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

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!

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?!

Double trouble

This is my first attempt at a double avatar photo, using some of the tips in this tutorial.  I might try this technique again, it's quite useful for showing off a lot of stuff at once.  Editing the images together is super easy, but I did have to mess around quite a bit in-world.

Anyway, what I'm showing off in this post is my Black Friday haul from The.Plastik,The sale runsuntil 23.59 on Monday, so if you have any linden dollars left, do not miss it.  There's between 30% and 50% off almost all the clothes and accessories, so stock up. Fatpack prices have also been slashed

Also, please note that today is the last day of this round of Enchantment - which also means its the very last day you'll ever be able to get your hands on any of the exclusive prizes.

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.

... 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.

Golden girl

Some more items from Enchantment to show you... and also a brand new outfit from Soedara.

Adored Bodyshop have produced a nice cosmetics collection for this round. I'm wearing the Gilded eyeliner in Princess, and the Golden Girl nails for Slink hands and feet. At their store, you'll also find a set of smoky eyeshadows and some metallic lipcolours (not shown). Their prize is a set of eyes - the Firstborn eyes - containing six different colours of system and mesh eyes. (I'm wearing goldenbrown.)

Modish, meanwhile, have released a set of eyebrow tattoos (Mesh Project compatible, not shown), and their prize is the Auric gold jewelry set of earrings and bangle.

Soedara's latest outfit is Aegle Nymph of the Evening set of mesh silks. In the box you'll find the mesh top and skirt in standard sizes (plus a bonus top to accomodate your Lolas, etc).

There are several huds giving you tons of customisation options. You have four choices of fabric tint, and change its transparency, which also means you can wear the top and skirt as necklace and belt instead, if you want. The hud also allows you choose between bead colours and 13 jewel colours, plus four colours of metal.  Also included is a pretty circlet in three colours (gold, silver and bronze).

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.)

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.

Cold as ice

The new round of We Love Role-Play opens tomorrow. Lots more quality items, all at 25-50% off. The rules for the event have changed somewhat, and new releases are now the general order of the day.

From the event, I'm wearing the Deucalion Halo from from Random Matter. You buy individual colours for 190L each, or splash out and get the 'fatpack' texture change version for 500L. With it, you can mix and match the colours as well as use each individual colour.

Alongside it, I'm wearing Keystone's Corva circlet, which includes four different shades. The stag pauldrons are from ieQED, while the belt is included with Luminary's Jane gown (50% off for the event). My spooky eyes are one of the three pairs of mesh and system eyes in  theSkinnery's Demon Eyes set.

My skin is from The.Plastik - it's another of the Astrali skins, this time in a fantasy tone. There are over 100 tones of this skin, and luckily there's an extensive appliers pack available for each.

My main outfit - a skirt and corset combination - is just one of On a Lark's 25L Tuesday offerings. It's been a while since I did the 25LT rounds, but On a Lark is always a must-visit for the amazing deals. You have just a few hours left to take advantage!

Fire and blood

A quick Targaryen-inspired look after a bit of an unscheduled, unintended mini-hiatus from blogging!

I'm wearing several accessories from Fantasy Gacha Carnival including pauldrons from Luas, headdress and necklace from Zyn, collar from Noodles, and poses and prop from Nantra. FGC runs until the end of the month, so plenty of time to get down there and work those gachas.

Clothes-wise, I've layered one of the Hanael tops, a recent release from The.Plastik, over The Library's Jessica dress.

The skin, btw,  is a special deal from Curio at  Collabor88 - you get four makeups in all tones of the skin for 888L.It's a rockabilly theme this round, so I didn't find much for me, but I can't imagine not going to check everything out...

FF2014: Peacocking

Due to time constraints, this is going to be a quick post, so here goes.

Today, from Fantasy Faire I'm wearing Paiva, a stunning gown and cloak outfit from The Muses. The outfit comes in four pieces; gown, fabric cloak, additional feather cloak, and feather cloak clasps, so you can mix and match.

The necklace is from BluPrintz (another new-to-me store) and the gem is colour change... to match your birthstone. I'm also wearing several items from LaNoir Soleil - the eyes, hair and horns. (I also added and tinted a random modifiable hairbase that was lurking in my inventory.)

Now, I know I've told you this before, but the Faire only runs until the 11th May - that's this Sunday. So please don't miss your opportunity to visit the beautiful sims and maybe even support the American Cancer Society by buying from the special vendors.

A couple of Fifty Linden Friday items in the mix too. The armbands are from Noodles, and the poses are the special offer from !bang. You'll find slurls to the stores linked in the credits at the end, remember the offers are only good for today!

I'd also like to draw your attention to the fabulous sandals, brand new from Pure Poison who are really turning out some beautiful add-ons for Slink feet these days.

Travelling girl

More from the Fantasy Gacha Carnival, which runs until the end of the month.

Again, the hair is Penelope from Calico, and if it looks familiar, it's because it's a variation on the Penny style which was released last winter. You have all the same colour-change options for tweaking the bandana and the beads, so you can get all matchy-matchy with your outfit.

Jewelry is from Frogstar's Marauder collection. I modifed the arm wrap a little, turning it from a wrist bangle to an upper armband. The chains around my wrists come from Haste, while the belt back is from Pucca Firecaster, and the thigh dagger is from The Forge. (I also tweaked the positioning of this slightly, turning the dagger from the front to the side.)

The top is one of the leather tunics from Aphorism. The rares from this machine come with an 'Arrow Attack' hud - activate it to see an arrow appear in your shoulder as you collapse to the ground, writhing with pain.

Boots and skinny pants both come from the The.Plastik. Both are actually from previous Fifty Linden Friday/ Lazy Sunday outfit packs... and why is this relevant? Because there are more fabulous goodies from Vae in this round of FLF, in the shape of another outfit pack and a fantasy skin. I haven't been there yet (and probably won't have time to blog them), but I can promise you I am going there right now!

I'm still the captain of this ship

Surprisingly, pirates aren't always the most trustworthy crew. Should you find yourself mutineered and marooned, best have a fallback option.

If you can't manage to lash sea turtles together with human hair from your back, Mien's raft pose prop should prove invaluable.

Peqe's coat will keep you warm as the sun drops below the horizon, and every captain must have her hat (this one's from May's Soul). Fight off invaders or harpoon fish with EZ Weaponry's cutlass, while you stomp aboard the deck with boots from Hopscotch.

The hair (super-long, and with a headscarf) comes from Olive, and the pants and gold coloured belt are part of the Bonny outfit from Bite & Claw. Necklaces and top (tinted) are from The.Plastik.

"Is there anybody there?"

A new round of Enchantment opens on 1 May with the theme of Sleeping Beauty. Augurer of Luminary has created the Beatrice outfit especially for it. Inspired by sleep, the outfit represents a nightgown and robe. There's nothing to stop you wearing it during the daytime however.

The format of Enchantment is very different this time around; the releases are not to be found at an event location, but in the designers' mainstores. (Be honest - with all the events nowadays, when was the last time you went shopping in SL stores?)

To encourage you to make the trip around all the stores, there's a very special incentive in place - exclusive prizes, which will never be available again. You just need to get your card stamped; and everything is explained after the jump.

Spring fairy

Caverna Obscura have produced two cute Fiola fairy outfits for the Fantasy Gacha Carnival. The mesh dress is an ultra-rare, the flower wreath is rare, and the wings are a common prize. There's one rigged mesh size only, and a fitted mesh version, so try the demo or be prepared to tweak your avie if needed. There's also shoes, sandals (note: for Gaeline feet only), bracelets and pretty flower fairychairs all stuffed into the machine.

In my hand, I'm carrying a sprig of Lily of the Valley from Naminoke's Suzuran gacha, which includes hair accessories, mouthies, and huggable dolls. Hair is from Emo-Tions - this is a common colour, and the rare prize is a bead and feather headband.

Not at FGC: sandals from Pure Poison, skin from The.Plastik, and flower face tattoo from The Skinnery, at Cosmetics Fair until the end of April.

Badass

I love this new pose set from Rack Poses - She's a BadAss Bitch!, coming soon to the Fantasy Gacha Carnival. Some of the poses are quite dynamic, like the above jumping pose, and I do appreciate a 'dynamic' pose!  Others are more like traditional stands, check out another two after the jump. Each poses also includes bow, arrow, and/or quiver props. There are six common single poses, and the seventh is a rare double pose.

Also from the upcoming May round of FGC are skin from Bite & Claw, tattoo from Demonic,  boots from Yasum (available in male and female versions), and the Bellona armour from Emo-Tions, which includes arm, hand and chest-pieces.

The dress (or tunic, if you prefer) I'm wearing is one of the new Courtesan Reloaded mesh dresses from The.Plastik.  It's an update of the original clothing-layer and comes in a variety of colourful, space-age and subtle textures. I'm wearing leather in the pictures, check out the full range of on The.Plastik's blog entry or in the mainstore on Growl.

Lastly, the hair is from Tableau Vivant, and you'll find it in the current Pirate edition of  The Fantasy Collective.