Luciana Doll and Meet Outfit
Apr 10, 2019 13:45:49 GMT -5
Post by islandgirls on Apr 10, 2019 13:45:49 GMT -5
I'll confess it took me about fifteen months from the time of her release to really appreciate Luciana. I loved what AG did with her collection but I felt uninterested in the doll herself. I thought she was too similar to #66 and since I've already had #66 and didn't keep her I was sure I would never want Luciana. It wasn't until I saw her in person in the store last November that I began to come around, and not until I finally got a Luciana of my own this month that I fell in love. That being said, I now LOVE Luciana! I think she is one of the prettiest, sweetest, perkiest dolls AG has ever made. And I say that even though she has the inferior body cloth and new-style eyes. I think she is unique even among similar dolls like Josefina, Marisol, #66 and #28. And I personally think she is the prettiest of all five Latina AG dolls.
One thing that tripped me up at first were her eyebrows. I was so put off by Lea's eyebrows back in 2016 that I was afraid Luciana's eyebrows would be the same. As it turns out they're not at all the same. All the Lucianas I saw in the store looked sweet and perky regardless of their eyebrow placement. Lea's eyebrows have an extra angle that Luciana's do not have. Luciana's just look nicely arched, not angry or mean. My Luciana has a left eyebrow that's just slightly higher than her right and it gives her the cutest expression--like she's seen something really interesting.
I think her coloring is exquisite. Unlike Josefina and #66, Luciana's hair is chocolate brown, not black-brown, so she has less of a hard contrast between her hair and skin tone; yet unlike Marisol or #28, she does have enough contrast to really bring out the different browns of her hair and vinyl. Her hair is a truly luscious brown--I love it. I also love the length. It's a bit shorter than #66's but longer than #28's, meaning that it's long enough to play with and style but short enough to give her a distinctive look. It has the cutest flip at the bottom as well--I love flips. I adore her messy side swept bangs, too. They're quite a bit longer and more lively than Maryellen's but they can be tamed. Mine has the original wig style with the sewn-under bangs. Though it's not a super thick wig, it's quite thick enough. Honestly, I would be happy without the purple hairstreak, but it doesn't bother me. You can easily hide it by brushing her hair a certain way if you don't want to see it or if you want to dress her in something historical. Altogether, her wig is an exquisite color and has a wonderful life of its own.
I'm going to say something heretical: I actually prefer the new-style eyes on Luciana. I've seen several Lucianas on this board who have received eye swaps and they're gorgeous. However, I feel the new-style eyes give Luciana a perkiness that I think really suits her character. All the Lucianas I saw in the store had the cutest expression. Mine looks interested and alert and eager, not at all glazed-over or wall-eyed as sometimes happens with the Josefina face mold.
The Meet outfit is the one part of the doll I always did like from the very beginning, and I love it even more in person. It's bright and eye-catching, even though the dress material is just a basic knit. I appreciate that AG gave her real sleeves. And I love that she comes with two necklaces and a little red waist pouch. The pouch really opens and closes with velcro so Luciana could slip some small item inside that she needs to keep with her. This is a nice touch. And her silver holographic boots actually lace up! They do not even have velcro in the back like most of the other boots AG has made in recent years. Woo hoo! This Meet outfit is one of my very favorites of all the GOTYs.
My Luciana feels more substantial and significant somehow than Blaire. Maybe this is because she's literally fatter. Despite the thin body cloth my Luciana is well-stuffed and practically plump! Luciana has a presence about her, a real-ness that Blaire doesn't have. I can't get over how pretty she is. And judging from the outfits I've tried on her so far, she seems quite versatile. I haven't tried her in anything historical yet but she looked great in almost every modern outfit I put on her. She especially loves purple, lavender, and sage green.
Considering everything, Luciana feels like a real doll, which is the highest praise I can give.
Grade: solid A (would be A+ except for the thinner body cloth)
One thing that tripped me up at first were her eyebrows. I was so put off by Lea's eyebrows back in 2016 that I was afraid Luciana's eyebrows would be the same. As it turns out they're not at all the same. All the Lucianas I saw in the store looked sweet and perky regardless of their eyebrow placement. Lea's eyebrows have an extra angle that Luciana's do not have. Luciana's just look nicely arched, not angry or mean. My Luciana has a left eyebrow that's just slightly higher than her right and it gives her the cutest expression--like she's seen something really interesting.
I think her coloring is exquisite. Unlike Josefina and #66, Luciana's hair is chocolate brown, not black-brown, so she has less of a hard contrast between her hair and skin tone; yet unlike Marisol or #28, she does have enough contrast to really bring out the different browns of her hair and vinyl. Her hair is a truly luscious brown--I love it. I also love the length. It's a bit shorter than #66's but longer than #28's, meaning that it's long enough to play with and style but short enough to give her a distinctive look. It has the cutest flip at the bottom as well--I love flips. I adore her messy side swept bangs, too. They're quite a bit longer and more lively than Maryellen's but they can be tamed. Mine has the original wig style with the sewn-under bangs. Though it's not a super thick wig, it's quite thick enough. Honestly, I would be happy without the purple hairstreak, but it doesn't bother me. You can easily hide it by brushing her hair a certain way if you don't want to see it or if you want to dress her in something historical. Altogether, her wig is an exquisite color and has a wonderful life of its own.
I'm going to say something heretical: I actually prefer the new-style eyes on Luciana. I've seen several Lucianas on this board who have received eye swaps and they're gorgeous. However, I feel the new-style eyes give Luciana a perkiness that I think really suits her character. All the Lucianas I saw in the store had the cutest expression. Mine looks interested and alert and eager, not at all glazed-over or wall-eyed as sometimes happens with the Josefina face mold.
The Meet outfit is the one part of the doll I always did like from the very beginning, and I love it even more in person. It's bright and eye-catching, even though the dress material is just a basic knit. I appreciate that AG gave her real sleeves. And I love that she comes with two necklaces and a little red waist pouch. The pouch really opens and closes with velcro so Luciana could slip some small item inside that she needs to keep with her. This is a nice touch. And her silver holographic boots actually lace up! They do not even have velcro in the back like most of the other boots AG has made in recent years. Woo hoo! This Meet outfit is one of my very favorites of all the GOTYs.
My Luciana feels more substantial and significant somehow than Blaire. Maybe this is because she's literally fatter. Despite the thin body cloth my Luciana is well-stuffed and practically plump! Luciana has a presence about her, a real-ness that Blaire doesn't have. I can't get over how pretty she is. And judging from the outfits I've tried on her so far, she seems quite versatile. I haven't tried her in anything historical yet but she looked great in almost every modern outfit I put on her. She especially loves purple, lavender, and sage green.
Considering everything, Luciana feels like a real doll, which is the highest praise I can give.
Grade: solid A (would be A+ except for the thinner body cloth)