Braille to the night

It’s been a bad week for brains. They’ve been overtaxed. Now that I can feel my grey matter returning to its usual spongey and sproingy state, I am once again able to blog. The last day of the Fantasy Faire, an event raising money for cancer research, is Sunday April 28th. So you still have time to bounce over to The Plastik’s pavilion to buy Aikea Rieko’s new Draziirah skin. Draziirah has to be shot in bright light to show off the weirdly cracked chocolatey skin. The skin features a full-body vine tattoo which is sold in ten different colours, including silver, green, red, yellow, blue and purple. Portia is wearing Draziirah in one of the greens, Anjuna, which I’ve tarted up with HoD’s Lovely Disarray face tattoo and Electro Blue Neon Punk earrings. This is a brand new item available at The Gallery Gift Shop till mid-May.
Each Draziirah skin pack features a plain version of the skin and some extra mystical tats. I’ve used tats from two skins, Anjuna and Silver, to decorate Anorak’s beautiful bod. In addition to the elf ears shown here, the Drazira skin pack includes glowing eyes. Anorak’s classy Wasabi Pills hair, Erika, is also available at Fantasy Faire. This version of The Plastik’s Vexed dress was a gift, but there are plenty more patterns to choose from in the mainstore.

Credits to creators

Look one
:[Plastik]:- Draziirah [Female]://Anjuna (NEW; at Fantasy Faire; ty Aikea Rieko!)
- .HoD. – Neon Punk Gauge Electro Blue with Lovely Disarray – I’m no Priest Face Paint – Neon Punk Edition [unisex] (NEW; at The Gallery Gift Shop; ty Aydan Darcy!)
: Amorous : Die Schlacht set of face piercing and pasties and earrings not shown
Analog Dog, tangled obsidian (almost unrecognizable colour due to Windlight setting)
:[Plastik]:-Vaele Coll(Base)://Galaxia-Nala eyes

Look two
:[Plastik]:- Draziirah-Female:// Plain Base Anjuna pack (NEW; at Fantasy Faire; ty Aikea Rieko!)
:[Plastik]:- Draziira Tattoo[Face-Dots]://Silver
:[Plastik]: Draziira Tattoo[Body-Dots]://Anjuna
:[Plastik]: Draziira Tattoo[Body-Suns]://Silver
:[Plastik]:- Draziira Tattoo[Face-Suns]://Anjuna
/Wasabi Pills/ Erika Mesh Hair – Pancake (NEW; at Fantasy Faire; ty Miss. Lemon!!)
:[Plastik]:- Vex Dresses [XXS]:// Chevron (former gift)
*BOOM* Bold wrist cuff (v1) Titanium
*BOOM* Fearless wrist cuff (v2) Titanium (this is the Collabor88 edition)
.:ellabella:. Vaeface piercing, colour change

poses: Ma Vie, Revealed

Blend-up

Sometimes your friendly neighbourhood blogger gets tired of sorting new items into “urban,” “high-fashion,” “nerdy” and “goth” folders. Sometimes your fr’ly. ‘hood bl’er. goes nuts trying to figure out the expiration date on “old” skins and hairdos. Today this blogger is mixing things up and bringing back fave skins from the not-so-distant past. The spring line from Paperbag is literally epic, and it’s full of affordable goodies like Portia’s büb-friendly shoulder-baring peach top. Ima get back there for more to share. Portia’s new techno-hottie shorts are available in a range of colours from Shi.

Portia’s butter-soft leather jacket is a group gift from Tokidoki. If you aren’t a member of the group, you can buy the jacket in solid tones or florals at TDRFusion, or shop the whole range of colours at the main store. The laced, tight leather jeans are a 15L Easter Hunt item from Ricielli. I want them in RL. As well as the legs to wear them.

Credits to creators
Look one
.Shi : Hive Highwaist Shorts {M} (NEW)
Paperbag. Beige Top (with Lolas Tango applier) (NEW)
al vulo- Eleonor * candy dark brow chocolate (old TDRF)
Lolas ::: Tango ::: Mesh Breasts (spine)
AUDRAN, Unisex Tattoo / DARK INK / ‘Awkward’ 2
esuga, booboo and bandaids (old gift)
Dirval, J I L L Hair Dark
*BOOM* Fearless wrist cuff (v2) Gold (NEW)
..:: BenS Beauty ::.. Melissa Line Rings Gold
THE BOYS – cassie Earring Gold Light (gift at Dirval)
Glitterati, Shattered pose prop

Look two
(TokiD) Haru Jacket_Large (mint) (NEW) (VIP gift; fee to join)
The Sea Hole – Pan Bahatt Bustier – Camaka seba (former Collabor88)
R.icielli – LONDON Mesh Pants / Black S (15L Easter hunt item)
Secret Store, Roller skates (former Arcade gacha)
.la petite morte. wixson pale fantasy 2
MONS / Shocking eyes – brown
Unorthodox, Carter 2 Pink hair (at fi*friday)
..:: BenS Beauty ::.. Melissa Line Rings Gold
:[P]:- Saiyura Glasses://Goldrush (came with one of Ms. Rieko’s awesome Lazy Sunday packs)
pose is an oldie from hmaem, and the prop is Glitterati, Shuttered

If you prickle me…

Had anyone told me when I started this blog that Portia’s fanciest outfit would be made of cactus, I’d never have believed her. Was this because I didn’t know then that Portia likes pain? Because the end of irony made working with succulents seem insensitive? Or because the Belgians rejected cactus as undeconstructable? No, no and no. It was because my little mind could not anticipate Zib Scaggs’ imagination. Her fabulous Valentina gown will be shown April 6th, the last day of Avenue’s Spring/Summer fashion shows. It is also one of the limited edition items available in the fashion week market. In addition to the gown and black face-paint you see here, the special package includes a set of delicate earrings and necklace, a pair of simple, strappy sandals and a decorous chignon hairdo in black and white versions. Underneath the cactus skirt there’s a gorgeous black satin evening skirt. All of these items will come in handy if the President’s Ball bans weaponized frocks (or ‘fros).

Credits to creators
Zibska, Valentina gown (NEW at Avenue Spring/Summer Fashion Week; ty Zib Scaggs!)
::dutch touch:: ::AmBeR:: V2 Dark – PeachyLips [The inworld store is closed, but there's one skin on Marketplace. Could more follow?]
~SongBird~ Delirium’s Spiral eye makeup (Twisted Hunt gift)
Clemmm -ReSnick eyes
[Iruco]hair25(black)
*BOOM* Fearless ankle cuffs (v2) Silver (NEW; ty Aranel Ah!)
*BOOM* Fearless wrist cuffs (v2) Silver (NEW; ty Aranel Ah!)
*LpD* – *Steam Clouds* Earrings White (a Fashion for Life donation item that may not be in store; I will check) (ty Nevery Lorakeet!)
Hello Spacegirl – Ilia Collar (long) L (black) [Try a demo. This collar is very very small]
*SoliDea FoliEs* chameleon rings
Debrah’s, “Coty” HighHeels Black Snake
Blah, Model pose pack 2
GIMPed but not so much that I have cactus needles stuck under my fingernails.

Second star on the right

Aliza Karu’s Booklook for April celebrates Peter Pan. The floor-length gown, which is slit on one side just shy of the hip, features an elegant monochrome fade from white through grey to black. The accompanying Trilly dust that orbits one’s av is probably magical. It reminds me of the Sugar Corn Pops I ate as a kid, which had their own magic of dissolving on the tongue. The Peter Pan ensemble also includes a mobile spiral of multi-coloured light (not shown in this picture) that probably represents Tinkerbell on speed. Or in love. I get those two confused.
I’m an Aries in RL and decided to celebrate with Aranel Ah’s rams horns for Zodiac. Being an inadequate Aries makes me feel inadequate. I’m supposed to be a leader, but I’m a loner. The best capsule description of Aries that I ever read states “Aries can be perfectly nice people once they’ve been chemically or surgically altered.” I can never understand why I am the only person who finds that hilarious. Possibly it’s because no one born under another sign can appreciate how close it comes to the truth.

Credits to creators
[Angels and Demons Creations] Tribute to peter Pan [mesh dress only in one size, so try demo] (NEW; ty Aliza!) presented with Libriamo Tutti
*BOOM* I Am Aries (gold) horns (at Zodiac)
A&Ana Fashion Jewellery Pus Glamour Bracelet (at TDR Fusion)
[7891.] Hage Cross Necklace – Drop – Gold
~ Tableau Vivant~ Ewing hair – female (S) – Xmas ed. Metal fade
*Glance Skins – Anais – August – No Brows (was a Skin Fair item)
[theSkinnery], Voluptous lip junkie – lipstick 7 (was a Skin Fair item)
Miss Shippe’s Studio, OMS O Rama Gold Feather Lower Lashes Only
“tSg” Miss Sassy Brow Black (old gift)
.ID. Snowfall Eyes / Seasons Gatcha / Hazel
pose one: Clemmm
pose two: Whatever, Modeling Chair (? I need to check this)

Hangs you up the most

They say it’s spring, but the weather outside is still frightful. So I say, what the hell, let’s call it summer. Forget dressing up like a bag of Jordan almonds. Eat the damn almonds; wear sangría.
I’ve been wanting a Glance skin for a while now, specifically because the medium and dark skin tones are so lovely. I got Anais at Skin Fair. She’s a bit dear price-wise, with a bare-face skin at over a 1,000L and separate packs of lipstick and eyeshadow for 500L each. (Good news for those of you who like to make stupid mistakes when buying things: the September lipsticks look just fine on the August tone.)

Credits to creators
*BOOM* Manchesters (lime) xxs (NEW, in mannnyyy colours; ty Ms Ah!)
Leverocci – Sleek Blazer_M_Coral (on sale)
SOUL. Corset Dots S (awesome)
*Glance Skins – Anais – August – Black Brows – Small Cleavage
*Glance Skins – Anais – September – Glossy 06 lipstick
I added Mynerva lashes and Dutch Touch eyeliner, which aren’t available for purchase
MEMIL eyes 06_orange brown (bought on Marketplace)
Swallow, Sunglasses
>TRUTH< Sassy w/Roots – crow
TuTy’s – black hairbase tattoo 2
mijn.botique accessories / huge chain necklace rosegol (past TDRF and not available)
mijn.botique accessories / studded earrings n.2 – rgold
[ glow ] studio – Diamond Bar ring (rose gold)
[HANDverk], Stud Clutch.kiwi (free at the Free*Style shop)
Glitterati, Shuttered pose prop
GIMPed for your pleisure.

Foxy soft

Today I felt like playing it soft. And a little strong with the dark eyebrows of Sopha Portal’s new Fox skin for My UglyDorothy.
Fox is darker than Ms. Portal’s recent creations. This tone, Caramel, is the middle tone of three. There are eight makeups and a base skin in the pack, with teeth and no teeth options. Black isn’t always forbidding. Witness BOOM’s Soft Swerve sweater in Pitch.

Wasabi Pills’ Ivette is one of a pair of two softly curling new hairdos for Whore Couture Fair 2.

Credits to creators
Look one
*MY UGLYDOROTHY -Fox08(Caramel) (NEW; ty Sopha!)
/Wasabi Pills/ Ivette Mesh Hair – Black coffee (NEW at WCF2; ty MissAllSunday!)
NuDoLu, tunique de lumiere red (NEW)
Pink Acid, Leather Mermaid Scale Leggings – White
[sYs] ALTAIS – bracelets (white) (recent Limited Bazaar item)
::LEO-NT:: Vintage Dream Ring~baroque~ (VIP gift pair of rings; small fee to join)
::{u.f.o}::animal wire headband – PEARL – cat RARE (old SGS gacha)
Dark Mouse, Vintage 50′s Pearl Stud Clip – White (store is closed, but these were available at the Fab Free shop on The Wash sim)
MONS / Shocking eyes – hazel

Look two
*MY UGLYDOROTHY -Fox03(Caramel)
*BOOM* Soft Swerve Off-Shoulder Top (Xsm) Pitch (NEW; ty Aranel!)
*Dura-Girl*27(Black)resize
SIGMA Jewels/ Deco necklace purple – chest (Lavender Hill Hunt 5L item)
MONS / Shocking eyes – brown

set: Sn@tch, Dark Photobox
poses: The Muse, Erik poses (for the dude in you…) (ty Audrey!)
I GIMPed the faces a little to soften some harsh lines caused by lighting. Please demo all skins!

Hey lady!

The Aquarius Zodiac month ends on the 13th, so you should surf over there soon if you want a nifty mermaid bra by Brutus Martinek of Pididdle. JesyLilo’s loose-fit jeans feature portholes on the outside of each leg. Why I do not know. Perhaps to show off a tattooed tangle of kelp.

Meanwhile, back on shore, Sopha Portal has released a new skin called Vivian. As with her other recent skins, Vivian is available in a pack with eight soft and sweet makeups. Six of these feature orange-red lips, and two, including the one I’m showing here, run to pink. I tend to think I don’t like anything named after a princess or a lapdog, but Aranel Ah’s Tiffany colour makes BOOM’s beautifully sculpted, nubbly textured Duveteux Rayonnant jacket absolutely irresistible. As far as I’m concerned, Ms. Ah has the all clear for Savannah and Felicity.

Credits to creators
Look one
PIDIDDLE – Sea Maiden Bra – Sea Princess (NEW at Zodiac; ty Brutus Martinek!)
::Exile:: A Winter’s Tale:Beach
*JeSyLiLO*:::Knotted Jeans:::*Dirty XS (NEW; ty Lilo Glom!)
Adam n Eve Clothes, Ana Lace Panty Popcorn
Graves, Cuffs from G329
-Belleza- Wynter skin (old 50L Friday)
MONS / Shocking eyes – blue
The Muse Poses, Venus (at Fashion Limited; ty Audrey Cresci!)

Look two
*MY UGLYDOROTHY -Vivian05(Burly) [available in three tones] (NEW; ty Sopha Portal!)
*MY UGLYDOROTHY -Cleaves tattoo1(Burly) (tat cleavage sold separately)
*BOOM* Duveteux Rayonnant Jacket (Tiffany) (mesh) (NEW; ty Aranel Ah!)
Maitreya Flare Jeans (for heels) * M #6
welldone.atelier/ Gold Deer rings (at fi*friday, pack includes gold and silver)
[e] Abbey – Red 05 (on sale)
Clemmm – Window Ocean eyes
focus poses, winter set (at Limited Bazaar)

GIMP your own, these are mine. (I shot these to look more yellow than they appear in a standard AnaLu studio 5 light. So please do try demos!)

My pretties

I swear that someone somehow stole my blogging gene. I’m down to “system skirt bad; she pretty.” So I shall just say that I hereby offer you a shot of Aliza Karu’s tour-de-force Ania gown for AngelsDemons Creations. In addition to the dramatic cut-out back you see here, there are cuts in the front of the gown which make the dress look as though it’s independent of the body, not hung on it. Suvi Breil took a fabulous shot of the whole ensemble, from the front, because she’s a genetically sound blogger.
I am also featuring this beautifully ornate brooch, with optional stripe makeup, which is an Avenue Readers group gift in the A:S:S deLuxe shop at Zenshi. I like the look of the brooch on bare flesh, with its nasty screws set into Portia’s adamantium breast-plate. Portia is wearing MiaSnow’s unusual Sweety skin, a favourite of mine, in the Exotic tone. The Sweety skin comes with the lashes shown here, with eyebrows, a few lipsticks, and with basic options of cleavage and dimples on or off.

Credits to creators
Look one, pic one
[AD] Ania Gown (ty Aliza Karu!) [note that the mesh gown comes in only one size]
MiaSnow, Sweety PALE w/ bra cleavage
/Wasabi Pills/ Skye Mesh Hair – Orchid
*BOOM* Fearless wrist cuffs BrwnGlaze (at Collabor88)
S o H, Big Dragon Friend (old freebie: the year of the dragon will soon end, so breathe fire while you can)
PDA, Gangplank Oddment

Look two, pic two
A:S:S deLuxe – Playful Violence brooch (with stripe tattoo) (gift in shop: join Avenue Readers group)
/Wasabi Pills/ Jamie Mesh Hair – Rye
Zibska, Ayira ~ Ear Cuff [colour-change and resizable via menu]
MiaSnow, Sweety EXOTIC w/ bra cleavage, worn with LASHES black
MONS / DualColor eyes – green
Ma Vie, Ma Vie pose pack (60L limited time special at new pose shop from Miamai on the Glam Affair sim)

Look one, pic three
[AD] Ania Gown (ty Aliza Karu!) [note that the mesh gown comes in only one size]
MiaSnow, Sweety PALE w/ bra cleavage
[ #7 ] In the City Lashes M/C
Mynerva~Platinum Drow Eyeliner (old gift)
/Wasabi Pills/ Skye Mesh Hair – Storm
Finesmith, Happiness (includes a tiara; VIP group gift, with a fee to join, but I think it is also the current subo gift)

GIMPed for your safety.

Big booms

I find myself expecting the bübs trend to go the way of the hamsters. Those who hope that the falsies will have more staying power should be encouraged to see some long-established creators, like Nylon Pinkney of Nylon Outfitters, Aikea Rieko of The Plastik and Aranel Ah of BOOM, making appliers for select items. They have opted to satisfy the insistent demands from Lolas Tango addicts (who have a lot of weight to throw around—if you know what I mean). For BOOM, Ms. Ah has created appliers for some of her sexiest numbers—the I Promise lingerie, the Carbon dresses, and the Day on the Yacht dresses among them. Here Portia wears the itty-bitty I Promise lingerie in turquoise and lipstick. I especially appreciate the fact that Ms. Ah specifies in the name which Lolas clothing layer to use with the applier. (It’s really impossible to figure this out by the cut of the top.) (P.S. I got the idea for this look from Ampersand Artful, who probably won’t beat me up for it. This time.)

As you can see, the BOOM lingerie applier pack also provides a peep version. Unfortunately, soap bubbles are not included. Portia’s pose is one of a new set of saucy stances for big-busted girls by Katey Coppola of Glitterati. They feature Ms. Coppola’s signature sultriness, but can also be shot to bring out the humorous side of front-loaded life.

Credits to creators
*BOOM* I Promise lingerie (turqouise and lipstick) with NEW Lolas Tango applier sold separately (ty Aranel Ah!)
Lolas ::: Tango ::: Mesh Breasts
+Nuuna+ Winter 2012 Gift Skin with Lolas Tango skin matcher (open gift)
Mad’ – Pure Sugar # Freckles+teeth (old VIP group gift)
[e] Abbey – White 05
Plastik, Madre Halo 4
Contraption, Clemantlers (LB)
!Ohmai : Antique Bee Ring (Silver)
Glow, Diamond Bar Ring (With Love Hunt item)
Mandala, Takara White Bangles (with nails not shown)
pose one prop: Glitterati, Blind
pose two: Glitterati, Boobalicious
Grim Bros. sent out this cool personal snow emitter as an Xmas gift!
If I hadn’t GIMPed these photos you’d be blushing. You’re welcome.
Hammies are forever!

There’s always a siren

I took my mother to Anna Karenina because I thought it was a mother type of movie. And I loved it. Tom Stoppard’s script is so spare that it feels like poetry. The action takes place mostly on and around the stage of an old theatre, but, this being Russia, there are escapes into the countryside in snowy winter and grassy summer. I didn’t intend to emulate the film, but Portia ended up out in the snow in a big warm fur and prowling the floorboards of a ruined theatre.

I combined Aliza Karu’s gold-sequined Minni gown and headdress with a colour-change jabot from Zib Scaggs at Zibska. I want to thank both of these creators for helping me grope my way to glamour in 2012.

The fades version of Tableau Vivant’s Ewing hairdo is available at My Attic. There is a blue-silver metallic version along with the raspberry version shown here. I have to say that Aida Ewing’s fantasy skins for Glam Affair are always a pleasure to blog. The best ones feature a skin tone that inches just past plausible.

Credits to creators
[Angels and Demons Creations] Mimmi gold [mesh dress comes in only one size] (NEW; ty Aliza!)
*BOOM* Dame Elbow Gloves (antique) small (NEW; ty Aranel Ah!)
MOLiCHiNO, Fur Poncho
~ Tableau Vivant~ Ewing hair – female (S) – Xmas ed. Red fade (at My Attic)
Glam Affair – Hybrid Christmas Gift
Zibska, Lizzie Jabot ~ Silk (colour and size change) (NEW; ty Zib Scaggs)
pose one: tapoe, kimono poses
pose two: Glitterati, Headshot 3
pose three: La Petite Morte, Editorial Headshots
locations: Small Town of Green (Danni Ravinelli showcased this sim—her locations are always fantastic)
Lookingglass sim

To err is SL. To GIMP is divine.