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!

Witch in winter

I finally got round to exploring the 30L Midwinter Fair yesterday and I was seriously impressed. There's lots of great shopping there, gachas for 30L a pull, 30L items for sale, and lots of dicsounts.

If that wasn't enough, there's a whole pile of free gifts for you under the tree. I haven't even unwrapped those yet.

I'm wearing a dress (common) and leather top (part of the rare) from May's Soul Derire gacha.  Sleeves are from a slightly older gacha by May - Arcana, which will soon be re-appearing at the mainstore.

The cloak (second and third photos) is from the Junbug gacha. I was lucky enough to get the uncommon black on my first pull. The rare white cloak is gorgeous, but I've given up chasing rares for the sake of my linden balance!

The fair runs until 24 December, so try and take a break from midwinter madness to check it out.

Miss Miller

Time to get your skates on - there are just four days left for the Rumpelstiltskin round of Enchantment.

In these pictures, I'm wearing both of Dead Dollz's offerings. First is The Miller's Daughter Choker, which is the item for sale.

It includes a stamp card, which you can complete by visiting all the participating stores and tagging the card. Then you can exchange it for any of the prizes in the special prize location. (Full details on the official Enchantment blog.)

This brings us to the Dead Dollz second item - it's the special exclusive Enchantment prize, The Miller's Daughter gown. Isn't it beautiful?

As one of the special prizes, it will only be until the end of November. After this, it will disappear into the ether, never to be seen again.

The fur shrug I'm wearing is from The Annex - it's another special Enchantment item, while my eyes from Adored are another Enchantment prize.

The armwarmers/sleeves are from Junbug, from the Midnight Fae gacha at The Secret Affair. Don't miss this one, because the price for play is set to only 30L for the duration of the event. The prizes include sleeves, wings, and fabulous gowns. This round also ends on 30 November, so don't miss out.

Oh, and a slightly early Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating!

... in a dress

One of Junbug's most recent releases is the Vintage School Dress, which is not only super-cute, but dedicated to a very special cause.

The proceeds go to the charity Do It in a Dress, which supports the education of girls in Africa, and you can choose to pay between 250L and 400L for each dress. You should definitely visit their site - not only is it informative and inspiring, but there are some hilarious visuals of people undertaking activities in school uniform dresses.

You can pick up a special pink edition at the current round of Kustom9 or choose from one of five colours at the Junbug mainstore.

The Junbug campaign page, showing the running total raised by this outfit, is here. The campaign itself runs until 7 December.

Red

Super quick post. The gorgeous gown is from Junbug, jewelry from May's Soul at Fantasy Gacha Carnival, and hair by Tableau Vivant is an exclusive Enchantment prize.

Happy shopping!

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.

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?

Broke? No problem... here's some free stuff!

Skin:  Glam Affair - Penny - Asia - Autumn Girl (The Seasons Story gift)
Hair: Moon{Hair} - Elastic Heart (group gift, free to join)
Eyes: Poetic Colors - Opal Eyes - Grape Leaves (gift for subscribers of over one month)
Shape: Self-made
Gown: Teriotrope -  Tridea Dress Demo (wearable demo) 
Circlet: Junbug- Crown of the Tuatha-De (The Seasons Story gift) 
Bangles: pr!tty - TSS - Bangles  (The Seasons Story gift)
Pose: Kirin Poses - Momo Pose Pack (The Seasons Story gift)

Hands: Slink - Avatar Enhancement (not free!)

A gown of green

Once upon a time, I read somewhere that "to give a maiden a green gown' was medieval slang equivalent to today's "roll in the hay".

Hmm. Well, perhaps you'll treat Junbug's lavish Freesia gown with a little more dignity... or not. This is one of the ultra-rare prizes from Junbug's machine at the Fantasy Gacha Carnival. Only 50L a pop, and it's stuffed full of common accessory prizes, rare gowns, and super-fancy ultra-rare gowns.

The hair is another Calico creation, and includes optional ivy wreaths and face jewels. The hud allows you to change the colour of the metal bands, the ivy leaves and the face jewels. Aaliyah is one of two Calico styles available at FGC (and both are cool).

The poses are also from FGC - part of the Dita set from Ilaya. The necklace though, is from AZE Jewelry Designs, and you'll find it at Fantasy Faire, which only runs until 11 May.

The pirate queen

Another couple of items from  The Fantasy Collective: Pirates!

This gown from Junbug is called Temptress of Tortuga and with its narrow waist and full hips, has a definite look of 18th century pannier skirts about it. It's not so exaggerated that you need to go through a door sideways though.  My favourite feature of the gown is the lush vibrance of the skirt though; it's really fabulous. I think it would make a perfect gown for gothic or vamp roleplay.

The hat is from Cellar Door, and it's just part of the High Seas Runt outfit which also includes a corset and mask. It comes in noir and aqua colours.  The eyepatch is from Sweet Poison, and you can choose either the leather or fur variation.

Slurl to The Fantasy Collective

Future nymph

One of Junbug's latest releases is available at The Seraphim Social. It's a 'space dress' named for Trillian from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The gown has materials turned up to the max - part of the skirt is super shiny, perfect for a futuristic look. It's also available in a black and gold colourway.

The tiara -  currently at We Love Role-Play - is one of the Dominion of the Deep tiaras from Paper Moon. There are another two aquatically-inspired coronets available and they're all 25% off for the duration of the event. The skin - a special tone of Quiana from The Skinnery - is half price at the same event.

Gretchen

Quick look at the April outfit from Junbug, now discounted at  We Love Role-Play. Tops and skirts are sold separately, so you can pick exactly the colour combination(s) you want.

The plunging lace top is perfect for wenches - but of course you can cover up with a clothing layer underneath if you need something more modest.

New round of We Love Role-Play opens tomorrow

A brand new round of We Love Role-Play opens tomorrow (by my counting, that's round 10, so congratulations to all the organisers and designers who've made it such a great event).

You'll find my hair (Mina), headdress (Keystone), and eyes (Musa - gacha) all there, and all discounted between 25% and 50% for the duration of the event. The poses are from the event too - the Huntress set from !bang.

The beautiful Grecian gown is another original mesh creation from Junbug, and you'll find it at the One Word event. This round is inspired by the word "tragedy", and the gown is called Electra, after the matricidal princess. The outfit is two pieces - the gown itself and optional shoulder drapes.

The staff is from EZ Weaponry. I'm a poser, not a fighter, so was really happy to see that with this item there's a purely cosmetic version included! Don't fret, naturally it includes all the other versions and gestures you need to do your opponents some real damage.

Fairyland

It's your last chance to get to the  Fantasy Gacha Carnival today, where you'll find the Jasmyne hat and ribbon choker. They're a joint effort from Le Petite Morte and Enfant Terrible.

The Ariela gown is new from Junbug, and you can find it at The Fantasy Collective, which will be open for another little while. Don't forget, items at TFC are exclusive for the next six months!

No pleasure in anything else

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single lady in possession of some linden dollars must be in want of a new gown. And perhaps also a rugged wealthy gentleman in a wet shirt.

This month's round of  The Seraphim Social can certainly see you suitably attired as it's theme is deveoted to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This outfit is Junbug's 'Mrs Darcy' and it's a one-piece mesh empire line gown and over coat.

If you do have a hunky gentleman in your Second Life, or indeed if you are one yourself, check out the accompanying Mr Darcy outfit, with its daringly unbuttoned shirt (think Matthew MacFayden as Darcy). Pure 19th century hotness right there.

Slurl to The Seraphim Social

Damsel du Sanct Grael

Ouch, RL suddenly got very busy, hence the slow down in posting. In spite of this, I finally manged to get into the February round of Collabor88, where I bought the base skin from Glam Affair (388L), together with the add-on packs for nose and cheeks (188L each).

I paused at the lip packs though. The accompanying lipsticks look absolutely beautiful, but  thought they were a little pricey at 288L. However,  I'll probably go back and get a pack when the weekly stipend comes through on Tuesday.

In the meantime, I added a liptint from Musa at We <3 Role-Play to add a little more oomph to the look. These liptints add a sheer and subtle hint of colour without altering the shape of your lips and look very natural.

In fact, apart from the skin, almost everything I'm wearing comes from We <3 Role-Play. (which of course means its discounted between 25% and 50% for the event). The gown is Adele's Secret from Junbug, and the chalice I'm holding is from The Forge.

Little red

Another trip to Enchantment!   This is the Rotkappchen (the German name for Little Red Riding Hood) outfit from Junbug, which comes in three different colourways. It's based on a traditional dirndl, and could be a great peasant, wench or servant's outfit, for all that it's so lush and colourful. It would certainly make a change from the homespun browns we're used to seeing.

The ballerina shoes are from Enfant Terrible, and once you've bought your favourite colour shoe, you can change out the sock textures with the hud. Left and right socks can be changed separately, if you want to be a little unconventional!

The flower and ribbon head wreath also comes from Enfant Terrible, and the neckalce and ring from Bokeh. Once again, poses are from Infiniti

As with yesterday's post, the poses are from Infiniti. You can see that some of the  dynamic 'Running scared' make the mesh gown look as though it's billowing in the air.

 I mentioned yesterday that 'Better to see you with' was a great set for showing off nails... but I forgot to mention that it also includes a set of nail appliers for Slink avatar enhancment hands. Sorry! The 'Little Red' set includes five different tones of red, from bright scarlet to deep burgundy.

All Enchantment items are exclusive to the event, so if you want anything there, now is the only chance you'll get...

The legend of Miaoshan

Quick post today - some more items from the Chinese New Year festival which runs until February 21. 

First up, is the lush gown from Junbug, named Quan Yin for the goddess of compassion. It's inspired by historic Chinese clothing, so it's a bit different from most medieval-fantasy gowns. But I think it could be a very stylish option for an aristocratic lady?

The poses are from the Mineko set by Posetivity. They include a fan, but I've not used that here, instead I've used some of the fans from Attic's gacha.

The blackened crown

Only two days to go until Fantasy Gacha Carnival opens - and I haven't even featured everything I'd like to. There really are so many amazing things this round.

The mini-cape is the rare from one of Junbug's gachas, and differs from the commons by having a fur trim. There's a wide range of satin colours among the commons, and three fur textures. Gown is from Peqe, and the leggings from Yasum.

The rings and staff are from On a Lark, and the hand jewels are part of the Aaliyah sets from Luas. Belt and armbands are from Luminary, and finally the crown is from ieQED.

All poses are by Infiniti, and you can get them at Enchantment, which also opens on 1 February. 'The better to see you with' set is made of poses featuring hands close to the face - perfect for showing off jewelry or artful nails!

The static poses of 'Running scared' are very dynamic - I love poses which suggest a sense of movement, and these certainly do that. I've found they can have very interesting effects with mesh gowns (another post to follow!) so try them out, and see what you think...

More from TFC and FGC!

The Fantasy Collective has been open for a couple of days now, hopefully you've had a chance to look in.

The good news - this won't be the last round of TFC after all! Another full round will start on February 20th.

The fabulous coat is from Junbug - I just love the belt, nipped-in waist and swagger to the hips.
The red-lipped skin is another Fleur gacha prize (common! yay!) from Bite & Claw.  Remember, this items are exclusive to the event, so if you don't snap them up now, you'll have to wait at least another 3 months before you can do so.

Some more items from Fantasy Gacha Carnival as well - the Fashun Crowns and Staff from Enfant Terrible and the Elbensoul jewelry from Emo-tions. Both creators are making some amazing jewelry and accessories so if you can't bear the wait till 1 February, why not check out the mainstores instead!