Pieces of My Closet XI

Sorting through my inventory is always interesting, but I've had a reoccurring problem of forgetting not only about the things that are unorganized but also forgetting what I have in the organized section of my inventory.  I came across a blog about a visual inventory organizer on Every Second Man yesterday that had me very intrigued.  I checked out the marketplace listing and thought that the system was a bit pricey; I definitely was not about ready to shell out 699L for a product that I wasn't sure would work for me.  Fortunately, the designer has a very thorough website with an example of how the system works.  In short, this program is designed to allow you to efficiently organize and catalog your inventory with pictures and custom tags.  I honestly do not know how I have survived without this for the past three years; it is most definitely worth 699L plus some.  If you want to use the wardrobe to not only organize your inventory but to be able to wear outfits directly from it, you do have to be using a RLV capable viewer.  No matter the size of your inventory, I highly recommend this product.

I'm not typically a fan of system layer dresses that have a prim piece stuck between the legs; too often the prim piece is shaded differently than the dress, and it just ends up looking bad.  I made an exception with the Malika dress by Baiastice (since the items from this brand are extremely well made!) that I found in my inventory.  I had been wearing the boots by LaRoo the entire time while sorting in the hope of finding something that would look good with them.  For some reason, when I saw the dress with the boots I was instantly reminded of a favorite movie from my childhood.... Teen Witch.  The combination looked like something Louise would have worn.  Unfortunately, the dress by Baiastice is an old Dressing Room item that is no longer available; the designer does have similar type designs offered in her store, some of which are mesh.

So the boots by LaRoo aren't technically something old that I rediscovered in my inventory, but they were already there when I started sorting this week; so, that should count for something!  LaRoo is a newly formed collaboration brand between Cracked Mirror and CrashOV Uladstron; all designs offered by this brand are completely original mesh creations.  The Clyde Boots are available in twelve colors and feature a partially laced shoe with a girly touch of studs adorning the toe and heel of the shoes.  A free demo is available for you to try, or you could pick up the free Christmas version via the subscriber; simply click the board to receive the shoes.


Credits
Clothing: [Dress] Malika in Scarlet Red by Baiastice (No longer available) and [Tights] Sheer Tights in Black by Izzie's
Shoes: Clyde Boots in Black by LaRoo Shoes
Jewelry: Chouette Earrings in Gray by je suis
Hair: Lewna in Indecisive Blonde 2 by ploom 50% Off Sale
Skin: Mistletoe (With Love Hunt 2011) by Atomic (No longer available)
Makeup: Black Eyeliner Gentle Fume by Acid & Mala
Eyes: Eternal Eyes in Storm by IKON
Lashes: 2011 Curl Lashes by LeLutka
Hands: Mesh Hands Casual by Slink
Pose: Moody 2 by aDORKable Poses @ Zodiac
Location: MadPea Carneval

Pieces of My Closet VIII

I have to say that I am extremely proud of myself for consistently working on cleaning out my inventory for an entire month now!  I have only dropped a few thousand in item numbers, but I think I may have finally convinced myself that I will get there.  Eventually.

The dress I'm wearing tonight is by Baiastice and was featured at Fairy Tales this past summer.  I really love events in Second Life because more often than not I find new to me designers; I also love walking around the venues and looking at the creative architecture the builders have come up with.  The aspect of participating in said events that can be a bit overwhelming, however, is the volume of items available.  Many times I want to feature so many of the items available, but I simply do not have the time.  Perhaps that is part of the reason I started blogging for SeraphimSL... You do technically get to show all of the pieces, but in a summarized fashion.  What can I say... I really love sharing what I find!  The dress is available at the Baiastice main store location and is offered in eight colors which include five mesh sizes and an alpha layer; a free demo is available.

I'm not sure when or where I picked up this hair by Raspberry Aristocrat, but it is quite gorgeous, and I'm very glad that I rediscovered it.  It could very well have also been a piece I picked up at an event (Hair Fair perhaps?) and forgot/lost/misplaced in my unruly inventory.  The hair is available at Raspberry Aristocrat's main store and is available in nine color packs, a mixed pack and a fatpack.


Credits
Clothing: *Lily Mesh Dress in Gold by Baiastice
Jewelry: VernaRose by Alienbear's Designs
Hair: Beth in Brown Bittersweet by Raspberry Aristocrat
Nails: *Metal Stripe Nails by Izzie's
Skin: *Geanna Skin Pale DB by Izzie's
Makeup: [Eyes] *Geanna Eyeshadow Moss and [Lips] *Lipstick Brown by Izzie's (Included with purchase of Geanna Skin)
Poses: [1 and 2] *Pencil II 2 by aDORKable Poses
Location: The Pixel Bean Coffeehouse

* Denotes promotional copy.

A Day in Black & White

To begin with, I hope all of those who are in the path of Hurricane Sandy remain safe throughout the coming week.  The local meteorologists are still not completely sure how the storm will affect the area in which I live... We have snow alerts for anywhere between a grassy coating to twelve inches.  Huge difference!  You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

I have always loved finding and exploring unique SIMs in Second Life.  Of course, as time has gone on it does take more to impress me, but Circa delivers uniqueness in spades.  The SIM is completely decorated in black and white; it feels like you are walking into an old stick figure cartoon.  If you want to visit the SIM and don't use a neutral windlight in your daily Second Life activities, I highly recommend using the region settings and setting your draw distance to at least 300 m.

The dress I'm wearing is a new mesh design from 22769 Casual Couture and is available at the new round of Zodiac which started a few days ago.  As most of you know, I have been blogging with SeraphimSL since the summer of 2011; the one thing I enjoy the absolute most about working for the coverage blog is the opportunity to discover new to me brands and watch them grow in skill over time.  I first came across 22769 Casual Couture while doing coverage of The Gallery Gift Shop some time last year; their designs were never bad, but the designers' skills have most definitely increased.  I am very excited to see where this brand goes in the future.  The dress I'm wearing comes in four designs, includes standard sizes and is available as a free demo.

Izzie Button released a new version of the Fuyu skin just in time for Halloween at The Costume Ball.  This tone is much lighter and worked great as a vampire skin for a Halloween party I attended last night.  The new set includes two brow colors, cleavage options, a nail base, four lipsticks and four glosses on tattoo layers, blush on a tattoo layer, an eyebrow shape and a modifiable body shape.  A free demo is available.

The stunning new eyes I am wearing are from Mayfly and are available to purchase as system eyes or mesh eyes.  Both packs include four versions with differing levels of white, but I personally prefer the mesh eyes.  They give a very realistic look to your avatar which is very important if you love doing head shots with photography; also, you can adjust the iris size of the eyes with the mesh version.  You get more options with mesh at the same price as the system layer eyes!


Credits
Clothing: Geometric Lotus Dress in Black Block by 22769 Casual Couture @ Zodiac
Jewelry: Never Earring Silver by Bens Beauty (Currently Unavailable)
Shoes: *Ute Mesh Pumps in Red by Baiastice
Eyes: *Liquid Light Mesh Eye in Pale True Grey by Mayfly
Hair: Shine in Black 04 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Fuyu Skin (Costume Ball Edition) DB by Izzie's @ The Costume Ball
Makeup: *Lipgloss Red by Izzie's (Included with Fuyu Skin)
Poses: [1] *Pencil II 10 and [2] *Odyssey 5m (Available @ Cinema) by aDORKable Poses
Location: Cica

* Denotes promotional copy.

She's Got the Look

My husband is away on a trip with his dad this weekend which left me with a little extra time to play around with some photography effects I had been wanting to try.  I have always loved photos that incorporated the depth of field feature.  Unfortunately, my experiment was full of frustration and left me confused as to what I was doing wrong.  My viewer camera would capture in-world DoF when I took small snapshots, but the effect was completely lost when I switched to high resolution snapshots.  I took my frustration to Plurk where the lovely Harlow Heslop shared that this was very common.  On one hand, the information was a relief since I really hadn't been doing anything wrong with the viewer, but on the other hand, it stressed me a little to think that I would have to use PhotoShop to really get the effect that I wanted.  I panic a little every time I think about learning something new with PhotoShop... I'm not exactly good at it.  I ended up finding a very easy tutorial on how to create a depth of fiend effect in PhotoShop, and trust me... If I think it is easy, anyone can do it!

coldLogic released several new designs this past week, including the adorable skirt I'm wearing.  I have been in love with this brand's designs since their opening this past January.  They have a very classy casual look, and to be such high quality items, you can purchase them for an extremely reasonable price.  The Gemma skirt is available in four colors and includes standard sizes; the same skirt design is also offered under two other names (Glass and Giles) in four colors each.  The Matta shirt was released in early September and is also available in four colors with standard sizes included. All demos are free at coldLogic.

This entire look was inspired by such a simple item... The new tights from Izzie's!  Two packs of fifteen colors each were released this past week with one pack containing colors and the other pack containing the basics.  The tights come on the underpants and socks layers; they are modifiable which really allows you to make them your own and fit any look you are going for.

aDORKable Poses is participating in this month's round of My Second Box.  If you aren't familiar with this 'event,' each month you join the in-world group at a cost of 300L per month.  A selection of designers will send out samples of products via the group starting on the 15th of each month.  You have until the 25th to snag the items from the group's notices section; on the 26th of each month, everyone is ejected from the group and new enrollment will begin on the first of the next month.  If you would like to check out the featured designers and products before joining, check out the My Second Box website and Flickr.


Credits:
Clothing: [Top] Matta in White by coldLogic, [Skirt] Gemma in Charcola by coldLogic, [Undershirt] Intrinsic Top in Red Delicious by JANE (free) and [Stockings] *Sheer Tights in Cherry by Izzie's
Jewelry: Jackie by LaGyo @ The Dressing Room
Shoes: Amina Mesh Platform Booties in Black by Baiastice
Hair: Spark in Brown 08 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Fuyu Skin Pale DB by Izzie's
Makeup: [Eyeshadow] *Fuyu Eyeshadow Silver and [Lips] *Lipstick Cherry by Izzie's
Poses: [1] *Attitude 2m by aDORKable Poses @ My Second Box and [2] *Honey 1 by aDORKable Poses
Location: Izzie's

* Denotes promotional copy.

In the Spotlight

I think I may have overdone it just a tad with the number of pictures I have for my post this weekend, but I honestly couldn't help myself.  I finally figured out how to use a 'homemade' projector to create shadows in Second Life.  Two things I learned from the experience: (1) This technique can add a lot of drama to the picture, and (2) shadows produced on the body can be a little much.  I still need a lot of practice using this photography style, but I love learning and improving what I can do with photos. I would really love to learn how to do more Photoshop techniques... The really dramatic photos almost always seem to be heavily Photoshopped.

Cinema opened this weekend, and I must say that I am extremely impressed with the build.  The entire venue is mesh; the design is absolutely beautiful and the textures are so much fun.  When you go, be sure to turn the music on; it really adds to the experience.

The outfit I'm wearing is one of the creations available from Volstead at Cinema.  Before the event, I had never heard of this designer, but I immediately fell in love with all the products available in her booth.  Unfortunately, she does not have a shop in world to visit, but there are a few items on the Marketplace to check out.  It was very difficult to choose which dress I wanted to showcase and then even more difficult to choose what color I wanted to purchase.  Each color comes with two colors of lace.  I decided on the short and sexy yet conservative design that could be lingerie or simply a very sexy dress for a night out with a special someone.  The mesh fits me perfectly and moves so beautifully with my ava.  The textures are stunning and add so much depth to the design.  Five sizes are included with the purchase, but there is no alpha layer included; instead, the texture of the dress has been put on clothing layers to wear under the dress.  A free demo is available.

Izzie's released a new skin this past week titled Fuyu.  The thing I love the most about this new set is the eyeshadow!  I'm absolutely in love with the shimmer on the different colors; it looks very much like something I would wear in my real life.  The skin is available in eight tones and includes a modifiable shape, optional freckles, four brow colors, optional cleavage, a nail base, twelve lipsticks, twelve eyeshadows, eyeliner, blush and an eyebrow shape.  Each tone is priced at 1170L (with the exception of Mocha and Cocoa since these contain only one brow option), and a free demo is available.

All poses in this post are brand new from aDORKable Poses and are available at Cinema.  Four packs were released containing five poses each plus mirror poses.  Two couple poses are also available at Cinema.  I really need to log my husband's avatar in, give him a makeover and take some sappy couple pictures with him.  We celebrated our first anniversary this past week in real life, and I couldn't feel more blessed to have such an amazing person in my life.


Credits
Clothing: Liaison in Blush by Volstead @ Cinema
Jewelry: Timeless Pearl Earrings in Black Pearl by EarthStones
Stockings: Lace Pantyhose in Black A by Attitudes
Shoes: *Ute Mesh Pumps in Black by Baiastice
Hair: Morning in Black 04 by [elikatira]
Skin: *Fuyu Skin Pale DB by Izzie's
Makeup: *Fuyu Eyeshadow PinkBlue by Izzie's
Poses: [1] *Frontier 2 Mirror, [2] *Flux 2 Mirror, [3] *Element 2 and, [4] *Odyssey 1 by aDORKable Poses @ Cinema
Location: The Pixel Bean Coffeehouse

* Denotes promotional copy.

On the Sidelines

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

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

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

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


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

* Denotes promotional copy.

Inspiration

The work week is nearly here again, but since I still have a few hours before I must return to my real life, I thought I could have at least a little more fun! I have never been to Asia nor have I ever done an Asian themed post, but the skin from MonS in The Dressing Room Blue inspired me to do something a bit different.

Since its opening, The Dressing Room has introduced me and many, many others to some of the best designers Second Life has to offer. The stunning dress I am wearing is from Baiastice. Well, if I wanted to be technical, the dress is actually a collaboration of the Alisha Top in black and the Balloon Silk Skirt in black, but they pieces go so well together that it could be mistaken for a dress. The top features a beautiful texture with outstanding highlighting and shading; I love the glittery, beaded texture included on the top of the shirt. The skirt features translucent prims ‘ballooning’ out from the base. This ensemble is available at The Dressing Room Blue for L$70.

I’m not entirely sure that the Enna Skin from MonS is indeed an Asian skin; actually, I’m almost positive that it isn’t since the eyebrows have a reddish tint. However, the slanting of the eyes and the swooshed out eyeliner made me think Asian. I love the lips on this skin! They are so vibrant and full of color. The lack of eye shadow on the eyelids makes this skin a perfect base for all of those shadow tattoos I am sure you are collecting by now. This skin is available at The Dressing Room Blue for L$70.

I absolutely love discovering new (to me) jewelry stores; what makes the experience even better is when the designer obviously has a lot of talent! The Stoned Set collection from Aglaia is a three stone necklace set on golden rings with smaller, purple gems on both the stones and the necklace portion. The set also includes large, gold earrings with the same purple stones, a wire type bracelet with a stone and gems attached and rings (not pictured) which feature each of the three stones on different fingers. For one week only, the entire set is available for L$150.

The Brownie hair from LoQ confused me a bit when I first put it on. This piece is another item that I picked up while vising The Dressing Room Blue. The poof, adorable pony and stray hairs sticking out rezzed on my head when I attached the hair but nothing rezzed on the sides. I waited a few minutes, suspecting lag to be the culprit, but still nothing rezzed. I then had a ‘DUH!!’ moment and looked back into the file. The hair included a tattoo hair base which makes up the sides of the hair instead of prims. I am not normally a fan of hair base tattoos, but this one blends so nicely; I am definitely impressed with it. This hair is available in a pack of four colors at The Dressing Room Blue for L$70.

Finally, but most certainly not least, are my amazing boots! Although Dilly Dolls specializes in doll clothing, the shoes offered by designer and owner Oriana Kuhr are extremely versatile and will go with many different styles of clothing. The Sonata Boots feature beautifully sculpted prims layered over each other. The metallic texture is beautiful and offers just enough highlighting and shading. These boots are Viewer 2 compatible only. The Sonata Boots are available in twenty-one colors of darks, lights and metallics for L$75 per pair or L$500 for the dark fatpack, L$500 for the light fatpack and L$300 for the metallic fatpack.


Credits:
Clothing: [Shirt] Alisha Top in Black and [Skirt] Balloon Silk Skirt in Black by Baiastice @ The Dressing Room Blue
Jewelry: *Stoned Set by Aglaia @ 25% Off
Shoes: *Sonata Boots in Metallic Gold by Dilly Dolls
Hair: Brownie in Black by LoQ Hairs @ The Dressing Room Blue
Skin: Enna by MonS @ The Dressing Room Blue
Pose: [1 and 4] If the Apocalypse Comes, Beep Me by Don’t Freak Out!, [2] The Wall 2 by DeePosed and [3] Jewlery 2 by Glitterati
Scene by Garden of Dreams

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

The Dressing Room Blue

The Dressing Room Blue has been restocked with a new collection of clothing, jewelry and hair from fabulous Second Life designers at discount prices. I chose two adorable summer dresses, Sweet Alba in Olive by Baiastice and Calypso in Black by Mimikri, along with a great pair of earrings by [ glow ] Studio.

Clothing: Sweet Alba in Olive by Baiastice @ L$70
Hair: Quinn in Timid Brown by fri.day
Skin: Ania 8 (Peach) by LAQ
Pose: model.pose 1 by fri.day

Clothing: Calypso in Black by Mimikri @ L$70
Jewelry: Round Me by [ glow ] Studio @ L$45
Hair: Model Hair 20 by W&Y
Skin: Ania 8 (Peach) by LAQ
Pose: model.pose 3 by fri.day