Red and Re-read

Bliss, Beauty, n Portia

Adam n Eve recently released the Portia skins — the first in a new generation of skins by sachi Vixen.  Let me tell you, they are gorgeous.  Now, you know now much I like comparing things, so here we’ll take a look at Portia with two previous Adam n Eve skins, Bliss and Beauty.

About Portia:  she’s beautiful.  Notably, she comes with a hairbase (not shown here) in three different haircolors: dark, blonde, and red; each has matching eyebrows, which I love love love.  The eyebrows are, in my opinion, perfection.  The arch is graceful and classic, and there’s just enough detail of individual eyebrow hairs.  The eyes are lovely, as always, and Portia’s nose has more definition than previous versions.  The lips have a pleasing shape, and I’ll draw your attention to the subtle shading below the lips and into the chin — it’s well-done and shows a keen eye for detail.  The freckles are the same as the previous generation of skins, but as I love them, that doesn’t bother me a bit.  New with Portia is freckled/unfreckled options in each makeup, as well as the hair color/hair base options.  I also like the overall blend of youth and sophistication Portia brings.

I’ve only shown neutral makeup here, but there is a full line of 12 makeups available, with a variety of eyeshadow/lip colors and a few “exotic” makeups.  Check the full line of makeups here.

Now, the differences in the bodies of theses skins is particularly striking to me, and › Continue reading

Tags: Adam n Eve, Exodi, Ingenue

Hairstylists are so strange.

I’m one of those odd people who generally like their Second Life to somewhat mirror their real life.  So when I got my RL hair cut, and Truth released my new hairstyle, I immediately had to do an in-world before and after.

On the left is before, and on the right is after.  For some strange reason, hairstylists insist on drying and styling my hair straight, no matter how many times I tell them that I like the natural wave of my hair.  These SL styles reflect that perfectly!

My skin is a new release from Adam n Eve, the Portia skin.  The creator, Sachi Vixen, has released the skin with a ton of options, including the red brows and freckles you see here.  I <3 me some red brows and freckles.  The sparkly tank is a cute little number from Cupcakes, perfect for a sunny summer afternoon.

*Please note that I flipped the pictures.  In-world, the hair is parted on the opposite side.

Credits:
Hair, left: Truth Sophia in Copper
Hair, right: Truth Gabby in Copper
Skin: Adam n Eve Portia – Tone 1 Red – Natural Freck
Tank: Cupcakes Squiggles Tank – Glitter – Black

Tags: Adam n Eve, Cupcakes, Truth

Freckleface: Four that fit me

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the quantity of quality skins on the grid.  On the other hand, the selection means that we can find just the right skins to suit us, that feel right.  You know what I mean — ever tried on a skin that looked amazing on everyone else, but when you slapped on the demo, it looked like a stranger was staring back at you from your screen?

Here are four skins out right now that feel right to me.

Each of these faces are unique and have their own personality, yet they all have that special something that makes them feel right to me.  The bodies are equally unique — see how each creator has approached the stomach and back in a different way?  (I so love comparing things side by side.)

Want to try these skins on for yourself?  Here’s the info you want.  From left to right:
Adam n Eve Bliss T1 makeup Freckly
5th & Oxford Medium Fresh Freckles 6
*blowpop* N2 Elizabeth tone C 5.1 Graphite 1
Imagen Irene – Este – Patricia

Tags: 5th & Oxford, Adam n Eve, Blowpop, Imagen

Panties

The Starlust Panty Raid is on.  Good times to be had by all, hunting for golden clams stuffed with unmentionables.  Anyway, last night was the panty party at the motel.  Of course, the sim crashed shortly after I arrived, and then RL called me away.  Which brings us to this outfit.

I love costume parties; I love getting all dolled up and working within a theme.  And I’m always caught by surprise when I log in and find I haven’t changed, and look slightly ridiculous out of context of the theme party.  This one so amused me when I logged in that I thought I’d share.

Items of note today:
The awesome hair is an upcoming release from Tiny Bird, and I totally adore it.  I’ve been playing around with pin curls in RL, and love this retro version.  You should go to the subscribe-o-matic and sign up so you’ll know as soon as the hair is released.

The panties, from Madsy, are part of the Panty Raid prizes.  Madsy has a total of 7 cute panties hidden away in three clams.  There are a ton of cute panties and panty-related items to be found in the Raid, so get to it!

The poses are part of the Tongue in Cheeky set from Long Awkward Poses, which is my favorite set of poses right now.

(Oh, and yeah yeah, I’m supposed to be on a break.  Maybe I should call it cutting back instead?)

Credits:
Hair: Tiny Bird – New Soul – Ginger (coming soon!)
Skin: Tuli Kalista Light Valentine (previous group gift)
Scarf: Pretties by JB – Wilds Scarf – Zebra
Earrings: Woos! Hooptastic Zebra Schmebra Pink Earrings
Tank: Cyanide Tank – Gray
Panties: Madsy Zebra Undies (part of Starlust Panty Raid)
Shoes: Kookie – Phoebe – Noir
Poses: [LAP] Long Awkward Poses Tongue in Cheeky set

Disclaimer:  I know designers.  Maybe even the designers in this post.  I might even be friends with them.  If this bothers you, don’t read my blog.

Tags: Cyanide, Kookie, Madsy, Pretties by JB, Tiny Bird, Tuli, Woos!, [LAP]

Feature: Blowpop N2 Skins

Outside cirumstances mean that this post will be significantly less word-heavy than I’ve intended.  There are still a boatload of pics for you to eyeball, though.

Annyka Bekkers has released the N2 lines of Blowpop skins.  These are updated and expanded versions of the former Infinity lines, and they’re awesome.  If ya like a particular makeup, click the picture for details on flickr.

There are four separate lines, each with four tones. 

In each line, there are a total of 6 eyeshadow options, each of which comes with two lip options.  With the four tones, that makes a total of 48 faces for each skin line.  For full makeup options, check out Annyka’s flickr pages: Maya Carmen Ava Elizabeth

Don’t mind the dropshadow fail on the last pictures. 

All hairstyles are from Tiny Bird, which as awesomely amazing hair.  The lingerie is from Artilleri, and all poses are from [LAP] Long Awkward Poses.  You can get slurls at http://slurls.wordpress.com.

Celebrating July 4th with NO H8

We interrupt your regular fashion programming for a rare political message.

Today, the United States of America celebrates its Independence Day.  While our customs and culture are not the only way, or the right way for everyone, they are mine.  And I’m proud today to exercise my freedom of speech to remind Americans of our separation of church and state.  Specifically regarding gay marriage.  At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you believe to be right in God’s eyes — so long as marriage is a legal governmental institution, religious beliefs are irrelevant.  Separation of church and state.  The end.  (For more information about the NO H8 campaign, please visit their website.)

I also have a few notes about my fashion credits today.  Yes, I’m featuring an international group of designers, rather than an All-American lineup.  That was totally accidental — I simply chose the items in my inventory that I was in the mood to wear.  For a moment, I felt guilty.  Why not feature US designers?  There are certainly enough talented US designers to choose from.  But, after a moment of thought, it seemed appropriate.  Today I celebrate my country’s independence, but not to the point of excluding acknowledgement of the fact that we are a part of a larger global community, particularly within in Second Life — OUR global community. 

Credits:
Hair: Maitreya Aisha in Ginger
Skin: Adam n Eve Bliss skin, T1 tone, Freckly makeup
Eyes: Exodi Zbilja Eyes in Hazel
Lashes: LeLutka Seductress Volume Scripted Lashes
Shirt: Zaara Isis Shirt in White
Jeans: Zaara Classic Jeans in Indigo
Pose from Long Awkward Poses
NO H8 Face Paint and Duct Tape: Exodi

Tags: Adam n Eve, Exodi, LeLutka, Maitreya, Zaara

LOTD and Ch-ch-changes

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately contemplating the content of my blog.  What differentiates it from other fashion blogs?  What do I have to offer that’s special and unique, or at least not done better by others?  Sure, I enjoy my LOTDs and such, but others do them better.

I’ve finally hit upon my solution: Compare&Contrast posts.  (Yes, it’s a terrible name for the category.  Suggestions are welcome.)  One of my favorite posts was Freckleface.  It was fairly thorough, and I’m really interested in how similar products compare when placed next to one another.  I’ve been meaning to do a jeans comparison post for ages, and when I saw GoGo’s plurk linking to Fashionphiles’ Who Designed It Better blog post, I realized I’d been sitting on my answer.  (One thing this will NOT be: a who-ripped-who type of blog post.  I’ll focus on genres, like holey jeans, hair in curlers, littleblackdresses, and the like.)

Edit for clarity: The post linked above is not a who-ripped-who post, and I’m sorry if that caused any confusion.  I wanted to reference a blog that cemented my idea, and also to say that finger-pointing would not be part of what I do here.  The two ideas are completely separate.

I’ve also been wanting to do more in-depth features of specific products/designers, with more pics showing more angles of the product.  It means I won’t be able to turn out a blog quite as quickly, but I think I’ll be doing better work, and showing what I would want to see from a blog.  In feature posts, I may also be doing a bit more reviewing, sometimes pointing out flaws as well as features of a product.

So, from here on out, What? Another Fashion Blog?  posts will fall into three categories: Compare&Contrast, Feature, and LOTD.  I could probably drop the LOTDs, but, damnit, I like them.  After all, showing off cute outfits is why I got into this whole blogging thing.  I’ve got a big skin feature coming up next, and then it’s on like Donkey Kong with the Compare&Contrasts!

Credits:
Hair: Philotic Energy – Eira in Clinker
Skin: Blowpop N2 Elizabeth -tone C- 2.2 Cherry Blossom 2
Earrings: Dark Mouse Platinum Bling Earrings (previous group gift)
Necklace: Chuculet Ava – silver – necklace – pearly white
Blouse: Icing – Puma Jie in White
Dress: Vanitas Vesture – Flute Scribbly Dress – Red
Bracelet (R): Dark Mouse Silver Blue Bangles
Bracelet (L): Earthstones Bangle Set – Red/White/Blue (previous gift)
Jeans: Zaara Jeans – Classic – Indigo
Shoes: ETD Starley Pumps in Ostrich Pewter

Tags: Blowpop, Chuculet, Dark Mouse, Earthstones, ETD, Icing, Philotic Energy, Vanitas Vesture, Zaara

Discord Designs at Hair Fair

Left: Discord Designs - Chad - Malice. Right: Discord Designs - Yolanda - Malice.

I tease Kallisti Burns of Discord Designs sometimes about not making “pretty girl” hair — you know, movie star and trendy and girl-next-door hairstyles that we self-styled fashionista bloggers love.  She’s best known for her awesome braids, moustaches, and dreads, with a few edgier semi-traditional styles thrown in.  The thing is, though, despite my teasing, I feel damn pretty when I wear Discord Designs hair.

Lazy Places at Hair Fair 2009

Okay, I have the flu, and feel like my mind is moving through mush, so apologies if I lack coherence.

SakuraDawn Lei has a shop full of adorable things: her famous hooved and pawed boots, playful poses, cute shoes, doll keys, and jewelry.  So, I was excited to see that she’s now making hair, and it’s just as adorable and quirky as the rest of her stuff.

From left to right, top to bottom: Arya, Dawn, Liir, and Deeba.

Arya is a choppy sexy style, with long straight hair stretching halfway down the back and piecey front layers.  Dawn is probably my favorite of the bunch, with Heidi-meets-Princess-Leia pinned-up coils.  Liir is a unisex, close-cropped style, and Deeba sports big wavy playful pigtails.

Oh!  and the hairs have color-change options!  The three girl styles have color-change bangs, and Liir has a streak that starts off-center in front, then runs down the middle of the hair all the way down the back.  There are a total of 33 color options, including solids and stripes.

Tags: Lazy Places, YourSkin & YourShape

Bryce at Hair Fair 2009

Gentlemen, pay attention.  Many of you are oblivious to mens’ hairstyles in RL.  You think it doesn’t matter; you like the way your barber’s been cutting it the last decade; you don’t want to worry about upkeep.  (Ok, metrosexuals, perhaps this doesn’t apply to you.)  I ask you to scroll through the six hairstyles below.

Bryce Designs Wonder in Sienna and Tuxedo (proceeds benefit Locks of Love)

Hairstyles are important.  Hairstyles help to tell the world you are; they express a certain personality.  Bryce Tully, the talented creator behind Bryce Designs, has six offerings at hair fair, and each has its own flavor.  Bryce is one of the leading mens’ hair creators, which means one of the leading creators of ladies’ short styles.  Sorry boys; we’re stealin’ your stuff again.

Bryce Designs Holmes in Sienna and Tuxedo

Look at those › Continue reading

Tags: Belleza, Bryce Designs, Imagen