didn't think Kelsey was coming out til November so I was excited to see her in stock on target. I was going to get Liya first, but Kelsey was my favorite, so it had to be her. 

Back of the box. 

The purse is meh. Nothing spectacular. 

The outfit materials are decent. I just hate the colors. I don't even mind the style of this outfit. I like one-sleeved things. But white? With logo print? Blech. I'm hoping these dolls do well enough that they can get some better clothing and shoes. 

Her hair is soft and lovely. There was a little gel that I brushed out. 

She has tiny earrings that are cute in their simplicity. 

Lovely face. Mine's eyes are a smidge off but not enough that I returned her. 

Simple shoes. I would have liked these better in white. I'm just not a fan of neutral heels. 

She's got good shape. A bit skinnier than similar-sized dolls but probably not enough that she couldn't share clothing. 

Only basic articulation. 

Roughly the same height as a standard Barbie. 

I took her into my room where all my bags of doll clothing are, having no idea what I'd dress her in. This Egyptian Barbie outfit caught my eye right away and it's perfect. Her hair makes me think of some existing ancient Egyptian wigs and their amazing volume, and of course, you can see a lot of thick wigs on statuary. 

So she actually found herself added to my Egyptian display! Definitely not where I ever would have guessed. 

I like her. I think she's worth the $12.99 price. That's cheap in doll standards nowadays. There is major room for improvement in the clothing and shoe areas, but the hair is great, I like the body and face sculpts, and she makes me want more of them. I think I'll try Liya next, though it may be a bit til I can order her. She's out of stock on both Target and Amazon right now. I wish they'd hurry up and finish resetting and remodeling my store!

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine.

NEWS: Naturalistas

 I've managed to get pre-orders for all four basic Naturalistas on Amazon now. The one in the blue dress, Liya, took quite a while to appear. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WPRC847/

She is currently still available to order with an August release date. 

However, I have had two of my others move from August 1st to November 1st. 

Dayna (currently in stock to order) still says August. 

Kelsey (not in stock) has changed to November.

Paige (not in stock) has changed to November. 

I didn't preorder Grace so I have no idea if she's changed or not. Her Amazon listing isn't up at the moment, so it's possible she's like Kelsey and Paige. 

Paige was briefly July though she switched to August and then November. So we'll see when these dolls finally do come out.

NEWS: Naturalistas

I've been waiting to post about these until we had some more solid links. I've found some now, so here we go. 

Naturalistas are a new playline coming out this fall. In their own words: "Naturalistas Dolls are a line of Black fashion dolls, designed to celebrate natural coils, curls and crowns." I like that each of them has a distinct career. These are adults with jobs, not kids. It's a nice change. 

Each doll has very basic articulation and they appear to all have the same facemold and the same shoe mold. I hope they do well so the company can expand on the designs in the future. Dolls like these are important, but it's hard to compete with other lines that have articulation and more detailed clothing and faces. 

DAYNA:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RGQ5HP1/

"Dayna is an LA native and owner of “Naturalistas Luxury Hair Salon.” With a degree in business (and training from a top beauty school), Dayna is a leading Celebrity Natural-Hair Stylist. A businesswoman and celebrity favorite, Dayna’s much admired career has earned her the nickname, “The Coil Whisperer.” Dressed to make a statement, Dayna has 5 points of articulation for lots of creative poses, Curly 3C Textured Hair, medium brown skin tone, and a gorgeous gold glitter-knit cutout maxi dress, sparkly stud earrings (complete with strappy heels and gold handbag). As Dayna’s motto is “Be Proud of Your Crown”, this 11-inch doll will inspire kids to appreciate their uniqueness, while also encouraging them to love their beautiful natural coils and curls."

KELSEY:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RGNVQKL/

"A New York native, Kelsey is a talented fashion designer and founder of “Naturalistas Clothing.” With a degree in fashion from a top design school, Kelsey uses her platform as a well-known designer to support the careers of aspiring Natural-Hair models. Stylishly dressed, Kelsey has 5 points of articulation for lots of trendy poses, Coily 4B Textured Hair, light brown skin, sparkly stud earrings and a chic matching one-shoulder crop-top and fitted pants, featuring our custom “N” logo print (complete with strappy heels and a white shoulder bag). As Kelsey’s motto is “Natural Hair is chic,” this 11-inch doll echoes the beauty of coily and curly hair kids, while also encouraging them to love their beautiful natural tresses."

PAIGE:

https://www.amazon.com/Naturalistas-Accessories-Textured-Designed-Developed/dp/B09RFVMFYK

"Paige is a San Francisco native (and chemist) with a line of natural-hair care products, “Naturalistas Hair.” With degrees in marketing and chemistry, “Dr. Paige” utilizes her love of science to produce Natural-Hair Products that support natural hair health. When Paige is not running her business, she supports organizations that encourage kids to pursue careers in S.T.E.M. Dressed for success, Paige has 5 points of articulation for lots of interesting poses, Curly 3C Textured Hair, medium brown skin tone, hoop earrings and a chic silver glitter-knit dress (with a bright pink purse and matching heels). As Paige believes “Natural Hair is soo special, it defies gravity!”, this 11-inch doll will inspire kids to stay curious."

GRACE (deluxe):

https://www.amazon.com/Naturalistas-Accessories-Textured-Influencer-Developed/dp/B09RGD98NW

Grace is a deluxe doll with a $24.99 price point. She appears to come with 2 wigs, as well as a bunch of tech accessories. 

"Grace is a D.C. native, Influencer and Protective Style Enthusiast. With a degree in journalism, Grace started her career in the news room where she was often required to straighten her hair. In her spare time, Grace learned to install Protective Styles to keep her Natural Hair safe from over styling. Grace now runs a successful social media channel, teaching her followers how to properly care for their hair. Grace has 5 points of articulation for lots of camera-ready poses, a Textured 4B Pixie Cut, medium brown skin, hoop earrings and a stylish 2-piece matching tie-dye outfit (with pink shoulder bag and strappy heels). As Grace believes “Natural Hair is Professional,” this 11-inch doll encourages coily and curly kids to rock their Natural Hair with pride."