ABOUT VITILIGO AND BIRTHMARKS
Before I kick the bucket, I want to encourage as many humans as possible to live life as they are instead of the way others want them to be. For this reason, you will see that many of our products symbolize and remind us of this importance. I know of folks who cover their vitiligo patch or birthmark (as I once did for the birthmark on my face when filming Culture Japan the TV show), but nobody should have to modify the way they look for the sake of others.
All humans are completely imperfect, although it may not be as obvious on the surface. For example, the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) ended up doing a scenic route as humans evolved a neck - it loops around the aorta and then back up the larynx when it could be much shorter and thus efficient. Humans also have a backward retina, which is why we ended up with a blind spot. This is because of the way we have evolved from living an aquatic lifestyle.
And then some of us have evolved to be different on the surface. There is no survival advantage of changing our appearance for the sake of others - this is something that should be left to the Mimic octopus, which does indeed rely on its ability to change its shape to survive...
ABOUT DEVELOPMENT
While paint stencils are used to create vitiligo or birthmark patches, painting is still a process done by hand, and thus no two dolls will look the same. Some patches may appear bigger/smaller/lighter/darker and have fuzzy edges - folks should take note before considering a purchase.
Folks should not expect patch marks on the face, bust and arm to be perfectly synced in terms of paint style and color. As always, if you are worried then the best thing to do is not buy - or ask somebody on social media about their experience.
ABOUT THE PRODUCT
Due to the material properties - all soft vinyl is prone to scratches but they are hardly visible on our Cinnamon or Tea skin tones - for Cocoa however, they are more noticeable. For this reason, we include 1 Melamine sponge with cocoa vinyl bodies incase you scratch their body with your fingernail.
Take the sponge and brush lightly on the surface to remove the scratch. If you scratch the face by accident, brush very lightly with the sponge to remove it or you will end up removing the makeup too. Some of the sponge will leave white powder on the skin surface - just blow it away. Scratches will either disappear completely or become not as noticeable unless you are staring at it with a microscope.
All joints on the internal frame are lubricated with grease which may seep out in transit - no need to panic - just get a towel to wipe it off.
Also, the properties of soft vinyl encompass blemishes through the slush casting process which are more noticeable in the Cocoa skin tone - refrain from buying if this is not cool with you ;-)
ABOUT TAKING PHOTOS
Dust shows up more clearly on Cocoa so make sure to check the face for dust before taking photos. You may need to turn up the exposure slightly when taking photos of due to the dark complexion. If you got Lightroom then you can highlight the face with the radial gradient tool to increase the exposure of the face while keeping the exposure of the rest of the photo the same instead of blowing it out.
