Lashae Karsin ღ

Sally Has Seashells

2012-02-26T21:08:00.001-05:00

I'm really in the mood for warmer weather to be here today with this recent design by Siss Boom! Sally Has Seashells is a cute minidress with sculpted features which include the skirt and the belt. The sculpted pieces include resize scripts which make it very easy to size the outfit to fit your avatar. A note that includes tips and suggestions for fitting sculpted pieces also comes with your purchase. Your purchase also includes the cute matching bag. The dress is available in three colors: blue, aqua and red.

The poses I used for this post are brand new by aDORKable Poses. I really love the poses by this designer because of her uniqueness and her inclusion of mirror poses. It can be extremely annoying to find the perfect pose for a picture but in the opposite direction of what you need it to be! You never have to worry about that with aDORKable poses because mirror poses are included in all of the packs! Photo 1 features a pose from the Bag Lady II pack available at the main store location, and Photo 2 features a pose from the Legs pack available at the Festival of Sin.

While you are at Siss Boom you should pick up this adorable group gift titled Black Angel which includes both the top and the jeans. If you aren't a member of the in world group, simply click the board in the store and join for free!

Credits:

Photo 1
Clothing: *Sally Has Seashells in Red by Siss Boom
Jewelry: *Chic Gold by je suis
Pose: *Bag Lady II 8 by aDORKable Poses
Location: Izzie's

Photo 2
Clothing: *Black Angel by Siss Boom (Group Gift)
Shoes: Shox in White/Black by [ hoorenbeek ]
Pose: *Legs 3 Mirror by aDORKable Poses @ Festival of Sin

Both
Hair: Good Morning in Girl Next Door by Clawtooth
Skin: Love (Scarlett) in Milk by Illusory @ Collabor88

* Denotes promotional copy.

Week 9 of 52 Weeks of Color - Dandelion

2012-02-26T01:36:00.000-05:00

This color screams Spring to me! I really cannot wait until I don't have to carry a blanket all over my house with me anymore; I really, really hate being cold all the time. I fondly remember playing with dandelions when I was a child; I loved to blow them in the wind and watch them fly away.

The dress I'm wearing is from coldLogic; I honestly cannot get enough of this store. I'm sure that I will eventually own everything that is released. It's just too bad that I cannot have these designs in real life as well! I love how realistic the designs and the textures look. I do believe that this is my favorite new store on the grid!

Credits:
Clothing: [Dress] Reed in Butter by coldLogic and [Shirt] Billie Lace Tank Top in White by Pink Outfitters
Hair: Lovage in Snickers by !lamb.
Skin: *Nathalie in Tan 03 by Filthy Skins
Makeup: LipGloss 03 by Filthy Skins (1L)
Pose: Model 071 by Glitterati

* Denotes promotional copy.

Week 8 of 52 Weeks of Color - Dark Raspberry

2012-02-26T00:42:00.002-05:00

Ok... I know I'm running a bit late with this one, but my real life has been so hectic lately. I'm sure that most everyone can understand where I'm coming from there. I actually took this picture a few days ago and am just now getting an opportunity to post it. Hopefully this coming week will be a bit slower!

Every ten days I blog the new collection at Designer Showcase for SeraphimSL. I always love the outfits by 1 Hundred. but had never really heard of the store before I started blogging the showcase. I had wondered what the name of the store meant and finally understood when I visited the other day. All the items at 1 Hundred. are ... you guessed it ... 100L. There are some very pretty designs offered by this creator, and the price is so reasonable especially if you are on a budget. It is definitely worth a visit!

Credits
Clothing: Glamour in Plum by 1 Hundred.
Hair: Lovely Lena in Brown 03 by Head Mistress
Skin: *Nathalie in Tan 03 by Filthy Skins
Makeup: LipGloss 03 by Filthy Skins (1L)
Pose: Model 050 by Glitterati

* Denote promotional copy.

Week 7 of 52 Weeks of Color - Folly

2012-02-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

It has been such a busy, hectic week that I really haven't had time to shop for my Folly post. I was honestly getting ready to 'cheat' and tint a modifiable shirt and put a mesh jacket from JANE over it when I saw this cute little dress at the JANE shop. I know that it isn't quite the correct shade of pink, but to be honest, I'm not sure that any of my photos have been correct! I think that is a common problem with this challenge, however.

I finally grabbed my first mesh hair with the latest new release from Elikatira. I always love her hairstyles anyway but being mesh just makes it all the better! It was so much easier to pose with a hair that moves with me opposed to one that I have to modify to fit the pose. I will most definitely be looking to add more mesh hair to my already bursting inventory.

Credits
Clothing: Cinch Waist Dress Leeanne in Raspberry by JANE
Hair: Abbey in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: Sundust [Dark] Pout-Big Baby 2 by Curio
Pose: Mini Three Quarter 2 by !Bang

Back to Black

2012-02-08T21:31:00.002-05:00

CHIC Management is returning to its roots this weekend with the Back to Black event. The organization began in 2010 with the Black and Blue Fair to raise awareness of mental health issues. The new event will also be designed to raise mental health awareness; items have been designed around words of encouragement including strength, serenity, fighter, heart, spirit, friendship, home, comfort, life, hope, courage, determination, survival, family and endurance. The doors open this Saturday, February 11th; so, be on the lookout for the landmark!

The cute outfit I am wearing is one of the designs that will be available at Back to Black by Izzie's. The Serenity Leisure Outfit has a very comfortable feel to it; I would actually love to have an outfit like it in real life. The prim pieces blend perfectly with the system layers just as you will find in other Izzie's creations. There is also a bottom prim to the shirt that features a peace sign. Unfortunately, it didn't fit well with my pose, but it does, on the other hand, work very well with an AO! So, no worries there! I am wearing the brown and beige combination; the outfit will also be available in grey/white and black/grey.

Speaking of the pose, it is also an item that will be featured at Back to Black by EMBODY. The At Peace Pose is a couple/individual poseball. If you are posing only one person as I did, turning off the other ball is very simple; simply type /1 hide in local chat and the ball disappears! You have both copy and modify privileges with the poseball which makes individualizing it very easy. Although I do believe this is a type of yoga pose, I also see a praise pose when I look at it. My husband and I may be going through some financial hardships in the very near future, and whenever I look at my picture I just keep thinking about lifting my hands in praise to God who I know will take care of our every need. Whatever the pose may mean to you, it is very well crafted and will be an excellent addition to any pose collector's inventory.

I don't typically blog furniture, but I have been wanting to get into setting up my own photo scenes instead of relying on those already made. I spotted the Esme Living Room by FD Decor, also available at Back to Black, and thought that it would match perfectly with the color scheme of the photo. The furniture features multiple poses, texture change chairs and vases, lighting with on/off options and a cute fountain that includes sounds. There will also be a black version of the suite available at the event.

CHIC Management Back to Black

Credits
Clothing: *Serenity Leisure Outfit in Brown/Beige by Izzie's @ Back to Black
Shoes: Sparkle Flats in Orange Crush Light (Edited) by A.D.D. Andel!
Jewelry: Radiance Diamond Dangle Earrings by EarthStones
Hair: Here in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: Paige Milk - Culture by Illusory @ Collabor88 (No longer available)
Makeup: Kyra Lipsticks in Pink by Apple May Designs
Pose: *At Peace Pose by EMBODY @ Back to Black
Furniture: *Esme Living Room by FD Decor @ Back to Black

The Back to Black landmark will not be added until the event officially opens on February 11th.

* Denotes promotional copy.

Week 6 of 52 Weeks of Color - Alice Blue

2012-02-04T23:43:00.000-05:00

I really love how soft the color is for this week's edition of Luna's Color Challenge. It is definitely a color I can see myself wearing more often; so, I was not sad at all to add it to my inventory. I was really glad to find an outfit at a new store that I was really looking forward to shopping at. coldLogic is a collaborative effort between Janie Marlowe, Zyrra Falcone and Damien Fate which focuses on my latest obsession... mesh! I know you are probably getting tired of me talking about how fabulous mesh clothing is, but I really love the movement of the pieces and cannot see myself purchasing a lot of non-mesh clothing in the future excluding undershirts and the such of course.

Credits
Clothing: Mattison in Ice by coldLogic
Jewelry: Radiance Diamond Dangle Earrings by EarthStones
Hair: Carla with Roots in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: Sundust [Dark] Pout-Tantrum 2 by Curio
Pose: Model 023 by Glitterati

Week 5 of 52 Weeks of Color - Patina

2012-01-29T10:49:00.000-05:00

This week's color has proven to be the most difficult for me yet. The cute mesh dress I'm wearing was not my first outfit of choice. I began with a really adorable dress from Donna Flora, but the translucent skirt proved to be a bit too much for shadows, and I found myself shopping once again. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the Oxford Dress by LeeZu, I just wish that I hadn't spent money on something that I didn't use. Who knows though... it may prove to be useful at a later date. If you drop by LeeZu in the near future, be sure to check out the tops section of the store; there is a mesh shirt in four different colors for only L$50 each! What a steal!

I had never tried an Atomic skin until they started showing up in The Dressing Room Blue a few weeks ago. I have a habit of snagging up the discount skins every week from the two shops even though I typically have no idea when or where I will use them. But, you never know what will pop up with this challenge, so I'm really glad that I bought it! I do believe that this may be one of my favorite new skins; Ivy Graves' work is absolutely amazing. I will most likely be making a trip to the main store location soon to check out what other goodness she has. Unfortunately, the skin I'm wearing is no longer available at TDRB, but there is a new Atomic skin with luscious red lips just waiting for you to buy it!

Credits
Clothing: [Dress] Oxford Dress Mesh in Wool Turquoise by LeeZu and [Pants] *White Cotton Leggings (edited) by Siss Boom
Jewelry: *Leah by je suis
Hair: Faith in Mocha with Roots by TRUTH
Skin: Grace Skin - Buff - Winter Kiss by Atomic @ The Dressing Room Blue (No Longer Available)
Pose: *Poofy 8 by aDORKable Poses

* Denotes promotional copy.

Week 4 of 52 Weeks of Color - Iron

2012-01-21T21:20:00.001-05:00

I'm so proud of myself for keeping up with Luna's Color Challenge for four weeks in a row! I tend to be a terrible procrastinator which is perhaps why I didn't finish the last one. I know it is only week four, but I'm trying really hard to not get behind.

The adorable outfit I am wearing is The Sea Hole's contribution to the January collection of Collabor88. Both the Herron Skirt and the Minna blouse come in six colors at 88L each. There is also a cute parasol that has been designed to go with the outfit which is also available in six colors at 88L each. Now, I know this outfit isn't the mesh that I have been loving for the past month or so, but it is still a really pretty and classy outfit. Hopefully, Drinkinstein will start releasing some mesh items soon!

I couldn't have asked for a more perfectly matched accessory than the recent release from Izzie's. The necklace is part of a set that also includes rings and earrings titled Turquoise Jewelry Set. The set also comes in four additional colors including onyx, pruple stone, red stone and white stone. Two versions of each are included with your purchase: a set with resizers and one without.

Credits
Clothing: [Top] *Minna Blouse in Slate and [Skirt] *Herron Skirt in Slate by The Sea Hole at Collabor88
Jewelry: *Turquoise Jewelry Set by Izzie's
Shoes: Flats by tram (Group Gift)
Hair: About 2 in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Sundust [Dark] Summer-Pure 2 by Curio
Pose: M Betty 1 by Olive Juice (Closing Sale)

* Denotes promotional copy.

Spring Frill

2012-01-18T18:24:00.001-05:00

The new mesh dress by Siss Boom is making me long for spring! I love the frilled accent at the top of the dress; it gives it a very fun, girly feeling. If this dress were system layers and sculpts, the accent piece would definitely be difficult to work with when wearing an AO; just one of the reasons that I am completely in love with mesh.

The pose I'm using for this photo was one of the very first poses with props that I purchased in Second Life. Olive Juice has always been a fun store for me to visit because of its unique, interesting products. Unfortunately, the designer no longer has time in her real life to continue her brand in Second Life and is closing shop. Until February 19th, all poses and props have been marked down 50%.

Credits
Clothing: *Spring Frill by Siss Boom
Hair: Evelyn with Roots in Mocha by TRUTH (New)
Skin: *Sweetheart [Dark] Jealous 2 in Sundust by Curio
Pose: Morning Glory in Bloom 4 by Olive Juice
Loction: Alirium

* Denotes promotional copy.

Oslo

2012-01-16T20:07:00.001-05:00

I honestly can't get enough of all the new mesh items content creators are coming out with. My newest love is the Oslo Baggy Sweater Dress by Boom. It looks so comfortable. I wonder if she can make me one of these in real life? (wink)

As with many other BOOM designs, the Oslo dress comes in many different colors... twenty-nine in total. A free demo is available, and I highly encourage you to use it if you have never tried mesh before. While mesh items will automatically elongate to fit your avatar, they will not widen. Five sizes of each dress are included in your purchase along with four different alpha layers.

Credits
Clothing: [Dress]*Oslo Sweater Dress in Moss by BOOM and [Tights] Lil Piggies Tights: Cable Knit in Brown Khaki by JANE
Shoes: Secret Boots in Molasses by [elikatira]
Hair: Zaria in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Nathalie Tan 01 by Filthy Skins
Pose: *Pencil 8 Mirror by aDORKable Poses
Location: Existence

* Denotes promotional copy.

Week 3 of 52 Weeks of Color - Electric Indigo

2012-01-14T23:57:00.001-05:00

I hoped to get so much more accomplished this week blog wise. I had at least three posts planned, but real life continues to wear me out. Uuuggghhh Two hours of travel time per day to and from work has got to end soon!

When I saw electric indigo was the color for this week, my first thought was 80s! I really didn't have many ideas of where to go looking for my outfit; so, I checked out some blogs to find stores I had never been to or hadn't been to in a while. This random search landed me at Emery.

The Skinny Jeans are a perfect addition to my wardrobe; at first the color was a little much for me, but I've actually developed a fondness for them. The color is really fun and girly. The Zebra Top on the other hand... not so much. Remember those quality pieces that will last that I mentioned wanting to add to my inventory last week? Well, I wouldn't exactly classify this shirt as one of those. Although it does match very well with the jeans, it's really not designed for anything other than posing. The sleeve pieces are very oddly shaped and attached to the shoulders; talk about not being AO friendly! The stripes were also extremely hard to deal with when it came to matching them up with the prim piece. If this shirt were mesh, it would be a total win! However, I wouldn't recommend it as is.

The necklace I'm wearing is a new piece from je suis titled Voyante Necklace Plain. It includes scripts for resizing, stone color texture, 'chain' texture and metal texture. A very neat aspect of this necklace, is that it also includes an option that allows you to input your own RGB for the stone color which allowed me to make the color perfectly electric indigo! You can never go wrong with a piece of jewelry you can custom color!

Credits
Clothing: [Top] Dressy Zebra Top in Violet by Emery and [Pants] Jean Skinny Passe in Violet by Emery
Jewelry: *Voyante Necklace Plain by je suis
Shoes: The Solas Shoes White by Fir & Mna
Hair: Andrea with Roots in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Nathalie . Tan . 01 by Filthy Skins
Tattoo: Rainbow 1 ll by DAMNED at Fashionably Late
Pose: Model 157 by Glitterati

* Denotes promotional copy.

Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Color - Coral

2012-01-08T14:48:00.001-05:00

Yay! I didn't wait a week to do a new 52WoC post! Last year when I started the challenge, my goal was to use as many pieces of clothing from my inventory that I already had as possible; I kind of want to do the reverse this year though I'm not sure that is the smartest idea with an inventory that is already over 60K. I would really love to get rid of the pieces that I know I will never wear again and replace them with quality items that will be staples of my wardrobe.

In all honesty, this week's color challenge was just an excuse to go pick up one of the new mesh shirts by Maitreya. I've been eyeballing Onyx's new items since I saw them pop up on the feeds but couldn't convince myself to purchase a piece. Now that I have, I'm afraid that I may find myself there more and more often. The Silk-Neck Tie Blouse is exceptionally well made with beautiful textures; it has a very classy and quite conservative look... Very school teacherish.

The skin that I am sporting is the new group gift from Filthy Skins. Alexandra always puts out amazing gifts every month for both male and female avatars, and with a joining fee of L$199, twelve free skins and shapes per year is really a steal that more than pays for the group fee.

Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] Silk-Neck Tie Blouse in Coral by Maitreya and [Pants] *Flared Pants in Cream by The Secret Store
Hair: Jess in Cocoa Brown by Raspberry Aristocrat (50% Off)
Skin: *January Group Gift Female Tan by Filthy Skins
Pose: Stand 127 by !Bang

* Denotes promotional copy.

Week 1 of 52 Weeks of Color - Champagne

2012-01-07T15:15:00.001-05:00

I tend to not make resolutions for the new year anymore because I never keep them. I do have a goal for this year, however... even though I'm about a week late getting this up here! My goal for this year is to participate in every week of the second round of Luna Juiblee's 52 Weeks of Color. Hopefully real life won't kick my butt as badly as it has this week for the rest of the year!

Two of the pieces I am wearing are from the current collection at The Dressing Room. The bodysuit and pumps by R.icielli aren't technically champagne (they are beige and creme), but the color was so close to Luna's champagne swatch that I couldn't pass these items up for my photo. You get both pieces plus seven more for a mere L$70! What a great deal!

The skirt I'm wearing is another piece of evidence to support the fact that I am totally addicted to mesh. I have found myself in the past couple of weeks passing up coats, dresses, skirts, etc that aren't mesh. I don't think I have totally given up on prim pieces; I just prefer to not have to deal with them when I don't have to! The Oxford Pencil Skirt by {mon tissu} is so pretty and classy; I think I eventually want to own the entire pack.

Credits
Clothing: [Bodysuit] Pietra by R.icielli @ The Dressing Room and The Oxford Pencil Skirt in Dark Brown by {mon tissu}
Shoes: Carmeelia Pumps by R.icielle @ The Dressing Room
Hair: Adora Hair in Brown Cocoa by Raspberry Aristocrat (50% Off)
Skin: *May [Sundust] Blackbird 2 by Curio
Pose: Stand 158 by !Bang

* Denotes promotional copy.

Le Creme

2011-12-31T22:30:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-30T19:31:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-28T14:47:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-07T22:41:00.002-05:00

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.

Layer Me

2011-11-27T01:36:00.000-05:00

My mind is almost completely blank this evening, and I really cannot think of much to say. Perhaps it has something to do with watching Star Trek all day with my husband. I have to admit, however, that I have liked the show a lot more than I ever thought I would.

The magic of Second Life for some people is being able to transform into anyone you can imagine, but honestly for me it is being able to express my real life self in a digital world and continuously discover new and exciting things each day. The outfit I put together today is completely something that I would wear in my real life. I love layering pieces and matching them with simple jewelry that adds a little personality to the design.

Jackets are one of my favorite items of clothing in real life, and I am constantly on the lookout for them in Second Life as well. The problem that I have found with most of the jackets in world, sadly, is poor shading and blending with the impossibility of properly lining up the prim pieces with the system layers. As she has proven time and time again, however, Izzie's is a step above most when it comes to blending the textures of prim pieces and system layers. Her new Suede Blazer is absolutely stunning; the texturing is very realistic while leaving an artistic drawn look. The blazer is available in ten fabulous colors. The clutch I am holding is also a new item from Izzie's that is also available in ten color choices.

As you probably know by now, I love poses and can never resist new sets from great designers especially when the sets are set at sale prices! Bang Poses has two new sets out today, a mini set for Super Bargain Saturday at L$60 and a full standing set for Lazy Sunday at L$75. Pick these up before the prices jump!

The 50% Off Black Friday Sale at je suis has been extended until Sunday at 12 pm SLT. I am wearing the Sophistique necklace and earrings in dark. The pearl color as well as the metal color is changeable via a HUD. Ten options for the pearl color and five options for the metal color are included.

Credits
Clothing: [Top] Intrinsic Tank in Avocado by JANE (Freebie), [Jacket] *Suede Blazer in Black by Izzie's and [Pants] Classic Jeans in Light by Zaara
Accessories: {Clutch] *Clutch in Green by Izzie's and [Jewelry] Sophistique in Dark by je suis
Hair: Isolation in Honeycomb Roots by !lamb.
Skin: *Laika II . Tan . 01 by Filthy Skins
Pose: *Stand 225 by !bang
Location: Where It Begins

* Denotes promotional copy.

So, I've Been Away

2011-11-25T22:52:00.001-05:00

I know it is so unlike me (note the sarcasm) to just disappear without warning or notice. But, I promise that it was for a really good reason this time. My real life has changed in very dramatic and very blessed ways over the past few months. My fiance and I were finally married in early October, and we couldn't be happier. It has taken a while for us to get the internet connected at our house (I so love the sound of that), but I'm back now. My work commute is much greater now, over two hours daily; so, I probably won't get to post as often as I did before. But, at least I will be posting!

The dress I am wearing is from the ever lovely Siss Boom. The sparkle of the Forget Me skirt really caught my eye as I was looking over all of her new releases. The skirt is made of two attachments; so, if sparkle isn't your thing, the under layer is beautiful enough to stand on its own.

Oh my, how I have missed skin and hair on Second Life! I don't think that I will ever be able to get enough of either. The skin I am wearing is the new Laika II by Filthy Skins. I absolutely loved this designer when I first saw her work, and she continues to get better with each new release. The makeup is lovely and the shading and highlighting hits in all the right spots. If you have not tried Filthy Skins, I highly recommend that you stop by and try a demo!

I'm not sure if I even need to introduce an [elikatira] hair anymore. Her work is so well made and so recognizable that any hair addict would immediately know who made it. Soft is a delicate short style full of curls that can be found at the current collection of Collabor88 for only 88L per color pack.

If you love beautiful jewelry, you will really want to check out the je suis 50% Off Black Friday Sale. All products have been marked down until 12 pm SLT on Sunday. I'm wearing one of the newer designs titled Leah which is a color change piece. Through tomorrow, you can pick up the necklace for L$250 and the earrings for L$200. That is the equivalent of a complete fatpack for only L$450!

Credits
Clothing: *Forget Me by Siss Boom
Jewelry: *Leah by je suis
Hair: Soft in Brown 08 by [elikatira] at Collabor88
Skin: *Laika II . Tan . 01 by Filthy Skins
Poses by Glitterati

* Denotes promotional copy.

My Padded Room

2011-08-13T23:34:00.001-04:00

This post has seriously been the most fun I have had with blogging in quite a while even though it took me quite a bit longer to do than intended, but that is simply because my real life job started back this week. (Insert sad face here) Today, aDORKable Poses released a padded room pose prop, and it is unbelievably adorable... or adorkable! This prop is going to be so perfect for a new blog that I'm working on which will be announced at a later date. ;-)

My Padded Room contains seven poses with position adjusting scripts. The entire setup is only fifteen prims which is extremely low compared to some props that I have. The build is copy and modify; so, feel free to play to your heart's content! And, best of all, it's only 10L! The prop is part of the Platinum Hunt which runs through August 31. You are searching for a small blue jewelry box with pearls hanging out.

I know that I look a little insane in my pics (that was the point though, really), but I really do love the outfit that I'm wearing. Black as Night is a recent release from Siss Boom and is actually a dress, but the skirt didn't work well with the poses. Lestat Reuven has a new location with a new setup and some possible Meeroo nests in the near future! It really is pretty, and you should definitely check it out.

Credits
Clothing: *Black as Night by Siss Boom
Hair: PUN448 - black by booN
Feet: Bare Feet Tip-Toe by Maitreya Gold
Skin: Sundust [Dark] Elf 2-Enchant 2 by Curio
Pose: *My Padded Room by aDORKable Poses

* Denotes promotional copy.

Viola

2011-08-07T17:07:00.000-04:00

The creative mind and immense talent of Agnes Finney never ceases to amaze me. She is able to beautifully mix intricate designs with soft details, an ability that seems to be quite rare in Second Life. Queen Viola is one of My Precious' latest formal designs, and it is simply breathtaking. Layers of semi-transparent flexis are used in the skirt which has a gigantic bow attached to the top. The movement of the skirt is to die for; it's perfect for ballroom dancing or making your way down the virtual catwalk. This dress comes in three beautiful colors: champagne, lavender and pink. A headpiece (not pictured) also comes with your purchase.

Please click above for larger, expanded photo.

Credits
Clothing: *Queen Viola by My Precious
Shoes: *Florence Heels Autumn Silver-SalmonRose by Purrfect 10
Hair: Tiramisu - Brown by LoQ Hairs
Skin: *Sundust [Dark] Summer-Pure 1 by Curio
Pose: Dressed 5 by Glitterati
Location: The Looking Glass

* Denotes promotional copy

Timeless

2011-08-06T01:08:00.001-04:00

Two new specials were released by Siss Boom today which include a little something for everyone! No matter if you are looking for a dressy style or wanting to go a little more casual, you will definitely be covered with Timeless and Dog Days. Timeless is a beautiful long, white feathered dress that is sure to leave your date speechless, and Dog Days is a fun capri outfit that is perfect for a day out with the girls. These are on special for 100L each for a limited time only. Grab them before the price goes up!

Credits

Photo 1
Clothing: *Timeless by Siss Boom
Hair: UKA687 - chocolate by booN
Pose: Headshot 2-7 Relaxed by Glitterati

Photo 2
Clothing: *Dog Days by Siss Boom
Shoes: Flip-Flops Lucid by Maitreya Gold
Hair: Dream a Dream:Brown3 by Head Mistress
Pose: Long Hair 3-8 by Glitterati

Both Photos
Skin: *Sundust [Dark] Summer-Pure 1 by Curio
Location: Sea Salts

* Denotes promotional copy.

Petticoat Lane

2011-08-04T00:21:00.001-04:00

I always find the diversity of talent among Second Life designers to be extremely impressive. It is interesting to watch when a creator branches out from what we are used to seeing from him/her. Katey Coppola is best known for the amazing poses she makes under her SL brand name Glitterati. As you have probably noticed, I use a lot of Glitterati poses; they are extremely well made and rarely do my hands disappear into my body (Katey must have a big booty, too!). Recently, Katey opened a new store titled Petticoat Lane where she is exploring her creativity as a clothing designer. I love how feminine all of the clothing designs are thus far; the colors are soft and inviting. I cannot wait to see this brand grow!

My favorite of the new Petticoat Lane releases is the Regal Skirt; it's high waistline and gently slopped skirt is very elegant and lady like. The shading on the sculpted part of the skirt is absolutely beautiful; it adds depth and movement. I was afraid that the sculpt was going to be hard to fit because it is simple (but pretty!) with no belt or any other type of 'barrier' at the top. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by how easy I was able to fit it to my shape. Resize scripts are not included in the skirt, but it is modify and therefore very easy to add your own if you are like me and cannot stretch properly to save your life. Seven colors are available at 150L each or 500L for the Full Collection.

PhotoShop makes me very nervous; I know very little about it and don't have much confidence in my ability to use it. I have been getting a lot better at liquify, but I still have a long way to go before I become a true 'professional' at it. I tried something new for me in the picture above, and I would appreciate ideas/suggestions/tips. I loved the red sky in one of my windlight settings, but my ava looked completely washed out with it; so, I took another photo in a neutral windlight and blended the two. Does it look completely unnatural? I got the final picture by placing one picture on top of the other and erasing the window scene to get the red sky on the picture underneath and then merging the pictures. Is there an easier way to do this? Perhaps I will get even braver with my next PhotoShop experiment and try dodge and burn!

Since it is difficult to mention Katey Coppola without thinking of Glitterati, I thought it would be appropriate to also showcase her latest pose prop release. Disco is so much fun; three pieces are included with your purchase: the large set for posing, a hanging disco ball for decorations and a pose box (not pictured). All the items are copy which will let you decorate to your heart's content. All of the disco balls contain seven color choices and the pose disco ball contains ten poses. Most Glitterati pose props sell for at least 500L, but you can pick this one up as a Marketplace promo for only 100L! It is a definite steal.

Credits
Clothing: [Top] *Popsicle Dress - Sleeveless Top by The Secret Store and [Skirt] *Regal Skirt in [1] #1 and [2] #5 by Petticoat Lane
Jewelry: Anya Earrings - Silver by SIGMA @ My Second Wardrobe
Shoes: Move Pumps - Onyx by [elikatira]
Hair: Black Tie Affair - Toffee by Shag
Skin: [1] *Alexandra . Fair . 08 and [2] *Alexandra . Fair . 03 by Filthy Skins
Poses: [1] Model 023 and [2] *Disco by Glitterati @ The Marketplace
Location: Siss Boom

*Denotes promotional copy.

Nika

2011-08-01T22:32:00.000-04:00

I'm always on the lookout for pretty skins by different designers, and my taste in skin is very diverse. I have many skins that are fun, youthful and girly, but every now and then I also like to wear a skin that makes my ava look a tad older and more mature. Nika by Step inSide is one of those skins; the makeup choices are interesting and beautiful with sparkly shadows and luscious, juicy lips. The lashes are included on the skin; so, there is no need to wear extra. Nika is available in four tones at 300L per each makeup; you can also purchase a tone fatpack for 1,500L.

When you teleport to Step inSide, you will be routed to a landing point. A teleport board is located nearby; click the green dot to teleport to the skin section.

Credtis
Hair: Black Tie Affair - Bistre by Shag
Skin: *Nika in Milk by Step inSide

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Taste of Second Life: Freestylin'

2011-08-01T01:01:00.000-04:00

Taste of Second Life had a lot of amazing designs out from a lot of great designers this weekend. One of my favorite was the outfit offered by Indie Rose.

Indie Rose is one of those stores that I have loved since I was very young in Second Life. I remember my first time visiting the store, owner and designer Angelina Eizenberg asked me if I would join her group really fast to make sure the group gift was working properly. It has been fun to watch this store grow and expand both in size and talent. The Frilled Tubetop and High Waisted Chinos offered for TOSL this week are so very girly. The textures, while simple, are absolutely beautiful and are perfect for a casual day out with the girls or a quiet date with your hunny. You can pick up the top for 50L and the pants for 75L this weekend only. I know, there's nothing like waiting until the last minute to tell someone about a great sale! >.>

Credits
Clothing: [Top] *Frilled Tubetop and [Pants] *High Waisted Chinos by Indie Rose
Jewelry: Monia Earrings by Donna Flora
Hair: Details - Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Alexandra . Fair . 01 by Filthy Skins (NEW)
Pose: Model 022 by Glitterati
Location: Horizon Dream

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Sky's the Limit

2011-07-29T19:30:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-28T02:23:00.002-04:00

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

2011-07-26T20:50:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-24T17:37:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-23T01:41:00.001-04:00

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

2011-07-21T01:25:00.002-04:00

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

2011-07-17T01:49:00.004-04:00

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

2011-07-15T00:17:00.001-04:00

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

2011-07-13T00:06:00.001-04:00

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

2011-07-09T17:28:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-07T22:38:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-07T00:41:00.001-04:00

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

2011-07-05T23:17:00.003-04:00

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

2011-07-04T14:52:00.003-04:00

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.

Summer Rose Heels

2011-07-03T14:02:00.000-04:00

Purrfect 10 has shoes out for Lazy Sunday, and as usual, they are gorgeous! The Summer Rose Heels would have went so beautifully with the Jillie Dress I featured by JANE last week; keep that in mind if you snagged that up!

Purrfect 10 also released a new pair of boots as well as a new VIP gift; I will be featuring those later this week since I needed to make this post kind of a quick one! The Summer Rose Heels, however, will only be available until midnight tonight. They feature many of the options of most P10 shoes including resizing, walk on/off, invisi on/off, sound on/off, food lock/unlock, skin change and skin sync. You cannot, however, change the texture on these shoes, but they are honestly so pretty that I wouldn’t want to anyway! For only L$75, these are a definite must for your inventory!

Credits
Shoes: *Summer Rose Heels by Purrfect 10
Skin: *Summer [Dark] Lake 1 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: Model 089 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Week 35 of 52 Weeks of Color - Electric Blue

2011-07-01T23:58:00.000-04:00

I know that I am a lot of weeks behind on Luna’s 52 Weeks of Color Challenge, but I have really been missing it and decided to do a post for this week. Don’t worry, I do plan on making up the weeks that I was absent, but I just loved the color choice for this week!

When I saw the skirt from Emery at The Dressing Room Blue last weekend, I knew that it would be perfect for electric blue! The textures are absolutely beautiful; I have always thought that blue and orange go wonderfully together, but I may be a bit biased toward that color combination since they were my high school’s colors. The cream speckles add an extra touch of softness to the already soft blue. The only thing that was not my favorite about the skirt is that like most other non poofy sculpted skirts, it really is not AO friendly. Emery has compensated for that, however, by adding an absolute amazing pair of glitch pants for underneath. They honestly blend beautifully with the skirt, and it is hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. I have paired the skirt with a simple system tank from fri.day. I bought the orange version of the VNeck Capsleeve Tee, but it wasn’t quite the right shade of orange. Lucky for me, the shirts are tintable, and it was a very easy fix.

There is so much goodness coming out of the new Truth District sim this weekend, and I will have full reviews on both the new Truth hair styles and new Curio skins very soon (tomorrow perhaps?). In the meantime, I will leave you with these two pictures to keep your mouth watering at all the pretties. The hair style I am wearing is titled Pandora, and it is one of my favorite Truth updos to date. The wavy, loosely hung hair is so very feminine; the sculpts are so amazingly realistic; it looks as though you could just reach out and touch them. As with most other Truth hair, there are some flexi pieces attached to give it realistic movement. If you cannot get into the new sim, this hair is available both in his main store location and via the marketplace.

The hair clip I am wearing is not included with the Pandora hair; it was, however, designed by EarthStones to go with this hair but can be worn with any other hair you may want to wear it with! The clip comes in three designs and is color change; each clip is available for L$299 or L$599 for the fatpack which is like getting one free. Whether you purchase the hair or not, I believe this tiny accessory is a definite must have; with all the flexibility you have with colors, it can go with almost anything casual or dressy! The clip can be purchased at Truth or at EarthStones.

The skin… Oh, the skin! Every time Curio has a new release I get all giddy. Ever since trying my very first Curio skin earlier this year, I just have not been able to get enough of them. Total, Gala released three new skins today; this particular skin is from the Summer line and is titled Lake 1. Ms. Gala truly must have known that I would be putting this outfit together this weekend because the makeup matches so perfectly. Like other Curio skins, this design is amazingly realistic. The amount of time the creator has put into this skin is overly evident; no part is left unfinished or looks like it was completed in a hurry. There is also a gift from Gala in the new Truth District Updates group which is free to join! Grab it while it is still there.

Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] VNeck Capsleeve Tee in Orange (Tinted) by fri.day and [Skirt] Highwaisted Miy by Emery at The Dressing Room Blue
Jewelry: Athena Crystals by (luc)
Accessories: Butterflies Gem Clip by EarthStones
Hair: *Pandora in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *Summer [Dark] Lake 1 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] model.pose 15 and [2] model.pose 18 by fri.day

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Sarah

2011-06-30T22:54:00.001-04:00

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!

2011-06-29T10:36:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-27T23:10:00.001-04:00

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

2011-06-26T21:59:00.002-04:00

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

2011-06-25T20:23:00.001-04:00

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

2011-06-25T00:23:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-06-23T22:41:00.002-04:00

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

2011-06-22T13:08:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-21T10:41:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-20T13:59:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-17T13:38:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-17T00:49:00.002-04:00

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

2011-06-16T12:42:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-15T23:38:00.000-04:00

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.

Pieces of My Closet #1

2011-06-14T22:25:00.001-04:00

One of my goals for this summer (and trust me… I have many) is to finally get my inventory organized. I have over 50K pieces of unorganized madness that takes forever and three days to load every time I log in. I really need serious help. Bahaha! So, what does this mean for my readers? You will get to see randomness from my inventory all summer! Who knows what mysteries await us!

My first confession of this series of posts is that am absolutely HORRIBLE about doing hunts or going to sale events and then never opening my packages. Do you think I might have a shopping problem? Or, am I simply a pack rat? Maybe more of you have this problem. After doing the Seasons Hunt (Winter), I didn’t even open one package. **Hides face in shame** Although obviously this adorable little dress by EPOQUE with reindeer on it is no longer available and is very much out of season, I thought it was still worth featuring because …. honestly … I love it and it is beautifully designed. It’s not too often that I find a dress that requires a prim stuck between my legs to be attractive. I typically hate them actually. Something is almost always off about them. The texture with this dress, however, is just so warm and inviting, and the texture on the ‘between the legs’ prim matches up quite well with the rest of the dress. When I stopped by EPOQUE today, I saw that they are having a 30% off sale; don’t miss it!

With how addicted I am to hair in Second Life, I cannot believe that I actually bought this beautiful style and then completely forgot about having it. To be quite honest, I’m not sure when I even bought it… It says 50L on the name of the folder; so, I’m assuming it was some type of sale. Does that give you an idea to how much hair I buy?? I can’t even remember what I have! I stow it away in my inventory and forget about it. Ugggghhhh! Needless to say, I’m going to try and do better! I stopped by Posh to see what else this brilliant designer has to offer, and let’s just say that you are going to see a lot more of this brand on my ava’s pretty little head! I absolutely LOVE the styles; to give you an idea, if you love Lamb, you will most likely love Posh as well.

I do believe that I need a better way to sort my jewelry. Sorting by brand is just not working for me; I have no idea what I have and can’t remember what I have bought from different vendors. Perhaps I should list by object such as necklaces, earrings, etc and then by material type. But, then what do I do about sets? Uuuggghhh! If anyone wants to share how they organize their jewelry, I’m all ears! The gold hoops earrings by Caroline’s Jewelry are another item I found tucked away in my inventory that I don’t even remember buying. Perhaps this was a gift? Who knows… I also found a pearl set by Caroline’s that I had forgotten about; it is absolutely beautiful, and I’m very glad that I rediscovered it.

I remember buying my Apple May Designs skin, I just rarely ever wear it. I’m not sure why because it is very pretty; perhaps it is because I only have one or two whereas I have many from other skin designers. I’m sure that I purchased Katey when it was on sale as a newly released item. I’m not sure if AMD still does the sales on new skins, but I’m going to be watching out for those notices to pop up on my screen! I definitely want more of this skin!! The eyelashes that I wear all of the time are from AMD, and I absolutely love them; they are perfectly spaced and don’t look like spider legs.

Keep an eye out for more discoveries from my inventory!

Credits
Clothing: Nordic Sweater Dress by EPOQUE (Seasons Hunt)
Jewelry: Large Gold Hoops by Caroline’s Jewelry
Shoes: Ants Flats in Bokara Grey by Miel
Hair: Vindicated in Wheat by Posh
Skin: Katey (Peach) by Apple May Designs
Poses: [1] Top Model Spring ’11 Makeover Alexandria and [2] Top Model Spring ’11 Alexandria by Exposeur

Filthy Skins - Ana

2011-06-13T22:21:00.001-04:00

With every new release, I am increasingly impressed with the designer of Filthy Skins. I honestly don’t believe that she has ever released a face I didn’t love. You can see and feel so much depth and emotion with her creations. The newly released Ana is no exception to this; I’m absolutely in love with the eyes in every makeup!

The one thing that I always look for in a new skin is a pretty face. You can have the most uniquely and intricately drawn body on the grid, but if the face isn’t attractive, you might as well forget it. The faces of Filthy Skins are absolutely beautiful. The makeup choices offered with Ana are stunning with a mix of barely there and an elegant night out. I absolutely love variety, and Filthy Skins provides!

Ana is available in four skin tones including pale (pictured above), tan, dark tan and dark. The skins are available in fatpacks which include the seven makeup choices, cleavage options, and a shape for L$1,800 per skin tone. If you have never tried a Filthy Skins, I highly suggest dropping in! There is also a prize for the Zombie Popcorn Hunt laying somewhere around the store; pick it up while you are there!

Credits
Skin: *Ana in Pale by Filthy Skins (NEW)
Lashes: Lash Set 3 by Apple May Designs
Hair: Egomaniacal in Honeycomb by !lamb

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Taste of Second Life: At the Zoo

2011-06-12T23:45:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, I only have time for a very quick post of some of the items offered in this week’s Taste of Second Life, but on a positive note, tomorrow is my last day of work for nearly two months! I see lots of sleep and lots of blogging in my near future!

The designers for TOSL truly embraced this week’s theme of “At the Zoo.” If you are looking to add some animal print to your wardrobe or your home; this weekend was definitely the weekend to do it! Not to worry though, you still have a little over three hours to pick up these goodies before midnight SLT.

The outfit from Izzie’s is absolutely amazing! The texture is exquisite, which is exactly what I have come to expect from the designer. I absolutely love her products, and she delivers with every single release. For a mere L$120, you truly get a lot of products in this purchase! Included are leggings, two versions of the shirt, and two bangles for each arm.

The scene is created from the TOSL offerings from Clutter and Tranquility Way Station Designs. The Pavilion from Clutter is simply amazing! Included with your purchase of only L$100 is the shelter with moving drapes and a beautifully lit ‘lamp’, four texture change seats, a table and a vase of flowers. The entire set is composed of 41 prims, which definitely isn’t too bad!

The Round Ottoman with Draped Blanket from Tranquility Way Station Designs is also a texture change piece priced at L$100; this would look simply amazing in bedrooms ranging from elegant to teenage girly. I absolutely love it! At only four prims, it is an extremely reasonable choice for seating in your home! Even better, the ottoman is copy! Invite your friends over and rez as many seats as needed!

For a complete listing of this week's designers, please visit the official Taste of Second Life Blog.

Credits
Clothing: *Leo by Izzie’s
Jewelry: *Included with Clothing
Shoes: *Maia Lace Heels in Black by Purrfect 10
Hair: Soma in Snickers by !lamb.
Skin: *Ana (Pale) Tropics by Filthy Skins (NEW)
Scene: *Hemmingway Collection Part 1 by Clutter and *Round Ottoman with Draped Blanket by Tranquility Way Station Designs
Poses by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Teagan in Summer Chiffon

2011-05-31T19:36:00.002-04:00

I could hardly believe my eyes when I was reading my good friend Tapika Tomsen’s blog yesterday. Seriously? A Grixdale skin set for only L$400? Surely I couldn’t have read that correctly! So, I rushed over to Grixdale and very happily found the soon to be retired Teagan skin for only L$400 per skin tone. I had never purchased a Grixdale skin before; so, I picked up the demo and rushed to my studio to try and find my perfect tone! The tone I chose was titled Latte in the demo package, but the corresponding tone on the display is labeled Honey. Whichever… it is beautiful!

Before I get too carried away talking about this gorgeous skin set, I want to point out what I’m wearing. After blogging Izzie’s poses a couple days ago, I headed over to the shop to see what else the designer had to offer. I was honestly expecting Izzie’s to be a pose shop, but to my pleasant surprise she also offers apparel and quite a few other things as well! The adorable summer dress I am wearing is a recently released design titled Chiffon Summer Dress (blue). I feel as though I should be walking a boardwalk by the beach when I wear this dress, and trust me, I wish I was right there in real life! The dress features two top designs in every layer possible for your various styling needs, two sculpted skirts (one with resize scripts and one without) and an alpha layer to hide your hips beneath the sculpt. And, just between the two of us, I was playing around with the skirt and discovered that the dress is tintable! Let your creativity run wild! Five color choices are available for purchase at L$200 each; I’m honestly not sure if the blue or the green is my favorite. I really love brown and green together, and the dress just screams tropical retreat to me! The gorgeous pearl set I’m wearing is also by Izzie’s (She’s just so talented!) and is available in five color combinations to match the Chiffon dresses at L$120 per set; both the necklace and the bracelet are included in the set. If you have never seen this designer, her store is a definite must stop destination on your next shopping spree!

Now, back to this luscious skin! By now you should all know that I am rather picky about what I choose to cover my ava with. I like realism but also artistry. Sometimes, it is a tad difficult to find the right combination in Second Life. I do believe that Grixdale has found a very happy mesh between the two. There is most definitely realism in the face, collar bones, back… actually, the entire body of the skin, but there is still that element of a drawn look, and I absolutely love it! None of us can be perfect in real life, but with the right skin, we can get pretty close in Second Life! The skin comes with eight delectable makeup choices in five skin tones. But, a mere eight skins are not all that is included in your purchase but an amazing sixty-four instead! With each makeup, options are included for brown color (brown or blonde), cleavage and dimples. All of the skins below are being worn with the brown brow, no dimples and no cleavage. I don’t know what it is about dimples in SL, but I’m just not into it. Also, two hair bases, two brow shapes and three body shapes are included in the package. As mentioned before, this set is being sold for only L$400 per skin tone. Honestly, it’s a steal!

As always, the photos displaying the makeup choices have not been edited except for cropping and an added border. This is to give you an accurate depiction of what the skin will look like in Second Life.

Credits
Clothing: *Chiffon Summer Dress in Blue by Izzie’s NEW
Jewelry: *Pearl Jewelry Set in Blue by Izzie’s NEW
Shoes: Montsegur Pumps in Navy by {mon tissu}
Hair: Leah in Brown 08 by [elikatira] NEW
Skin: Teagan in Honey by Grixdale
Pose: Model 157 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Maia in Lace

2011-05-30T12:17:00.002-04:00

I was so super excited when I saw the new shoes from Purrfect 10. They are most definitely a mesh of sexy and elegant. I don’t typically look through all the notecards I get about new releases every day simply because of the sheer quantity of them, but I’m really glad that I looked at the notice from Siss Boom. Stormy Weather was the perfect outfit for these shoes!

Stormy Weather is indeed a simple outfit, but what it lacks in ‘parts’ it more than makes up for in texture and design! The ripped top is completely sexy, and if you are a more conservative lady, you can very easily add an undershirt to hide the necessities! I am more conservative myself which is why I chose sideways poses; I’m wearing this right now in Second Life with an adorable red undershirt (it matches my lips hehe), and it still looks very sexy! You get three different versions of the top all of which are black with different colored ‘sparkles.’ Of course, you can never go wrong with an extra pair of beautifully textured leggings. At L$100, this outfit is a steal. Grab it before the price jumps up!

The Maia Lace Heels are probably my favorite Purrfect 10 shoe to date. There is so much detail included in the lace; they are absolutely beautiful. As with any other shoe from Purrfect 10, Maia includes options for skin color, color sync (which is really nice if you have multiple pairs of their shoes!), walk, size and sound. A feature of the full priced shoes that I absolutely LOVE is the ability to turn them black. But, not only can you turn the complete shoe black, but you can pick and choose which parts to turn! There are so many options in that one purchase! The ‘normal’ color is always listed as the primary, and black is always the secondary. So, what if you purchase the black shoe? The black shoe’s secondary color is always white or silver. Ten scrumptious colors are available for the Maia Lace Heels at L$690 each or L$5,500 for the 10 Pack.

Purrfect 10 has also released new gifts for both the VIP Group and the regular update group. To become a VIP group member requires a onetime fee of L$510, but for at least ten free pairs of shoes every year, it is so worth it! The Amara Heels in Snakeskin is the gift available to the VIP group and the Serenity Heels in Ocean (LOVE the colors!) is available to both groups. Hurry and grab them!

Just a side note… I have joined 2ndHub.com, and if anyone else has an account there, please feel free to friend request me! If you aren’t familiar with the site, it’s like Facebook for Second Life. Lol Just what I need… Another social media site to keep up with!

Credits
Clothing: Stormy Weather by Siss Boom
Shoes: [1, 2 & 3] *Maia Lace Heels in Black, [4] *Amara Heels in Snakeskin (VIP Group Gift) and [5] *Serenity Heels in Ocean (Group Gift) by Purrfect 10
Hair: Bethany in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *May [Dark] Blackbird 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Tattoo Layers: May Bonus Makeup 1, 2 & 3 by Curio (Group Gift)
Environment: Lockdown by Glitterati
Poses: [1] *Pin-Up 09 by Izzie’s, [2] *Pin-Up 02 by Izzie’s and [3, 4 & 5] Lockdown by Gliteratti

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Taste of Second Life: Memorial Day

2011-05-29T01:34:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day kicks off the unofficial start of summer in the United States, but more importantly, it is the day which we have set aside to remember and honor those military men and women who have fought and died for our freedom. Taste of Second Life is celebrating Memorial Day by giving us fabulous products at bargain prices! The three designers I am featuring include INDI Designs, Izzie’s and Magnifique Poses.

For TOSL, INDI Designs has set out a set of three retro bikinis. I absolutely love the design of these! The top and bottom include enough material to cover more than just the essentials, and the textures are fabulous. A red, blue and cyan bikini are included with the purchase for L$150, making it only L$50 per bikini! The red bikini features adorable dots, the blue bikini features vertical stripes and the cyan bikini features horizontal stripes.

As a blogger, I believe that it is absolutely essential to have a lot of poses, but then again maybe I’m just using that as an excuse to continuously expand my collection of the thousands that I already have. Poses are definitely one of my favorite things to ‘collect’ in Second Life, maybe even more so than hair, shoes and skin! Blasphemy… I know. Lol Izzie’s Pin Up (left) and Magnifique Poses’ Salute! (right) are perfect additions to my pose stuffed inventory. The Pin Up collection includes twelve poses for L$120, and the Salute! collection includes five poses for L$50. Either way, you cannot go wrong!

For a full listing of designers participating in Taste of Second Life, please visit the official blog.

Credits
Bikini: Retro by INDI Designs
Hair: Lucia in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: *May [Dark] Blackbird 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] *Pin Up by Izzie’s and [2] *Salute! by Magnifique Poses

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

My Shopping Bag

2011-05-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

I’m so happy that summer is almost here! Not only will summer bring warmer weather (hopefully!!), but I will also be able to blog more often! Yay! There is a new discount shop on the grid; I know there have been so many pop up the past few months, but honestly… can we really complain? Who doesn’t want awesome products for rock bottom prices? I’m all about saving money in real life as well as in Second Life.

One of the designers featured at My Shopping Bag is Essences skin. I honestly love trying skins from different designers; there is so much variety in Second Life that there is absolutely no excuse for your ava to have the same old look every day! Especially with these discount prices! Essences' contribution to the collection includes a very pretty skin titled Sarah. This skin features a lighter tone with a brownish/organish eye shadow and to die for pink lips! I really, really, really love the lips on Sarah; they are so luscious and juicy! The highlighting and shading is very pretty and appropriately placed throughout the body. For only, L$70, can you really pass this up? I think not! Hurry though… I’m not sure how long this collection will last at My Shopping Bag!

-- Note -- The top photo contains lighting adjustments made in photo editing software while the bottom photo has only been cropped with an added border to allow you to see a true representation of how the skin looks in Second Life.

Credits

Clothing: Chalk Dress in Scarlet by Tee*fy

Hair: Theory in Brown 08 by [elikatira]

Skin: *Sarah by Essences @ My Shopping Bag

Pose: [1] Model 140 by Gliteratti

Background by indigodeep

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

The Secret Store @ Culture Shock

2011-05-16T22:38:00.001-04:00

I have to say that I absolutely love the classy new outfit The Secret Store has out for Culture Shock. I’m rather conservative in real life, and I think that part of my personality definitely shines through in Second Life as well. The vintage texture of this two piece outfit is extremely adorable. The prim pieces are extremely well made and blend beautifully; I especially love the flower attachment for the jacket! The Popsicle dress is available in five options for L$200 each; the Eglantine jacket is available in three options for L$189 each.

Credit
Clothing: [Dress] *Popsicle in Floral and [Jacket] *Eglantine in Floral by The Secret Store @ Culture Shock
Hair: Rhythm in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *May [Dark] Hydrangea 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: *Model 436 by EverGlow

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

P10 @ 2011 Shoe Fair

2011-05-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

One thing that I definitely own a lot of in Second Life is shoes! And, of course, I can never say no to a new pair that is exquisitely crafted. Purrfect 10 has most definitely established itself as one of the top prim shoe designers; the sculpts are beautiful and the textures are amazing. Purrfect 10 is participating in Lazy Sunday this weekend as well as the 2011 Shoe Fair. For Lazy Sunday, Purrfect 10 has set out a new version of the Serenity heels titled Venom; these shoes feature a fantastic shade of purple with a snake skin pattern. For only L$75, you would be crazy to not pick these up! They will disappear at midnight SLT; so, go get them quickly!

As a special for the 2011 Shoe Fair, Purrfect 10 has placed three colors of the Florence Heels at 25% off normal price. These shoes feature all of the options of a regular priced pair of shoes from P10, including the option to turn the shoes black. Color options include Chocolate/Brass, Silver/Gold and Silver/Salmon, all placed at L$517 each. To help with coloring the prim foot to match your skin tone, Purrfect 10 now has a skin toner available absolutely free of charge. Pick yours up at their main store location or in their 2011 Shoe Fair store!

Credits
Shoes: [1] *Serenity Heels in Venom @ Purrfect 10 Main Store and [2-4] *Florence Heels @ Purrfect 10 2011 Shoe Fair Location
Skin: *May [Dark] Pure 2 (Sundust) by Curio @ 2011 Skin and Shape Expo
Pose: Model 12 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

May

2011-05-14T19:44:00.001-04:00

I can officially say that I am totally in love with the new Curio skin featured at the 2011 Skin and Shape Expo. I did my review pictures for this skin a bit different than typical. First of all, all the pictures are HUGE so you can see more detail. Secondly, I wore different skin tones! Haha So, you get to see more than just Sundust now.

I absolutely love how natural five out of the six makeup choices look for the May skin. The sixth more dramatic look is beautiful as well; it is just not a makeup I would wear in my every Second Life day. Each skin is available in individual makeup choices for L$1500 or in the megapack for $3000 (highly recommended). In the megapack, you will receive all twelve makeup options in all skin tones with choices between dark tone, light tone and freckles. It truly is an amazing value. There is also a special version of May being offered at the 2011 Skin and Shape Expo that is exclusively for charity; the eye shadow is a very beautiful blue tone.

When I went to crop my photos, I noticed something I had never seen on a Curio skin before. On one of the Moonbeam makeup choices, I noticed that part of the makeup was missing on the side of my avatar’s face. When I looked closer, I saw the same vanished makeup on all of my pictures and was a bit puzzled by it. I didn’t think that Gala Phoenix had forgotten to draw half the face; so, I went on a hunch and rotated my studio so that the sun was at my avatar’s back. Problem solved! I knew about the increased sun exposure that prim pieces would pick up, but I had never noticed it on my avatar’s skin or clothing layers. Needless to say, I completely retook every picture; I couldn’t go with half my face missing!

Credits
Skin: *May by Curio @ 2011 Skin and Shape Expo
Lashes: Lash Set 3 by Apple May Designs
Hair: Details in Black 04 by [elikatira]
Background by indigodeep

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Split Peas

2011-05-11T18:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about Second Life when I first joined was wearing big, poofy dresses every day! You just can’t do that in real life unless you are a princess, and I certainly am no Kate! Lemania Indigo Designs was my one stop shop for all things poofy, and although she does make many other beautiful types of clothing, her poofy pieces are still my favorite.

Split Peas is the latest piece to be added to Lemania Indigo’s poofy collection. I absolutely love the colors in this gown; beautiful greens, browns and golds are swirled throughout the dress. I really love the texturing on the back of the bodice; the ‘wrinkles’ gives the texture the look of a real fabric; the highlights and shadows are simply beautiful. As with all other Lemania dresses, the skirt moves beautifully; it is definitely perfect for any dancing event you may be attending. At only L$100, you cannot miss this!

Here is a sneak peak of the new skin line from Curio that I will be posting hopefully tomorrow. May has very natural makeup choices which I absolutely LOVE! Yes, I do like more dramatic looks at times, but for my everyday wear in Second Life, I like to look as natural as possible. I don’t believe there is any Curio skin that I don’t like, and I get so excited when a new design finds its way to my inventory! This skin can be purchased at the 2011 Skin and Shape Expo.

Credits
Clothing: *Split Peas by Lemania Indigo Designs
Hair: Here in Brown 04 by [elikatira]
Skin: Hydrangea 1 [Dark] May (Sundust) by Curio @ 2011 Skin and Shape Expo
Poses: [1] *Coy Honey 02 and [2] *Coy Honey 03 by Reasonable Poses
Background by indigodeep

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

The Party Dress

2011-05-08T20:59:00.000-04:00

I would like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful mothers today, and most of all, I would like to with a Happy Mother’s Day to my real life mother. She is such an amazing person; I truly do not know where I would be without her.

The new design that I am wearing today is by an amazing friend and a wonderful mother. Lestat Reuven has once again moved her store since the last time I featured a design by her, and I would have to say that the new build is most likely my favorite to date. The buildings are of course beautiful, and I absolutely love the color of the sky. My picture was taken in the Redgrave windlight with nothing extra special done; the sky is courtesy of the wonderful sky dome type structure that Lestat has put around the island. The lighter green color goes so beautifully with the dark greens of the land and the dark browns of the buildings.

The Party Dress is a perfect short dress for all of the spring and soon to be summer events that I am sure you have been attending. I absolutely love the way the skirt moves; it’s very smoothly and a bit slowly (which I love!). There are eight color variations for the top of the dress, each available for L$370.

Credits
Clothing: *The Party Dress in Iris by Siss Boom
Jewelry: Marquessa Diamond Bracelet by EarthStones (Group Gift)
Shoes: Montsegur Pumps in White by {mon tissue}
Hair: Novel in Brown 08 by elikatira
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Sprite 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

I Always Come Back ♥

2011-05-02T21:07:00.000-04:00

Heaven help me! I have sat down to write this post a good billion times in the past three weeks, and without fail something comes up or goes wrong and it never gets completed. My latest problem is that my Second Life viewer refuses to open. :| After the latest update, I get to the “Initializing VFS” box and then the viewer completely crashes. I have tried manually deleting my cache, completely deleting everything related to Second Life from my computer and reinstalling, and even contacting tech support. I cannot believe they actually had the audacity to tell me that since I’m not a premium member, they could not help me. Excuse me, but I spend a crap load of money on this ‘game’ even though I wasn’t a premium member. I did upgrade my membership in the hope that they would help me, but I’m not holding my breath. If anyone has any words of wisdom for my problem, I would gladly accept them. =)

On to fashion! I really love this outfit from SE*Designz even though by now I’m sure that they have something much newer out. I love the simple feeling it gives me; the feeling of freedom… to be able to run barefoot across soft spring grass! Before I took my very short hiatus, I saw a lot of the folded shirts on the fashion feeds. I absolutely love the look; it’s so roomy and pretty at the same time! The textures included in the skirt are very soft as well; this is definitely a perfect match! Both the Nested Neckholder Top and the Denim Skirt can be found at SE*Designz for L$125 each.

Although the top is very beautiful in itself, I personally found it to be a bit too low cut for my tastes. So, what was my solution? Exactly the same thing that I would do in real life! I took advantage of the layering abilities of V2 and put on the Intrinsic Tank in cream by JANE which are absolutely FREE! You really cannot pass these up!

I am really glad that I was able to cover Fashion for Life last March; while serving an amazing cause, it also exposed me to many new to me designers. One of those designers is the very talented Zaara who specializes in Indian clothing and accessories. I absolutely fell in love with her jewelry pieces; they are all very bold and full of color. I picked up the Indra painted stacked bangles while I was at the fair and then paid a visit to the store where I picked up the Karmuka necklace (colored) to add a little flavor to my simple outfit. This is most definitely a designer I will be keeping my eye on!

Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] *Nested Neckholder Top in Broze by SE*Designz, [Undershirt] *Intrinsic Tank in Cream by JANE and [Skirt] *Denim Skirt by SE*Designz
Jewelry: [Bangles] Indra and [Necklace] Karmuka (Colored) by Zaara
Hair: Breath in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Jealous 1 [Dark] Sweetheart (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: Model 50 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Samsara

2011-04-12T20:52:00.000-04:00

I’m so excited that Felicity Winslet is opening a new jewelry store! I was sad to see Mariposa close last year right when I was getting back into blogging. Her new store, titled Samsara which means “the indefinitely repeated cycles of birth, misery and death caused by karma,” is set to open soon, though I’m not certain that a definite date has been set yet. As soon as it opens, you will definitely be able to find the link on my blog! Florita Reloaded is one of the pieces which will be released with the opening. The set includs a choker and a bracelet which are available in silver, dark silver and bronze. Scripts are included in the pieces for easy resizing and gem options (eight color choices). Keep an eye out for that landmark!

I know that you can only see a very tiny portion of the outfit that I am wearing, but I really loved the bright red color and wanted to use it for my post even though the design is a little risqué for my personal tastes. The dress, appropriately titled Sizzle Red, is composed of a bikini type top with straps of cloth that cover the breasts and extend down the stomach to meet in a ‘V’ type pattern at the top of the skirt. The skirt portion is a mini with a prim piece included which matches very well with the texture of the skirt. If this sounds like an outfit you would like, please teleport to DK Design where you will find this hot little number for L$55 this week only!

Credits
Clothing: *Sizzle Red by DK Design (L$55 Sale)
Jewelry: *Florita Reloaded in Silver by Samsara (OPENING SOON)
Hair: Rush in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Enchant 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: Long Hair 9 by Glitterati
Background by Smoko Stock

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Romance

2011-04-11T20:14:00.000-04:00

Everyone can use a little romance in their inventory, and The Secret Store’s latest release is just the way to do it! Romance is an adorable babydoll type shirt that features a high neck and a sculpted prim skirt. I really love how shiny the texture is and how soft the colors are. Six color combinations are available for L$189 each or L$1,000 for the fatpack. Two special edition color combinations have also be left out from a previous Lazy Sunday event for only L$70 each! Grab them before they are gone!

I really needed a cute pair of black leggings to go with the adorable Romance top; so, I headed for my favorite shopping place of late… the marketplace! It’s so easy to just type in what you are looking for and browse through the choices; it really cuts down on all the time you would spend looking through various shops! I do have to be honest, however; sometimes I am a little nervous about buying products from vendors I have never heard of. I hate spending money on clothing that looks fantastic in a picture and absolutely horrible on me. I typically prefer to grab a freebie from a store as a basis for quality before I spend Lindens, but since the leggings from Art Decade were only L$30, I decided to give them a shot anyway. I have to say that I am completely impressed with my L$30 leggings! The texture is absolutely beautiful, and at such a cheap price, I can afford the fatpack of seven colors for only L$150! I just had to visit the store in world as well, and I really love their products. You just may be seeing more posts featuring Art Decade products!

Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] *Romance in Light Pink by The Secret Store and [Pants] Leggings in Black by Art Decade
Shoes: Buckle Flats in Black by Phoenix Rising
Shoes: Brande in Cynical Black by fri.day (SALE)
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Sprite 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: *Knee High Fashion 5 by !Bang
Background by FairieGoodMother

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Hello, April

2011-04-10T01:08:00.000-04:00

It’s so entirely crazy how real life can become so completely crazy so quick! I have had very little time over the past view weeks to spend on Second Life; which of course in turn cut down on the posts I could make. Great news though… I found my perfect wedding dress! Now just to finally decide on where my wonderful fiancé and I will be getting married! Haha

A couple weeks ago JANE released an absolutely adorable spring line. I have been wearing the same outfit for the past week or so in the hope that I would get time to photograph and post. I had only been logging in for a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes in the evening to get notecards and group announcements and then back off to real life I went. I did finally get to photograph the adorable Chloe Denim Mini and the Chase Sweater. The sculpt for the skirt is absolutely adorable and the texture is amazing; the skirt is shaped with a bit of a wave in it so it looks more natural. The Chase Sweater contains prim pieces for the arms, collar and sweater bottom; just like the skirt, the sweater also contains an amazing realistic but still artistic texture. Chloe Denim Mini is available for L$110 and Chase Sweater is available for L$100 only at JANE!

What better to go with an adorable spring outfit than a Purrfect pair of shoes! Last week Purrfect 10 released their new line of shoes titled Gemini. These sexy heels feature a beautiful strap around the ankle with zippers up the back of the ankle as well as on the strap on the front of the shoe. As with all Purrfect 10 purchase, any shoe can be retextured to black. Skin colors for the sculpted shoes are controlled through RGB values. The shoes also contain options for sound, nail color, metal color, resizing, and walking. Purrfect 10 shoes no longer contain options for invisiprims; however, most Second Life viewers now allow users to use the alpha option which eliminates the need for invisiprims. Gemini is available in ten colors at L$690 each or L$5,500 for the fatpack; VIP members receive 25% off purchases when the group tag is worn.

Credits
Clothing: [Undershirt] *Intrinsic Tank in Choclate, [Sweater] *Chase Sweater in Cream and [Skirt] *Chloe Denim Mini in Classic by JANE
Shoes: *Gemini Heels in Leather Chocolate by Purrfect 10
Hair: My Shilova in Girl Next Door by Clawtooth
Skin: *Sweetheart [Light] Rose 1 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: Model 135 by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Purrfect 10 @ Pure Juice

2011-03-26T09:09:00.000-04:00

Today is the last day of the Pure Juice event and the last day that you can pick up these amazing shoes from Purrfect 10! The Florence Pure Juice Floral feature beautiful sculpts and all the features of a regular priced shoe from Purrfect 10. Textures can be either the primary color or the secondary color of black; options are included for skin tone (RGB values), walk, sound, invisiprim, nail color and resize. For only L$390, these shoes are an absolute steal!

Credits
Shoes: *Florence Pure Juice Floral Heels by Purrfect 10 @ Pure Juice
Skin: *Sweetheart [Dark] (Sundust) by Curio

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Kimi

2011-03-23T20:50:00.000-04:00

Lately I have shied a bit away from doing exclusive skin posts because it took me entirely too long to take the photographs (crash after every snapshot), and I have been running very short on time (planning my wedding and taking masters courses!). I am completely loving how my Second Life has been behaving since the last update. No more crashing after one snapshot! I was able to completely photograph the beautiful new line by Filthy Skins with the new skirt from The Secret Store in under thirty minutes. Words truly cannot describe how happy that makes me.

Kimi is the new face by Filthy Skins, and I absolutely love it! I have discovered so many fantastic designers by visiting discount shops; Chic Boutique is where I found the lovely Alexandra Barcelos. So, to all you designers out there who think that discount shops are a waste of time and effort, they are definitely not! You will attract more customers who always hunt for a bargain. Kimi is a soft, gentle skin for the most part. The eye shadows are evident but not overdone, and the lips are beautifully colored. I love how the designer has only added a touch of eyelashes; this gives you, the customer, complete freedom to add your own favorite eyelashes. I should have added a tattoo layer eye shadow to my pictures for an example; I’ll remember to do that with my next Filthy Skins post. Six makeups are available in four tones each. Also, a closed mouth and ‘teeth’ version are included in your purchase. Single makeups can be purchased for L$ 1,000 each or L$4,000 for a single skin tone fatpack containing all makeups. If you are a Filthy Skins VIP Member (L$199 joining fee), you will receive a 50% discount on your purchase if made in the first two days of the release (today and tomorrow)! Be sure to activate your tag BEFORE your purchase!

The Secret Store is another one of those amazing little shops with absolute beautiful designs that I found through, no… not a discount shop, but a hunt! Just another example of how designers who are so good to their customers can attract more traffic. Maylee Oh has added a new design to her shop at Euphoria titled Froufrou. I really love the super cute name! To go with the super cute name is a super cute design. I always love The Secret Store sculpts; they are all beautifully crafted with amazing textures. Of course, the new skirt is no exception. Three layers of beautiful ‘fabric’ give this skirt a very girlish look. I really love the belt attached to the top; it definitely gives the skirt a little extra personality. Resize scripts have been added to the skirt which allows you to easily make adjustments for your ava. The skirt is available in six adorable colors at L$189 each; a fatpack is also available for L$900.

Last, but most certainly not least, Ingenue is having a 25% to 50% Off Sale on everything through Saturday! I’m sure you are as happy as I was when I first heard about it. Angelique is just one of the many beautiful designs on sale right now. The body suit features a corset style design with a hint of an adorable floral texture. Ten colors are available in this designs at L$82 each. Love them all? Pick up the fatpack for only L$412!

Credits
Clothing: [Shirt] Angelique in Lilas by Ingenue and [Skirt] *FrouFrou in Purple by The Secret Store @ Euphoria
Hair: Details in Brown 04 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Kimi (Pale) by Filthy Skins
Pose: 062 by Glitterati
Background by FairieGoodMother

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Fashion for Life [LeeZu and Riddle]

2011-03-22T21:13:00.000-04:00

There are only a few hours left of Fashion for Life; if you haven’t dropped by, I would definitely do so if I were you! This event supports such a worthwhile cause; I am truly touched by all of the amazing designers and event organizers who have donated their time and money to raise funds for cancer research. You have all touched more lives than you could ever possibly know.

LeeZu is a designer I have come to admire since I began shopping at The Dressing Room so many months ago. Her designs are simply amazing and absolutely breathtaking; she is able to combine unique and sexy into one. You can see all of these qualities in Catch Lily which is just one of the designs LeeZu Baxter has set out for a full 100% donation to Relay for Life. The collar is so distinctive; it really caught my eye when I first saw the design. Three different skirt options come with your purchase which includes a sculpted and flexi (pictured), sculpted non-flexi, and babydoll sculpted and flexi. This dress will be available at Fashion for Life for a donation of L$350 until 1 a.m. SLT.

Another designer I have come to admire recently is Chrystina Noel, owner and designer of Riddle. I first came across this brand while shopping at Designer’s Showcase, one of the now many discount shops in SL. Her textures are interesting while not being overwhelming. She also understands the concept of beauty in simplicity. The Spring Has Sprung dress in Dandelions is a new item which features a very pretty polka dot and ‘stick figure’ dandelions design. This design makes use of a new feature made possible via Second Life Viewer 2; included with your purchase is an alpha layer which hides your butt and hips! This alleviates the awkward look that many AOs can give sculpted dresses. While this version of the Spring Has Sprung dress is a nondonation item, two other versions of the same style with different textures will be available for a 100% donation to Relay for Life of L$150 each until 1 a.m. SLT.

Credits
Clothing: [1] *Catch Lily by LeeZu @ Fashion for Life and [2] *Spring Has Sprung in Dandelions by Riddle @ Fashion for Life
Hair: Away in Black 04 by [elikatira]
Shoes: *Damaris Boots in Leather Black by Purrfect 10
Skin: *Sweetheart [Dark] Deeply Madly 1 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] 092 and [2] 056 by Glitterati
Background by FairieGoodMother

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Damaris at Purrfect 10

2011-03-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

There’s nothing like starting your week with a pair of amazing shoes. Or several pair that is… Purrfect 10 recently released a second version of their Damaris Boots. The first version features patent leather while the second version features traditional leather. Both designs feature a split in the side with adorable buckles and straps crossing the separation. The ‘sock’ can be dyed any color to match your outfit. Both versions are available in ten colors for L$790 each or L$6,000 per fatpack. All shoes can be changed to black through an option in the menu, and the black pair can be changed to white. Shoes also feature options for walk, sound, foot lock, and invisiprim.

Patent Leather

Traditional Leather

Purrfect 10 also released a new VIP group gift. The Serenity Heels in Tiger are absolutely gorgeous and feature many of the same options as a normal Purrfect VIP purchase. VIP memberships can be purchased for a fee of L$510; perks for VIP membership include at least ten free gifts per year and 25% off all full priced purchases when your tag is worn.

Wondering where my awesome poses came from? Glitterati is having a Pre-Pose Fair sale and has several items marked down to L$100, including the Garage Pose Prop!

Credits
Shoes: Demaris Boots in [1] *Patent White, [2] *Patent Salmon Rose, [3] *Leather Cream, [4] *Leather Salmon Rose, [5] *Leather Black and [6] *Serenity Heels Tiger VIP Gift by Purrfect 10
Skin: *Sweetheart [Dark] Deeply Madly 1 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: Garage Pose Prop by Glitterati

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Purrfect 10 at Lazy Sunday

2011-03-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

Purrfect 10 has another amazing offering for Lazy Sunday! The Serenity Lilac Bow Heels will be available only for a few more short hours for the extremely low price of L$75. Luxury shoes at rock bottom prices! I honestly love that Purrfect 10 has decided to participate in this discount event. Since my favorite part of the shoes is the bow in the back, I decided to photograph the shoes at an angle from the back. The sash that is wrapped around the foot is absolutely amazing, and the color is perfect for spring! Like all other Purrfect 10 shoes, options are available for resizing, skin color adjustments (RGB), sound, walk, invisiprim, foot lock and skin sync.

Purrfect 10 also has some new releases which I will be blogging tomorrow; I didn’t have time to get them up today, but since Lazy Sunday is a time sensitive event, I thought I should get these up asap! Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!

Credits:
Shoes: *Lazy Sunday Serenity Lilac Bow Heels by Purrfect 10
Pose: Profile Photo 3 by Gliteratti

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Taste of Second Life: Spring Break

2011-03-20T20:30:00.001-04:00

You can definitely see that spring has sprung with Taste of Second Life this weekend! Every week, TOSL has a different theme, and spring break was very appropriately chosen for this week’s theme. Of course, Cancun is a classic theme within spring break; so, it wasn’t surprising to see a lot of bikinis from designers. I’m featuring the designs from Indie Rose (L$50), Alexohol (L$75) and Havana Nights (L$50). Alexohol’s contribution not only contains the bikini, but it also contains a sexy bathing suit and a pair of shorts. The Havana Nights bikini is offered in four cute colors.

For a full listing of all designs offered, please visit the official Taste of Second Life blog.

Credits:
Clothing: [1] *Snake Print Bikini by Indie Rose, [2] *Beach Party Pack by Alexohol and [3] *Striped Bikini Blue by Havana Nights
Hair: *Amber by Milana
Skin: *Sweetheart [Dark] Deeply Madly 1 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses by DeePosed

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Milana

2011-03-19T23:08:00.000-04:00

Before I learned how to take high rez pictures, I did a lot more hair reviews than I do now. The main reason for that is because every time I take a high rez picture, my Second Life browser crashes resulting in fifteen to twenty minutes needed for each snapshot. If I have a lot of hair styles to photograph, you are talking about an all day event! I had been photographing the new Dernier Cri, rebranded Milana, styles this week any time I got a free fifteen minutes amid a family crisis and homework due for my masters course. I am getting married in three months and was getting ready to go house hunting with my fiancé this morning and was also hoping to take at least a couple snapshots while I put my makeup on. I was a little annoyed that I had to take the time to update my Second Life browser, but oh my… I was more than pleasantly surprised when I took my first snapshot. My browser didn’t crash! Whatever you did Second Life techs, thank you!! I was able to take about eight photographs in ten to fifteen minutes! I’m so happy and will be doing more hair and skin reviews whenever I get the chance!

Now, on to the hair! As I mentioned above, Dernier Cri has rebranded as Milana with an extra designer added as well. All of the styles below are by the designer of Dernier Cri, Asuka Martin. Perhaps now that I can photograph quickly, I will also feature the styles from her partner, Sharifa Morenz! I first discovered Dernier Cri during the one.eleven event last November. I absolutely fell in love with the quality of the hair and impatiently awaited the arrival of her new release. The long wait was most definitely worth the amazing line of new hairs released this past weekend. Hair packs are available for L$245 each and fatpacks are available for L$845. The fatpack includes seventy beautiful shades which can be changed through a ‘hair dyeing’ hud. A free gift is also available to customers; join the Subscribo for the free hair!

The outfit I am wearing is an offering at Fashion for Life, the Second Life event to benefit Relay for Life by the American Cancer Society. Although the color of the dress I am wearing is not for charity, a green version of the same style is available for a donation of L$200 at Vanitas Vesture. Nine additional colors, including the one I am wearing, are also available at the fair for a nondonation price of L$200 each.

The shoes I am wearing are also an item featured at Fashion for Life. As my first purchase from Pixel Mode, I have to say that I am very impressed and very pleased. The quality of the shoes are exceptional; the sculpts are beautiful and the texture is amazing. The pink version of the Baby T’s are available for a donation of L$300. Three other nondonation colors are also available for L$300 each.

Credits:
Clothing: *Languid Party Dress in Rose by Vanitas Vesture @ Fashion for Life
Hair: *All Styles by Milana
Shoes: Baby T’s in Pink by Pixel Mode @ Fashion for Life
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Sprite 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1] Long Hair 6, [2-10] Long Hair 2 and [11] Long Hair 10 by Gliteratti
Background by FairieGoodMother

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Fashion for Life [Clio]

2011-03-15T17:37:00.000-04:00

Looking for something simple yet elegant? Clio, another new to me designer, is offering two black and white versions of the Yvonne Gown at Fashion for Life. One version is predominantly white while the other is predominately black. I really love how simple the textures are with this gown. Sometimes overdone textures can really distract from the beauty of a gown… or any other outfit. I also love how many prim attachments are included with this gown; no matter which way my AO moves me, I don’t have some weird piece sticking out. For a donation of L$250, you can add this beautiful gown to your inventory.

Credits
Clothing: *Yvonne Gown in White by Clio @ Fashion for Life
Hair: Witch in Ink by !lamb.
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Sprite 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Pose: *Model 424 by EverGlow
Background by JoesSistah

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Fashion for Life [Fab.Pony, LOGO and Elikatira]

2011-03-14T20:28:00.000-04:00

I remember being completely awe inspired during my first Second Life Relay for Life Clothing Fair last year. I first joined Second Life in late October of 2009, and nine SIMs of international wonder was simply amazing. All year I looked forward to the next RFL Clothing Fair, and I was extremely disappointed when I first read that there would not be one for this year. Thankfully, new coordinators stepped up to give those who had organized the fair in years past a break, and thus, we now have Fashion for Life.

I am so completely honored to have been accepted as an official blogger for the event; I, like so many others, have been personally affected by cancer. Many people in my family have suffered from the horrible disease, including both my grandmothers, one of my grandfathers and one of my sisters. I am happy to do anything possible to raise awareness and funds for research. Many fabulous designers have donated their time and creations to help raise money which will be donated to the American Cancer Society. To keep track of the funs being raised, please visit the official Fashion for Life blog.

One of my favorite parts about fashion fairs is the discovery of new designers. Many times in Second Life, it is difficult to find new stores because of the vastness of the grid. Unless the designer is included in a special sale or event, I’m more than likely not going to know about them. Fab.Pony is a new to me store that is full of color. You know me, I’m not typically a fan of mini dresses with prim pieces stuck between the legs, but when I find a design like this that matches up extremely well, it is a definite win. The Own the Night Dress has a very interesting zig-zag pattern with an amazingly shiny and realistic texture. While many colors are available, the fuchsia and black version is the version offered as a Relay for Life donation. This beautiful dress is perfect for a night out on the town and is available for a donation of L$310.

To match your fab new dress, you can try your hand at Fab.Pony’s gatcha for the chance to win the pair of Fantasy60 Earrings with matching fuchsia and black colors! Nine colors are included in the gatcha with a three color pack being the lucky rare item (fuchsia/pink version found in rare pack). Even if you don’t snag the three color pack with your first L$60 donation, honestly all of the colors are a win.

I matched the dress from Fab.Pony up with another new to me store item from LOGO. I think I may have heard of LOGO on the fashion feeds, but I have never visited the store. I am most definitely putting that on my ‘to do’ list for the near future. The Stone Chip set includes a necklace, bracelet and a set of earrings. The design reminds me of the very popular design my real life sisters wear. The classic black color allows you to pair this jewelry set with so many different outfits, and the donation price of L$325 makes this a true bargain.

I really love when clothing is sold as outfits in Second Life. With the endless tones and shades designers can choose from for their clothing, sometimes it is a challenge to find items that match each other. Fab.Pony has put together two items for another of their donation items. The Samantha Stripped Tank in White and Fog and the Chloe Jeans in Charcoal are being offered for a donation price of L$399. Sold separately, these items would cost L$425; so, you are saving money while giving a worthwhile contribution to the fight for a cure! The jeans are amazing and include attachment pieces for both heels and flats.

It’s no secret that one of my favorite designers in Second Life is the owner of Elikatira. I first discovered ETD when I began modeling for Lemania Indigo Designs in February 2010. I was still relatively new in world and asked a co-worker where I could find good quality hair at a fair price. She sent me the landmark to ETD, and it has been love ever since. I was heartbroken when the doors closed for a few months and was overly excited when Elikatira opened for business a few months ago. Hye is the newly released design from Elikatira for Fashion for Life. I was truly touched when I read the subconscious inspiration for the style on Elikatira’s blog. The design is a style her mother wore as a young woman; unfortunately, she lost her to cancer more than ten years ago. Hye is being offered in a special twelve color pack for a donation of L$400.

Credits:

Photos 1, 2 & 3:
Clothing: *Own the Night by Fab.Pony @ Fashion for Life
Jewelry: [Earrings] *Fantasy60 Earrings in Legacy Pink by Fab.Pony @ Fashion for Life and [Necklace and Bracelet] Stone Chip Set by LOGO @ Fashion for Life
Shoes: Bow Slingbacks in Black by Cherry
Hair: QTP129 in Black by booN
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Lore 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [1 and 2] Don’t Stand So Close to Me and [3] I’m Just a Small Cog in the System by Don’t Freak Out!
Background by AshenSorrow

Photos 4 & 5:
Clothing: [Shirt] *Samantha Stripped Tank in White and Fog and [Pants] *Chloe Pants in Charcoal by Fab.Pony @ Fashion for Life
Shoes: Move Pumps in Smoke by [elikatira]
Hair: Hye in Brown 08 by [elikatira] @ Fashion for Life
Skin: Elf 2 [Dark] Lore 2 (Sundust) by Curio
Poses: [4] *Second the Motion 6 and [5] *Just Shut Up 8 by !bang
Background by Chulii Stock

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.