The sands

When the vendor image for this stunning headdress popped up in my flickr feed, it was love at first sight.  I knew I had to have it! Luckily, it wasn't too long to wait, and this stunning collaboration from Eudora and Enfant Terrible is available now from Uber.

There's a close-up photo after the jump, and you should definitely take a look, as the textures are so amazingly detailed. It's priced at 400L, which I think is definitely a fair price for an original mesh creation as beautifully realized as this.

I'm also wearing top from 22769, chestpiece from Storybook, silks from Soedara, jewelry from Aisling, and sandals from Maitreya.

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?!

I think it's snowing

I recently stopped by Creation.jp and left with a considerably lightened wallet as there were so many cute things.

This vest or shrug from Gizza was designed as a contemporary item, but inspired me to put together a wintry look for a slave or panther.

Fortunately, snow in SL isn't all that cold, so you can run around with bare chest, tummy and thighs, even if you do inspire shivers in onlookers. Otherwise, you could always just layer it over some warmer clothes.

Also at Creation.jp are some fabulous new windblown hairstyles from Tableau Vivant. This is Harukaze which includes both male and female sizes. The other is Breeze, which you can buy for either male or female avatars.

The socks are actually from last year's Frost fair, by Lapointe & Bastchild. They come with a colourchange hud which allows you to turn the pompoms off, but I just had to leave them on...

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.

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.

Natsumi

Natsumi Girl is a new release from  Soedara, it's an Asian-styled 'dress' so perfect for Pani roleplay sims. The outfit includes five sizes of mesh, bracelets, and a hair flower. It's also a bargainous 150L.

I haven't tried layering it yet, I suspect it might work well as a tunic over trousers, but it looks like it might be a little too fitted for skirts and gowns.

Also, if you're not as out of the loop as I am, you probably already know that Aisling (or a i s l i n g) are celebrating their first anniversary. They've very generously put out a special collection of gifts, which includes this circlet and necklace set for women. (There's also a necklace for men, and a variety of decor items.)

This slurl should take you right there - Aisling anniversary gift - but if you do land at the main entrance, look for the special glowing teleportal! I'm not sure how long gifts will be out for, but at least one is a limited edition and the countdown clock reads 19 days.

Earrings (by Distorted Dreams) and Face jewels (from The Forge) are both available at We Love Role-Play while my foot jewels (Pure Poison) and fan are from Fantasy Gacha Carnival 
Both events run until the end of the month.

Silver apples of the moon

More from We Love Role-Play. This time, this pics feature a stunning gown called Aluaya from The.Plastik. The outfit includes four separate mesh components; the basic gown, the sleeves, the corset, and a corset-and-overskirt combination.  Lots to play with an mix in with your existing wardrobe.

Also at W<3RP - the staff from May's Soul, new hair from Calico, filigree mask and ear cuff from Kahli Designs, and eyes from Musa.

Chinese New Year festival opens tomorrow

Chinese New Year festival opens tomorrow, and even thought it's not open just yet, I've linked with the slurl.

Cashmere & Keane have made a traditional-looking suit, which reminds me of an elegant pair of silk pyjamas. The outfit is one piece (not separate top and bottom), comes in male and female versions, and three different sizes. It's housed inside a little hut at the fair, so be sure and look inside.

The pose is from Posesion, from their 'geisha' set, and in the background, I've set out a variety of the decor items from the event. (I don't usually do decor - so hopefully it's not too much of a hot mess!)

Whimsical girl

CNY Fest, celebrating the Chinese New Year, opens on January 31st. (It's the Year of the Horse, and from what I've seen of predictions so far, a lot of people will have a good year, and others will have a mixed year. I don't think I saw any disasters promised for anyone, thankfully.)

The event is brought to you by the people behind the Water Lantern Festival, so you know what that means - an eclectic shopping experience on a beautiful sim.

Participating designers include Junbug, Half-Deer, Xiaj, Posesion, C'est La Vie!, FAUN, and lots more, with a mix of regular stores and gachas.