Red and Re-read

LOTD – April 7th

Hair: ETD Aiiyanna (retextured)
Skin: Rockberry Megan Bunny Hop Hunt Natural FRX
Eyes: Kunstkammer Surrealist Eyes  in Olive Green
Tattoo: Aitui Tattoo Fire Fish Sleeves Method in Faded
Shirt: unreleased blouse from Vanitas Vesture (opening soon)
Shorts: VG Republic Twill Shorts in Brown (store closed until further notice)
Earrings: +plus Circles Earrings in Dark Gold (previous hunt gift)
Bracelets: Dark Mouse Paint Splashed Gold Bangle
Tights: Insolence Carmen Shiny Heavy Tan Pantyhose
Shoes: Detour Glamour Metallic Pumps in Gold
Poses from Sugar Mill

Tags: +Plus, Dark Mouse, Detour, ETD, Insolence, Kunstkammer, Rockberry, Sugar Mill, Vanitas Vesture, VG Republic

RFL eLDee Parle Dress

So, this is the eLDee Parle dress, one of the dresses to benefit the Relay for Life.  I picked up the Parle dress as soon as I got the subscribo notice — I love the piratey-inspired playfulness.  I have a special place in my heart for eLDee — it’s where my noob self first discovered sculpty sleeve goodness.  I remember saving up my first camping lindens to buy an eLDee outfit.  So, I like to keep an eye out for new eLDee releases that tickle my fancy.  The Parle outfit?  Had to have.  It’s adorable, and  it’s a wonderful set for mixing and matching.

The Parle outfit is an RFL exclusive, so be sure to pick one up while they last, and support a good cause.  To supplement the outfit, eLDee has recently released a set of Parle blouse/corset sets in a variety of colors.

 Keeping with the piratey theme, the jewelry had to be gold and richly detailed.  I chose the Miriel secret necklace, an old favorite.  I used to have a similar necklace in RL, with an antique key pendant, and my SL version is gorgeous.  The stacked bangle bracelets are from one of my favorite jewelers, Dark Mouse.  All her stuff is well-textured, with lots of attention paid to delicate prim work.  These bracelets come with a pair of matching earrings, not shown here but awesome. 

The stockings are from Sheer.  I enjoy the intricate vine pattern, and the holes are beautifully and accurately detailed.  Also beautiful and detailed are the Biker Boots from Redgrave.  The worn-in texture and open buckles add a gritty, tough element to the mix.

The hair and skin were gifts I received just as I was pulling things together for pictures, and they’re perfect for the outfit.  Now, I’ve said before that Kallisti Burns, the creator behind Discord Designs, is cooler than I am.  So, when she dropped a folder on me recently, I knew that whatever was inside would be awesome, and I was right.  The Lydia hairstyle is edgy and sexy, with the sharply angled, piecey bob and loose strands in front of the eyes.  The skin is [42]‘s recent release, part of the Angel Kisses II set.  Imandra Wycliffe has taken her freckled Angel Kisses skins and given them richly saturated eyeshadows perfect for a wild night out. 

Eyes: Kunstkammer Surrealist Eyes – Olive Green
Hair: Discord Designs Lydia in Bronze
Tattoo: Aitui Fire Fish Sleeves – Method – faded
Skin: [42] Angel Kisses, neutral tone, makeup 8
Dress: eLDee Parle RFL CF Exclusive
Necklace: Miriel Secret Necklace in Jet/Gold
Bracelets: Dark Mouse Paint Splashed Gold Bangles
Shoes: Redgrave Girls Biker Boots in Black
Tights: Sheer Tights 12: Torn Vines
Poses from Elisa

Tags: 42, Aitui, Dark Mouse, Discord Designs, eLDee, Elisa, Kunstkammer, Miriel, Redgrave, Sheer

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Today, we celebrate St. Patrick, who, among other things, drove the snakes out of Ireland.  Today we also celebrate the opening of Genesis’ new skin line, Eden. 

I love store openings — they’re so festive, and it’s fun to wave hi to my plurk friends I don’t often see in-world.  I also enjoy getting dressed up for these events, trying to put together a low-lag yet terribly chic look.

The Ingenue Scarlett hair rocks an awesome ARC of 12.  In addition, it’s like, L$1 at Savoir Hair, and has great retro flair.  The Punch Drunk Glam Rock dress, in green of course, is festive and shows off the Genesis Eden Juniper skin tone nicely.  Sure, I could have gone with my usual red hair and pale skin for the holiday, but I look like that everyday.  I really love the Eden Juniper skin, and wanted to show it off at the opening.  Here, you can see the lovely makeup Ryker Beck is giving away in her St-Pat’s-Day-Release-Party hunt.  (All skin tones are included, and there are other awesome gifties to be found.)  The Natalya earrings, also from Genesis, add a little sparkle, as do the ETD Starley pumps in Funky Gold.  All told, the outfit only has an ARC of 260!  (And, yes, yes, ARC is not the primary cause of lag, nor is its calculations at all reliable.  But it’s still fun to mess with.)

All right, I’m off to go drink some Guinness and celebrate being Irish.  Cheers!

Credits:
Hair: Ingenue Scarlett in Chocolate Covered Cherry (tinted) (at Savoir Hair)
Eyes: Genesis Au Naturel Eyes in Brown (part of eye set included in every skin purchase)
Skin: Genesis Eden on St Patrick’s Day in Juniper (freckled) (current hunt gift)
Dress: Punch Drunk Glam Rock Dress in Green
Earrings: Genesis Natalya Earrings (previous hunt gift)
Shoes: ETD Starley Pumps in Funky Gold
All poses from Reel Expressions

Skin: Genesis Eden

Ryker Beck, the creator behind Genesis, will be launching her first skin line next week.  She’s been sharing her progress on Plurk for a while now, and the excitement has been building as we get closer and closer to the release.  Eden will be available in eight different tones, ranging from pale cream to a dense dark chocolate, with 20 different makeups available for each.

Ms. Beck was kind enough to drop a few review copies on me, and I’ve chosen to show you the skins at the ends of the spectrum, Sugar and Juniper.  Often, the extremes of skin tones can be a little off — pale skins can be too yellow, too pink, or too geisha-white, while dark skins tend towards an orange or gray tone.  The Genesis skins, on the other hand, are just lovely.  Sugar is creamy and porcelain, and Juniper is rich and chocolatey.

There are a total of 20 makeups available for the Eden line, including the ten shown here.  Shown above, from left to right, top to bottom, on each skin tone are Au Naturel, Bare, Chocolate Orange, Codie, First Time, Irish Eyes, Pretty Pixie, Reluctant, Rockstar, and Saturday.  As you can see, each makeup has been slightly modified to compliment the lightness or darkness of the skin tone.  The variety of makeups is excellent, and should suit a variety of avatar looks and situations.

The face in general is quite nice to look at, and well suited to a variety of av shapes.  The brows aren’t my favorite shape, nor are they offered in multiple hair colors, but that’s not a big deal to me.  The eyes are fantastic, with well-defined eyelids.  The lashes are painted on, which not everyone will love, but I like them that way.  It’s so much easier to wear a skin with lashes than to fit prim eyelashes.  The nose is good.  Ryker Beck has a narrower, pointier nose than any of my shapes, and the highlighting at the tip of the nose seems a little odd on me.  Again, a minor detail, and may or may not affect you.  Now, the mouth.  The mouth looks rich and lush on full lips, as you can see on the Juniper shade.  I often have trouble with the mouths of skins not fitting properly on my rather small mouth (my usual face is wearing the Sugar tone here), but the Eden skin only took minimal tweaking, and looks good.  That’s a huge plus in my book.

Now, the freckles.  Oh the freckles!  I’m in love with these freckles.  They have a very natural look to them.  The color is just right; the scattering across the nose and cheeks is just right.  They’re nicely blended with the skin tone, so they avoid that “drawn on” look some SL freckles have.  I particularly like the freckles on the darker skins.  I do wish the freckles continued on to the chest, shoulders, and back, but that’s less important to me than having good face freckles.  Of course, if freckles aren’t your thing, the makeups also include a non-freckled version, which is lovely and luminous.

The body, for the most part, is luscious.  The blending on the skin is, overall, quite good, with a smooth and creamy texture.  There’s subtle highlighting and shadows, giving the arms and legs a three-dimensional appearance, without looking like they’re slathered in baby oil.  In addition, there are a few small moles scattered across the body, which add interest without being distracting.  (Perfectly smooth skins bore me.)

The cleavage (which I just realized you can’t see with my top)  isn’t overly pronounced, so if you’re looking for WonderBra or silicone cleavage, this skin may not suit.  However, it doesn’t particularly bother me.  The abdominal region (please see the first pic in the post)  has some muscle definition, and is drawn to suit a thin av.  It doesn’t look bad on an average-sized av like mine, but if your avatar is much curvier, the abdominal definition will definitely start to look odd.  On the back, the shoulder-blades are delicate and non-stabby-looking (yay!), and the shading along the spine is quite nice.  The dimples just above the buttocks are the kind of subtle detail that really entrances the viewer.

The knees, elbows, and heels are all very nice.  The shading is soft and not overly harsh, capturing the unique planes of these oddly-shaped regions of the body.  Please note the insides of the elbows and the backs of the knees.  The backs of the heels immediately caught my attention, and I really appreciate the work that went into an often-overlooked area.

Other reviewers have noted flaws with the hands and the feet.  To be honest, I hate avatar hands and feet in general, and do my best not to look at them.  The one thing that bugs me about this skin, though, is from the front, the toenails are distinctly claw-like — they’re arranged in an odd arc.  But I usually wear closed-toe shoes in-world, so it’s a non-issue for me.  In addition, the shading along the thighs isn’t quite as smooth and creamy as other parts of the skin.  These, however, are minor flaws, and don’t detract from my enjoyment of the skin.

Overall, this is a lovely skin, and you should totally go try it for yourself.  The subscribe-o-matic at Genesis has demos of the skin tones (just click to subscribe, then click again and choose “History”), and the full line of skins will be released on March 17th, Saint Patrick’s Day, at 5pm.  Each makeup will include freckled and unfreckled versions of the skins, 5 pairs of eyes (I’m wearing the hazel and the brown here), and a cute little belly ring!

Credits:
Hair: Truth Nikhita II in Auburn (tinted)
Skin: Genesis Eden in Sugar and Juniper tones
Top: part of Reaction Gridlock Bikini Set in Black
Shorts: Armidi Jordyn Shorts in Black
All poses by Dove Swanson of [LAP] Long Awkward Poses

Tags: Armidi, Genesis, Reaction, Truth

Angel Kisses

[42] has finally released freckled skins! Hooray!

I’ve had my eye on [42] skins for a while now.  They’re lovely, and one of the best deals on the grid.  And now, sweet Imandra Wycliffe has released freckled skins, called Angel Kisses.  I can finally get in on the [42] goodness!  The freckles are scattered across the cheeks and nose, with a few freckles sneaking up onto the forehead.  The upper chest and back also have a scattering of freckles, which I love.

Now, as I said, these are one of the best skin deals on the grid.  Angel Kisses skins are sold by the skin tone, and with each skin tone you get four makeups, shown above, and a shape (not shown here) – for only L$300.  The makeups are simply lovely. The first is a nice simple neutral face, while the other three have smoulderingly smoky eyemakeups, in dark green, pink, and blue.  All eye makeups have enough eyeliner that prim lashes aren’t necessary for me.

All four makeups also have subtle variations in lip shade.  I really enjoy these lips — they have just enough color that you don’t look washed out, without competing with the eyes for attention.

The three skin tones offered are Pale, Neutral, and Tan:

What are you still doing here?  Freckles.  Four makeups for L$300.  At [42].  Get going!

Credits:
Hair: Truth Nikhita 2 in Auburn
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Muted Hazel
Earrings: Opium Maria earrings (previous gift)
Pose from Vain Inc
Store names shown in bold; for locations, please visit http://slurls.wordpress.com

Tags: 42, Opium, Truth

Posemaker Challenge: Dove Love

So, Achariya challenged bloggers, and Dove motivated bloggers — to do what we should be doing anyway.  I admit, I haven’t been the best about crediting posemakers.  All my poses are all jammed into a single posestand, and I have a tendency to flip through them all in one photoshoot.  But I’m trying to be better about being aware of whose poses I’m using, and crediting that person’s work.  And I’m starting with the posemaker who takes up the most space in said posestand, for good reason.

Achariya gave specific parameters for the challenge: choose FIVE poses from ONE posemaker to feature.  Well, I’m not the best at following directions.  This is part one of two, and I’ll feature as many poses as I please!  So without further ado, I present the poses of Dove Swanson, the posemaker for [LAP] – Long Awkward Poses.

I probably use [LAP] poses more than any other posemaker.  What initially attracted me to [LAP] was the attitude.   You know that girl that’s so sure of herself that she doesn’t give a damn what other people think?  That’s Dove’s poses, at first glance.

As I collected more [LAP] and spent more time with these poses, I discovered layers of depth, beyond that surface attitude.  These poses are who we are, who we want to be.  Sometimes confident and self-assured, sometimes terribly alone and vulnerable.  Sometimes glamorous, sometimes everyday ordinary.

Poses are one of the most expressive tools we have in SL.  And it’s thanks to posemakers like Dove Swanson that we make use of these tools.  Hell, Dove makes me look good, and helps me to communicate with the body language of my avatar, even when I’m just standing still.

Credits:
Hair: Artilleri Chrissy in Red (discontinued)
Skin: Adam n Eve Bliss T1 in Freckly makeup
Earrings: part of Dark Mouse True Metal Cross set in copper
Shirt: Armidi Sheer Ribbed Tank Top in Black (worn on multiple layers for opacity)
Paint Spattered Arms: part of MUWU Painting Madness outfit
Belt: Manna Boutique Montmartre (Ladies)
Pants: Frozen Turquoise Valentine Wide Leg Jeans
and of course, all poses from [LAP] Long Awkward Poses
Store names shown in bold; for locations please visit http://slurls.wordpress.com

Tags: Adam n Eve, Armidi, Artilleri, Dark Mouse, Frozen Turquoise Valentine, Long Awkward Poses, Manna Boutique, MUWU

Sheer Elegance

I’m trying a new layout for this post; I hope you like it.  My outfits are usually a mashup of things in my inventory, and I thought it might be beneficial for you so see how the item is sold, particularly when I’m borrowing bits and pieces from sets.  In addition to pictures of my ensemble, I’m showing clickable thumbnails of the clothing item, as the designer sells it.

As soon as I saw Philotic Energy’s new release, Katalin, I knew I had to have it, immediately.  It appears to be inspired by the character Roxie Hart in Chicago, and I love it.  The simple, swept-back retro style exudes quiet elegance and sophistication.  For those who fear the odd hairline of no-bangs hairstyles, don’t stress — the hair sweeping down from a center part is a lot easier to fit than most no-bangs styles. 

Zaara’s recent release, the Isis shirt, immediately came to mind when I began building a look for my lovely new hair.  It’s a long-sleeved, button-down sheer blouse, with pintucking running down the front and along the lower half of the sleeves.  As always, the texturing is delicate and beautiful, with subtle shadows giving the impression of real folds of cloth.  I picked up the neutrals pack, looking ahead to wearing the hell out of this versatile item.

Now, the Zaara Isis blouse IS sheer.  So, a more modest girl like me is going to be rummaging through the inventory for just the right layering piece, with just the right neckline.  I wanted a simple spaghetti-strap tank, and I found it on Persona’s Feathers Dress.  It works well for layering, with wrinkles that show through a sheer blouse.  Of course, the original piece is lovely, too.  The short feathered skirt with the feather brooch make for a great flirty cocktail dress. 

I had a hard time finding the right bottom for this outfit.  I started out with skirts, but they made the outfit too girly and reserved, and Iwanted something more playful, so I went looking for some shorts.  The High and Waisted Shorts, by Random Fashion, are a freebie from The Gnubie Store, and had the perfect cut.  (I left out the jacket layer, left.)  The pants layer comes up to touch the shirt layer, so I avoided the dreaded belt of belly peeking through layers.  They were a too bit light in color, but with a little tinting, matched the outfit perfectly.

Up to this point, all the clothing has been on system layers, and the silouette was a little slinkier than I was going for.  The answer?  Prim cuffs for my shorts.  I turned to my Elephant Outfitters Jordyn shorts and borrowed the prims.  You may wonder why I didn’t choose these shorts in the first place — after all, Armidi items always have lovely textures.  However, they were too low-waisted for this particular outfit, hence the frankenstein-shorts.

I have to tell you about my tights.  Do click on the pic for a close-up, so you can see the pattern.  I knew I wanted to wear tights, to keep some of the sophistication of the hair and blouse.  I also knew they had to be fun and sexy, with a subtle pattern, and soon had my heart set on leopard.  I started my search at Sn@tch, and ran into the designer there.  After she heard what I was looking for, the amazingly awesome Ivey Deschanel dropped these on me, and they’re perfect.  They’re not available for sale yet, but they’ll be part of an upcoming release, so keep your eyes open.  Anyway, the sheer tights mirror the sheer Zaara blouse, and with a bit of tinting, they had just the right rich black color to flow with the overall look of the outfit.

ETD’s Starley Pumps are some of my favorites.  For this outfit, the retro style helps to frame the look, tying in with the retro hair.  The classic rounded toe makes these a wardrobe staple, and I picked up a fat pack back when ETD had their big sale.  Unfortunately, ETD still seems to be closed, with no news as to when it will reopen.  Keep your fingers crossed.

 The bracelets are from Aesthetic (formerly TRip).  Unfortunately, they’ve been discontinued.  But I still love them.  They’re black.  And shiny.  I like black shiny bracelets. 

Balderdash jewelry makes my heart go pitter-patter.  The tiny sculptwork is exquisite, even if it does take an extra minute to rez.  While sorting hunt goodies, I came across these lovelies, and have been wearing them for a while now.  I like the scale of them — you can definitely see that I’m wearing earrings from a distance, but they’re not huge.  Their delicacy supports the girliness of the outfit. 

 Finally, we arrive at the skin.  I do love me some Adam n Eve Bliss skin.  This is the T2 tone, a medium-light skin color, with the FrecklyCat makeup.  The sweep of the eyeliner adds a touch of exoticism to the eyes, and I like the berry-red richness of the lips.  I can never get into the nude lips that are so popular right now — they make me look washed out. 

Of course, all my pictures would be lame without poses.  Second Life’s AO is not that interesting, and we’d all quit taking pics if we didn’t have awesome posing options.  Today’s poses are all from Reel Expressions, which is one of my faves.  All her poses have an innate elegance and grace.

I hope you enjoyed this extra-long chock-full-o-pics blog post.  This format won’t be my norm, simply because it was time-consuming, but I do like showing individual items, as you’d find them in stores.

Tags: Adam n Eve, Balderdash, ETD, Miriel, Persona, Philotic Energy, Random Fashions, Reel Expressions, Sn@tch, TRip, Zaara

Evolution of Truth

Truth has released freshly textured hair.  I have mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, the new textures are effing gorgeous.  On the other hand, I now need to slowly but surely replace all my old Truth hair! Old to new:

Shown here is the Berri style, one of Truth’s freebies.  I love hair freebies — they’re a great way to test hair colors before buying other styles.  Anyway, here are the three sets of textures Truth has sold since I’ve been in-world, chronologically from left to right, top to bottom.  All three are in the Auburn shade, which has evolved with the textures.  As you can see, there’s been quite a revolution in the quality of the textures.  When prices the middle set dropped, prior to the new release, I teased Truth Hawkes about the dramatic jump in refinement from the first to the middle, and bemoaned him being able to replicate that feat.  I just couldn’t imagine how the textures could be improved upon.  He promised the new textures would be awesome, and I was right to put my faith in Truth.  The new textures are rich in color, with a nice mix of light and dark tones.  The random pattern of light and dark is just lovely, as are the highlights where light would hit the hair.  I’m so excited about these textures!  I think the biggest difference in the new textures and the old is the illusion of depth created with the rich, contrasting tones.

Ok, I’m sleep-deprived and about to start seriously rambling, so I’ll tie things up.  The new Truth textures are awesome.  The new styles released are awesome, and you’ll be seeing them here and all over the place.  Also, the Truth sim has been rebuilt, and the rebuild is awesome.  Go see the awesomeness.

Credits:
Hair: Truth Berri in Auburn
Skin: Tuli Sumi Light Starry Green, freckled
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Muted Hazel
Earrings: +Plus Peacock Earrings in Gold Tint
Store names shown in bold.  For locations, please visit http://slurls.wordpress.com

Tags: +Plus, Miriel, Truth, Tuli

Fashion Relay Challenge: Post 11

Ah, so it’s my turn in the Fashion Relay Challenge, organized by the lovely Sasy Scarborough.  I’m excited to be part of this, and even more excited to be following Kallisti Burns of Discord Designs.  I admit it — Kallisti is way more bad-ass than I am.  And I’ve been looking foward to stealing a bit of her edginess and making it my own.

I chose the Needful Things Death Raven Armor Bracers from Kallisti’s appearance as her boy George.  For me, they feel like futuristic, post-apocalyptic bangle bracelets, and I have a weakness for bangles!  The hand straps and included fishnet gloves really help to integrate the bracer into the outfit as a whole.

For the bulk of this outfit — the shirt, skirt, and boots — I chose pieces with easy-wearing, everyday versatility.  The shirt I’m wearing is MichaMi’s Fearne in Black.  Its higher neckline keeps things from being too flashy with the short skirt, and the rich texture of the shirt is reminiscent of a favorite old t-shirt, worn and deliciously soft from years of wear and washing.  It includes the belted sash, and is sold on all layers for versatility. 

The Jules Jeanskirt, shown here in Dark, is one of Maitreya’s newest releases.  While the denim miniskirt is just as iconic in its own way as cigarette pants or a classic white buttondown shirt, it brings its own its own personality.  The short length and denim fabric give the outfit a playfulness that would otherwise be lacking. It includes several options for the prim attachment, including a belted version not shown here.

I love a knee-high boot — they lend both formal structure and a bit of toughness to any outfit.  These are the Maitreya Billow Boots in Black.  Maitreya’s shoes always have the most exquisite textures, and these boots are no exception.  They’ve become a staple in many a fashionista’s wardrobe, with their slouchy, casual, boho-style.  I also think part of their appeal is their RL impracticality — I don’t know about you, but I’d be forever tugging at them to keep them from slipping, and the leather would quickly wrinkle and look worn, losing its suppleness.  The boots come with three sizes, and a pair with resize scripts, so they’re guaranteed to fit you, with minimum effort.

Now, on to the accessories.  First are the Celeste glasses from PrimOptic.  These were my first glasses in-world, and they remain a favorite.  The shape of these frames is retro without being vintage, and I like that.  The glasses include an awesome script that allows you to change the color of the frame, the tint of the glass, and the position of the glasses on the head — on the nose or pushed back on top of your head.

Black Pearl earrings from +Plus, shown here in Silver, are one of my current obsessions.  I love a big earring in-world, the kind that would be so heavy in RL that your earlobes would ache after a few minutes.  However, I do not care for the giant SLut earrings.  This pair is the perfect balance in size and class, in my opinion, and the shape and texturing are lovely.

The Broken Long Strand Pearl Necklace from Caroline’s has been around a while, but it’s still a playful twist on a classic, and I still like it.  I like the goody-two-shoes aspect of the pearls, combined with the bohemian recklessness of wearing a broken necklace.  I’d like to point out that while the necklace is no-mod and the long length almost guarantees a poor fit, the designer Caroline Apollo offers free resizing.  She’s very professional to work with, and I had resized pearls in less than 24 hours.

Last but not least, we arrive at hair and skin.  I’m wearing Truth’s Victoria style in Auburn.  Proceeds from sale of this style benefit the Australian Red Cross, to help with Victorian bushfire relief.  And, it’s my absolute favoritest style on the grid.  I love the careless curls piled on top of the head, with that artfully-messy-yet-elegant feel.  Works equally well with jeans or a gown.

It’s no secret that I have a huge crush on Adam n Eve’s recently released Bliss skin.  There’s such a naturalism to it, without looking overly photosourced.  This makeup, one of the four freckly skins in the line, is FrecklyCat, and features almost-black tipped cat-eye eyeliner and rosy red lips.

I’ve had a great time with this challenge, keeping with the spirit of things and pushing the boundaries of my usual wardrobe choices thanks to Kallisti Burns.  I now pass the baton to Arcadia Nightfire of Fashion 360, and hope she enjoys the challenge as much as I have! 

Credits:
Hair: Truth Victoria in Auburn (tinted)
Skin: Adam n Eve Bliss T2 makeup FrecklyCat
Glasses: PrimOptic Celeste Glasses
Earrings:  +Plus Black Pearl Earrings in Silver
Necklace: Caroline’s Broken Long Strand Black Pearl Necklace
Top: MichaMi Fearne in Black
Tattoo: Aitui Fire Fish Tattoo, worn
Wrist Gear: Needful Things death raven armor bracers (punk ninja gothic style)
Skirt: Maitreya Jules JeanSkirt Dark
Boots: Maitreya Billow Boots – Black
All poses in the post are by Dove Swanson of [LAP] Long Awkward Poses

Tags: +Plus, Adam n Eve, Aitui, Caroline's, Maitreya, MichaMi, Needful Things, PrimOptic, Truth

Something pretty

So, I found this pretty dress while sorting inventory the other day, and haven’t wanted to take it off! I feel so ladylike in this ensemble!

The 122 Classical dress from Kuri Style is a rich brown with a nice soft sheen, delicate white flowers scattered about, and green vegetation along the hemline and the bodice.  The dress also includes a navy long-sleeved polka-dot under-blouse, but I like the simplicity of the dress alone with its notched strapless bodice.  

For accessories, I wanted subtle details — pieces with enough character to stand on their own, but wouldn’t distract from the whole of the look.  The Supernova strappy wedges from Shiny Things are the perfect balance between dressy and casual, great for everyday.  I’m particularly fond of these shoes, as I own a very similar pair in real life.  And the Porte des Reves jewelry set from Kunstkammer, which includes earrings, bracelet, and necklace, is delicate perfection.  I love love love the necklace —  from far away, it’s simply an ornament to compliment the dress; up close, it’s a beautiful tiny vignette.   (Click the link for a close-up.)

For skin and hair, I wanted to continue the pretty-girl-next-door look.  The skin is Adam n Eve’s Bliss skin, in the Freckly makeup.  I’ve been crushing on this skin since it came out; it’s soft and smooth and approachable, with a gentle scattering of freckles across the nose and cheekbones.  Hair is from Truth; I’m trying to wear all the hairstyles I stocked up on during the sale!  This style is how my RL hair often ends up — half-pulled-up, with pieces falling out, a bit wavy, the ends piecey and sticking out a bit.  Of course, Truth’s version looks quite a bit more polished than mine usually does!

Credits:
Kuri Style 122 Classical dress
Shiny Things Supernovas in Sand Bloom
Truth Caitlin 2 in Auburn (tinted)
Aitui Tattoo – Fire Fish Sleeves – Method - Worn
Adam n Eve Bliss t1 makeup Freckly
Kunstkammer Port des Reves jewelry set
Please visit http://slurls.wordpress.com/ for store locations

Tags: Adam n Eve, Aitui, Fashion, Kunstkammer, Kuri Style, LOTD, Shiny Things, Truth