Restoration project gone wrong

[marnieee]

Just remembered I tried to clean my vintage madame alexander doll's face yesterday with what I thought was a gentle cleaner but turns out I accidentally wiped off part of her original lip paint. I feel awful, is there any way to fix this without making it worse? Or should I just accept that I learned an expensive lesson about testing products first

 

[m.anne.queen]

Sorry to hear this, but don't panic!
It's definitely fixable, and actually a super common touch-up!!
Since this is a vintage face, you need paint with a very fine pigment that won't look chunky or chemically damage the vinyl over time.
You should check the suppliers that cater to BJD or custom vinyl doll artists. They carry thin, high-pigment options.
Specifically, look for Vallejo or Citadel miniature paints. They're great for detail work and have an amazing matte finish.
Also pick up a can of Mr. Super Clear sealant.
Seal the lip area first to give your new paint some tooth, then use a 00 or 000 brush to carefully feather the color back in.
You’ll be fine!!

 

[Beth.any23]

Don't touch it anymore until you decide what to do. Alcohol based stuff strips paint fast, is that what you used?
You can repaint it but it'll kill collector value if she's worth anything but if she's sentimental and not rare, just repaint it yourself with acrylics. Plenty of tutorials on YouTube for repainting vintage doll faces

 

[dolfie.baby]

Oof, been there. It happens to the best of us but definitely fixable though! @m.anne.queen pretty much laid out the whole process. Vallejo paints and a steady hand will get you sorted and hey, at least you learned it now and not on something even more valuable

 

[Alan]

@marnieee , that’s a tough one, I've heard vintage paint can be really fragile, glad the responses here seem to say its not so hard, I hope you get that sorted out fine