Review: Draculaura - Scaris Budget

Draculaura was one of the very first Scaris dolls we saw out of box pics of. I decided right away that I wouldn't be adding her to my collection, not surprising considering Draculaura dolls in general are among my least favorites. For one to land in my collection I either have to consider her to be pretty damn special, or she is a required purchase with a playset or multipack. This Draculaura is neither of those. Over the last several weeks as I've made multiple doll hunting trips (it seems more new MH dolls are hitting shelves every single week lately, doesn't it?), I had several opportunities to investigate Scaris Draculaura and each time she grew on me a little more. I was ringing out at Toys R Us a few days ago when the clerk told me I could grab a second Monster High doll for 50% off -- Draculaura is now hanging out on my "Scaris shelf" because of that sale (smart move, Toys R Us). Of course, for a guy who finds Draculaura pleasant at best I sure do have a lot of her dolls, so maybe I'm just in denial about something.

Those weird wrinkles to the right are where the box bends.

Draculaura is part of the Scaris budget line. She comes in a slim box and has few extras. Her outfit is much simpler than what you see on the deluxe dolls. Her box features drawings of the budget characters posing on the streets of Scaris; they're accompanied by a blurb setting up the Scaris storyline. Unlike the deluxe dolls there's no info on the box specifically relating to Draculaura.

Scaris Draculaura has a soft faceup combining her standard pink tones with the silver you'll find on all the Scaris dolls (save the new characters). She has silver eyeliner topped by light pink shadow. The shadow also runs under the eye. Her divider line is dark pink while the shadow is topped by a layer of translucent silver shimmer that goes to her brows. Her lips are semi-glossy and come in a dark shade of pink that's close to magenta. After the weirdness of the occasionally smaller 2012 eyes (see Dead Tired Wave 2) it's nice to see her eyes getting back to the normal size. Although this faceup isn't a departure for Draculaura the silver adds some interest. The way it is alternated between the pink shadow and under-eye liner gives the makeup around her eyes a "striped" look. It's really cool! As I mentioned this isn't a departure but nonetheless feels like something new for Draculaura.

Her hair is the standard black with pink streaks. In the bangs black is the base color but the streaks are mixed pretty evenly nonetheless. The rest of the hair is primarily black; the pink comes in very thin streaks that are evenly spaced around the scalp line. The bangs are straight across and have a fat curl while the rest is pulled into a thick ponytail to her back-left. There's a mild wave throughout; the texture is nice. This hair isn't silky but it's very close to it. The hair and makeup come across as semi-formal. They would work just as well with an elaborate gown as they do with the outfit the doll wears.

Speaking of, Draculaura comes wearing a two piece ensemble dominated, unsurprisingly, by pink. Her top is made of a semi-stretchy knit and comes in fuchsia. It has a print of black wrought iron-style detailing. Although it has black, elbow length sleeves, the top is worn off the shoulders. I like this top a lot. The print ties into the overall Scaris theme; I love the fit and that it's off the shoulders. Very stylish. It's paired with a light pink miniskirt featuring a black ruffle at the hem. The skirt is a simple fabric but printed onto it are some details that make it look like denim. I like this skirt okay but would've preferred something a little nicer here. The denim-style detailing adds visual interest but doesn't seem very Scarisian, in my opinion. But it matches the top well and seems very "Draculaura", so I'll give it a pass.

Draculaura's shoes are very simple wedges. They're solid black and feature very little molded detail. In fact the only molding going on here is a lip the delineates the body of the shoe from the wedge, that's it. There's no difference in texture between the two nor any decorative flourishes. The color and style of the shoes match the rest of the outfit so there's that at least.

The only jewelry Draculaura wears are her earrings. They're small fuchsia hearts with molded dripping liquid hanging underneath, I suppose to symbolize that Draculaura's is a bleeding heart. The only extra she comes with is her travel case. It's a hatbox that opens on a wide hinge. The lid is dark pink and features a vampire skullette wearing bows to hold pigtails that are shaped like bat wings. Molded stitching runs around the edge. The handle is attached to the lid and has a large bow "hanging" underneath it. The bottom of the hatbox is light pink and is decorated by two small bows and criss-crossing thread. More stitching runs around the edge. The outside rim of the hatbox is lined with two rows of x's. Overall this case feels a bit cheap (as in, the plastic actually feels cheap to the touch), but it matches the outfit and has some cute molded details that relate to Draculaura's vampire theme.

Overall grade: B+ Of the three budget Scaris dolls I own Draculaura feels the most budget of all. She's lacking in all those small details that give Scaris Ghoulia so much personality. The lack of detail in her shoes is especially disappointing. Her case looks good but feels cheap. With the exception of the "stripey" eye makeup, creativity in general is in pretty short supply for Scaris Draculaura. All that said, my overall feelings on this doll are very positive. Her face is quite pretty and the hairstyle, predictable as it is, works. Quality is rather high on both. The outfit is simple but I like it, especially the top. She may not be especially exciting or unique but, taking into account this is a budget doll, Scaris Draculaura is a worthy addition to any MH fans' collection.