Black Carpet Cleo De Nile and Lagoona Blue

This is kind of a two-for-one post! I got Black Carpet Cleo way back after Christmas with a gift card, and she's been sitting on my shelf waiting to be reviewed ever since. There was just always something else that I decided to review first, and I'm not really sure why! Well, her time has finally come, and she gets a friend! Toys R Us had 40% off all Monster High dolls this week, and one of my choices was Black Carpet Lagoona. I'd kind of had my eye on her for awhile, but I sometimes have a hard time spending what budget dolls can cost up here in Canada, so this sale was perfect!

I figured since these ladies are budget dolls, and don't have quite as much going on as some other Monster High dolls, that it might be fun to review them together. And honestly, don't they just look cute?

 

I'm going to start with Cleo, since she's been sitting around for longer than I'd like to admit! I actually took these pictures of her in the box back before I had my lightbox! The most notable thing about these Black Carpet dolls to me, are the CGI cartoons. I'm generally a fan of the CG in the movies, or at least, it doesn't bother me...but these images. I don't know, there's something about them that I'm not really a fan of. Especially of Lagoona, but we'll touch on that in a bit!

And here she is! She comes with a purse, but that's the only accessory that isn't directly a part of her outfit. No stand, brush or diary as is standard with the budget dolls. I have to say, I really wish they hadn't stopped including stands with them. Generally I think Monster High dolls are priced fairly well considering the quality and amount of detail, but $20 (Canadian) for just the doll with no accessories or stand does feel a bit steep.

That said, these Black Carpet dolls do feel like they're at the higher end of the budget range from something like Ghoul Spirit, and there's definitely a fair bit of design and detail that went into these ladies. Some of those details are what drew me to Cleo in particular, so let's looker closer!

Cleo comes with a gold purse, with a molded scarab on the front. It has a beaded handle and beaded tassles, a motif we have not seen the last of. It doesn't open, if that sort of thing bugs you.

Her belt continues with motif of beading, this time in large swags, each with a small charm attached. There are scarabs and skullettes, and snakes coiled at the top near her waist.

Cleo always has great shoes, and these are no exception! The same shiny gold as the rest of her accessories, the heels are studded, and there are snakes wrapping around her ankles.

This headpiece is kind of the entire reason I wanted this Cleo. I love 1920's fashion, and all thing Art Deco and Art Nouveau, and this headpiece definitely fits into that vibe! It's gold, and features studded bands going across her head, and a mass of coiled snakes on one with with beaded tendrils hanging down into her hair. It's like a Monster High version of some of the things we've been seeing on Downton Abbey this season, and I love it! It is attached to her head with a plastic tie and a rubber band, and I honestly don't know how it would stay on if you cut those attachments. Good things I have no intention of doing that!

Her dress itself is quite cute. It's simple, but not boring, and definitely says Cleo. It has an asymmetrical neckline with black tulle sleeves flecked in gold. It's slightly off-the-shoulder on her left side a well. The tulip hem of the skirt is trimmed in the same sparkly black tulle. The body of the dress is patterned in Cleo's signature teals and golds over a black background. The pattern definitely feels Deco-inspired to me, with the kind of arching swirls and points.  

Cleo has a very pretty face, and I was glad to find one with good eyes. Of all the Monster High dolls, I've seen the most wonky eyed Cleo's, which I think has something to do with her narrow eyes and wide face. This one's good though! Her eyeshadow is done in shades of gold, with the actual lid done in an interesting burnt orange kind of colour. It goes with the outfit without matching it, which is nice. She also has her traditional thick, Egyptian-style liner, and her eyebrows sweep up just slightly at the tail end. Her lips are a brick red that leans a bit towards brown. It feels very appropriate with the 1920's vibe she's giving me!

I'm so glad they've seemingly ditched the tinsel in Cleo's hair! It's a huge part of the reason that until this past year, I only had one Cleo doll in my collection. I have School's Out (W2) Cleo, and her tinsel always looks a mess, and never lays down flat with the rest of her hair. But without that tinsel, Cleo has lovely thick, dark hair, in this case with a few teal streaks and nice, soft waves. It's gorgeous hair, really! Her bangs are obviously gelled into oblivion, but that's kind of par for the course nowadays. There was also some gel in the ends of her hair where it's a bit curlier, but a quick brush through and that was gone.

So, that's Cleo! Overall, I think she's a really beautiful doll, and I love seeing the little 1920's details worked into her outfit and accessories. Now let's all go get a snack, maybe a beverage, and switch gears to talk about the lovely Miss Lagoona Blue!

Her box is basically exactly the same as Cleo's, except is obviously has her own name and picture on the front. Lagoona's cartoon...is kind of really not cute. Lagoona is a gorgeous doll, but it does not come across at all in this particular image. She's the wrong colour, her face is odd, it's just overall not cute. Hopefully it looks better in the movie!

A lot of fans, myself included, think that while Lagoona is gorgeous, she can look a bit same-y from doll to doll. Not so with this one, in my opinion! I also forgot to take a picture of Lagoona's purse on it's own, but it's a black bell-shaped jellyfish with beaded tentacles, that attaches to her wrist with a beaded loop.

I mean, just look at that face!

The first of her accessories is this cool headband. It's plain black, and features a shell with swirls and bubbles spilling out of it. It's kind of huge, and I think it's awesome!

Next, she's wearing this awesome bib necklace, that reminds me a bit of Cleo's belt. It has the same draped detail, but instead of scarabs, Lagoona's necklace is dripping with shells, jellyfish, seahorses and other various marine lifeforms. It's a really pretty shimmery bright teal colour, and the shimmer looks a bit gold or green depending on the light. Where Cleo's accessories all match each other, Lagoona's pull colours from her outfit, so they go together without all being the same.

Her shoes are baby pink, and there's a lot of little details going on here. The heels are twisted, and the ankle straps and toe straps are made out of beads. On the toe, there's a black pearl, and there are designs dangling from the ankle. Again we have shells, and my favourite, a little fish hook! I love funny little details like that in Monster High dolls.

I don't like her dress as much as Cleo's, but it's cute. It's make of three layers, each ending in a scalloped him. The bottom layer is black, the next is a shimmery pink, and the top has a very similar pattern to what is on Cleo's dress, but in Lagoona's colours of pale pink an light aqua. It has wide silver straps, which are honestly kind of odd to me. The faux leather look of the material doesn't really go with the rest of the dress. I might try tucking them in and seeing what that looks like. Also, the closure of the dress is sort of wonky on mine. I've adjusted the velcro a half dozen times, and I can't figure out how to get rid of that weird bump/fold over her butt.

What's really special about this Lagoona to me, is her hair. Lagoona's hair doesn't change much, it usually stays in the beach blonde arena, with a few blue streaks thrown in. But this Lagoona, it's almost backwards! The majority of her hair is a gorgeous rich teal colour, with blonde just framing her face. I actually didn't realize just how blue her hair was until I took her out of the box, and it was a nice surprise! It's styled with a deep side part and a lot of loose waves, and it's a lot nicer than the frizzy hair Lagoona can often end up with.

Very Veronica Lake, no?

Her makeup also seems really different for Lagoona, to me anyways. I always think of Lagoona as light and beachy, but this makeup is dramatic and a bit more sultry. I love the deep red lip on her, and the reddish eyeshadow is really interesting, and looks great with her green eyes.

She really is a stunner, and she photographs really well.

She started off a bit shy...

But she got into it in the end!

Since I reviewed these two together, they obviously had to stop on the black carpet and pose for a few photos together!

I like how you can see the theme continued from one doll to the next, but they both look individual, and they're looks fit in with their personal style.

Working the black carpet as only the fiercest ghouls can!

Kisses from Hauntlywood!

So there we have it! Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Lagoona Blue...

And Miss Cleo De Nile!

These dolls are both really lovely, and I just love the 1920's details peppered through both of their outfits. Despite their budget status, they manage to feel really special, and I'm glad to have them on my shelves.