Seven Days Later...

October is quickly becoming creepier... (re: awesome) For a limited time, Ugly Duck is offering the Tamara skin, shape, eyes & tvs for only $250L. The skins come in no static, some, then a lot of static... the crafting is amazing on these items, they will freak the hell out of your friends. The eyes have animated prim graphics... just trust me, you NEED this.

Dress: Miamai Halloween_Crow Ensemble ($80L!)

Hair: Epoque

Pose: P4P

Atomic Concrete Flowers!

WOW, so many events going on right now! This is one of those times where it's awesome we have so many fashion blogs, because there's a lot of amazing to cover. In my little corner? Atomic keeps begging me to stalk it by releasing skins like Morgan here- this one just $500L, an exclusive for Project Donate and ALL proceeds go to UNICEF. (I Love Olive "Doris" hair in Pink Flamingo shown!)

Like my blang blang, don't you? It's the adorable Project Themeory "Back to School" paperclip necklace & bracelet set by the awesome & hilarious store Concrete Flowers (which is next door to the highly addictive Kosh- I mean they make skins that look this THIS for $599L: )

KOSH Vee skin in Wine Metal.

The hair is Taylor by Dernier Cri from the Hair Fair (seriously people- TAKE OFF YOUR PRIMS!!! A facelight are you kidding me? You're just a grey blob, fashionista!), and it moves SO beautifully and looks so glossy and lush that I want to have its hairy prim babies.

Kawaii Pink Fuel Gyaru skin& Wot? Hair

Hey everyone! I have a little post up at the Second Style blog, I wrote it a while ago but I guess they had a backlog. :) It's a great blog that's open to guest bloggers so check that out if you're interested!

Hair: Wot? 032

Skin: [PF] Ember - Violet

Dress: (5th&Oxford) Rosalie Babydoll

Hat: (Milk Motion) My straw hat

Heels: Clocktower Designs Rogue Heels Charcoal

Socks: *BOOM*

Quick post to show the awesome new Pink Fuel Gyaru skin I picked up at The Circle Project (which has a *ton* of exclusive deals, so check it out!). If you don't know, Gyaru is a super cute style in Japan that used to be pretty ridiculous (if you've seen the Super Gals! anime you know what I'm talking about) but has toned down and it's very pretty, soft and girly now. The skin comes in 4 different makeup styles (including nude), $400L each.

Gyaru model.

The skin comes with light/dark brows, 4 eyebrow shape styles and lots of fun prim stickers!

[PF] Star Stickers Set 3, hair by Wot?. Wot? is one of my *favorite* hair places- this tentacle hair is by far my favorite. It represents to sides of my interests- the cute and the absurd- and it's truly something you can wear in SL. The store is closing :( and they are having a sale. Each hair pack is just $40L and fatpacks are $120L, so if you like unusual hair styles you have until Sept. 14 to shop there. I also got my pair of brass knuckles there, so... something to keep in mind. Safety first!

It's raining frogs at the Starlust Floyd sim!!

[PF] Heart Stickers (multi) set.

All poses by Marukin!

New Cheap Skin (Yay!) & A Rant (Oh noes!)

[dekade.] Skins -Claire Sunkissed- TDR Special

Skins, skins, skins. Lots of rad skin, and I aim to blog 'em. Even if a lot of other blogs are (and I try my best to not just blog what's super popular.) The next entries will feature the new Fashionably Dead Rainbow skins and the new Redgrave Trinity Paper line. As always- no photoshop was used in any of these photos, or "tricky" lightning. The skin "sits" on my shape exactly as shown.*

AtomicBambi Lana-Sunblush-Pure-2 SK!N - Rocking Friday

For Rockin' Friday, AtomicBambi has released another cute-as-heck skin for only $75L! (This skin reminds me so much of Debra Messing.)

The New Dressing Room Blue collection is out, containing 2 exclusive new $70L skins from Dekade & Cupcakes!

[dekade.] Skins -Claire Sunkissed- TDR Special (Comes with dark & light brows, and hairbase option. The dark eyebrow option is shown at the top of the entry.)

Cupcakes - Dressing Room Limited Edition Skin Belle/Dhalia Hybrid

*A bit of a rant. A few weeks ago I saw a fairly popular fashion skin/blogger out and about, and geeked out since I love her blog. Of course I zoomed in on her fabulous outfit- and she looked fantastic. Until I got to her face. She was wearing a skin she had recently blogged, and it looked NOTHING on her like it did on her blog. She had almost entirely changed the skin tone, smoothed things out around and the mouth, and just... wow. I had the skin on my wishlist and seeing that made me take it off immediately. Her blog entry was not one for just showing beautiful photos or even showcasing clothes- it was a specific skin review one, where her comments were based on HER Photoshopped version.

I'm not saying "Ew I thought she looked gross, so she sucks!", not at all. Even when avatars don't fit my own aesthetic tastes I'm mature and open-minded enough to appreciate them on their terms. My point is... well, the cake is a lie. These skins cost thousands of linden for those of us that have to pay for them, and we'd like to see an accurate representation. Fixing up a shot artistically is vastly different from tweaking skin color and erasing out seams when you're reviewing that particular skin.

So with zero disrespect to other blogs... I just don't do that here and never will. I'm not superior to anyone, it's just how I want to run my humble lil blog. I'm sure there are plenty of people that hate my unartistic photos... but again this is a fashion review/showcase blog, not an SL art/photography-based one. Personally, if someone thought a creation of mine needed to be tweaked so extensively before it could be shown I'd feel pretty down. I only blog things I like and think others would like, however if I shelled out money for something that had a flaw I thought needed to be (respectfully) pointed out... I've done that and I'll do it again. I'm in awe and gratitude of the content creators of SL, and I hope if any of you stumble on this blog that you're happy with the representation. :)

Agree, disagree? I love comments!

Summer of Love Ugly Ducks Jesica Skins!

The Summer of Love festival is almost here, and people can't stop talking about about it! Neither can I though- and to ramp up the excitement here is a first look at the Ugly Duck skins made EXCLUSIVELY for the fest! Fade Lei has stayed up 30+ hours to create 3 new makeup lines for the gorgeous Jesica skin. You'll be able to purchase the skins ONLY at the Summer of Love fest, $1000L per line.

Ugly Duck - Jesica - SOL Monterey (inc. above)

Ugly Duck - Jesica SOL Woodstock

Ugly Duck - Jesica - SOL Glastonbury

Ugly Duck "Jesica" Skin Showcase/Interview

Skin playlist:

The Clash- London Calling

Billy Bragg & Kirsty MacColl- A New England

This is England on my face, and Ploom on me noggin, ol' chap, what what!

Today I got an attachment from a group I'm a member of- a crazy duck gesture from the awesome Ugly Duck. Then I was alerted that there is a NEW MEMBER SKIN OMGYAY. I ran over cuz I love these skins and I love group gifts- I LOVE THEM. I stuck around and was lured into demoing the new skin- Jesica.

She's so purty, how can you resist?!

The "default" Jesica skin, sans any makeup on a regular slperson. Hair by Ploom.

I was lucky enough to be able to chat a bit with Fade Lei herself in her awesome store (seriously- even if you're not shopping go through the tunnel and explore, it's like a nightclub from Bladerunner back there!) about the Jesica skin while I tried it on. I have never been able to hear from the designer themselves about an in-depth creation, so I hope you find it as interesting as I did. :)

WARNING: This entry contains a topless photo to feature the skin.

Jesica skin in "Day" version, hair $1 fatpack of Sally hair by Sn@tch found at the Enky's Dollar$tore Freebies.

(I have edited the conversation out of IM chat form & some grammar/spelling, but no content was changed or altered.)

Fade Lei: (The Jesica skin) took me like 6 months to make that one...on and off-

to make it i zoomed right into individual pixels and blended each to the next. The body I drew faint little tan lines on even, and has new boobs/belly/ribs.

(At this point she put up a huge curtain for me so I could strip and oogle my boobies. What a lady!)

Picture: Jesica in "Night" version (how skins look in glasses is a big indicator of their quality, imo, and this looks adorable with them!), golf hat, Tati, boobs. Hair by W&Y, glasses by Artilleri, pose by Olive Juice.

[15:43] Lila Corith: hot damn, i love these boobs!

[15:43] Lila Corith: they don't have that weird undershading most skins do, that's awesome...

[15:44] Fade Lei: yes that was a main thing i wanted to do

[15:44] Fade Lei: i was tired of everyone drawing silicone boobs on airbrushed skins

[15:44] Fade Lei: i dont want to look like a fake magazine photo =/

[15:45] Fade Lei: i think beauty is in little flaws and such

15:45] Fade Lei: they all have their place i guess and im not knocking anyone who wants to look like that

[15:45] Fade Lei: just isnt for me

[15:46] Lila Corith: I love the little freckles scattered too XD

[15:46] Lila Corith: always good to have options, yeah

[15:46] Lila Corith: YAY! (I yay'ed because I am a huge fan of freckles, so sue me!)

[15:46] Fade Lei: yar thats what i mean :D i like little things like that to add character

[15:46] Fade Lei: i made my skins perfectly symetrical once and hated it

[15:47] Fade Lei: each side is slightly different

[15:48] Fade Lei: i just think that the human shape is never symetrical

[15:48] Fade Lei: and looks false to me when people do it on skins

[15:49] Fade Lei: its much harder to do them differently but worth it i think

Jesica "Eyeshadow" version- feminine- but I love the tomboy quality it takes on with an updo. Hair by Clawtooth (Somebody's Lady), Cotton Mini Dress in Green outfit by Kyoot in their MASSIVE sale.

Fade Lei: I dunno i just prefer natural looks but when i do makeup i try to make it like something youd actually wear irl, like not orange lips etc passed as red.

Jesican skin in the "more pinched" look, which has a lovely blush. Skirt by Kyoot at their awesome sale, sweater a freebie from SF Designs. Truth Boho hair in Burgundy.

Well, she did a great job- the skin is delicate without being bland, sweet without looking like an anime character. She said right now she's working on some more versions of Jesica, including one with freckles!! Though with the detail she's working with at this skin, we won't see that for months. When you try the demo she does include a note explaining why this skin costs more than the others, because she worked half a year on this skin. Yes, this blogger paid full price & I was more than happy to do it (and if you know me you know I'm a regular Scrooge McDuck) and I've already gotten a handful of very nice compliments on it!

The detailed work shows- while I love my favorite skins, Ugly Duck is truly a different, quick class of its own. It seems to balance out a realistic look with a touch of adorable absurdity. If you like to look VA VA VOOM! all the time, these skins most likely won't be for you. However, if you'd like to mix it up a bit with a subtle but well-constructed skin- it never hurts to try on the free demos.

Jesica skin in lipstick version- three red pouting ladies, rawr! New Truth hair in Boho "Cherry".

For those on a budget, you get a TON of fun skins for joining the group at $250, there are gatcha machines full of tons of skins for $200 each, and there's a free mime skin & poses there for the taking. I can tell you from experience that bringing in a friend to play "mime wars" is the best possible use of your free time.