Black & White

I won 2nd place again in a costume contest a couple of weeks ago, but RL has kept me much too busy to blog the outfit until now.

The theme was simply "black & white." All I had to buy for this outfit was the Glam Rock Suit, bracelets, and hair. Okay, I didn't have to buy new hair, but I'm not one to let a good excuse for shopping go to waste. Plus, this style is simply too reminiscent of Cher for me to resist adding it to my wig collection.


Hair: Erase and Rewind by Exile ($1250L FatPack)
Skin: Nellie 02 - Fair - Glow Skin by LAQ ($1999L/10pk)
Eyeshadow: Barbarella Set 6 - 5 by La Boheme ($75L/10pk)
Eyeliner: Mile High Eyeliner - Black by Mock ($40L)
Eyelashes: Victorina Lashes - Noir by Mock ($40L)
Lipstick & Teeth: Ink Lipstick - Teeth by Pink Fuel ($75L/4pk)
Monroe Piercing: Metal Mouth MESH Round Dermals - Silent Rage by Haus of Darcy ($75L/16pk)
Tattoos: Shooting Star - Full Version by Para Designs ($175L)
Bra/Corset/Panties/Feathers: Glam Rock Suit by Gizza ($250L on the Marketplace)
Boots: Thigh High Boots - Liquorice Leather by Maitreya ($750L)
Hands: AvEnhance Hands Female - Casual by Slink ($450L)
Ring - Left Hand: Paragon Ring by Sn@tch (included with the Basic Latex Gloves set) ($155L)
Ring - Right Hand: Nebula by Kosh ($99L)
Bracelets: Boudica Armband - Black by Lassitude & Ennui ($120L on the Marketplace)

All poses by !bang.

Happy Island and the Puffling Present Pursuit

I was thrilled when I saw MiaSnow's ad for her new Happy Island, as it's just the type of thing I've been seeking for my current little skybox home. And, at only $199L, it was definitely in my price range. I was even more excited when I discovered it came with a hunt card for the Puffling Present Pursuit. Unexpected free things! Yay!

Choosing my gift was a tough decision - there were so many cute items - but I finally settled on the clothing & jewelry set from Silentsparrow & Schadenfreude. It comes with a million different options (2 skirts, 3 pair of pants, 2 pair of stockings, and several shirt options on various layers), making it perfect for mixing and matching with my other outfits. I then ran over to Schadenfreude and bought the matching vest - Allegory Malaprop's contribution to the final Fifty Linden Friday sale.

Fifty Linden Friday also led me to Fashionably Dead, a store I've not previously visited, but to which I will definitely be returning. I didn't end up buying their FLF offering, but I did take advantage of the 50% Off sale they were having on all of their hair. I bought an 8-color fatpack (including a full set of matching shaved head bases) for $175 and only paid $150 a piece for two different 5-color sets of her Flying Fortress hair - a must-have for any Tank Girl fan. I don't know how long the sale will last, so I'd pay them a visit as soon as you can.



Hair: Olivia Watches Melrose Place - Space Destroyer hair with Stone base by Fashionably Dead ($175L/8pk - On Sale)
Skin: Alyx - Naughty (rdbrow) by Pink Fuel ($10L "With Love, Again" Hunt #26 - Ends 1.6.12)
Eyes: VaeColl.-Fool (Hollyblooms) by Plastik (A Very Rotten Christmas Hunt #11 - Ends 12.31.11)
Vest: Jay Deep V Vest (Striped) by Schadenfreude ($50 Linden Friday)
Earrings & Necklace: A Band of Jays by Silentsparrow (Puffling Present Pursuit - Ends 1.12.11)
Shirt, Shorts & Socks: A Band of Jays by Silentsparrow (Puffling Present Pursuit - Ends 1.12.11)
Bracelet: CHUM bracelet by Miel (Scripted text change. Group gift.)
Shoes: Eclipse "Brown Edition" by N-core (Group gift)
Tattoos: Shooting Star - Full Version by Para Designs ($175L)
Poses: Dance 38 by Animazoo (In the dance ball at The Rookery.)

Location: The Rookery (Accessed via the "Schadenfreude wants YOU for the Glamrock Army" poster on Lloyd.

Tribute to a Doll

When I saw the eyebrows on Heartsick's Amor E Morte skin, I squealed with delight, slapped down my $75L for the fatpack, and scampered off to put together my best Amanda Palmer look. When I opened the box from Heartsick, I discovered the skin came in 3 tones with 6 makeup options each. As if that wasn't enough, each makeup comes with 2 eyebrow styles - normal and what I call "AFP brows," which are what's shown here. Each brow also comes with cleavage and no cleavage options. This is an older set of skins which is being retired, so if you're thinkin' about adding it to your collection, I wouldn't hesitate for too long. While you're there, grab the free fat pack of skins on the floor, as the Tairrie skin inside also has the lovely AFP eyebrows. (Actually, all of Amesha Jewell's skins are divine as are her voluptuous shapes.) I wish I could find more skins with interesting eyebrows like this or, even better, AFP eyebrows on a brow layer so I can wear them with all of my skins! I mean, just look at 'em!!

Okay, okay, enough about my eyebrows. (But, seriously guys, they're awesome!) I've been wanting to show you guys this hair from Dura for a long time, so I was pleased that it was just what I needed for this shoot. I then headed over to Rotten Toe who exceeded my expectations by offering up the perfect outfit for only $15L! (You see it very well in these photos, but it comes with prim fringe for both the skirt and top.)

I carried around a parasol for awhile before I remembered the free ukulele that I'd seen mentioned in the Virtual Vagabond blog. Hoping that it was still available, I 'ported over to the sim and, with a little poking 'round, happily discovered that luck was on my side.

Some gloves (with prim ribbons) from the SL Marketplace, my old standby Docs from Hoorenbeek, some MiaSnow peepers, a bottlecap necklace from Bliensen + MaiTai, and a tiny tophat from the Zombie Popcorn Hunt completed my look, so - resisting the urge to create a "Map of Tasmania" gesture - I set out to wander the grid.



Hair: Girl 16 - Black by Dura ($120L)
Hat:She Loves Black (w/o veil) by LaGyo (Zombie Popcorn Hunt #67 - ends 6.15.11)
Skin: Amor E Morte - Illusion - Absinthe w/ Faust EB2 by Heartsick ($75L Fatpack)
Lipstick: Lipstick v.12 by Garage
Eyes: Shine - Green by MiaSnow ($220L / 9pk)
Necklace: Bottle Cap ABC Necklace by Bliensen + MaiTai ($200L)
Tattoos: Shooting Star Full Version - Faded by Para Designs ($175L)
Dress & Stockings: Nekrotic Dress - Green by Rotten Toe($15L)
Gloves: Purple Knit Fingerless Gloves by Ross Seljan (SL Marketplace $30L)
Boots: Dr. H. Boots - Black by Hoorenbeek
Ukulele & Pose: Freebie from Sushi Train Marketplace

Thrifty Tidbits

As promised, here is the outfit I said I was putting together a few days ago. It was built around one of what I call Schadenfreude's "wallpaper" corsets, because their fabrics match the wallpaper of the store's various rooms within the giant onyx elephant. I don't own nearly enough of these, but there was no way the cat-patterned one wasn't going home with me. As with all corsets in this line, the depth of the texture is delicious, it comes on several layers, and includes a matching tattoo (not shown here). At $200L, this corset is a bit more than I'd usually pay for a single outfit piece, but my past experience with Schadenfreude's merchandise told me it would be a good investment.

Speaking of money, since I made the decision to include prices in the item details at the end of each post, I've wondered if they give an impression that's contrary to my mission to bring my readers information about affordable fashion. Because, you see, I try to list the price that people who go looking for the item can expect to pay for it, which is often much higher than what I actually spent. (It seems a little cruel to list a bracelet for the $50L when any new customers who go looking for it will have to pay 4x more.) So, in an effort to give you a more accurate view of my SL consumer habits, I've decided to share with you a some of my favorite thrifty tidbits...

GROUPS
Retailer groups are a great way to keep up-to-date about sales and to pick up the occasional free gift. I also recommend joining a group or two which focuses on calling lucky chairs/boards like Lucky Chair Stalkers or Lucky Chair Zombies, or those which share deals related to a specific aesthetic like Dead Dolls of SL. Not only are such groups my top resources for saving lindens, but since they send out information from a variety of sources, they save me group slots as well. As far as I know, all three groups I mentioned are currently open to new members and free to join.

BLOGS
In addition to the in-world groups, I follow several blogs. Whereas the groups tell me about the freebies and sales, the blogs show them to me. I find blogs especially useful for deciding which sales to hit or hunts to participate in. I'm particularly grateful to the folks over at The Rumor and SL Freebie Hunters for all of the hard work they do documenting those things for me so I can spend more of my time taking photos and writing blog entries instead of 'porting all over the grid and standing around waiting for things to rez. Links for those two blogs and many more can be found along the right side of this page.



SALES
I own a few pair of Hoorenbeek's gorgeous-but-pricey boots, but I only paid $200L for each pair because I was able to grab them on sale. However, aside from the sales held by individual retailers, there are also the multi-retailer sales. My inventory holds several expensive pieces of jewelry and home furnishings which I was able to grab for only $50L or $60L as part of Project Themeory, Woeful Wednesday, Spruce Up Your Space, Fifty Linden Friday, or some other one-day sale. In fact, the Ploom skin I'm wearing in this entry retails for $950L, yet I only paid $70L for it as part of a recent Project Themeory sale. The same is true for my Para Design tattoos - instead of their usual $195L price tag, I paid $60L for them in a Super Bargain Saturday sale.


HUNTS/LUCKY CHAIRS/MIDNIGHT MADNESS BOARDS
Not only do I go through the information my groups give out about these things, but I keep an eye out in stores for lucky chairs/boards, Midnight and Mini Mania boards, and hunt advertisements. Some store owners put the hunt ads outside their store, so if you 'ported to a point inside, you might wanna swing your camera around and take a quick look at the entrance.


MULTILOOK
Yet another way I like to stretch my lindens is by buying items which provide me with a variety of looks, either with a color/texture change option or a selection of mix-and-match pieces. For example, as you can see in an earlier entry, the Ploom hair I'm wearing is color change - and not just the streaks, each color pack comes with a half a dozen choices for the primary hair color, as well as no-streak options. The leather pants I'm wearing are from Deviance and part of a fat pack which contains four pant options (on both layers) and two sculpted prim leg options. The Para Design tattoos fit into this category as well, with both color and greyscale options in three tones each - Dark, Medium, & Faded.

Whew! This entry ended up being a lot longer than I'd anticipated! If you stuck with it to the end, thank you, and I hope you found a tip or two to help you stretch those lindens.



Hair: Amerlee (Streaked) - Blacks by Ploom ($200L)
Skin: Maia - Vanilla - BR - Gloomy Day by Ploom ($950L)
Lipstick/Cleavage: Fresh Makeup 3 (Hair, Black Lip, Pale BIG) by MiaSnow
Eyes: Shine - Mint by MiaSnow ($220L / 9pk)
Necklace: Summer - Green by LouLou&Co ($40L gatcha prize)
Prim Nails & Rings: Eye Rings & Nails by Virtual Insanity (former hunt gift )
Bracelet: Summer - Green by LouLou&Co ($40L gatcha prize / 2pk)
Corset: Copper Cat Corset by Schadenfreude ($200L)
Upper Body Tattoos: Pink Rock - Black - Medium by Para Designs ($195L)
Belt: Strung Leather Belt - Black by Shiny Things ($150L / 2pk)
Pants: Leather Pants - Black by Deviance ($175L 4pk w/ 2 leg opts)
Shoes: Sense Xtreme Heel by N-core (prior group gift)
Pose - Standing: Pose_F07 by Ladybird (now closed)
Pose - Close-Up: Pose_F10 by Ladybird (now closed)
Location: After Dark (slurl)

Colorful Carbon

Remember when I raved about Dmitr Revnik's building skills? Well, I finally got him to stand still for a couple of snapshots, including one which shows off a bit more of the build I mentioned in that previous entry. In these photos, he's wearing a hair and hat combo by Indi with skin and eyes by MiaSnow. (Yep, I dragged him shopping at her store enough times that he became one of the converted.) More information about his look is at the bottom of this entry. (Much thanks to Dmitr for patiently indulging my request for a detailed breakdown of his look.)

My experience with SL builders is that they're never truly finished with a build, they're always tweaking the shape of this or the texture of that or knocking down walls to add additional rooms. Dmitr is no different in that regard - especially when it comes to builds he's living in. (Heck, even the house he built for me continues to see changes now and then.) As a result, the room you saw here has become the helm of his "hovering domicile" (to use Dmitr's favored term), housing glowing control panels and an old-fashioned steering wheel.



I love Dmitr's use of color and lighting in this particular build, making it feel more like a nightclub than a home. In fact, one side of the main living area includes a fully-stocked bar. Watching over the bar are a trio of steer skulls which seem oddly at ease among the vibrant flocked wallpaper and neon accents which surround them. (While the interior of Dmitr's home is definitely vibrant, I should note that the fabulous blacklight look of the photo below was achieved using the Orange Incubus windlight setting.)



If the "elegant sci-fi" look isn't your thing, Dmitr's also quite good at building quirky little seaside homes like mine, which can be partially viewed in previous entries. He's still resisting the idea of a retail endeavor, but I promise to keep working on him until he gives in.

Skin: Muerto Miguel by MiaSnow (mini mania exclusive)
Eyes: Genuine - Copper by MiaSnow
Hair/Hat: Fedora Hat Black (L) - Brown by Indi
Bracelet: Legacy Bracelet Preview ZP - Male by Blitzed
Tattoo: SnakeBite Color Medium by Para Designs
Shirt: Haunted Skelebeater - Sepia by Schadenfreude (group gift color)
Jacket: Liscio Vest - Hazel 1 by Gisaci
Belt: Classic Jeans Belt by Alphamale
Pants: Immortal Leathers Black MenStuffs Pants by RFyre (Menstuff hunt gift)

Puddin'

I'm in the midst of putting together a complete outfit to show you but, in the meantime, I thought I'd tell you about a couple of nifty freebies I got today.

First is this adorable pose stand disguised as set of bathroom scales. I stumbled across this at MMGraffiti's while checking out their lucky board. You get 4 versions - Female, Female (Tall), Male, and Kids. All versions come with a novelty pose as well as both forward and backward facing poses for editing attachments - no more rotating the pose stand or your camera! The Female stands come with the novelty pose you see here, the Male stand comes with an ego-stroking bicep flex, and the Kids stand has you crouching to peer intently at the scale's dial. Simply click each stand to cycle through the poses.

Second are these kickass heels from Purrfect 10. They're the current group gift for the free store group. (The VIP group costs $510L to join, but promises 10 limited edition items per year as well as offering a 10% discount on all purchases made while wearing the group tag.) Since these are a gift, they don't come with all of the texture-change features of the retail shoes, but you do get 22 different nail polish colors and the ability to match the skin tone of the feet to that of your avatar. To get these shoes, simply join the Purrfect 10 group (search for "Purrfect 10" under the Groups tab in-world), then click on the board here. Don't forget to grab the free skin toner on the wall above the shoes - it removes much of the headache of matching the color of your prim feet with your skin.

As usual, below are all of the details of my outfit, with prices included when possible. I started to gather the information about the furnishings seen in these photos, then realized it wasn't a task I have the patience for. If you want to know where anything else comes from, just ask and I'll look up the information for you the next time I log in. I will tell you that the superb piece of artwork that's hanging in my bathing area is by Trindolyn Beck. You can see (and purchase) more of his work at India Ink Gallery on Twomoons Island.



Hair: Amerlee (Streaked) - Blacks by Ploom ($220L)
Skin: Fresh - Pale (nude, blush) by MiaSnow
Lipstick/Cleavage: Fresh Makeup 3 (Hair, Black Lip, Pale BIG) by MiaSnow
Necklace: Summer - Green by LouLou&Co ($40L gatcha prize)
Prim Nails & Rings: Eye Rings & Nails by Virtual Insanity (former hunt gift )
Bracelet: Summer - Green by LouLou&Co ($40L gatcha prize / 2pk)
Upper Body Tattoos: Pink Rock - Black - Medium by Para Designs ($195L)
Leg/Waist Tattoos: Shooting Star Full Version - Faded by Para Designs ($175L)
Skirt: Gutter Glitter Tutu - Sorrow by Silentsparrow ($225L / 4pk) ^*
Shoes: Serenity Ocean Heels by Purrfect 10 (group gift here, free to join)
Pose: Bathroom Scale Posing Stand - Female by MMGraffiti's (free here)


^* By the way, if you happen to have the Jangling Jack vest by Silentsparrow, it looks super cute with this tutu.

Mini-Blog #4

At home with one of my 6 cats. This is just an untouched test shot of my costume for the aforementioned photoshoot I'm helping a friend with.

Skin: Fresh - Pale - Smokey by MiaSnow
Eyes: Xpressive - Green by MiaSnow
Tattoo: Cupid's Vine by Para Designs (I think this was a hunt gift.)
Mohawk:: Glitch - Midnite + Tips by House of Munster
Shaved Sides:: Etched Hair Base - Egypt - 004 - Black - Fem by Aitui
Earrings: Horn Earrings by Adore & Abhor (StashBash Hunt Gift)
Nails: Bitten Nails - Onyx by Figure 8 (Sadly no longer available.)
Shorts: Denim Short Pants by Edge Grafica (Only L!)
Belt: Studded Leather Belt by Drudi's Design ( Free! )
Socks: Ripped Stockings and Socks - 1 by Insanya ($150/9pk)
Boots: Dr. H. Boots - Black by Hoorenbeek
Jacket: Ferocious - Moth by Davinel ($120L) (Includes additional prim pieces not shown here)
Couch & Pose Patchwork Woodcutter Chair v2 Blue by Lisp
Cat: 2prim Anim Cat - Oci by Shop Seu
Curtains: Parisi Curtains by Phi
House: Custom made by Dmitr Revnik

Dishy Digits

I know it's been awhile since I've posted here and, for that, I apologize. I had a couple of entries in the works when Real Life intervened, as it so often will. The first post to get delayed was this response to Strawberry Singh's "What's your digits?" query. My avatar's stats are as follows:



My height was determined using the Avatar Height Measure. According to the Edit Appearance window in Phoenix, I'm an even 6' tall. However, based on the trouble I often have with poseballs and long skirts, I'm more inclined to believe the Avatar Height Measure.

The outfit I'm wearing is something I was trying out for a photoshoot a friend asked me to assist them with. Because this isn't really a fashion post, I'm not going to speak much about what I'm wearing except to say that I'm especially pleased with the freebie belt. I have something of an hourglass shape, so items like belts and prim skirts are often too small for me and resist my attempts to edit them into something which fits properly and is still aesthetically pleasing. That was not the case at all with this belt, which comes in both female and male sizes and is scripted for resizing. The bare bones info about the rest of my outfit is below, with prices included when possible.

Skin: Fresh - Pale - Smokey by MiaSnow
Eyes: Xpressive - Green by MiaSnow
Tattoo: Cupid's Vine by Para Designs (I think this was a hunt gift.)
Hair: H058 Black/Blonde_01 by Black Maria ($125L/6pk)
Nails: Bitten Nails - Onyx by Figure 8 (Sadly no longer available.)
Shorts: Denim Short Pants by Edge Grafica (Only $1L!)
Belt: Studded Leather Belt by Drudi's Design ( Free! )
Socks: Ripped Stockings and Socks - 1 by Insanya ($150/9pk)
Boots: Dr. H. Boots - Black by Hoorenbeek
Jacket: Ferocious - Moth by Davinel ($120L) (Includes additional prim pieces not shown here)
Pose: Stock Stand 182 by Sylva's Animation Factory

Holy Trinity (Mini-Blog #3)

The Green Faerie cradles her lovers, Opium & Laudanum, in the palms of her hands as she waits for her disciples amongst the sugar cubes.




Skin: Fresh - Pale - Drama by MiaSnow
Makeup: Black Lip, Liner, Smokey (Makeup Pack #3) by MiaSnow
Nails: Raven by Nevermore
Eyes: Shine - Mint - by MiaSnow (From the March Mint Madness sale.)
Tattoos: Absinthe by Para Designs (Depraved & Luckless Hunt #19 - Ends 3.30.11)
Hair: OMFG 2 - Oddities by House of Munster
Necklace: Wonderland Collection - White Rabbit Necklace by Violet Voltaire
Dress: Sour Cordial by Frick (Retirement Sale - Ends April 1, 2011)
Stockings: Vertical Stripes - Yellow by Canimal (sadly, now defunct)
Shoes: Buckled Dollie Pumps Floral by Dilly Dolls
Wings: Starfaerie Wings by New Trails
Absinthe Set: Absinthe Tray by The Fooding (Twisted Hunt #140 - Ends 3.31.11)
Pose: Get Happy 01 by Poseur

Yippie Kai Yay

My always-entertaining friend Vivianna Quandry stopped by while I was setting up a shot the other day and I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the two of us. This is an unusually subdued look for Vivianna, but keep an eye out here for more of her fashion pairings in the future.

I'm sad to report that Frick will be closing it's doors on April 1, 2011. However, until then, there's still a heck of a sale going on -- everything in the store is at least 50% off. For example, the dress I'm wearing in this photo is available for $50L or in a fat pack of 5 colors for only $199L. (Each outfit also comes with stockings, garters, and a choker, which are not shown here.) Fat packs of 24 skins can be had for $299L, individual skins can be had for as low as $10L, and full outfits can be purchased for $15L - $75L.

VIVIANNA'S LOOK:
Skin: Minima Violetta [Snow] by Sindecade (Currently FREE)
Hair: Ki - Color Pack by Magika
Eyes: Shine - Mint by MiaSnow (From the March Mint Madness sale.)
Dress/Stockings/Boots/Gun: Phoebe Gunn Ensemble by Wretched Dollies (Steam Hunt #139 - Ends 3.31.11)
Necklace: Wanderer Jewellery Set by League
Collar/Gloves: Bella Black Lace by Pixeldolls


MY LOOK:
Skin: Fresh - Pale - Drama by MiaSnow
Makeup: Black Lip, Liner, Smokey (Makeup Pack #3) by MiaSnow
Nails: Raven by Nevermore
Eyes: Shine - Mint - by MiaSnow (From the March Mint Madness sale.)
Tattoos: Absinthe by Para Designs (Depraved & Luckless Hunt #19 - Ends 3.30.11)
Hair: OMFG 2 - Oddities by House of Munster
Necklace: Wonderland Collection - White Rabbit Necklace by Violet Voltaire
Earrings & Bracelet: Dia De Los Muertos Set by Violet Voltaire
Dress: Sour Cordial by Frick (Closing April 1, 2011)
Stockings: Vertical Stripes - Yellow by Canimal (sadly, now defunct)
Shoes: Buckled Dollie Pumps Floral by Dilly Dolls


Pose: Party Boys by Long Awkward Pose (previous Pro Posers Hunt Gift)
Expressions: Lemmontree Emote HUD 1.1 (FREE)

You can take the goth out of the country...

I always get a bit nostalgic when I shop at Nomine because it's where I bought my very first skin back in June of 2006. (For those who are curious, it was Leanan Sidhe in red.) While the layout and location have changed over the years, Nomine is still one of my go-to places when I'm trying to pull together a particularly gothy look. As you can see from the Dust Storm dress I'm wearing here, Nomine's Munchflower Zaius isn't afraid to deviate from the cliched styles and colors which so many goth designers rely on a bit too heavily for my tastes. I grabbed this dress at a $100L sale Nomine had awhile back, but paying the regular list price of $300L would be a worthy splurge. (Except for brightening it a bit, the first image here is untouched so you can see how well the prim bits of the dress mesh with the textures of the surrounding pieces.) The dress is available in 7 different color schemes, including Voodoo Pink and Bleeding Black. Stop by the store and slap the subscribe-o-matic to be notified of new releases and future sales.

My hair is a recent group gift from Magika ($50L for everyone else) in a limited Valentine's Day color which is sadly no longer available. However, they do currently have a free fatpack of female hair in the store (a bob with several different hud-controlled appearance and color options) as well as a back room with a wide variety of $49L and $99L hairs.

Though the Dust Storm dress comes with matching stockings, I decided to tomboy things up a bit and wear some of Schadenfreude's stripey socks. These come in a fatpack of 10 colors, which each color on 3 different layers for layering with other clothing ($100L). Schadenfreude's Elephant on Lloyd is one of my favorite places to peruse for pieces for my carny outfits (and not just because I get to slide down a fireman's pole), so I'm sure this isn't going to be the last time they appear in this blog.

The boots I'm wearing are one of two free pairs of shoes being offered to N-core group members. The other pair can be seen in my previous entry. Both pairs of shoes come with several hud-controlled options (including on/off and color options for the slouchy socks seen here) and the group is free to join.

Finally, I think the Croire pose I'm using in the photo below was one of the store's offerings in a recent hunt but, for the life of me, I can't remember which one. I try to keep better track of such information, but sometimes I get careless (or lazy) and the Forgetfulness Faeries gobble up the information like sugar junkies in a chocolate factory.




Hair: Nayla - Heart by Magika (Special Valentine's Color)
Skin: Fresh - Pale - Nude Blush by MiaSnow
Eyes: Xpressive - Blue - Lite by MiaSnow (FREE at the Fab Free Headquarters)
Face Piercing: Monroe Stud - Left - Platinum by Oh Tangerine
Necklace: Beaded Key Necklace - Trinity Blue by Magpie
Dress: Dust Storm Dress - HyaBlue by Nomine (matching socks not worn here)
Bracelets & Watch: Troupe Watch - Natural by Miel (scripted color-change)
Tall Socks: Knit Stripey Socks - Blue by Schadenfreude
Boots & Ankle Socks: 3" Ankle Multicolor Boots by N-core (Current Group Gift)
Tattoo: Shooting Star - Faded by Para Designs
Pose in First Photo: Show Off Yer Bling 3 by Croire

The first photo was taken on the island I call home, the second photo was taken outside of Haus of Darcy on Dark Tranquility.

Brandied Cherries

Remember when I mentioned that MiaSnow is one of my favorite designers? And remember when I told you about the skin sale she's having this weekend? If you do, then you probably aren't at all surprised that I did some shopping yesterday. After much deliberation, I settled on the Fresh skin in Pale, along with Makeup Packs 1 and 3. (At only $200L for 10 styles, I suspect I'll be going back for Makeup Pack 2 sooner rather than later.)

Each Fresh fatpack comes with 6 skins with tintable brows. At a sale price of $599L, that's only $100L per skin! (To be clear, ONLY the fatpacks are on sale.) I'm wearing the Scarlet skin from the Pale fatpack, which inspired me to put together the Rockabilly look you see here. Never fear though, Makeup Pack 1 has many carny-worthy options and Makeup Pack 3 is going to be perfect for those days when I'm feeling nostalgic for my goth phase.

MiaSnow also offers a very affordable shape pack for this series ($120L for all 4 shapes). There's one shape for each skin tone, though while trying out the demos I discovered they can sometimes be mixed and matched to create unique looks. Additionally, the shapes are copy/mod for further personalization. (I'm wearing the Petite shape for the Pale collection, with a few modifications to the body to suit my personal preferences. However, I left the shape of the face as MiaSnow created it.)

Other accessories for the Fresh skin line include a set of 12 colored brows (including a tintable option) ($50L) and a set of two breast options (big & small) for all skin tones on both tattoo & undershirt layers ($200L). Each style of makeup in the makeup packs comes with three versions on the tattoo layer -- both breast options as well as a make-up only option.

The skin sale ends this Sunday night and only applies to specific fatpacks, so take a gander at MiaSnow's blog entry with all of the details and head on over to beautiful TwoMoon Island. (There are several male skins on sale as well, so grab the men in your life and bring 'em with you!)



Skin: Fresh - Pale - Scarlett by MiaSnow
Eyes: Xpressive - Blue - Lite by MiaSnow (FREE at the Fab Free Headquarters)
Tattoos: Rollin' Hard - Dark by Para Designs ($60L 2/26/11 ONLY)
Shirt: SweetLady Blouse - Red by Xplosion (The Valentine Diva Hunt - ends 2/28/11)
Shape: Fresh - Petite by MiaSnow
Brows: Fresh by MiaSnow
Hair: Sabina II - Toffee by Artilleri
Earrings: Everyday Hoops - Silver by Ticky Tacky
Face Piercing: Monroe Stud - Left - Platinum by Oh Tangerine
Necklace: Cherry Necklace by Twisted & Spoiled (Hair Fair '09 Gift)
Navel Piercing: Star Belly Ring - Ruby by DbNR
Jeans: Spring Belted Capris - Blues by Moonshine Designs
Shoes: Espadrilles by Twisted & Spoiled (Hair Fair '09 Gift)
Nails: LB 179 by La Boheme
Pose: Stock Stand 146 by Sylva's Animation Factory

Blueberries on Toast

I spent an absurd amount of time stalking the Lucky Boards at Dilly Dolls tonight, but my creepy patience paid off in the form of three skins and three outfits! (Much thanks to Whisper Despres at The Lucky Dispatch for letting her readers know about the boards.) Featured in this post are the Emile set in Violet and the Lillie skin. As someone with a shorter-than-average avatar who has a few curves, it's unusual for prim clothing to fit me right out of the box, so I was extremely pleased to discover that I only had to make a very minor adjustment to the prim corset which comes with this outfit -- everything else fit perfectly! While there's a lot to like about this outfit, I have to say that my contrary nature makes the mis-matched stockings my favorite feature.

The skin is gorgeous, with lush lips and detail which stands up to the scrutiny of a cam zoom, it's a wonderful addition to the inventory of anyone who appreciates a dark carny aesthetic. (It also comes with a "No Brows" option, but I haven't actually had the time to try that version on yet.)

At the moment, Dilly Dolls offers five different lucky boards for skins and three lucky boards for clothing. The skins remain the same for every round, but the clothing changes with each letter. As far as I can tell, there are two boards for women containing five different dresses in a variety of colors, and one board for men containing two outfits and what seems to be a fat pack of jewel-colored tank tops. There are also two Midnight Madness boards nearby, and a $10L - $25L retirement sale in front of the store.

The boots are actually men's boots from Deco resized to fit my avatar. The process was a bit tricky but ultimately fairly easy to do, even with my rudimentary building skills. At $300L, they were a mild splurge, but well worth it. (I'd be lying if I said I'm not hoping for an excuse to buy the metallic red pair as well.)

Finally, yes, those are simple texture nails I'm wearing. I generally don't wear prim nails because they're so finicky when it comes to AOs, so I tend to forget about them when it comes time to photograph my outfits. Moving forward, I'll be making more of an effort to bring my avatar's manicure out of the past and into the eye-poking present.





Hat, Dress, Stockings, & Jewelry: Emilie Set - Violet by Dilly Dolls
Skin: Lillie - Tandy (Milk Toast) by Dilly Dolls
Tattoos: Timeless - Color - Medium by Para Designs
Eyes: Bloodshot - Blue by MiaSnow
Nails: Fireworks by Nevermore
Hair: Doris - Blueberry by Amacci
Boots: Test Boots - Starry by Deco
Pose in First Photo: ~N~ Cutsey4 by Vrai Infinity