Sarah

So… I know that I have waited forever and three days to post pictures of the remainder of the Sarah skins by Essences, but that may have just worked out to your benefit! Until Monday, everything at the new Essences location has been marked down to L$10: clothes, skin… you name it. A whole ten lindens each! Only two of the female skin sets by Essences is present for this sale, but Sarah does happen to be one of them!

You have to admit, she has a gorgeous face! I am so happy with all of the makeup choices included in this set; they are all subtly striking. They are most definitely not overdone… or underdone for that matter. Just the right amount in all the right places. Sarah is available in five skin tones with eight makeup choices each. As mentioned, everything is on sale for L$10 until Monday. That means that you can have the entire set in one tone for only L$80! Or, all of them for L$400 of course. Note: If you choose “Buy the Line,” you will end up paying L$20 more than if you had purchased each individually because the Sarah shape is included in that purchase.

Black, red and white have to be one of my favorite color combinations ever. It always looks so classy. The Jillie Dress is one of the newest releases from JANE which comes in three terrific polka dot color combinations. Each dress is available for L$150, or if you love ‘em all, grab the greedy pack for L$295. If you have never visited JANE, I highly recommend that you do! This store truly has some of the cutest clothes on the grid: not overdone but with just the right amount of realism and artistry.

Credits
Clothing: *Jillie Dress in Raven/Cherry by JANE
Jewelry: Spanish Dreams by Vincenca Rosca
Hair: Amelia.2 in Timid Brown by fri.day
Skin: *Sarah in Peach by Essences
Pose: Model 092 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

I ♥ My Flops!

I’m not typically the kind of shopper who sees something on virtually every blog and then just has to have that item. I prefer my own, individual style rather than what the masses are wearing. But, I do have to admit that these shoes caught my attention as they were being plastered all over the feeds. This is one time that I definitely thought, “I have to have those!!”

The new Maitreya Gold Flip-Flops are one of the most fabulously sculpted pair of shoes that I have in my inventory. I was so excited by how realistic the feet look as well as how well the sculpt blends in with my ava’s leg. I have not used any type of blending technique in PhotoShop in my picture to get the seam of the sculpt to match with my leg; this is truly how I see the shoes in world. While yes, the price is rather steep for a pair of flip-flops ($775 per pair, L$6,990 for the fatpack [nearly 55% discount]), the quality of the sculpt is so well worth it. Included with your purchase are three anklets for each leg which can be worn together, separately or not at all. Resizing scripts are included in the shoe as well as texture changing scripts for the nail color (HUD), metal of the toe ring, the insole of the shoe and the anklets. What I found most useful with the purchase was a notecard listing major skin designers’ values to correctly match the skin; I literally had the color I needed in seconds. Included designers are !mabee, &bean, Atomic, Belleza, Curio, Dernier Cri, Dutch Touch, Fashionably Dead, FNKY, Glam Affair, Laqroki Glow Skins, Launa Fauna, League, LeLutka, Pink Fuel, PXL, Redgrave, Rockberry, Tres Blah and Tuli. Twenty colors of the flip-flops are available; I only purchased the lucid pair during my visit, but I am seriously thinking about getting the fatpack. These shoes are just so perfect for summer!


Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] Intrinsic Tank in Milk by JANE and [Shorts] Denim Cutoffs in Indigo by This is Fawn
Shoes: Flip-Flops in Lucid by Maitreya Gold
Hair: Quinn in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Lore 2 (Sundust) by Curio

Such a Pretty Face

I’ve been meaning to try the skins offered by Style by Kira for a while, but for one reason or another I never made it over to her store. Thankfully, over the weekend I finally teleported over and grabbed a few demos. I am very sorry that I waited so long! These skins are truly beautiful and offer such variety and versatility.

The faces of LuLu are so striking and pretty! It is evident that Kira has taken the time to add individualized detail to each makeup of this set… and all of her sets for that matter. Two versions of makeup choices are available: classic and fantasy. I’m honestly not sure which I like better. Of course the classic is what I would wear on a typical day in Second Life, but who knows when I may needs that extravagant makeup to complete the perfect look! Individual classic skins are available for L$400 each or L$2,400 for the fatpack and individual fantasy skins are available for L$150 each or L$950 for the fatpack; there is also a pack available if you would like both sets for L$3,250.  The Special Sun Edition skin is available in front of the store for L$50.

Credits
Clothing: *Chiffon Summer Dress (Tinted) by Izzie’s
Jewelry: *Pearl Necklace in Black by Izzie’s
Hair: Again 2 in Brown 11 by [elikatira] (VIP Gift)
Skin: *LuLu in 01 by Style by Kira
Pose: [1] Top Model Angelea by Exposeur

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Taste of Second Life: Once Upon a Time

I had hoped to get my Taste of Second Life post out a little earlier today, but I completely crashed after I got home from church today and slept for three hours! I guess I needed to catch up on some sleep. I really loved the theme this week; “Once Upon a Time” leaves the door open for a lot of fun designs and ideas!

I absolutely fell in love with the pose prop from Tranquility Way Station Designs as soon as I saw it! It is completely adorable and very well made. Although my pictures do not capture the complete idea, the prop base is opened up like a story book with this fairy tale popping up out of it. The backdrop is absolutely gorgeous, and if you look right in the corner, you can see that there is actually a wolf there! I set this prop up before I got dressed, and while I was getting ready I heard a wolf howl. It sort of startled me at first, and then I remembered the prop! The stump that you see in the corner of my picture is fully animated for your posing needs, or of course you can just stand in the middle of it and use your other poses like I did! There really is so much you can do with this, and at only L$75, it is a total win!

Don’t you just absolutely love the Princess Cocktail Dress from Alexohol Fashions? The design is fabulous and the textures are gorgeous. I really love how light and shiny the colors are; it is very feminine and super girly! The detailing on the straps of the dress is really pretty and delicate. This dress could probably also be worn as a ballet dress. The dress comes in three colors which are named after Disney Princeses: Aurora (pink), Belle (yellow) and Cinderella (blue). Each color is available for L$75, or if you would like to have all three, there is a fatpack for L$160!

I completely love the cute little Berry Gretel Dress that ISON has out for you this weekend. There is actually a modesty tee shirt that comes with the outfit as well, but it is perfectly cute without it! The texture on this outfit is fabulous! Not only are the colors adorable, but the care the designer has given in shading and highlighting really gives a depth to the outfit. The skirt is very well sculpted and comes with a resize script which I love since I completely suck at manually resizing something. This dress is available for L$99.

Although you don’t get to see a whole lot of it in this picture, the house that I am using is another TOSL item from L&K Prefabs. The Once Upon a Time cabin is really cute and reminds me of my grandfather’s cabin in real life. The design is rather small at only 10x10 in size (64 prims), but I think that the size gives it more of a cozy feeling. Also, if you only have a small piece of land, this would be perfect for you! You can pick this up until midnight SLT for only L$74.

Although this isn’t a Taste of Second Life item, I would like to mention really quick that the couch and table used in the pic is a new release from Clutter which is available for this weekend at only L$60. The set also comes with three pictures, and a sort of dining set with bookshelf is also available for L$60 this weekend only!

This picture was completely fun to put together! The dress I am wearing is the Ellette Coral Dress from Sweeter Than Candy. I really love the colors featured in this little dress; pink and green have always been two of my favorites to put together. The fairy wings are absolutely adorable and move beautifully; this dress is so worth the L$85 it is being sold for and then some. The design on the bodice of the dress is really beautiful; the detailing is intricate, and I love how the top ends point up. It really is a great design!

The trees are part of the ‘In the Ancient Grove’ set being offered for TOSL by Clutter this weekend. There are four trees total with a designed rock in the center. Up to six people can be seated by this ‘prop’ with six different animations. There are only seven prims total which is pretty impressive. If you are looking to add a little nature to your property, go pick this up for only L$60 until midnight. You cannot beat large pieces like this with low prims at such a low price!

Isn’t the frog absolutely cute?! It is part of the Le Prince Charmant set being offered by Lauria this weekend. Two poses are out for TOSL and two more are out for Lazy Sunday at only L$55 each. With each pose, you do get the frog prop. The pose I am using is not one of the included poses since I didn’t see there is one very similar to it before I took my photo, but it really just goes to show you how versatile the prop can be. The frog is extremely well textured and could just be used as a cute little ‘knick knack’ in your house. This is a definitely must have for any photographer!


Credits
Clothing: [1] *Princess Cocktail Dress in Aurora by Alexohol Fashions, [2] *Berry Gretel Dress by ISON and [3] *Ellette Coral Dress by Sweeter Than Candy
Jewelry: AlienbearXAgnes by Alienbear Designs
Shoes: [3] Rosario Ballet Flats in Pearl by Cherry
Hair: Novel in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: Bitu (Bronze) – Paradise Bird by Al Vulo at The Fashion Garret
Poses: [1] Top Model Spring 2011 Makeover – Molly by Exposeur, [2] Brittani by Exposeur and [3] Magical 1 by DeePosed

* Denotes item provided by designer for review. All Taste of Second Life props were also provided by the designers.

Down on the Bayou

I really have a mishmash of goodies for you today. One of the many things that I completely love about Second Life is the ability to change. I can change everything about myself in a matter of minutes: what I’m wearing, what ethnicity I look like, even where I live. There is so much freedom that you have here that we aren’t able to experience in real life.

Probably the first thing you noticed about my look today is that I have gone darker! Typically I do wear lighter skin tones since that reflects the real life me whose skin is so light it is nearly transparent. When I saw this skin, however, at the Grunge Soul Project, I just had to have it! Al Vulo is a new to me skin designer whose work I am absolutely loving. I also picked up a skin she has out at the Fashion Garret which is another version of the skin I am wearing except a tad lighter and with pink eye shadow instead of blue. I really love the makeup on this skin; the eyes are captivating, the blush is perfect and the lips are screaming for some attention from my hubby. For a mere L$75, it is a total win!

Accessories truly have the ability to add that finishing touch to make a perfect outfit. I am completely loving the styles that are offered at je suis. There you can find everything from bold and beautiful to delicate and elegant. All of the pieces, however, have class! The Asymetrique pieces really caught my attention during my last visit; they are what I would call a statement piece. The big, chunky pieces are beautifully textured. Nine color combinations are available in this collection at L$149 per necklace, L$99 per earring set and L$149 per bangle set. The pieces are color change which allow you to choose different shades of the main color for each piece of the jewelry. If you want the entire collection, prices for the fatpacks are L$999 for the necklaces, L$399 for the earrings and L$599 for the bangles. Scripts are also included which allow you to easily resize the pieces to fit your ava.

Since I have had the privilege of blogging Izzie’s designs, I honestly don’t think there has been one release that I haven’t completely fallen in love with. The one constant theme that I can see in her work is the ability to beautifully blend sculpts with system clothing, and the Off Shoulder Top is no exception. The shirt is very versatile in that it can be worn with a dressy pair of pants as I have in my pictures or with a casual pair of jeans; it also looks fabulous with the hot Leo Print leggings which Izzie’s also recently released. The piece is beautifully textured with soft fabrics which is available in ten gorgeous colors at L$150 each or L$1,200 for the fatpack.

Boots! Guess how much I paid for them… go ahead, guess. Nothing! These absolutely amazing boots are the newest group gift being offered by Hoorenbeek. I absolutely love the designs put out by this store; it’s just too bad that most of them are designed for men instead of women. Perhaps if we beg and plead he will design more shoes for women? It’s worth a shot! He does, however, have the most amazing athletic shoes that I have seen on the grid, and it just so happens that he is having a L$200 sale this weekend on select items. Hoorenbeek has one of these sales every so often, and I always go to see if he has marked down a pair of the athletic shoes that I don’t yet have. My collection of his redention of Nike Shox is complete; now I’m just waiting to complete my SL Balance collection. I suppose I could also start a collection of a new type of sneaker! This sale runs through Sunday, and you most definitely do not want to miss it! To receive the fabulous group gift, you do have to be a member of the subscribo group for at least fifteen days, but gifts are typically left out long enough for you to go slap the board and then wait a couple weeks to pick up your gift.


Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] *Off Shoulder Top in Blue by Izzie’s and [Pants] *Flared Pants in Cream by The Secret Store
Jewelry: Asymetrique Necklace, Earrings and *Bangles in Blue by je suis
Shoes: Zahra Boots in Black by Hoorenbeek (Group Gift)
Hair: Again in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: Miha 2 (Choco) in Shine Peacock by Al Vulo at Grunge Soul Project
Poses: [1 and 3] Model 71 and [2] Model 04 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Adore Me

I have been in an extremely lazy mood all day. This was definitely one of those days when I wished I lived by the ocean so that I could just open up my French doors, bask in the sound of the waves and nap while listening to Pandora.

Contrary to its name, skin isn’t the only thing Filthy Skins is putting out these days. The Adore AnkleBoots were released this past week, and they are definitely cute! If you are a shoe lover like I am, you are going to want to pick these up. The sculpting, shading and texturing is absolutely beautiful! The shoes are easily resized via a HUD, and options are also available for the metal type of the buckles and zippers. Eight colors are available at L$395 each or L$2,765 for the ‘all colors’ pack. Also included with your purchase are the adorable leggings that I’m wearing! No one ever complains about extras, right?

Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] Faith in White Sheer by PixelDolls and [Pants] *Adore BTights by Filthy Skins (Included with Shoes)
Shoes: *Adore AnkleBoots in GainsBoro by Filthy Skins
Hair: Midori in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Ana (Tan) – Tropics by Filthy Skins
Poses: [1] Top Model Nadiah and [2] Accessorize Ren by Exposeur

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Aloha!

I’ve always dreamed of traveling the world. London, Paris, Rome… somewhere tropical. Most of those will most likely never become a reality, but what I fail to be able to do in my real life, Second Life can sometimes make up for. Hawaii has always been on my ‘to visit’ list, and with the help of Nickki Romano and Island Style Designs, I can feel a little more like I am actually visiting the islands!

Isn’t the hula skirt simply adorable? And, you have to love the coconut bra! I’m not so sure that I would feel as confident wearing it in real life as I am in Second Life. It is most definitely easier to hold up a bra made of coconuts when you don’t have gravity pulling it down! Nickki has a wide selection of hula skirts available in her shop all priced between L$250 and L$350. The package also came with a lei, but unfortunately I just could not get my hair to cooperate with it! A hair with an attached lei is also included in the package if you do not have any long styles of your own.

While I was wandering around Island Style Designs, I came upon this cute little freebie. I really love it when designers appreciate their customers enough to set out something that isn’t for sale! Just a little thank you for visiting their place. I really love how vivid the colors are in the bikini! The item also comes with a little wrap that I forgot to attach to myself before I snapped the pic. Oops. Lol Snag this freebie before it disappears!

What would a great island style be without a cute pair of shoes? As soon as I saw these adorable sculpted flip flops by My Pretty Pixels, I was in love! I’m not sure where I would be in my real life without my sandals to run around in all summer! An easy to use resizer is included as well as a hud to help with skin tone adjustments and nail color. I personally love the manicured look that is available in these shoes! I wish more designers would offer this instead of all polishes because the real life me rarely wears polish! The toe ring and anklets are optional and controlled via a hud. Twelve colors are available at L$340 each or L$1,630 for the color change pair. This is a definite great addition to your inventory for the summer months!

I just have to mention the poses I used in the second and third pictures because…. Well, you know me… I love poses! Fluke is a newish store offering poses for both men and women. Guys, I know that it is really difficult to find poses for men sometimes; so, it’s always good when a new store pops up on the grid that provides for the demand! The poses used here are from the Casual Girl set. These poses are really cute and fun. If you are a pose hoarder like I am, you should definitely teleport over to Fluke on the LeeZu SIM!


Credits
Clothing: [1] *Deluxe Grass Skirt with Plumeria, Coconut Bra, Lei and Hair and [2] Green and White Bikini (Freebie) by Island Style Designs
Jewelry: [2] Knotted Pearls Set by Diamond Dreams Jewelry
Shoes: *Womens FlipFlop in Black by My Pretty Pixels
Hair: [1] Serena in Mocha by TRUTH and [2] Tatum.2 in Thoughtful Brown by fri.day
Skin: [1] *Ana (Tan) – Tropics and [2 and 3] *Ana (Pale) – Tropics by Filthy Skins
Poses: [1] Long Hair 6 by Glitterati, [2] *Casual Girl 3 and [3] *Casual Girl 6 by Fluke

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Liquify Me: Pieces of My Closet #2

The word insomnia is virtually foreign to me; most of the time I can practically sleep at will. However, when insomnia does like to poke its evil little head around the corner, it hits me and it hits me hard. Bulldozer hard. Ferd f-teenthousand hard (see video here). Since I obviously wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon, I grabbed my iPod and started flipping through blogs. I landed on one of my favorite blogger’s site; Luna Jubilee is so friendly and talented… You really have no other option but to love her. She had posted about one of the things that make her happy, and in that post was a link to YouTube tutorials by Katey Coppola. They are absolutely amazing, and I urge you to go check them out. Never again will my ava have crinkly wrists, elbows and ankles. I knew that it was possible to smooth these out in PhotoShop, but I always just assumed that it would be very difficult…. I thought it would be something you had to draw, and I cannot draw on a computer. Thank you, Katey, for showing me how amazingly simple this is and encouraging me to not be afraid of PhotoShop!  Now, if I could just get shadows to work!

Before

After

Amazing, right? If you don’t have PhotoShop, GIMP is a free program which has most of the features of PhotoShop. There is not a liquify filter, but to my understanding, the IWarp filter works in a similar fashion. Just a side note, if you happen to be a student or a teacher (I’m both :-/), you may be eligible to purchase PhotoShop CS5 Extended at a hugely discounted price of L$199. Please, please, please contact Adobe to see if you are eligible if you are thinking about purchasing this. If it works for you, that is fantastic! This is the full version of the software; Adobe simply has a soft heart toward educators and students!  Or, maybe they just want to make more money!  Haha!

Since this is a “Pieces of My Closet” post, I suppose that I should talk a little bit about what is actually in my photo. Since my bestest had already hit the hay and there were no more sales for me to check out, I started sorting inventory. Fun, right? It honestly feels like a never ending project! I came across this adorable little bodysuit by Royal Blue. I’m pretty sure that I first discovered this store when it was featured at The Dressing Room. I’m not sure when I got the bodysuit, however; I certainly don’t remember purchasing it. I didn’t see it in the store when I visited yesterday; so, I’m thinking that it was probably a hunt prize. Royal Blue does have a wide variety bodysuits for purchase which are all very pretty. If you need a bodysuit, this is definitely a place where you may find what you are looking for!

Check out that hair! Talk about old… I purchased that hair when I was practically a baby in Second Life. I actually bought it from the ETD Outlet which may mean that the hairstyle predates my ava! Bahaha! For its age, it actually doesn’t look too bad though. Elika Tiramisu is truly talented and honestly one of my favorite designers in Second Life… If you couldn’t already tell. Speaking of [elikatira], there is a new VIP gift of a style that has not been released yet. There is a L$250 fee to join the group, but it is honestly so worth it! Your fee will more than be made up for with the gifts that she sends. Don’t forget, the gift will disappear from previous notices in two weeks; so, grab it while you can!

Aren’t my shoes adorable? They are actually not old at all since I just got them yesterday. I will mention that they are by My Pretty Pixels, but I have a longer, more detailed post for the shoes that will probably pop up tomorrow! I took a closeup as well! Haha! Keep an eye out.

One of my goals for this summer is to start putting the environments for my photos together myself since I can’t seem to find a lot of photo sets already done for me to purchase. Besides, I have a tendency to buy a lot of home items; so, they might as well get some use… right? The skybox that I am using is the Spring Skybox by Magic Nook available for the next week and a bit at The Dressing Room. It is small, but it is really adorable and only twenty prims. If you are looking for small and cozy, you may want to snag this; it’s only L$70! The bed is the Country Patchwork Bed by Little Boxes; I picked this up a few weeks ago when the designer was having a 50% off sale. I seriously couldn’t have matched the blanket and the curtains up better if I had purchased them to actually go together. The bed is nineteen prims and available for L$130.

I do have to mention the pose I used for this picture because the poses by the designer are honestly very unique. When I first started taking pictures in Second Life, I came across DeePosed via flickr and fell in love with her photos. They were so dramatic and emotional. So, I visited her store, bought a few poses and actually won forty free poses. Little did I know then that dramatic poses aren’t necessarily the poses you are going to use most often; they simply aren’t practical for most of my shots. I do still love them, however. They can most certainly give an amazing effect when needed. The pose I used is titled Sweet Surrender 1.


Credits
Clothing: House Lounge Bodysuit in Hearts on Fire (Blue) by Royal Blue – No longer available
Hair: Bonita II in Tawny by ETD – No longer available
Shoes: *Women’s FlipFlops in Black by My Pretty Pixels
Skin: *Ana – Ice (Pale) by Filthy Skins
Pose: Sweet Surrender 1 by DeePosed

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

I've Got a Secret

There are very few shops in Second Life that I adore as much as The Secret Store. Since stumbling upon it via the fashion feeds quite a few months ago, I have kept my ears perked for news of releases and events. What do I find so attractive about The Secret Store? Simply put… conservatism and class.

I know that you saw this hair yesterday, but honestly, I just could not help myself when I saw the polka dot Cherie’s Flared Skirt and Ribbon Tank. Doesn’t it just look absolutely adorable together? Yeah… I thought so, too! The skirt has to be one of my favorite pieces in my inventory; it is very exceptionally made. The sculpt is beautifully shaped and the patterns available are equally beautiful. The skirt features a high waist band and a very cute flare. The skirt does contain a script for resizing which I appreciate very much since I tend to have to resize all of my clothing. Of course, if you want to help reduce SL lag, simply drop the scripts once you have it sized to fit your ava. Six textures are available for the Cherie’s Flared Skirt at L$195 each or L$900 for the fatpack.

To go with the adorable skirt, The Secret Store also released a new set of tanks that I absolutely love! The Ribbon Tank features extremely well made textures to match the newly released skirts as well as a couple extra patterns which go well with the newly released Flared Pants. I don’t have anything against a little cleavage, but I personally like to keep most of the goods covered (most of the time… bahaha!), and the Ribbon Tank definitely provides that! I love the little bow that is featured at the center of the top of the blouse; it adds a little touch of extra femininity. An optional sculpt is included with the tanks which gives the shirt more of a tucked look when worn with high wasted pants (pictured below). I love this! It makes the shirt very versatile in that it can be worn casually or as a dressy look. Eight textures are available for the Ribbon Tank at L$149 each or L$1,000 for the fatpack.

I think that I have officially found a new favorite pair of pants in Second Life. The Flared Pants are extremely well made (see the trend of excellence with The Secret Store?). Unlike a lot of pants on the grid, you cannot even tell with the sculpt pieces for the flared legs begin. This is a definite sign of a great designer. I promise that I did not do any blending with colors on my pictures to give this effect; they really are that well made! The pants come in two variations: basic and embroidered. I am wearing one of the basic pair in my picture, but the embroidered pants are lovely as well. Eight textures total are available for the Flared Pants at L$189 each or L$1,300 for the fatpack, and they are worth every Linden! Not so sure? TP in to The Secret Store and find out for yourself! If nothing else, teleport in to listen to the music; I love the theme!

In celebration of their one year anniversary, je suis is having a 50% off sale. At prices which were already reasonable, half off prices are more than reasonable! Even better, the jewelry I am wearing features color changing scripts which makes buying one set like buying a whole lot for one very low price. I’m really glad that I was paying attention to my notices when the notecard announcing the sale came flying by. But, don’t put off visiting this store; the sale isn’t lasting long! The original notecard said that the sale would last for four days and was dated June 19. The set that I am wearing is titled Sophistique Dark and is available at L$125 (necklace), L$75 (earrings) and L$75 (bracelet). Ten colors are included for the pearls and six colors are included for the metal pieces. Resizing scripts are also included in the pieces which simply makes life easier!

Talking about making life easier, a friend of mine passed along a new HUD by Glorious Insanity she had came across yesterday, and to be quite honest, if you are a photographer in Second Life, this product is a must have! I couldn’t tell you the number of times I have been so frustrated while snapping pictures because my ava was looking the wrong way or blinked as soon as I hit the button. This HUD completely eliminates that problem! I was a bit skeptical that it would actually work, but I am so happy that I bought it. It is well worth the L$350 it is selling for and then some. Nine preset eye positions are included in the HUD as well as some facial expressions. Even better, the HUD works on you as well as other people; simply click on the people you are photographing, and once accepted, you can direct their eye position!


Credits
Clothing: [Shirts] *Ribbon Tank in White Polka, Batic and Old Roses, [Skirts] *Cherie’s Flared Skirt in Polka and Batic and [Pants] *Flared Pants in Cream by The Secret Store
Jewelry: [1] Queen Posesiva Earrings II in White Gold by Alienbear Designs, [2] *Simplicity in Obsidian by Mariposa (No Longer Available) and [3 and 4] Sophistique Dark by je suis
Shoes: [3] Serenity Heels in Paisley by Purrfect 10 (VIP Gift)
Hair: [1] *Mystery in Black by Lyrique, [2] Leah in Brown 08 by [elikatira] and [3 and 4] Later in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: [1] Elf 2 [Dark] Enchant 2 (Sundust), [2] Elf 2 [Dark] Blue Bird 1 (Sundust) and [3 and 4] Elf 2 [Dark] Lore 1 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] Model 03, [2] Model 30, [3] Model 85 and [4] Long Hair 3-4 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Queen Victoria

There isn’t much more that needs to be said about the designs of My Precious by Agnes Finney than simply amazing! I have admired the creations released by this designer since I was very young in Second Life. I am completely honored, to say the least, to now be able to blog these designs for my readers.

Queen Victoria is one of the newest designs from My Precious, and it most definitely captures the elegance you expect when something… or someone… is given the title of queen. I fell in love with this dress as soon as I laid eyes on it. As many of you know, I absolutely cannot pass up a poofy dress to save my life. If I could, I would wear them every day, and I am referring to my real life self here! Queen Victoria features a beautifully designed texture on the shirt layer; it’s completely elegant and completely sexy at the same time. An undershirt is included in several common skin colors with your purchase so that your breast is covered. If you and your significant other love going to ballrooms, I highly suggest that you pick up this dress! You will be simply awestruck by the movement of the skirt. The butterfly attachment at the hip is gorgeous as well, but if butterflies aren’t your thing, the dress looks beautiful without it as well.

Of course no gorgeous gown is complete without a gorgeous set of jewelry to go along with it. What better place to go for elegant jewelry than Alienbear Designs? Queen Posesiva is a beautiful diamond heart collection that will completely capture the attention of anyone you are with. The slight sparkles that radiate from the diamonds draw eyes into you. If you are looking to stand out, this is definitely the set for you!

Last, but certainly never least in my book, is the fantastic hair that I am wearing. Don’t you just love it?! Lyrique has a nice collection of hairstyles which were created to make a statement! And a bold one at that. Mystery is an updo which features the hair in a rounded shape placed toward the front of the head. It is designed so well that it could actually be mistaken for a hat (my fiancé did this … bahaha!). I love the little pearls placed in the hair; they add a touch of elegance to the style.


Credits
Clothing: *Queen Victoria in Black by My Precious
Jewelry: [Necklace] Queen Posesiva Necklace II, [Earrings] Queen Posesiva Earrings II and [Scepter] Queen Posesiva Sceptre all in White Gold by Alienbear Designs
Hair: *Mystery in Black by Lyrique
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Enchant 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Purrfect 10's La Venta Eventa Special

You really have to love all the sale events happening in Second Life, and quite honestly, any day that P10 puts something on sale is a good day! La Venta Eventa … (Don’t you just love that name?) … presents us each weekend with a batch of amazing designers who set out an item at fantastic sale prices. This weekend, Purrfect 10 is participating in the sale event and has placed out a beautiful pair of Gemini Heels in Blue Nouveau. Like all other P10 shoes, these heels feature options for resizing, walk, sound, toenail color and skin color. For only L$95, these are a definite no brainer! I love, love, LOVE the texture on these shoes. They are an extremely reasonably priced pair of fantastically made shoes which would make a happy addition to any inventory! Pick them up before midnight tonight when the sale price will disappear.

Credits
Shoes: *Gemini Heels in Blue Nouveau by Purrfect 10
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Enchant 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Taste of Second Life Hunt - Installment One

So… I have decided to post my coverage of the Taste of Second Life Hunt in installments because if I don’t, I’m afraid that you may never see any of the items. On my blog at least. Bahaha!  The hunt runs through July 15; so, you have plenty of time to snag these goodies!

#01 Alexohol – Cream Samba Bikini and Skirt
#02 Indie Rose – Layered Frill Dress
#34 LeeZu! – Romance SkyHouse
#37 ILAYA – I Love My Surfboard (Poses Included)

#04 Sassy Kitty Designs – Skulls Dress (Black, Pink and White)
#05 Blacklace – Kimiko Lingerie
#41 L&K Prefabs – Luscious Skybox
#68 Baby Monkey Shoes – Ultimate Martine in Red Leather

#06 Izzie’s – Beaded Tops
#46 Dreamscapes Art Gallery – Livingroom Set *Afterglow*

#07 INDI Designs – Tina
#29 Saturnine Dreams – Summer Vacation Tea Table
#46 Dreamscapes Art Gallery – Livingroom Set *Afterglow*

#13 Acid & Mala – Wild&Chic Outfit
#27 Clutter – Bamboo Stand

#16 Insatiable Fashions – Ruca Top and Polka Dot Lingerie

#18 Sweeter Than Candy – Papillon Dress


Skin Designers Used
Curio
Filthy Skins
Glam Affair
LAQ


Hair Designers Used
0 Style
Clawtooth
fri.day
Head Mistress
Milana
TRUTH


Pose Designers Used
don't freak out!
Exposeur
#20 Lauria – Singles Pose Pack
#03 Magnifique Poses – Singles Pose Pack
TeaSoup

Unique Megastore Sale

Unique Megastore is celebrating Father's Day by hosting a sale Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19. You can get 20% off in selected fatpacks of male and female skins and also in selected packs of eyes!

The participating items are (please note, ONLY FATPACKS and only at the main store):

MALE SKINS
Apolo A2 2nd Generation
Borys
Jeffrey
Jhonny
Jhosh
Jordan

FEMALE SKINS
Atena (Pale, Bronze or Dark)
Artemis (Pale, Bronze or Dark)
Jolie
Kristten
Meggan
Suzie

EYES
Expressive
Narutal
Sensitive

How to proceed:

1) Go to one of the terminals at the main store (http://slurl.com/secondlife/UNIQUE%20MEGASTORE/138/180/32);
2) Click in the terminal and type this code in your local chat: TREATDADSBLOG;
3) There will appear a blue menu to guide you from there on;
4) You can buy more than one product at once, you just have to click "buy more";
5) When you are done choosing your products, click "checkout";
6) The total statement will be displayed in your screen with products and amount;
7) Click the object with the right button and pay the amount referring to your shop;
8) It's done! You will receive all the items you got!


I will be posting a review of Artemis later; definitely keep an eye out for it! If you have never tried skin from Unique Megastore, you should definitely take advantage of this sale. The faces are absolutely beautiful and full of life.

The Magic of Windlights

Since I began blogging, I have been completely awestruck by the pure talent of so many photographers in Second Life. I have always thought that in order to get my photos to look as fantastic as those I see on the feeds, I would need to learn PhotoShop. I discovered today that isn’t the case at all.

While reading Ms. Strawberry Singh’s blog this morning, I stumbled across her tutorial for windlight settings. When I first started taking photos in Second Life, I had downloaded a few extra presets from the Second Life Wiki, but not knowing how to bump graphics at the time, the presets make me look absolutely horrible. I reverted back to using the amazing Redgrave setting and have never really thought much of it since. I always assumed that photos with amazing skies and the foggy colored look had been PhotoShopped to look that amazing. **Smacks self on the forehead** It really isn’t that difficult! No PhotoShopping at all is required. Thank God because a year after purchasing the software, I still don’t know how to use it! :-/ I’m sure that my mouth dropped open after I downloaded the presets on Berry’s blog and bumped my graphics to ultra. I completely didn’t expect to see what was on my screen. I am so excited to now be able to do this! The cherry on top will be when I am able to upgrade my graphics card and finally be able to use shadows! Thank you so much, Berry, for generously sharing your wealth of knowledge!

Click here for larger picture.

Since this is a fashion blog, I suppose I should mention what I’m wearing! This cute little outfit is not by any means new; it is simply one of my favorite casual outfits. Anytime I need to throw something on in a hurry, I grab this! Unfortunately, I didn’t see Orange Peel when I visited Siss Boom today, but keep an eye out… You never know when Lestat is going to pull something back out of her inventory! If you are looking for a beautiful casual outfit, definitely drop by this store. It is most definitely one of my favorite.

On a side note, if the store hasn’t already closed up shop, TeaSoup is having a closing sale. With how much I love poses, I’m not sure why I didn’t discover this store until it was closing! I guess that was better for my wallet though; all poses have been marked L$25 – L$75. Although I am a brand new customer, I’m kind’a sad to see this pose designer go. I really loved all of the poses I found there and purchased almost every pose pack available. The poses are interesting and the transitions are smooth. Perhaps someday there will be a comeback!


Credits
Clothing: Orange Peel by Siss Boom
Hair: End of Summer in Brown 3 by Head Mistress
Skin: Mary Natural (B) by Glam Affair
Pose: Funk by TeaSoup

Gypsy Girl

So… I was hoping to have my Taste of Second Life Hunt post finished by now, but I severely underestimated the time it takes to photo seventy different prizes. Blah! Hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll share with you a couple of photos that I took two weeks or so ago and got so caught up in real life that I didn’t have time to post them. That seriously seems to happen too often.

I cannot believe that I have been blogging for a little over a year now. Perhaps I should do an anniversary post? In that year, I have had the honor and privilege of meeting and blogging some pretty amazing designers. One of those designers is the owner and creator of JANE; I love this store because of its simplicity. Too often you get designers who try to do too much with patterns and oddly shaped prims that are hard to photo and unrealistic for every day wear in Second Life. It’s not often that I can say that I love virtually every release a designer has, but JANE definitely fits that profile. The Gypsy Girl Dress is such a fun look that comes in three amazing color combinations. Typically it is easy for me to choose which color I want to photograph, but I had a bit of difficulty with this one. I honestly love all three choices, and at L$150 per color choice, it wouldn’t be too unreasonable for you to pick up all of them!

I know that I have recently bombarded you with a lot of new skin posts, but if you really want someone to blame, I encourage you to direct your fury at Tapika Tomsen. It’s her fault. I promise. Lol When I first started blogging, I had a handful of skins that I rarely ever switched out. I wore the same skin in nearly ever post. O.o I know… How could I have? Since meeting Tapika, I have been opened up to so many fantastic skin designers. If I’m not mistaken, Mrs. Tomsen introduced me to my first Essences skin during a L$10 sale. As I have mentioned before, the face of a skin makes it or breaks it for me, and Essences definitely delivers a beautiful face! Sarah is one of the most recently released skins. I absolutely LOVE the lips on this skin; they are so juicy and realistic. This skin comes in eight makeup choices and five different skin tones. I do plan on blogging all makeup choices by the weekend; so, definitely keep an eye out for that! Each makeup can be purchased individually for L$800 or as a skin tone fatpack at L$2,500. Free demos are available, and I highly encourage you to pick one up today!

When I first started doing photography in Second Life, I often wore small jewelry pieces because… well… that’s what I wear in real life! I have never been into chunky pieces on the real life me because I think they attract too much attention, and I just don’t really like to stand out in a crowd. I would rather blend. That is one of the amazing aspects of Second Life, however; you don’t have to be entirely like your real life self. You can stand out in a crowd without the fear of feeling self conscious. I have gradually chosen larger pieces of jewelry which honestly photograph much, much better than the smaller pieces. Last Christmas, Tapika introduced me to Lucas Lameth Fashion Jewelry, and I fell in love! His pieces are big and bold, but they are also interesting with a lot of personality. The Flora Disc Necklace and Earrings set matched so perfectly with the Gypsy Dress… I just had to have it! At only L$229, the set is extremely affordable which can also be said of all of his pieces and sets. Beautiful jewelry at a reasonable price! What more can you ask for?


Credits
Clothing: *Gypsy Girl Dress in Cream/Charcoal by JANE
Jewelry: Flora Disc Necklace in Black Metal by (luc)
Hair: Break in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Sarah Peach 01 by Essences


* Denotes item provided by designer for review.