Skin Fair 2013 is almost upon us, featuring 80 of the best Second Life skin designers showcasing their wares across two sims, and I’ve had the privilege of taking a look around the location already.

Readers, it is going to be fantastic.  The event layout is simple and super-easy to navigate without any overtly-fussy details, and the skins that I have seen so far have been totally delicious and bursting with individuality, meaning that the event is going to be a huge success and will cost you squillions. But it will be totally worth it. After all, what are we in our Second Life without our skin?

A skin can say ‘I don’t give a damn’ or ‘Look at me, I’m gorgeous!’ It can help you blend into the crowd or stand out and be seen. They’re often an expensive purchase, but after all quality counts, and the very best skins are worth the investment. 

All of the skin designers participating this year have worked hard to bring their visions to the grid to help you perfect your look. From fantasy to reality, you’ll find a myriad of colours and designs at the event that you can use to create your perfect Second Life image.

Events such as these are good for helping you move a wee bit beyond your comfort zone and encourage you to try something a bit different. That’s exactly what I have done with the first skin that I am previewing from the event this year, which is by The Plastik.

I don’t normally try fantasy skins, tending towards realism with my looks. However, I definitely wanted to try new things out this time round, so approached Aikea Rieko for some demos of her line, and was overjoyed when she passed them to me.

I was given a preview of her Astrali line, and was overwhelmed by the choice, but out of all the demos I was presented with I opted for ‘Ganymede’. (Why? Well, don’t laugh but I like me some astronomy, and am rather keen on this particular moon. ) All the skins in the Astrali range have been named after astral bodies, a fact that I found very appealing.

There were LOADS of options in the pack with Ganymede.  It was hard to choose, but for my photographs I elected to wear the Astrali Skin Ganymede-Shadow.  I rezzed myself in a sandbox, took my place on a pose stand,set up a white studio box around myself and zoomed around to get a good look at all the nooks and crannies Ganymede has to offer.

And I fell in love. Ganymede is glorious! 

Because this is a coloured skin the shading is stronger than I’m used to, but it is beautifully applied.  There’s real artistry on show here. The important areas for me on any skin (apart from the face) are elbows, knees, clavicles and bottoms. A skin-maker that knows their salt will always pay attention to these areas, and make sure they look the part. Ganymede rises to the challenge and surpasses expectations. I didn’t notice any major issues with seams, and details such as the belly button and moles are rendered well. Shading on the chest shows care and displays a delicate touch that has been deftly applied.  Even the ears are exquisitely done!

But the face is the most important part, and this one is scrumptious. All the important details work beautifully together to create a truly lovely face. Eyebrows are hugely important to me on a skin and if they don’t look right then they can bugger up the entire look. Fortunately, these are perfect and feature nice detail and a strong, but not overwhelming arch. Shading around the eyes is understated yet effective; creating a perfect base for make up (such as tattoo eyeliner and prim lashes.) The cheeks are flushed and warm without taking away from the dark quality of the skin.  The highlighting creates a beautiful profile, with the forehead, nose and philtrum perfectly enhanced.  The lips are gently coloured but not underplayed; blooming delicately and perfectly balancing out the face.

Of course, just because this is a fantasy/alternative type skin it doesn’t mean that you have to wear it in a fantasy setting. I threw on an outfit from my inventory, and I’m delighted to say it worked beautifully, as I hope my picture demonstrates.

So there you have it, my first skin choice from Skin Fair 2013. Come Thursday (not allowed to publish SLURL’s until then, sorry!)  I urge you to try the demos and see if you will be just as surprised as I was by how brilliantly this skin works.  It’s just astonishing, and if all the other skins are to this level of quality then we’ll be very spoiled indeed.

Skin Fair begins on 15^th of March.

Additional items featured in this post:

Kitty wears hair by Dura from Fashion For Life

Top by American Bazaar (available at the Whore Couture Fair)

Bangles by Maxi Gossamer. 

Skirt by Psycho Byts

Legwarmers by Blueberry (available at the Whore Couture Fair)

Eyes  by IKON. (Monthly Group Gift)

Eyeliner by Damned