Red and Re-read

Beauty

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

TAGS: Adam n Eve, Casa del Shai, Fancy Fairy, Illusions, Miriel, Tuli, [LAP]

IDK

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

TAGS: Aitui, Dark Mouse, Detour, GL Designs, idk, Imagen, Miriel, Reel Expression, Sheer, Tiny Bird, Tramp Stamp, Vanitas Vesture, VG Republic

LOTD March 25th

So, finals are over, and I’m back from vacation, and I’m soooo behind on blogging!  I’ll kick things off with a quick look of the day I sort of fell into while sorting new inventory.

First, a big thank you to all the designers who gave such lovely, generous gifts during bloggers week!  I know I’m a bit late on this, but RL scheduling kept me away from the computer last week. 

At any rate, I’m quite fond of this windblown hairstyle from HOH.  It feels very natural — you can expect more windswept styles from me coming soon.  The aviator glasses are from House of Curios, and combined with the hair, have a very sexy-no-nonsense feel.  Skin is from Exodi (formerly Genesis).  I wanted a simple makeup that still portrays strength, and I think the lips on the Quaintly makeup do nicely.  And, I really like the strong, straight nose on the skin. 

The top is part of the very sexy Urban Agenda set from Indyra Originals.  (The set also includes gloves, belt, skirt, and pant options, not seen here.)  The blouse is sexy as hell, without showing too much skin, and the scrunched sleeves with the ties are a great detail.  I paired it with the Cuff Jeans from Hilarious, which I adore.  They have a wonderful hand-drawn quality to them, and the pockets are adorable. 

The Urban Agenda set includes gloves, as I said, but I’m fond of my +plus biker gloves.  They make me feel tough, like I can take on the world.  In pointy shiny stilettos, no less.  Which, incidentally, are the Glamour Metallic Pumps from Detour — the color-change pair comes in black, red, silver, gold, and white, and they match everything.

Okay, so I think about covers it.  Now that I have a bit of free time, I’ll finally be able to catch up on that backlog of items in my “To Blog” folder, and flood you with blogginess in the near future!

Credits:
Hair: House of Heart Tuli in Bitter Chocolate
Skin: Exodi (formerly Genesis) Candace skin, Apple tone, Quaintly makeup
Shirt: Indyra Originals Urban Agenda set – Leo
Pants: Hilarious Black Cuff Jeans
Shoes: Detour Glamour Metallic Pumps
Glasses: House of Curios Aviator Style Glasses #003 female
Gloves: +Plus Biker Gloves Alpha
Poses: [LAP] Long Awkward Poses
Photo layout inspired by Sasy Scarborough of sasypants.com

TAGS: +Plus, Detour, Exodi, Hilarious, House of Curios, House of Heart, Indyra Originals, [LAP]

Freckleface

Freckles, oh freckles.  I not particularly fond of my real-life freckles; I wish I had a smooth, creamy complexion.  However, I won’t wear a skin without freckles in-world.  Odd, right?  Skins just don’t “feel” right on me otherwise.

The thing is, not all SL freckles are created equal, and we freckle-fiends are picky.  Fortunately, there are lots of freckled skins to choose from, in a variety of price points, each with unique freckle patterns, thanks to the talented creators we have in SL (y’all rock!)  From delicate barely-there freckles, to big fat freckles with a distinctly hand-drawn look.  From just a few, scattered across the nose, to freckles that cover from hairline to toes.

So, without further ado, I present freckles.

A few notes: All pics are taken with the same shape and the same windlight settings.  When possible, I’ve worn the provided eyebrow shaper for each skin.  Several of the makeups shown are previous hunt prizes or group gifts, but you should be able to find a selection of makeups offered from each store shown.

There are several skins above that are personal faves of mine.  And a part of me wants to talk more about them.  But really, this post is about the freckles, not about my own biases.  So scroll back up, and take another look.  Click to see larger sizes.  Choose your own favorites. 

Special thanks to [42], Blowpop, D-Skin, Fleur, and Genesis, who all generously sent review copies.

Credits:
1.  [42] Angel Kisses, Neutral tone, makeup 02.  L$300 for a set of four makeups in a single tone.  Two makeup sets and three tones available.
2.  Adam n Eve Devon – Red Special Edition (previous picks reward gift).  L$1200 per makeup; L$3000 set of four.  Four tones and eight makeups available.
3.  Adam n Eve Bliss – Tone 1 – Freckly makeup.  L$1200 per makeup; L$3000 set of four.  Four tones and four makeups available.
4.  Blowpop Infinity line, Elizabeth face, Heavy Cream tone, makeup 5.  L$1000 per skin; L$3600 6-makeup fatpack.  Three tones and six makeups available.
5.  Blowpop Mellie3 line, Honey tone, Burlesque Queen, brunette.  L$1200 set of four makeups; L$5000 20-look fatpack.  Six tones and 20 makeups available.
6.  Cupcakes Lovespell line, Lace tone, Spring Fling makeup (Easter hunt gift).  L$1000 per makeup; $5000 for fatpack of 10.  Five tones and 35 makeups available.
7. D-Skin Skin 64, F1_E0_L1 makeup.  L$1000 per makeup.  Many faces, each with 6 makeups available.
8.  Fleur Allure line, Bare set, Truffle shade, makeup 3.  L$1000 per makeup. A total of four makeups on six tones are available with freckles.
9.  Fleur Boutique Parfait 2 line, Strawberry tone, Makeup 2.  $L 1000 per makeup. A total of three makeups with freckles are available on three tones.
10. Curio Lovely face, Petal shade, Dark, Firehouse makeup.  $L1000 per makeup; $L3000 for fatpack of six.  Five faces in three shades, each with six makeups available.
11.  Curio Radiance Shade, freckle demo.  L$700 per makeup; L$2000 for fatpack of four. 10 shades and 44 makeups available.
12.  Genesis Eden line, Sugar tone, Reluctant makeup.  L$1000 per makeup; L$15000 for fatpack of 20.  8 shades and 20 makeups available.
13.  Heaven’s Skin&Shape yuka Prototype1N F.  Free.  A small selection of free skins, some freckled, available.
14.  Imagen Irene line, Este tone, Humo makeup (current lucky chair prize).  L$995 per makeup; L$2985 for fatpack of four.  Four shades and 16 makeups available.
15.  KA Lost Special Evangeline Lilly Skin (part of a complete avatar — free).
16.  lessthanthree Sugar Skins, light tone, Godiva gift makeup.  L$600 per makeup; L$3500 per fatpack of eight usually — fatpacks on sale for L$240 through April 24th — yes, that’s $L240.  Three shades and 8 makeups available.
17.  LF Chai, Ginger tone, Antonia makeup. L$250 per makeup.  Six tones and and 45 makeups available.
18.  LF Chai Double-Shot line, Tone 3, Brisk makeup (previous hunt gift).  L$950 per makeup; discount fatpack cards available in different amounts. Eight tones and 35 makeups available.
19.  Pulse Climax line, Tone 1, Makeup 2 demo.  L$1200 per makeup; L$10,000 for the fatpack of ten makeups.  Four tones and eleven makeups available.
20.  PXL Creations Grace Line, Natural Tone, NudeEyes NudeLips BrownEB F makeup.  $L1500 per makeup; L$4000 per fatpack of four; L$7000 per fatpack of seven.  Five tones and and 28 makeups available.
21.  Redgrave Laura face, Bronze makeup.  I don’t see this one in the store right now, so it may be slated for an updated rerelease.
22.  Rockberry TMRHE Gift Skin 4.  L$1250 for a set of 6 makeups.  6 freckled sets available.
23.  Rockberry Megan A Natural Freckles (current lucky chair gift).
24.  Skin Within Adhira line, Profile Gift.  L$1200 per makeup; L$3600 for a set of six makeups.  24 makeups available.
25.  Skywalker Halloween Gift Skin [lash].  L$800 per makeup.  L$2000 for a fatpack of 5.  A variety of faces available, with about 10-15 makeups available for each.
26.  Tuli Elizabeth skin, Fair tone, Enticing makeup.  L$750 per makeup; fatpacks for L$1275/3 makeups and L$2125/5 makeups.  Seven tones and 15 makeups available.
27.  Tuli Kalista skin, Light tone, Valentine makeup (previous hunt gift).  L$850 per makeup; L$4500 per fatpack of seven.  Three tones and 21 makeups available.
28. Tuli Natalie skin, Light tone, previous group gift.  L$1000 per makeup; L$3000 per fatpack of 5.  7 tones and 10 makeups available.
29. Tuli Sumi Beauty Red.

Non-skin Credits:
Eyes: Genesis Au Naturel Eyes in Hazel
Lashes: LeLutka Seductress Lashes
Hair: Truth Ana Lu in Auburn

TAGS: 42, Adam n Eve, Blowpop, Cupcakes, Curio, D-Skin, Fleur, Genesis, Heaven's Skin&Shape, Imagen, KA, lessthanthree, LF Chai, Pulse, PXL Creations, Redgrave, Rockberry, Skin Within, Skywalker, Tuli

Sweet Dreads

Discord Designs just released new dreadlocked hairstyles!

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

TAGS: Beauty Avatar Couture, Dark Mouse, Discord Designs, ETD, Genesis, Kari & TW, Miriel

Pretty pretty dress

Adam n Eve recently released this lovely little Ruffle Dress.  It’s an elegantly simple slipdress, with a ruffled wraparound-style bodice — feminine, delicate, and versatile.  The Ruffle Dress is available in pale blue (shown here), white, pale lemon yellow, pale pink, soft black, and bright red.  The pastel colors are ideal for a fresh spring look; the black would make a great cocktail dress, and the red is just plain sexy.  There are two skirt lengths, a mini-dress style, and longer style I’m wearing. 

I wanted to give the girliness of the dress a bit of an edge, so I chose a rockabilly retro ‘do, Myst, from Artilleri.  The FrecklyCat makeup in the Bliss line from Adam n Eve has winged eyeliner to continue the concept, and  . . .  guess what?  I finally bought a new tattoo!  Here is the Rowan Stars full-body tattoo from Tramp Stamp.  The strappy Supernova wedges from Shiny Things compliment the dress without overpowering, as do the Maria earrings from Opium.

Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Muted Hazel
Hair: Artilleri Myst in Red (discontinued)
Tattoo: Tramp Stamp Tattoos – Rowan Stars
Skin: Adam n Eve Bliss, T2, FrecklyCat
Dress: Adam n Eve Ruffle Dress in Blue
Earrings: Opium Everyday Maria Earrings (previous expo gift)
Shoes: Shiny Things Supernovas in Sand Bloom

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