Friday, August 30, 2013

Hearts 4 Hearts "Lauryce"

This will just be a very short post that's meant as a companion to Nethilia's amazingly thorough review of the lovely Hearts 4 Hearts Mosi and Shola.  I went to Target to look at Shola in person after I read Neth's review.  Shola is a very beautiful doll, but I ended up falling for Lauryce instead.  I never would have guessed that Lauryce would be my pick, since I think her promotional pictures are the least appealing of this new Hearts 4 Hearts group.  The promo picture makes it look like she has a spray tan or something.  In person, this doll is gorgeous:

Hearts 4 Hearts "Lauryce."
Lauryce's golden skin tone looks natural in person--nothing at all spray-tan about it.  Her eyes are incredible.  They are exactly the same as Shola's eyes, but they look different on this doll because of her lighter coloring.  I am very fond of my other Hearts 4 Hearts doll, Nahji, but her eyes do not have the same hypnotic realism.

Lauryce is from New Orleans.  I can't look at her name without thinking about Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs.  In fact, it's hard for me to think "Lauryce" in my head without hearing it in Hannibal Lecter's voice.  Shiver.  I might need to change her name.

I thought that Lauryce might enjoy a little trip out into nature, so I took her to a farm owned by our local Audubon Society.


Lauryce comes with earrings, but I removed them for this photo shoot because I prefer how she looks without them.


The fields of tall yellow flowers made Lauryce's chameleon eyes look almost yellow.



This park has large, sunny fields and small areas of forest that provided a nice break from the midday heat.  Lauryce was impressed by the tall, skinny trees:


The canopy allowed only a small amount of light to filter through its leaves:


Here is one of Lauryce's extraordinary eyes up close.  They remind me of the beautiful custom-made glass eyes of Annette Himstedt's dolls.




Lauryce's hair is crimped, but it's still silky-smooth and wonderful to play with.  It does get a little frizzy right after I brush it, and while it always feels great, I don't like how it looks quite as much when it's puffy like this.


 Lauryce's dress is very simple and nice.  It has a heather grey stretch knit bodice and a watercolor skirt.  I agree with everything Nethilia said about the shoes--they are plain plastic and they cheapen the outfit.  They're not bad for hiking around in the wet sand, though.




Bottom line?  I was already a fan of the Hearts 4 Hearts dolls back when the first wave came out.  Since then, Nethilia has made me appreciate their cultural diversity a lot more, and Lauryce has showed me how spectacular plastic eyes can be.  Lauryce also evoked that special heart-tugging connection that not all dolls can achieve.  I like the Hearts 4 Hearts dolls even more now.

36 comments:

  1. I love Lauryce! She's so pretty, and she has an awesome dress!

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    1. Thank you, Nina! I totally agree-her dress is super-cute, and very versatile!

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  2. It's so frustrating that companies seem to take such poor pictures of some dolls. But this inspires me. I may need to take my Lauryce outside and snap some good shots of her!

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    1. Well, I am not sure what's worse--the bad promo pictures make me really happy with the actual doll, while the awesome promo pictures make me really excited about a doll release (maybe to the point of pre-ordering?) but then I'm disappointed with the actual doll. I wonder if there's any strategy here with doll companies? Hm...

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  3. Darn it, I don't want to be hooked on another doll line but you're breaking me! She is SO pretty!

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    1. Sorry! I know what you mean, but I couldn't help myself. She's so cute. Can't we blame Nethilia?? She started it. ;D

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  4. @mcooper - I know what you mean. Now I want one, too.

    Great photos. Very pretty doll. At my local Target, there was only one H4H doll, a very blonde one. I don't need another blonde so I bought an Our Generation. Never thought I'd get one of those either until I read your review.

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    1. Oh--I've seen that blonde doll, I think she's called Lilian. She has kinda plain eyes, at least compared to Lauryce. I hope you like your Our Generation doll! Which one did you pick? I LOVE the new redheaded doll, Kendra. There is SO much awesome new OG stuff...it's dangerous!

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    2. I got Sadie. I also got a box of OG glasses.

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  5. What a nice doll. She has such pretty eyes and her whole look is just really pretty. Thanks for the great review.

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    1. Thank you so much--I love her eyes, too! They're so unique.

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  6. Oh my goodness! Such lovely pictures of Lauryce! You've totally inspired me to do a photo shoot of my own with my Lauryce. ;)

    Thanks for sharing. :)

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    1. She is so photogenic, but the lighting has to be right. I tried to photograph my Lauryce in my photo room with the grey backdrop and she looked awful! Like a zombie! Ack! I can see why they had a hard time with the promo picture. :/ The outdoor pictures show how she really looks...gorgeous! :D

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  7. "...Well, hello Lauryce..." (You know what voice that line needs to be in.)

    Seriously though, I'm delighted to meet your Lauryce. I bought Shola, taken in by the same entrancing eyes. I considered Lauryce, but I'm just so fond of darker coloring on dolls and I was curious to play with the hijab. The Lauryce of your photos is infinitely more interesting than the one I met behind the plastic window under the fluorescent lighting of Target. I love how contemplative she looks out in nature. You've got me wanting to do an outdoor photo shoot with my own Heart for Hearts girls.

    I know what you mean about the special emotional connection these dolls can inspire. I bought Shola because I was impressed with her, and I still like her quite a lot, but I couldn't stop thinking about Mosi. I had to go back for her. Out of the box, the bond between me and Mosi has strengthened. I feel an odd, aching tenderness when I look at her, like I want to protect her. It's a very maternal type of instinct. The only other doll that has inspired that particular response in me was my Pullip Romantic Alice (who I've renamed "Fawn".) Normally my dolls just make me feel amused and cheery, but every once in a while something deeper than that happens.

    Do you find that you have a range of emotional responses to dolls? I'm just fascinated by the bond that can form between doll and... I wish there was a better word than "owner." Did ever think - in the store - that you would bond with a particular doll, only to get her home, open the box, and find that the feeling just wasn't there? I don't know how to discuss this sort of thing with non-doll-collectors. For me, though, it's part of the magic of the doll world.

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    1. I totally agree, Casey! There is an intangible emotional element to doll collecting. You described my reaction to Lauryce very well. I really didn't have the money to buy her that day, but it was like I couldn't leave the store without her. I worry that it has something to do with my teenaged son leaving home soon...but maybe it's just a constant of doll collecting? Now that I think of it, these feelings might have been even worse when I collected baby dolls. Whoa, did they inspire some powerful emotions! My dolls are special to me for a huge range of reasons. Sometimes it's the emotional connection, sometimes it's the stories I think of when I look at them, sometimes it's that they evoke a memory of when I bought them, sometimes they're just fun to pose and admire, sometimes it's simply the fact that they make me giggle.

      And I almost put "well, hello Lauryce..." as a caption! LOL! You know me well. ;)

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  8. This doll is so pretty, I love her eyes! I do not have a doll collection yet, but I have been interested in collecting porcelain dolls I find thrift shops. However I only have one :D. She is an Emerald collection doll, but I can't find her online. I was wondering if you have any information about those dolls.

    Thanks.
    Liz.

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    1. Hi Liz, I don't know about the Emerald collection dolls, but I love learning about new dolls! I will go on a Google hunt and see if I can find anything...

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    2. Oh wow! Thanks! I am going back to the place that I got the doll and see if they have more.


      From,
      Liz

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  9. This is totes random but did you debox toralei yet?

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    1. I've been wondering about that too.

      Liz.

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    2. No--not yet! How awful is that?? She looks so nice in her box and I have not been able to find any other versions of Toralei! For a while there, the doll I have was selling for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. My husband wants me to put her on eBay, but I don't think so. ;)

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  10. Emily! You've been honored: dottiedotcrafts.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much, Dot! That is so nice of you! And I won't forget mini Rebecca--promise! ;) She's not next on my list (one more big release) but she's next after that.

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  11. Nice pictures and review!
    I love these dolls, nice faces, good relation price-quality, but it's not possible to find them in europe... I already have some and I will complete the collection soon because just this last friday I ordered Laurice, Shola and Mosi to be sent to one friend of mine who lives in Atlanta and who will sent them to my home in Barcelona afterwars... Regards!

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    1. Oh, wow! That will be a fun box to get in the mail! What a beautiful trio of dolls!

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  12. I'm in love. I'm getting her right now. Thank you for your amazing review, and for Neth's review of the two others. These dolls are precious!

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    1. I know what you mean--I am in love, too! I hope you like her in person as much as I do.

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  13. Nat Kat! I'm such a spaz...I was trying to remove your edited comments and I deleted your actual comment in the process. I am so sorry! That's the second time I've done that this month. Here is what you said, cut and pasted. Please feel free to re-post under your own name if you want (and thank you, as always, for your nice words and thoughts!!) :D

    Nat Kat:
    Woah there! I can't keep up with all of these fantastic reviews. This girl is just so pretty and cute. You have pretty much nearly broken me with your recent run of larger dolls. I think that I will get one for me daughter when she is a little older. I do not have the space to justify getting one for myself... but how I would love to brush and style her hair ... and dress her in lovely clothes :)

    I have mentioned before that these larger dolls do not seem as popular in the UK. Maybe I am wrong but I usually never see girls with them. The other day I saw a group of girls with one in our local playground. It look similar in style to an AG but her hair was a big BIG mess. None the less, she was being loved and carried around like one of the gang! It really made me smile. I much prefer the face on these Hearts 4 Hearts dolls but I like the idea of AG type dolls with soft bodies that little girls can cuddle. I really want to see an AG now. I am very impressed that they can stand on their own.

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  14. Hi.
    I'm a recent fan of your blog. Was looking for reviews of the Monster High create a monster set, and ended up staying, reading your entire blog. :)
    Very fond of your writing skill, your love for animals, and the knowledge you include.

    Wondered if you'd seen this kickstarter for the scary godmother. Highly articulated fashion doll for 50$. Would love to hear what you think.
    www.kickstarter.com/projects/1327932176/the-scary-godmother-doll

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    1. Very interesting! It took me a while to figure out the concept, though: the artist is raising money so that she can produce the doll shown, which will sell for $50? I can see my whole day getting sucked into investigating that website! I wasn't aware that anything like this existed. I love the Scary Godmother project and I love that this kind of thing is possible! The blog-style presentation of the whole process of designing and building a prototype is amazing.

      Thank you for sharing this!

      Thank you for your nice comments about the blog, too...you should get a medal for reading the whole thing! :-O

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  15. I like it, but I recall the famous doll nancy

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    1. She does look a bit like Nancy! Good call! That is actually a neat review suggestion...thank you!! :D

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  16. I like how you write your reviews. It makes me want dolls that I wouldn't normally like.
    Like this Hearts 4 Hearts girls. I mean, yeah they're pretty, but I wouldn't buy them.

    You're making me change my mind. Damn.

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    1. Thank you, Mae--and sorry for the temptation! Go see them in person at a store if you can, because you might like them but you might not. I have very different reactions to different dolls in this line. I wouldn't even consider buying some of them, but others are definitely hard to resist!

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  17. Thank you for the review.. I make doll clothes, and I'm just starting a line for the 13" Corolle Les Cheries dolls and the 14" Hearts for Hearts dolls.. I just ordered Lauryce this past weekend and can't wait to receive her.. I picked her because her eyes look so beautiful online.. I'm so happy to see your up close pics and see that they really are that pretty!
    I've been enjoying your reviews.. Gonna go read some more :o) Have a great day...

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  18. Well, yet again I respond after the party is over. ;P

    When I saw the H4H doll on Amazon I knew right away I wanted Dell, Mosi, Tippy, Lillian and Nahji. I think Tippy is discontinued and haven't found Lillian or Nahji at retail. DH did bring me home Mosi, Dell, Lauryce and the doll from Mexico and Brazil. I am "supposed" to pick the couple I want. Not an easy decision, though one I have put back into the return pile. Could a couple be four with the hopes of a couple more. Six is such a nice, solid, good number. o:) <--(me with a halo)

    My best,
    Suzi

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