Fit for a Princess: Winter Cliché

Another month has started, and with it comes the festival round of Fit for a Princess - which offers up a festive display and a few shiny gifts for the holiday season. I'm showing off a gorgeous hair from Sweet Thing again, a sweet bow updo that comes with a variety of ombre tips. I tucked a lovely new crown from Hopscotch along the bang-line, a delicate row of stars set above a simple band. It comes in gold or silver with a wide variety of jewel colors - here I went with pure silver for the simplicity. I love the starburst design, and how it can be tucked into a variety of hairstyles. I kept with the pale silver theme with my dress, selecting this gorgeous little cocktail frock from Greymoon in a combination of smooth and textured silver. The snowflake detail on the waistband is lovely, and I really like how she used the shape of the dress to add the textured panel and take this from a simple little dress into something perfect for a variety of holiday parties. I especially like that it's a more unusual neckline - there's a tendency for sleeveless gowns to be very similar, and I like the additional flair along the top; I hope this becomes more common!

My ears, which I've  been wearing for about a week now, are a new release from .:Soul:. at We ♥ Roleplay - opening tomorrow at 3PM SLT. This is the High Elf, made a bit larger because I like them that way and Charlie is always nice enough to make things modifiable. They come with a HUD for Charlie's skin tones, which will match with his latest release Catalina along with his older skins, and with a graytone to tint to match other skins. He's also created developer kits so that other skin makers can make appliers for his ears - something which I hope a lot will take advantage of! There are multiple other ears, including smaller and longer ones and a special mer style ear with jagged edges. The other feature of these ears which I really love is the tattoo layer overtop. Charlie includes a tinter and some textures, but using the developer kit one could make all sorts of patterns to add on to ears - I'm really looking forward to seeing what people make!

My final recent pieces come from two other events which are ending soon. From the Seelie Court, I'm wearing Bliensen + MaiTai's finger claws - which come pre-set for SLink hands in Casual and Elegant, and include both all of the fingers and the index fingers only. The nail guard of this sorOne example of nail guards originated in China, and were a symbol of the lack of physical activity women of high rank could indulge in - since they didn't have to work with their hands, they could grow their nails unusually long. The longer they became the more brittle they became, however, and so metal and lacquer nailguards were made to protect them. These are nicely assertive, though, and seem to carry a distinct edge - a reminder one can be lovely and lethal. I'm also wearing two other Bliensen + MaiTai pieces - the foiled leaf necklace and shiny silvery nails with a snowflake motif, both of them already released and still amazing. My amazing shoes are from Lassitude & Ennui, released at Geeks n Nerds, and I've loved them since I first saw them come across the feeds. The shape of the mule itself is a lot of fun, with the vamp arching away from top of the foot in an interesting manner. The platform section is digitized, with small cubes supporting and crawling up under the sole - as if, indeed, nanobites ate a chunk of my shoes! It's a fun and funny idea, and they look lovely to boot.

Both Seelie Court and Geeks n Nerds end on the tenth, so hurry by if you haven't already!

21 Shoe - November

I have dreamed of getting this picture taken in time for ages. 21 Shoe is a single day event, which means it's nearly impossible to blog right away - especially since the 21st is usually a working day! Today I rushed home and splurged entirely too much Linden on a cornucopia of amazing shoes, and then tipped them all over my platform for a fun picture. All of these shoes are unique to this event and won't be sold again.

On the farthest left is a pair of angled and artistic wedges from [sYs]. The wedge part is cut out in levels, and it comes with a variety of options in red, straw, black, and gold. Tucked behind them are a variable pair from Hopscotch. The purple boots with the cutout back and toe are simply lovely, and the cage metal shoe is a fun addition to a growing pile of cage shoes in my inventory - I love the chunky heel. Tucked behind them are a pair of matching style shoes from Ingenue in unique shades of lipstick and teal; the bows on the toes are particularly nice, being of the flat and solid sort. Up front in the center are a pair of houndstooth shoes from Sax Shepherd Designs, one in a heel and the other a flat. Like most of his designs, they are color change via a HUD, this time in black and white and black and red options.

In the true center are amazing shoes from Lassitude & Ennui. I'm wearing a pink variety of her Obsession sandals, a recent release that are now set up to fit both a standard mesh body and a SLink body. Next to them is a white and pink version of her Nevermore heels, which really make me crave that in a wide variety of pale shades for when I'm feeling angelic. To the right and in front is a truly disparate set of shoes from Bliensen + MaiTai - a strappy red set of heels, and a cute cherry and houndstooth themed sandal pump. Finally, tucked in the back in all their glory, are a pair of red, white, and black shoes from Miamai. I love the pattern and texture on both of these shoes; it makes them fun and adds to the unique shape of each.

There are only a few hours left to this wonderful event, so make sure to swing by the stores and pick up the ones which tickle your fancy!

Genre: Smaller Deos

This month's Genre is petite based, and gave me an excuse to break out some of my favorite avatars again to snap some shots. When you go to visit you'll be dropped on the cutest tea table ever, so don't be surprised! My base avatar, and the shoulder and stomach details, all come from Fallen Gods and aren't part of Genre - but they meld beautifully with this gorgeous outfit from Kastle Enchanted that comes with hair and textures for modifying a petite avatar to match - you can do so using the default Yabusaka avatar; most other avatars sold are non-modifiable. I love the flowers on the skirt and how they smoothly meld into the chain over my hips, holding the whole thing up, and the staff included is simple but lovely. The best touch is the roots, though; thin and fibrous, they work beautifully even with a skin that's not made for them and add real charm and whimsy into the look. Looking at them, I just want to plant myself somewhere grow toward the sun.

 My hair is a fantastic confection of curls from Alli & Ali that fit perfectly on a petite head. I love how they catch the light puff out like a dandelion head. The hundreds of mini curls are a perfect setting for the flower crown from NSP Florals, which released a ton of different colors for very reasonable prices, and perfect for petite adornment everywhere. The flowers are all individual mesh pieces, which means they can cast lovely, dappled shadows and they fit beautifully in complicated hair.

My poses are all part of the props they come with - either rezzable or wearable - from HopScotch. The flower has extra fun - a floating bee who interacts with you as you move between the six different poses, with a wide variety of moods - from a fairy catching a bee, to a bee guarding a fairy as she sleeps. It's an adorable idea, made all the more fun by the moving bee. The moon is simpler, but still has a variety of playful and serious poses. I love the one which looks like you just got caught on the crescent, butt in the air and looking down over the landscape. It would be a fantastic addition to any sky, with the added bonus of luring petites to your shores. In contrast, the variety of rockets are wearable which means they can be ridden through the landscape even when you don't have rezzing rights. I really adore the surfing pose, but others - like hanging form the nose, or even a relaxed ride - are totally fun as well. These are adorable accessories for any petite, or petite friendly location.

Fit for a Princess: The Bee's Knees

There is about a week and a half left in the Fit for a Princess event, so you have plenty of time to explore and find something for your inner, or outer, princess. The selection is all floral, which is really quite a lot of fun. It's been seriously difficult to figure out what to feature, but the second I saw these wonderful dresses with the fluttery gathers around the arms, and the daring, but not plunging, neckline. It moves well in a variety of poses, even ones which can be unforgiving like walks and knee bends. I also love the wide waist sash, and the colors are Kouse Sanctum's usual right, soft shades. There is a delicate pattern which begins right about at the knees which I really liked, and the way she used materials makes the fabric glow slightly gives it the effect of silk. I also think a velvety pattern would have suited both the dress and the fabric; materials has added a wonderful subtlety to how clothing can be made. I paired it with jewelry from Krystal, which is the same creator - and the flower theme continues to this amazing diadem and the wonderful matching earrings and necklace. They are color changing, which means they can be matched to any of her gorgeous gowns. I particularly like the line of the diadem style crown, which can be placed right below the hairline, but there is also a standard crown design for over the hair as well. I would have loved to have seen bracelets and/or anklets as well, simply because I adore decorating my limbs extravagantly, but the sets are a lovely addition to any flowery ensemble.

The hair is also a Fit for a Princess release, a twisted updo from Calico with tiny rose-and-feather details. The flowers themselves are color changing using the same HUD that changes the color of the hair - and she has a wonderful assortment of haircolors including some of the gorgeous ombre that are sweeping across hairstyles in general. The hairline across the front is also quite nice, especially for diadems, which would be regular occurrences for a princess. I was also glad to see that the hair curved over my larger-than-typical ears, which is always a plus; while a bit of ear overlay can be hidden via angle or editing, I'm always happiest when my ears remain unmolested. Finally, my shoes are from Hopscotch and have the cutest daisies on them, ones which really make me smile. They're a smooth, Mary Jane style with a modest heel which are fit for SLink medium feet, and come with black or white shoes, four different flower color options. They're a wonderful sedate option for under your prettiest flowery frocks. My poses are not, this time at least, from Fit for a Princess - but they are a lovely set of coquettish and fashionable stands from Diesel Works and I really like how they work with the skirt of my dress in particular, offering variety without either pose or dress becoming to strained.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Sparkles: Folly, Rainbow Sheen
Hair: Calico, Aiyana (Fit for a Princess)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Earrings: Illusions, Mystic Chains
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Pantone eShadow
Lipstick: Mock, Glasside
Wings: Deviance, Seelie
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & feet
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Colorful
Jewelry: Krystal, Marguerite (Fit for a Princess)
Clothing: Kouse's Sanctum, Sharon (Fit for a Princess)
Shoes: HopScotch, Ayana (Fit for a Princess)

Pose: Diesel Works

Location: Bee Swing
Light Settings: TOR, SCIFI Spartz puft
Water Settings: mirror water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Fit for a Princess: Cream Blooms from Tears

I'm drowning in events this month, but Fit for a Princess has floated to the top, like lovely flowers sent spinning across the ocean to land upon the shore. The theme is flowers - and they festoon the whole selection with roses, daisies, and a variety of other blooms. I ended up in something cream colored, which is perhaps unexpected based on the shades available, but I ended up really liking it. The dress, from Luminary, has materials applied which lead to some textured responses to my windlight and the shadows I managed to run despite being at the Palace of Tears, a Fantasy Faire sim and the site for the second half of the Fantasy Faire Hunt. The dress is a light and frothy one, available in a few different soft colors with a short, frilly skirt and a high neckline. I an particularly fond of the neck and shoulder line, cut high across the neck and along the curve of the shoulder. The ripples of the skirt are deep ones, which makes them amiable to a variety of different poses, since the folds bend with movement. The edges aren't quite as smooth as I'd like, as the interior of the dress is invisible, so things can get a little wonky around the edges, but the invisilayer included kept my bits otherwise inside, and it's low enough cut in the skirt that you don't need to worry about underwear. I'd love to see longer skirts, maybe knee length, as well; a lot of styles seem to be trending toward mid-thigh or ankle length, but I think the style of this skirt would add half a foot easily and still be attractive.I'm really looking forward to seeing more of what Luminary has to offer.

My hair is from Milk, and is a lovely poofy style with an anime edge. I especially like the bangs, which flutter right down along the eyebrow line. The textures are stripy but cute, and I really like the shape of the hair poofs. In addition to her solid and natural colors, she offers a wide variety of candy shades and fades. The crown tucked in against my brow is from Frogstar and is an original mesh, flowery confection. It's well textured, crown, and set up so that I was able to tint the flowers a brighter yellow to match up with the yellow on my adorable HopScotch shoes. The curve of the crown is a curious and smooth one, with tiny jewels fastened along the edge, and manages at once to be elegant and playful. There's even a rainbow version, but out of character for me I chose the yellow instead. The nails from Bella Elephante are a bright and simple design, a whorl of flower over a solid gold base. I tucked a couple of rings onto my fingers by Moon Amore, prizes from a gacha at the Fit for a Princess event. The cool things about these is that every one comes with two nails and a HUD which allows for four different color change types for the rings - astonishing variety for a gacha prize. They start as middle finger rings, but I ended up moving them to thinner fingers because I have enormous hands, and I think they look quite cute. Finally, these adorable and enthusiastic poses are from Ploom. They're very natural and sweet with well executed subtle details, like the way the feet curve inward now and then, or a slight raise of an arm. I picked them all up at the Pose Faire, which sadly ended recently, but I'm glad I saw them and added them to my stable of poses.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Milk, Dandilions (Fit for a Princess)
Crown: Frogstar, Scetochka Circlet (Fit for a Princess)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Adore & Abhor, Princess Blossom
Lipstick: Mock, Sahne Bitter Chocolate
Wings: Una, Steampunk Wings
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & eet
Nails: Bella Elephante, Blossom (Fit for a Princess)
Necklace: Bliensen + MaiTai, Time Loop
Jewelry: Amorous, Gaia
Rings: Moon Amore, Realeza Ring (Fit for a Princess - Gacha)
Dress: Luminary, Kohana (Fit for a Princess)
Socks: Cannibelle, Sheer Floral Knee Socks (Fit for a Princess)
Shoes: HopScotch, Ayana (Fit for a Princess)

Pose: Ploom Poses

Location: Palace of Tears
Light Settings: Places, Abracadabra
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday Meme: Strike a Pose Challenge

The theme of the week is poses, and in that vein Strawberry asks us to do a pose challenge - where we talk about our favorite pose stores for a while. I actually keep my poses organized alphabetically in a HUD, so I'll be sharing my top movers and shakers in that order. I rarely use rezzing poses because I'm usually taking pictures in the field, so I'm going to focus on my most used and why I use them, focusing on stores which are still open. Like many people, my gateway store was Long Awkward Pose, and I have an extensive collecton of poses from her that I still use to this day, however I've branched out into a wide variety of pose stores, and keep collecting more all of the time.

Unlike many photographers, I do short "photoshoots" where I use a single pose store several times in a row in the same location. A lot of the structure of it is due to ease of recording exactly what I'm doing - jump location, windlight, and pose brand enough and you just get confused - but it's led to me categorizing a lot of stores by their general feel, and then selecting based on the mood I want to have for my images. I'll be discussing these impressions here, but keep in mind they're just one person's opinion - I highly recommend you check out the poses yourself to see hat you like best.

Adorkable Poses: Currently available on the marketplace; she closed her in world store a short while ago. What I love about Adorkable is how sweet, natural, and enthusiastic her poses are - they really aim to be cute and bouncy without the stiff, posed style of a more modelesque pose store. I also like the flowing nature - the head movements are interesting and the arms and legs are interesting. When I'm doing a cute, bouncy, "all around the sim" photo set, Adorkable is where I begin. ( All Adorkable Poses used here. )

!bang: With a wide selection of stands, one of my go to natural pose stores is !bang. I came to the store late, so it took a little while to build up my reserve, but now I have an astonishing range of poses to suit most occasions. I tend to think of !bang as my casual store - when I want something that seems breezy and effortless, I start here. Note in particular the delicate yet realistic placing of the feet above. ( All !bang poses used here. )

Don't Freak Out: I honestly don't remember where I ran across this store, but I know it was love at first demo.This store is one of the newcomers to my stable of choices, but they have quickly become a go to store when I want something moody and sly. Many of the poses have a playful vibe to them, and I love the attitude they have. ( All Don't Freak Out poses used here. )

Elephante: She is a bit of a dark horse and one I don't see as often, but I really like how dynamic and interesting her poses are. There are a lot of leaps, and arm reaches, and in general a sense of movement. I started picking up Elephante poses when they were largely prop-driven, but I've been really glad to see her show up more in just stand alone poses, and I hope she keeps expanding and creating her energetic poses. ( All Elephante poses used here. )

Exposeur: Is another dynamic pose creator, but what I adore the most is how well made her poses are, especially in the area of head-clipping. I have unusually long arms and a wide head for a Second Life Avatar, so I've resigned myself to a certain about of hand-in-face actions, but as you can see from the sheer amount of "hand next to face" poses in my images with Exposeur poses, not only do my hands not clip my head, but they also don't clip my hair. ( All Exposeur poses used here. )

Flowey: I found Flowey through Whiskey Monday's exclusive use of her, and what I like most about her poses are their expressiveness. Flowey poses are evocative of a wide variety of emotional states, from sadness to anger to grief to happiness, and that makes them compelling and fun to use for photoshoots. ( All Flowey poses used here. )

Glitterati: Closed in world, Glitterati also maintains a presence on the Marketplace, and was my go-to pose store from early on. I'll be entirely honest here and say a big part of it was her group sales; they meant that I could expand my collection of available poses without spending hundreds of thousands of Linden. Her poses are also wonderful, elegant, slightly modelesque without being stiff poses, and she would make categories of poses for specific purposes, like showing off jewelry, or to be worn with a wide skirt, which made difficult to pose outfits and images easier. I still return to her regularly, particularly when I have something refined to show off. ( All Glitterati poses used here. )

Grafica: Is a much smaller store than the ones I regularly use, but the poses are of such high quality and so dynamic and expressive that I simply can't resist. Grafica is particularly good at shoulders - SL Avatar shoulders and elbows are fraught things, but Grafica manages to bend them in awkward, unusual ways with panache. There is also a lot of leaping, leaning, falling, and floating, and all of it is awesome and fun. ( All Grafica poses used here. )

Hopscotch: I used Hopscotch early on in my blogging career, left it for a while to focus on other stores, and then was bitchslapped by awesome when I ran into her again. For a long time I had thought of her as largely a prop and rez pose store, but her stand alones have become completely off the hook and fun, and cover some rare areas of interest like stretching before a run. ( All Hopscotch poses used here. )

Olive Juice: She has only a tiny satellite store open now, but Olive Juice has long been a favorite for quirky and silly poses, and I still use them regularly when my mood is on the giggly and silly side. Her poses always seem slightly off kilter, and I particularly like the tripping and falling ones. ( All Olive Juice poses used here. )

I hope you enjoyed this short, pictoral travel through my pose collections. In a very real way, poses add the dynamic element of pictures of people, and I couldn't do what I do without them.

Fit for a Princess: Conjunction of Fairy Tales

I usually don't make sets and photograph within them, but one of the nice things about review items is getting a chance to do things we don't normally do - and building a tower for my princess was surprisingly easy with the gorgeous tower from Alouette, a bed from Positure Poses, and a lovely office set from Krystal augmented by the most adorable princess bookshelf from llama. For the end of the story - one which started with a Pea, continued with a long spot with no exit but my long hair, bound up in a braid, and finished in a glass coffin from Free Bird, waiting for my prince to come. It's a rather confusing and sad storyline - especially since there's no sign of my Prince! I felt the Pea, though, so at least we know I'm a real Princess.

The Tower from Alouette is a pleasing, round shape with several windows evenly spaced and a trap door in the floor, easily concealed by a rug and table so that I could never find my way out. The door and window open at a touch and stay open, making them perfect for looking out or posing for pictures. It's large enough for several areas to be established, but not to large that it no longer seems like a tower. There are also windows going up the stairway along the side, something which would help my captor more than I, unless I moved that particular rug. The bed from Positure Poses is clearly out of The Princess and the Pea, a warm stack of mattresses with a ladder to the top. I particularly like how the mattresses are all different - some are half the size of others, and the patterns they make together are pleasing while also looking mismatched. I also like that the bedstead looks like a standard one - it's a tall four poster but obviously not originally meant to have four feet of mattress. It's simply a fun, entertaining piece, that I really enjoyed playing with.

The office set, which includes a chandelier as well as little details for the desk, is from Krystal - who I usually know for her clothing and jewelry but who, it turns out, makes really nice furniture as well. The bookshelves come with a variety of colors, and there are some color change options so that things can be mixed and matched and you can shift away from the bright pink I showed off to mellower greens, sweet and soft blue, and dark black. I really love all the details, from the adorable diary, to the tiny votive candles, it's all sweet and simple and a lovely addition to any home. They are gatcha items, which means you need to bug your friends to pull together a full set, but at only fifty linden a pop it's not a huge money sink, and even a few items will add some fluffy personality to your home. The final accent I added is a really adorable wall-hanging bookshelf from llama. It really is styled more for the budding princess' bedroom, with tiny dolls on it and lovely, simple details and books, but I thought it fit in with the Krystal office really well.

Outside, I placed the simple glass coffin from Free Bird, with a pose for me - the Snow White princess - and another for my prince, should he ever happen along. It's not connected together so make sure to rez it in edit mode so you can place it smoothly. Luckily it is copy-ok, which means that if you mess it up a new one is only a click and drag away. While I was waiting for my prince, I decided to get all gussied up in some lovely clothing, and here the Fit for a Princess event delivered as well. This princess is very different from the last two, neither a wild elven wanderer, nor heir to a dragon's throne; I figured I'd go traditional with a simple green gown of satin from Luminary, which is as beautiful as it is modest. It covers from neck, to wrists, to ankles, with large, regular folds in the skirt which means that it poses well. The only flaw is that the edges are unfinished, meaning that there's a hard edge line where the dress ends and it's invisible inside; from most angles it isn't visible, but it does mean certain angles simply don't work.

I added some lovely hair from Calico, which is a simple, slightly curling at the ends style with a soft wave framing the face and a few long strands which fall in my eyes. It's solid to the waist in the back as well, and it's rigged well. I picked up the fades pack and it made it really fun - in this case my pink tips set off the mossy green of my gown to perfection, and I still get to be a blond. Tucked over it, and over the high neck of my gown, is Evie's Closet's Alatariel, a silver version of her filigree leaf jewelry set which is simply exquisite. It's a remake of an older set of hers, and you can really see how mesh has improved on old prim and texture work. My nails are another set from A:S:S, this time a bright colored one with white tiara detailing along the top edge of the nail; I chose the yellow version, but like all A:S:S nail sets, you get a lot of choices in one HUD. Finally, my tiara embossed toes are further embellished by these shoes from Hopscotch. They have a tiara clasp holding the band on one side, and also have a nice chunky heel, good for a princess who wants to keep her bling but not fall over. I'm wearing the bright pink set, which really stand out among the rest, but there are also more sedate colors and even some black and silver or gold neutrals for the classy princesses among us.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Calico, Kismet (Fit for a Princess)
Crown & Collar: Evie's Closet, Alatariel (Fit for a Princess)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyshadow: Mock, Dk Green (light ice)
Lipstick: Mock, Red Berry
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: A:S:S, Tiara (Fit for a Princess)
Dress: Luminary, Grace (Fit for a Princess)
Shoes: HopScotch, Dorothy (Fit for a Princess)

Furniture:

Glass Coffin: Free Bird, Sleeping Princess Glass Coffin (Fit for a Princess)
Tower: Alouette, The Princess's Tower (Fit for a Princess)
Bed: Positure Poses, Sweet Pea (Fit for a Princess)
Furniture: Krystal, The Princess Study (Fit for a Princess)
Hanging Bookshelf: llama, Princess Bookshelf (Fit for a Princess)

Location: Imagine: The Plateau
Light Settings: TOR, SUNRISE Teaching
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

SL DisneyBound – Week Six: Merida

I am very behind on my challenges, so now it's time to catch up - a week or two behind but it should go pretty quickly. The Fantasy Faire often derails my other events; the dress of blogging at least four stores (all I managed this year) and all of the sims (with this post I've taken pictures in them all), my cup usually runneth over. This Disneybound Challenge is Merida, from the movie Brave, a spunky redhead with a bow. Luckily, during the Sagittarius Zodiac event I had picked up the Hopscotch pose sets for The Huntress, so I was all prepared with bow and pose to take over the woods. This is an amazing set of poses, very naturalistic and dynamic, with the bow - and when necessary arrow - included. The Fairelands Junction is a wooded, flowery sim with teleports to all of the other sims hidden in woods, where the silent auction was.There's a lovely lake lined with candles set in stone, fields of wildflowers of every shade and hue, and untamed forests with a bare track running through them made by the feet of a thousand visitors.

Merida's look seemed to be created of two features in equal parts - bright red hair, and a bright green gown. The goal is to not reproduce, but to make a more modern look or re-interpretation, and I remembered this fantastic gown from r2 Fashion I picked up ages ago and kept meaning to photograph. The color was vibrant and unmistakable, and was perfectly matched in these slightly velvety boots, also from r2 Fashion. I wanted the effect of bracers from a more modern point of view, though, and luckily for me Rosal had just released gloves to match her Unmei set, which I had fallen in love with months ago. It has the gorgeous feature of long strips of brocade, which I tinted dark red to match the inside of my dress and the bottoms of my boots, coloring the rest the same vibrant green as the rest of my look - with a few black and white embellishments as appropriate. Finally, for the signature red curly hair, there was no store better than Analog Dog, who does - in my opinion - the best curly hair on Second Life. I cycled through a few different shades before settling on this one, a little darker than the images of Merida that I saw, but in the same vein as the reds on my clothing. It's a very simple look, but I think more than meets the challenge.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Candace (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow (promotional item)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Analog Dog, ffwd paprika
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: r2 fashion, metallic dress
Gloves: Rosal, Unmei Gloves
Boots: r2 fashion, kneehigh boots

Pose and Accessories: Hopscotch

Location: Fairelands Junction
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Daily Shot: Caged!!!

Hopscotch released the cutest cage! It's so adorable.


Description: Deoridhe dressed in gold leaning forward in a gold cage on a cute little perch.

I'm wearing skin by Nomine, eyes by Tacky Star, hair by Magika, my usual Azarelle wings from Fancy Fairy, and an adorable outfit from WhoNose. And I'm in Hopsotch - new birdcage posing object! I didn't buy it, though. I know, I know, but I'm poor! I'm saving up for pretty skirts and trying to stretch my money. Plus, I'm at my prim limit at home; granted, my landlords are the most awesomest ever in the whole world, but that makes me want to not rez giant bird cages on the porch.


Description: Deoridhe hanging upside down inside the cage.

I do have my jar rezzed, though. I know it's odd for a faerie to have a jar - but I like it! And I recolored it all rainbow. Maybe if you're very good, I'll take a picture for you.