When coloring the vinyl, I strive to make it as real looking as possible. I do not use purple paint, but instead I use a color that will not only bring the vinyl to life, but will give the baby a rosy glow. This color will not cause "bruising". After painting the insides, I then move on to other shades . I do like to use a darker shade in certain areas such as the eye area, temples and anywhere you would expect to see veins. My daughter has a vein on her eyelid and has had this since birth. It looks like she is wearing blue eyeshadow!:) And my son has a green/blue spot between his eyes - no baby has perfect skin so I try to give each baby varying colors on the insides and I'll place the "veins" in different areas so that each reborn is unique.It is never over-done, but just enough to add realism to the baby. After the painting is complete, I'll then blush the outsides in certain areas. Places such as; the cheeks, chin and nose, tops/bottoms of hands and feet, elbows, knees, insides of ears, all creases. For the eyes I like to add a red look as if the baby is either sleepy or has been crying.

Many people ask me to create a "splotchy" look on the baby. This is personal preference, but does give the baby a very "fresh from the womb" appearance. Rachel has this look:

I take a matte sealer and blend it with different shades of white. When the color is just right I will do the darker shade on the tip of the nail and the lighter shade on the entire nail. This gives such a nice natural look to the nails.