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Sunday, September 30, 2012

A Fair Trade

A Fair Trade

This past week has definitely been long and crazy.  Six days of working and one day off can be tiring to say the least.  With things as they are, however, I'm simply thankful to still have a job!  I hope all of you had a great week and will have an even better one in the week to come.

In my previous post, I mentioned changing the aim of my blog from one that simply publishes what I find stylish to one that publishes stylish items found at bargain prices.  While I do love finding amazing deals in real life and Second Life, I don't think that it is fair to the designer to simply purchase items that are free or very cheap.  Owning a store in Second Life is not free; tier fees and uploading designs costs designers money.  Also, the amount of time it takes to create original (and even template) items deserves to be compensated.  With that being said, I'm not limiting my blog to only free items or bargain items... I will be posting a mixture of full priced, bargains and gifts just as I always have.

The outfit I am wearing is made up mostly of bargain items and free gifts since I put this look together last weekend but didn't get a chance to post it until this weekend.  The dress I'm wearing is the VIP Group Gift at FaMESHed from Valentina E. Couture.  I honestly had never heard of this designer before checking out the September collection of FaMESHed, but after wearing this dress I am very much inclined to visit the main store location.  I have always loved gifts for the sole purpose of sampling the quality of the designs being offered by the vendor.  The mesh dress features a zebra pattern and a translucent overlay that softens the look of the outfit.  Joining the VIP group is absolutely free.  The FaMESHed venue is currently closed so that designers can switch out items for the new round starting tomorrow, October 1st.  However, it is very easy to use your cam controls to zoom into the building and snag the group gift just in case it disappears before tomorrow (I'm not sure how long gifts are available).

I know that it is really difficult... if not impossible... to see the earrings I am wearing.  For some reason, I never think about posing for the tiny things until I've taken my photos, done small edits (cropping, liquify, etc.) and am writing my post.  I picked up these cuties at a new event from CHIC Management called FAIR which encourages designers to set high quality items at fair prices instead of only at discounted prices.  I couldn't agree more with the goal of the new monthly event, but I must admit that I was a tad surprised and a bit curious to find a free gift at the event from the new store Stargazer.  Not that I mind free gifts (obviously)... I was just not expecting that at this event.  If you visit the main store location, you can find another free pair of earrings!  While you are there, join the VIP group which is free to join until October 1st.

I was so disappointed to have missed the annual [elikatira] sale last year; I was away getting married at the time and didn't get internet for almost two months after moving.  After being offline the past two or so months, I thought to check the notices in the VIP group and was ecstatic to see that the sale is now going on and I hadn't missed it a second year in a row!  If you haven't heard, [elikatira] has marked down every item in her store by 70% through October 1st (everything seems to be ending/beginning on that date!).  I know that I am giving you a very late heads-up about the sale, but you still have a chance to teleport in and snag hair and shoes at extremely cheap prices.  I have personally loved her designs for many years (even back to the ETD days) because of their classy, elegant styles.  I do believe that I just picked up every mesh style that I had missed from her while I was MIA and even some of her older sculpted hair.  If you have never tried an [elikatira] hair, right now is the perfect time!

A Fair Trade

I mentioned the new skin from Izzie's in my last post, but unfortunately the windlight I was using wasn't very good for showing off skin.  I wanted to give you a better, up close look at the skin in this post.  Faith is available in ten skin tones at just a shade over 1000L each.  With all that is included with these skins (check out my last post) and the quality with which they have been created, it would be very difficult to find a similar skin at a better price.

Poses have been one of my passions in Second Life for years... even before I started blogging.
Although I love poses and have collected so many, I still have only a handful of favorite pose designers... actually probably less than a handful.  aDORKable Poses is one brand that I always know I will be getting unique, quality and versatile poses with.  If you are just starting your own blog or if you are a veteran in the 'business', I highly recommend this designer.  Other than uniqueness, versatility and quality, I love the fact that all aDORKable sets come with mirror poses!  This feature has come in handy many, many times while photoing.  The two poses I used for the above photos are part of the Elegant set currently at Zodiac and can be purchased at the venue through October 17th.  


Credits
Clothing: Long Summer Dress Black Zebra by Valentina E. Couture @ FaMESHed (VIP Group Gift)
Jewelry: [Earrings] Dream Catcher by Stargazer @ FAIR (Free Gift)
Hair: Return in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Faith Skin Pale DB by Izzie's
Makeup: [Eyeshadow] *Faith Eyeshadow Smokey and Faith *Eyeshadow Smokey 2 by Izzie's [Lips] *Lipstick Cherry by Izzie's
Pose: [1] *Elegant 4 and [2] *Elegant 3 Mirror by aDORKable Poses @ Zodiac
Location: Pretty Island

* Denotes promotional copy.
Sunday, September 23, 2012

On the Sidelines

On the Sidelines

Hello, loves!  It's been a while... for a number of reasons.  I think I burned myself out a bit being on Second Life all the time during the summer.  I simply needed a break, and real life work offered the much needed vacation from my 'second existence.'

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it before, but my husband was laid off from his mining job last February and hasn't been able to find a job since.  Needless-to-say, money has been a bit tight.  I never felt bad about spending money on Second Life since it was pretty much the only entertainment I spent money on (minus television and books of course).  I have never been one to go out and party or to sporadically go shopping in real life.  But, with only one household income, I have felt a bit guilty spending money on something that isn't an absolute necessity.  So, after some consideration, I think the focus of my blog is going to change.  I will always want to showcase fashion that I personally consider to be beautiful, but I most likely will not be blogging a lot of full priced items in the near future.  With the US economy in the shape that it's currently in, I know that my family isn't the only one out there effected by lay offs and a lack of extra cash.  I've always been a bargain hunter, and I plan to put those skills to use in my Second Life shopping.

I'm sure that most of you have already spotted the outfit I'm wearing on other fashion blogs since Collabor88 has been open for over two weeks this month.  But, I haven't been around and had to go check on the newness for myself.  I love the high-waist shorts by Igenue; at only 88L per pair, Hetty is very affordable and comes in seven pretty colors with standard mesh sizes.  The jacket, also available at Collabor88, is a tad bit more expensive at 188L each from House of Fox.  I consider jackets to be versatile pieces and don't mind spending a little extra on them.  The same concept goes for jewelry... especially texture change jewelry like the Mother's Pearl Necklace (188L) and Mother's Pearl Earrings (88L) by LaGyo also at Collabor88.

I'll admit that the lighting I used for my photos isn't necessarily one of the best for showing off skin, but since we are talking about bargain hunting, I had to use it and definitely had to mention it.  I know that producing a quality skin for Second Life takes a lot of time and a lot of skill; so, I understand why most of them are very expensive.  Izzie's is one of the very few designers who offers quality skin at a great price.  For a little over 1000L, you can purchase Faith, her latest creation, which includes a modifiable shape, freckles, four eyebrow colors, cleavage options, a nail base, twelve lip shades, ten eyeshadows and an eyebrow shape.  Anyone who has purchased a full price skin in Second Life will know how great of a deal that is!  It is easily 1/3 the price of most quality skins.


Credits
Clothing: [Jacket] Color.Me in Purple by House of Fox @ Collabor88, [Shirt] Intrinsic Tank in Brown Truffle by JANE and [Shorts] Hetty in Coffee by Ingenue @ Collabor88
Jewelry: Mother's Pearl Necklace and Mother's Pearl Earrings by LaGyo @ Collabor88
Shoes: *Ute Mesh Pumps in Coffee by Baiastice
Hair: Briony in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Faith Skin Pale DB by Izzie's
Makeup: [Eyeshadow] *Faith Eyeshadow Brown by Izzie's and [Lips] *Lipstick Dark Rose by Izzie's
Pose: *Bag Lady 1 by aDORKable Poses
Location: Warrumbungles

* Denotes promotional copy.