Hearts 4 Hearts "Lauryce"

This will just be a very short post that's meant as a companion to Nethilia's amazingly thorough review of the lovely Hearts 4 Hearts Mosi and Shola.  I went to Target to look at Shola in person after I read Neth's review.  Shola is a very beautiful doll, but I ended up falling for Lauryce instead.  I never would have guessed that Lauryce would be my pick, since I think her promotional pictures are the least appealing of this new Hearts 4 Hearts group.  The promo picture makes it look like she has a spray tan or something.  In person, this doll is gorgeous:

Hearts 4 Hearts "Lauryce."

Lauryce's golden skin tone looks natural in person--nothing at all spray-tan about it.  Her eyes are incredible.  They are exactly the same as Shola's eyes, but they look different on this doll because of her lighter coloring.  I am very fond of my other Hearts 4 Hearts doll, Nahji, but her eyes do not have the same hypnotic realism.

Lauryce is from New Orleans.  I can't look at her name without thinking about Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs.  In fact, it's hard for me to think "Lauryce" in my head without hearing it in Hannibal Lecter's voice.  Shiver.  I might need to change her name.

I thought that Lauryce might enjoy a little trip out into nature, so I took her to a farm owned by our local Audubon Society.

Lauryce comes with earrings, but I removed them for this photo shoot because I prefer how she looks without them.

The fields of tall yellow flowers made Lauryce's chameleon eyes look almost yellow.

This park has large, sunny fields and small areas of forest that provided a nice break from the midday heat.  Lauryce was impressed by the tall, skinny trees:

The canopy allowed only a small amount of light to filter through its leaves:

Here is one of Lauryce's extraordinary eyes up close.  They remind me of the beautiful custom-made glass eyes of Annette Himstedt's dolls.

Lauryce's hair is crimped, but it's still silky-smooth and wonderful to play with.  It does get a little frizzy right after I brush it, and while it always feels great, I don't like how it looks quite as much when it's puffy like this.

 Lauryce's dress is very simple and nice.  It has a heather grey stretch knit bodice and a watercolor skirt.  I agree with everything Nethilia said about the shoes--they are plain plastic and they cheapen the outfit.  They're not bad for hiking around in the wet sand, though.

Bottom line?  I was already a fan of the Hearts 4 Hearts dolls back when the first wave came out.  Since then, Nethilia has made me appreciate their cultural diversity a lot more, and Lauryce has showed me how spectacular plastic eyes can be.  Lauryce also evoked that special heart-tugging connection that not all dolls can achieve.  I like the Hearts 4 Hearts dolls even more now.