From top to bottom:

Miriel Realistic Eyes in Muted Hazel are, unfortunately, no longer available in-world, but they remain favorites.  The coloring on these is perfect, with just the right shade of green around the edges, with the heavy amber haloing around the pupil.

I love the size of the irises and pupils in Eponym Fallen Eyes in Chicory, and the shading around the edge of the iris.  The hint of pink in the corners is nice, hinting at realism without getting too veiny.

Kunstkammer Surrealist Eyes in Olive Green really capture the detail of the human iris, with its weird structure, like transparent bits all layered over each other and jumbled a bit.  The muted coloring is very natural.

SLink‘s Eyescream Eyes in Flecked Forest are smouldering, with nice shading along the top of the whole eye, where the eyelid casts a shadow.  I also like the soft blurred edge of the pupil.

Disclaimer: I’m acquainted with some of the designers shown here.  However, I only blog things I like, regardless of affiliations or gifts.

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Eponym, Kunstkammer, Miriel, SLink

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Key necklaces, lock necklaces.  I was flipping through a fashion mag recently, and saw the Tiffany and Co. ad, which reminded me of all the key necklaces I have in SL, and I thought I’d show ‘em off.  Of course, The Dark Mouse Locked Up necklace ties into the theme perfectly.  I really enjoy the contrast of the chunky padlocks with the delicate chain.

So, today we’re looking at the materials and length.  Where on the avatar does the key pendant fall on the chest?  What is the chain like, or is it a string of leather? Is the key shiny or tarnished?  What kind of embellishments  – scrollwork, gems, etc — does each key have?  Personally, I like them all.  Moving from left to right,(...)
Read the rest of Keys to my heart (220 words)

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Adam n Eve, Bijou, Dark Mouse, Evica, G Field, Magpie, Miriel, The Blue Pearl, Tiny Bird

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Purple things at Vanitas Vesture on sale today.

Credits:
Hair: Truth Kensei in Lagoon (tinted)
Skin: lessthanthree Sugar skin, Light tone, Nerds F makeup
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Watercolor
Lashes: LeLutka Seductress Volume Sculpted Lashes
Dress: Vanitas Vesture Belldandy Dress in Purple
Tights: Insolence Carmen Shiny Heavy Tan Pantyhose
Tattoos: Tramp Stamp Rowan Stars
Bracelet, left: +Plus Summer Essence Bangle in Gray
Bracelet, right: Pretties by JB Moxie – Hues of Purple Bangles
Shoes: Maitreya Group Gift Pumps in Violet-Blue
Poses: Reel Expressions

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: +Plus, Insolence, LeLutka, lessthanthree, Maitreya, Miriel, Pretties by JB, Reel Expressions, Tramp Stamp, Truth, Vanitas Vesture

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Fleur recently released the Second Date dress.  I love this dress — it’s very much like something I’d wear in RL.  The above-the-knee hemline is playful and fresh for summer, and balances out the plunging neckline quite nicely.  A wide black sash accentuates the waist, complimenting the hourglass female figure.  It’s Roslin Petion’s first solo endeavor as a clothing designer, and wow!  it’s very skillfully done; I never would have guessed.  The shading is delicate and subtle, with no visible seams. 

I’m also wearing a Fleur skin, the Strawberry Parfait 2.  It has a distinctly hand-drawn feel, with a youthful, fresh innocent face.  The lips are full and pouty, and the hand-drawn freckles are playful.  Fleur skins are currently 50% off, but I don’t know how long the sale will last, so hurry, hurry, hurry!

Credits:
Hair: Tiny Bird WillowC in Ginger
Skin: Fleur Boutique Strawberry Parfait 2
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes – Aquamarine
Lashes: LeLutka Seductress volume sculpted lashes
Top Tattoo: Artilleri Spotty Mix Tattoo
Bottom Tattoo: Tramp Stamp Rowan
Dress: Fleur Second Date in Teal
Bracelets: Yak & Yeti Devdas Indian Glass Bangle Set
Earrings: Yak & Yeti Bollywood Jewelry – silver/topaz
Shoes: 1-800 Bettie’s Black Sandal Pumps
Poses: TorridWear
Photo layouts inspired by Stacie Pryor

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 1-800 Bettie's, Artilleri, Fleur, LeLutka, Miriel, Tiny Bird, Torridwear, Tramp Stamp, Yak & Yeti

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I read that when Sachi Vixen of Adam n Eve creates skins, she mentally creates unique characters for each skin, and it shows.  Each of her skins has a unique personality, which for me is both interesting and attractive.  I have my everyday av, which I adore, but I’ve been playing with new looks lately.  Anyway, I’d just picked up wings and ears to create my first real fairy concept when Adam n Eve released the lovely Beauty skin.  It was a Eureka moment — Beauty suits my regal fairy queen to a tee.  Now, you may not be looking to be a fairy queen, but keep in mind the Beauty skin is stunning on human types, too.

One of my favorite parts of Sachi Vixen’s skins is the highlighting.  Her skins shimmer, without looking like body oil.  They have a slightly iridescent quality, subtly catching the light.  I particularly love the way the light catches the thighs and collarbone. 

The joints, I think, are stunning on this skin.  Take a look at the knees (front and back), the elbows, the toes, the backs of the heels.  (I’m a sucker for a great heel in SL.  Don’t know why.)  Also, please notice, the abs.  This girl is ripped.  The tone is well suited to a leaner shape.  The muscularity, for some reason, puts me in mind of a marathon runner — all muscle, while maintaining a lean shape and not looking all bodybuilder-y.

The makeups, like all of Sachi’s makeups, are elegant and delicately handled, with an emphasis on realism.  You won’t find extreme makeup here, but rather, perfectly applied makeup for the real woman.  Soft smooth face, perfectly glossed lips, perfectly blended eyeshadows with the eyeliner smudged just so.  The drawn-on lashes are enough for when you want to skip wearing prim lashes, but not too much to interfere with prim lashes.  The eyebrows are perhaps my favorite of the Adam n Eve skins, with a well-groomed natural arch.  (I should note that Beauty has a wide mouth, so you’ll need to tweak your shape slightly.  I have my mouth width cranked down to almost zero here.)

I also really enjoy the more mature look of this skin.  Beauty isn’t some girl dreaming of what she’ll be when she grows up; she’s a woman living it.  Beauty looks as we all wish we could leave our twenties — with a hint of wisdom and the killer cheekbones, without any wrinkles or sagging.

Now, about the hair. Beauty is Adam n Eve’s first skin with painted-on hair.  It has a very natural hairline, with a realistic blonde shade.  You get both a traditional bald skin and a skin with hair base, as well as a prim mussed bun with strands around the face.  I really like the included hairstyle; it’s simple and elegant, and the strands help to soften what could be a severe look.  In addition, there is an add-on pack of three hairstyles available for sale to match the Beauty hair base.

A few final notes: Beauty is available in four skin tones.  I’m wearing the lightest, T1, as it best suited my fairy.  There are a total of eight makeups available for each skin tone.  Each skin purchase includes the two skins, the bun, eyebrow shaper, and manicure/pedicure to match the lipstick.  Individual skins are $L1200; fatpacks of four are L$3000.

Credits:
Skin: Adam n Eve Beauty, t1 tone, Blossom and Natural Gloss makeups
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Gilded Plum
Ears: Illusions Fairy Ears – Natural
Top: part of Casa del Shai Soleil Lingerie Set – Lila
Bottom: Tuli Worn Denim Mini Skirt in Pink (pants layer only)
Wings: Fancy Fairy Azarelle Iridescent Wings
Poses: [LAP] Long Awkward Poses

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Adam n Eve, Casa del Shai, Fancy Fairy, Illusions, Miriel, Tuli, [LAP]

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idk is a new store, a collaboration between veteran designers Esme Michigan of Uncle Wiggly and Chav Paderborn of Steamstress.  They describe the general aesthetic of their clothing as “kind of scene style like ish.”  Now, neither me nor my av is particularly “scene,” but many of the offerings are versatile, and suit a variety of looks.

I love love love the Drape Tops.  They’re a bit of a cross between a graphic tee and a dressier blouse.  The drapery around the neckline is very flattering, and the wrinkles on the midsection and shoulders lend a comfy feeling to the shirt.  The graphics are simple, elegant, and not overdone.

In the top pic, I’m wearing the idk Bubble Skirt.  The charcoal and black stripes are deliciously moody, while the shape of the skirt is playful and fun. The combination of those qualities make the skirt delightfully quirky and wearable.

Also worn is Tiny Bird hair.  I’ve been really digging on all the hairstyles Tiny Bird has been releasing, and the name coordinates nicely with the graphics on the shirts. There are sleeker, more polished styles at Tiny Bird, but my favorites are the hairstyles that are very RL-wearable: a bit messy, with wavy bits flying out, but totally chic.

Other things I’m wearing: my two favorite tattoos, from Tramp Stamp and Aitui.  Skin from Imagen, with great freckles and makeups that coordinate with the outfits.  Miriel eyes — get them now; the store is closing soon.  Jewelry from VG Republic (currently closed) and Dark Mouse.  Dark Mouse has the best everyday costume jewelry, and I wear their stuff all the time.  Stockings from Sheer — love ‘em.  One of my own skirts, the Dovely Linen Skirt from Vanitas Vesture.  Shoes from Detour and GL Designs.  The ruching on the Detour London Flats adds just the right amount of detail, and the GL Designs wedges are color-change; gotta love color-change.  Finally, poses from one of the masters, Reel Expression.

Outfit 1 Credits:
Hair: Tiny Bird Olivia in Wheat
Skin: Imagen Irene skin, Este tone, Humo makeup (lucky chair)
Eyes: Miriel Standard Eyes in Gilded Plum
Tattoo: Tramp Stamp Rowan
Shirt: idk Drape Top Black Bird
Skirt: idk Bubble Skirt (Horizontal Stripe) Charcoal
Bracelets: VG Republic Color-Change Resin Bangles (store closed)
Stockings: Sheer Stockings 04: Torn Fishnet Black
Shoes: Detour London Flats – Black

Outfit 2 Credits:
Hair: Tiny Bird WillowC in Ginger
Skin: Imagen Irene Skin, Este Tone, Patricia makeup (previous hunt)
Eyes: Miriel Standard Eyes in Champagne
Tattoo: Aitui Tattoo – Fire Fish Sleeves – method – worn
Shirt: idk Drape Top Silver Birdbranch
Skirt: Vanitas Vesture Dovely Linen Skirt – Green
Jewelry: Dark Mouse Charming Set in Sliver
Shoes: GL Designs Hips Wedges
Poses: Reel Expression  – from Movement and Vintage sets
photo layout inspired by juicybomb.com

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aitui, Dark Mouse, Detour, GL Designs, idk, Imagen, Miriel, Reel Expression, Sheer, Tiny Bird, Tramp Stamp, Vanitas Vesture, VG Republic

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I’m in love with the Yannick style, shown above.  It’s a playful, natural everyday style.  I think it’s meant to be for men, but as you can see, it looks adorable on girls too.  The shape of the style is great, and the dreads have good movement.  For me, it has a very chic city-girl feel to it, perfect for going from the office to a night out with the girls.  I love the Licorice shade  – rich dark brown with a hint of red.

The lovely chocolate skin is the one of  Genesis’ Eden Juniper skins, and I have to say, every time I put on one of the Juniper skins, I feel beautiful.  Keeping with the casual city-girl look, I paired the intricately patterned Beauty Avatar Janessa top in a neutral shade with the classic well-worn New School jeans from Kari & TW.  The stunning necklace is from Dark Mouse’s Tarnished Copper and Red Opal Set; it’s a beautiful antique-and-chic piece.  The shoes are my favorite Starley pumps from ETD, in the creamy Ostrich shade.  I wear the Starley shoes, in one color or another, with damn near everything, it seems.

Credits:
Hair: Discord Designs Yannick in Licorice
Skin: Genesis Eden, Juniper tone, Au Naturel (freckled)
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Basic Brown
Top: Beauty Avatar Couture Janess in Brown
Jeans: Kari & TW New School Jeans, blue
Necklace: part of Dark Mouse ‘Tarnished’ Copper and Red Opal Set
Shoes: ETD Starley Pumps in Ostrich

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beauty Avatar Couture, Dark Mouse, Discord Designs, ETD, Genesis, Kari & TW, Miriel

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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

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 42, Aitui, Dark Mouse, Discord Designs, eLDee, Elisa, Kunstkammer, Miriel, Redgrave, Sheer

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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.

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Adam n Eve, Balderdash, ETD, Miriel, Persona, Philotic Energy, Random Fashions, Reel Expressions, Sn@tch, TRip, Zaara

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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

© SarahTheRed for Red and Re-read, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: +Plus, Miriel, Truth, Tuli

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