Subtle Changes

 

When I first tried on Amacci's newest skin Irina, I had this feeling of familiarity come over me. The reason this Deja Vu swept over me is because Irina reminded me so much of Giselle, A skin released in April by Amacci. It wasn't until I did a side by side comparison, as suggested by Luna Jubilee that I was able to really appreciate the subtle changes I almost overlooked. So let's take a peak at the differences and see what makes this skin distinct from it's predecessor.




The Examination Process
In my photo I have outlined the differences in the skin. I am comparing Irina Nude (Left) and Giselle Natural (Right).

  ***No photo shopping has been done besides cropping and adding lines and circles. 

Both Skins are from Amacci so it's the same creator, No Copy Issue.

Both skins are using the fresh skin tone, with optional hair base and cleavage

I've removed all attachments and tattoo layers so you can have confidence this is skin only.****

1. Eyebrows- Irina has softer eyebrows while Giselle has a more defined eyebrow shape.
2. Eye Lashes- Irina has slightly longer lashes, almost hard to tell the changes between them
3. Highlight Areas- Irina is softer and incorporates brighter highlight areas giving the skin a silky touch
4. Lip Shape- Irina has a softer lip arches Giselle is more defined
5. Moles- Irina has no moles along the decollete
6. Coloring-  The coloring of these two skins are similar but are not identical. I haven't gone through all the skins and compared the newest 16 to the previous ones. I just happened to pick these skins because the Pale/Nude Colors worked with the look I was putting together.

I want to be completely thorough and show that I had a hard time at first with spotting the changes because I was wearing hair, an eyeliner base and eyelashes. These Items provided an obstructing view of the skin. Here is a photo of the two skins with the extras. As you can see from the photos adding long full hair would make the differences hard to spot.



My conclusion of Irina is that it's a great skin well worth the 900L; however, if you already own Giselle you might want to be extremely selective when it comes to choosing your new skin. I didn't originally intend for this post to be a skin analysis but I'm really pleased that I took the time to reflect on Carina Larsen's work. I really have formed a new appreciation for her brand and all the changes she puts forth. If I had to point out two things I love about Irina it's the softness of the skin in the highlighted areas and lips. I do prefer the sculpted eyebrows of Gisella and would really love to see these skins with shorter eyelashes. Since the 2.0 tattoo layers are becoming so popular perhaps having the longer lashes as a tattoo base would be more beneficial.



The Look- Subtle Changes
Hair- Truth- Truth Hawks- BoHo- Mahogany
*Skin- Amacci, Carina Larsen- Irina- Fresh- Nude
Shirt-Kyoot-Saeya Nyada- Flimsy Plungie Blouse-Sheer Lace- 50l friday
Necklace-AddiCt- Treasured Peacock Necklace
Jacket/Vest-A&A Fashion Fall Coat Blue Jacket- The Dressing Room
Panties-W&B Frilly Little Knickers- Ivory
Leggings-The Closet- Lace Leg Warmer- PNK
EyeLiner- Cheap Makeup-Cat Power- 50l friday

*blogger item

Do Not Enter..

 Just ring the door bell they urged her. Her face grew taut and her stomached flipped. The thought of walking up the steps brought her to tears. She had no choice but to follow through; How could she admit to the others that she belived the stories about the witch that occupied this house. She knew one way or another it would all be over. She gave them one last look and headed to the house which clearly gave all the signs to stay away.

The Look- Not Gonna Do It! 
Hair- Elikatira-Elikapeka Tiramisu Horizon- Blonde
Skin- Try Designs, Tyr Rozenblum- Dinah In Fall- Bad Day
Dress- Laces and Steel Medieval Gowns and Swords- Hannah Yakan- Godiva Goth Doll
*Blogger Review Item

Lil Devil in The Ruins

I've been a little down which lead to a total decline of my blogging productivity. It's partly because I'm homesick for some Halloween fun and also because I was a bit ill. However, now I have managed to kick my sickness to the curb and have decided to embrace what's left of the Halloween Season by using Second Life as my vessel. I've also outlined my RL Halloween plans, well sort of. Right now it's a toss up between a tour of an "haunted castle" with only torch lights to guide the way. Or a Halloween party with friends. I'm thinking the castle might win in the end, but enough of my mini rant lets talk about props/poses.



What I found to be perfect for competing this Halloween look was poses/props from !Bang and here's why. !Bang has released a whole set of Prop/Poses that are versitle for any look you may want to manifest this Halloween. Are you feeling a bit mysterious and dark? Then "The Ruins", might be perfect for you. If you're feeling a little cute and playful.  You may find "My Big Fat Bat" calling to you or if you would like to let your inner candy demon come out the "Candy Corn" set deliciously sweet and a great treat to share with your friends.

Prop/Pose sets happen to be my favorite part of SL pose making because I feel the pose maker has to really go the extra mile to incorporate the prop into the set. Also when the pose and prop are already linked it helps to create a unified look making themed photos so much easier to envision. I always find myself developing a sense of loyalty and take note of pose makers that create pose/prop sets.  Personally I feel it's a great way for the store to show it's uniqueness and creativity.

I want to note that I mentioned two props/Poses that are not shown here.
1) My big fat Bat, I opted to show the mini bat because it's currently a freebie at !Bang.
2) Candy Corn- I am currently planning on using the set in another blog post and didn't want to spoil the post by showcasing it now.

!Bang poses are worth every Linden, if you haven't visited the store please take the time and do so. I also want to note there are some great specials going on right now in the front of the store. It looks like the Lo Lo cart will stay until October 31st so don't miss your chance to pick up these poses, tattoos, and props. 




The Look- Lil Devil from the Ruins
*Hair-69- Sweet Devilkin-Silver Collection-Group Gift- 09 Halloween
*Skin-Exodi- Ryker Beck- Isolde, Drow- Murder At Skull Creek Prize
Dress-Sn@tch-Ivey Deschanel-Limited Edition Gallery Dress- Blue Light Special
Shoes-Grim Brothers- Luxury Steam punk Heels
**Necklace-Tiff Vella- Eclectica Jewellery- Vintage Rose Necklace
Props/Pose- !BANG
*Bat-Trieste Minuet-My Lil' Fat Bat- Freebie in store
**The Ruins- Trieste Minuet

*Freebie Item/Halloween Gift
**Blogger Item LM included

Graceful In Aledia

Last week Aleida Rhode from ALEIDA sent me her Aya Gown which I had been dying to post. I want to apologize for not getting to this dress sooner but I really wanted to give this dress an entire post and provide a review.

So let's talk about the Aya Gown,  What I like and What I don't like all that much....
First off this Gown is graceful as it flows from top to bottom which is a win in my book. I adore the color which is a deep purple. The pattern is a hybrid zebra design so it's very eye catching without being too distracting from the overall look. Normally I don't wear gloves because I lose my star tattoo's on my hands; however for this dress I made an exception because they really suit the gown and provide a bit more coverage since the derriere area is left a bit bare.

One item I didn't like in this dress was the wrap (not shown). I choose not to photograph it because I felt it really pulled away from the dress. Even with a shear look to it I feel it was too bulky for the dress and threw off the balance of this design. Aya is perfect without the extra prim in my humble opinion.




The Look: Lovely in Indigo
*Hair-Amacci, Carina Larsen- Jessica- Coffee
Skin-L.Fauna- Lapine- Overdose
*Dress- Aleida, Aleida Rhode- Aya Gown, Indigo
Necklace-La Forgia Jewels- Arwen Choker- Purple
*Pose-Diesel Works- Berrylicious Set, Pose 1 , Pose 5
Location - Tempura Island
*Blogger Item LM given

Zombie Love

She turned to the side and let out a deep sigh. As much as she had tried to resist, the damage was already done. The only tangible item she had now was the locket that carried their photo. Her memories of their tryst will be burned in her mind. She said she would love him forever, too bad her craving for flesh and brains was more powerful than their love. Zombie Love never lasts.

Ok, so yea, I went off on a tangent with the whole Zombie lines up ahead, but I was really hoping to set a mood for this photo. This is a look is one that has been morphed from what I was originally going for. I was trying to pull off a Steam Punk look but in turn ended up with a Victorian zombie look. Even tho this Zombie look was not what I first had in mind I like the bewitching vibe that these clothes give.
A special thanks to Luna Jubilee who suggested The necklace.  She was totally right when she said it was my style. Upon further inspection I noticed there was a little bee attached to the necklace very similar to the sparkly bee necklace I wear on a daily basis. I also own several Yummy designs because their style is delightfully unique.

I think I might try the whole steam punk thing again, but only after Halloween has passed right now everything I seem to be putting together is themed for the festive season. I'm probably overcompensating for the fact that Halloween is so downplayed here in Italy.


The Look- Zombie Love
Hair- LAMB, Lamb Bellic- Lovieler Girl- Snicker
Skin- Pink Fuel, Mochi Milena- Blood Thirsty- FTLOH halloween skin at booth
Dress- !RT,elsa Liebknecht- Zombie Bloom
Jacket-PC- Crossroads Jacket-
Stockings-Luxeria, Belinda Stockings Nude
Necklace- Yummy,Secret Garden Locket

Plurky Blogger Challenge Sette, (7) "I love his Clothes"

You got something to say? put up those dukes and let me show you what I'm made of.

Just Kidding, I'm just trying to show off my tough male look cause this week Plurky Blogger Challenge is all about clothes that we wear from the opposite sex. Last month I had a little experiment where I sported a man's shape and donned some clothing so this challenge wasn't a big stretch for me. The biggest part of this challenge was bringing in enough feminine touches and altering my shape and clothing to fit my body properly.



So let's talk alterations...
I did modify my shape by taking my normal cleavage down to a nonexistent number.  Alphamale's prim jackets are made for the male figure not for the female and don't handle the curves all that well. I did photoshop the bottom left of my jacket to wrap around my avatar after posing. My pants were altered too. Instead of a loose relaxed fit  I made the Savile Row jeans tighter so they could hug my hips and accentuate the woman parts of my body. I also used male poses in my post because I tried to keep my look authentic. All poses are from Diesel Works from the Alagan Set. My favorite out of the set is Alagan11 (Shown on the first photo)



The Look: I Love His Clothes
Hair-LAMB, Lamb Bellic-Sleepyhead-Snickers
Skin-Vive9- Manon Pale-Never Released- Picked up when store was closing
Lipstick-Cheap Makeup- Miss Priss Lipstick 9- 50L Friday
Jacket- Alphamale- Classic Leather Jacket- Make Him Over Hunt-Freebie
Turtleneck&Pants-Savile Row, CJ Canot-Oxford brown 50L Friday- 5th and Oxford
Shoes- Bax Prestige Boots Brown Leather

The Scene- Props
Chair-Olive Juice, IsabellaGrace Baroque- Into the Woods Stool- 50L Friday
Leaves-Olive Juice, IsabellaGrace Baroque- Fall Group Gift
Poses- Diesel Works- Alagan Set

Sweet Treats from "Ear Candy"

Maeve Mortlock dropped of some delicious Ear Candy goodies on me from the Jewelry fair. What really caught my eye about these designs are that they are not only charming but they are also very affordable. Items are priced at only 59L. Which is such an incredible deal considering the quality of the work Maeve presents. I'll attempt to let my photo show the beauty of her designs, I only hope I can do them justice.



Maeve has taken her love of creating RL jewelry and turned it into something she loves equally in Second Life. She states "creating in SL is not only easier its cheaper and discarding a piece doesn’t hurt nearly as much". Her designs; however are not something I would not call simple. It's obvious that a lot of work and time is invested with each piece she creates. New pieces are created on a weekly basis whether it's a bracelet or ring Maeve lets the creativity flows in her designs. Ear Candy is also part of the 60L weekend, This is when you can pick up sets at unbelievable great prices.



*Special Note the Middle Picture, "Beauty and the Beast set" is an Oxfam item, 50% of the proceeds from the sale of this design will be donated to charity. The set is only 100l, Please stop by the fair and pick it up.

Photo 1- Closed Eye Beauty
Hair-Eha-Aki-Season Hunt freebie
Skin-Vive9- Manon Pale-Discontinued skin, Never released picked up when store was closing.
*Jewerly set-Ear Candy, Maeve Mortlock-Opal Stone Rose Set

Photo 2- Beauty and the Beast Set- Oxfam Item
Hair-Kookie- Chiggy- Coal- Christmas Gift- Beta
Skin-Vive9-Aoki- Light Tropical- Discontinued skin, picked up when store was closing
*Jewerly Set-Ear Candy, Maeve Mortlock- Beauty &the Beast- set for Jewelry fair

Photo 3- Amazon Queen
Hair-Tekuteku-Churi- Firebrick-Bow De rendered
Skin-Vive9- Dakota- Flying Renaissance-Discontinued skin, Never released picked up when store was closing
Dress- Casa Del Shai, Shai Delacroix- Chryselda Gown Gold Orchid
*Jewerly Set- Ear Candy, Maeve Mortlock- Amazon Inspired Set
*Pose-!Bang-Trieste Minuet, Glitz V2F

*Blogger Item, Lm Given to main store

Beauty and the Beast, Jewelry Fair 2010

When darkness settles over the sky the beast emerges from her slumber and stands guard on a tall tower. She watches over the village and looks off into the distance past the enchanted forest to the castle of Beauty. Her desire to be in a different place consumes her thoughts. The beast knows she will never be able to flee the confides of the castle her burden to carry the rose around her neck is a heavy one, after all How can a beast be a beauty? As the darkness subsides and daybreak approaches the beast knows her time has passed. She tosses her pale mane back and stretches as she heads to her lair for her peaceful slumber to dream of the Beauty she will never see.

It's that time of year again where we pay special homage to the exceptionally skilled prim manipulators of Second Life,That's right  Jewelers. These shiny trinkets and elaborate designs are the main focus of the 2010 Jewelry Fair which will run from October 8th -17th. This Year's theme is Beauty and the Beast which showcases four beautiful whimsical fairy tale themed Sims to match this event.

Sim 1- The Enchanted Forest- a winding path through trees and foliage, with gypsy wagons, tinkers' carts, cabins and straw huts. This will include fantasy, ethereal and eclectic style jewelry. Several photo op locations are available on this Sim

Sim 2- Beast's Castle- - dark themed, to include jewelers of Gothic/BDSM type offerings. Jewelry with a bit of devious intentions. Bid Booths are located inside the beast's castle. TP in and check out the wonderful auction items.

Sim 3- Beauty's Castle- fancier shops, for jewelers with formal and traditional jewelry. Great Photo locations with Festive ballroom inside beauty's castle ideal for dancing. All events are held on this Sim

Sim 4-The Village-homey Bavarian style shop buildings with a town square, will feature casual style jewelers.

Class/Demo area and Events



This years benefactor is the Oxfam International. "The Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 like-minded organizations working together and with partners and allies around the world to bring about lasting change. We work directly with communities and we seek to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them." -Oxfam Website

One of the things I really admire about this fair is 100% of the proceeds from vendor entry fees, one of a kind auctions, paid sponsors, events/games during the fair are going to Oxfam.  Many Jewelers are putting up special vendors to share 50% of the proceeds with Oxfam, definitely worth looking at.

Also the donation kiosks are cleverly disguised as wishing wells, so if you're feeling generous please make a wish and help someone else's dream come true.



Located around the Sims you will find tips to make your experience at the Jewelry Fair more enjoyable. Please be considerate of others and reduce the amount of scripted items you are wearing. If you cannot live without an AO please click the signs and receive a floating bubble AO. The AO is really cute not only does it help promote the Sims fairy tale qualities but it also helps in reducing lag.

Ever Wonder how jewelry design is done in Second Life?  Well if you are interested in finding out the jewelry fair is hosting classes/ demonstrations to help answer these and many other questions you might have. Skilled Jewelry designers of Second Life, will share some secrets from their trade. These special events are accessible to everyone around the world since classes are available in various times ranging from morning to night. Oh and if you're looking for a little entertainment there are also kissing booths and musical acts as well. Below I've listed the class/ demonstration schedule for other activities please visit the fair for more information.


Schedule of Events
Monday October 11th
Rox Arten 9am Demonstration Build
Calla Cela 6pm Camera Controls for Jewelers

Tuesday Oct 12th
Rox Arten 9am My First Ring Building Class
Preston Gravios 3pm Prim Torture & Nano Sizing
Calla Cela 5pm Prim Torture 101

Wednesday Oct 13th
Rox Arten 10am My First Earrings Building Class
Preston Gravios 2pm Beginning Jewelry Building Class
Calla Cela 8pm One Prim Pierced Earring

Thursday Oct 14th
Rox Arten 9am Demonstration Build
Sian Birke 5pm Low Lag Jewelry Building Class
Calla Cela 6pm One Prim Chandelier Earring

Friday Oct 15th
Rox Arten 10am My First Bracelet Building Class
Calla Cela 5pm Starburst Prim for Jewelers
Rox Arten7pm Simple Belly ring Building Class

Photo Credits
The Beast Look
Hair-Lamb, Lamb Bellic- Breeze-Powder
*Skin-LeLutka,Friday skin-50L friday
*Eye Makeup-L.Fauna, Launa Fauna- Shadow Edge-50L friday
Lingerie-Luxeria, Belinda- Black
*Horns, Goat Feet, Tail-Sn@tch, Ivey Deschanel-Demonic Influence
*Wings-Sn@tch, Ivey Deschanel-Death Angel Wings
Jewelry- La Forgia-Arwen Choker Black w/ Flexy
Sim- Photos Taken on Beast Sim


The Beauty Look
Hair-Lamb, Lamb Bellic-Ghost- Snickers
Skin-Dutch Touch,Iki Ikarus-XaYa- Moon-Olive
*Eye Makeup- Kyoot-Feline (Wine Berry)-2.0 tattoo layer,- 50L friday 
Dress- Paper Couture-Crossroads Gown
Jewelry- Donna Flora, Squinternet Larnia- NAHUA black set- (Sim 1)
Sim- Photos Taken on Beauty Sim

Plurky Blogger Challenge Sei, (6) "Formality Thing"

 

It's time for another round of the Plurky blogger Challenge. I kinda missed out on number 5, but am attempting to make up for it with this post. This week's challenge is formal wear. Since we're in the month of October, I decided to do another festive look to mark the season. This dress happens to be from one of my favorite stores in SL, Casa Del Shai. I love how Shai Delacroix designed this dress. The bottom flows and has a fluid motion from the top of the waist all the way down to the feet. The corset top is also beautifully done and the backside is one that draws attention. I believe this was a 50L offer from last Halloween, but I'm really not sure. I know it was a great deal however it was purchased. Breaking out this dress made me realize one thing, I wish I had more excuses to wear formal attire.

 

The Look- Dia De Los Muertos
*Hair-Shag, La La Love Me, Onyx- Group Gift- Feb 2010
*Skin- Pink Fuel, Mochi Melena-Dia De Los Muertos- For the Love of Halloween Freebie
*Dress, Casa Del Shai, Shai Delacroix-Kimora Evening Gown
Necklace- Jasha- Verandi Necklace
Hair Accessory- AtomicBambi, Hair Corsage-Rapture-Ruby
*Discounted or Freebie Item

A bit of Fabulous in "Fab Pony".

I recently discovered a new store, Fab. Pony! Now Fab.Pony is not a new store, but it's new to me. The great design team of this quaint boutique dropped off a couple of items on me and so far I have been really enjoying wearing these garments. First off lets discuss what type of clothing Fab.Pony creates: the style is chic club wear with uber cute dresses, accessories, separates, hair and poses. It's absolutely a store that you must visit because with such an eclectic twist you are almost guarnteed to find something that's great for your style.
 

Now, as great as Fab Pony's designs are, truth be told I did have a slight problem when putting together my last look (Seen Above). The scarf around Diplo dress is no modify, no copy which made it impossible to reshape the scarf. What you can't see is the scarf cutting through the middle of my neck. I did attempt to cover this problem area by using longer fuller hair and I did photo-shop slightly. I did contact Tatianna Faulkes and asked for a modify copy of this prim. I was given a copy with mod right enabled, but when I attempted to fix the scarf it was a total fail. The edit boxes never rezzed. I'm not completely sure if this was an SL glitch or operator error or if perhaps it's impossible to edit these prims. I just want to inform those that read this blog that I did have a problem and perhaps you might experience the same issue.

I do want to also note that Fab Pony is currently running a contest in conjunction with ALEIDA: these two stores share a sim and are choosing two winners to become the face of their brand. Great Prizes are available and the deadline for the contest is October 15 so there is still plenty of time to get your entry in. For complete details please visit Fab Pony store and pick up your very own Note Card.

Photo Credits:

Photo One-The Look- Music is the Victim
Hair-69,Kumii Yoshikawa-HIRIS 04 knit scarf-Dark Chesnut
*Skin -Tuli, Tuli Asturias-Jade- ICON gift
Jacket-Indyra, Indyra Seigo, Republica fur jacket-White/black
*Top-Fab.Pony,Yvonne Thor, "Why don't you Love Me" Cirtus
Undershirt-Exodi, Ryker Beck-Sleepover Undies- Cami Black
*Pants-Fab Pony, Yvonne Thor, "Mezzy" pants- Charcoal
Shoes-BAX boots, Bax Coen, Black Leather boots
Necklace- Deco, Orchid Zenivka, Black Pearl Double Strand Necklace

Photo Two- Fall Snuggle
Hair-Lamb, Lamb Bellic- I'm a realist- Snickers
*Skin-Tuli, Tuli Asturias- Jade- Icon Gift
*Dress-Fab Pony, Tatianna Faulkes- Diplo Dress- Charcoal/ Berries
*Undershirt- Sn@tch, Ivey Deschanel- Precious Cargo Sweater- Eggplant
Pants-LeLutka- Nora Jeans
Shoes-BAX boots, Bax Coen, Black Leather boots
Hat-Epoque- Baggy Knit Hat

*Blogger Gift or freebie Item