Le Creme

I've really enjoyed playing with shadows the past few weeks. It can be a bit frustrating at times, but overall, I am much more pleased with my photos now that I am able to incorporate shadows. In all honesty, however, I wouldn't be able to do shadows at all if it weren't for the kindness of more experienced bloggers and their willingness to post tutorials and premade windlight settings. Luna Jubilee and Strawberry Singh both have amazing windlights available for download on their blogs and awesome tutorials for those like me who are still in the learning process.

The beautiful winter dress that I am showing off today is a new design from Siss Boom. Le Creme features a lovely cable knit pattern with drawn shadows and highlights to add depth to the piece; prim pieces are included for the skirt, cowl neck and sleeves. The dress is available at 100L for 24 hours from its release; after this time period, the dress will be placed at its normal price. If you enjoy Siss Boom designs, be sure to join the subscriber or in world group to receive notices of new releases so you don't miss out on any of the 100L discounts!


Credits
Cloting: *Le Creme by Siss Boom (NEW)
Hair: Falling 2 in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Nathalie 02 Tan by Filthy Skins (NEW)
Pose: Model 118 by Glitterati

* Denotes promotional copy.

Nathalie

I think I'm starting to go a bit stir crazy after being off work for a week because of the holidays. Since getting married and moving out of my mother's house where I had plenty of siblings to keep me company, I have discovered that it can get quite lonely when you are home alone all day long while your husband is at work!

Thankfully, I had some blogging to catch up on to keep me occupied for a while. I absolutely love the new Chapka from je suis! It looks so warm and cozy; I suppose being 'warm' in Second Life isn't really important, but since I'm constantly freezing in real life, I love the look! To continue with my mesh addiction, I picked up some more items from JANE including the Zipper Hoodie and the Classic Fit Jeans. I cannot get enough of how beautifully and seamlessly the mesh clothing wraps around my ava. It looks so much more natural than bulky prim pieces.

The item that launched this entire post was the new skin, Nathalie, from Filthy Skins. I first found this designer at a discount event that I honestly can't even remember the name of now. The quality of her product impressed me then and her continued growth in skill still impresses me. I really love the makeup choices that are included in Nathalie; there is enough variety for you to wear the skin casually or for a party night out on the town... say New Years Eve perhaps? Nathalie is offered in four skin tones at L$1,800 each; however, if you are a VIP member (L$199 join fee), you can pick up every new skin at 50% off for the first 48 hours after it is released. I just checked, and the discount offer is currently still available (4 pm SLT)!

Credits
Clothing: [Hat] *Chapka in Olive by je suis [Coat] Zipper Hoodie Spectrum in Blush by JANE and [Pants] Classic Fit Jeans in Light by JANE
Hair: Early in Brown 11 (VIP Collection) by [elikatira]
Skin: *Nathalie in Tan by Filthy Skins
Pose: Model 048 by Glitterati
Location: The Pixel Bean Coffeehouse

* Denotes promotional copy.

Mesh♥Love

When I saw the first video on YouTube of mesh clothing a few months ago, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical. The clothing in the video wasn't very well made; the design and the textures were boring to say the least. I shouldn't have put limitations in my mind on the creativeness of Second Life designers! After trying a mesh outfit, I'm not sure that I ever want to wear clothing with 'old prim' pieces again.

I denied a Christmas gift from JANE on accident and headed over to her shop to see if I could pick it up in the subscriber's history. I hadn't been to the shop since before I left Second Life to get married in real life, and I was quite surprised by all the mesh items she has created. I have always loved the designs of this store; they seem to just fit my personality. They are stylish with a mix of classy and casual. I actually forgot completely about the Christmas gift until just now; after peeking in the box, if you haven't picked up one, definitely stop by the store! There are three mesh goodies in what appears to be all colors included in the box!

The textures on JANE's mesh clothing (all of her clothing actually) is very well made; the shading and highlighting add an extra sense of depth to the clothing. I absolutely LOVE the way the mesh clothing moves so smoothly with me. I have noticed a bit of flickering with the alpha layers, but I think that may be a problem with my viewer instead of with the alpha itself. To stop the flickering, simply bump up your graphics a notch (or two). JANE's mesh clothing comes in four sizes; mesh clothing does not stretch to fit around your body, so you may need to edit your shape a little to fit properly in them. Also, the items are very reasonably priced; most mesh clothing I have seen on the grid is hundreds of lindens. Both the coat and pants I'm wearing cost 150L each; JANE also has mesh items priced lower.

What's the thing that I love the most about mesh? I don't have to move around prim pieces when I finally am ready to pose for my photos! It was so nice to not have to take all of that time to make sure every piece is where it should be. Speaking of posing, I was so excited to see Glitterati participating in The Fashion Garret! The first pose set includes five poses for a mere 70L. I'll take discounted poses from one of my favorite pose designers any day of the week! Also, for a limited time you can pick up a free 250L store credit at Glitterati; if you are in the VIP group, there is a free 500L store credit for you!


Credits
Clothing: [Coat] Barn Jacket Harvest in Delicious by JANE, [Top] Intrinsic Tank in Truffle by JANE (FREE) and [Pants] Wide Leg Pants Zooey in Truffle by JANE
Shoes: Move Pumps in Java by [elikatira]
Jewelry: Zahavi Necklace by League
Hair: Details in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: Elf 2 - Enchant 1 [Dark] by Curio
Pose: TFG 004 by Glitterati at The Fashion Garret
Location: JANE @ Zyrra

Shadow♥Love

I truly cannot describe how ecstatic I am to finally have shadows on Second Life! I have been mesmerized by them since the first time I saw pictures with them on the feeds and have been terribly envious of everyone who could do this! My poor laptop just couldn't handle the extra oomph that it took to run them. Last weekend, my amazing husband purchased a gaming computer for me; it runs SL so smoothly... I still cannot believe that I'm seeing shadows and can take high rez photos without crashing. Thank you so much, sweetie face!

I do need some practice with using shadows; it's a tad bit trickier to work with than I thought it would be, but I am rather pleased with how my first go at it turned out!

I guess I should tell you about what I am wearing! As I mentioned in my last post, I absolutely adore layers both in real life and Second Life. When I saw the Empty Hearts sweater from Tulip, I just couldn't stop myself from purchasing it. The textures are beautiful and the sculpted pieces add a touch  of comfort and warmth. The sweater is available in four color combinations which can be purchased separately or as a fatpack.

One of the two shirts I am wearing is also from Tulip. The Henley is a well made system top that fits perfectly with the Empty Hearts sweater. The top come in sets of two shirts at L$75 per pack; these are beautiful tops at an extremely reasonable price! The undershirt that I am wearing is once again the Intrinsic Tank by JANE; this really seems to be my go to shirt when I need an under layer. Since these tops are free; there is no reason why you shouldn't have them all! They are also modify which allowed me to tint the shirt to match the sweater. You can get much better than free, well made and modify!

Filthy Skins released a new skin last week titled Maria. As with all of Alexandra Barcelos' designs, Maria is exceptionally made with beautiful shadows, highlights and makeup choices. Each skin tone comes with eight makeup options; I am wearing Tan 03. The smokey eyes with the beautiful pink lips simply got me! There is also a new group gift out from Filthy Skins!


Credits
Clothing: [Sweater] Empty Hearts - Tan by tulip., [Top] Henley - Brown by tulip., [Undershirt] Intrinsic Tank - Orange Melon (tinted) by JANE and [Shorts] Denim Shorts - Light by Zaara
Jewelry: Lish Necklace by MIEL
Hair: Rina - Chestnut by Exile (Clearance @ L$50 per color pack)
Skin: *Maria - Tan 03 by Filthy Skins
Pose: Model 03 by Glitterati
Location: Where it Begins

* Denotes promotional copy.