Unboxing Pullip Merl

Today I was able to have some time to unbox Pullip Merl.  Here she is waiting for me to take her out of her box.  Apart from her outfit, the doll also came with a card and a doll stand.

There are three metal ties (one around her neck and one around each hair loop on the side of the head) and many many tapes.  I had to be extra careful when removing the metal ties because her neck could have easily snapped and I did not want to damage her hair either. The ties are very difficult to remove so I was so worried!

There are even tape around her legs and hands/arms!  I guess they need to do this to prevent her joints from breaking apart but it was a pain to remove!!!

But after an hour, she was finally free from her cardboard house.

OUTFIT

One of the reason why Merl and Lir are my favorite dolls is because they both have a beautiful outfit and under garments!  Some dolls only come with one single outfit and no under garments at all.  But Pullip Merl and Isul Lir both have beautiful clothes plus boots and hat or ribbons!

The Pullip Merl outfit includes:

• Navy blue sailor dress
• White under dress
• White bloomers
• Grey and black striped socks
• Brown boots with red lace
• Gigantic white hair ribbon with little blue/white/red bows
• Smaller white hair ribbon with another little bow
• White sash with a big key and decorated with ribbons  and a heart charm 
• A choker necklace with a small key

Pullip Merl's under dress is truly beautiful and it can be worn alone without the sailor dress and still look totally great!  The ribbons add a nice touch to the outfit and make everything look so proper and pretty.  Her boots look awesome and tie the outfit together.  I did not know she had a choker so that was a surprise!  And the tiny key in front of the choker was good addition.   

HAIR

Now let's talk about her hair. I dreaded having a doll with super long hair because it's difficult to maintain.  But Pullip Merl's long brown/auburn locks are BEAUTIFUL!!!  Her hair did not smell bad and was wonderfully soft.  No waxy feeling or clumps.  They are slightly wavy as you can see in the photo.

What I don't like is that her hair was slightly damaged.  The tape and metal ties made some marks and you can see them quite clearly on either side of her face.  And her bangs are straight across her forehead; not wispy bangs like in the promo pictures.  That was a big difference and changes her hairstyle quite a lot.  But I think I could use a little bit of conditioner to fix her hair kinks.  And her bangs can by cut and styled so I will work on that later.

FACE

Her makeup was a lot darker than I thought it would be.  The blush on her cheeks are very pink, almost red, and her eyes are navy blue, with very dark eyelid makeup. The lips are a dark hue of pink.  I am not sure I like her face been so done.  It makes her look a lot older than in the promo photos.

I really want to love Pullip Merl because I have been drooling over her for quite a while.  But I am disappointed.  I was so shocked when I opened the box and saw her dark makeup.  I definitely love her outfit but the doll herself is making me cringe because I didn't expect that from the pictures I saw.

Maybe I am just been harsh right now because in comparison, Pullip Paja is so pale and I got used to her.   What do you think?  Does she look pretty to you?  Do you think her makeup is too pronounced?

I dont' have time to unbox Isul Lir yet so that will have to wait for another day.

EDIT: I woke up this morning and looked at the doll again.  Past my initial shock, I can now say she is definitely not as bad as I thought yesterday.  You can see her difference with Pullip Paja here below.