Notes on Customization of Blythe Dolls: EYES: EYE LASHES

THIS SECTION will be all about EYE LASHES:

First of all, I HATE the factory lashes.  I just don’t like them AT ALL.

I knew right off the bat, they were ALL going …. Real Blythe and Clones alike.

            LBE’s lashes came RIGHT OUT, no problem.  LBE lashes are BROWN.  They are attached BEHIND the eyelid, and not inside a “slit” like real Blythe and Blybe. 

LASHES of an LBE Doll:  Attached to lid with tiny piece of masking tape

Obviously the eye mech is also completely different on an LBE doll, as it is not controlled with a string and tiny spring, but a massive, huge spring that is connected to a BUTTON on the back of her head.  This button also has a sticker attached with the words:  PUSH HERE.  Not kidding. 

            So, REPLACE ALL EYELASHES.  Sounds easy enough …. But OH NO !  So sorry Cheap Girl, but You bought yourself an ADG as your first Blythe … the one with the eyelashes SUPER-GLUED IN!!!! 

            After removing the LBE lashes and the Blybe lashes without incident … I tried the real Blythe.  NOPE.  Not coming out.  For anything. 

So, what does Cheap (stupid) girl do?  Yep, I got out my ACETONE and proceeded to try and get them out with a Q-tip soaked in acetone!  Yikes!!!  So of course the acetone proceeded to eat up the plastic.  For some bizarre reason, maybe perhaps due to all the other sh—I have been through, I could not find myself to CARE!  I just thought, oh great, whatever!  And truthfully … THE ACETONE DID NOT EVEN WORK !!!!!  I ended up with a MANGLED EYE MECH, and never got all the pieces of lashes out, or whatever it is they have in there!  THIS all and mainly due to the fact that I could not find ANYWHERE on line, any helpful hints regarding the lashes of The Ashton Drake Galleries BLYTHE dolls!

            Not to worry, I told Nenetl (her name) … I will still make you BEAUTIFUL!!!  WHO CARES if your eyelids are all mangled?  When I get done, no one will even NOTICE !  

ORIGINAL eyechips (spokes) and lashes (plastic)

AFTER:  Removed stock eyelashes;  replaced with 2 pair of lashes for women

SEE!  You can hardly tell she has mangled eyelids ... don't look TOO closely  ;)

            ACTUAL LASHES:  WHY pay $5. or more for a pair of “Blythe eyelashes” …. When you can go to the 99 Cent Store and get them there?  I purchased 15 pair, because I planned to double-up on them, and to me, one of the smartest thing that this Cheap Girl has found for her Girls !

           BLYTHE DOLL;  INSTALLING LASHES:  Just a bit more difficult ... due to the fact that even though there was a "slit" for installing the lashes, I found this to be too limiting a space for the effect I was going for. 

            LBE DOLLS;  INSTALLING LAHSES:  I KNEW that the original stock lashes were installed BEHIND the eyelid, so I applied a TEENY-TINY bit of tacky glue on each lash (eyelash glue DOES NOT STICK to plastic) and of course the lashes are NOT going to stay in a curved position while drying, so I had to use straight pins stuck into her eye ... to anchor each one down with 3 pins at a time for a few minutes, before moving on to the next lash …. X 7 dolls … 2 eyes each …. Deep sigh.

            ON Blybe:  DUE to the fact that the plastic is SO HARD, and NOT PLIABLE IN THE LEAST, even inserting a pin in each side was not working.  And of COURSE I broke one of her eye slits too, because the pin just slipped and chipped the plastic.  Again, here’s me:  WHAT.EVER.

            On ADG BLYTHE:  AFTER totally anhiliating the eye mech … (have you ever seen plastic treated with acetone in addition to a person digging into it with a dull exacto tool? ) … I decided to just GLUE THE LASHES ON TOP of the supposed “slit” that was now more like a big trough, but not an empty trough … a trough filled with ?  whatever the heck they put in ADG eyelash slots!  Could not get that crap out for ANYTHING!  So, on top of the slit AREA, I glued one row of lashes.  THEN, on top of THAT, I glued ANOTHER ROW of lashes.  And if I need to, I will PAINT part of the eye mech BLACK ... sort of like an eyeliner ...to further try and hide any traces of what I have destroyed.  Poor, POOR, Blytheeeee !

* Disclaimer on ALL of my NOTES:  I am not a true customizer.  I have only done the few girls that I own, 7 Little Big Eyes, 2 Blybe, and one real Blythe.  The caliber and skill and profesionalism that is so evident by the lovely flickr pictures ... well there is no comparison to my extreme amateur attempts.  HOWEVER, ALL I really wanted to do was to change them from the hideousness that I saw, into just a teeny bit more beautiful, for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment.  I do not now, or ever, plan to offer my own skills at customization ... the reason for these blog entries is to help the few out there who would like to do just a few little steps, without spending ANOTHER huge amount on their already expensive girls.