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 »
I’m going to try to start doing some random Looks of the Day posts. Probably not everyday, but a few more than usual. At least, that’s the plan…for now.
For this one, I mixed some casual, comfy-looking jeans from WoE with one of the new Slouching Cardigans from LeLutka. I layered the sweater over two of my staples, Djinn & Tonic’s Tweedheart Vest and MichaMi’s GlamTank. I added a little sparkle with the Bandara Necklace and Ring from alaMood, some kicky heels from ETD and a new hairstyle from Maitreya. The skin is Exodi’s newest and will be released later this week. I’ll have a proper preview of the whole line soon!
Happy Sunday…now, go shopping! Cardigan: LeLutka – Jade’s Slouching Cardigan in Pea Vest: Djinn & Tonic – Tweedheart Vest in Black Tank: MichaMi – GlamTank in White Jeans: WoE – GRJ-F7T Ellee Twain Jeans in Steel Necklace & Ring – alaMood Bandara Collection in Silver Quartz Belt: MAiiKI – High Waisted Belt V.2 in Patent Black Shoes: ETD – Starley Pumps in Swirl Green Hair: Maitreya – Green in Coffee Skin: Exodi – Sienna (to be released Nov. 5) Eyes: Exodi – Vetro in Blue (large, veins) Nails: Ibizarre – Nail Polish in Diamont Black Lashes: Calla – Lashes in Beauty Poses: Diesel Works
This should actually be dated 08.15.09, because I’ve been wearing it…changing out pieces and parts here and there…since I picked up the dress and poses during last week’s 50L Friday. I have a few pieces from Whippet & Buck, but this dress caught my eye almost as soon as I rezzed. Penny Dreadful Arcade is one of those new-to-me pose shops that I had to rush back to, a couple of times, to pick up the entirety of their pose collection.
For this look, I chose the Art Teacher hair by Tiny Bird and the long denim shorts from CoCo to turn the W&B dress into a more casual tunic. The Tiny Dancer necklace and Freshwater Pearl earrings from Sable Rose are two pieces that I wear constantly (I <3 Rosie Barthelmess). And I am positively enamored by Balderdash’s Rosary (I may not make it to Mass as often as my mother would like, but I still find the Rosary fascinating and collect them in RL). Saiyge Lotus’ version is beautifully designed and loaded with details. To round out the look, I added bangles from Zaara and, for a touch of whimsy, the Kitty Ring from Puarangi Designs, which has a texture change script and is just adorable! Just a couple of final details. The shoes are Tesla’s latest release, Klaks Clogs in Lemon. As usual her sculpting and texture work is absolutely flawless. With each new release, Tesla Miles blows me away with her mastery of the sculpted prim. I chose glasses from primOptic. Nibb Tardis uses standard prims and feature-packed menus to create realistic and customizable designs.
That’s all for now, happy shopping!
Style Notes: Dress: Whippet & Buck – Haver Tiered Frock in Winter Gloom Shorts: Coco – Knee Length Denim in Dark Blue Socks: Maitreya – Prim Sock in Olive Shoes: Tesla – Klaks Clogs in Lemon Hair: Tiny Bird – The Art Teacher II in Brownie Necklace: Sable Rose – Tiny Dancer in Tri-Color Silver Earrings: Sable Rose – Naiad Freshwater Pearl Earrings Rosary: Balderdash – Rosary on the Hand Bracelets: Zaara – Sadaf Paua Bangles in Silver Ring: Puarangi Designs – Kitty Ring – Texture Changing Glasses: PrimOptic – Maren Skin: Exodi – Lily in Cedar, Fusion Exclusive makeup: Osmosis Eyes: Exodi – Vetro Eyes in Blue Poses: Penny Dreadful Arcade
I’m sure I’ve told you before that the very first SL blog I followed regularly was Milla Michinaga’s diary of daily looks. I looked to her for inspiration and ideas. If I was putting together a look that needed a particular style of shirt, for example, I would troll back through her archives and sure enough, I’d find exactly what I was looking for.
These days, I still look to Milla for ideas and inspiration, but not in her blog. Her clothing brand, MichaMi, is a collection of timeless, classic and infinitely versatile designs that look fantastic right out of the box, yet still mix and match easily with anything else in my inventory. Her latest releases, Afton and Orla, are no exception.
Both Afton and Orla spoke to my inner-bohemian. Afton, with its full skirt and structured harness, begged for a boho-chic look. I’ve always been a fan of jewelry from Zaara, and the latest release, inspired by traditional Indian pieces is breathtaking. I chose to layer my arm in gold and pearl bangles and added a hand ornament. I’ve had the nosering in my inventory for ages, and it seemed to fit perfectly with the look, especially once I found my favorite gladiator sandals from J’s. Jori had recently sent me some henna tats from HUZ by Hunain Bellic and the faded natural color really brought it all together for me. I was looking for a hairstyle that was loose and casual when Codie suggested that maybe something with a small flower would be nice. For that I turned to Truth, my new go-to hair designer, and Aradia was the instant choice.
Orla, on the other hand, is a little sexier, a little edgier and I knew immediately I wanted to style it with a little boho-rock influence. The Noomi jacket, also by MichaMi, with its buckled collar and short length upped the edge factor a bit. I turned to Zaara, again, for some bold jewelry, this time from an older release, the Melange set. Just as I was debating whether or not to wear a necklace, Jori sent me her new Risque pumps. The instant I tried on the first pair, Deadly, I knew that Maitreya’s sangria-colored scarf would pull it all together.
Whatever style you are going for, MichaMi makes it so easy to look pulled together with just a few quick clicks of the mouse. Visit her shop for more inspiration!
Style Notes: Dress: MichaMi: Afton Dress in Cream and Brown and Orla Dress in Black Jacket: MichaMi: Noomi Jacket in Sky Shoes: J’s Real Toe Gladiator Sandals Dark Brown; Pretties by JB Risque in Deadly Tattoos: HUZ-Henna 2-Two Shades-Fullbody in Natural Faded Accessories: Zaara Nizam Choodiya (bangles) and Nizam Haath-phool (hand-jewel); Nose ring Manadrop gold; Zaara Melange Earrings and Bangles in Blue; Maitreya Long Scarf in Sangria Hair: Truth Aradia in Coffee; ETD Tasha in Black Manicure: Exodi (Formerly Genesis) Angie Prim Nails S1 in Red Glitter Eyes: Exodi Zbilja Eyes in Blue Lashes: Miriel – Feather Skin: Fleur Allure Cinnamon Lounge 1 Poses by AnaLu Fresh Poses
Okay, so the the old joke is actually: What’s black and white and read all over? (a newspaper…yucka yucka yucka). And when I started putting this outfit together, I had on some red accents to go with the black and white. (Get it? Read. Red.) Then Java sent me a little pink dress and my mind started to flicker. Once I headed upstairs to my little hideaway on Rouge (the only place on Codie’s sim you are likely to ever find anything pink), I was further inspired to make some changes.
I’d been trying on random goodies from Dice Beattie all night, and I love the versatility of his tintable Boobless One-Piece. He’s currently designing like a man possessed, rebuilding his store and planning to release all kinds of newness in mid-April. I paired the one-piece with a blouse and cropped pants from COCO, tights from Fleur, socks from Maitreya, and a belt from caLLie cLine. I chose a whimsical, romantic hairstyle from Clawtooth by Clawtooth, mostly because I really liked the flower and finally, I added my current obsession, the Boho Chic Mules from Pretties by JB. Read the rest of this entry »
