Sunshine Girl

It's almost summer, so it's time to break out the bright colors and find a pretty sim for some pictures. I started at Whiskey Monday's new landscape show at the Kelly Yap Art Gallery, which is lovely even if it does make me ache with envy - her landscapes are amazing and I want to take pictures with them. After yearning there, I followed the thread to her art gallery at Edloe, under the Listening Room, and the under is important, because after I spent a while spending time in her props pretending I was awesome, I found my way out and across a bridge to Catgirl's Harbour, which was absolutely gorgeous. I found bridges, cute little ponds, lovely living electronics, and a small nest of meeroos, all in a small section of sim with a beautiful coastline and in view of Edloe. I was already dressed to the nines, so an impromptu photoshoot was simply called for. I'm mostly wearing things I picked up at Collobor88, though I have mixed feelings about attending after learning that bloggers and users associated with the Liaison Collaboration were banned from the sim (some info here). It's always hard to know how to react when people do things you're not sure you agree too - but since at least one of the banned women specifically said she still blogs the event, and because so much of the details are unknown, I ended up deciding to swing by and see many of my favorite creators at work.

D!va has been my favorite store for loose, flyaway hair for a long while, and I love the flirty updo released, the back held up by color-changing hairclips. This is a prim hairstyle, which meant I was able to move a couple of bits of hair which cut through my ears - just admire that fit. The wisps and flares are just really fun, like I put up my hair in a rush and ran out the door to worship the sun. I added on these amazing sunglasses from Contraption which are just so fun, and which inspired me to use teal heels from Felicity to match the blue in these awesome glasses - like sunlight captured in ice. My lips are layered Mock lip gloss for a soft, bright, summery orange - best glosses on the grid, I swear. My jewelry is a color changing set from Maxi Gossamer, which is so becoming my jewelry of choice - give me options, people! The kind of cool thing about it is that while the names for each color type is a single color (in this case yellow), it's actually a spectrum of colors around yellow so that it looks like a funky, pulled together set instead of strings and strings of all the same beads. Really, it's a ton of fun - make rainbow next, please! My dress is from Schadenfreude, and I am SO GLAD she is making mesh. It's an adorable, strapless gown, like so many adorable strapless gowns, but the hem is simply divine - look at that lace - and the pattern is fantastic. Also, she has earned my eternal love by actually having the dress filled in across the bottom so that it looks like layers and layers of crinolines are holding the dress out. Amazing, simply amazing! My poses, by the way, are from Adorkable Poses and they are simply dreamy. Sadly, Adorkable is closing her store; luckily, she's putting things on sale so go, go, go! Finally, to return to my other touch of teal, these amazing heels from Felicity are part of her latest release and are really fun; the color was simply perfect for my look - like an icy drink on a hot summer day.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Candace (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow (promotional item)
Sunglasses: Contraption, Meltdown - shine (Collabor88)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick 1: Mock, Glasside Lip Sorbo
Lipstick 2: Mock, Glasside Lip Trinidad
Hair: D!va, Sayaka3 (Collabor88)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: Schadenfreude, Into the Woods (Collabor88)
Jewelry: Maxi Gossamer, Summertime Easy Living (Collabor88)
Hands: SLink, Enhanced Mesh Hands
Nails: Izzie's, Metallic Nails
Shoes: Felicity, Nadine Shoes (promotional item)

Poses: Adorkable Poses

Location: Catgirl's Harbour
Light Settings: Annan Adored Light Explosion II
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 16 - Peony’s Secret

This Twisted Color Challenge - Peony's Secret - was really fun, and a really bright color contrast. I like the challenges where the colors initially look like they could never get along, only to find that they really look fabulous together once I have a look organized. I love the cherry of these fabulous Felicity shoes. I love all the different chains, ties, and bangles which make it really unique. It felt like one spot of bright red was too strong, so I ended up also picking up this fantastic cashmere scarf from Boom; I think I had initially gotten it at a special event, but when I went to Boom's store it turns out there is, like, ten or twenty million of them.

My bright blue came from this gorgeous new release from Deco; I love the ribbing around the waist and the bottom edge of the dress, as well as the enormous buttons down the back. The hair, with it's red and warm flowers, is another new release, this time from Diva; luckily it's editable, and I was able to move things out of my ears. Yay for editable things. I went completely off book with the final two accessories, though; a dark teal for cuffs and my new favorite toy, a rainbow dragon, both from Silent Sparrow.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Seelie
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Virtual Insanity,
Lipstick: Mock, Lucir LipColor Sunset
Hair: Diva, "Flora" Type A (Collabor88)
Head Dragons: Silent Sparrow, Luck Dragon - Magic
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Scarf: Boom, Tinsley Cashmere
Dress: Deco, Soda Pop Dress (Collabor88)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Bracelets: Silent Sparrow, Fenris Leather Cuffs
Shoes: Felicity, Jessica Stilettos (promotional item)

Poses: Grafica

Location: Astriane
Light Settings: In Situ
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 7 - Truffle Valley

Truffle Valley really seemed more like chocolate and banana to me - but this dress is actually called chocolate and vanilla! An impulse purchase from Yulicie at an event - I forget which - it came with a bunch of other colors all in dessert shades. I really like the sprinkles on the skirt and the warm chocolaty goodness, and the dress itself is well made if a little sharp around the shoulders.  The style is simple and sweet, and the texturing is simple but solid. It really was perfect for this challenge, though! I paired it with chocolate tinted jewelry from Purple Moon Creation's, a heavy jeweled set with earrings and ring in addition to the collar-style necklace. I usually wear Purple Moon Creation's clothing, but I think this jewelry set is really well done and attractive. More solemn and fancy than the dress might call for, but I thought it dressed it up very nicely. The other ring I added to keep up the banana front - the cutest macaron ring from Sugar (which is re-opening in March). I have a bunch of these and they're a fun way to add some of my favorite foods to my ensemble without standing around with my mouth open!

I'm wearing hair from D!va - a gorgeous bun style with daisies included. It doesn't quite go well over my ears, but I used a few daisies from Nushru that blended in beautifully. One issue with having these enormous Illusions ears is that sometimes hairstyles I really like don't fit well. I probably should give in and buy them on my main alt, who rocks with her human ears. The cosmetics I ended up are really a tangle. The eyes are from Elymode, one of her earliest releases in chocolate and gold; she has fantastic dual tone eyeshadows which are a welcome staple. The lips are layered - underneath is a chocolatey Mock shade, then a brush of banana on top thanks to a stain from a new-to-me store called Delusions which I think really rounded out my look. The real end to the whole kit, though, are these awesome shoes from KS Creations which remain some of my favorite thigh high boots in world. I love how I can alter the texture and then tint it further to match perfectly.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Eyelashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Brown & Gold
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick 1: Mock, Sahne Bitter Chocolate
Lipstick 2: Delusions, Candy Stain - banana
Hair: D!va, Mayumi3
Hair Ornaments: Nushru, Oh Daisy
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Jewelry: Purple Moon, Cycle dans la Chocolaterie
Ring: Sugar, Mesh Macaron Ring
Dress: Yulicie, Vellant Retro Dress - Vanila Chocolate
Boots: KS Creations, Feline Boot - Leather

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Split Screen: Yooma Mayo - Yes, Giovanni
Light Settings: In Situ
Water Settings: In Situ

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Ginko

I watch a lot of anime, and have for many years now. I'm not quite a Nipponphile, but I have a great deal of appreciation for Japanese aesthetics and style; the characteristics of simplicity, purity, and nature are those sorts of universal things that can lead to beauty. Ginko leaves always make me think of Mushishi, one of my favorite anime/manga series, and a flower I made once out of ginko leaves in the fall.

Matsushima, the name of this dress/shirt from R2 Fashion (available at Collabor88), is a region in Japan that was very hard hit from the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami, Matsushima is a collection of rocky islands covered with pines that were identified as a natural and national treasure in Japan. The Matsuo Bashō Haiku about it is particularly funny to me, since it is such an elegant way of indicating speechlessness with a twinkle hidden inside.

Matsushima ah!
A-ah, Matsushima, ah!
Matsushima, ah!

Each of the Matsushima dresses is styled off of a different flower, which to my untutored eye greatly resemble kimono fabric textures. This one is kiku-zakura, a type of pinkish-white chrysanthemum, rendered in a variety of shades of pink and gold. I love how starkly they stand out against the solid black of the background, making for an extremely dramatic look. I left a very red lip, a combination of L. Fauna and Mock, to match the drama, but kept under the dress simple, pulling out an old pair of pants from The Black Canary, which has been closed for a long while now.

The other two main pieces of this look are also from Collabor88, which is actually how I came to the combination; shallow reasoning, but fun! The hair is a combination hair from D!va, with the updo part unrigged and the ponytail rigged mesh, combining the best of both worlds - it can be modified to fit a variety of heads, but the pony tail will remain hanging over the shoulder as one moves. It's not immediately obvious in these poses, but if you look closely you'll see how my head is moving while the ponytail remains tethered while still appearing natural. Finally, these amazing boots are from Schadenfreude; I ended up being unable to buy the fatpack at Collabor88, but the creator very kindly allowed me to purchase them directly from her. At the fatpack level, different sections can be recolored to mix and match in amazing ways - leading to these two-tone spats and bright gold buttons. I especially love the texturing and shape around the knees and ankles, where the fabric bunches a bit very naturally; it's that extra bit of verisimilitude which is the mark of a superior creation. The final touch came at the last minute, when a friend and I briefly crossed paths and he passed me a bunch of wands from Curio Obscura, available at the Arcade Gatcha Event. I haven't gotten there yet, but now that I see these awesome wands I'm hoping there's space for me soon!

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Eyelashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: L. Fauna, Red 1
Lipgloss: Mock, Mizu Venetian Red
Hair: D!va, Asami (December Collabor88)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Wand: Curio Obscura, Scepter of Hearts (December Arcade Gatcha Prize)
Shirt: r2, A/D/E Dress "Matsushima" (December Collabor88)
Pants: The Black Canary, He Lurks in Darkness
Boots: Schadenfreude, Winter's Bite Leith Boots (December Collabor88)

Poses: Adorkable Poses (Advent Gift)

Location: Japan Project Garden
Light Settings: Abracadabra2
Water Settings: SNAKE!!

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Pink Crush

Pulling together a look for blogging is always an interesting process, half impulse and half planning. I usually start with the look; some item of clothing which sticks and makes me want to take pictures. In this case it was the gorgeous crushed velvet on this dress from Nomine (briefly on sale for 100$L until sometime too soon so hurry there fast). I'm pretty sure the mesh itself is a template, since the same dress showed up at another store with different texturing (I bought some of those, too), but I have to admit to loving the style, and the rear end isn't as watermellony as others so it was a go for me. I also love the texture, and it's that which really makes this dress - the muted velvet softness, the richness of the color while it's still soft instead of bright, this is really a hallmark of Nomine's clothing style and I love seeing it applied to a well made mesh base.I'll be fascinated when Nomine starts making her own mesh, though; based on the quality of her sculpts, they will really be something special. So the impulsive piece, initially, was this dress - simply because the textures really captured me. The Eclectica jewelry was a present, and I put it on on impulse, since I'm trying to clear through my "new" folder, but the style was so perfect for the deep v-neck of my dress that I simply couldn't resist. It's color changing, two different gem sets and the metal. I really love the chandelier effect of the hanging beads all layered over each other.

So with two basic pieces in play, it was time to round out the outfit - and that is always a bit of a challenge, especially with starting colors this lush; the hair I picked up at collobor88, one of D!va's gorgeous releases. It doesn't quite fit my ears right, but with the right coloring and angle who can tell? The loose updo style also fit the dress well, being both classy and yet still carefree. It struck me as the kind of style where initially it was tightly bound but hours of bright lights and partying has loosened the braid, sent little tendrils flying free, and in a few hours I'll finally take it off and pull off my high boots after a long night of partying. The boots were the final, hardest thing - I ended up pulling out a set I'd picked up from Lassitude & Ennui, which is fast becoming a favorite shoe store of mine. I couldn't find the right color, though, and this is where I thank creators for leaving their items modify-ok! I was able to take the gray and tint them, and I think they really look lovely with the rest of the ensemble.

Now to put my feet up and have a cool drink.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Eyelashes
Eyeshadow: Virtual Insanity, Post Pink
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Flirt
Hair: D!va Hair, Daria (Collobor88)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Jewelry: Eclectica, Cascade (gift)
Dress: Nomine, Mesh Zipper Dress (100$L Sale)
Shoes: Lassitude & Ennui, Phoebe Mesh

Pose: Glitterati

Location: : ) B C C
Light Settings: CB, Rouge 6
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RAINBOWS~!!!

katat0nik gave me RAINBOWS~!I love rainbows! So much! The dress is rainbowy, there are rainbow socks (though I'm using the stockings included in the outfit, which have garters), and there is this amazing rainbow purse! My shoes are also katat0nik, and I got fatpacks on all of them - which means they are menu-driven multiple choice for everything but the system layers, which is awesome. My inventory thanks you! The dress also comes with adorable undies which I cleverly hit with these bloomers from Violent Seduction; aren't I crafty? I decided to go with the muss-haired younger sister of Lolita, garter snapped loose and skirt extra-short so I can climb trees. I'm still wearing Fallen Gods' newest skin, too, because I felt like the last batch of pictures didn't show off the skin as well as I'd like - and I'm still not sure I quite captured it. There is a crystalline, glowing quality to it which is difficult to bring out, with tiny sparkles here and there glimmering and delicate swirls of color that I catch only in retrospect. The mussed, curly hair on top is new at Collobor88 from D!va; she does fantastic flyaway hair, and I really like the curls she's coming out with now.

This sim, though, gave me the everloving fits. I don't know if it was my computer or the sim, but I lagged like anything while I was there, and you don't even want to know how long it took to get the shoe shot I took! Despite all of the alpha, overall there weren't a huge amount of alpha occlusion issues - even with my wings. Most angles I could find something that worked. What I really struggled with was lighting it - and I ended up taking one of the windlights and modding it slightly to knock down the Scene Gamma - which is brightness of the light - and then used facelights to bring the light on me back up. One of the tricks of in-world photography is learning to balance windlights and face and body lights; I use manually edited lights which are spaced all of the way around me, but I've been considering figuring out how to make menus so I can make it HUD driven. It can be hard to remember where I left things the last time I took pictures! Tinting the lights often has a lot of interesting effects - for example, above I'm using a blue tinted light to contrast with the bright yellow ambient lighting.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Fallen Gods, Onyrica - Anima (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Hair: D!va, Jina (Collobor88)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: katat0nik, Rainbow Dress
Bloomers: Violent Seduction, Muse Bloomers
Purse: katat0nik, Rainbow Purse
Watch: katat0nik, Rainbow Nada Watch (gift)
Shoes: katat0nik, Wingtip Mary Janes

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Ocho Tango Club
Light Settings: Places Beach Cay Surreal
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

I Can Haz Promoshunz - Technicolor Morticia

The newest dress from Dilly Dolls - Davina - is actually a remake of a pre-mesh dress she made which is perfectly suited to mesh. This version fit me much better than the original, actually, which I ended up resizing the corset of prim-by-prim; it took a long time! This time it was just a matter of finding which width fit me; I ended up going medium and medium at the corset and skirt, and large with the bodice - all rigged - and it fit my shape without any modifications! The sizes range from large to extra small - remember that length matches your avatar for rigged mesh, so it's just width you need to worry about. I love how the skirt bends with movements; it completely blows me away how fluid it looks. The only break is when I have a pose with the legs angled too differently - then it breaks and you have to be careful of the angle if you're snapping pictures. As you can see, I focused around pictures where the legs were more together because it doesn't "break" the base of the dress. The underneath is hollow inside, but with the invisible layer you're vanished from the breasts down, so there's nothing to flash.

The texture of the dress is very shiny latex, and the curves are pure fetish. I particularly like the lacing up the back with the bow in the middle. In addition, every piece (including the eyelets) are individually tintable - I went for a full out rainbow fade, capping with teal at the bodice and eyelets and green lacings; a cool look with the warm beginning at the shoulders and higher. In honor of the brilliant, shameless brightness of the dress, I ended up at Pico Pico Life - which is made up of enormous, brightly-hued pixel figures all over the place. They're so enormous the textures are quite fuzzy up close, seeming more crisp and clear from a distance. I really love how brilliant and gorgeous it is, but the enormous figures made it hard to angle pictures!

I added some rainbow accents to the neck and eyes, pairing them with reds and oranges as well as the yellow-blond of my hair. It's a paltry show for warm colors, but I always preferred the cool ones anyway! The necklace is an old favorite from Earthstones, and the eyeshadow is from Damned and part of a huge set of rainbow eyeshadows which I adore. The hair is the newest group gift from D!va and I adore it so much! It's a series of upcurls festooned with flowers, all of them beautifully tucked in. I'm still wearing my new glasses from Air, and I had the great fun of someone commenting that she sought out their store because of seeing my glasses, even if she ended up picking up a different set. Yay, my first person who went to a store based on seeing my blog! Go Go Blogging Deo!

( More pictures found here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Damned, Rainbow 1
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Lipstick: Ricielli - Rhea Special
Eyelashes 1: Flugeln Brise, 05-A Planty
Eyelashes 2: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Glasses: Air, Cresta
Hair: D!va, Diva2 - Cat's Eye (group gift)
Necklace: Earthstones, Nataliya
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, "Tiwi" Nestling Finger Talisman
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring
Dress: Dilly Doll, Davinia V2 (promotional item)

Pose: aDORKable

Location: Pico Pico Life
Light Settings: TOR, NIGHT - Flyer
Water Settings: TOR, Placida brite

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fine Fae in Fur

Sometimes, I'm really grateful for friends of friends. A dear friend bought me this mesh avatar of a kitty from Blue Galaxian, and I spent the day rubbing against people's ankles and nibbling ears! Like my doll mesh avatar, the clothing choices are limited, but it's definitely an awesome avatar and it is tintable (I tinted the undies, for example). I heard down the grapevine that clothing to fit it will be released soon, but I kind of had fun wandering around in these cute undies. The hair, from D!va, is a lucky board prize and is fantastically lovely. I had to increase it 30%, but then it fit perfectly!

I think this is my shortest credits ever!

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Avatar: Blue Galaxian, Female Feline - Ghost
Hair: D!va, Eriko - Ruby
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Undies: Blue Galaxian, Female Knickers and Tanktop

Poses: Glitterati

Location: The Wilderness
Light Settings: Places Pathfinder
Water Settings: Pond

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only