Thursday, August 2, 2012

Hearts For Hearts Girls Zelia and Lauryce Dolls (Help Me Decide!)

So after consulting with Hubby, I decided to open up both dolls and have a nice, long photo shoot.  I knew I'd lose out on shipping to return a doll to Amazon anyway, and I knew I could recover at least a good portion of what I paid by reselling the doll I didn't keep.  If I was made of money and had unlimited space, both of these gals would so be staying with me!  But since I've spent a bit already this month, I'm going to choose one.  Trouble is, I'm still trying to decide! :}  (Warning, as is a usual thing with most of my posts, this one is super photo heavy!)

Here are the two cuties in question:  Zelia and Lauryce.

Zelia has lovely reddish-brown hair, fair skin, and brown eyes.  She does definitely have Nahji's face mold.

Lauryce has honey-blonde, crimped hair, warm tan skin, and golden brown eyes.  She has a different face mold that I haven't been able to identify yet.  I do know that it's not Nahji's or Consuelo's, and I'm pretty sure it's not Rahel's either.

Zelia looks loads better without her yellow jacket on.  Her outfit is very casual but cute.

She has a really sweet face. 



Zelia and Lauryce


And here they both are with Nahji.  I wanted to see how each doll looked with her since she's the one I already have.  I've decided I'd like to have between three and four Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls (at least for now), and I know that I want Mosi when she's released.  I've also been leaning towards Consuelo, but I think I'll wait until Mosi comes out, just in case she and Consuelo look too similar.  Anyway, because I'm planning on a small H4H collection, I wanted to make sure that the dolls I have are ones that I love and also look unique from each other. 


Zelia and Nahji


Lauryce and Nahji


See why I'm having such a hard time deciding? ;)


I thought I'd also get some pics of all of the details on both dolls since I had them free of their boxes. :)

Lauryce:
This little gal is super photogenic and has a really unique hair/eye/skin color combination.  

A view from the back of her lovely crimped hair.  Her hair felt every bit as soft as the previously released Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls, which was a relief to me.  I've been so impressed with the hair quality of the H4H line...I'm glad that continued with the new releases.

Her earrings are a pretty "silver" (though as far as I can tell, they're actually plastic).  They look even cuter when they're right side up. ;)

A profile shot, showing her adorable head scarf. 

Another shot of her cute outfit.

Lauryce's silver bracelet comes on her right wrist (like her earrings, it does not appear to be real silver).

She comes with 4 bright plastic bracelets on her left wrist.

Her lavender shoes.

Zelia:
This little gal is a real sweetie.  Even though she's from Brazil, I think she could work as a character from any number of countries.  She's really got that average 10-year-old girl look.

Her cute butterfly (or maybe dragonfly?) earrings.

Her profile shot, showing her side ponytail with green and blue hair elastics.  I'm curious to see what her hair looks like out of the side ponytail (of course, I haven't taken it out since I'm still deciding which doll to keep).

I really love her outfit.  It's simple but very versatile.

Zelia does not have any sort of bracelets.  (I think she's the first aside from Nahji who didn't come with any of the stretchy plastic bracelets).  This is most likely because she came with a jacket.  Still, I thought it was a shame that she didn't come with any sort of wrist wear.

Her shoes are so cute! :)


As you all know, I've mentioned several times how well these dolls work as little sisters to the BFC Ink dolls.  I thought I'd include a few pics of them with some possible older siblings (I figured I'd better take advantage of the opportunity now, since most of the BFC Inks in these photos are currently listed on eBay (Gianna and Kaitlin are actually already shipped and on their way to their new home).

Zelia and Gianna


Zelia and Nicolette (she's one I'm keeping!)

Lauryce and CJ

I thought it was interesting that these two had almost exactly the same eye color!


Lauryce and Kaitlin

Consuelo and Aleisha
I know Consuelo's not one of the dolls I'm reviewing in this post, but she looked so cute with Aleisha and Noelle that I just had to include her! ;)

Conseulo and Noelle (also a BFC Ink that I'm keeping)


So now, it's decision time.  I'm planning on making the final decision, but I'd love to have all of your input, too.  Which doll do you prefer, Zelia or Lauryce?  I keep going back and forth, myself. ;)  

To help make an informed decision, I've listed some of the pros and cons for keeping each below.

Zelia

Pros:
1.  I love her coloring, which provides somewhat of a contrast to Nahji.
2.  I love her outfit, shoes, and earrings.
3.  Her outfit could be mixed and matched easily.
4.  I love redheaded and/or brown-eyed dolls.
5.  Her straight hair would be easy to care for.
6.  For now, at least, she seems to be less popular online than Lauryce, making my photos of her more unique.

Cons:
1.  She has the same face mold as Nahji, and I like the idea of having dolls with different face molds.
2.  While I like brown-eyed dolls, if I end up with Mosi or Consuelo and already have Nahji, then all of my H4Hs would have brown eyes.  Do I want more variety?


Lauryce:

Pros:  
1.  I love her crimped hair and her head scarf.
2.  Her look is really unique.
3.  She's super photogenic.
4.  She has a different face mold and very different hair and eye color than Nahji, making her a unique addition to my collection.
5.  I love her bracelet and earrings.

Cons:  
1.  I wonder if her hair will be hard to take care of since it's not straight.
2.  Her eyes are lovely, but she does tend to have a bit of an "intense" gaze compared to Zelia.
3.  I think Zelia's coloring might possibly work a little better with some of the extra outfits I have for them.
4.  Since she is more popular online, there are lots more pics of Lauryce than Zelia right now.  Does that matter?  Maybe, maybe not.

Okay, guys...time for your two cents.  What are your thoughts? ;)  I'll be sure to let everyone know when I make my decision (and when I list the extra doll on eBay).

UPDATE:  To see which one I chose, click HERE! :)

19 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the blondie! :) I think she is unique and her dress is lovely!

Lys said...

While I think Lauryce is really unique (those eyes are gorgeous), I would keep Zelia. You have more pros for her, and less cons too, than you to for Lauryce. I also think Zelia makes and ADORABLE little sister to Nicolette, who if I understand correctly you're keeping, which I think is a really cool plus. And even though Zelia and Nahji both have brown eyes, they look different enough otherwise that I don't think it's a big deal.

But then Lauryce has that adorable crimped hair too. :P They're both cuties but I still think I'd keep Zelia.

Anonymous said...

Hiya! Love your photos as always! Super hard choice you got there! :( If I were you, I'd go with Lauryce, just because she's unique and will stand out with your other dolls, like you said :)That's just my opinion, though. They're both absolutely darling, though, so I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever choice you make! Good luck! God bless. -Anon

All AG said...

Follow your heart. If you sell the dolls on eBay, maybe you can keep the better outfit, on the better doll? Here is how I decided between Caroline and Mosi.
1. Who would be better to play, take pictures, and use at your house?
2. Who is cute and unique?
3. Who would you have most fun designing and playing with?
4. Who is cuter?
5. Who would you love fully and devote time with her?
6. Who is fun to take photos of?

Madeline said...

Lauryce. She has a beautiful eye color, and her hair is like gold! Her dress is also beautiful. Besides, she could be CJ's little sister!

Carolyn said...

I'm no help at all because I like them both! They sure do look super cute with the BFC Ink dolls!

MulanFan_95 said...

I think Zelia's cuter... and you have less cons with her than with the other girl! :D Why don't you sell the other one naked so you can stay with all her clothes?

S and O said...

I don't know if this is possible for you, but if I were you, I would put one doll away for a while since you do already have her in your house, and wait and see if maybe you would want somebody to give her to you for your birthday or Christmas, or maybe save one of them for your daughter(s), sell her to a friend, or see if your mom would be interested in buying her from you, because then could probably still take pictures of her. This might not be possible, but if it is possible, you won't lose any money on shipping/returns/not getting the price you would like to sell her for.

I would personally keep Lauryne because I think she's ADORABLE, as well as being a completely different doll from Nahji whereas Zelia has brown eyes and the same face.

~ S ~

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for all of the great suggestions, everyone. I'll let you know what my decision is soonish. ;)

molly jean said...

Hi, I love your blog.

molly jean said...

You are about the age of my oldest child, a son. I have 5 sons and only one daughter. She played with stuffed animals more than dolls even though I bought her a beautiful doll every Christmas, sewed dresses, and build doll furniture. I finally had to recognize that the dolls were for me! I am very fond of Sashas, Natterer, and Marie-Luise Schulz dolls. I do have Molly AG doll and have the privilege of displaying my daughter's Felicity until she wants it:)

I also like your choices of books and movies. I love fairy tales AND that true story of the Prince who loves sacrificially and came from the far country to rescue his beloved.

Abilene Lilac said...

I love both of them, but I'm leaning towards Zelia. I might even return my Lauryce to Target and get Zelia! I was wondering...how does Zelia look with Addison? Their coloring is similar, and I thought they might make good sisters.

Anonymous said...

Zelia is the obvious choice. You have more pros, less cons, and if they all have brown eyes, they could be related! Well, no not really..

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for your comments, Molly Jean. It's nice to get to know you a little better. It sounds like we have a lot in common! :)

Abilene Lilac, thanks for the question. I'll try to add a pic of Zelia and Addison together later today. I think they'd look really cute together. :)

Thanks again for all of the input, everyone! :)

Anonymous said...

I would go with Lauryce, Yes her hair seems to be from pics an what heard, pretty easy to take care of, I love the way Zelia looks, an would wonder to if she would looks better in a different outfit? I wish you could keep both, I dont have neither an hoping to get Lauryce but now that I have see Zelia in these pics I am quiestioning if I should get her.

Unknown said...

I love lauryce. Her hair is easy to keep looking nice, I wondered when we first got her, but it has been played with non stop and still looks great. She has really pretty and unique eye color.

lissie said...

Lauryce and CJ look great together, so does Zelia and Gianna. :)

Anonymous said...

Lauryce!

Mickey's Girl said...

While I'm usually all over red headed dolls (especially since this one has hair AND eyes like me), but Lauryce has such a unique and adorable look. Not to mention I love the little story that goes with her. My vote is for Lauryce and I hope you decide soon! :)

Mickey's Girl