Taste of Second Life: Once Upon a Time

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.

Liquify Me: Pieces of My Closet #2

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.

Taste of Second Life: Spring Break

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.

Feelin' a Little Sassy

Sometimes I feel like being a little sassy. After all, that is what my nephew nicknamed me when he first began speaking. ;-) Hehe...  I have really been loving grayscale outfits lately…

I have a mixture of brands for you today. =)

Le Fashions has two new releases out this week. The Argyle Sweater is a shorter type sweater that looks fantastic with an undershirt (or as is if that is your thing). As its name suggests, the sweater features an argyle pattern on the front with solid colored sleeves. Six color combinations with gray are available for purchase including black and plum, cocoa, deep red, electric blue, gray (featured above) and hunter green for L$75 each. To accompany the Argyle Sweater, Le Fashions has also released an adorable pair of corduroy pants; honestly, who ever has enough corduroy pants in their inventory? I know I don’t. Colors available include cocoa, deep red, dove gray (featured above), electric blue, hunter green and plum at L$75 each.

Although no longer available at The Dressing Room, the undershirt and eye makeup (Tattoo Layer 05) I am wearing were the New Year’s Special by Glam Affair. The shirt is part of a dress type outfit titled Marta that looks beautiful even on its own. I’m not certain if these items are available at Glam Affair’s main store location; but if you love the texturing of the shirt as I do, it is definitely worth a shot to look around!

I always love discovering new jewelry stores!! Jewelry is as important in my second life as it is in my real life. Accessories most definitely add that extra special touch to the perfect outfit. The Ynez set is a new design by ByKay. The chunky design and straight lining give this set an independent yet very feminine feel. Although only the earrings are featured above, you also receive a necklace, a bracelet, a ring without nails and three rings with nails (nails color change via hud). All pieces include a size change script which I personally love. I am not the greatest at manual resizing and always appreciate when designers include those scripts in their designs so that I don’t have to! All pieces are copy, no modify and no transfer. ByKay does have a shop set up in world; however, you cannot purchase the pieces there. The set is available on the marketplace for L$1,150.

I only recently began purchasing hair from booN. Before I began blogging, the style was a little too dramatic for what I was looking for. Now, I am all about drama! Well, in hair at least. The QPT129 (What a name, huh?) style is actually a design I may have also worn prior to blogging had it been out then. This updo features a very bold, yet elegant, front design with a simple pull up look in the back. It is definitely not too over the top to be wearing around as your everyday style in world. Three color packs are available at L$280 and fatpacks are available at L$980.

Finally, my boots (Oh, how I love them!!!) are by Mon Tissu, the love child by the designers of Surf Co. and Tres Blah. The Provence Riding boots feature an amazing texture, as I would expect from these amazing creators! Colors available include balck, caramel, chestnut, dark brown, gray and vintage red at L$350 per pair or L$1,785 for the fatpack. If you are a Mon Tissu VIP group member (L$1,000 joining cost), you can receive 25% off of the fatpack price by wearing your nametag which makes each pair of shoes approximately L$223 per pair! If you purchase a ridiculous amount of shoes like I do, the $1,000 joining fee for the VIP group will quickly pay for itself in savings.


Credits:
Clothing: [Sweater] *Argyle Sweater in Gray by Le Fashions, [Undershirt] Marta by Glam Affair and [Pants] *Corduroy Pants in Dove Gray by Le Fashions
Jewelry: *Ynez by ByKay
Shoes: Providence Riding Boots in Black by Mon Tissu
Hair: QPT129 in Black by booN
Skin: Isabel 01 (Peach) by LAQ
Tattoo: Tattoo Layer 05 TDR Special by Glam Affair
Pose: Centerfold 1 by DeePosed

* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

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 Gambler in Simple Linen

Two of my favorite stores, Siss Boom and Lemania Indigo Designs, released and re-released two beautiful designs today. I love that at both stores, outfits are sold as sets! I never have to worry about finding something to match a top or a bottom. Simple Linen by Siss Boom features a gorgeous pair of jeans with a very soft sweater (bow attached). The Gambler by Lemania Indigo Designs is a re-release of one my favorite designs by Lemania which features a shirt, skirt, shoes and amazing top hat with playing cards! Both of these outfits are available for L$100 for a limited time.

Clothing: *Simple Linen by Siss Boom @ L$100
Hair: Details in Brown 8 by [elikatira]
Shoes: *Simone Pump in Nude by Baby Monkey
Skin: *Lorena Make2 by Tribal Soul Designs
Pose: *attitude by estetica
Background by RubyBlossom

Clothing: *The Gambler by Lemania Indigo Designs @ L$100
Skin by LAQ
Pose by DeePosed




* Denotes item provided by designer for review.

Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Color - Blue

Last week, Luna Jubilee proposed a blogger challenge with the theme being to photograph a different color each week. This week's color is blue. If you would like to participate, please visit Luna Jubilee's blog.

Clothing: Decadence by Wondrous Strange
Scarf: Included with Clothing
Shoes: Included with Clothing
Hair: Deena in Happy Blond by fri.day
Skin: Pearl 2 (Peach) by LAQ
Pose: Tease 1 by DeePosed
Background by JoesSistah

52 Weeks of Color Challenge: Grey

Luna Jubilee proposed a blogger challenge today for participants to create a photo each week based on a different color; this week's theme is grey. This challenge will be a lot of fun to put together each week! If you are interested in participating, please visit Luna Jubilee's blog.

Clothing: City by Wondrous Strange
Jewelry: Falling Leaves by EarthStones
Shoes: Astra Wedges in Grey Fur by Tee*fy
Hair: Deena in Gloomy Gray by fri.day
Skin: Pearl 2 (Peach) by LAQ
Pose: Fireside 2 by DeePosed

Brown Eyed Girl

Lemania Indigo Designs has been a favorite of mine since I was very young in Second Life. I discovered the store through a hunt when I was around a month old and have been in love with the store ever since. I quickly discovered that Lemania loves hunts and loves offering Second Life residents quality outfits at an extremely reasonable price. Daily Specials are offered for 100L$ each with shoes included! Lemania also participates in Letter of the Week, Monday Mania and as many hunts as she can find! You can also find a Lucky Chair, Money Fever, Group Gifts, BidBoxes, Midnight Mania Board and two Walks of Stars at the shop!

I have worked for Lemania Indigo Designs and Wondrous Strange as a Personal Stylist since March 2010. So, what is a personal stylist? Since customer service is a top priority for these sister stores, personal stylists work to solve any problem or need that a customer may have. We assist customers with clothing selections, offer tips on how to fit clothing to the various body shapes in SL, send customer suggestions, praises or complaints to Lemania and Lestat and simply make sure that customers enjoy their experience on the SIM. I have also been known to personally notify a customer if I see something I think she may enjoy go on sale after I have learned her styling preferences. These services are completely FREE to Lemania Indigo Designs and Wondrous Strange customers!

Below, I have highlighted some of the specials being offered at Lemania Indigo Designs today. First, Xanthe is on sale as the Letter of the Week Special for only 75L$ with the matching shoes included. I am wearing the outfit with the Monday Mania Special Tousled Hair in Blonde for 50L$. Next, Dorothy Rasberry, with shoes included of course, is being offered as a Daily Special for only 100L$. Finally, Brown Eyed Girl is on the Money Fever board for only 1L$!!

Clothing: Xanthe by Lemania Indigo Designs @ 75L$
Shoes: Included with outfit
Hair: Tousled Hair in Blonde by Lemania Indigo Designs @ 50L$
Skin: Pearl 5 (Peach) by LAQ
Pose: Framed 4 by DeePosed
Background by JoesSistah

Clothing: Dorothy Rasberry by Lemania Indigo Designs @ 100L$
Jewelry: Dorothy Grown Up by Dryad Designs
Hair: Bethany in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: Ania 3 (Peach) by LAQ
Pose: (Top) Centerfold 21, (Bottom) The Art of Seduction: To Lead Astray by DeePosed
Background by JoesSistah

Clothing: Brown Eyed Girl by Lemania Indigo Designs @ 1L$
Hair: Bethany in Mocha by TRUTH
Skin: Ania 8 (Peach) by LAQ
Pose: model.pose 3 by fri.day
Background by JoesSistah

Flowering

Clothing: Flowering by Lemania Indigo (Group Gift 1L$)
Hair: Lovely Liz in Classic Brunette by Clawtooth
Skin: Pearl (Peach) in 3 by LAQ
Pose: The Wall 39 by DeePosed
Background: room satr by JoesSistah

Lashae Karin ღ

Mrs. Green Jeans

Clothing: Mrs. Green Jeans by Lemania Indigo

Jewelry: Dangle Bead Earrings in Moldavite by EarthStones

Hair: Cassidy in Sensitive Black by fri.day

Skin: Pearl (Peach) in 2 by LAQ

Pose: Down On My Knees 10 by DeePosed

Background: nbblyco by JoesSistah

Lashae Karsin ღ