Milk or Cinnamon?

Hello all! I'm about to order my first SMD (and doll in general!!) and planned on buying Kanata in Cinnamon. Though right as I was going through the website, I saw that Kanata in Milk restocked. I was fine with her initially being in cinnamon, though I heard about the "rarity" of the milk skin tone and how it's more compatible with DDs in case I ever want to do some frankensteining in the future.

Though all the mentions of how prone milk is to staining and turning grey/yellow, I'm also wondering if I should just stick with cinnamon since this is my first ever doll, and if that would be easier to take care of. I did also hear that cinnamon has a warmer tone and milk is more neutral, and since I plan on dressing her in light colors because I'm scared of stains, I feel like milk would look better for my current plans for her. I'm already so indecisive, so even just picking smd over dd and Kanata over Transcendence was already so much work and now I have to decide between these two tones!! ˶ˊᜊˋ˶ 

I do like the customization of DD, though the current yen exchange rate does have me favoring SMD, so I think I'll invest in a dollfie sometime in the future (or if miku ever goes back on preorder...) That's just to say why I don't just get a dollfie, lol.

But basically the gist is: Is Milk really that high maintenance? Is Cinnamon's undertone really that red/warm? Does Milk really get discolored that fast? 

Thank you for any answers or advice, I'm kind of an overthinker and haven't spent this much on anything before (not counting a Tarn Transformers figure a few years back..) so I appreciate any help!! (˶ˆᗜˆ˵)

oooo Katana is a cutie! Great choice! 

Short answer: 

Is Milk really that high maintenance?

No, all dolls require some basic maintenance and care but it's easy stuff. Cleaning and stain protection, keep away from direct sunlight, etc. 

Is Cinnamon's undertone really that red/warm?

No. Cinnamon is a subtlety different shade from milk. It looks more 'alive' and warmer, but it's not so dramatic that you'd think cinnamon is red or pink or something. Of course, this can change depending on lighting and filters. 

Does Milk really get discolored that fast?

No. I have owned milk, flesh (DD equivalent) and cinnamon. None over the years I owned them displayed discoloration I could pick up on (and I have the color sensitivity of a hawk haha). 

Long answer: 

For purely practical reasons, I would probably suggest cinnamon since he's going to support that tone for a lot longer. You'll be able to get replacement parts easier, second-hand market parts, and alternate busts and hand packs will be available from the store for a long time. Milk had a super surprise re-release after a few years of disappearing, and he has repeatedly said that it's going to continue to be limited release. 

Both will be prone to discoloration depending on lighting (don't keep them in direct sunlight), outfits (both will require stain protection for certain reds, blues, and black colored clothing, and all 'pleather' at all times), and both will be subject to oxidation over time, but you'd experience that with any tone from any company, and it's been my experience that the process is so slow and subtle with very simple upkeep as to be non-existent. Get a stain protective suit on etsy for cheap, use as needed. 

Dollfies are also fabulous, they're gorgeous, but the reason I don't own them anymore is very simple and somewhat stupid: they kinda suck at sitting lol. I like my dolls to sit with their legs dangling off of my shelf or PC, and I've just found smart dolls to be so much easier to manipulate and pose. I have had dollfie legs pop out of the hip sockets more times than I could count. I also had to frequently go in and tighten the screws for the joints, which is not a big deal at all. I'm just very lazy haha. Smart dolls are stupid amounts of durable, which always brings me back to them. 

So yeah, don't stress too much. Grab the doll you love, take care of it, & enjoy.

Edit to add: Also staining is not a death sentence by any means, it can be annoying to fix but it is, almost always, completely fixable. And when (not if, when, think of it like inevitably scratching a brand new car xD ) you do stain a doll, we're always here to help. 

Edited January 13 by sunlightandtea

6 hours ago, lux said:

I'm about to order my first SMD (and doll in general!!) and planned on buying Kanata...

My Kanatas (Kanata & Konata) approve. 😁 We need more of them on the forum.

 

6 hours ago, lux said:

Is Milk really that high maintenance? Is Cinnamon's undertone really that red/warm? Does Milk really get discolored that fast? 

I can only second what @sunlightandtea already told you:

In my experience, every skin tone is just as prone to staining as any other. - On darker skin it may just be harder to spot some stains. In general, the soft parts of the smart doll shell (hands, bust, entire peach body) get stained at about the same rate as the DD shell. The rigid parts (everything that's not hands or bust) are a bit more resistant.

I think both skin tones look lovely, so get the one you think would work better with what character you have in mind. There should be a few skin tone comparison photos floating around the forum. The photos in my signature (and their respective counterparts in the doll directory) are also taken with identical lighting/settings so you can use these to compare skin tones, too. Example: left: Kanata (Milk), right: Valiant "Nagi" (Cinnamon) 

 

SmD Cinnamon is very close to DD Tan skin, but a bit more saturated. Depending on the lighting, the difference shows more or less. SmD Milk used to be effectively indistinguishable from DD Flesh skin. The Milk rerelease is a bit more pinkish, and I'm pretty sure that's just a slightly different mixture, not because the old Milk has yellowed that much: My Milk SmDs from 2018 and 2020 have remained really consistent in color compared to old and new Flesh DDs. I can't tell you how much the new Milk may change color in the long run, but it's probably not on a level that will ruin the dolls.

 

Hopefully you'll have lots of fun with your new doll.

 

I think it really depends on how you want her to look/the image you have in mind for her. Don’t compromise. If you want her to have pale skin, go with Milk. If you want her to look a bit tanned, go with Cinnamon.

I bought Mirai in Cinnamon back when Milk was still discontinued, and even though she’s beautiful and I love her, she doesn’t look quite right for the character I was trying to shell. I disagree with what was written above about the shades being similar. They only look similar in photos with a certain kind of lighting; to the naked eye, they are visibly different, and it affects the feel of the doll.

Since this is your first doll, you should get what you really want. If you’re like the rest of us, you will probably end up getting more down the line and can branch out for diversity later ☺️

Thank you all so much for the replies!! Especially the comparison photos, it was really helpful for me to see them side by side! My current plan is to have her in a yami kawaii-esque getup, with a white nurse outfit and overall a light color scheme since I am scared of stains T-T But it's great to know that they're usually removable, and reading some of the other threads here on how to remove them definitely makes me less paranoid!! I think I'll try doing some photoshop and finalize my sketch on how I want her to look before finally deciding, and hoping that tomorrow I can finalize and finally order her!! I really can't wait, and everyone's so nice! Thank you all again, hopefully I'll be able to post soon when she arrives!!(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ