Sky's the Limit

I love the whimsy feeling of the new Sky's the Limit dress by Siss Boom. The skirt of the dress has a very beautiful, frilly, feminine shape; the textures are very soft with differing levels of transparency. The collar is also a unique touch that gives the dress a different feel; it of course can also be worn without it and look perfectly fine. Both the collar and the skirt contain resize scripts which make fitting very easy. The dress is offered in three different colors with one color being marked down to L$100 for a limited time.

I'm wearing a new skin by a new to me skin designer, and I have to say... I love it! Nika by *Step inSide* has beautiful shading, highlighting and makeup choices. I will be doing a full review of this skin in a few days, but I wanted to give you a little sneak peek of it now! When you teleport to the store, you will be routed to a landing point which looks like a furniture store (probably because it is!), but don't worry, you are in the correct place. There is a teleport board at the landing point; the green button will take you to the skins.


Credits
Clothing: *Sky's the Limit by Siss Boom
Jewelry: Sophistique Dark Earrings by je suis
Hair: *KEIKO hair - Bournville by LeLutka
Skin: *NIKA medium 6 HB by *Step inSide*
Pose: *Poofy 6 by aDORKable Poses
Location: HuMaNoiD

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

A Little Bit of Fresh Air

It's no secret that I love shopping; it's also no secret that I love a great sale. I have always enjoyed being able to conveniently locate sale information via blogs that cover events and sales. What I have not loved was the drama that seems to come along with having all of that glorious information located in a single place. Last week I was pointed in the direction of a new blog that covers events and sales but doesn't make it a point to tear other people down; it is actually frowned upon by the authors and the readers. I was so impressed that I contacted the blog owner and offered to blog if they needed more help, and they did need more help! So, now you can find me here at my personal blog and at Seraphim SL. Check it out... I'm sure you will love it!

Seraphim

Week 38 of 52 Weeks of Color - Patriarch

I started off last week all excited because I knew that I had the perfect item already in my inventory for patriarch. As it turned out, I couldn't find it. I know I bought it... I'm pretty sure I didn't delete it, but I have no idea what it is called or who it is by. Just another reason why I really need to get my inventory sorted!

Thankfully, I was still able to find something in my inventory to match the color and didn't have to go out shopping! The Secret Store is one of my favorite places for clothing on the grid, and the reason why should be rather obvious. Maylee Oh's creations are always beautiful and impeccably made. But, what impresses me even more than her ability is her kindness; Maylee recently started a new blog in which she shares her knowledge of making clothing in Second Life and gives step by step instructions on how you can make your own. How incredibly amazing is that! So, check out her blog and go buy her stuff!! Lol

Love the hair? Yeah... Me, too! Though I have to admit that there is hardly a time that Truth Hawks has a release in which I don't like what he has come up with. Zaria is a beautiful long style with wavy strands of hair draped over the right shoulder. Two bang styles come in your purchase: straight bangs like the one I am wearing and bangs that are swooped to the side. Color packs are available at L$250 each or L$1,500 for the fatpack.

If you haven't noticed (or if you haven't heard me say it a billion times), I absolutely LOVE poses! I honestly couldn't tell you how many I have in my inventory, and in all seriousness... no matter how many I have, it will never be enough! I really love the poses put out by aDORKable Poses not only because they are unique, but because all of the singles poses also come with a mirror image! Anyone who has used poses for pictures knows how amazing having that ability is. There have been so many times I have thought that a pose would be perfect if it was just done the other way. The Side Pony is one of aDORKable's newest releases which was absolutely the perfect set to showcase the new hair from Truth. When you visit her shop, also check out her discount room where you can find some pretty amazing things!


Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] Poppy Neck Ruffles - White by [Pink] and [Skirt] *Froufrou - Purple by The Secret Store
Jewelry: Boheme by je suis
Hair: Zaria - Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Annabelle by Filthy Skins
Pose: Side Pony 4 Mirror by aDORKable Poses
Location: Lo Lo

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Butterfly

I was more than a little sad when Siss Boom closed it's doors a while ago. Not only is owner and designer Lestat Reuven amazingly talented, but she has a heart of gold as well and I knew I would miss her terribly. Thankfully, Lestat didn't decide to stay away forever and opened her shop back up a couple days ago.

Butterfly is one of Siss Boom's newly released designs, and I must admit that I am in love with it. I remember wearing poofy, elegant dresses almost every day when I first joined Second Life. There was just something about being able to dress up that seemed almost magical. The textures featured on Butterfly are very soft, feminine and beautiful. This dress would be perfect for a night out ballroom dancing or even a romantic stroll through a park!

If you like Siss Boom designs, be sure to join the in world group to receive notices of new releases and specials!


Credits
Clothing: *Butterfly by Siss Boom
Jewelry: Ansuka Pearl Drop Earrings *Night* - Silver by Zaara @ My Second Wardrobe
Hair: With - Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: Sundust [Dark] Elf 2-Sprite 2 by Curio
Poses: [1] *Poofy 4, [2] *Poofy 9 Mirror and [3] *Poofy 7 by aDORKable Poses

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Belinda

Have you ever been so tired that it's difficult to think? That is kind of where I am at the moment; so, please forgive me if my entire post makes no sense whatsoever!

Izzie's is most definitely turning into one of my favorite shops; I am more and more convinced of this with each new release. Her new Long Top is feminine, conservative and very fun! The blouse features system layers as well as five beautiful prim pieces; the sleeves are actually composed of two sculpts each which blend fantastically with each other. Honestly, the designer's ability to beautifully blend all the pieces of her clothing is what first caught my attention. Too often in Second Life, designers will make their vendor pictures look like the sculpted pieces blend well when in actuality they do not; Izzie's clothing actually does blend that well! Nine colors are available at L$150 each or $1,050 for the fatpack.

Like my bag? It's the newest release from je suis, and I have to say that I absolutely love it! Every girl needs a great bag for the summer, and Prete definitely fits the bill. The contents of the bag are perfect for a trip to the beach or a relaxing day in the park! You have everything you need: shades, water, towel, a magazine and most importantly... sunscreen! The bag does contain a very nice holding pose which works with your AO. A random person actually IMed me while I was trying to shoot some photos to ask where I got the pose to hold my bag like that. Hehe Twenty color choices are available at L$199 each or L$1,990 for the fatpack.

Not only does Izzie's make beautiful clothing, but she makes beautiful skin as well! Belinda is Izzie's latest skin release, and I have to say that I really love this look. I always look for realism mixed with artistry in new skins, and Izzie has definitely delivered! The skin purchase is set up a little differently than what you may be used to; Belinda is sold in three skin tones at L$700 per tone. Each tone contains a skin for black, blonde, brown and red brows and with options for cleavage as well. There is only one eye makeup included in the pack, but you can purchase lip gloss sets to change up the look. If you have ever really loved a designer's eye makeup but wished the skin had a different lip color, this type of purchase would be a good choice for you! The skin itself has a very basic lip color; so, it is easy to apply a lip gloss tattoo over the skin and still look beautiful. Three different lip gloss sets are available at L$120 per eight color pack.


Credits
Clothing: [Top] *Long Top in Pink by Izzie's and [Pants] Classic Jeans in Light by Zaara
Hair: *Pandora in Mocha by TRUTH
Hair Clip: Gem Clip - Flowers by EarthStones
Bag: *Prete in Stripped Black by je suis
Skin: *Belinda Skin (brown brows)- Sunkissed by Izzie's
Lip Gloss: *LipGloss Rose 2 (Set 2) by Izzie's
Lashes: 2011 lashes/curl by LeLutka
Poses: [1] *Take A Look 3, [2] *Ohai There 5 and *Freestylin' 1 by BANG
Location: Everwilde 

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Truth is Beauty

Is there such a thing as photographer's block? If so, I most certainly have had it the past few days. I couldn't tell you how many snapshots I've taken and trashed. Uuuggghhhhh. What do you do for inspiration when you are having a block of some sort?

On a more positive note, Truth released two new beautiful styles last week titled Bree and Lacey. Bree is a loose, wavy side pony with gently slopped bangs. Bree is so casual and summery; it has a very comfortable feel to it. Lacey is what I would personally love my real life hair to look like! No one does great, realistic curl in Second Life like Truth! Lacey is a long, curly style full of volume and beauty. I so love the little color change headband that pushes the hair back from the face while leaving a small amount of bangs swooped to the side. Both these styles are available in store and on the Marketplace for L$250 per color pack or L$1,500 per fatpack.

On a side note, while Truth does not include resize scripts in his styles, they all have modify capabilities. This means that you can manually fit or add your own resize scripts. Always make sure that you make a copy of your hair before making any modifications, just in case of boo-boos. A great feature of having modify privileges is having the ability to 'edit linked parts' which allows you to easily push pieces of hair around (i.e., no more hair in your ears!).


Credits
Clothing: Bon Bon Dress in Beige by Magic Nook @ The Dressing Room
Hair: [1] *Bree and [2] *Lacey in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Sundust [Dark] Airhead-Pure 1 by Curio
Lashes: 2011 lashes/curl by LeLutka
Poses: [1] *Wake Me Up 8 and [2] *Just Shut Up 5 by BANG
Location: Atomic Island

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Week 37 of 52 Weeks of Color - Lemon

I completely thought that 'lemon' was going to be an easy color to find in Second Life; as it turned out, it was a little more difficult to find designers who like to feature the very bright yellow than I what I assumed it would be.

After searching through about five stores I tried focusing my search on stores that typically sell bright, fun colors and immediately thought of Sand Shack Surf Co. I have absolutely loved this store since I was modeling in my early Second Life days and asked one of my employers where she got her adorable shoes at and was directed to the store. I have never purchased anything from this designer that I was later disappointed in; everything is of exceptional quality.

The Cabana Dress is that perfect summer look that is available in fun, girly colors as well as a darker selection if pink and yellow is just a little too much for you. I really love the layers this dress features; it gives the design interest and depth. Resize scripts are not included in the sculpt portion of the dress, but it is modify which allows you to manually resize or add your own scripts.

Wondering where I took my pictures? Last Thursday I attended my first ever (RL or SL) poetry night at The Pixel Bean Coffeehouse hosted by the lovely Harlow Heslop and completely fell in love with the people and the atmosphere. There is such a warmth that emanates from this group; they lovingly welcome newcomers with open arms and make you feel right at home. Of course I wasn't brave enough to share poetry, but I absolutely loved listening to all of the amazing voices share their passion. I was nearly moved to tears on several occasions. If poetry is not your thing, there are other events in the works for The Pixel Bean Coffeehouse; to stay up to date on what is going on, please join the in world group.


Credits
Clothing: Cabana Dress in Yellow/Pink by Sand Shack Surf Co.
Jewelry: Kennedy White Pearl Necklace by Caroline's Jewelry
Shoes: Move Pumps in Powder (FFL Exclusive) by [elikatira]
Hair: Lucia in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Summer [Dark] Pebble 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] *Second the Motion 1 and [2] Stand 167 by !BANG
Location: The Pixel Bean Coffeehouse

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

My Hair Fair Favorites

I can't believe that tomorrow (well... technically today) is the last day of Hair Fair 2011 and I still haven't blogged what I spent six hours finding a couple weeks ago. -.- Yes, I claim the title of Queen of Procrastination. Please and thank you. Lol This post is going to be a little different than most I do simply because of all the pictures I'm posting from various designers. The style names along with the designers will be listed below each picture as well as what pose I used in each particular picture.  All hair designer landmarks are set to the Hair Fair locations.

Khloe in Brown Bittersweet by Raspberry Aristocrat - Pose: Model 144 by Glitterati

Boyfriend in Kit Kat by !lamb. - Pose Model 116 by Glitterati

Milena in Golden Brown by Decoy - Pose: Model 100 by Glitterati

Shy Little Thing in Brown 3 by Head Mistress - Pose: Long Hair 3-3 by Glitterati

Sex Symbol in Brown 3 by Head Mistress - Pose: Long Hair 3-8 by Glitterati

Wind in the Willows in Brown 3 by Head Mistress - Pose: Long Hair 2-2 by Glitterati

Rolling Tides in Brown 3 by Head Mistress - Pose: Long Hair 6 by Glitterati

Luna in Brown by Magika - Pose: Long Hair 3-3 by Glitterati

Kimi in Golden Streaked by Illusory - Pose: Model 023 by Glitterati

Story in Brown 08 by [elikatira] - Pose: Model 034 by Glitterati

Pretend in Brown 08 by [elikatira] - Pose: Model 071 by Glitterati

With in Brown 08 by [elikatira] - Pose: Model 089 by Glitterati

Credits

Clothing: [Shirt] Dahlia Top in Brown by Purple Moon and [Pants] *Flared Pants in Caramel by The Secret Store
Jewelry: CHUM necklace by miel
Skin: *Paige in Ivory 04 by Filthy Skins


* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

A Whole Lot of Filthy

Filthy Skins has had a whole slew of great releases over the past few weeks for both men and women. I don’t have a male alt (perhaps I should get one?); so, I cannot show you the gorgeous Buck or Ivan, but Paige and Jolie should be more than enough for your eyes to feast on tonight.

Paige

Jolie

Paige was released by Filthy Skins about two weeks ago; I featured the special edition skin of this set in my last 52 Weeks of Color post. I really love how youthful and fresh this skin is; I think that it has a very innocent look. Jolie, on the other hand, has a more mature look than Paige but is equally as beautiful. Jolie was released July 11, and since it is a new release, Filthy VIP members (L$199 join fee) can pick this skin up at half price until July 13. This is not unique to this release but is always a special offered to VIP members with new releases. Both skins are available in six skin tones at L$1,800 each; the package includes all makeup choices as well as a cleavage layer and a shape. Free demos are available.

Did you notice my eyes? Filthy Skins also recently released new eyes, titled Douceur, in shades of blue, green, brown and red with fifteen colors total available. Each color is can be purchased for L$99, or you can pick up the fatpack for L$899 which is a huge discount!


Credits
Hair: Khloe in Brown Bittersweet by Raspberry Aristocrat @ Hair Fair 2011
Skin: [1-4] *Paige in Ivory and [5-8] *Jolie in Ivory by Filthy Skins
Lashes: [6-8] Lash Set 3 by Apple May Designs
Eyes: *Douceur in #5 by Filthy Skins

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Week 36 of 52 Weeks of Color - Celadon

Yay!! I’m so proud that I have done two color challenges in a row now. Bahaha! I still really need to make up those weeks that I missed… but, it’s just so daggone hard to find the time. Is it pathetic that I recently purchased a date book to keep track of what I need to blog and when it needs to be posted? I honestly have a crappy memory, and small pieces of paper just aren’t cutting it anymore. Does anyone else have a way they keep track of what they need to blog?

In all honesty, this week’s color was super hard for me. I bought a cute little skirt at the beginning of the week that had the very pale green in it, but I just wasn’t feeling it when I was getting ready to take pictures. So, here I was at one this morning trying to find something to wear. I remembered that Grixdale was having a sale and teleported over to see if I could find something that would work. When I came upon this cute little sundress, it instantly reminded me of my grandmother which I’m sure is completely not what Tyr Rozenblum had in mind when she designed it. My grandmother always wore sundresses in the summertime, but of course they were much longer than the adorable design by Tyr. I happily snagged it up for a whole L$50 and went to take my pictures! The sale lasts through July 16th, and you can find a lot of really great items marked down to L$100, L$75 or L$50. Tyr also has a set out a pack of seven pair of adorable panties for Project Themeory for free!

When I get new items to blog, I have a tendency to rez the packages around my studio and then clean up the clutter after I have posted the new products. It’s definitely a good thing that I did that this week, or I probably wouldn’t have realized that I had this awesome new skin from Filthy Skins that had just the right eye shadow color for the color challenge! Alexandra Barcelos recently released a new female skin design titled Paige which is absolutely stunning; I hope to have my full review up by Monday. The makeup that I am wearing is a special edition of the Paige skin currently available at the Grunge Soul Project for L$100. I personally think that the open mouth design is absolutely adorable! It gives more realism to the look by creating depth.

I was so super excited when [elikatira] started participating in Fifty Linden Fridays. She is most definitely one of my favorite hair designers in all of Second Life; I’m sure that you could tell that, however, by how much I use her products in my posts. Yesterday marked her second appearance in the sale event where she placed out a new hair design, titled Falling, with two options (bangs in the front or clipped to the side) for only L$50! And, she doesn’t just include one hair color for her sale item, but she places out the entire Essentials Collection which typically goes for L$250. This really makes me just happy as a clam since that is the pack I always purchase anyway! Unfortunately, if you didn’t stop by yesterday, you have sadly missed out on a great deal, but I am sure that she will have another design in the sale in a few weeks! The full collection of Falling has not been released yet but keep your eyes peeled for it!


Credits
Clothing: Sun of a Gun – Vintage Doll in Mint by Grixdale
Hair: Falling in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Paige GSP Edition by Filthy Skins @ Grunge Soul Project
Poses: [1] Tell Me Again and [2] That Is Not True by TeaSoup (No longer available)

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Queen Trista

Elegance. That is always what comes to mind when I think of My Precious, and there was definitely no exception to that rule with one of Agnes Finney’s latest releases. Queen Trista features an absolutely stunning train with delicate textures.  Originally, I took a photo of the full dress and scaled it down to fit on my blog, but I honestly felt that the small picture didn’t do the dress justice. Please click the top picture below to see a larger, expanded picture of how magnificent the dress truly is.

Please click above image to view larger, expanded photo.

Queen Trista is available in four beautiful colors including baby blue, champagne, pink and white. Each dress can be purchased at L$800 or L$2,500 for the ‘complete’ package.

Credits
Clothing: *Queen Trista in Pink by My Precious
Hair: Details in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Airhead [Dark] Tease 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] Model 014 and [2] Model 098 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Persephone

Another perfect pair of shoes was released by Purrfect 10 last week. The Persephone Boots Patent are a very interesting design that leaves me wondering if they should be really considered boots or just a very unique pair of heels. The back of the ‘boots’ is not a solid piece of material as one would expect; instead the back is composed of six buckled straps.

Like other Purrfect 10 shoes, options with these shoes include sound, walk, skin sync, skin color change, resize and texture change. The Persephone Boots Patent are available in ten fabulous colors for L$790 each or L$6,000 for the fatpack; however, if you are a Purrfect 10 VIP member, you can receive 25% off of these prices by wearing your group tag. Every color of these shoes has the option to be turned black through the ‘secondary’ texture option; the black version can be changed to white. Also, if you are a VIP member (L$510 join fee), there is a new group gift waiting for you at Purrfect 10!


Credit
Shoes: *Persephone Boots Patent in Black by Purrfect 10
Skin: *Summer [Dark] (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: Sun Sun Shine by TeaSoup (No longer available)

New from Curio

There is no denying that Gala Phoenix, designer of Curio skins, is one of the greatest artists in Second Life. Every time I see a new notice pop up announcing the arrival of her new masterpiece... because they are all masterpieces, a little ray of sunshine comes into my day. Last Friday, Gala released three new skin lines with the opening of Truth District: Airhead, Pout 2 and Summer.

Airhead

Summer

Featured above are the Airhead and Summer skins by Curio; both of these skins are completely beautiful. I especially love the lips; they are so plump and juicy. Both of these skins are sexy without being overly dramatic; beauty in simplicity shines through with these designs. The colors and glow on the faces give a very fresh look which is perfect for summer. These skins can be purchased at the Curio main store location or at the satellite store at Truth District. Five skin tones are available for each skin which can be purchased as the following: one makeup/one tone at L$1,000, one makeup/all tones at L$1,500 or all makeup choices in all tones at $3,000 in the megapack which is obviously a fantastic deal.

Although you see dark brows on the photos for the Airhead skin, the brows are actually blonde and there is not a dark brow tattoo included with the purchase. However, the dark brow tattoo is part of the Truth District opening gift from Curio which can be located in the past notices of the Truth District Updates group for approximately the next week and a half. A gorgeous special edition of the Airhead skin is also included in that gift which can be seen in this post.

All photos above were taken in the Sundust [Dark] skin tone.


Credits
Skin: [1-6] *Airhead and [7-12] *Summer by Curio
Lashes: Lash Set 3 by Apple May Designs
Hair: Boyfriend in Kit Kat by !lamb. @ Hair Fair 2011

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Truth District

The opening of Truth District caused a lot of stir and excitement over the weekend, and with good reason. Some of the top names in Second Life fashion have joined to create the latest mall hosted by one of the top… if not THE top… hair designers: TRUTH.

What makes Truth one of my favorite hair designers? I would have to say realism. And, not just realism in looks, but realism in movement as well. No other hair designer that I have come across has as realistic movement in their hair designs as Truth. With the opening of the new sim, Truth has released six new styles, one being a gift. You can pick up five of the new designs in the main Truth store, but the gift can only be acquired at the satellite store on Truth District. To receive the hair, you must be a member of the in world Truth District Updates group which is free to join.

Pictured below:

• Darcey in Clove
• Darcey 2 in Carrot
• Jean in Raven
• Pandora in Mocha
• Summer in Seaspray
• Becky (Group Gift) in Beach

To celebrate the opening of Truth District, many of the designers have placed out gifts for the update group in their stores. And, as expected, they are amazing gifts! These gifts will be out until July 8. It may take you a while to teleport into the sim because of all the craze, but keep trying! The design of the sim is absolutely stunning, and the generosity of all the designers is well worth the time it will take!

• Picture 1: Grixdale – Tank and Skirt (Group Gift)
• Picture 2: Whippet & Buck – Top (Group Gift)
• Picture 3: The Sea Hole – Outfit (Group Gift)
• Picture 4: Ducknipple – Top (Group Gift)
• Picture 5: MichaMi – Dress (Group Gift)
• Picture 6: Miamai – Swimsuit (Group Gift)
• Other group gifts used in pictures: Skin by Curio (pictures one and five) and poses by Glitterati (picture one).

You may have noticed the necklace that I am wearing in all the pictures. Eternelle is one of the latest designs by je suis who also happens to have a satellite store at Truth District. This piece comes with so many options, it is absolutely insane! Scripts are included in the necklace, earrings (not pictured) and a ring (not pictured) for size, gemstone, metal and band. This design can be worn dressy as well as casual. I really love that each gemstone can be individually colored; this is one of the aspects that makes it so versatile. Je suis also has a group gift for Truth District in their satellite store; be sure to stop by and pick it up!

Teleport to Truth District


Credits
Clothing: Listed above
Jewelry: *Eternelle by je suis
Hair: *All styles by TRUTH
Skin: [2, 3, 4, 6] *Summer (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] Long Hair 3-3 (Group Gift), [2] Long Hair 2-6, [3] Long Hair 2-3, [4] Long Hair 6, [5] Model 051 and [6] Model 033 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.