Sunday Squee: Bare@Rose's Raffle

The Sunday Squee is about things that make me happy and excited. From books to movies to television shows to podcasts, I'll highlight less commonly known things as a way to share what I love. If you want to join in the Sunday Squee, please link back to me, magnifying both of our joy.

One of the most generous offerings on the grid is the raffle at Bare@Rose. It goes 24/7 all through the year, an ever-changing avalanche of items. Some are seasonal, some are unique, some are plays on items for sale in the store - all of them are up to Bare@Rose's standards of quality and style. Sometimes there are themes - like an extended Magical Girl set that includes several outfits and a slew of accessories, or the steam set which branches out into instruments and vehicles. It does take some time - raffle prizes are given out every four or five minutes - making it an awesome place to park yourself if you're going off to do something else, or a place to hang out with some friends. In that context, extras from the Raffle Gods become something fun to pass out to your friends, or the odd newbie who comes your way! There are male and female items both, and a lot of accessories are gender neutral, so don't let your masculine tendencies bar you from the glory of Bare@Rose freebies.

Genre: Back to the Future

The theme for Genre this time is Back to the Future, and I'm showing off some of the 50's Popsicle glory available to you right now at a massive discount!

Celebration Freebies

For people who don't know, Bare Rose - in a continuing tradition of being awesome - has an ongoing raffle giveaway that all you have to do is sit there for. Like other Bare Rose items, all of the items are transfer-ok, which means if you pick up a few things you don't like as much, you can pass them on to someone else. My amazing outfit was added to the raffle ball for Christmas, and a richer colored variant is available from the raffle as well. The skirt is incredible, made up so that the spikes are all separate and distinct with shiny balls tucked into them. The wings were an even more recent addition, and work perfectly with this pastel dress. I have a ton of other shiny gems from Bare Rose, a store which offers some of the most amazing outfits for some of the most reasonable prices on the grid!

Two Faeries in the Garden

One of the fun things about group hat is that you get a chance to get to know people over time. One of the people I've become friends with, in a general sort of manner, is Indigo Alecto - through the amazing, fun, and supportive group for Mock Cosmetics. Through one thing and another the other day, we got to chatting about being fae and somehow the idea for a fun and amazing photoshoot together came up. Well, today was the day - she got decked out as a Warrior Faerie with the help of Bare Rose - which is available at the current Fashion for Life event. I got decked out as a sweeter, definitely more innocent faerie with the help of a new-to-me store called NS Cutie Store (complete with the adorable ribbons on my feet, which I wish I had in many more colors) from the Fantasy Room.

I lured Indigo over to my place, my favorite Deoridhe's Grove, so that we could rez things like pose balls and giant, primmy bushes of roses from G Field - and so that I could drag her into the cave later and bore her with my stuff. The next hour and a half or so ended up being an absolute ball as we hopped from rose to rose (each rose has it's own poses included) and eventually abandoned the poses so that I could pose her with my favorite PoseAnywhere HUD (which allows me to pose other people if they agree to it) using some of Long Awkward Poses' many amazing fae poses. I took twice as many pictures as I ended up using - I'm finding that taking images of couples where we both get to have some opinion on what's going on can be a whole lot of fun and lead to some very playful images.

I also loved seeing Indigo's pictures of the same event (one, two, three) - two photographers going at the same poses and forms can be very enlightening - both literally and figuratively. I love how bright and singular her images look, as if they were made of blown glass.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

On Deoridhe:
Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Sparkles: Folly, Rainbow Sheen
Hair: Ploom, Shawna
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Neutraliser: Mock, Mythic Neutraliser
Eyeshadow: Mock, Back to Basics
Lipstick: Mock, Lucir Lipcolor
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Jewelry: Sax Shepherd Designs, Nia Moon
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & Feet
Nails: Bella Elephante, Blossom
Clothing & Shoes: NS Cutie Store, Violet Ballerina

On Indigo: Skin: Pink Fuel, Harley (Current Group Gift)
Hair: Dura, Girl 54
Outfit: Bare Rose, RFL Flat Tefuplate (Fashion for Life Donation Item)

On Both: 
Poses: 
G Field, Fairy's Nest Rose
Long Awkward Pose, various Fantasy - Fae poses

Location: Deoridhe's Grove
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY Cheery Cyan

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Advent of the Holidays

'Tis the season of giving, and getting, and an awful lot of Advent events start the first of December. FabFree has a lovely list of them, but personally I keep a folder of links for east of transport, and to weed out the places which don't suit my style as well. This year I want to try to open advent gifts each day, instead of having them build up, and I even managed to add a few to this look I'd been slowly building around Bare Rose's Bremen Players hunt prize from ages ago. Bare Rose does the best hunts, though I always seem to be missing them despite being in their group; I like the stories as much as I like the outfit one assembles at the end. This dress is a combination of unrigged mesh and flexible prims to make a simply stunning gown; it came with Lola appliers included, and I dearly hope that sooner or later they will include SLink appliers as well. I had to play a bit fast and loose to keep my SLink hands on without an applier, though; I paired lace gloves from Adam n Eve with a copy of the ribbon Bare Rose used at the upper arm to top off the gloves in order to cover the band of flesh where the Adam n Eve gloves ended and the SLink hand ended. I think it's actually fairly seamless from most angles, and the ending effect might be better than simply having glove ends.

My hair was shamelessly poached from a dear friend of mine and is a new release from LCKY, a new-to-me store which re-opened recently. I completely fell it love with it and had to have it the second I saw it; the shape, the flow, it's all so fun and unique. It's rigged mesh, of course, and moves pretty well overall, though the shoulder pieces have a tendency to go through the shoulder depending on the pose. Definitely a store I'll be checking out in the future, though, and they have a couple of men's hairs as well as another woman's hair besides this one. My earrings are day one of Virtual Impressions' Advent Calendar, and I simply love them. The bow is almost offensively shiny, just like actual Christmas ribbons, and I love how the bow is echoed at the earlobe itself. My necklace is actually the packaging for Ginza's Advent Calendar, and quite as enjoyable to wear as the lovely earrings in blue and pink which are contained within it. I love thoughtful packaging, and this one is like getting an extra trinket as well. My poses are from !bang and show the smooth simplicity of her poses off well; I especially like the slight sway to a lot of her poses, which make them look less rigid and posed than the common model types of poses. The lovely place where I took these pictures is hosting another Advent, a slightly more complicated one than the usual. You have to hunt around Sway for little gold stars which have fallen to the ground to give us all notecards with a password, one each for each day of the Advent and each giving a new prize. They are usually charming little items for your home, and this is one of the advents I've been doing for years simply because it's fun.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irenel
Hair: LCKY, Drugs
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Earrings: Virtual Impressions, Advent Gift 1
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Necklace: Ginza Jewelry, Advent Cage 1st
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Gloves: Adam n Eve, Lace Gloves
Dress: Bare Rose, Bremen Hunt Gift
Shoes: SLink, Hera Wrap Heel

Poses: !bang

Location: SwayLand
Light Settings: Phototools, Meni Light 1
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Flying Above It All

In the oldest books with angels, the first thing the angels would always say is, "Fear Not." In an era where angels are more associated with pretty women in big dresses plucking babes from danger, this seems like an odd opening line. These days, everyone could easily pick an angel out of a lineup and would most likely go to them for directions first, if they were lost. In days long ago, though, angels were fearsome creatures, as likely to smite and burn you as to protect you from danger. The cuddly, sweet version of angels is a modern invention; a de-toothing of the undercurrents of wrath and danger which permeated most cultures around the world. We, and by we I mean the relatively moneyed, privileged sort, can afford this distance from danger over-all because we are so little under threat. With few exceptions, I can count on not expiring from most threats. When I'm sick, I can go to the doctors, and the same when I'm injured. I have more than enough food - even too much some times - and of such a wide variety that I get all of my nutrients. Wild animals are easily avoidable, as are most serious accidents. In a world so insulated from death and despair, and even often minor inconvenience, there is no wonder that the stories children grow up on can likewise be so insulated from pain and death.

And so now angels protect us, and no longer say, "Fear Not"... because we wouldn't fear them anyway.

All of my expressive poses are are from a relatively new to me store called Don't Freak Out. What I love most is how natural they all seem - there is no stiffness or awkwardness in the poses. Also, many of them have a certain amount of emotional resonance and content which is what I've really been seeking out lately. I felt like their attitude fit this angelic badass outfit from Bare Rose, complete with wings and an awesome spindle-killy thing which I promptly threatened all my friends with. It has all kinds of spikes for smashing and slashing. I love the armor style of the bodice, and how smoothly it moves with me through the world. While bare Rose only comes in one size, it is a size which thankfully works for me, and I think I look fantastic. My cool, buckle boots are the latest release from Dilly Dolls, and they're a really smooth, thick shape with a texture sort of like a heavy rubber. I love the dual color style of them; it really makes then stand out. I saw the hair I'm wearing on someone else and inspect-stalked my way back to Ploom. I love the rise in curly hair on Second Life, especially when it's combined with rigged mesh and length like this - it really looks like the hair is tumbling free and wild, while it is also kept in place as I move.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Ploom, Lislie
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyeshadow: Mock, Pantone Fall eShadow
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Lipstick: Mock, Peenk Secret Menu
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Nine Inch Nails, Butterfly
Outfit: Bare Rose, Fortune
Stockings: Stellar, In Bloom
Shoes: Dilly Dolls, Charla Boots

Pose: Don't Freak Out

Location: Nouk Land
Light Settings: TOR, DUSK Fairytale Glow
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

2012 Color Challenge: Week 38 - Papaya Whip

I didn't even hunt for outfits for Papaya Whip. I've been wanting to show off this amazing corset set from Rosal since I bought it, and since I bought the fatpacks of each part, I knew I could manage it. It comes in black, red, and white - and the white is tintable if you edit it; I just have to take a second to say how much I adore being able to tint white things to match a given outfit. In any case - the second I saw this set from Rosal, I was completely in love. I'm actually missing the ballet style boots, going with the stiletto heels instead. There are gloves to match, however, fully mesh, along with the neck and waist corsets. Each has stripes on them along which a flicker of glow moves regularly from and to different diodes on the corsets. It's futuristic and sleek, and I want about ten million of these gloves in various colors please! She just released some gorgeous kimono-inspired styles; if you like corsets for the waist and neck, Rosal absolutely has to be on your list of places to go.

I really struggled with pairing the corset set with other clothing - it is a mid-hip line, which means a lot of skirts won't work smoothly with it. I literally began trying different skirts of different types, finally happening onto these pieces from Bare@Rose, from her Artemis set. The pairing is perfect - unbounded and wild yet still sleek and smooth; curving out from the narrowness of neck and waist and flowing out smoothly in lean lines. I really love it as a total look; it moves as well as it photographs. Choosing the hair was equally difficult, and dictated by the corset set, but this mesh style from Alice Project was absolutely perfect. Her new hair setup is called the "infinity" set; you buy one HUD for coloring it, and then you can color up any hairstyles you want. There's an uber fatpack which is very ingeniously programmed - you select subsets to make them show up, instead of being overwhelmed by a million colors on one page. I've found myself using more tipped hairs now that I bought the fatpack; this, for example, is the blond on blond tips.

The brilliant shininess of today's pictures combined with this weeks Depth Perception theme for Single Frame Stories got me thinking about how we perceive depth. Usually, deep people are morose and solitary, quiet, and what they see into is dark and deep, often murky and full of the crueler and more horrid sides of peoples' natures. There seems to be widespread acceptance that to be honest is to be cruel and harsh, and to be deep is to be solemn and dark and say things with three or more syllables. I do find my deepest thinking seems to be in stillness, but I have a strong desire to find the depth in the brilliant things, the honesty which leads us to be kinder, the depth which is of a brilliant and shining nature rather than something dark and murky. I want to find loving and noble basic truths to human nature, and when I use words of more than three syllable, I want them to resonate with power and meaning while lightening the load of all who hear them.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De la Soul, RooMee Rainbow
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: White Widow, Dragonfly Silver
Lipstick 1: Mock, Micare LipGlimmer - Dusted Contessa
Lipstick 2: Mock, Lucir Lipcolor - Midas' Kiss
Hair: Alice Project, Momo II
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Corsets: Rosal, Viron-M White
Gloves: Rosal, Viron-M White
Top and Skirt: Bare Rose, Artemis
Boots: Rosal, Viron-M White

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Antennaria
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: TOR, Atomist

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

In Spirit

I had already done a photoshoot at claudia222 Jewell's Art Screamer show - spirit - but I'm glad I came back for another look, this time working with a darker pallet. I'm so very glad I came back, because I found several layers I had missed the last time. I'm kind of wishing I had the time and attention to do a third set with a different windlight, but it's closing today and I try to not overwhelm myself with too much pressure; I feel like the push to take photographs actually can weaken the photographs taken. At ground level is the usual psychadelicly muted figures set out in glorious fractal style which characterize Jewell's art, but in this case the lower level gives birth to growing platforms higher and higher in the air, including the birthplace of bees and what looks like a floating layer of jellyfish. At once both organic and fantastic, the problem with photographing one of Jewell's art pieces is less finding something worth a picture and more finding angles which imply the greater whole experienced in 3D. I hope I have managed, in some small way, to capture even a fragment of my gasps of delight as I explored spirit in the dark.

Bare Rose does the best hunts in the known universe, and this is an example of their hunt prizes - almost the whole outfit (plus a horse to ride which I didn't wear) was a single, relatively easy hunt prize, with a really awesome story to go along with it. I try very hard to do all of the hunts through her and keep all of the stories since they're so awesome; you've missed this one, but future ones await us all. The hair is an awesome one from Secrets Hair which I honestly didn't think I would ever find an outfit for, until I tried it with this outfit. The goggles are part of the Bare Rose outfit, but the kerchief is part of the Secrets Hair - confusing, I know! But doesn't it look awesome? The little dangles in front of the ears cut a little into my faerie ears, but not enough that it really disrupts even in pictures. It's also a mix of rigged mesh and flexi hair, which makes it very versatile but still good looking when you move; the pony tail sticks to the back no matter how you move, while the flexi swirls around giving the illusion of free floating hair. .

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De la Soul, RooMee Rainbow
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Hair: Secret Hair, Ahoy - Platinum (promotional item)
Outfit (including wings): Bare Rose, Over the Moonbow (Hunt Prize)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Art Screamer: spirit by claudia222 Jewell
Light Settings: NB, Sepia 0000
Water Settings: TOR, Coral reef

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Hunt for the Steampunk Unicorn

I think the thing which continues to drive me in Second Life is that there always seems to be something amazing and incredible around the corner, just when you're least expecting it. On the last day of the hunt at Bare Rose I happened to catch wind of it, and the builds she made are completely amazing and tell an entertaining tale of creation and discovery, with a little murder and mayhem thrown in. Each area of the story is so richly full of life that I couldn't resist a quick set of pictures with one of my impulse-purchases from the Vintage Faire, from Kouse's Sanctum - a store I've known for a long while now, and who always does amazing gowns. One of my favorite artistic effects is that of chiaroscuro; the goal is to have figures bathed in light, their surroundings cast into darkness. I use body lights to get my lighting effects in world, and it's always neat to see how putting light in different places can really alter how the world looks - even if it does make me look like an uber fashionista with a ring of lights all around me. It's harder to manage the fading into the background, but I think I pulled off "bathed in light" pretty well.

The hair is from Alice's Project, which recently made a switch from the usual hair colors sold in packs that most stores do to what is called "infinity" coloring. Using a separately bought HUD, one can literally color any of her infinity hairs - so you can buy a specific hair set, or do what I did and splurge on the fatpack that has everything. I was really struck by the programming of the fatpack, too - instead of cramming every possible color onto a single screen, you pick the type pack, then the specific hair color set, and then all of the options with tips and everything shows up on the main panel. It took me a little while to get used to - don't sue me but I tend to not read directions - but once I figured out what was going, it was cake to set myself up with blond hair and lighter blond tips, as seen above. The other nice thing about it is that it seriously saves on inventory bloat - a problem for hoarders like myself. In the end, though, I found the Steampunk Unicorn and saved the day, and sometimes that's all a girl needs to go to sleep in peace.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De la Soul, RooMee Rainbow
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Faerie Punque Purple
Eyeliner: Belleza, Neon Eyeliner Fuscia
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Apple Blossom
Hair: Alice Project, Bethany
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings
Jewelry: Eclectica, Deco Knot
Dress: Kouse's Sanctum, Symphony
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes

Poses: HelaMiyo

Location: Bare Rose Hunt Skyboxen
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Hunting for the Mother Dragon

Bare Rose is doing another of those wonderful hunts. You can find images of the prize at the main store, but what I always particularly like about these hunts is the scenes along the way. This year there's an added aspect - you have to get past a series of trials! None are particularly difficult, which is a blessing, but all are very fun and several made me giggle.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Kei - Cream
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeliner:
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 05
Ears: Illusion, Mystic Ear
Hair: Truth, Miku - golden
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: +NK+, Kuro-neko Hime
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - white

Pose: Glitterati, 184

Location: Bare Rose
Light Settings: Maroon

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Hopes and Prayers for Japan

I doubt there are many who have missed the events in Japan - first the 9.0 Earthquake, then the Tsunami which caused even more damage, and finally the nuclear reactor.

Nothing formally organized has come together yet - numbers point to April - but some individual stores have put out donation items and more seem to appear each day. Here are the ones I've encountered, with landmarks to the stores. Update: SCD has some more information about things being organized.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Kyoto - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted green (Dress) Likka, Victoria Green (Shoes) G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - dark green (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Fantasy Faepose 7

The hair, a special red shade for Japan, is on sale at Magika. There are four total for sale, each one by the display for their style. This one above is Kyoto (mirrored), and comes in regular and mirrored style (mirrored shown above). The dress is a gorgeous purchase from Likka House, and is by her new releases.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Kyoto - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted white (Necklace) Katat0nik, Love Japan Necklace (Armband) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Dress and Shoes) Walking Dead Creations, Monochrome Dress (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, M-Lazy Afternoon

This picture is brimming with items. The tattoo on the arm is from Little Pricks, which has a store on the marketplace but not in world. The necklace is from Katat0nik (available in her past notices), and is simply lovely. The hair is Kyoto, from Magika, and the dress is from a new store to me, Walking Dead Creations. The latter is in the process of remodeling, so hopefully the landmark will be near the item!!


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Dress and Shoes) Bare Rose, Shocola - Red (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Dangle

This amazing outfit from Bare Rose is available in red or brown, and there is a men's outfit as well - quite as skillful and wonderful as Bare Rose always is! This is another of the Magika hairs as well, Aina.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) De La Soul, Luminis - Rising Sun (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Armbands) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Shirt) De La Soul, Sleeveless Turtleneck - Japan Relief Koi (Stockings) Vextra Messing, Opaque Stockings - Black (Pants) De La Soul, Cross Jeans - Red (Shoes) G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - crimson (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Shoe2-Seated Shuu

And finally, De La Soul has release an amazing assortment of items - including a cosmetic set, eyes, and a shirt. The cosmetics are with and without lip cover, and include a rather amazing looking sun motif.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) De La Soul, Luminis - Rising Sun (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Armbands) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Shirt) De La Soul, Sleeveless Turtleneck - Japan Relief Koi

( More pictures found here. )

Credits for all pictures:

Location: Fashion For Life - Avedon: Sponsered by Bliss Couture
Light Settings: Sim Default Windlight

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only