Windswept

Timeless

Meenakshi

Chandra Masala's 'Jalwa' brand will be available at the Skin Fair! Meenakshi is the new line which features Chandra's trademark style: defined, dramatic cheeks and a strong brow. It's a beautiful skin with a very detailed face, including defined textures on the nose, cheek, and eye. My favorite feature? The super glossy lip.

Here are the details:

Eyebrows:  Black, brown, blonde, ginger [pictured], and none.
Cosmetics:  Six eye shadows and six lip shades.
Applier ready:  Jalwa skins are compatible with the popular breast implant lines, phat azz, baby bumps, and Slink avatar enhancements.
Cleavage Options:  Because some of us don't sport the mesh boobies.

Credits:
Skin:    Jalwa - Meenakshi (Saffron)[Pictured with Ginger brow and teal eyeshadow]
Hair:    Eater's Coma - Group Gift 03 (Reds HUD)
Dupetta:    Aspara - White
Eyes:    IKON - Eternal Eyes (brown)
Lashes:    *MC* Mon Cher - Falsies

Loving the Skin You're In - Erin, by League

Elizabeth

The Rose Bower

My Eyes,  My Stars

I've always been Ikon Innova's biggest fan when it came to eyes. One blogger once told me it was like walking into a jewelry store - all the eyes look like perfect little gems. And you know? That's the a great example. I've always liked the IKON brand above other brands because of the sclera. I know that seems kind of silly, but many top eye makers in SL have an unnaturally shadowed sclera. I can not stand the overabundance of shadow because it negates what would otherwise be a brilliantly colored iris. IKON has always had a perfect balance of realistic sclera with an iris that has a slightly fantasy appeal.

Up until now, I was never fond of the mesh eye. I always thought the quality of the eye never changed from system to mesh prim. Too, I always through the eye was a wasted alpha and the mesh prim was just a useless thing to add scripts to our avatars when the goal is to lower scripts - which is important if you're a roleplayer and toting an arsenal of scripted gear. However, I'm sold on the Spectral eye not only for it's realism, but for the HUD. The HUD allows the wearer to change between brightness, iris size, sclera shading, and glow. It also allows you to pose the eyes for a quick photograph. There are other HUDs that do this, yes, but nothing beats the realism that comes with the Spectral eyes.

The Spectral eyes are currently at FaMeshed for a reasonable price of $150L. In case you're not wanting to sport the mesh prims, the eyes come with system versions. You can also grab a demo to try them out.

Please note: This photograph of my alt has been photoshopped, but nothing has been post edited with the eye. They are just that amazing and stand out all on their own.


Credits:
Hair:    D!va - Daisy Type A (Onyx) New!~ December Arcade
Eyes:    IKON - Spectral Mesh Eye (Chocolate) New!~December FaMeshed
Skin:    [PF]Pink Fuel - Kumi (Vanilla)
Lip Gloss:    [PF]Pink Fuel - Lip Glaze (Innocence w/ teeth) 

The Winter Queen

Plenty of new fantasy oriented things are available to shoppers on the Second Life grid thanks to events such as We <3 RP such as this skin from Jalwa for the next round of We <3 RP. I was really inspired by this skin. Something about it prompted me to immediately 'snatch' up the mesh gown from Sn@tch, my go-to store for quality textured goth clothes.




Credits:
Dress:    Sn@tched - Borghese (Silver)
Jewelry:    Earthstones - Vintage Romance (Princess)
Hair:     Truth - Candy (Black and Whites pack)
Eyes:    {d.a.} Dead Apples - Blind Blue
Skin:    Jalwa - Winter Queen ( w/ brows - no teeth)
Poses:    Picture This! Poses - Fall Fashion Pack

First in Fall

It's official. Autumn is here and rolling into the grid! I love that about Second Life. Where I live in real life there is no such thing as Fall. Chandra and I have been busying ourselves with getting the SIM ready for Autumn and I have been hitting my favorite hotspots for my favorite fashion season. Collabor88 is full of amazing fall items, my favorite being the blouse and skirt combo from Tres Blah.

Credits:
Top:    -tb- Tres Blah - Short Sleeve Blouse (Cream) New!~Collabor88
Skirt:    -tb- Tres Blah - Leather Skirt (Brown) New!~Collabor88
Boots:    Color.Me.H.O.F - Mesh Rider Boots (Oxblood) New!~The Arcade
Hair w/hat:   ::Exile:: - Falling For Your (Naturals) New!~Collabor88
Eyes:    .tsg. The Sugar Garden - Sleepy (Ice Blue)
Skin:    League - Jen (Fair Bloom)
Pose:    Picture This! Poses - Brave New!

I Want to Believe

Every round of the Liaison Collaborative always seems to top itself with each new theme and the latest round of The Garden has proven no different! It's the best thing I've seen in Second Life in a long time with so many fun, exciting things centered around the current theme - Area 51. Creativity is at an all time high here! Not just with the color theme, but with the wide array of FUN items. I think my favorite items in this round are the flying saucers from Pixel Mode and the alien chairs from the creative team at 22769. There are also rideable rocket ships, playgrounds for children, an amazing build from Barnesworth Anubis, retro fifties items, desert themed furnishings, a trailer home from Cheeky Pea...the list goes on! Check out the Liaison Collaborative's blog for a complete list of participating stores.

Defender of the Realm

We <3 RP has recently unveiled a new round of fantastic items for the story tellers of Second Life. You can find all sorts of goodies from homes and decor to armor and accessories. I'm currently wearing the chainmail shirt and bracers from Maxwell Graf's 'Bitch' line. The doublet has materials in it! So take a look on the LL viewer if you can.

Credits:
Shirt/Bracers:    Bitch - Chain Maille Sleeved Doublet/Leather Bracers New!~We <3 RP
Skin:    [ SAKIDE ] - Nuance folded skirt (Taupe)
Belt:    +Mab+ - Medieval belt (Black/Gold)~We <3 RP
Necklace:    Earthstones - Faye Crystal Necklace (Quartz)
Hair:    ::Exile:: - Lost in Wonderland (Rouge)
Skin:    League - Jen (Fair Olive)
Hands:    SLink
Eyes:    IKON - Destiny Eyes (Ice)(XL)
Pose:    Atooly 

Love Donna Flora Raqs!

As I was setting up my own merchandise for the Love Donna Flora! event, the first cart I passed was Bellydance Goddess' display for a saidi dress (pronounced sah-ee-dee.) For a moment I was floored and unsure of what I was seeing. A saidi dress? But that's what it was - or described as. To be honest, it doesn't look anything like a saidi dress, but more like a beledi costume....okay, sorry. I'm running off with my thoughts and probably you have no idea what I am rambling about.

The thing is I almost fainted because I was so excited to see it! The dress is a full-perm template gown with some custom attachments, but throw the name saidi or beledi on it and I can't give my money away fast enough. Many of you know - and some of you don't - that I am a (for now) retired bellydancer in real life. Retired because I developed severe asthma while living in a house that was infested with toxic mold for the past two and a half years (I finally moved recently. What a mess that situation was.) My dance, my troupe, my classes, my weekends away to various intensives fell into life's waiting bin. Dance was my passion for a very long time and not having it in my life while getting the asthma under control (it's getting there) was very disheartening for me.

Most bellydancers specialize in a particular style and I am no different. The folklore styles really called to some ancient place in my soul and I loved performing beledi, saidi, sha'abi, zaar...the list is pretty long, really. Seeing this glamorized version of Eyptian folklore gives me great joy.

That's one of the things I love about Second Life: you can be anything you want to be. This includes being a bellydancer, which you can do at Bellydance Oasis, where you'll find a store dedicated to costuming and many venues to socialize and dance with dance sisters from all over the world. It's a very popular place and I've always enjoyed dancing there when I just wanted to dance but could not in real life.

Credits:
Dress Ensemble:    .:BG:. Bellydance Goddess - Saidi Gown New!~Love Donna Flora!
Hair:    .:EMO-tions:. - Mystery (Intensive Red style A) New!~Hair Fair 2013
Hands/Feet:    SLink
Eyes:    IKON - Ascension eyes (Nymph)
Skin:    League - Jen (Natural Medium)
Pose:    HENMATIONS - Saidi Dance Pack

Formal Flowers

This is actually a preview post for the Love Donna Flora! event that I'm honored to be participating in. In case you have not heard the news, Squinternet Larnia, second life designer of the fashionable 'Donna Flora' bran, is suffering from severe bone cancer. Casja Lilliehook, a long time fashionista of Second Life, has been gracious enough to rally up support from the grid to launch the charity event Love Donna Flora. It never fails to touch me on how much everyone in the design and blog community care about each other. As soon as Casja passed out the idea so many of us bit at the chance to offer services - everything from blogging and publicity to offering up land.

The Love Donna Flora! event is hosting a huge array of designers, everything from poses to couture evening wear. One of my favorite pieces comes from long-time designer Amacci. This slick vintage hair comes with a crown of color-changing orchids via a HUD. It's just beautiful and very unique. Proceeds from this hair are 100%. Love Donna Flora! opens tomorrow, so pocket away some lindens. Even if you do not wish to buy anything, donation boxes are set up around the (beautiful) SIM. Every little linden counts. Every. Single.

Credits:
Hair and Orchids:    Amacci - Daphne (Warm Red) New!~Love Donna Flora!
Makeup:    Izzie's - Harlow Natural (Smokey)
Lipstick:    [PF]Pink Fuel - Deep Red
Eyes:    Ikon - Eternal Eyes (Pool)
Lashes:    Redgrave - Corner painted
Skin:    League - Jen (Natural Medium)

Wild Thing

Liaison Collaborative is hands down my favorite event team in Second Life. The designer teams that work on The Boutique, The Garden, and Poser Pavilion have something for everyone, each round going with a different theme. The Boutique recently unveiled the Safari collection with top notch clothing, accessories, and skins to excite any shopper (that includes the men, too!)

Make sure you stop by and check out this fantastic round featuring fantastic designs from some of the grid's amazing talent.

Credits:
Top:    Baiastice - Iman (Black) New!~The Boutique
Skirt:    Baiastice - Lima Skirt (Red croc w/silver belt) New!~The Boutique
Jewelry:    Cae - Safari New!~The Boutique
Hair:    LoQ - Chianti (Hypnotic Red) New!~2013 Hair Fair
Eyes:    IKON - Ardent Eyes (Clarity)
Cosmetics:    Izzie's
Hands:    SLink
Skin:    League - Jen (Medium Natural)
Pose:    Picture This! Poses

Picture This! Poses @ Poser Pavilion

I made two new model poses for The Liaison Collaborative's new mini event, Poser Pavilion. Make sure you check it out because there are many wonderful creations centered around the current theme of summer.

Beachin' It

June seems to have been an official explosion of beach fun, bold, bright colors, and summertime goodness. Have you been to the Liaison Collaborative's 'The Garden'? I can't stress the amazing designs put out by the Grid's talented mesh makers of all things home and garden. The Garden has anything you could possibly want to make your SIM and home the perfect summertime getaway. One of my favorites of the bunch (they are all my favorites) is the Avalon Guard Tower by Breno. It comes with tons of options and animations as well as fun props and different color schemes.

I'm sure by now you've checked out Collabor88's newest round. I'm loving the 90's theme and the bright, fresh colors.

Lastly, do you like my little friend? The designer behind Bilo's creations showed me this cute puppy and puppy carrier. It's a fun, free gift from Tuty's.




Credits:
Top:    Tee*fy - Basic Knot T-Shirt (Yellow) New! ~ Collabor88
Bikini Bottom:    -jinXtimacy- - Bali Bikini (Model12)
Sandals:    SLink Aussie Thongs (White)
Necklace/Bracelet:    MG Maxie Gossamer - Rapture Rave & Love Heart New! ~ Collabor88
Sunglasses:    Izzie's Oversized Sunglasses
Puppy/Bag:    Tuty's Mesh Pet Carrier
Hair:    Truth - Siobhan (Red 02) New!
Eyes:    IKON - Ascension Eyes (Nymph) New! ~ Numerology
Hands/Feet:    SLink
Skin:    League - Jen (Medium Natural)
Pose:    Picture This! Poses - Model 01-05

Meet Sadie, a Mesh Hybrid

Essential Essences, A Preview of Clover

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!