Wordless Wednesday: This Hair is Really Soft

 

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Bjd Unboxing: Aimerai Cat Doll?

Such glorious news my dear readers. After much anticipation, our newest doll has finally arrived. (It actually arrived on September 22, we've just been a little busy.)

It appears that Anna has already cut the box, I presume to check for potential shipping damage. Or she was just being impatient, but I don't blame her. The wait was arduous, two and a half months just to ship out. I have heard tales of wait times that exceed 12 months. How do they cope?

Anyway, let us not waste anymore time.

Wait...

Why is the box making rumbling sounds? It is most peculiar.

We shall ignore the strange sounds for now, and focus on the design of the doll box. This doll was made by Aimerai, and ordered through Alice's Collections (they don't sell Aimerai dolls anymore). Aimerai is a doll company that Anna had been eyeing for some time, but shied away from due to their slightly higher price tags.

Inside the box we find a protective layer of bubble wrap.

Packed in is the ubiquitous gift from Alice's Collections, a cleaning sponge. Also a pair of shoes for our new doll. They are Sh377 and were purchased as part of a special event for the bargain price of $0.10. The style is similar to my own newly acquired shoes (see Bjd Unboxing: Alice's Collections Accessories Haul), just a tad simpler in design.

Instead of the standard pillow, Aimerai has wrapped our new doll in a zippered cushion. Anna has been calling it a "sleeping bag".

And at the bottom of the box is a curious assortment.

Another gift from Alice's Collections, more eye putty.

This intriguing little knick-knack.

Anna says it is an acrylic standee of one of the dolls made by the company. I suppose it is a fun novelty, but Anna had trouble fitting it into the included base. Is it a flaw with the manufacturing or Anna's clumsiness, time will tell.

There is a neatly sealed enveloped containing one of the most vital of accoutrements. 

The certificate of authenticity. Most ball jointed dolls from reputable companies have one. Mine has been placed securely with my belongings.

They have also included the company calling card (she means business card). This will also be filed safely for future reference.

And just for our amusement, the company included these novelty cards featuring simplified images of some of their dolls. The use of animal ears is noticeably prevalent with these and the standee.

A small pamphlet featuring the history of Aimerai was also included.

It includes more contact details, plus important doll care information. This will be required reading for Anna. I insist on it.

There is also a full color brochure featuring other dolls made my Aimerai.

The clothing styles featured are lovely, I will insist that Anna take careful notes while browsing.

The animal ears are particularly noticeable though, with the addition of tail and noses.

It does appear that not all their dolls are animal inspired.

Now enough with all the paperwork, let's get back to the task at hand.

Inside the cushion is a bubble-wrapped package. I presume it contains extra hands and the like.

Or extra ears? and a tail?

Oh, but there's another package, and these are definitely spare doll hands.

And they are making paw shapes.

And here is our new doll securely wrapped for her protection. Let us first unwrap her head to see her adorable face.

Oh my goodness, she's a cat!

Anna ordered a cat doll!

That's right. I didn't tell Hikaru (though the signs were all there) that the Ling sculpt I ordered is one of Aimerai's anthropomorphic cat dolls.

She is not the first cat doll we've gotten (see Bjd Unboxing: Surprise! Hujoo Nano Freya), so it shouldn't have been that surprising. What I found interesting about this doll is that the ears attach with magnets on the head, so they don't get in the way of the wig.

They even included a second pair of ears in a slightly more realistic style. They can easily be swapped out any time.

Well, that was quite a surprise to say the least. Anna really should have warned me ahead of time that this doll is, unique.

Anyway, it is time for her to get properly dressed. We had the "new doll" dress cleaned in anticipation of the her arrival. And we have already received her wig and eyes in our previous order.

When inserting the new doll's eyes, Anna discovered a ribbon looped onto the ring. This should make tightening her strings a simpler task.

Now she can see. The 16mm size eyes are a suitable fit for our feline friend.

Unfortunately, the new doll dress doesn't accommodate the new doll's tail. She will just have to store it until Anna sews a new ensemble.

It appears our tiny purple cat doll is drawn to her.

They seem to have instantly bonded, but what is our little kitten doing with its paws?

It's making biscuits.

It's baking? How?

No, it means it's kneading. Something cats and kittens do when they are comfortable and happy.

How odd, it has never done that with me.

Well, it might be because it is still afraid of you.

Anyway, the wig fits nicely even without a wig cap. It appears that the cat ears are helping to keep the wig in it's proper place. 

Looking at her now, she is actually a rather adorable doll. But, will she fit in well with the other msd sized dolls?

"Oh yay! Our new friend is here, and she's a kitty cat too. She is so cute! :)"

Never mind, of course Usagi loves her already.

Well, now that you are unpacked and decently clothed, let's get you settled in comfortably. Is there anything we can offer you?

"Mew!" 

...Um, mew? 

It appears we will need an interpreter. Does anyone speak cat?

Will anyone be able to translate "mew"? Will we be prepared for Halloween in time this year? And will we finally have a name for the purple cat? We will shall see soon, look forward to it.

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Of Bjd Hair: Some Wig Trimming and Styling

As previously mentioned (See Bjd Unboxing: Alice's Collections Accessories Haul), several of the wigs Anna ordered recently needed a bit of trimming and restyling.

So today Usagi, Makoto, and surprisingly Yuki will receive a hair cut.

I shall let Anna proceed.

Okay here's the plan.  First, I will need to trim Usagi's bangs. She can barely see through them.

And her twin tails will need to be brushed and re-tied. They look so messy right now.

Then I need to fix Makoto's wig. It does look so cute on him, but I think it will look better if I trim around the front to soften the look.

However, Makoto is reluctant to get his hair trimmed unless Yuki gets a hair cut too.

Thankfully, Yuki is willing to oblige him. I got his wig several years ago (see Of Bjd Hair: Reviewing Three Wigs?), but I realized recently that it would benefit from a bit of softening too.

Those thick bangs of his have been hiding his handsome face for far too long.

I just need to tie back sections of hair with clear hair elastic so I can trim his hair one layer at a time.

I am using the same small scissors I used the last time I cut bjd wigs (see Of Bjd Hair: Some Grooming Tools and Doll Wig Makeovers).

So, after several minutes of trimming, brushing, and tying...

Here is the result.

Yuki ended up with eye grazing bangs. It wasn't exactly the look I was aiming for, but it looks great on him and he likes it.

Makoto's hair turned out almost exactly how I wanted it.

Of course that means their hairstyles don't quite match as much as they did before. But that's okay right?

"My hair is as cool as Yuki's right?"

Yes it is Makoto, yes it is.

With Usagi, I had to trim her bangs layer by layer, again. Yep, just like with her old wig. It was actually pretty pleasant, the fibers on this wig are so soft and easy to work with.

Which was helpful when doing the rest. I had to take out the original hair elastics and re-tie each ponytail with a fresh elastic. I left the little braids out so I could wrap them around the rest of the hair, then I added an extra hair elastic at the ends to keep Usagi's hair neater.

It looks so cute, I think it would look good on Hikaru too or something similar.

"Can I braid your hair too Hikaru? It would be so much fun! :)"

"Come to think of it, why don't you ever change your hair? :)"

That's right, you've never had a different hairstyle since you got that wig.

...

Um...But this hair is already absolutely perfect! Such a lovely wig with silky smooth strands. Why would I even dream of changing it?

"...Really?"

"...Right..."

"...Sure..."

That's right, no need to change it.

Why does Hikaru object to changing her hair so much, even after seeing such great results with the other dolls? Will we ever convince her to try a new look. And how will everyone react to our new doll when it finally arrives?

We shall see soon. Look forward to it.

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