Beauty

 More from Enchantment!  This time out, I'm wearing BCC's beautiful gown, La Petite Morte's skin, and posing with An Lar's Beauty Series poses.

Each of these is a featured main store release, and each includes a stamp card.

Wear your stamp card(s) and visit all the stores participating in this round, and click the stamp machine in each store whilst wearing the card. Once your card has all 20 stamps, you can teleport to the prize location and and claim your prize.

Marian

Last day of The Secret Affair! Don't miss this amazing round, and watch out for the Maochi horns and fur vests from May's Soul!

Antlers: May's Soul - Maochi horns (at The Secret Affair)
Fur waistcoat: May's Soul - Maochi vest grey (at The Secret Affair)
Dress: May's Soul - Pompeya dress brown
Hair: Calico - Marian
Circlet: Bite & Claw -Mesh Elven Circlet - Saida
Arm warmers: The.Plastik - Catori Warmers// Tyrant Queen (part of outfit)

Skin:  Leafy -  Mirabai - Pure - LBB (worn with some included makeups)
Eyes: Ikon - Spectral Eyes - Hazel
Hands: Slink - Avatar Enhancement Hands
Shape: Self-made

Winter lavender

I've always been a big fan of  Kaethe Dyrssen's Leafy skins, so I was really happy to see a new release - her first in ages - pop up in her Flickr feet. And, guess what, appliers are included... for Loud Mouth,  Nyam Nyam, Phat Azz, Tangos, and Slink Hands & Feet.

At the moment, there's just one pack of Mirabai available, which includes three skins in two pale tones with different brow options.  Also included are 25 different tattoo layers with makeups, freckles and so on, brow shapers, and cleavage enhancer layers.

The skin is young, fresh, and pretty; and I think 875L is not a bad price for what you get in the box. If you like pale skins, I definitely recommend that you grab a demo and check it out.

My outfit is new from Soedara - the very smexy Wyntir camisk.  It's hud-driven, letting you choose between five different tones and clean or dirty versions. You also get upper arm bands, bangles, and a belly jewel.

While short hair is not traditional for slaves, I thought this tousled style from Elua could make for some fun roleplay. Perfect if you've had your hair cropped as a punishment, for travel, or due to illness.

The lavender headdress is from Lode, and it's at the current round of The Secret Affair. The theme is "Untamed Purity", and if you haven't already visited, be warned! The event is so full of delectable and desirable objects that you're going to need a wallet full of Linden dollars...

On ice

One of the starring items in these photos is Melora, the new hair from Calico. It's out now at We Love Role-Play.

This hair is super-intricate, so it would be ideal for a character of high status, such as a lady, mage, or even a pleasure slave. Basically, anyone who would have the time or the help to create all these rollsand looping braids; it's not really a style for farm girls or tavern wenches! The hair also comes with an add-on flexi piece to add movement to the style.

Calico Ingmann also updated her texture packs a couple of months ago and there are now a lot more shades in each pack. An example: previously you might buy the browns, dark browns, or light browns pack, each containing five basic shades.  Now you buy the browns pack, containing 20 shades. There's also a separate streaks hud for customisation.

Another featured item is the new 'Indian Necklace' from May's Soul which comes in either silver or gold. Also from May, but slightly older, are the Dyona circlet and the white fur from the Harvest Moon gacha.

The bracers are and older release from Enfant Terrible (pre-mesh!) and a group gift gown from Junbug. There is a 250L join fee for the Junbug group but it is well worth it if you're a fan of Juno Mantel's creations as the gifts are both very generous and regular!

Last days

It's the last days of the year, and the last days of the month... which means the current rounds of many events will be over soon.

Earlier in the month, I grabbed a few pieces from We Love Role-Play, among them this gown from Evie's Closet and the Faunus Crown headdress from Gauze & Trap.

There are lots more amazing things this round that I probably won't get the chance to feature, but do make the effort to get down there before the round finishes on 31 December, to take advantage of the discounts.

The choker I'm wearing is from Sweet Thing at The Arcade, from the Song of Swans collection which has some really nice pieces. It's 50L a play, which is reasonable.

In contrast, I definitely think some of the machines at The Arcade can seem overpriced - specifically some of the ones priced at 100L (nb some, not all! 100L for a quality skin is still a pretty good price).

I noticed a version of the Drift's De Vrouw vest at The Dressing Room Fusion but didn't like the colours available there, so I tp'd to the mainstore and picked up the the 'Wildlife' version instead. It's hud controlled, with 10 colours, and you can change both the fur and belt. For 195L, it seems like pretty good value.

Full disclosure - you can't see from the picture, but as the Evie's Closet gown is quite 'poofy', the Drift vest doesn't fit ideally over the rear. (The vest is perfect with slinkier gowns though, I tried with a bunch.) You can get away with this for a photo, but just in case you were considering buying the items to wear together... try the demos first!

One thing I noticed when trawling through my inventory for this look is that there definitely seems to be a shortage of nice elbow length gloves (why are they all latex?!). 

Most of the detachable sleeves and armwarmers I own seem to be from the same or very similar templates, which is a little dull. The Blogging Elf mentioned a new set from Stitched recently, so I must go and check them out, but...

If any creators are reading this, pretty please make some nice new gloves and armwarmers for us?!

Seafoam

This month's round of Collabor88) is themed 'Snow Day' and one of the featured colours is a beautifully frosty seafoam / aqua tone. I grabbed this shawl from Baiastice and the long mermaid skirt from Fashionably Dead to put together this modest look.

I delved deep into my inventory to add a short dress from u.f.o, top and sleeves from On a Lark, and a flexi skirt from an old FallnAngels outfit.

The hand jewels are an older design from Crystal Line. They're not intended for Slink hands, but with a little tweaking you should get a reasonable fit on at least some of the Slink hand models.  I'm wearing Casual and Elegant hands in the pictures.

Headdress is from Modern Couture, and the beanie hat I'm wearing as a hood comes from a Soedara outfit, tinted to match the shawl.

Finally, if you're super-quick you might still be able to catch the poses on special offer for Lazy Sunday at Ma Vie.

Winter snug

This yummy coat is the current  We Love Role-Play offering from May's Soul.

Frankly, this coat looks so unbelievably snug that I wish had one RL! However, at least in SL, no fluffy animals were harmed to make this coat, which makes it easier for the vegetarians amongst us.

The mittens are a free gift under the tree at the event - just join the update group and help yourself to some awesome goodies.

I'm also wearing my trusty Arachzis horns from The.Plastik and Dyisi boots from Evie's Closet. Neither are new releases, but they're both items I turn to again and again. Does that make them classic?!

Gypsy

If you've been living under an in-world rock, you might not have heard that Truth Hair currently have a massive sale on, until 15 December. Everything at the mainstore is 50%, even the most recent releases. (The exceptions being those styles which are currently exclusive to various events round the grid.) So now is the time to stock up on anything you may have missed!

Also, Leafy skins are back on the grid, and there's another sale. You can pick up a gacha skin for as little as 40L, or 'standard' skins are up to 175L, with big reductions on fatpacks as well. Hopefully this means there will be new skins - and appliers! - soon.

Clothes are from Senzafine, jewelry from Zaara, and the belt is part of an outfit from Evie's Closet.

FLF reminder

Super quick post to remind you to take advantage of Fifty Linden Friday before it's too late.

There's another outfit pack and Slink nail appliers from The.Plastik. I'm wearing just one version of the corset, boots, and horns in the pictures, but there is so much more included. A rough count suggests 22 different items, including jewelry, long skirt, and five different styles of the corset. As always, a ridiculous steal for 50L!

Other offers you shouldn't miss -  a smokey-eyed skin from Belleza, and poses from oOo Studio and !bang.

Celestial grace

 The Fantasy Collective has just opened, and this round is inspired by the theme 'Celestial'. The designers have really stepped up to the mark, so expect to leave this round with heavily loaded armfuls of ethereal gowns and accessories.

For me, one of the outfits I simply couldn't miss was Valentina E's 'We are all made of stars'. The outfit consists of a base gown, an overgown, and a crown (crown not shown here). Each of the items is sold separately, so you can decide exactly what you want to spend your lindens on, and how you'll incorporate the pieces into your inventory.

The expectant queen: More from Enchantment

A quick post to show you some more items from the upcoming round of Enchantment.

W.Winx & Flair have produced some pregnancy-themed poses for this round as their in-store exclusive. The set includes poses with hands protectively cradling tummy, or supporting a tired back! They inspired me to take these shots of a pensive queen... perhaps remembering the bargain she made, to surrender her firstborn infant to the imp known as Rumpelstiltskin.

The circlet I'm wearing is the Rumple Tiara from Wimey. It represents the straw which the miller's daughter had to weave into gold, and it comes with a colour change hud for the tiara's gems.

Finally, the necklace and ring are from yumyums. Regarding the necklace, there are 11 different gem styles to choose from, while a hud lets you change the metal of the ring and the gem surround, and the colour of the leather cord.

Enchantment preview: Rumpelstiltskin

The new round of Enchantment - the stamp card rally with fairytale theme - opens in November.

The inspiration behind this round is Rumpelstiltskin. A poor miller lies that his daughter can spin straw into gold. Alas for our heroine; the king believes him and has her locked up in a tower room full of straw, and a solitary spinning wheel, so that she can increase his net worth by morning... or have her head chopped off.

Rescue shows up in the shape of imp, who spins the gold in exchange for her necklace, her ring, and finally the promise of her firstborn child when she is queen.

A year passes, and the new queen has forgotten all about the imp, and gives birth to a beautiful, much loved child. The imp suddenly appears and demands that she relinquish the infant to him, although he offers her a second chance: if she can discover his name in three days she can keep the child.

Autumn sunlight

The Fantasy Collective has just opened, and for me, one of the standouts is the Lucrezia hairstyle from Tableau Vivant - it's an ornamented updo with optional ponytail attachement. You've probably seen that the colour packs were recently revamped, and I am loving the new basics collection. You get 30 different shades, running the gamut of natural hair tones, and also featuring some ombres. Bonus: the basics pack is the same price as all the single-colour packs.

I definitely think all hair makers should offer "basics" or "naturals" packs. Personally, it definitely factors into whether or not I buy a hairstyle from a particular maker. For instance, there's one creator who regularly produces beautiful styles, but you have to buy a fatpack, or a single tone pack of four shades. That certainly makes me think long and hard about spending my lindens!

What do you think - are you faithful to one hair colour, or do you prefer mixed packs?

Desert dancer

So, I'm back! It seems like there's been an insane amount of stuff happening event-wise these days. Unfortunately, my SL is very laggy (is it the ridiculous inventory I'm dragging around?) so exploring is not so much fun.

Anyway, less complaining, more fashion.

Vurdah of the Desert is a recent release from Soedara, and it's funky mesh top and harem pants combo. a You get three versions of the top; in these photos, I'm wearing the slightly-sheer version. Also included are the belt, anklets, bangles, upperarm bands, face chain and diamond bindi.

(PSSST, the gold colour of the outfit is 160L, almost half price, on the marketplace as a promotion. I don't know how long this will last.)

Red dragon

Dress: deviousMind - Sakura - ShibariDress **RUBY DRAGON** (Fantasy Gacha Carnival 
Hair: Bliensen + MaiTai - Sand Snake - Browns/Gold
Headdress: May's Soul - mei mei headpiece (Fantasy Gacha Carnival)
Bracers: May's Soul - mei mei cuffs (Fantasy Gacha Carnival)
Skin: Glam Affair - Mokatana - America - Star 01 G
Lipstick:  Glam Affair - Sylvia - Lipstick  01 EEyes: IKON Lucid Eyes - Coffee
Hands: Slink - Avatar Enhancement Hands
Shape: Tuty's - Gong Li (modified)

Fifty Linden Friday again...

My favourite Fifty Linden Friday round is always the one which includes The.Plastik - and that's today. There are two special offers out today, one of which is the Raine outfit set. I'm wearing the dress and top from it in these pictures, but it also includes a mini-skirt, corset, boots, and puff sleeves, plus appliers... all for just 50L.

Also in today's FLF are the Connie sandals from Noodles, and the Trudy poses from oOo Studio (btw, there's a 50% off sale at oOo until 31st August).

Full credits after the jump.

More events!

A super quick post, just to highlight some ongoing events.

The chainmail vest I'm wearing is from The Forge,  at Tales of Fantasy. Be quick though, this round closes on 29 August.

Likewise, you have only a couple of days to shop Enchantment. I love this eye makeup from Tarnished.

Fantasy Gacha Carnival, where you'll find the dress, belt and cuffs from May's Soul, runs until 8 September.

Collabor88 is celebrating its third anniversary, which means even more goodies than usual. I spent all my lindens there, as the theme is Odyssey... meaning lots of classically-inspired items for Greek goddesses, including this hair from Lamb.

Enchantment: The trespass

So I have spare time and internet access for a couple of days... time to squeeze in a couple of quick posts!

August is drawing to a close, which means you have only a few days left to shop the current rounds of various events.

One of those is Enchantment, which this round is inspired by the tale of Bluebeard. You'll find special items at each of the participating stores, and packaged with each of these is a stamp card for the rally.

Wear your card or cards and click the stamp machine at each of the 20 stores. Each completed card entitles you to choose a prize at the special prize mall.  (Detailed instructions on the  official blog.) The prizes are extra special as they are exclusive to the event and will never be available again.

In these photos, I'm wearing the Jeune Mairee gown from The Muses, and necklace and headwrap from Frogstar.

The setting is the 'Skybox of Unfortunate Princesses', also from Frogstar, and in the background you can see the gruesome 'Bluebeard Bodies' prop from DRD.

Super-express post!

A very quick look at some items from current events, including the Fantasy Room, Genre and We Love Role-Play.

The Shield Maiden

The Fantasy Collective is now open!

This round is all about Vikings, so you'll find Northern-inspired gowns and tunics, horned helmets, and fierce accessories and furniture.

In the pictures I'm wearing hair from Tableau Vivant, shield and sandals from Noodles, outfit from Distorted Dreams, circlet from Keystone, and horns from OrsiniRed. The poses - which come with sword props - are from Mien.