/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45646475
I don't have a lot of experience buying dolls, but I'll agree the face is probably the most important part.

Assuming you must get it right on the first go since this gets pricey, I'd say to start from there. Look for a face that you like and that is within your budget and get that, whether it has a body/eyes/hair or not, whether you have to commission it or not. When you have locked on to a face, you can plan the rest. Maybe the face you ended up choosing will fit a MDD better than a regular DD (or Pretty, or Sister), maybe the face's skin tone is different than what you had in mind. Wig and eyes are probably easier to work with, and more easily replaceable.
But most importantly, don't rush it. Don't go for a face just because it's the best you can get right now. Don't buy a body you don't know it will fit. Don't go shopping for wigs if you don't know the size of the head they'll be mounted on

So for the first part I'd say... do all three! If one of the standard models makes you go "woah, I need her!", you saved yourself most of the work. If that doesn't work, start scouring the internet for a completed face or a make up artist you really like. And if after periodically searching you still don't find anything that clicks, well, time to make use of that trip to Japan.
Luckily when it comes to DD you aren't starved for choice.

As for doing the faceup yourself, I won't discourage you from that but be aware this isn't a quick weekend DIY job, this is a whole new skill you'll be acquiring which basically demands a lot of research, materials, practice and failures until you manage to make something serviceable. And depending on how good or bad you are at envisioning the final result, not having a full doll to work with might be a handicap. It's an involved process and kind of a waste to go through the effort just to make one single face ever.
But it there's something you want to materialize into reality, go a-head!

Of course this is all assuming you must get it right on the first go and that you're very demanding when it comes to feeling passionate about something. If you're willing to maybe throwing more money at it or aren't too much of a perfectionist as long as the doll is cute/pretty and yours, you might be able to do with one that is just "fine".

Oh, and one last thing. Be aware that as perfect as some dolls might look in photos, they are physical objects that exist in our reality, so any given one is bound to come with some sort of defect, blemish or shortcoming. Maybe it's a dark spot on the face, or a weak joint, or poses that you can't make them achieve. Even if you spend a whole month's salary on your doll, you will need to be able to look past or even love these imperfections.