And the award for Best New Star goes to...

Viperine Gorgon!

It was a close competition but several things contributed to Viperine's deserved win...

Two words: taupe eyeshadow.

She has striking gorgon eyes that are so beguiling I'm still having trouble making out what exactly is going on in her irises. What I can tell you is that it's a wonderful touch. They leave me intrigued. (Seriously though, if someone knows what that spotted design in her eyes is supposed to be please fill me in.)

Attitude in spades. Those sharp eyes give Jinafire a run for her money!

Two-toned diamond scales (?) on her forehead. 

Moxie. Viperine effortlessly owns this 70's peasant-meets-cosmic-space-flowers ensemble. And is that paisley I see?

Flowing, middle-parted locks of pure white and frosted pink. So retro, so free. This girl knows how to catch a vibe.

Poise for days.

Her snakes perfectly accentuate her groovy vibe without being overbearing.

She takes what could've easily been a messy, garish look and turns it into a tastefully rendered exercise in restraint... but with just the right amount of funk to keep it interesting.

If there's one faux pas here, it's her decision to wear solid colored boots. Those little white fangs on the front are nice but not nearly enough to elevate these to "MH Instant Classic" status. Those molded laces should've been black, or even blue.

But no mattter. Viperine Gorgon, you are the Best New Star! Not since Scaris Jinafire have I loved a new character doll so much. Congratulations!

Stone Carpet

Today while on lunch I stopped by Justice (groan, I hate going there), to see if Blondie or Cerise might have shown up. No such luck, but not all was lost. They did have the Black Carpet dolls for Frights Camera Action! Since I was on lunch I didn't have time to dilly dally. I grabbed Cleo (duh), Lagoona (duh), and Clawdeen. Yeah, I've changed my mind on her BC doll and kind of love it now. Anyway, after work I did a quick photoshoot of Cleo and Lagoona. I still haven't unboxed Clawdeen. With daylight running out on an especially cold and extremely windy day, this was a super fast shoot -- like less than 10 minutes. This isn't some of my best work by a long shot, but there are a couple of keeper pics here. Anyway, here are Cleo and Lagoona...

Lagoona's face consists of dramatic dark reds and shimmering pink. Stunning.

Her usually aqua or blue streaks are full-on teal this time around. And the streaks are very thick. Aside from the very front, the entire right side of her head is basically all teal. The texture is pretty dry and prone to bushiness, which I imagine is gonna turn a lot of people off, but I kinda like it! It's bushy but also very big and malleable. It holds a lot of styles, which is always fun.

This is a very dramatic Lagoona. In my review of her DT doll I mentioned how sensual, rather than sweet, her faceup is. With the Black Carpet doll, I think it's safe to say sweet Lagoona has left the building for good. Here she's sultry, fierce, commanding. I love, love, love it!

I Love Shoes Cleo was a big step in the right direction after the disasters that were her Oasis and Classroom dolls. With Black Carpet, she's completely back to normal, one hundred percent.

I know this pic is crap, but bear with me. Look at her eyes. These are Cleo's correct eyes. They're not round, they're not horizontally squatty, they're long and almond shaped. Thank you, Mattel.

Anyway, about the rest of the doll. Pure win. Best since Scaris. The print of the dress is beautiful. The details of her shoes, belt, and purse are exquisite. Her headpiece, for which you can't see the highly detailed sides of in this pic, gives me life.

One last thing: contrary to what I said back when we first saw those low quality pics and the dvd box art featuring these dolls, these are not purely Art Deco. They're actually an interesting mash-up of Art Deco and Art Nouveau. Everyone seems to be running with the Art Deco thing, which is incorrect. If anything, these dolls actually land considerably further on the Nouveau side of things. So can you guys please spread the word? Now that I've seen these dolls in person I'm kind of annoyed that others who have also seen them in person are calling them Art Deco. I know it's kinda silly, it's just one of my "things", I guess. (Don't judge, we all have "things"!)