Mary "Stormer" Phillips: Secretary
Then again, it would probably help if she weren't wearing "Sophisticated Lady".
But of my limited Jem fashions it was the only one that nobody else was already wearing.
I bought this lady on eBay for cheap and knew she had some problems, including that hair. I just didn't know how bad it would be. Her wonderful curls are gone, replaced by straight, frizzy bristles that feel more like a Brillo pad than doll hair. But even that isn't too major; frizz and curl loss are fixable, after all. But check out that haircut -- hardly the look of a rockstar, and there's the added bonus of some oddness going on with the bangs. Cut doll hair is much less fixable than frizz and curl loss. That hair ain't gonna grow back. Well, unless you count a re-root as hair growing back, but I've never done one and am not sure I'm ready to start. Bottom line: cut hair ruins the beauty and value of these wonderful creations called dolls. I mentioned in a comment on the other blog that I consider dolls art, and I mean that. So the next time your kid wants to express their creativity, take the doll out of their hands and hand them some paper and crayons. If that doesn't work and they're still hankering to do some hair cuttin', let 'em cut their own hair. Sure, it may look stupid, but at least it'll grow back. It may even teach them a lesson. (It's probably a good thing I don't have kids, huh?)
Okay, with that off my chest, let's take a closer look at Stormer. Like I said, even without the haircut she would not be considered perfect, or anywhere near it. She has a bit of rub on her right eyebrow. She also has a couple very small spots on her upper forehead that look suspiciously like mold. And lastly, her right elbow won't hold positions. So yeah, she's a bit banged up you could say.
Now onto the good stuff. Her faceup, aside from the eyebrow rub, is perfect. High color, everything's there, she looks beautiful! Besides the elbow everything else on her body works. All her joints hold position and her waist isn't too loose. There aren't any stains or discolorations on her body.
I decided my first course of action would be a boil wash. Since the hair was already straight I didn't have to worry about her losing her curl. I mostly wanted to get rid of at least some of that frizz, but I also needed to kill that possible mold on her forehead. Oh, warning: doll nudity ahead. (I know some people are weird about that.)
Stormer shows off the pot that will contain the boiling water she'll be sticking her head in.
She looks pretty calm, all things considered.
High color face! Woo-hoo!
And no crazy body stains -- another woo-hoo!
Stormer's not looking so calm anymore.
There's definitely some concern on that face.
Then I did some constant combing while the hair was wet to help with the de-frizzing process, and to try to reset the hair. I actually kinda like the mullet thing she had going on while her hair was wet. It kind of gave her back her Misfits vibe, and certainly fits the era in which she was released.
She only looks mildly traumatized after what she's now calling "that crazy-ass boiling incident".
I love this face so much!
Rock that mullet, girl!
Seriously, she's totally pulling off the mullet look. It's kinda awesome, you gotta admit!
After it had dried I was disappointed to see it had only reset a little. But the texture is definitely better. It doesn't really show up well in the pics but it's noticeably softer and less frizzy. I'm confident I killed the mold, but I'm gonna need some Oxy to get rid of the stains. Stormer is still a "work in progress", but I'm confident I can get her back in great shape. Even with the dodgy haircut I like this girl a lot. How can you not like a gal loaded with as much personality as Stormer?
Here she is post boil wash, hair completely dry. Hmm, I'm feeling mixed.
The texture is definitely softer, though.
It's a bit less "Brillo Pad", as well.
Um, Sophisticated Lady?
The spiky bangs are in keeping with the other Misfits dolls, at least.
I'll have to find another fashion that's more fitting of her unique personality.
This and the next picture are my favorites of the "after" shots.
You may not be perfect but I love you anyway, Stormer!
While working on Stormer I listened to a few Stuff You Missed In History Class podcasts. I love their show; it's very professional and they always make even the most mundane-seeming of historic topics interesting. Check them out here.
Til next time!
