Applying Blush to Vinyl Dolls

It's very easy to add some fresh color to the Baby Face faces. The dolls do look much better with some color on their cheeks. In some cases it makes all the difference in the appearance of the doll: she can go from homely to pretty with just a little blush. Adding some color to their cheeks usually improves the shape of the face too. You know how some Cynthia dolls are pretty and others aren't? Sometimes all Cynthia needs is some blush.

I use lipstick or lip pencil. I actually prefer lip pencils because the color is more intense. Lipstick tends to be more greasy.

I rub some of the pencil on my finger and then dab it in the center of the doll's cheek. DON'T COVER A LARGE AREA. Less is more. Dab some color in the center and then blend it outward. You can build up the color in the center a bit but let it fade on the edges. And like I said, don't overdo it.

If there are chips in the original blush-paint, you can smooth those out first (before applying any color.) I use nail polish remover on a cotton ball and rub until the chipped edge is smooth. In some cases you might want to remove ALL the original blush and just use the lipstick instead.

In the photos on this page, you can see that the color I've added is very subtle. I only add color to the center of the cheek and blend it out. I build up the color by adding some more to the middle but not to the edges.

You can also use blush powder, but it will probably come off eventually. Blush powder does work very well though and it's easy to apply.

The lipstick color lasts a long time. It soaks into the vinyl some because of the oil that is in lipstick and lip pencil products.

For Baby Face dolls I like to use a HOT PINK lip pencil.

I use the lip pencils on all my vintage dolls, also. For vintage dolls, especially dolls from the 1950's, I use a TRUE RED lipcolor. It's a good idea to look at the lip color the doll has. If she has pink lips, use HOT PINK. If she has red lips, use TRUE RED. On black dolls I like to use BRICK RED or TRUE RED. Lip pencils work fine on all vinyl dolls and even on the hard plastic dolls such as vintage Ginny, etc.