Barbie Fashionistas!

Barbie is really doing a lot of amazing things lately! Sure, there's still lots of the classic Barbie pink on the shelves, with standards like fairies and mermaids and princesses, but amongst that, there is a lot of interesting stuff to be excited about. One of those things is the new line of Fashionistas, Barbie's lower priced priced line of more "realistic" fashion dolls. These are the dolls that are dressed more like regular people, in clothes you might see in magazines or in the mall, and this new range that's hitting the shelves now? They are exceptionally gorgeous!

Remember this promo photo? I feel like it's been circulating for AGES, and I was so glad when the dolls finally started hitting shelves. This is an incredibly diverse range of dolls, with a lot of races and styles represented, and I love it! I haven't seen all of them on shelves yet, but I did pick up two this past weekend, so click through to see which two I brought home!

I brought home these two lovely ladies! The one on the right is the one I've been wanting since the promo photo was revealed, because there's just something about her. I also decided to get the Barbie on the left, because I really like the new Barbie face mold, and this was my favourite of the available Barbie's. So, let's get into the review!

Here they are in their boxes! The boxes are very simple, with graphic black and white backgrounds and clear fronts embossed with the word "Fashionistas". These boxes are really easy to get into, similar to the new style of Monster High boxes, and I love that! The Fashionistas are basically a budget line, so these dolls cost me $10 at Wal-Mart (for Barbie) and $12.99 at Toys R Us (for the other). If I'd known they had them at Wal-Mart, I'd have waited to get both there, but I was so excited to find her at Toys R Us, that I couldn't wait!

The back of the boxes is identical, featuring pictures of the other dolls in this line. Some of the other dolls at TRU had different dolls on the back, but these two just happened to be the same. I saw all of these dolls at TRU with the exception of the boys and the dark skinned beauty on the far right. If they'd had that dark skinned girl, I would have got her instead of the Barbie, for sure! In person, the girl in the yellow skirt is also gorgeous, she was a favourite too!

I'm going to start by looking at this beauty, because she's my favourite! She does need a name however, so I am open to suggestions if anything strikes you!

What I find so compelling about this doll is the combination of Nikki's (beautiful) face mold, and the lighter skin and hair. She even has freckles! She could be biracial, but personally when I look at her, I'm reminded of the model Diandra Forrest, a gorgeous African-American woman with albinism. Now, I'm not saying that was the intent when Mattel created this doll, but it was my first thought back when we saw the promo photo featuring her, and I'm sticking with it!

Regardless, she is a beautiful doll, and I really love her hair. I'm a bit surprised with how good it is after coming out of the box, and it responds well to finger styling. I pulled the curls apart a little bit and arranged them around her head, and I think it's pretty awesome! It's also a lovely mix of golden blonde and a honey brown, which gives it a nice dimension. The front is gelled back just enough to keep it from flopping into her face, but the curls are lovely and soft. Take a good look at the hair in the box though, because there is definitely some variation to the curls! And of course, it's pretty flat in the back after being in the box, but it fluffs back up nicely.

Her hair does also have a nicely rooted side part, if you wanted to play around with that, though I'm going to leave it in its gravity defying state!

Her outfit is one piece made to look like two, made up of a black top and a pink and blue skirt. The skirt is a really neat wrap style, and I love the geometric print. Her necklace is familiar, and I think I have it in a shinier gold from either...a Nikki or Raquelle fashion pack? Not sure, but overall, I love this look, even though it's simple. I have the feeling this lady is going to look good in anything I put her in though!

Her purse is a simple pink wristlet with studs on the front.

And her heels match! I really love these shoes, actually, with the chunky heel and the platform, they look a little more modern than Barbie shoes sometimes do.

The only downside to these Fashionistas being budget dolls, is that they do lack articulation. She's articulated at the neck, shoulders and hips, and her arms and legs are molded into a specific pose. I don't mind so much when I'm only paying around $10 for a doll, but it's still worth mentioning! It is a shame that the articulated bodies are apparently so much more expensive, because the bodies on the Life in the Dreamhouse dolls and the Style dolls are really great, especially with the new ankle articulation! I don't have any dolls with the ankle articulation or flat feet yet, but I'm dying to get my hands on one!

And that's it for this beauty! I can't remember the last time I was this captivated with a Barbie doll. She kind of stops me in my tracks whenever I walk past her on the shelf, and I can't keep my hands off her hair! I love her, and I think she's kind of a necessity for anyone who collects Barbie dolls in any capacity!

Now, onto the actual Barbie I picked up! I wasn't AS excited about this doll, but I really do love this new Barbie face. I'm no connoisseur of Barbie face mold, and I think I can name and recognize maybe three, so I can't say for sure if this is brand new, but it looks new to me!

Isn't she just so pretty? I feel like maybe she has a slightly wider jaw than some other Barbie's, and the end result is a face the just look very warm and pretty, and maybe even more realistic. I also really love her hair, with the standard Barbie blonde all over accented by the dark panel underneath. That and her outfit are what made me choose this particular Barbie over the others available, though the one in the shirt that says "Be Yourself" was a close second.

But I really liked this outfit, and I thought that it had more of a real world vibe than the others. It's also one piece, made up of a pink and black striped 3/4 sleeve t-shirt and a leopard print skirt with a flouncey hem. It's all topped off with a black satin belt with a little bow on the front. It's very cute, and I really like the clothes I can imagine real people wearing when it comes to these Fashionistas. Barbie is such a huge line, from these all the way up to the fantasy of mermaids and superheroes, and I think they do all of it pretty well!

Her shoes are hot pink, with really cool heels and "B"s dangling from the ankle strap. They do have a really hard time staying on her feet though, it's almost like they're a bit too big. As someone who displays my dolls, it's not a big deal, but these shoes would be lost in 10 minutes of play, I'm pretty sure.

Her purse is a small black quilted bag with a chain strap, and another large "B" logo.

Her articulation is the same, though her limbs are molded into different positions. Her legs actually make it pretty hard for her to stand up, thanks to one leg ending up quite a bit longer than the other, but with a stand, it's not too difficult to get them in the right position. She's never going to stand up on her own though, and even with the help of my background, she toppled over a LOT, which is a problem I rarely have with other dolls.

So, there she is! She may not be quite as compelling as her curly-haired friend, but she is definitely a gorgeous Barbie doll who stands out from some of the flashier Barbie's in my collection. Her new face is gorgeous, but still recognizable as Barbie, and I really love the changes Mattel are making to the Barbie line!

I think they look pretty cute together too! These two girls could definitely be friends, don't you think? I'm so happy I finally found these dolls, and I can't wait to pick up a few more of them! Speaking of more...

I took another look at this promo photo (which isn't even all of them!), and I highlighted the ones I think I still want and...well...Do these new, more diverse Fashionistas draw you in as much as they do me?