Stephanie is the latest skin from Exodi. Ryker Beck sent out her third and final pre-release gift skin to her group today called Hot Date. The entire line will be released on Valentine’s Day, so stay tuned.
I’m wearing Stephanie in the Panacek skin tone and the new Melissa Hair from Truth in Champagne. The frame is provided by FilterCam, of course, so there is no post-processing, just a quick crop. Happy Tuesday!
I actually put this look together several days ago. Launa Fauna had just released her new skin line, Lapine, under her new brand name, L. Fauna, and I was in the mood for something comfy and casual. The holidays, however, creeped up on me and I was left with no time to blog. I wanted to play with some frosty blue and silver tones, so this outfit started with the Elspeth Cardigan in Snowflake from Artilleri, which I layered over MichaMi’s GlamTank in white. I topped Milk Motion’s My Boyfriend Jeans with Reek’s I Heart Stripes Belt. For accessories, I turned to my “go to” jewelry designer, Jori Watler, and chose the Kalnera Original Pendant and Bandara Bracelet from alaMood. The skin that I’m wearing in the first picture is Fresh, with the freckled option, from the original Lapine release. Today, however, I couldn’t help myself and had to ‘port over to pick up the second set. I’ve included photos of the five new makeups. I’m wearing the Tan 1 tone in each of these photos, but there are six skin tones available. Each comes with tintable brows and lipsticks, as well as freckle and cleavage options. There are now 10 makeups available in each tone and L.Fauna offers a gift-delivery service for both single skins and fat packs. I love skins with freckles, but I usually have problems finding a skin that is both perfectly freckled and fits my shape. These L. Fauna skins deliver…on both counts. You can bet I’ll be wearing them quite a bit!
Also wearing: Hair: Lydia in Coffee by Truth Eyes: Vetro in Blue by Exodi Lashes: Beauty by Calla
When it comes to skins, I’m not a huge shape tweaker. That’s probably why I stick to Exodi and 5th & Oxford most of the time. It’s pretty much a given that any skin from either of these two brands will fit my shape without any modification. And, that’s probably why I liked the skins that Gandalf Edman presented to me for review. GeEs Design is a new-to-me skin shop and has three new skins available at the 2009 Skin Fair that is going on now.
Tara America has a darker skin-tone, Tara Australia is a nice sun-kissed tan and Tara India is quite pale. The makeup selection for each ranges from subtle to glam, and are all quite well done. Though it is a bit darker than what I usually wear, I think I actually prefer Tara America and really had a hard time selecting my favorite makeups to feature in this post. And I think they all look great with the new Athshe necklaces, shown in Silver, Gold and Ice, designed by my uber-talented bestie, Jori Watler and available at alaMood.
And while I’m talking about features…take a look at the top photo. That was created in the new Photoble by MudHoney Designs. Rayvn Hynes has created a collection of mini-rooms specifically designed for photography. Though built with photography in mind, they are really quite versatile as the pieces can be used independently. Some versions, like the Glam Girl room I’ve used, have poses built in and texture-changing walls. You can see all of the designs at the MudHoney main store.
And, back to the skins. While I’ve never been one to inspect every pixel of a skin, I’m very picky about what I like and what I don’t. These skins have a lot of what I like: Nice, even skin tones, well-placed highlighting, and pretty lips and eyes with colors that are saturated and not overly smudged. I spent a good amount of times in these skins and did not come across any noticeable seam issues. These are skins I will definitely wear over and over again.
Keep reading after the jump to see my four favorite makeups for each skin tone…and then skip over to GeEs Design to pick out your favorites. Read the rest of this entry »
Few skins make me want to lounge around half-naked like those from Exodi. But Sienna, Ryker Beck’s fifth line this year (and very likely the last for 2009) is definitely lingerie-worthy. So much so, in fact, I invited Jori over to strip down with me.
Sienna will be released November 5th and comes with a whole host of options. Choose dark brows or light, freckles and cleavage enhancement. There are a whopping 16 makeups to choose from, each in a dark and light version. So, if we add all that up, there are 8 skins in each single makeup purchase and 128 skins in the fatpack. That’s right. One hundred twenty eight! I actually had to count them in my inventory because I was convinced my math was incorrect. Sienna will be available in four skin tones. In all of these pictures I am wearing the Vivante tone with freckles and the dark makeup option. And in the photo above, Jori is wearing the Soleil tone in Snow.
Click through the jump to see all of the sixteen makeup options. And then mark your calendars and scoot over to Exodi on Thursday.
Read the rest of this entry »
Lily, the latest of Ryker Beck’s skin collections at Exodi, should be released sometime in the next week or so, but I couldn’t wait. You see, a couple of weeks ago, Ryker sent me a prototype of this fantastic skin to try on. To say I fell in love instantly would be a gross understatement. When I learned that Lily would be featured in the auction at Requiem, an event held last weekend to benefit the Human Rights Campaign, I knew I had to have it…the fact that proceeds from the auction were going to such a worthy cause was just a bonus.
When I logged in Thursday, moo Money sent me a teaser photograph of Delora Starbrook’s latest release at Haven Designs. Stunning was the only word I could think of to describe it. Later, when Delora offered a review copy of the dress, I couldn’t wait to put it on! I wasn’t disappointed.
Many have tried, not always successfully, to design a high-quality bandage dress. Delora got it exactly right! The texture seems to have a bit of shimmer and stretch, the shading on the torso accentuates the body-conscious and form-fitting design, and the line of the halter-style neckline, the way it frames the bust and wraps around to an almost sporty racer-back, is a unique and interesting touch. I’m wearing the dress in Purple and Blue, but I’ve already been to Haven Designs to pick up the Purple and Pink style that is a Limited Edition with all proceeds benefiting Relay for Life.
The shoes are from N-core, a shop that is new to me. This ultra-high heel features a prim foot and several customizable options. The skin tone menu was a bit confusing at first. When you select the menu, first choose from options A through E. These are the base skin tones. Once you’ve selected a tone, you can choose from 11 shades. It took a bit of trial and error, but I quickly figured out that 5C is a very close match to the Fair tone of LAQ’s new Glow version of her classic April skin line. April is delicately freckled and comes in two skin tones, Milky and Fair. The line is created specifically for red heads, but I think it works well for brunettes, also.
Happy Fourth of July to all of my stateside friends…and for those of you outside the US, have a very happy and relaxing weekend!
Style Notes: Dress: Haven Designs Sasha in Purple/Aqua Shoes: N-core Stylus XtremeHeel in Black Bracelet: +plus Wide Bangle in Silver Ring: Paper Couture Times Square Ring in Kyanite Glasses: Suite 17 Sunglasses in JetGloss Clutch: Fabulous Dynasty*StreetLife Hair: @Waffles! Bonbon in Blackberry Manicure: J’s Nails in Black (vivid pack) Skin: Laqroki April 01 Fair Glow Skin with Brown Brows Eyes: Exodi Vetro Eyes in Blue (large, veins) All poses by Long Awkward Pose, Photographed on a PhotoStage with Tillie’s Posestand and HUD
Ryker Beck is Second Life’s version of the Big Bang Theory. Creativity and drive seem to collide within her and explode across the grid. It should come as no surprise, then, that as she reopens under her new brand, Exodi, she does so in a big way. Today, Exodi introduces not one, but TWO, new skin lines, a new range of eyes and a build-your-own fatpack system.
Its no secret that I’m a fan of the original Eden and Candace skin lines. Ryker has built upon the Eden base to add depth and detail, refining her first skin into Eden v2. She’s a little more grown up and a little more sophisticated. The under-lip shadow is a tad pronounced on my shape, but the texture of the lips is so soft and satiny, I can definitely overlook it.
Shiloh is brand new, Ryker’s third official skin line, and the first released solely under Exodi. She has pouty lips and eyes that seem a bit more exotic. The release line of makeup options features enough variety for everyone. Read the rest of this entry »
Who’s that girl going down the street? It’s Candace! She’s the girl next door who is a pop diva by day and a Hollywood bad girl by night crossed with an old school glamour goddess I’d like to meet. It’s Candace! -Phineas and Ferb
The new skin by Genesis designer, Ryker Beck, is, yep, you guessed it, Candace! She is not a rework of Genesis’ inaugural skin line, Eden. Rather, Candace is a brand new skin from head to toe. There are several reviews of this skin already on the feeds, so I’ll just hit a few highlights that really appeal to me.
I love the highlights and shading on this skin. The first time I tried the beta version, I thought them a bit dark, but the final version is just right. There is just enough definition, without being too harsh, and the facial highlighting is glamorous and runway-ready. I love that Ryker has included tintable brows and “landing strip” panties. There’s also a cute little belly ring. The tintable gloves are designed to hide the fingernails on the skin when wearing prim nails. This feature I definitely love because I wear a lot of prim nails in photos, and I hate having to tint the gloves to match my skin. The gloves are tintable, though, so you can tweak them however you’d like. And check my cute butt-dimples! Who doesn’t love butt-dimples?!?
Now, on to the makeups. Read the rest of this entry »
Ryker Beck, noted artist and the designer behind Genesis, has as much drive and determination as she does talent and creativity. For the last few weeks, I have stalked her plurks and flickr relentlessly, just waiting for her to give us yet another glimpse into her quest to design a new skin line. Along the way, she’s asked for comments, suggestions, criticisms…and she’s taken them all into account, incorporating those that fit her vision, and filing away the rest for future reference.
In the end…Eden was born!
I’ve seen this skin on several different avatars, each with a unique shape, and what I find magical is this: Eden seems to morph itself onto whatever shape you are wearing and play up its best features. I was talking with Jori Watler about Eden on Sunday night and her comment was, “It should be called Chameleon.”And she’s right.
I’m obsessively particular about skins and rarely find any outside of my beloved Fleur that fit my shape. Genesis is a whole new world. This is no fly-by-night, first-time skin designer throwing new makeups on an open source base. No. Ryker Beck has painted, tweaked and refined this skin with a sense of artistry and eye to detail that rival even the most accomplished and experienced skin makers.
Keep reading to see the rest of the twenty (That’s right! T.W.E.N.T.Y…and each comes with a freckled version, too!) make up styles and a full-lenth photo of the body. Read the rest of this entry »
Antonia Marat of Artilleri gifted her update group yesterday with a preview of her new skin line. I’ve featured headshots of these adorable skins below.
I love the glossy not-too-full, not-too-thin lips and the way they turn up at the corners just a smidge is delicious. The eye makeup is subtly smoky with blue-grey tones and dark liner. Various eyebrow shades are included and the blonde is perfect for the paler skin tones.
Speaking of, I was quite pleased with the skin tone range available. The porcelain shade is lovely but a bit pale for my taste as I usually stay just to the light side of most tan skin tones. But the cream tone is fresh and slightly rosy, I could definitely see myself wearing it. Overall though, the sunkissed tone is my favorite. Oh, and freckles! Each skin tone comes in a freckled or non-freckled version.
Are you in the Artilleri group? Yes, of course you are! Then scoot on over to Artilleri, be sure to wear your tag, and buy this little package of love from Antonia for only 1L$. What, you’re not in the group? Oh, how sorry I am to hear that. You will have to wait then for the official release, as Antonia has closed her group enrollment for the time being.
Word of the Day: Bliss (Use it in a sentence for bonus points)
Oh, and the hair is Elizabeth(Blonde) by ETD and in the full length shot I am wearing some funky floral body art from Baiastice, part of the Ninfa de Boschi Outfit.
