Archive for March 2013

192

7 Things


I love the Secondlife Blogging Community. Have I told you guys that? Probably. I'm one of those types of people who freely verbalizes all the good feelings I have towards things (you just never know if you'll ever get the chance to later.) You all are such a fun bunch and come up with the best challenges. Recently, blogger Strawberry Singh did a fun little entry called My Seven SL Facts and encouraged the rest of us to give it a try.

SL Fact #1
I am a house/skybox junkie. My friends Blaise, Xomar, and Lexie showed me this gadget called a rezzer a long time ago. Ever since then I've been hooked on decorating homes. I just love it! It's so much fun to put it all together.

SL Fact #2
Going off of the first fact, the truth is I don't actually 'live' in all my beautiful homes. Most of the time, they stay tucked away in my rezzer and I 'live' on a platform with a white backdrop. Or Xomar's house.

SL Fact #3
My avatar was modeled after a roleplay character that I created in Rhy'din on AOL in 1997. She was a Red Sonja type of character from an alien planet my weird friends and I made up. Later I adapted her to Vampire the Masquerade. Later, later she was adapted to a forum for Vampire the Masquerade to be an 'alt' to my main character. In 2011 I imported her to SL. Her name has always been Keliah and so I carried that with me to SL.

SL Fact #4
I never warmed up to mesh eyes. Forever an IKON eyeball wearer.

SL Fact #5
Pianos. I collect SL pianos. Every house I decorate has to have a piano in it. When I afk, it's where I like the park myself.

SL Fact #6
I lost an alt. That is, I created her specifically to dress her up like Bella Swan. I loved that Bella skin from Redgrave so much that I just had to have it. I was going to name her Bella Flamingo. :) Anyways, I made her. Spent the money on the skin, picked her up an outfit and a hair from Truth, logged her off, and forgot about her. Couldn't remember her name and password for the life of me. I finally found her by digging into old cache logs of firestorm. Now she's a child alt which I use for pictures.

SL Fact #7
Speaking of alts, I have 6 alts. They all have very distinctive looks. One child, one blonde, one Asian, one man, one mermaid, and a petite. However, I mostly stay on my main.


Credits:
Top:    ISON - Oversized Top (Rose)~March Collabor88 New!
Necklace:    Cae - Sakura~The Boutique New!
Hair:    Truth - Kasia (Cranberry w/ roots) New!
Eyes:    IKON - Ardent Eyes (Blossom)~The Boutique New!
Lashes:    ::BB:: Beetlebones Dainty Black 
Skin:    League - Jen (Sunkissed Natural w/ freckles)
Pose:    Atooly


191

Meet Sadie, a Mesh Hybrid


Second Life is still in the midst of a mesh revolution. Ruth, our SL standard avatar mesh, has experienced some serious upgrades over the course of the past two years. Sculpted feet became rigged mesh. Mesh hands replace the standard misshapen mess of system hands. Let's not forget mesh ears and, as of late, the mesh breasts. So, it's only natural that we now have mesh heads, perhaps the most notable being LOGO's 'Chloe'. This isn't about Chloe, though. This is about her sister Sadie, which was recently unveiled as Chloe's predecessor and will be for sale at Skin Fair 2013. 

Sadie and Chloe both are very fun products. After attaching all the appropriate parts (Lids, hairbases, lashes, eyes, brows..) you then attach the HUD. The HUD is an all in one tool for Sadie. It changes facial expressions, allows you to move the eyes,  and applies all the cosmetic changes to create your look. Plus, if you wish to purchase additional eyes or cosmetics they can easily be added to the HUD with the directions provided by LOGO.


Sadie comes with 6 body shapes. 3 Shapes for a size 0 body and 3 shapes for a size 16 body. In addition, there are different tattoo layers that you can apply to change the look of the abdomen, the nipples on the breasts, and the shading on the backside. I found the shadings on the skin to be very well done and detailed and enjoyed the options. I especially loved the sexy details of the neckline and collarbone. 

I do wish that the head was sized to standard size mesh. For instance, I wear XS typically, which has a body fat of 5. Small has a 7, Medium an 11. XS, S, and M are the more common shape sizes, XXS and XL being less common - so much that some designers do not make clothes to fit these sizes.

Another aspect I'd like to see added would be an add-on for freckles and facial markings such as beauty marks. 

Despite these minor woes, Sadie is beautiful. The rigging is perfect. If you buy the pack, it's really a steal considering the countless number of looks you can create. Add-ons are well priced. Check out LOGO at Skin Fair 2013. Not only do they have the Sadie and Chloe hybrids for the ladies, they have a good selection of men's skins. Maybe we'll see a men's mesh hyrbrid soon?


Skin Fair opens March 15th !

Credits:
Necklace:    Cae - Sakura~The Liaison Collaborative New!
Hair:    Truth - Delia Streaked (Cranberry w/ roots) 
Skin:    LOGO - Sadie Mesh Hybrid Avatar (Bloom)~Skin Fair 2013




190

Essential Essences, A Preview of Clover


Skin Fair 2013 opens in just a couple of days. I've been very selective for Skin Fair this year, opting to choose only a few skins out of the bunch so that I could give each skin a very careful and selective review as opposed to showcasing the several varieties. While browsing and demoing, the Blogger Group was giving rave reviews about Inka Mexicola's 'Clover'. 

I'm sure by now you've seen Essences skin line around and about the Grid with event participation and hunts.  In fact, I first tried on an Essences skin from a hunt and have been a fan of her work since. 'Clover' is the newest release from Essences and premiers at Skin Fair 2013. As you can see, it has very soft skin, natural, glossy lips, strong brows, and lovely shading on the neck. What you don't see is the shading on the breasts, which is dark but very natural and the sexy 'V' of the hip bones and pelvis. If you sport a pair of Lolas this skin has Lola appliers.


My favorite part of Essences skin is the natural shading on the mouth while having a heaviness to the eye. One thing that some might not like are the dark, thick brows. If they are not your thing then you can use the eyebrow remover as pictured on the bottom left. Otherwise, the skins come with either ginger (top), or brown, brunette, and blonde. The skin also comes with multiple blush options and cleavage layers. The only thing it doesn't come with is freckles. I hope you demo! If you do, I bet you'll love this skin as much as I do. 


Credits
top photo*
Jewelry:    Earthstones - Maxine (Watermelon)~The Liaison Collaborative New!
Hair:    Truth - Marison (Blaze w/ roots) New!
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (Lavender)
Lashes:    ::BB:: BeetleBones Dainty Black
Skin:    Essences - Clover (Sunkissed Ginger) 01~Skin Fair 2013 New! 

bottom photo* [clockwise]
Essences - Clover (Sunkissed Brown) 02
Essences - Clover (Sunkissed Brunette) 03
Essences - Clover (Sunkissed Blonde) 04
Essences - Clover (Sunkissed w/ no brow tattoo) 05

189

The Boutique


March 15th promises to be a great first round of the boutique with many of the grid's favorite designers. You can check out The Liaison Collaborative's blog to see the full list of details.


Credits:
Dress:    Rebel Hope - Bianca (Rose Dots)~The Liaison Collaborative New!
Hair Flowers:    *BOOM* - Natures Crown (Spring Mix)~The Arcade
Hair:    Truth - Magdalena (Cranberry w/roots) New!
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (Lavender)
Lashes:    ::BB:: BeetleBones Dainty Black
Skin:    Essences - Clover (Sunskissed 02)~Skin Fair 2013 New!
Pose:    Picture This! Poses - Cherry Blossom Parasol (01)~The Liaison Collaborative New!

188

Everything's Coming Up Izzie's


Two things. Skin Fair 2013 and The Boutique (part of the Liaison Collaborative) open soon and you'll find Izzie Button's skins up for grabs at both events. This is the Harlow skin I'm wearing and probably one of the best skin packages to purchase in regards to quality versus lindens. One tone includes different brow shades, cleavage versions, a wonderful selection of make ups and body marks to make many different looks whereas some skin makers only sell one particular skin shade/look for roughly the same price.  You just can't go wrong with a deal like that.


This special 'Cherry Blossom' edition of Fuyu will be available at The Boutique as part of The Liaison Collaborative. It comes with different brow shades, freckles, and an optional eye liner. Just in time for spring looks. 


Credits:
First Photo*
Skin:    Izzie's - Harlow Skin (Natural) New!
- Wearing with moles and Lipstick Pink
Hair:    Exile - Beneath the Waves (Rouge)
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (Floe)
Lashes:    Izzie's v1.02 Mesh
Pose:    Self

Second Photo*
Skin:    Izzie's - Fuyu Cherry Blossoms (Sunkissed) for The Boutique
Hair:    Truth - Video Games (Red)~The Arcade
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (Floe)
Lashes:    ::BB:: BeetleBones - Dainty Black
Pose:    Self








187

Glamorous




In case you haven't heard, Glam Affair, one of Second Life's prominent skin makers, is having a fun photo contest for the 'Amberly' line of skin. Me? I can't turn down a photo contest. More information and the rules can be found here. 

For my first entry I chose Skin #12 with the deep red lip and minimal eye makeup. My second entry I had much debate over. For one, the rules state that no special promotion skins can be added into the contest. I really love the Dead Apples skin line. I think they are very special and unique in the otherwise average world of skin tones. Since it's sold in-store, I decided to give it a go. My second entry is Amberly - Petal Edition - Sick. If it doesn't qualify, well, it's still a beautiful skin and deserves face time. 


Credits:
First Photo*
Dress Top:    Apple May - Lavish II (Red)
Necklace:    (DF) Donna Flora - MIRELLA (Gold)
Hair:    [LeLutka] - Pocahontas (Marilyn)
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (Floe)
Lashes:    ::BB:: BeetleBones Dollface
Skin:    Glam Affair - Amberly #12 (Artic w/ freckles B01)

Second Photo*
Necklace:    Lassitude & Ennui Stacked Pearls for Free*Style
Hair:    Truth - Magdalena (Pearl w/roots)
Eyes:    IKON - Lucid Eyes (Machine)New! [March group gift]
Lashes:    ::BB:: BeetleBones Minimal
Skin:    Glam Affair - Amberly (Petal edition) Dead Apples Sick




186

The Arcade is so Wicked


Everyone has heard of Oz and it's most notorious villainess, the Wicked Witch of the West. A house blown in from Kansas lands on her sister - a sister who's reign terrorized those of Munchkind Land. When Dorothy shows up from somewhere over the rainbow, the munchkins give her the precious ruby slippers off the dead witches feet in hopes that she might find the great and powerful Wizard of Oz to help her get home.

In Wicked the musical, the tables are turned. The Wicked Witch of the West, or Elphaba, is a lonely and solitary girl. She has munchkin parents, but is born with green skin that she is judged and hated for her entire life. When her and her sister (the beautiful but crippled) Nessarose go off to the university, Elphaba meets Glinda - a shallow and snobby diva - and eventually befriends her. Enter the dashing Fiyero, the atypical care free and handsome archetype, who Glinda falls in love with.

To some it up, bad things are happening in the land of Oz and Elphaba and Glinda discover why - and Elphaba decides to rise up against the evils of the Wizard in order to save the animal races from suppression, eventually joined by Fiyero who is not as shallow as he plays himself to be. Things go awry; there are twists and turns throughout the tale and for the most part the musical stays somewhat in tune to the book: Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It puts an interesting twist on how the Lion became so cowardly, how Nessarose was really the wicked on, how Elphaba became known as the Wicked Witch,  and how the Scarecrow is really a botched spell performed by Elphaba in a desperate attempt to save Fiyero's (her lover) life.



This isn't a blog post about Wicked, though. This is Second Life. And right now at the Arcade Pink Fuel has a collection of fun skins up for prizes, including this Elphaba skin. 


Credits:
Dress:    the muses. - Rainha (Black)
Boots:    GoS - Hunter Ankle Boots (Black)
Hair:    Truth - Haven (Black) New!
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (Black)
Hands:    Slink Mesh Hands
Skin:    Pink Fuel - Elphaba ~ The Arcade
Poses: [1] Atooley Pose 45 [2]Picture This! Poses - Hand in Hand
Windlights:   Multiple


185

Chic Inspiration


There's just so much cool stuff going on the Grid right now for those seeking a bit of retail therapy. The first obviously being FaMeshed. If you're not familiar with FaMeshed, FaMeshed is a monthly event that showcases original mesh content. It includes everything from hair, clothes, accessories, and things for the home - including a home! I'm wearing both the new collection from Cae and the chic leather dress from Baiastice. The jewelry has a multiple texture menu so that you can mix and match the stones in varying colors which makes it very fun. 


I love the clear plastic heels on my new pumps from Hucci, which are currently for sale at The Arcade gacha event. The Arcade is one of the grid's most amazing events, chock full of many talented content creators offering collectible gacha prizes that you can transfer and trade among with other residents. The Hucci shoes come in a variety of colors, but I was lucky enough to get the color I wanted on the first try. 

Lastly, I picked up this cute clutch from HandVerk at Free*Style. In case you haven't heart, Free*Style is a new store dedicated to the bargain buyer resident and new players. It's a wonderful project with many amazing creations - and nothing is over $50L and plenty of the items being $10L or less. It's a perfect place to grab a few accessories for you alts or even a skin - Pink Fuel has a beautiful one for only $50L. I was very honored to participate in the project! I have two poses set out for $10L. 



Credits:
Dress:    Baiastice - Cutout Leather Dress (Fuchsia)~March FaMeshed
Shoes:    ::Hucci:: - Lavan Wedge Heels (Lemon)~The Arcade Gacha Event
Jewelry Set:    Cae - Bejeweled~March FaMeshed
Clutch:    [HANDverk] Stud Clutch for Free*Style
Hair:    Truth - Nydia (Cranberry w/bangs) New!
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (Black)
Hands:    SLink Mesh Hands
Skin:    Glam Affair - Amberly (Artic (Clean w/ freckle option)
Pose:    dFo! Gala
Windlight:    Phototools Dreambook (Photoshopped)