Dollish Dreams: Jun Planning Ai Doll Nerine Unboxing

With my childhood obsession with articulated figures re-emerging with a vengeance lately, I've been getting more and more into ball jointed dolls. I recently got a Hujoo Freya from Junkyspot, but I also wanted a human doll added into my tiny collection. Whether or not the doll was resin did not matter in my decision as I just wanted to get another budget level bjd to gauge my interest in the hobby while still being a doll I'll hopefully still love and adore years from now. After much research and scouring the internet for reviews, I finally settled on getting an Ai Doll from Jun Planning, the previous makers of Pullip. The tiny doll is adorable and comes with a full set of clothes as pictures, eyes and a wig for only around $30 USD plus shipping on Amazon and with a number of ebay sellers. I debated between two of the dolls in the line, Nerine and Primula, both of whom enchanted me with their darling outfits featuring bonnets. Nerine won out in the end as I liked the slightly mischievous expression on her face though I may purchase Primula in the future also. I've rambled on for a good while now, however, so let's get to actual unboxing photos! 

Stock photo of Nerine

Sorry for the blurriness

Mail Post: What I'm Waiting For Right Now, May 2014

With Anime Weekend Atlanta coming up in a few months, so many cool brand releases like AP's Crystal Dream Carnival and IW's Lotta re-release coming up, AND my increased determination to actually save up for my wedding, I actually bought a good deal less than usual in the past month. However, I do have a few things that I'm currently waiting on in the mail of interest so I'd like to share with you below.

HEARTSREVOLUTION is an indie band which I found out about after Esther Kim mentioned their latest album on her instagram related to the #memyselfieandi gallery. I've liked what I've heard of the music so far, but I won't lie that the main attraction of the album to me is the interesting cover art complete with a hot pink crayon and coloring book. I'm a sucker for interesting packaging, so I actually ordered a physical copy of the CD instead of just purchasing Ride or Die on iTunes.

Even though I don't own Krad Lankrete's dress which would match perfectly with these tights, I had to have a pair of R-Series' Luna in the Sea tights. Above is my photo which Taobao Spree provided me with as proof before shipping. I love the jellyfish motif which continues on both sides of the tights along with the mysterious waning moon down the other side. I actually placed a pre-order a long while ago for them, but they're just now shipping in late May.

My interest in dolls is continuing to flair up after my recent Toy Parade Byul purchase. The above is a Jun Planning Ai doll, Nerine. Jun Planning before going bankrupt released an adorable set of floral named ball jointed dolls cast in plastic rather than resin which makes them much more affordable, coming in at $30 plus shipping for many of the dolls on Amazon right now. The only small annoyance is that since her line wasn't a major one, I doubt I'll be able to fit her into many pre-made clothes so I'll likely be stuck sewing on my own for her if I ever want to change her out of her set or finding a rare Hujoo baby outfit since that line seems to be the closest to her sculpt from what I've seen perusing Flickr. 

Finally, I am waiting on a cat faced zip pouch from ebay to arrive... still. I actually ordered the item in late April but the item has been stuck on "Origin Post is Preparing Shipment" for about two weeks. *sigh* I'm glad that it's at least not an imminent need for any coordinate I was planning, or I'd be more rustled at the postal system. 

Do you have anything interesting you're waiting on in the mail? I'd love links to other blog posts or recent Youtube videos. Also let me know if you're interested in a review of any particular item I have coming in the mail at the moment. 

Dollish Dreams: My Angelic Pretty Byul Doll

Soon after getting into lolita, I began to see beautiful dolls also clad in dresses from lolita brands and also read F Yeah Lolita's article on ball jointed dolls (bjd). At the time, I deliberately turned my attention away from the topic since I knew I wouldn't be able to afford to buy basic lolita pieces along with dolls at the same time. Every so often, I thought about them, imagining them to be another great component of the lifestyle lolita. Entering my post college life with a more filled out lolita wardrobe and a more filled out wallet, I can finally begin to turn my attention to other interests more. When I saw a Byul doll clad in Toy Parade up for auction last week, I jumped on top of the opportunity with clicking abandon.

As you can see, I clearly need to look up some guides on how to tame the frizz in her hair. But I'm enamored with her details. The purse that she carries can be opened and has tiny little star charms attached to the zipper. Her striped socks are soft while her shoes are made of a hard plastic with a soft ribbon to lace up her legs. 

The dress isn't made of the thick cotton fabric or lace that I typically notice in AP's dresses which is a bit disappointing especially in the case of the lace, but as I'm unversed in the ways of doll clothes construction perhaps a lighter fabric is needed in order for the dress to be properly constructed at a much smaller scale.

That's really my only complaint, though. Beneath the dress, she even has a small petticoat along with a pair of bloomers. The head bow she wears is adjustable so that when it feels loose on the doll I simply have to pinch the sides back in for the band to fit against her head again. 

A switch on the back of her head enables her to move her eyes from side to side. Her eyes also have sweet lolita star detailing, a great motif to pair with sweetness of the dress. The look is completed by lovely makeup (or faceup in this case) which provides a lovely blushing look with a soft pinkish sheen to her lips. 

I'm glad to own Byul, a sweet little member of the Pullip family. I hope to acquire Dal Maretti, a sweet girl wearing Wonder Party sometime in the near future. I've already been trying to bid on and acquire Toy Parade so that I can match the doll that I already have. Unfortunately, the long sleeve OP from 2009 which is what my Byul is wearing has no back shirring so I won't be able to wear the exact same dress as my doll. I'll be on the lookout for the full back shirring jsk in pink, however, and I'll make due with twinning as best I can. 

Thank you for reading along with me today. I've already ordered a kitty bjd, a Hujoo Freya, to really get the ball rolling on doll collecting soon, and I'm hoping to soon better display my Ever After High and Sailor Moon dolls. Would you be interested in me talking about other doll acquisitions in the future? Let me know in the comments.