Genre: The Rainbow Zone

Any world can be created in Second Life, even a rainbow version of the Twilight Zone, and the furniture and sets available at Genre this month make creating your own land of improbable geometry both easy and fun. Personally, I started with an amazing chess-and-clocks base from Black Tulip, which is stuffed full of poses as well as personality. The combo of lines and curves make taking pictures from every angle a blast, and I adore the tip-toeing across the top edges of things in particular - it really makes it charming and fun. It comes in black and white but can be tinted to many colors and is easy to dress up if you want a less minimalist style. I'd love to see it with chess pieces in particular, or perhaps some giant clocks. The details I added were similarly surreal, though - 22769 ~ [bauwerk] has both a ladder to nowhere and a stack of chairs to nowhere in their offerings this Genre, and each have a ton of thoughtful, reflective, and silly poses.

Curlicue Couture

There are five days left before The Secret Affair leaves us forever - on the 29th - and if you haven't been by, I highly recommend it. I ended up falling into adoration with a new store called Pixicat, which put together this really unique and sexy dress and these amazing Baroque shoes. The dress is a combination of corset-style and colorblock with intricate patterns overlaying the colorblocked panels. I love the weavework of the corsetry between the panels; if you look closely, you'll see that the ribbon slotted through lies perfectly, curving over and under the edges of the pattern smoothly and realistically. I also love it's subdued sexiness; the bodice is covering enough, but the additional ribbon along the top edge gives it a dangerous edge it wouldn't otherwise have. I also love the length - many would be tempted to make this kind of a dress a miniskirt, but the knee length balances out classy and sexy perfectly. The shoes, on the other hand, are simply a blast. Waves of curls reminiscent of a heavy picture frame support a high SLink heel held on with thick straps. The straps themselves are color changeable through a HUD; the heels are available in white, black, and a variety of metals. I indulged in this white pair as a way to keep my entire look white, but balanced it with black straps which I also echoed in the bracers from The Annex; strappy, dark, and bold.

The Annex bracers come with a lovely veiled hairband with large, creamy flowers on it. I bought the set for the veil - it's mesh, with large pearls sewn into the mesh, and the flowers are luxurious and lovely over the top of the head. Since I was trying to walk a sexy and elegant line, this additional bit of concealment is perfection. I tucked the veiling over another wonderful hairstyle from Discord Designs (available at Hair Faire), with braids tied back in a loose chignon. I'm showing off one of the lighter blonds here, but it's available in a variety of colors. In contrast with many of her other braids, this one has a curling, almost spiral pattern across the skill which I simply adore; I have an abiding love of the more complicated braid patterns developed by black, Caribbean, and African cultures. Discord Designs' styles are particularly perfect for close-held hairbands and crowns, offering a stylish base for your best princesses. My necklace is also from The Secret Affair, a deceptively simple curve from 22769. From a distance it appears like a thick chain necklace, but up close you can see the overlaid leafs in a gentle ombre from dark gray to a blinding blue-white. I really love how distance makes such a difference with how this particular piece of jewelry looks - that's an additional layer to a complicated look. It is a single piece, though; something I appreciated when I made it a little thicker to fit around my neck perfectly.

I ended up at the RFL Track for pictures; every year they do a number of amazing sims along the edges, and this year one of them was from Fallen Gods' creator Alia Baroque. Growth and Decay is a gorgeous NeoClassical landscape with bridges and rivers on either side.

2014 Fantasy Faire: Christmas in May

There is one day left to the Fantasy Faire, and there is so much to be done and so far we have gotten. There are nine total sims and this one, Medhir Woods, is the sixth I've visited. It's a lovely, simple village style of venue, with a simple gazebo overlooking the small pay in the heart of it. The lighting is quite red, and so I wasn't sure that my lovely gown - purchased on sim - from Apsara would work; it was a vibrant lime green that had caught my eyes as soon as it hit the feeds. It turned out simply lovely, however, with the red muting the green without completely overwhelming it. I particularly like the style of the dress - the halter-corset combination is one I'm fond off, and the long skirt was a lot of fun. One flaw is around the bottom of the skirt, though; sadly it "sticks" a bit too the feet and can make some odd, jagged edges depending on your pose; most of the time it's barely noticable. The colors are simply gorgeous, too; a rich olive, a bright lime and lemon, and hints of red worked into the complicated pattern of the bodice.I knew I had to have this as soon as I saw it, and now I'm so glad it's mine.

I've had some difficulty finding shoes and oddments to augment my outfits, so I dug deep into other things I've been picking up along the way. The butterfly mask, for example, is from 22769 and is one of a variety of colors which I simply fell in love with. The design is particularly nice, with smaller butterflies perching on the skin and then a small stream of them fading away, and it also come sin a hand-held version if you want something for a Masque Ball. I paired it with a Wasabi Pills hair which would overlay it slightly, giving it a naturalistic look. I also love how the hair flows over the bodice, catching here and there without being overwhelming. My Dark Passions nails I picked up ages ago, but each outfit I would try them with didn't work out - finally, with this one, it was a perfect match, even to the bits of gold on the nails to echo the bright lemon of the dress. And finally my shoes, something I've had kicking around in my inventory for ages looking for a home, matched so perfectly they could have been made as a cohesive outfit; these pointy toed flats from Bliensen + MaiTai match in style and color perfectly, from the olive of the shoe which picks up the green of the bodice, to the delicate metal which echoes the darker shades of red worked in. I really like how the curve of metal over the toe and the toe itself don't line up - it's such a charming little detail.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Sparkles: Folly, Rainbow Sheen
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Hanako
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Mask: 22769, Mes pensees sont des papillons
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Coal & Green
Lipstick: L. Fauna, Red 3
Wings: Illusions, Apsara
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & Feet
Nails: Dark Passions, Irish Tips
Clothing: Apsara, Kairavi
Bracelets: G Field, Floria
Shoes: Bliensen + MaiTai, Brennil

Pose: Grafica

Location: Medhir Woods
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Advent Gifts

The Advent season is a time of cheer in Second Life, particularly in the hands of generous creators! I have mixed feelings about Advent simply because I'm a forgetful fae and having to do something every day is pretty much designed to trip me up! So far I'm doing pretty well, though; almost everything I'm wearing is an Advent prize I've gotten over the past eight days, though all muddled up and needless to say not available anymore. The dress is from Falln Angel Creations, and is one of the many free things available at the store; there's an advent tree along with additional lucky prizes under the tree nearby and a free gift every time you enter the store as well! The glasses and horns are fun gifts from 22769, one of the more confusingly named stores, but definitely a generous creator. I'm particularly fond of the horns, with their flickering candles giving off light. The cosmetics on my eyes are from Elymode, and there are also outfits in the offing - a picture above the Advent prizes shows ranges of prizes to tempt you. The amazing hair with red and green highlights are from Alice Project, and she's releasing a new hair a day with the special coloring, which is really fun! Finally, the necklace and ring are from Ginza, and I really have loved a lot of the other jewelry releases already, so I'm looking forward to blessings in the days to come.

SL Blogger Support has a sweet list of Advent Prizes, some of which don't start until the twelve days before Christmas. I don't know o anyone who is actually together enough to show off all of the prizes every day, but personally I identify the stores I really like the products of and then swing around them every day! Other stores I've been going to include Adorkable Poses, Swayland, Hopscotch, and Dark Moon Creations - all of them have really awesome prizes. I meant to use some of the poses, but I utterly forgot until after the pictures were taken (remember what I said about forgetful?). I'm having fun hunting out wintery sims and posing in inappropriate clothing all over them, though! A lot of places have decorated, though I always wonder if it's completely weird for people on the southern half of the planet, where it's summer right now.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Glasses: 22769, X-Mas Glasses - fir green (Advent Prize)
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Eyelashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Holiday Liner and Shadow - gold (Advent Prize)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: L. Fauna, Red 1
Lipgloss: Mock, Mizu Venetian Red
Hair: Alice Project, Hyori Christmas (Advent Prize)
Horns: 22769, X-Mas Aries Horns (Advent Prize)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Necklace: Ginza, Dove necklace (Advent Prize)
Ring: Ginza, Bird ring (Advent Prize)
Dress: Falln Angel Creations, Amrita Gown (Advent Prize)
Shoes: G Field, Slingback Shoes

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Incendia Outdoors
Light Settings: Paulina, Fairy Dark Blue
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

ICHP: Days of Celebration and Remembrance

I have some real delights for you all today, most of them from events and one named for me! Squee~! I always get a little shiver of pleasure when something awesome shows up with my name on it, and this Dia de los Muertos inspired mask from The Bitten Prim is no exception. With influences also from Pysanka eggs, from Ukraine, it's a bright and shiny take on a night of joy and solemnity ever intertwined. I have it on good authority that more will follow this one, of similarly bright and cheerful hue. The hair is from the Cinema Event from Wasabi Pills, and I really love it. It's a long, sleek, rigged mesh hair with just enough hair-in-the-face to be freaky and/or sexy. Ambivalent and awesome! Also from the Cinema Event is a new mesh dress from Dilly Dolls with the cutest ruffle right under the bodice. As you can see, a few poses stretch the texture along the bottom, but I adore the images on it - so cute! - and the style is fantastic.I felt like it really fit the sparkly, bright, subtly creepy look I was achieving, though there are black-based colors for people who don't want a bright and sunny Halloween. The hat from 22769 is from the L'accessories Event, which offers up a selection of limited edition accessories for people to peruse. I thought this tiny rose hat was the cutest, and it perfectly matched my the lighter purples in my look.

The shoes, from Felicity, have been out for a while but I've been looking for a place and time to show them off, and it looks like that time is now. Again, they naturally caught up colors in my outfit, and I thought the extremely high heel and cut-out design really made me taller and more elegant! Also on the older side is this amazing set of jewelry from Elemental. I love jewelry which harkens to offline-possible designs, and this one with the gems in cages of metal is simply divine. It is color change on touch with three options, which means it's pretty versatile. I'm also still wearing the amazing SLink hands and taking SLink eyelashes (from her closed-eye kit) for a test drive as well. I like their natural, uneven quality, and while the entire eyelash being one mesh item makes it a little difficult to fit, since my eyes are oddly shaped for Second Life, I think I did a pretty good job.

( More picutres here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyelashes 2: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Mask: The Bitten Prim, Dia de Deoridhe (gift)
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Nikki Mesh Hair (promotional item, Cinema Release)
Hat: 22769, Femme Fascinating Fascinator (L'accessories Event)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Elemental, Splendor (promotional item)
Dress: Dilly Dolls, This is Halloween-ish (promotional item, Cinema Release)
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands (New Release)
Shoes: Felicity, Felicity, Harlow Stilettos - Lilac (promotional item)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Siren - Isis City
Light Settings: London2026
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only