Let’s go shopping! Pengin Workshop Edition
It’s been a while since I tried any new wig shops, but being stuck at home for ages has gotten me in a doll shopping mood again. Instead of going ham on cheap Taobao wigs I decided to check out the more pricey options at Pengin Workshop on Etsy. Their wigs range from $45-65 USD which puts them closer to prices of wigs at Volks and Smart Doll (when they sold wigs). What you get is a wig that’s well made and has more elaborate styling than most, and is specifically cut to fit Dollfie Dream type heads. Shipping for 3 wigs from Hong Kong was a reasonable $20 USD, although for some reason I also had to pay sales tax- maybe that’s an Etsy thing, I don’t shop there often. I’ll go into a bit more detail on each wig I ordered – and of course I’ll also soon update the popular ‘Where to buy wigs for dollfie dream and smart doll‘ page with my findings!
Wig #1 – Kirara style in Maple
My first wig pick was the Kirara style – it’s medium length with lots of layers and small tied-up ponytails, with a blunt cut fringe in front. I haven’t seen this style too often and I thought it’d look super cute on my MDD girls. I waffled a lot on the color, but eventually settled on Maple since I’ve been using the same medium-length brown wigs a lot recently and wanted to add some variety. This wig had the bangs askew when it arrived, they probably got pressed against the plastic box during transit. Fortunately it was easy to straighten them out and I’m happy with the result. A few downsides with this wig – the gradient cut on the layered pieces can look a bit messy with uneven hair lengths, and the lace ribbons on the ponytails aren’t really my style. The wig cap is beige and doesn’t look like it’d cause immediate stains, but I used a protective layer just in case.
Wig #2 – Annie (Short) in Strawberry
The second wig I picked primarily for the color – I adore this more muted red color and had to have it! Only a couple in-stock styles were available so I opted for the short ponytail wig thinking it’d look cute. Again we have the elastic ribbon bows that I’m not crazy about, and I already accidentally pulled a hair out of the ponytail so I can tell maintenance on this one will be tricky. Also, I tested this wig out on some dolls with heads on the larger side and the styling just didn’t look right for them since the side fringe got pushed out pretty far, seems like this will work best for MDD heads. Still, it’s nice to have a proper ponytail wig that’s not clip-on hair pieces or glued stubs, and it also has a beige head cap so I’m less worried about stains.
Wig #3 – Callie in Light Lavender/Pink
The third wig I ordered was a wild card – I wasn’t looking for a particular color or style but figured I’d take a chance on something different from the usual. The color ‘Light Lavender/Pink’ sounds pretty bright and pastel, but the reality is it’s a very muted beige-y pink. It’s indicated on the color chart but it was still a bit surprising to see in person. This wig style has a very magical girl vibe with two fluffy short ponytails pulled up at the top, some teased layers and medium-long curls in the back. This wig arrived in good shape but seems the most likely to cause trouble with hairs pulling loose from the ponytails, as the ponytails themselves are attached to stubs which would make it tricky to fix. I’m going to be extra careful with this one. The right ponytail-stub is slightly visible from behind but otherwise the styling holds up well. The ribbons here feel like higher quality since they’re a nice pink satin and suit the wig. Again the wig cap is beige so less concerns about staining. I did some extra post processing on these photos – refer to the back view photo for a more accurate look at the wig fiber colors in person.
In conclusion…
Overall, Pengin Workshop wigs are good quality and if you see a style/color you love they’re worthy buying as you’re unlikely to find it elsewhere. The high prices are somewhat offset by lower than average shipping fees and the convenience of ordering through Etsy. Although I may end up trimming the bangs on Kirara these wigs are otherwise ready to wear direct from the box, versus some other brands that leave wig fibers styled long and expect owners to trim it themselves. The extra effort on styling details feels premium and the construction is good.