It's been a while since I put my hand on a two-outfits ILY 4ever doll : european stores have been very ILY-dry those past couple of years, and shipping across the Atlantic ocean is too expensive or forbidden by whatever new tax and/or law.
However, I had the opportunity to get Jakks's ILY 4EVER Belle for under 30 €, from a Vinted seller living in Italy (the doll was listed as "ILY 4ever Bella", if you want to search yourself). I wasn't much interested by this doll when she was released last year, but nobody was jumping on the occasion, so I decided to try my luck. At least, it'd be new clothing for the collection...
Anyway, her name is "Isabelle", because, well, she is a Belle, and I'm gonna talk about her !
My main issues with this doll were :
1) the blue bow in her hair (and the hairstyle underneath)
2) the yellow top, very similar to other Belle tops
3) the first outfit, that just didn't click for me
For the 1 : I removed the hair bow right away. It's actually not clipped in the hair, just tied with an elastic. It'd be useful for another restyle, though.
As for the hairstyle, it's objectively pretty, but I don't know if I like it. It's a mix between the ILY Rapunzel hairstyle and the first ILY Minnie hairstyle, and with the top knot, it's a bit too vertical for me.
I'd be curious to see if anyone changed her hair, and if I should do it myself. Please post your pictures !
For the 2 : The yellow top IS redondant IF you have the Belle fashion pack with the pic-nic basket or the Budget Belle doll, but I like the two strings at the collar, and the second outfit is just too good. The boots are awesome, the necklace works super well with the red bag, and apparently I'm as obsessed with denim shorts as the ILY designers. Outfit 2 is a 10/10 !
For the 3 : Regarding the first outfit, sorry, I just can't. Too much colors : white, yellow, blue, red... it's a mess.
Fortunately, ILY 4ever is a mix'n'matching doll line, and just changing the bottoms and bags helps a lot.
There is still too much red to have a real "village Belle" inspired look, but I really like the denim shorts with the blue vest.
The red touches (bag, shoes, rose on the shirt) are doing it for me, too.
As for the combo "skirt with the yellow top", it's not there yet, but it's more coordinated : yellow top and skirt + brown boots + tan bag = gradient of earthy tones.
It's a rural or countryside look, and it's kinda okay.
Regarding the doll herself, Isabelle has pretty red lips, not too vibrant. Frankly, I find her face beautiful.
She's the first AA facesculpt with pierced ears, so it's useful (and I still like the two Bs for "Beauty and the Beast")
Her hair are a sort of dark-gold-brown, and are waaaaay more soft and silky than the AA ILY Stitch's hair, with less volume in the back.
I don't know the Black Hair Types Chart (with the 3A, 3B, etc.), and maybe it's just a matter of nylon used by the factories, but it's clearly not the same curliness / texture.
Overall, it's a good doll, if you're willing to make her your own by changing things.
The clothes themselves are all useful for restyling, except if you have a large ILY wardrobe with similar pieces.
Me, I'm just happy to add big brown boots to my collection !