Tuesday, June 12, 2012

BFC Ink Doll Review: Calista, Yuko, Addison, Kaitlin, and Nicolette

I have a few family events coming up, so I won't be around much next week.  I'm having a hard time getting the "schedule posts" feature to work since Blogger switched over to the new look (anyone else having this problem?), so I'm going to try to get some extra posts done this week to tide you over while I'm gone. ;)

About a month ago or so, I won a lot of BFC Ink dolls on eBay (a couple of them are featured in my header). ;)  I was so excited!  The price was very reasonable, and all of the girls were in excellent shape.  I was especially thrilled that the lot included Calista and Yuko.  These dolls are harder to find and normally cost a pretty penny!

Here are the four new gals:  Kaitlin, Calista, Addison, and Yuko. :)

None of the girls came dressed, so I had to provide clothes for them.  Thankfully, I had some extra BFC Ink sized clothing.  One outfit was one I found after winning the dolls, though...

I was in my local Kmart, and they happened to have a few BFC Ink outfits on sale for $2.50 each!  I've always liked the "Simply Sweet" outfit, so I picked it up. :)


Addison looks adorable in this. (Calista does too!  She was the one who tried it first.)  ;)    

I especially love the color and the polka dots on the shirt.  I would prefer shorts that were a little bit longer, but these will do for now.

I'm not really sure why this set came with bright yellow shoes, :}  but I've noticed that the BFC Ink shoes don't always match really well with the outfits they come with.

I just love how poseable these dolls are!  It makes photographing them so much fun. :)  Addison is a really cute doll (and the personal favorite BFC Ink doll of my oldest daughter).  Her hair looks very reddish brown in person, which surprised me, because in many of her photos (and even this one!) it looks like a more typical brunette color.  She has two curly strands of hair in the front, and the rest is a wavy, half curly look.  A bit disappointing, though still pretty.  I'm pretty sure that Addison and my new Kaitlin are from the line that came dressed in swimsuits, judging by the differences between their hairstyles and the original dolls' hairstyles.

Calista is a gorgeous doll.  I've never seen her in person before, but now that I have, I'm definitely impressed. 

Like the other dolls, she has a few really pretty curly strands of hair towards the front (that make her look nice in the box) and the rest of her hair is just slightly wavy.  For now, though, her hair looks nice.  I figure if I leave it alone it should last for a while at least. :)

I was so pleased when I took a picture of Calista and Nahji together.  They make the PERFECT sisters! :)

I wanted to take a picture of Calista with Rahel, too.  They also look cute together...

...but I think Nahji and Calista look like they were actually made to be sisters.   Their skin tone is almost identical!   

And here is lovely Yuko.  This particular doll was customized by her previous owner.  She has fake eyelashes and eyeliner (I believe she used colored pencil for the eyeliner).  I think the original Yuko is adorable too, but I love how the eye makeup and eyelashes really make her eyes stand out. :) 

A closer look at her lashes.  The only problem I have with them is that her hair gets caught in them constantly! :{  Her previous owner kept her hair partially pulled back to avoid this problem, but I love how her hair looks when it's loose, so I'll probably just deal with the hair/eyelash thing. ;)

Yuko is absolutely stunning. :)

The additional Kaitlin was a cutie, too.  

You're probably wondering why I got her when I already have 2 other Kaitlins.  Well, first off, she was part of the lot, and I was more interested in the other dolls.  That aside, though, I loved that she had the softer facial expression of my first Kaitlin, but had the fully poseable body of the later dolls.

You can see what I mean in these next couple of pictures.  My first Kaitlin is on the left.  I think her expression is still the cutest of all, but new Kaitlin's is pretty close.

Much closer than my 2nd Kaitlin's (on the right).  See how 2nd Kaitlin's eyebrows curve downward?  I think it gives her more of a sassy teen look, while the other two have a gentler, more innocent look.

Newest Kaitlin's hair also has less curl and is a little smoother than my first Kaitlin's.

Here are the first two Kaitlins, decked out in the other $2.50 outfits from Kmart.  Obviously, I won't be keeping all three, but I'm still figuring out which one will be staying.  At this point, I'm leaning towards the newest one, just because I really prefer the newer, more poseable joints.

I didn't realize how very similar Addison and Kaitlin look in the face.  It looks like they have the same face mold.

I'm trying to decide if Britt has the same face mold as well.  It looks very similar, and yet there's something about her face (aside from the coloring) that seems different than the other girls.  Maybe it's just me. ;)

So here are the gals I'm currently keeping:  Kaitlin, Britt, Calista, Yuko, and Addison.  I love the beautiful variety of skin tones and hair/eye color combinations in this group. :)

I'm thinking about changing some of their names, but honestly, I haven't had a lot of time to sit down with them and figure all of that out.  I do enjoy looking at them on my shelf, though. :)

I also may end up getting rid of a couple of them eventually, just because I don't want to get overwhelmed with too many dolls.  I want to wait to make that decision for now, though.  These dolls are getting harder and harder to find at good prices, and I'd hate to get rid of one and then regret it. ;)

A few weeks after this purchase, I was able to get a lovely Nicolette doll (the BFC Ink Pen Pal doll from France).  I've always loved the brown eye/blonde hair combination, and the Pen Pal dolls never came to my local stores, so I was very excited to have this little lady join the dolly family. :)  

I'm so drawn to her sweet little face. :) 

My Nicolette came with her own custom pink earrings to match her dress.

Her dress is a little shorter than I care for, which is too bad, because it's very cute otherwise.   

I was curious to see how similar Kaitlin and Nicolette would look side by side.  They have the same face mold and an almost identical hair color.  Their eyes are different colors, and somehow they still looked different enough from each other that I didn't feel like I needed to choose between them.  I think the fact that Nicolette's eyebrows and eyelashes are painted a darker shade of brown is helpful.  I also think they look like they could be sisters.  What do you think?

If there's one thing I'd change about Nicolette, it would be her name.  I keep thinking of Nicorette gum whenever I say her name. :} 

Like the other gals, Nicolette is very poseable and photogenic: 

These dolls are not the highest quality.  Their limbs tend to get loose very quickly, and their hair is atrocious. Somehow, though, I keep going back to them.  I love the extra options for photos that their poseability brings.  I really like their faces, and I love the fact that they make such perfect big sisters for the Hearts For Hearts girls.  

I think I'd give them a 4 out of 5 stars.  The lacking star would be for the hair and joint problems I've mentioned.  The hair does best if it is left alone or put in an updo.  The joints last the longest if they receive minimal play.  Because of these issues, I think (as I've mentioned in previous posts) that these dolls could be frustrating for younger doll enthusiasts, and therefore would be best for careful older children or collectors.  

Which BFC Ink dolls are your favorites? :)   




24 comments:

Mickey's Girl said...

Their all such beautiful dolls! What ever Yuko's previous owner did to her, it looks amazing! It gives her a more realistic look. ;)

Mickey's Girl

anya said...

Your new Kaitlin is SO cute! Nahji and Callista do look perfect together. :)
Maybe for now, you could call Nicolette, 'Nicole'? :P

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, girls!

Mickey's Girl, I completely agree. I love the way Yuko's eyes turned out. :)

Thanks, Spicemuffin. :) One of my other readers also has a Nicolette, and she named her Nicole, just like you suggested. I'm not sure if I'll call her that or something else entirely.

Some of my BFC Ink dolls remind me of the characters in my novels I'm working on, so I've thought about naming the dolls after them. The only bummer about that is that I'm trying to keep the names a secret for now, so I wouldn't be able to share them with all of you. So I'm still thinking that through. Thanks for the suggestion, though. :)

Anonymous said...

Just asking, besides Ebay where could you find these dolls. Hopefully you will say Walmart, that is where we do most of our shopping.

AGTriviaMaster said...

Where do you get BFC Inc dolls besides online?

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

The question of the hour, Anonymous and AGTriviaMaster! ;) That's a tough one. They used to be at Walmart, but I haven't seen them at my local Walmarts for at least a couple of years. I've seen them in Target and Kmart, but sadly the Pen Pals line never made it to our local stores. I live in a fairly small town, so that could be part of it. So I would start with Target and Kmart. You might also check ToysRUs. They're getting harder and harder to find, though.

And I know you didn't ask this, but the best places to get them online aside from eBay are Littletykes.com and Amazon.com.

Hope this helps! :)

Carolyn said...

Wow! Do you have them all now? Who knew you would turn into a BFC collector?
I think Yuko is the prettiest and I LOVE what the original owner did to her eyes. Can you imagine if all of them had the pretty eyelashes? Lovely!
As far as face molds go, I think the Pen Pal dolls have slightly longer lip lines and a thinner top lip than the others. But they are similar. I hope they continue this line and make improvements to the hair and joints.
I still think Gia is beautiful. You returned your's right? So is she the only one missing now? I can;t keep up! LOL!
You have such a fun variety of dolls. It's always interesting to visit you. :o)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Bama! I know, kinda crazy, right? I honestly didn't set out to become a BFC Ink collector, but with this latest eBay lot, I kind of became one overnight! ;)

I do still love Gianna, and have honestly considered getting her again someday...maybe. ;) I have a lot of them, but there actually are several I don't have: Noelle, Alisha, C.J. (the boy doll), Gianna, Elsa (Pen Pal from Sweden), Carmen (Pen Pal from Mexico)...and I think that may be it. :}

And just in case you're curious, the dolls I don't have that I'm still interested in are Noelle, Gianna, C.J., and Elsa. I don't know that I'd add all of those, because that would be a LOT of dolls, especially since I already have an extensive collection of my regular 18 inch dolls. I don't think Hubby would be too thrilled if dolls completely took over our bedroom. ;)

By the way, I was able to contact the original owner of Yuko and the others, and she told me that she used human falsies for Yuko (apparently doll eyelashes aren't big enough). She was able to get two BFC Ink eyelashes out of one falsie eyelash. She said she used Aileen's tacky glue to attach them, and usually applies it with toothpicks, q-tips, and "a lot of grumbling". ;)

She also shared with me that she used prisma colors colored pencils for Yuko's eyeshadow.

Just thought I'd share that in case anyone else wants to try it on their dolls! :) I know I'm certainly tempted to!

Thanks for stopping by, Bama. It's always good to hear from you. :)

Elliebob said...

Well, at first kaitlin was my favorite. Buuut, then I saw Yuko. Buuuut, The I saw nicolette!! I looove her! She is so pretty yet cute. :) I love them all though

Korianne said...

I love when you post about your BFCs! They all look GORGEOUS. Are you certain that Nicolette and Kaitlin have the same face mold? I thought Nicolette and Britt did (I see it in the lips... but it could be painting I'm mistaking). Also, in the book Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen the main character Nicole goes by Colie (Prounouced Cole Lee) and I've always loved it, but spelled Colee. Perhaps Nicolette would like that? Or Colette alone? Also, where did you get Yuko's dress? It's GORGEOUS. Britt's too!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

I know what you mean, Elliebob! :) I have the same trouble deciding on a favorite. ;)

Hey, Korianne! :) In answer to your question, I'm NOT sure that Kaitlin and Nicolette have the same face mold. Sometimes they look like they do, and other times they don't. The differences are very subtle, if there are any, so it makes it tough to decide. ;)

I love the names Colee and Colette...great ideas. :) Hmmm, decisions, decisions. ;)

I actually made Yuko and Britt's dresses using the YouTube tutorial from My Froggy Stuff. I did a post about it here: http://nevergrowupdollguide.blogspot.com/2012/04/having-fun-with-my-froggy-stuff.html

The post includes a link to her video. Oh, and in the post above, Kaitlin #2 (before her rewigging) is the one wearing Yuko's dress. :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

In looking at them again, I think Kaitlin and Nicolette might have different face molds. Nicolette's mouth turns up at the corners a little more than Kaitlin's, and her face looks a bit thinner, and her chin looks slightly pointier. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if Britt and Nicolette have the same face mold.

Arrghh...I'm not sure! The longer I look at them, the more I doubt myself. ;) What do you think?

Elliebob said...

:)

Lake Grandma said...

I found your BFC blog while searching for shoes for my grand daughter's doll. She is half Japanese, 1/4 Italian, 1/8 German and Irish. I bought her Yuko for Christmas last year. I have been able to find clothes on eBay and etsy, but no decent dressy shoes. - BTW, I think Brit and Nicolette have the same face mold. There mouths are identical. I wish they made these beautiful dolls when I was young. The closest was my Toni doll that you set curls in her hair with sugar water.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Lake Grandma, thanks for commenting. :)

Shoes are definitely tricky to find for the BFC Ink dolls. You might try looking at Etsy.com to see if there are any handmade ones there.

I think you're right about Britt and Nicolette. :) There is a very slight variation between the face mold used for Kaitlin and Addison and the face mold used for Britt and Nicolette. I think they're all so cute. :)

Lake Grandma said...

I found a shoe pattern on etsy, so I am going to try my hand at making some. I have some black leather from an old hand bag that I am going to use. The pattern calls for hand sewing. I think I can manage it and I might put a strap or perhaps some ankle ties on them. I'll let you know how they turn out. I have a friend looking through her scrap fabrics for shiny vinyl. I also have some gold Mylar fabric that would need some iron-on Pelion stiffener to work. Lots of work to do before Christmas!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Wonderful! I'm glad you found something. :) I'd love to hear how they turn out. :)

Unknown said...

Does BFC Ink have a website? I'm going to try to use their clothes as substitutes for the expensive American Girl doll clothes.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Unfortunately, their website does not appear to be up anymore. Even when it was, it wasn't updated very well. You also couldn't purchase things through the website. They just gave links to other places that sold their items.

I'm not sure if you realize this already, but BFC Ink clothes will not fit American Girl dolls. The BFC Ink dolls are much slimmer than AGs. And sadly, now that the dolls have been discontinued, the BFC Ink clothing is often just as expensive as AG clothes since it's so hard to find.

sdgfdhf said...

cute lol i have yuko addison caitlin gianna and noelle!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, sdgfdhf. :) I definitely have a soft spot for these dolls. ;)

Anonymous said...

Would you consider selling your Calista doll?

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Anonymous. I am considering letting at least one of my BFC Ink dolls go, but I still haven't decided which one. Later this month, I'll be doing some eBay listings, and I'll post about it on the blog, so stay tuned! :)

Unknown said...

Hi there! I realize this is many years after the fact, but have you considered rerooting the hair on any of the BFC girls? I love their joints, but I've been reading a lot about their hair just being terrible.