Month: May 2010

Could you be the most beautiful skin in the (virtual) world?

Could you be the most beautiful skin in the (virtual) world?

by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

There is ALWAYS a buzz when Tuli releases a new skin to the grid, with any new releases eagerly anticipated by her fanbase. Tuli has acquired her huge following in Second Life due to the artistry and skill that her work demonstrates, which means that when she does bless us all with a a new skin there’s always a kerfuffle, lots of ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ and a huge queue at the store to buy them…

But when I read Tuli’s update notice about her latest release I have to say I was a little bit, well, perturbed. Her note stated that this forthcoming production was going to feature “..characteristics from the Eva and Hope lines, with a softer shaded body and less saturated skin tones for an overall matte look..” So this was going to be a mash-up of previous skins? How would this work, and was there any point in buying a skin that featured elements from previous releases? Surely what I want is funky fresh new skin happy rather than chopped up odds and ends?

With some trepidation I toddled off to ‘Tuli’ ( Of course, the store was packed) got loads of demos and zoomed out of there, back to my studio to try on. ( Top Tip: On release days try not to try demos on is stores but go home or to a sandbox to try them, it saves everyone else a lot of hassle, and you win uber brownie points for avatar consideration)

To be honest I felt overwhelmed with options at this point too, even before I’d tried on any demos. Not only are there five skin tones with ten make-ups each to choose from, there are also fatpacks of all ten make-ups for the price of five (very generous that) I was sorely impressed with the THREE cleavage options that have been included to accommodate small, medium and large bazookas. Not everyone walks around the grid looking like Lolo Ferrari, and it’s nice that Tuli has recognised this. But would Jade be any good? Would she have her own individuality, despite her origins?

I opened up my demo packs, and I glanced at the contact sheet for skin tone 1, and thought “Shall I?” Let’s backtrack for a moment because I don’t really do pale skins in Second Life, I always like a bit of colour to my chops. I think this stems from my blue-tinged skin in real life! But the question hung in the air, was it worth my time trying on a series of skins that I wouldn’t buy? Well, seeing as I wasn’t doing anything else especially pressing I thought what the hell, and tried them….and instantly fell in love.

All my preconceptions about mixing characteristics from the other skins floated out of the virtual window when I stepped into the demo. Has Tuli somehow cheated by utilising these successful elements from her previous releases? Not at all, because she’s not just used the best bits of those skins, but she has also worked them even more adding further refinement which has definitely made them, well softer, but with a quality that is all their own.These skins do indeed radiate a subtlety that you don’t normally come across, and when you apply windlight settings to the mix the end result is an avatar creation that is completely off the page.  You can zoom in and out on Jade as much as you want, but you will be hard pressed to find a fault. All the nuances that professionally applied shading provides are there to behold, as well as eye-watering detail that just works perfectly. On a pale skin you get pale parts, obviously, but even these manage to retain their identity, rather than fading into the overall skin canvas. Of course the shape you use will determine your overall Jade experience, so I tried a number of my shape creations on with this skin and each one made me drool. The mouth is just perfect..it really is. The nose is just so adorable that you want to reach in through the screen and give it a hefty tweak, and the eyes and brows are well, just bang on. I can’t fault this skin, I really can’t.I would be looking for faults where there aren’t any. Perhaps other bloggers may find issues, but I honestly do not see how that is possible. (I will say that if you’re an existing Tuli fan that you must try demos before you purchase the skins because there are differences in skin tones from previous releases)

I never thought I would fall for a skin as hard as I have fallen for Jade.

Sure enough, Tuli’s recent releases have been stunners and I’ve loved everyone of them, but yet again she’s upped the ante by producing probably the best series of make-up options yet seen upon the grid. She’s managed to combine Gothic and fantasy styling with high-fashion, making these skins an instant hit and accessible to all. This doesn’t mean that Jade is a safe choice for skin-wear, not at all, the variety of make-up options create an edge that leaves others standing in the shade. I love all of them, and I want more..more fantasy make-ups, more Gothically inspired tones..just MORE!

You can do so much with these. You can have so much fun and if you’re a photographer, model or fashionista your options are endless. These skins will definitely encourage people to try alternative looks, and more power to them for that. It’s fantastic to see a fantasy skin with the edge of refinement that Jade provides..can you imagine elf-ears with this? Wow!  Having calmed down a little I elected to make a move on one of the other skin tones. I decided to try Tone 3, a medium fleshtone. Tones 2-5 offer different make-up options to tone 1, but they are just as ‘wow’, in fact, they are summery with a capital ‘S’, with a gorgeous colour palette featuring mouth-watering sorbet shades and deeper, classier tones. I’m sold..hook line and sinker…I want them all!

You can see various photos of me sporting the skins in my Flickr stream, but please bear in mind I am wearing demo skins, hence the white lines on them. It does prove a point though, if they look this good as demos, imagine what they look like normally!
These ‘Tuli’ Jade skins are probably the best available on the grid at the moment. They are destined to be an enormous hit, but don’t let the popularity put you off. The make-ups allow for a myriad of different looks which makes forking out for a fatpack a genuine necessity. Are they expensive? Well, they cost L$4950 BUT bear in mind what you’re purchasing, and how much wearability they have. Once you break it down, it’s not such a scary amount of Lindens to invest…and ‘Jade’ is a true investment.

As much as I adore my Curio, Laq, League, Rockberry and various other skin-beauties, which are all wonderful in their own way, I have to say that Tuli has successfully raised the bar yet again for skin makers with this release…and that makes me very excited indeed. All of them have the opportunity to raise it even higher, making us skin fanatics very lucky girlies.

What’s next I wonder? I await with baited breath…until then, I’m the girl in the corner, looking stunning in ‘Jade’.

Jade is available from TULI NOW.

Check out Tuli’s blog for further updates and news


Twilight in Second Life, RP worth sinking your teeth into!

Twilight in Second Life, RP worth sinking your teeth into!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 4 Comments

It’s hard to believe when you consider the international success of the Twilight saga that it hasn’t breached the virtual world of the MMO. After all, what could be more appealing to a Twi-hard tween who sleeps underneath their Edward Cullen bedspread every night and wakes to the chime of their ‘New Moon’ alarm clock every morning than a totally immersive environment where they can live the dream as Bella Swan, brood as intently as Edward Cullen or run wild with the wolves like Jacob Black?

Fortunately a brave and hard working bunch of Second Lifers have taken it upon themselves to create a roleplay area for fans to experience the Twilight saga in a far more involving way than can be offered by the fiction or the movies. This is a place where you can BE your favourite characters, and run wild with the wolf-pack in their frantic chase after Victoria, dive off the cliffs into the ocean or just chill in the arms of Edward on Bella’s bed… It’s every fangirl, and fanboys dream and it’s completely open to all to participate.Forks is the place to be, and when you rez there you’ll find yourself at the epicentre of the Twilight RP area. This is a place to mingle out of character with new acquaintances and old friends as you rehearse ideas for the next skirmish. The location is pretty much spot on too, with a small amount of shops and buildings surrounded by dense forest that creates the impression of this small American town. It also rains a lot too. Once rezzed you may find yourselves shocked to see some of the fictional characters around you because they are so easy to recognise. During my visit I encountered Edward, Bella, Jacob, Esme Carlisle and Victoria and it was easy to determine who was playing whom. Great care has been taken in the creation of the character avatars, who look resplendent with their iridescent skins, golden eyes and ‘designer’ clothing. The only disappointment for me was that I didn’t see any sparkling, not once, but that’s not to say it doesn’t happen!

I was lucky enough to speak to Tabby Vanalten and Carlisle Farlock who run the sim and RP as characters from the novels. From previous experience I have found that RP areas tend towards being elitist movements that are very hard to break into. Sometimes this is out of necessity, but often times it’s sheer snobbery, so it was a really pleasurable surprise to find these guys were not only very welcoming to an outsider like myself, but bubbling over with tangible enthusiasm for the subject matter at hand. I know that if I were Stephanie Meyer I would be delighted to know that my creations were being virtually experienced by such a charming, and knowledgeable band of fanatics.RP here is a carefully constructed affair, which is what you would expect for a subject matter as vast and as popular as the ‘Twilight’ saga. Events take place on Wednesdays and Sundays at 7pm SLT and are structured episodes. At the moment the team is currently RP-ing scenes from ‘New Moon’, so this means that you’ve missed out on key scenes such as Edward and Bella in the meadow from the first novel, but that’s not to say that these events won’t be repeated at a later date. In fact, judging by the popularity of the place, they’re going to have to be. Recent weekends have seen an upsurge of visitors with at least 10k last weekend, making management an unenviable task. Yet manage it they do, with some of the key players being capable pf RP’ing more than one role should necessity require it.
At the moment Carlisle Farlock is also RPing a wolf, and as we talked it became apparent that there is a huge need for wolves to join in the action. In fact I was lucky enough to see Carlisle as a wolf, and it happens to have been one of the best anthropomorphic avatars that I’ve ever seen. Not only that, but he also took me for a wolf-ride around the sim.

We moved through the forest towards the cliffs where Carlisle cheekily asked me if I’d ever been cliff-diving, and before I knew it we were in the water. I half expected to see the golden tendrils of Victoria’s flaxen hair reach toward me in the water, so I was relieved when we reached dry-land and continued our explorations there. The sim really does foster a feeling of having stepped into the pages of the novels. There’s a Police car parked next to the station that you half-expect to see Charlie step out of, and of course there’s the school, diner and of course Bella’s home, with her trusty old truck parked outside. The beach holds a roaring bonfire, and far beyond the lush forest hidden amongst the trees is the Cullen mansion, with it’s executive vehicles and styling it’s hard to not recognise it immediately as being the home to Vampires with exceptional taste.
Like the rest of the area it’s kitted out sympathetically for RP, and inside is Edward’s piano, as well as Carlisle’s office, but it’s worth noting that the area is still very much a work in progress lovingly crafted by a small party of enthusiastic fans working within the limitations of Second Life, so you won’t find exact replicas of items that you have seen in the movies or read about in the books. Instead what you will find are representations, evocations and an atmosphere that resonates with the prose from the Twilight saga, allowing for your imagination to explore the RP environment as if you were Vampire, Werewolf or Human.

Victoria and Carlisle and erm..a kitten?!

So, if you’re a Twilight fan and you’d like to experience Forks for yourself, or even join in the RP as a vampire, a wolf or one of the many humans who inhabit the area, what do you need to do? TP over to the Forks sim and you can fill in an application form and deposit it at the office on site. Obviously you will need dedication, time and energy to be able to participate in the activities, but you’ll be rewarded with new friendships and an even deeper understanding of the beloved characters and novels that are enjoyed by millions around the world..not very often you come across an opportunity like that, is it?

Looking Cool In Pool

Looking Cool In Pool

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Who says that Kitty Kats don’t like water, hmm? Not me, and I so envy my SL right now because there’s nothing that I’d like more than to have my own personal bum-pool..(If you know me in RL you’ll get the reasoning behind that statement. No it’s not perverted for a change) This rather fine and dandy pose-prop is part of today’s 50L Friday offering from LAP. It features three poses, and there are male and female versions of the pool to choose from. There’re also some pose packs available for those who don’t feel like getting any pool happy-they’re also extremely good. I’ve always rated LAP and today’s offering is probably up there with ny favourite 50L Fridays of recent weeks, but to be honest it’s a mixed bag this week; Botanical have some really nifty fireflies for your land, but fashion wise I wasn’t really feeling it. That said, I’m wearing a swimsuit from Whippet and Buck which is part of their selection for this week, which is a double pack of red and purple swimsuits. Both as exceptionally well created as you would expect from such an esteemed in-world brand…but a tad, dare I say it, boring? Functional and lovely yes, but nothing out of the ordinary. I dunno, perhaps it’s the mood that I’m in today…

Finally I must mention the hair that I’m sporting. This isn’t a 50L item but it is part of the latest Truth hair release. It’s called ‘Sylvia’ and it features colour change streaks! Touch the menu and you have lots of colour choices, and the colour packs also feature non-streaky versions too, which are just as nifty. Great value, and yet more proof positive that Troof is THE #1 hair brand in world. I want MORE streaky hair please!
It’s bacon hair…streaky and delicious. NOM!

There IS a cure for the summertime blues!

There IS a cure for the summertime blues!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Celebrate the sunshine with the NEW Summer shapes range on-sale NOW at Kittylicious Second Style, where the perfect shape is just waiting for you!

Even better, all three shapes are just L$80 EACH to celebrate over 80000 visits to Kittywitchin.com!

Come and get your free demo kit which includes the ‘Get The Look’ cards for each shape.

Also check out the popular ‘Four Elements’ shapes, as well as amazing offers upstairs in-store and a Midnight Mania board too!

(Plus don’t forget the main store on NuRepublik too!)

Good times!

Kittylicious ‘Pin-Up’ shape, available for just L$80 in store NOW!

Kittylicious ‘Miss Sporty’ Shape, available for just L$80 in store NOW!

Kittylicious ‘Ibiza’ shape, available for just L$80 in store NOW!