I feel pretty, oh so pretty...

The holidays are finally over, though my family is still in town, and as usual I'm left with a feeling of "meh." So SL is all about doing what makes me feel good right now, and sometimes what makes me feel good is putting on a really unreasonable dress and parading around until I feel pretty. ~grins~

On days like this, Son!a always fits the bill. Sexy and seductive, but still couture, it's impossible to not feel ravishing walking around in one of her gowns.

 (I just realized I forgot to put on eyelashes. Oops!)

Turns out her jewelry is pretty great too, though I didn't know that until a few weeks ago. It's not the easiest in the world to fit - I do wish jewelry designers would tell us what the stats are on the shape they use to fit things, it would make SL just a bit prettier. But the detail work is excellent, and I love the design.

Style Credits:
Skin: League - Taylor
Hair: Truth - Madeline
Eyes: Fashism - 'Sunrise' Eyes
Dress: Son!a - Tracy
Necklace: Son!a - Loving Pearl Necklace
Shoes: Maitreya Gold - Allegre

Blogger's being a bit weird in Firefox (I usually use Chrome, but Plurk doesn't work for me there, so I'm trying to switch back), so here's hoping it actually posts!

Christmas Presents!

Yay, it's the redeeming feature of this time of year! :-P

I'm always amazing at the generosity of Second Life's designers, and this year has been no different. Since there are lots of gifts getting blogged, though, I don't want to duplicate their efforts. So, I'll show you a couple of things that I got just this morning!

G*Field makes my favorite pair of pumps, but also does stunning dress work that I just can't get enough of. While their Christmas gift is simpler than many of their dresses, it's no less well made, and is very cute.

It is a little long for my taste, I'm going to experiment with making it into a knee length, instead of calf length. But the flow of the dress is gorgeous, as always, and the delicate shimmer will grab the attention of everyone at your holiday cocktail party. It also come with a lovely, very delicate necklace, shown below.

Also shown below is the Christmas gift from LAQ. I am overjoyed that many designers are staying away from red and green, which was the trend last year, and going with the winter colors, ice princess theme.

And I have to admit, it's rare to see a "holiday" makeup that isn't overwhelming, so I'm really pleased with the makeup here.

Both these gifts are in their respective group notices, so be sure to grab them soon!

Style Credits:
Skin: LAQ - Ebba
Hair: Truth - Marianne
Dress: G Field -2011 Holiday Dress
Necklace: G Field - 2011 Holiday Gift Flower Necklace
Shoes: G Field Flower Pumps "Eve"

Weeping Angel...

Indyra Originals announced a new release today, more of a costume than a dress. But it is gorgeous. It's called "Dark Angel," and maybe due to the hard time I'm having in RL right now, but it really spoke to me as soon as I opened the notecard.

I love the detail work on the corset, the deep red brocade overlaid with a satin ribbon just takes me to my burlesque happy place. And the wings, while not my favorite in SL, are nicely made and complement the bustle nicely.

I would like to take a moment to complain about the over-shading on Glam Affair's butts, though. I love them, but they're so hard to use for less than fully clad photos, because any contortion makes it look like I soiled myself. Ah well.

It was an interesting time of year to release it, but I can see this costume coming in handy for any number of themed events. And it's surprisingly reasonable price-wise, under 300L. I didn't see anything about introductory pricing, but you never know, so best grab it up quick!

It's also worth mentioning that the hair in the picture is the group gift from Shag, it was just sent out today. Holy crap, I'm almost ahead of the fashion curve. :P Join quick, it'll fall off the notices in a couple of weeks!

Now that you've got your outfit, I should let you know that you may not be seeing much of me for a little while. I had a really bad night last night, and I'm having trouble holding it together. But I'll do what I can, and post here when inspired. See you all in-world.

Style Credits:
Skin: Glam Affair - Gio (paired with Glam Affair eyeliner)
Hair: Shag - Pretty Please
Eyes: Fashism - 'Sunrise' Eyes
Tears: Izzie's - Tears Tattoo (From "I'm not feeling very well" pack.)
Outfit: Indyra Originals - Dark Angel

Don't Push Me

Today, I'm the kind of edgy that just might bite your head off. I'm not a fan of the holidays, never have been, and this year everything else that's going on is combining to make them hell on earth. So the look that came out today was very definitely one that discourages closeness, and I'm ok with that.

There's not a whole lot that's new here, though the face chain is new to me. It was surprisingly easy to fit, though I don't expect that to be the case for everyone. And trying to adjust it link by link would be... gods, I don't want to think about it. But it's cute when it fits!

And I am in LOVE with the Escarpa boots from Ladies who Lunch, so I was pleased to find that this sexy crimson pair was the prize in the With Love... Again hunt, going on until January 6th. It's a pay-to-play, every prize is 10L, and I'm not keeping as much as I'd hoped. But it's still a great deal for the gems I am finding, these boots included. You'll probably see a couple more hunt prizes when I finish it up today or tomorrow, and the hint blog will be included then.

I don't usually do "couture" looks, but I'm happy with how this one came out. Maybe you'll see more.

Style Credits:
Skin: Glam Affair - Eva (paired with L. Fauna lipstick)
Hair: MADesigns - Taisto
Eyes: Ellabella - Cellular Eyes
Outfit: Muhi - Asymmetrical Bodysuit
Boots: Ladies Who Lunch (LWL) - Escarpa Boot
Face Chain: oOXA ACCOo - Facechain - Y

Choose your Path

Like I always say, if you're bored in SL, you're doing it wrong. So when I found myself without anything to do, I started looking through the Destination Guide for something I've not experienced. And wow, did I find it. The Path is an art installation that's meant to tell a story, in much the same way that my friend HindDiscerning and I do when we hang out in RL. Basically, eight SL artists got together, and each told a micro-moment of the story, in succession. Wandering through the installation, which is done by a series of teleports, I'm not sure I would have figured out there was a story if I wasn't told. But each installment was fascinating in its own way.

Each artist had a relatively small space to work with, but many managed to create a sense of depth and scale that I found breathtaking. Some sets, like the one above, were elegant in their simplicity, the bare-bones feel of the space made each object within it seem more significant. Other sets, like the one below, I found visually confusing, but the cacophony of color and shape created a mood of its own that suited the installation nicely.

It was also interesting to see which artists chose to make the viewer part of the work - in the set above and a couple of others, you had to get up and walk around, immersing yourself in the experience, in order to proceed. Others, like the first photo, you were in the middle of the set and yet apart from it, the art existed distinctly from you.

Even in that type of set, though, it was possible to find yourself suddenly engulfed by the image, a not entirely willing participant in the story. Perhaps it's because this recurring character was so intimidating the first time I ran across him, but I developed this idea of him as the villain with little to no evidence.

Anyway, if you haven't had a chance to check out The Path, I recommend it. Turn your sounds up, including ambient, and set yourself to the windlight settings they recommend in the land description. And have fun!

New favorite eyes!

I was looking through Strawberry Singh's blog last night, and she posted about some eyes she'd discovered that were just to die for. Of course, this morning I had to run right over, because damn.

Welcome to Fashism, and Ikon Innovia's line of Sunshine Eyes. That's a lot of title, given that as far as I can tell, this variety of eye is all he makes. But he makes them well. Above, you're seeing Absinthe.

This here is Peach, what I would call one of his fantasy tones. He's got some lovely realistic eyes too (see next photo), but there's a great selection of colors that don't occur in nature, and many of them are lots of fun to play with.

I was overjoyed to find a really pretty Hazel, too. My eyes are hazel (well, shift from brown to green) in RL, but finding a nice looking hazel in-world can be tough. As ever, these shots are untouched except for cropping - his eyes really do glow just like that, and I'm in love.

Style Credits:
Eyes: Fashism - 'Sunshine' Eyes
Skin: LAQ - Vilda
Hair: Truth - Brandi
Scarf: Miel - Fringe Scarf

The Ice Queen Cometh

Just got done with the fashion show, and it was a BLAST. I love all the Dominion ladies so much, and being able to be involved in that kind of beauty was an honor.

Not to mention that the dresses Joie picked for me were HOT. Want to see? Of course you do! Outfit one, including the darling hat, was from PurpleMoon. I paired it with the Gio skin from Glam Affair, the Icicle set from Earthstones (at this month's Collabor88 event!), and one of my favorite hairs from Elikatira, grabbed in white just for the occasion.

Look at the feathers! Look at them, I tell you! Joie didn't know this before we started, but I am NUTS for feathers. And the ruff on this dress is so much fun!

My next dress was from Donna Flora, and damn. It's not a style I would have picked, but the second I put it on, I was in love. Expect to be seeing this one on me quite a bit. For the show, I pulled out an Illusory skin and some earrings from Je Suis, plus an adorably regal tiara from Alienbear Design. The nails, of course, are Mandala. Ice Queen all over!

And look. MORE feathers! I can't get enough of the like of this dress. It covers so much more than I usually do, but it hugs your curves, and the line of it is unbelievably feminine, and at the same time almost birdlike. Exquisite!

And that, my loves, is one of the reasons I was so excited for this show. There were 20 gowns onstage, all of them lovely, but I'll be damned if my two weren't in my favorite three. Wonderful work, Joie!

To see more of what was worn at the show today, head on over to http://dominionstyle.blogspot.com/, because Joie has been bugging us to get the dresses posted there. Which I suppose I should do too. :P

Yum, words!

Every so often, I'll say or think something, and then almost instantly get a chance to eat those words. For instance, Gogo of JuicyBomb blog fame recently posted about how she'd recommend blogging over modeling, at least if you're doing it to make a name for yourself. And I, having spent freakin' 8k on just the modelling CLASSES and not had anything to show for it, thought "You know, she's right. Blogging is where it's at. You're not dependent on anyone else, you get to express yourself artistically, and it's just fun. Never mind, SL modeling career, best of luck to you."

So when my friend Joie asked if I wanted to be in a fashion show this weekend, I said "Of COURSE!" Yeah, I do that. But I still think it's going to be a blast, and hey, not actively pursuing something doesn't mean I can't be enthusiastic when it comes knocking.

I can't share all the details yet (because I don't have them), but the theme of the show is "Ice Queen," I'm walking with a bunch of other sexy dommes, and it should be a lot of fun to watch. You'll get shots of my outfit(s) Saturday afternoon.

Because of the show, though, I was feeling a little dark, and a little artsy, so y'all get to "appreciate" my take on Black Swan. Enjoy?

As ever, what you see in the picture is what I see on-screen, unless I say otherwise, ain't nothin' been edited. I'm still trying to find a way to make shadows work on my viewer, because they would have been very cool for this shoot, but even trying makes my entire screen go black. Boo.

Style notes:
Dress: Vita's Boudoir - Black Swan Ballerina Dress (long ago purchase)
Boots: Sn@tch - The Bitch Ballet Boots
Nails: Mandala - Nail Palette 2/Long
Hair: Truth - Jocelyn
Skin: Glam Affair - Gio Black Snow (available at the Dressing Room for one more day!)
Eyes: Glam Affair - Stella Eyes

A new kind of Collabor88tion

Aaaand, we're back! This time to show off some of the goodies from this month's Collabor88 offerings. A little late, as usual the new Firestorm has me lagging so bad I can't visit any event in the first few days. It's a bummer. Anyway, this month Collabor88 had a bit of a twist; the regular designers each got to invite another designer to be their "date" for this round. So if you went and only visited the one building, this month there are two, and some great stuff in each.

This is by no means everything I grabbed. Just a few looks I put together using (as much as possible) only items from the event. This is weird for me, but I did not pick up any skin this time around, despite Illusory having a cute offering. Her new face just doesn't work with my shape.

This cute retro-inspired dress by Ingenue uses one of my new favorite techniques, a mesh panel in the skirt instead of full mesh, or a sculpted/prim panel. It's actually seamless, no need to readjust for every photo, and looks fantastic with all AOs. More of this please! And the earrings are great, huge without being gaudy, and easily go from boho-casual to elegant evening out

I'm in love with this dress. Sculpted skirts don't do much for me - they conflict with my AO too often, and can be hard to fit. The one used in this dress by u.f.o. was no exception. I love the way it simulates flow, and it looks great here, but what you can't see is my heinie sticking through in the back. I'll never be able to use it for anything but photos, much as I love it, because I can't keep it proportional and fit it to my shape. u.f.o. seems to cater to the waify teen shapes we're starting to see more of.

The fox stole by Ohmai, by the way, was specifically proportioned so that it could only be *faux,* and not really *fox.* And yet the creator has already gotten some hate-filled IMs about cruelty to pixel animals. How goofy.

This last outfit is way too cool for school. Kyoot's shirt and legging contributions are very nicely textured, and the jewelry set by Caroline's may be my favorite of this collection. But it's the glasses that crack me up, in the best of ways. Intrigue is known for things that are funny, quirky, and very different from what anyone else offers, and for Collabor88 they've given us a very adult take on those giant plastic children's sunglasses. They come in 4 colors, and are completely adorable.

By the way, who here thinks backgrounds are annoying, and I should stick to the white? They're a little harder to work with, in terms of finding complementary colors that don't distract from the outfit, especially the jewelry. But I feel like people get bored with just white, or faded black. Opinions?

All poses used, by the way, are Fri.day's Collabor88 offering this month. There were a lot of poses for sale, but very few I really liked, and this is the only set I ended up getting. I'm not sure why PDA insists on making their poses with the face pointed toward the ground, but it was very sad, since they were visually interesting otherwise.


Look #1
Dress: Ingenue - Cyd Dress
Earrings: Yummy - Observation Earrings

Look #2
Earrings: EarthStones - Icicle Earrings
Stole: Ohmai - A Lil' Foxy
Dress: ::[u.f.o]:: - Always Belong to You

Look #3
Top: Kyoot - Atonement Top
Leggings: Kyoot - Atonement Leggings
Jewelry: Caroline's Jewelry - Gunmetal and Diamonds Set
Sunglasses: Intrigue Co. - Stay Classy Glasses


Worn throughout:
Skin: Illusory - Paige
Hair: Truth - Jocelyne
Shoes: G*Field - Flower Pumps "Eve"
Eyes: MADesigns - EYES_NATURE