Who’s ready for another 5 Surprise haul?
Tink, we opened those Mini Brands, like, three months ago?. If Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, Spring is definitely the most busiest (at least for us farm folk?).
Anyway, I didn’t say we were opening Mini Brands. Nope, today we are checking out a new series:
5 Surprise Mini Fashions!
5 Surprise Mini Fashions are a spin-off of Zuru’s ever-so-popular series, 5 Surprise Mini Brands. Instead of grocery goods, however, these surprise balls contain a miniature handbag plus four tiny accessories that are (reportedly) perfect for Barbies. We’ll see about that?.
Because they are brand-new, finding these Mini Fashions took a bit more effort. By that I mean I didn’t just walk into Hobby Lobby and watch them jump in my cart.
No, I resorted to buying a set on Amazon before finding two more at Walmart a few days later.
Mini Fashions are not cheap surprise toys. I paid $19.99 for the two-pack on Amazon (shipping was free), and the ones from Walmart were $9.99 each. Throw in some sales tax, and we have a grand total of $42.35.
Will I collect Mini Fashions the same way I do Mini Brands? It all depends on the variety and quality of the minis we find.
5 Surprise Mini Fashions Ball 1:
Just like Mini Brands, Mini Fashions come packaged in spherical capsules. The plastic around the capsule is white with gold lines crisscrossing it and printed stitching. It reminds me of a quilted purse.
There is a hot pink tag on the front with Mini Fashion written across it. We see the 5 Surprise logo on the right side, and on the left is a short blurb saying there are 40 real fabric fashion bags and accessories in this collection.
Flip the ball around, and you’ll find a gold zipper that’s perforated on both sides. This is supposed to make tearing the plastic easy. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Opening these suckers was maddening! I practically had to scrape away the wrappers!
After a lot of peeling and prying, the plastic cover is finally off, leaving us with a solid white ball.
This is different from the Mini Brands container we’re used to seeing. It’s solid all the way around and doesn’t have a plug at the top.
Twisting the ball didn’t work very well, but giving it a gentle squeeze did. The sections popped apart, revealing two baggies and a Collector’s Guide.
5 Surprise Mini Fashions Collector’s Guide:
The Collector’s Guide resembles a quilted clutch or wallet. Once unfolded, we can see all the bags and bling in this series:
Check out all those gorgeous purses! I particularly like the green purse and bucket bag.
This collection has eleven handbags and thirty accessories (eight of which are stickers). The accessories include perfume bottles, makeup containers, and wallets. There are also a couple of Chihuahua-looking puppies!
Two of the purses are rare, and there is a rare Tiffany’s-inspired ring box. I don’t know if all Mini Fashions are based on designer brands, but I assume they are.
At the end of the catalog are promotional images of other 5 Surprise products.
We already reviewed 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 3, but I’m still searching for the other two collections.
Now, let’s rip these bags open and see which Mini Fashions we got!
It is a purse–the metallic pink one!
Although it’s only an inch and a quarter tall, I’m afraid this purse is a bit big for Tink. Why don’t we let one of the other dolls show it off?
Here is miss Jackie with our mini purse. I must say the size is spot-on. A perfect 1:6 scale.
According to my sources (aka the internet), this bag is inspired by the Lady Dior collection. Luckily, ours isn’t sewn from calfskin (whew!).
The fabric feels like soft vinyl and is embossed with a geometric pattern. The inside is lined with velvety pink fabric, which is quite neat. You don’t often see that!
The bag has wide, crescent-shaped handles, gold rings, and two charms on the front—details characteristic of D.I.O.R style.
This is a huge upgrade from the plastic purses my dolls are used to. The stitching is immaculate, and I love how the edges are finished with rows of piping.
Inside the second bag is…
Okay, these pieces are way cooler than I expected!
The sunglasses are black with gold accents, dark lenses, and working arms. And, yes, our dolls can totally wear them!
The caps on the jar and lipstick also pop off. The lipstick is bright red, and it looks like the jar is holding pink cream. Of course, the cream and lipstick aren’t real. They’re just plastic.
The makeup is a tad big. Still, I think we can use it in our dioramas.
So far, these Mini Fashions are living up to the hype. The purse is beautiful and a great scale for Barbie, and the accessories are more than just pretty knickknacks. They’re 100% functional!
5 Surprise Mini Fashions Ball 2:
Our next Mini Fashion is…
The multicolored Louis Vuitton bag!
Tink, none of these bags are fairy-sized. They’re for Barbies, remember? But don’t worry. We’ll find you a tiny purse later—after we open the rest of our Mini Fashions.
This hobo-style purse was also high on my wish list, so I’m super excited we found it!
It’s sewn from faux leather and even softer than the first bag. The front and back are white and covered with colorful motifs. The trim and shoulder strap are light pink, and it has a gold buckle on the front flap.
What makes this purse extra unique, though, is the magnet in the front flap. Yes, our mini purse snaps shut just like a human-sized one!
The cream jar is identical to the one we just opened, but the makeup brush and compact are totally new.
The compact’s lid pops open. On the inside is a small mirror and what looks like some kind of pink powder.
The makeup brush is pretty simple. It has a red plastic handle with black and white bristles.
Since there aren’t a ton of accessories in this series, I’m guessing there’s a high likelihood of getting repeats.
5 Surprise Mini Fashions Ball 3:
Alright, Tink—what’s inside ball number three?
Ooo, we got the Neverfull tote!
Yes, this tote is designed after another Louis Vuitton bag: The Neverfull. It’s bigger than the other two bags, measuring about 1 3/4″ tall (not including the straps) and 2 1/2″ wide.
The tote has the classic Louis Vuitton color scheme—brown with tan trim and monogramming.
The interior is nice and roomy, so there’s plenty of space for doll-sized paraphernalia, like a wallet, notebook, makeup, keys, and anything else they might need.
Our third set of accessories are:
This hexagon-shaped perfume bottle is translucent teal. Its cap is removable, and it has a tiny silver spray pump.
The eyeshadow case has a black bottom and gold flip lid. The palette inside is neutral-toned with varying shades of tan, brown, and blush.
Carol is right—not having a mirror could lead to a major makeup mishap. Luckily, this is an easy fix. All we need is a bit of reflective paper or (even better) tape.
There—our eyeshadow case has a mirror! Crisis averted!
5 Surprise Mini Fashions Ball 4:
Yep, we got another metallic pink purse. Still, only one double out of four surprise balls is pretty good. Besides, we want a well-stocked boutique, so this duplicate purse won’t go to waste (yes, I’m still working on a doll-sized clothing shop).
Now, let’s check out those accessories.
Our last bag has:
Except for the sticker, all of these are repeats. Hey, I’m not complaining! My dolls are seriously lacking in the beauty department, so the extra lipsticks and creams will come in handy and help fill our boutique’s shelves?.
Speaking of our boutique, I can’t wait to see our Mini Fashions in it, so let’s go ahead and put what we have on display!
As you can see, the shop isn’t finished. It still needs a checkout counter, clothing racks, and more shelves. But I don’t think our store’s limited supplies will stop my girls from browsing the aisles!
Final Thoughts:
In case you haven’t already guessed, I’m in love with Mini Fashions!
Up till now, Etsy was the only place where one could find quality like this (and, between you and me, I can’t always afford Etsy prices).
For store-bought doll accessories, Mini Fashions have remarkable craftsmanship. The bags are made from real fabric! They have metal hardware, neatly stitched edges, and magnetic closures! Where else can you find craftsmanship like that?
Seriously, Mini Fashions are far superior to Barbie’s plastic purses (sorry, Mattel).
In addition to a super chic handbag, you also get four mini cosmetics!
Sure, the makeup isn’t always a perfect 1:6 scale, but it’s close enough for me. And you’ve got to admit that the containers’ realistic colors and working lids are fantastic.
For me, the only disappointment is the stickers.
They’re great and all, but I don’t really need them and don’t consider them a true accessory. Personally, I wish Zuru would replace the stickers with more beauty products, like hairspray, mascara, or even nail polish. That would be better.
So, while $10 is a bit pricey for a surprise toy, I think Mini Fashions are worth it. The only problem now is finding them again! I popped back by Walmart the other day, intending to pick up two more for an Instagram unboxing, and they were out of stock.
Let the hunt for Mini Fashions continue!
Now It’s Your Turn!
Do you collect Mini Fashions? If so, which ones are your favorites? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below!
By the way, do you think you could make a post showing how you sew such adorable dresses for your fairy dolls? I’d really like one for my Iridessa doll (who I call Isabella). Most of her clothes are attached with hairbands, poor thing.
Absolutely😁! Fairy dresses are super easy to sew and take very little fabric.
I bought two Mini Fashions, and I’m with you; those balls were super hard to open up! Plus the plastic was static-y and didn’t want to leave my hand. I personally feel like the lipstick is too big, from my brief unpacking session. I have 16″ dolls that I can give them to if I decided 1/6th isn’t quite right. Otherwise, everything seems great for Barbie dolls. I wasn’t sure if the sunglasses I have would work on dolls, but obviously they do. 🙂
Ah, so I’m not the only one wrestling with those darn wrappers–good to know. I thought maybe I had a bad batch or something. The lipstick is for sure out of scale for Barbies. My plan is to use them in the background as shelf sitters. I agree, though, that they’d be good for 16″ dolls. I would’ve done a comparison, but I recently sold all of my Collector dolls and am down to just 12″ dolls (and my tiny fairies, of course😁).
Oh my gosh, I was so excited when I saw this post! I do love a good dose of Tink and her humor.
The purses you got were adorable! I was amazed that the sunglasses fit the Barbies. And I can’t wait to see the finished Pixie Dust Boutique.
Thank you for putting the time into this blog to entertain us! 😁
(And P.S., sorry if I’m super hyper, I’m just so excited that you posted!)
Thank you for your sweet comments! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post😁. Yes, the purses and makeup pieces are super cute and perfectly scaled for Barbie-sized dolls (which is amazing). I’d love to get the whole collection!
Ah, Pixie Dust Boutique…it feels like I’ve been working on it forever. But I’ve scaled back some of my other projects so, hopefully, I’ll get it finished soon. Then I can give y’all a tour!