Pros versus cons of having a default faceup

If you're not sure the default is the faceup you want, I'd say order without and commission a faceup artist to do it exactly as you want it. Why waste money on something you don't really like and will have redone right away?

 

I think there is a very long thread asking this exact question somewhere that might help you some.. I forgot the link, so maybe search it. XD lol, sorry. Late here and I'm not much help! z.z

 

Personally I prefer without a faceup.

I can only put that down to the fact that maybe I feel like I haven't truly bonded with a doll until she has been personalised. I don't actually do the faceups myself but I do select the artist carefully and I think by conversing with the artist about the faceups I get to know the doll better. Silly I know.
I realise that dolls can be personalised in other ways through wigs, eyes, clothing etc but there's nothing like being able to look at your doll no matter what she is wearing and knowing that she is yours, no ifs, buts or hows.

I have only one doll with the default faceup which is my LTF Leah that I bought as a fullset and that's just how she came but the fact that we share a name is bonding enough for me with her.
Currently I am waiting on another fullset doll that I requested the faceup be left off (even though I had paid for it in the fullset price) because that's just how I roll *pops on shades*

Of course there is a huge pro to opening that box to see a ready-to-go doll that doesn't have to sit around with a blank face until you can get a slot/choose the right artist/buy more MSC and I have in the past ordered dolls with the default faceup with the intention of tweaking it when the doll came home and that worked rather well for that particular doll.
Hmm autosave didn't autosave the last part of that post but really I was beginning to ramble and I don't think I helped with your question at all


EDIT:
I lied! my Pukipuki has a default faceup too, but really, who's crazy enough to want to paint one of those teeny tiny suckers

 

Awsome XD DA is only the best game EVER! As for me, I usually do my own faceups (even with my very first doll) I sucked at first but I think I'm good now. In fact the only dolls I've ever gotten with a faceup that I haven't immediately wiped and redone (those that came with free faceups) are the two I got last month but that's only because my faceup supplies are in another state -_-

 

I get the default faceup if I really like it. My Iplehouses and Fairyland dolls have defaults for that reason. My Volks didn't have an option either way. My other dolls I ordered blank. The defaults didn't look complicated enough to warrant the extra money. I don't find either way to be more or less personal to me because, like someone already mentioned, there are more ways to achieve this than with a faceup. What I don't want to do is commission someone. I'll get it done myself or go down trying! XD

 

Neither way is more nor less personal than the other. The only question there is, is "Do YOU like that faceup that it comes with?"

If you do, then you order it.
If you don't, then you don't order it.
If you order it, and it turns out you hate it, then you wipe it and redo it, or you send it away to be redone.

It's not really something to bother overthinking! Even if it takes a couple turns to get to just the right face on that doll, your gut will know which face is right for you.

 

For me it started off with "I don't want to try myself and I'm scared to send my new doll away." However, the current state of affairs is that I'd prefer doing the faceup myself. I got my Chiwoo back in October 2009 while I was living Japan from the marketplace and he didn't have a faceup. I decided I'd rather try doing it myself and see if I like it. Because I was in Japan it was more cost effective to do it myself rather than commission someone. And now it turns out that I really love doing faceups and I'm really excited to be able to do more in the future.

 

Seconded! XD I always have a little moment of Alistair-squee when I see it.

To me, the pro of having a default faceup is not having to deal with sending out a doll to be faceupped by someone else, or doing it yourself, but only if you like it. (Or, possibly, if you really just don'twant a blank doll and don't care whether you like the faceup or not.) Like Nefla said, why pay for something you don't like and/or are going to wipe? I usually only get my dolls with a faceup if they're in stock and that's the only way I can get them, or if the default is something I really really like. Out of 20 dolls, I think only 7 have default faceups, and even several of those have been tweaked/enhanced. The only ones who are completely untouched are my Dollmore Lawrence Owen, which I bought mostly for the faceup, and my Elfdoll William Winterberry, which I like as-is. Mostly, I do my own faceups, buy them second hand with faceups I already like, or send them out to a select couple of customisers if I want something I know I can't do. That way, they really seem mine to me, like they're not just another Doll Z like all the other ones.
The con of having a default faceup, I think, is that it's less personalised than a custom one. Having a doll with a default faceup means there are other dolls out there that look exactly like yours in the way they're painted, which many people might not like. A default faceup is also a waste of money if it turns out not to be to your liking when you see it in person and will force you to spend more money to get one you do like, whether on faceup supplies to do your own or money to commission someone else to do one.

 

I have always ordered the faceup if there is an option and of course if I like it. This due to the fact that I have never done a faceup myself. I also have Limiteds and they always come with beautiful faceups 95% of the time. So, if there is a doll that I want and I don't like the default faceup then I simply won't get it, or if its just a matter of not enough makeup or too light, I can always get the faceup and then add my personal touch.

 

Since I am helpless when it comes to faceups, I usually go for the default. It was pretty shocking to me after my second doll to realize that faceup really makes the biggest impact on a doll's personality. Without a faceup, the doll seems a bit emptier...
So in that sense, I think if you have a specific look or personality in mind straight away, you should get a customized faceup. If not, if you have time to "discover" your doll maybe default?

 

I like the idea of getting a custom face up because it makes my foll unique and it sets it apart from everyone else's. I don't do face ups myself but I think sending them to someone who you can have good communication about how the doll will look will make you happier than if you were to get a default face up. But if you really happen to love the default look of the doll, why bother changing it? (:
Good luck deciding!

 

I think default faceups can be good especially from some companies. I for one cant do faceups so having a deafult one is really great. If theres a need, one can always change it later. Also the wig and eyes make a big difference and if the default is good, its actually a nice starting base for someone without the skill but still wants to enjoy the fun of owning one.

Of course if you have the skill and a idea in mind, a blank will be better as you can express yourself and make the doll even more exclusive.

 

I have dolls with default face ups, and commissioned artist face-ups. I have grown to love commissioned face-ups more, I can really get the doll to look like how I want it. For example; a mole on the face, or blond eyelashes but pink lips. So there is more power to that in my opinion.