The Deciding Factor--What are you picky about?

Oh, I love how you worded this, because it's pretty much the way I feel, too. Since a doll can be absolutely ANYTHING that an artist can pull-off, I like to see a spark of "difference" in a sculpt. I want to see an idea of what "could be." Basically, I want to see a doll I've never seen before, and never would have dreamed of on my own.

The body's important too. I like my dolls to have adult proportions and delicate hands. I love collarbones, so I always notice that part, too.

Also, when I'm assembling lists of my favorite sculpts, none of them look overly happy or sad. They're all somewhat neutral. I think I like that because I can imagine them to be in different moods, and sometimes they surprise me by showing a mood that I hadn't noticed before. That's exciting to me.

 

Apart from disliking droopy eyes and exaggerated mouth expressions, my one and only deciding factor in whether I would consider buying a doll is if it has an underbust joint so the ribs and torso remain "uncut".

 

Every doll on my doll list, as well as the... Half-Abadon I have at the moment are going to shell out characters I am developing. The moment I saw them, I saw the characters they are going to be, I could picture the face, the body, everything. If I cannot imagine a particular doll as some sort of character I've made/can make... odds are I will never get it.

 

I buy the head sculpt for the whole package. Lips, eyes shape, eye size, nose, jawline, both a good profile and a good head-on appearance. I want to be drawn to the entire face, to be able to see character and potential in all the expressions.

More generally, when I'm just flipping through sculpt photos and making snap "like/don't like" judgements, I find that lips, cheek/jawlines and eyes are the main determinants.

 

It all depends. Lips, eyes and noses are important as they make up most of the face. But I can forgive slightly weird slanted (when the outermost corners of the eyes slant downwards, I hate that kind of look) if the lips are pretty.
But noses are kind of important, at least seen from the side. I like medium sized noses that have a real curve in profile. If the nose is too small or too big, or not curved enough (or not straight enough for guys) then I might not want it.
For guy dolls, I'm actually more picky. I want a straight nose, and a manly face. My boys are boys and shouldn't look too much like girls unless that's what I'm going for. Therefor I tend to be more drawn to taller guys, more like 70 cm rather than smaller. Much also has to do with the face up.

 

Droopy eyes - yes I don't like that. Also head that is too small for the neck. I really don't like a large neck with a small head!

 

I'm into not-so-big eyes, not-so-narrow-nose, and not-so-thick-lips
so those are my decisive factors!
It's surprising how hard it is to find a sculpt that matches my taste. Thank god I can keep my wallet safe...lol

 

I completely agree with Teruchan regarding that breathtaking feeling when you find a sculpt that clicks with you. Even if a doll is perfect from an aesthetic/proportional standpoint (which is an important factor for me, being an artist), there's got to be some aspect of the doll that gives it a personality. I'm super picky about noses- there are so many lovely dolls with ridiculously small, short baby noses! A nose should have some character! I like the childlike look of dolls like Fairyland's pukifees and littlefees, but just can't get into any of the Lati dolls because their teensy noses and lips have no dimension. At least, from the pictures I've seen.

So, the nose is a huge deciding factor. Additionally, the overall expression should be flexible. I love Fairyland Pong's sweet, wide smile, but it could only ever be interpreted as happy, mischievous, joyful, etc. I like when a sculpt has a lot of potential for expression. I find that dolls with slightly parted lips provide this most easily.

 

I want a detailed sculpt. and realism. They don't have to look just like a human, but I can't stand the anime sculpts or the big eyed/tiny mouth and nose sculpts. Overbites bother me too. they need a good chin and jaw. I don't like droopy eyes. I don't like fangs that look stuck on top of a lip. I don't like a big gap between nose and mouth. I don't like elf ears (usually). I only like partly opened mouths if they are done really well....I'm very picky about that. I guess it's much easier to weed out what I don't like than to search for what I do.

On the body, I hate small hands. I have skipped buying a body before because the hands were small and it made me think of that Jr Whopper commercial a couple of years ago...lol

 

I'd say in terms of priority, it's eyes, then lips, then nose and face shape share the 3rd spot.

For eyes, I can't stand eyes that look too droopy/saggy- this is the main reason I don't like the majority of Impldoll sculpts. I also don't like eyes that are too upturned at the outer corners (I'm looking at you, Dragondoll!) I like the eyes to look "balanced" on the face, and realistic enough that they look like they're where they're supposed to be. As for anime-style dolls, I like them too (I'm planning on getting a 50cm Obitsu to be my Sailor Saturn fan-doll, and will most likely be using the default head) but I don't want a doll that's supposed to look realistic to have anime-style eyes, or vice-versa.

For lips, I'm not a fan of overly small or large lips. I like a middle ground so those don't become the key feature of the face. This is why I'll probably never own a MNF Ari- her face is cute, but those lips are tiiiiiiiiny!

And finally, the shape of the face and nose. I'm generally not a fan of noses that look too pointed, though there are some exceptions where it "works" for some reason. As for the shape of the face, I don't like cheeks with the low-drooping pudge on the sides. It's a stupidly specific trait, but something that drives me NUTS with so many sculpts. (Like, this is the reason I didn't get a MNF Eliya). To be honest, I was planning to mod my Impldoll Dorisy because of this before I received her (I might still mod her, lol). I also don't like faces that look too "squished"- i.e. when the chin isn't long enough to balance everything. This is why I prefer Dark Elf Soo to regular Soo.

Other minor things- if I'm looking at vampires, I don't like fangs that just look like they're stuck on the outside of the lip. If my doll's gonna have fangs, dangit I want them to look like they belong there! I know some people see the lip-embedded fangs and instantly think "Ouch!" but to me it makes them look more like an actual vampire.

Sorry my post ran so long! Obviously, I try to be very discerning about which dolls I pick, mostly because I don't want to have the experience where I love a doll online, only to hate it when it arrives (not to say that those this happens to aren't discerning, I just know that for me, this could easily happen since I also tend to be indecisive).

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I don't really like sculpts that show teeth either! *derp*

 

I can't really say what I am picky about. I just have to see the doll and it has to be love at first sight. I don't know how to say it.
The size is important, I can't imagine to own dolls that are bigger than 30cm. And the price because I will never be able to buy a doll I can't pay.
The doll has to be available in the right skin colour. The face up is pretty important, too because so far I don't own any dolls with custom face-ups. The complete facial expression is the most important part of a doll and if there is anything that doesn't seem to fit I won't like the doll...

 

I'm a huge mouth fan so a doll with teeth will almost automatically go on my list of favorite molds. Dreaming eyes or very Asian eyes are also one of my favorite features in a doll I do tend towards realistic sculpts more, although the right combination of features can put a big-eyed small-mouthed doll like my BF Tommy right on the wishlist! But in general, strong features like a large nose, a large mouth, tiny narrow eyes or pronounced cheek bones will make me fall for a doll instantly ~ Body-wise, I love seeing female bodies with a touch of masculinity in them (like a flat chest or broad shoulders like the Iplehouse girls) or male bodies with a bit of hip(bones).

Come to think of it, most of my dolls are painted to smile so I guess smiling is a big pro too? x'D

Girls generally don't so anything for me, since they are often too 'soft'. I do enjoy seeing masculine sculpts turned into women, and vice versa.

 

I don’t know if I can accredit one aspect to making or breaking a doll for me with the sculpt itself, as in there are things I like but nothing I’m too picky about, but what will stop me from buying or convince me to purchase one is owner pictures. Whenever I’m slightly interested in a sculpt, I always type the sculpt into flickr or deviantart to see what comes up. If I like what I see, I’m sold. My next dolly is completely out of character for me, but I saw a user picture on flickr and fell in love with the doll. Also, thing is more related to once I purchase a doll, but I tend to get hybrids and I find that pinhead syndrome is a huge dealbreaker for me.

 

I'm sure I've said this before at a similar question, I really don't know. I liken it to an attraction you'd feel for a person. You don't know why you're attracted to them it just happens. The doll just has a special something I 'fall' for, I can see through it almost, to how I'd want it to look if I owned it. It's like a second sight.

 

Well, there are several things actually. I can't say one thing is the deciding factor really.

I don't like super long or pointy noses, but then again, I'm not against sanding them down. So it's not a breaking point.

With one doll I've ended up putting on the market place, it's her mouth. She looks so sad in every. single. photo. I take of her. So I don't like pouty or frowny kids. Which is making it hard for my next character XD He's supposed to be L from Death Note. And he doesn't smile. But I don't want a frown either. I'm just not finding a happy medium.

After that, it's probably eyes. I don't like 'druggie' eyes. Some eyes just look strange no matter how you put the eyeballs in. It's just the shape.

But overall, I can't really say. I just know the doll when I see them. Sometimes I just say, 'somethings off about this face' and for example when I got my Aru I just knew it. Perfect eyes, perfect mouth. So I can't really say.

 

I like unique facial features a lot of times, and I don't like faces that look too mature. I don't like female dolls with ridiculously large breasts, especially when the doll has a young face. I know there's always the potential for a different body, but I mostly tend to buy complete dolls and since I don't like reselling all that much I don't do a lot of experimenting with hybrids.

 

Right forgot to mention definately no large busts.

 

I can't have a doll with very full lips. I think thinner lips look more appealing. I am really drawn to pointed noses, or semi-pointed noses.

I also don't like droopy eyes, or expressions that are either very happy/sad/angry.

I don't like very small busts or very large busts on female dolls who are supposed to be adults. In terms of too large busts, I don't want a doll I'll constantly need to sew for because there's nothing that fits, and what does isn't to my doll's character.

That's another thing: if I find out that my doll is going to have limited options in terms of clothes/wigs, I'm probably not going to bother with it. I like to sew - I'm on a sewing kick right now for my dolls, even - but I want the option to buy all of my doll's clothes if I don't want to sew. I think having a doll I'll have to sew for is going to take the joy out of dressing it. I only have so much sewing knowledge, so their look will be severely limited.

 

i'm all about the face sculpt/face-up. skintone is sometimes a factor but that's secondary, as is scale of the doll, although i couldn't see myself owning a doll over ~65-70cm somehow. the face has to be appealing to my personal taste, and if the company will do a faceup that i really like that can also sway me to something i wouldn't have noticed before... i almost never even notice/look at the body in detail unless it's extremely unusual, or if i have it in person and notice some 'defect'.

i do have personal preferences about what body types i like best, but for some reason i usually accept my dolls 'as they are' even if they don't fit that preference. as a result i have ended up with a lot of dolls with big boobs even though i usually prefer medium to small sized ones for aesthetic reasons. sometimes it's nice to mix it up though.

 

I'm rather fussy about noses, since they're so central.
I'd say eyes, but it's not common for me to find a doll with eyes I don't like.
And head shape, I am put off just as much by the wrong head shape for a particular image I have in my head.
I also don't like male dolls to look to skinny (I'm shockingly picky about males).