I am an avid JG collector, and was very glad to see Alana re-released after quickly selling out at her initial release. She has very unique coloring, which is especially striking: dark (almost orangey) bronze skin, pale blue eyes (slightly greener than Ilee's), dark ginger hair with copious magenta highlights, and a generous helping of freckles, which have a realistic pattern and color, though they can appear shiny from some angles. She has the same face mold as Chavonne, but a lighter and oranger skin tone than both her and Kyla, and much lighter hair, which is more auburn than Kelsey's. Her hair is long and very curly, though the curls are concentrated on the lower part of her hair, unlike the full-length curls shown in the manufacturer's photo. The hair is also layered in length, giving the curls a cascading look when her hair is pulled into a ponytail. Japan Ilee's pink highlights are almost impossible to see once her hair is brushed out, but Alana's pink shows up well and there's much more of it. (Which I really like.) My only complaint with this doll is that her blush and lipstick are both quite bright and can look a bit garish in certain lights. I bought the doll for herself, since I don't care for the styling of the outfit (it's just not my taste). However, the outfit is well-made. She has a shiny sports jacket with a jungle print and a non-working zipper; the jacket is lined in pale pink and seems very well-constructed; I found it a nice surprise. The dress has a print of leopard spots and faces and is a bright hot pink that matches the streaks in Alana's hair. It seems a little bit short, but fits well and feels durable. Underneath, Alana has plain white underwear. Her bag was also a nice surprise: it has a rainbow leopard graphic, pink ribbon handles, and a shiny pale-gold fringe on the bottom. It resembles a shopping bag and has a lot of space inside. Finally, Alana is wearing white plastic or vinyl sandals of a mold that is new for the Journey girls, made to look like they're woven grass with a fringed woven strap across the top, painted pink. The painting on my doll's shoes is a little sloppy. My major complaint is that the shoes are a little bit too big for the doll; in order to get them to stay on firmly, I had to push my doll's feet into the shoes too far to look good or realistic, with her toes hanging over the front edge. It's also not easy to balance the doll while she's wearing them. I'm glad to see a new shoe mold, but disappointed in the execution. Overall this is a gorgeous, vibrant doll. Mine had a spot of glue on one eye which I initially thought was a scratch, but it rubbed off easily. The wire ties from the packaging did leave scuff marks in her ankles, and my doll had a scuff on her cheek. I've also noticed that the dolls I purchased from the Japan line have developed a very faint crazing in the white part of their eyes, so I'll be curious to see if Alana ends up suffering the same problem. But, the crazing is unnoticeable unless you look very close. (My Australia and earlier JGs do not have crazing in their eyes, nor does Alana... yet.) I don't like the new packaging; I can understand why it has been simplified, but it makes it harder to gift the dolls. However, Alana is well worth the price and I'm excited to see the other Brazil dolls when they get released!
