Author: Lisa Millar

Kustom 9 Sneaky Peak!

Kustom 9 Sneaky Peak!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Guys, we have a problem. The problem is that there are too many awesome new releases about to hit the grid, and it’s simply not right! In all seriousness we’ve gotten so used to regular weekend sales and lackluster events that it’s easy to become a little bit ‘meh’ about true SL fashion, but I’m here to tell you that actually there are some events that should ALWAYS be on your radar, and Kustom 9 is one of them.

Kustom 9 have actually themselves just launched their own weekend event, which is fine, but for me nothing quite replaces the fun and excitement that the actual sale itself brings. It opens every month on the 15th and frankly it is a money pit; there is always something that you just have to buy from an assortment of some of the very best designers in-world. The other thing to note is they don’t shut the area off during set up, so if you have zero patience (me, obviously) then you can just turn up and see who’s put out early. Which sounds wrong, but I’m sure you get the point!

ANYWAY I MUST tell you about some fantastic things that are already available to buy should you feel like dropping in before the event officially opens. Which is ever so naughty but WHO GIVES A FUCK?! I WANT THE NEW THINGS!!! (Incidentally I’m not an official Kustom 9 Blogger, and this is all completely unofficial and I paid for all my lovely things with cold, hard cash that I earned in real life.) In fact, shout out to Kustom9 for having a very easy to navigate shopping experience sound tracked with the finest KPOP South Korea has to offer; it’s a wonderfully straightforward event to navigate and that means it rezzes in relatively quickly and you can jump in, shop and bugger off in a timely fashion to make way for someone else. Which is nice.

First off, MOON hair. I find MOON to be a tad hit or miss style wise, but I always enjoy the quality of the hair textures and the colour palette. This was a split-second decision to try the demo, I wasn’t looking for new hair (especially as I’m aware MAGIKA are dropping newness at ACCESS) but I tried this and well, had to have it. It’s called ‘Fairy’ and comes with an accessory in the shape of a beaded crown, and you can change the bead colours to various combos using the HUD but honestly? I’m not fussed; I’ve seen better hairbands in Second Life and the style works absolutely beautifully without it. The style HUD allows for changes to the shapes of the tendrils framing the face, and I love the hint of wispy hair at the crown. I found the size 1 hair fits my bonce perfectly but contrary to popular belief I haven’t got that much of a big head. Incidentally I treated myself to the ‘Pastel’ pack, as I’m getting into pastels and lighter, more colourful shades and I haven’t actually bothered to change the tone yet. I’m living for this lavender hue and love the fit. Single colour packs are L$349 and a fatpack is L$1599..I don’t feel the need to indulge in the fatpack for this style as I think I’ll get most enjoyment from the single pack I’ve purchased. I try to avoid them unless they’re offering something I simply must have such as exclusive patterns and shades, or unless they’re a style I know I’ll never get sick off and live in for the next six months. (This is lies of course, I change my hair with the same frequency that I change my underwear. That’s EVERY DAY you dirty heathens!)

Next up we have an astonishingly pretty frock and cardigan combo from ZENITH. I don’t shop ZENITH much, and that’s not for any particular reason other than I just don’t, but perhaps I need to rethink that. The clothes the brand produce are always excellent and well textured and pretty darn lovely, but they don’t often zoom across my radar igniting ‘I MUST HAVE THIS’ enthusiasm. But, they did today.

To be fair to ZENITH they haven’t even fully set up the booth yet but I just KNEW I had to have this and I am so glad that I did. It’s a cardigan and dress combined into one item, and upon zooming in the dress appears to be made from some sort of broderie anglaise style fabric . It hugs the curves and finishes mid-thigh with a lace edge. The body features lacing to the front and you can see that the bust is framed by lace as well, although the cardigan covers up most of the top half. It’s a short, loose style and I like the way that it’s been crafted to fit and the way that the sleeves finish on the wrists. The creasing in the fabric looks nice and authentic, too. You can purchase a selection of single colour combos for this one but honestly you’d be better served getting the fatpack; there’s so much that you can change the colour scheme on here: dress, cardigan, lace, ribbon up the front along with barely seen buttons and eyelets that mean you’re getting exceptional value for money from this purchase with lots of options for wear. The fatpack costs L$1199 (there are 11 colours included) with individual selections (of which there are six, so you’re getting exclusives in the fatpack) available for L$299.

Last but not least, I needed some poses to use for the pictures and fortunately OMY have released some crackers, and they’re conveniently already set up just across the way from the MOON hair stand. They’re called ‘Kennedy’ and are animated and breathing poses, and the eyes focus too which makes them great for taking quick pictures and more complicated staged snaps. I’m particularly keen on pose 1, which looks great: the gentle breathing, finger and eye movement all really look the part for a casual stance pose that hints at something more. The poses cost L$100 each, or L$300 for a fatpack.

You want some of this?

You want some of this?

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Yes, yes, you do. It’s taken something pretty awesome to get my juices flowing and get the writing bug again, but hey, here I am. Let’s see what brought me back to life, shall we?

Easy. It’s this abso-bloody-phenomenal denim jacket from the forever amazing FASHIONABLY DEAD. And indeed, it’s the kind of jacket that can have that impact on you. It has left me deceased. (Look, I’m trying to be down with kids and be ‘street’ here, although I realize it’s not working. Don’t mind me, I’m still trying to make ‘Fetch’ happen..)

Oh, Toast Bard, you absolute genius. This jacket is fantastic. First of all, you can purchase it at this month’s round of Fameshed. It’s the ‘Lazy Sunday’ set and also features a skirt that you can buy separately. However, my eyes were firmly fixed on this denim surprise: The fat pack has SIXTY colors, including all the ones you never knew you needed, like this lilac version I’m sporting here.

It fit my Legacy ‘Perky’ body perfectly for this shot, but lets talk about detail shall we? Turned up cuffs, buttonholes and cracking texture all make this a virtual wardrobe must buy (all color packs for the jacket come with metal and shirt options) And buy it I did, in fact I dared do something that I don’t do very often in Second Life and that’s fatpack the life out of it. I love me a denim jacket and I KNOW I’m going to get a lot of use out of this one.

I mentioned shirt options and you can wear this with the included undershirt, but I chose not for this photo. I’m going to try it with various BOM items, and possibly some mesh tops too to see if it will let me wear with them (likely not unfortunately, the mixing of mesh is a tough nut to crack) BUT I care not…I’m just glad to have this in my virtual inventory. It’s just absolutely fricking dandy and I love it and yes, I’ll be featuring it in further posts for the foreseeable future because I’m one of those people that once I find something I love, I need it in every colour.

Kitty wears:

Head: LELUTKA EVO X ‘Sugar’ (eyes from included HUD)

Skin: THE SKINNERY ‘Kait’ (In shade ‘Champagne’)

Nails: NYLON OUTFITTERS Art Nails ‘Glitter Daisy’

Hair: MAGIKA ‘Amy’ (worn with Magika – Bangs – ‘December’ (Resize))

Jacket: FASHIONABLY DEAD Classic Denim Jacket @ Fameshed

Knickers: SHINY STUFFS ‘Girl Next Door’ BOM Undies

Make Up: IZZIE’S ‘Hollow Cheeks’ KEIKUMU ‘Chypre’ eyeshadows and CAZIMI ‘Mousse HD’ lipstick

(Pose and attitude Kitty’s own. I’ll add hyperlinks to all destinations once I can figure out how to do it in WP. They’ve changed it since I last blogged…fuckers!)

Song To The Siren

Song To The Siren

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It’s been well over two years since I last blogged.

Blogging, especially about Second Life, can become an incredibly time-consuming holiday, and life events conspired to make it impossible to continue. But I always thought I’d be back, perhaps not to publish updates as frequently as before, but still writing about the virtual world that is still my second home.  What’s happened since I was last here?

Well, it’s been, as that often quoted Chinese curse warns, ‘interesting times’ and you would be inclined to think that after living through those interesting times I’d stop being so surprised by how the universe works and just go with the flow, but occasionally something kicks me up the butt and the synchronicity of it is just so plain weird that it’s worth noting. 

The exterior allows for great views of surrounding islands if you have the graphics capability!

A year ago, August 23rd, 2021 in fact, I relinquished the little pied-a-terre that I was enjoying at (the sadly now defunct) Burrow because in real life my Dad had just had a stroke. I had an ominous feeling that I would be taken up with real-life matters, so it seemed only fair to let someone else have the opportunity to rent there.

As it turned out, I didn’t log in for a while because a few weeks later, on September 2nd, my Dad died.

It’s approaching the one-year anniversary of his death and I’m reflecting a lot on events of this time last year, and on what has happened since.  I’d booked a cheeky mid-week day off from RL work today without any plans other than chilling, reading, and perhaps a little Second Life. Little did I know that by when I logged in today I would discover a place that made my heart happy when I visited, that coincidentally has been created by the people behind Burrow, Harlow Heslop, and Harvey Blackwood.

A quick side-step: Burrow has been replaced by ‘Eleventh House’, a similarly welcoming community space for all to enjoy, although it’s currently closed for  Autumn renovations. I’m a group member, so was delighted to receive a group notecard informing me that it has a sister venue,  ‘Salt & Siren’, a coastal café that opened for business on the 17th of August, so of course I immediately decided to pay them a visit, and I am so glad that I did.

It’s a small space, actually the perfect size for hanging out with friends and enjoying all SL has to offer

Reader, it’s an incredibly lovely place. Imagine New England coastal town vibes coupled with relaxed modern, yet ever-so-slightly sophisticated, dining spaces and you’ll have pictured what ‘Salt & Siren’ is all about. It’s not a large venue, certainly not as big as the behemoth that Burrow became, but one compact, islet space where you can hang out with friends, or perhaps make some new ones.

What makes ‘Salt & Siren’ so special, apart from the absolutely exquisite landscaping and the stunning interior design, is that it is located on the Blake Sea. 

Now, I’ve been in Second Life since December 2006 and have dabbled very infrequently with sailing, but when I did give it a go I enjoyed it immensely.  More on that later, but I know that it’s a very popular pastime in our virtual world, and there are a lot of avatars who take it very seriously indeed.

If you’re lucky enough to have the kind of graphics card that allows you to ramp it up all the way to eleven, then ‘Salt & Siren’ is an absolute must-visit. You’ll be gifted with a spectacular view that you can enjoy while drinking a virtual coffee and enjoying a slice of pixel-cake while sitting in one of the comfortable chairs that surround the exterior of the café.  Inside, the space is decorated with a gentle nautical theme with splashes of both the traditional and modern reflected in the choice of fixtures and fittings.  The counter area is resplendent with treats of all kinds and there’s a gorgeous sofa that you can sink into while enjoying a muffin and a conversation with a friend. 

Climb up the stairs from the dock and you’ll find a different kind of treasure.

That’s the key here: ‘Salt & Siren’ is the kind of place you want to enjoy with a friend, and if those are in short supply visit alone and you’ll be made to feel extremely welcome.  It’s a safe, inclusive space where you can feel at home.

This brings me back around to my Dad.

 If you’ve been a regular Kittywitchin’ reader over the years, then you’ll know that I actually got my Dad to join Second Life, and he used to meet me in-world in the evenings and we’d go and play ‘Seven Seas Fishing’ when it was all the rage, and funnily enough go sailing on the Blake Sea.  Dad was briefly in the Merchant Navy as a young man and would regale me with tales of his seafaring adventures, so it made sense that we bonded in SL over somewhat soggy sea-faring pursuits.  We had some fun and lots of laughs along the way. As Dad got older he found SL too taxing. Still, I do treasure those memories of him being in-world with me, because joining and experiencing SL was something really outside of my Dad’s skillset. He found it incredibly daunting initially, but once he got the hang of it he wanted to enjoy it with me, and that meant so much.

Grieving is a funny business, and as I’m discovering it changes as the days and months pass. The wound stops being so raw.  It’s like a scab that you have to be careful not to knock off because you’re still healing. Most of the time I’m OK, but occasionally, like at the moment with the anniversary of Dad’s passing looming large, I’m a bit wobbly, so discovering ‘Salt & Siren’ couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I’m really looking forward to hanging out there, and perhaps even going sailing again.

But most of all I’m happy to have found it because it’s the kind of place that I would have enjoyed with Dad, and I know he would have loved it too.

SKIN FAIR 2020: NAR MATTARU 'Aela'

SKIN FAIR 2020: NAR MATTARU 'Aela'

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Skin Fair 2020 is something that I’ve covered frequently over the years and it’s always a top notch event, and this year looks like a corker. Of course it’s always a nightmare getting into the event for the first few days, so joining the Pale Girl Productions group is an absolute must to get your demos while you wait to get in.

I’ve always loved designers like AMARA BEAUTY, PINK FUEL, BOLD AND BEAUTY but I have a special place in my heart for NAR MATTARU, and when I saw the preview of their exclusive SKIN FAIR 2020 release, ‘Aela’ I knew come hell or high water I had to get it. I didn’t fancy my chances of getting in, but I was surprised that after a few minutes of frenzied attempts at TP’ing in I got, and straight over to the NAR MATTARU booth. Hurrah!

It’s a gorgeous skin, it really is. I hope you can tell that by looking at this photo, and it’s comes with a load of extras for a remarkably reasonable price.

Included in the face package (Incidentally, I’m wearing it on the original GENUS ‘Baby Face’ head) are four brow colors (plus no brows version), an HD nude lip applier and few extra treats including moles, freckles, eyeliner and lashes. (I’m wearing the liner and lashes and brows in this shot, I’m just wearing a bog standard GENUS applier lipstick from the ‘Baby Face’ HUD) There are 8 tones available, I decided to purchase ‘Glow’, and it really does.

Face applier (Genus + BOM) costs L$1099, and body applier costs L$349

Stunning, isn’t she?

Hair by Doux
Outfit by Oubliette
Rings by Yummy
Pose by Kokolores
Attitude? Kitty’s own…