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…
Calloo Callay! It’s ‘Demo Day’ at Kittys! What better way to spend a very blustery Saturday afternoon (we’re supposed to be getting a storm later, it’s called ‘Storm Ciara’ and frankly she can just ruddy well bugger off) than trying on all the things currently on sale at Collabor88?! I bloody LOVE C88, it’s one of my favourite regular in-world events and I’m always excited each month to see what treats lie in store…
I had a look at the catalogue on Seraphim, and then zoomed on over to the cam-shopping platform and had a quick cam around, noting a few items that I really liked the look of and thought that might be worth a try-on session at home. Laden with virtual bags I TP’d home (in the first few days of an event it’s always better to try on at home or at a sandbox because loitering keeps other people from the event, and frankly that’s just not on) and threw them all over the floor as I set about my demo session. I ALWAYS demo before I purchase; it’s just not worth the disappointment of investing in a purchase only to get home to find that it doesn’t work well on your body at all. I’ve learned my lesson on this the hard way. If something’s been rigged badly and you’ve just bought a fat-pack of something divine, you’re going to be in for one helluva unpleasant shock when you realise it’s borked.
All of the pictures I’m sharing with you here have been taken with my graphic settings ramped up high, using bright lighting to enable me to see details properly. The windlight setting that I tend to use for such purposes is ‘Bree’s Apple blossom’, should you wish to give it a try. I haven’t post-processed or enhanced them in any way, they’re just as they appeared on screen. Click on a picture to see a larger version.
First of all I’m trying on this beautiful ‘Marie’ hairstyle from DOUX. I own a lot of this particular brand’s hairstyles and it’s a nightmare because I ALWAYS say to myself that I’ll get the basic pack, and end up getting the ruddy deluxe one, but no matter. I definitely think DOUX hair is worth your attention and investment; I’ve always found their styles to be consistently high-quality featuring beautiful textures, colours and styles along with well designed hair-bases, which makes the styles infinitely wearable. Plus how did we ever manage before stylist HUDS, huh?
‘Marie’ is a side-swept, layered and waved style that evokes a classic feel. It’s more or a medium length and sits just past your shoulders at the back. It’s also a bit nice, I fell for it as soon as I put it on! I mean, just LOOK:
I generally don’t go for brighter colours like the ones above but I felt really drawn to them while I was trying the style. Of course, they’re colours that are in the Deluxe pack because of course they are, and they’re each individually worthy of high praise. This is just three photographs mind you, be aware that there are ….. in the HUD for the Deluxe pack. Which is nice. Ugh, I have no self-control where virtual hairstyles are concerned and this one is just so pretty that it would DEFINITELY make ‘fetch’ happen…(Think about it.. you’ll get the reference!) I love it. Damn you, DOUX!
Moving swiftly on then and next is the latest skin from INSOL. I couldn’t try the LELUTKA one as I don’t have the latest head but no matter, I’m more than happy with my GENUS ‘Baby face’, and even more so after I tested ‘Lena’ upon it. I don’t wear many INSOL skins, and more fool me because this one is very pleasant indeed. What attracted me to this particular skin was the brow shape built into it; I’m a total virtual brow whore. I love them, and I’m a huge fan of wearing a no-brow skin and adding brows from other content creators to create a totally unique look. However, this is a skin that I would be more than happy to wear with the built-in brow, which has a lovely strong arch and frames the face perfectly. The detail on the face itself is great too, especially the central highlighting and shading, which renders a subtle look to the face making for a great base to layer virtual make-up on. (With a trowel, obviously!) The big thing for me when I’m buying a new skin tends to be will I have to buy the facial skin AND a new body applier HUD? This generally then leads me to scrabbling around in my absolute nightmare of an inventory and either feeling defeated or elated. I’m delighted to say that today was the latter; I did indeed have an applier for my body colour of choice, ‘Peach’, and when I added this to my Maitreya 5.1 Lara Body it just made me fall completely in love with the skin. The INSOL skins are L$888 each (L$2588 for the fat-pack), but VERY worthy of your time and investment. ‘Lena’ is available in 7 skin tones at the event.
Next up we have the first clothing item that I tried. This is the TETRA ‘Velvet Mini Dress’, and I was attracted, but slightly wary of the shape of the mesh. It’s been a recent trend in Second Life fashion to have dresses that fall off the shoulders BUT occasionally the mesh shapes just don’t work with your AO (Animation Over-rider) or dancing animations. This is a really important point to make so listen closely gang; when you’re trying on frocks, tops and what-nots that are off shoulder or super baggy switch your AO on and go for a walk around. Then stick your favourite dancing animations on and try again. If the mesh seems to fit and flow with your body well, then you know you’re onto a winner. You may find that for super safety you have to alpha-out areas on your body (quite often I have difficulties with the fit around my armpits/boobs where I have to deploy the alpha layers) Also, if it’s a dress, does it come with pants? Some do, dome don’t. Can you wear mesh pants underneath (should you want to?) or apply layer lingerie to hide your virtual lady garden from up-skirters? (Yes, there are people like that in Second Life, you literally cannot be free of the chuffers in either life. HEX THE LOT OF THEM I SAY!) Ahem. Anyway, I stuck my arms up in the air and swung them around like I just didn’t care, which I didn’t. I zoomed in, I zoomed out and I had a proper look. Unfortunately, there is a wee glitch under the right armpit that I cannot resolve with alpha-layers alone, so I need to have a think about whether or not I invest. That’s a shame, because it’s certainly a pretty frock and I really like the overall shape. It’s textured well and the HUD features excellent details such as changing the metal upon the belt eyelets and the fabric on the belt buckle and buttons. I really like that, it means you have styling options to play about with to make your perfect dress. I think it will work well with heels (can I just say I literally CANNOT WAIT until someone starts releasing kitten heel styles for the new foot shape that’s been added to MAITREYA. I’m desperate to get my kitten heels on, I’ve always loved them. Come on shoe-makers of Second Life, crack on! Cough *Gospel Voom are you there?* Splutter…
JUST BECAUSE is a brand that has been on fire with quality releases recently, and this month is no exception. The ‘Alicia’ gown is old Hollywood styling with voluminous sleeves leading to tight cuffs at the wrist, a cinched in waist and beautiful draped skirt. You can use the included HUD to change the colours of your dress and the flower adornment, changing the colour of the petals, the pearls in the centre and the leaves. I love having fun with elements like this; you can create a myriad of looks and this dress would be great for virtual occasions of any kind but honestly, to me it screams “WEDDING DRESS!!!” especially when worn in the ivory or white colour choices. To be fair though it’s lovely in any colour and works beautifully with the DOUX hairstyle. It’s as if they were made for each other; simple earrings and a pearl necklace would be perfect for a wedding look, with perhaps a flower decoration in the hair (or an up-do with tiara, veil, the whole works) but this isn’t a dress that you need to overpower with embellishment. It’s stunning as is. Problem is, it’s not the kind of dress I would invest in because, well, I’m not a classy bird that goes to lots of grand occasions where I could wear such a show-stopper. I’ve not even got wed in Second Life, but if I did want to I’d give this dress serious consideration, and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching it would be a sensational choice for a romantic dinner date with your beloved. That said, I might treat myself to one so I can swoosh around at home and pretend to be all glam…
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my trying-on session, and there are still lots more lovely things at this month’s round of C88 that I haven’t had the chance to test out yet, but I’m thinking I might do a video featuring a few things..what do you think?
Is there anything you think I should demo and share here?
Something I could REALLY get into in Second Life, and I think I’ve confessed as much on these pages before, is virtual lingerie. I sure do like me some fancy knickers and bras, and if you throw in a corset and some stockings you’ll definitely have me doing a virtual happy dance. I like my fancy under-crackers in real life too BUT honestly, quality bras and knickers literally cost a small fortune, so there’s nothing fancy in my real life closet. But in my virtual closet? There are items in there that Bordelle and Agent Provocateur would fight over. To be perfectly honest quality mesh lingerie isn’t especially cheap in-world either, but at least I get to wear it in one of my lives, right? The latest round of KINKY has hit the grid and it’s one of those events that I visit but the majority of items on display don’t really appeal or have any relevance. I’m not a virtual lover so the equipment that I tend to see sold at such events holds little interest for me. Granted I may giggle and look aghast (“YOU STICK THAT WHERE?!”) but I won’t be walking out with a suitcase full of equipment, although I’m happy to report that when I visited there was plenty of patrons in attendance and more than a few were clearly interested in this month’s offerings. I visit purely for the lingerie, and this month I’ve been made more than happy by the inclusion of a simply scrumptious set from MUSE, a lingerie label from MOON ELIXIR. For a start it’s called ‘Love Spell’ so I kinda had to have it due to the name alone, but there’s so much more to this outfit than mere romantic alchemy. Think ribbons, lace and a sublime boned corset with a bra that doesn’t as much allow your nipples to peek over but yell “I’m over here and require your attention NOW!” This outfit is just one of those items that you put on in your virtual bedroom and admire yourself in. Well, that’s what I’ve been doing for the best part of the last hour and I’m not even close to being tired yet. It’s just absolutely bewitching and wonderfully sculpted with great attention to details such as the shape, seams and lace application. You can even purchase matching stockings and shoes to fully coordinate the look. If you have the Linden dollars to spare I highly recommend that you splurge and fat-pack EVERYTHING if you’re able. Alas, I had to be selective so opted for a lovely beige nude shade called ‘Tawny’ ( I totally did not buy it because it reminded me of owls. OK I might have done..) but even if you just invest in single pieces you’ll find that there are plenty of ways to make your look unique, with huds that allow you to change the colours of various elements such as the ribbons and the corset boning. I found that changing some items to a black trim, such as the boning in the corset, added an edgier feel to an otherwise classic look. You can also elect to hide the ribbons as well, should you so wish, but I chose to wear mine in their full on ribbon glory. I honestly adore it. I am completely entranced and it definitely has me under a spell (all puns intended with no shame!) I think if you’re looking for something super romantic for Valentine’s Day then you’d be daft not to at least demo these pieces. It is quite honestly just a lovely set of lingerie to own and wear, and if you’re so inclined I urge you to visit KINKY in-world to get your paws on it, and view the variety of other wares this month that may tickle your fancy! (Visit SERAPHIM for a full event catalogue)
Regular readers will be well aware that I do like a nice frock, oh, and a nice jumper too. Try as I might I have NEVER been able to get into the mindset that you can wear what you want all year round in Second Life. Can’t do it, won’t do it, and to be perfectly honest a lot of designers won’t, either. Thank the Goddess for that!
At this time of year I’m generally easy to find scurrying around the grid with reckless abandon like a squirrel on a mission, looking for the new season’s latest jumpers and jumper dress releases, and assorted items of comfort clothing to add to my vast collection and readers, let’s be honest here, it’s an issue.
But I don’t care, winter is practically here, the heating is on and I want a nice snuggly long jumper and socks to wear in my virtual life AS WELL AS my real one. (Naturally, I look a darn sight better in my virtual existence than I do in my real one sporting such comfort attire, but that’s a given!)
Let’s completely ignore the fact that my socks and frock leave a gap where I’m sure to feel a draught around my virtual tumpsy but anyway, I do like this long jumper from RINGO HANNA that I sourced from the latest TRES CHIC event. It’s your basic long knit style that we have kinda seen a million times before but it just works, you know?
I wanted to pair this with some long, lace-trimmed socks of which I’ve seen countless pairs on fashion feeds over the years but you know what, when I wanted them I just couldn’t find them. FFS. So I bought a cheapo pair from the marketplace; a nice straightforward pair with some lacing to the top which adds interest to the look. It’s simple, it’s comfy, what more do you want?
Finally, let me draw your attention to my face. I’m wearing NAR MATTARU‘s ‘Banshee’ eyeshadow on my eyes and I am in love. Frankly, deep down I am very much a Goth chick at heart and always have been, and I’ve grown up with a particular affection for Siouxsie Sioux. I also play Sisters Of Mercy on a regular basis and have for many years yearned to be Patricia Morrison, but anyway, at least I find a vent for that in Second Life because frankly I look a chuff with black hair (left dye on it once for too long, never again, I’ll stick to dark brown ta very much) and my hooded eyes make winged eyeliner practically impossible.
Second Life, in this case, then is definitely an outlet for my more outlandish makeup dark fantasies and I’m all for the changes that bakes on mesh have brought in and look forward to playing with layers galore on my current head du jour (although as I understand it Genus have not updated to ‘Bakes on Mesh’ yet…)
Anyway, this makeup combo plus this fantastic long hairstyle from MOON makes me look very, well, Lana Del Rey. Even more so than the actual Landa Del Rey skin I’m wearing; I’ve certainly not adjusted my shape to make myself look more like her and didn’t buy the skin for that reason, I just liked it, but it certainly strikes me as interesting how much a heavy liner eye look has added some hints of ghetto Nancy Sinatra to my appearance, and I’m loving it.
Get ready for the influx of winter woollies fan girl posts in 3..2..1…
Kittywitchin' 