Category: Second Life Fashion Editorial

SKIN FAIR 2015 – Zoul Creations ‘Gina’

SKIN FAIR 2015 – Zoul Creations ‘Gina’

by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

So it’s SKIN FAIR 2015 time and here’s my first skin review, and it’s an absolute belter. We’ve got just over a fortnight of amazing skins to get through and I already feel like I’ve found my happy place!

Now, here’s a thing. I don’t  know if ‘Gina’ from ZOUL CREATIONS is supposed to look like Kim Kardashian or not, but bugger me backwards with a shopping trolley, when I put this skin on my shape (without ANY changes, same shape that I always wear) Kim was precisely who was staring back at me from my monitor!  I mean, JUST LOOK!

kim_006

Isn’t it like her? WOW! I added a blonde hairstyle from TRUTH (Seeing as Kim’s cut her lovely  long tresses and dyed them blonde, I fear she will suffer a straw-like barnet for that).   I can’t say I’m a huge Kardashian family fan, but I do think  that Kim is pretty, which is a good job really because this skin is gorgeous.

And when I say gorgeous I mean sensational.

I’ve already got TONS of compliments on this one and it doesn’t surprise me one pop because whenI first discovered ZOUL CREATIONS last year at Skin Fair I could see this was a quality skin brand, and they’ve been a firm favourite of mine ever since. The skins that Shantia Soulstar lovingly creates tick all the right boxes for me:

  • Excellent colour-depth and spread of tone across the torso, limbs and no unseemly issues with, erm..seams.
  • Epic zoomability,  In other words, zoom in close on this skin and she still looks darn near perfect.
  • Super fine feature detailing: elbows, nails and all the important places are well created with the right level of detail.

Of course, this year  is ALL ABOUT appliers.  Love or loathe the plethora of mesh bodies, gobs and norks out there in the metaverse as you see fit, but you have to admit that appliers are pretty important these days. I’m sure they’re the bane of any skin-makers life BUT the reality is that so many of us have mesh bodies/lips/armpits that to not feature appliers as a selling point  would now be considered seriously lacking, and it would also mean skin makers are missing out on a revenue stream in a class of its own.  So I like to find appliers that are responsive and HUDS that work. I’m happy to report that these do precisely what they say on the tin; I’m wearing the Slink Physique and Slink Casual hands in this picture and there are absolutely no problems with joins at all.  Oh, and the appliers are FREE. So, let’s move beyond my being a dead ringer for a celebrity who seems to have made making a sex tape an aspirational career goal,  and discuss why I’m loving this skin.

A strength of ZOUL CREATIONS has always been the brows.  Brows, as I’ve prattled about on these pages a million times before, are essential to creating the right balance to your look.  Personally I like my brows to be strong, but NOT full on ‘scouse brow’.  Brows are very much in vogue nowadays and there is nothing that disappoints me more than a wonderful skin base with brows that look as though they’ve been drawn on by a five-year-old. Sadly, I have encountered more than my fair share of those. But these aren’t guilty of that; they’re strong, defined and they look fab.  And so does the standard lip, juicy and full with great colour application. (All the pictures that follow are completely un-retouched by the way..)

Gina

The make-ups and lipsticks for this skin are an absolute joy; a thoroughly comprehensive collection of shades for the eyes offering great definition along with a fab array of luscious lip shades to choose from.  I went mix ‘n’ match happy as you can see in the pictures above, and this is just three combinations that I came up with from a palette teeming with colours.  Seriously, sometimes my mind boggles at the skill set of the skin makers we have in-world, and ZOUL CREATIONS, for me personally, belong in the upper echelon of Second Life skin designers.   If you’re the kind of avatar who spends a certain amount of your time swanning about in the nude you’d do yourself a huge favour to try this skin.  It looks absolutely beautiful naked, it really does, and I hope you can gauge that from the picture below.

KIM K

Shantia is debuting a few other skins at Skin Fair too which I’ll come back to on the blog.  You’ve plenty of time to check these out but if you can’t get into Skin Fair at launch (yeah, like THAT’S going to happen!) then you should take a trip over to her store. There’s a number of reasons for this; number 1 you can check out the tantalising array of eyebrows that she sells, perfect for every avatar and cheap as chips, and number 2, you can pick up a FANTASTIC skin called ‘Monica’ at the promo price of…L$75.  It comes with four eyeshadows and four lip shades, and it is sublime, and possibly the bargain of the century too! Oh, and buying it gets you L$8 in store credit as well..come on Shantia, are you doing this for love or money?  Well, I’m going to take a guess, because when I was trying Gina on I got a real sensation of someone who is creating skins and make-ups just for the sheer joy of doing it.  You will know what I mean when you demo Shantia’s skins; I’ve seen frankly far lesser creators charging a small fortune for work that isn’t a patch on hers.

And here’s the thing; I actually asked Shantia about that and her response was, and I quote, “….well I want people with not so much money to be able to have nice skins too :)”

If that  attitude alone doesn’t convince you to seriously check out ZOUL CREATIONS I don’t know what will.   Actually I do, the prices..

  • The skin fair releases are L$499 for each skin pack which includes ALL skintones
  • The make-up packs are L$125 each (you can select eyeshadows or lipsticks. Just buy them all)
  • Sweetlips appliers (not even used them in this review, can’t wait to try them!) also cost L$125 per pack

AND let me repeat my earlier point…

Skin appliers ARE FREE. Which quite frankly is utterly mad!  

So, go to Skin Fair 2015, and before you hit the stores featuring the skins that absolutely everyone else on the grid will be wearing, go to ZOUL CREATIONS.  You’ll probably find that you can buy everything on

You’ll probably find that you can buy everything on display for the equivalent cost of just one single tone of any other of the skins available at the event, but don’t take the low prices as an indication of low quality. These skins are anything but, and I’m totally entranced by Gina.  This is my first review at SKIN FAIR 2015 and the bar has already been set incredibly high but wow, with skins this good we’re all in for an utter treat aren’t we?

One final shot with no enhancements of any kind.  (Incidentally I’ve been using the ‘Canimod’ Windlight for all the pics in this piece, only the top photograph has been heavily edited using Picmonkey.)

gina g_008

If this doesn’t qualify as a must-have skin in 2015 then I don’t know what will. Be sure to check out ZOUL CREATIONS at SKIN FAIR 2015! 

KITTY READS: Men Of The Year Magazine

KITTY READS: Men Of The Year Magazine

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

‘Men Of The Year’ Magazine launched in February, but unfortunately life was a bit on the busy side for me, and then I got a stinking cold, so I’m late featuring it on the blog.  But it makes no matter whenever you choose to read this fantastic publication because it’s full of stunning photography and great features. The best thing about this quality read  is that it celebrates male avatar styling diversity throughout. ‘The Interview’ section that starts on page 35 is absolutely breathtaking, and some of the fashion spreads would make real life magazines jealous!  If you’re looking for gorgeous portraits of some absolutely breathtaking male avatars, along with inspiration for your look, then you’ll find it here.  In my opinion it’s one of the best Second Life publications out there, and you can read volume one for free on Issuu.

Designer spotlights : AITUI and DYNASTY. Special guest stylists Cody Zaytsev, Sunny George, Mustapha Rau, Sabbian Paine, Booch Capelo & Kev Brunswick style URBAN JUNGLE.

Kimono My House..

Kimono My House..

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

Sunday Girl

Kimono-style tops certainly aren’t a new thing to the Second Life grid, I have a couple in my inventory from TRES BLAH and ATOMIC that I’m pretty keen on, and they make a smashing alternative to cardigans, hoodies and jackets. Despite my being a jumper aficionado and loving my winter woolies, I’ve actually had enough of them now, and I’m ready for some styling changes. Winter has been a bit grim for us all this year I think, I’m ready for some sun! These gorgeous Kimono style tops from FOXES at N21 are a great choice for bringing some much-needed springtime sunshine into your wardrobe. They’re really rather special indeed, with flowing sleeves that are perfectly ruffled in all the right places and a great shape to the front and hem of the jacket. The kimono ‘sit’ really well on the avatar and are simple yet very effective.

They’re available at N21 in a selection of on-trend patterns that really look the part. If you mix and match with the skirts and tops from the range you’re sure to find a combination that really suits. I’ve emptied my Jewellery box and thrown on an array of my favourite YUMMY pieces to accessorise with, along with a fabulous denim mini from BUENO to make a stylish yet casual look for going out with friends on a Sunday. This is perfect ‘hanging-out’ wear. Add some shades and you’re really talking! I opted for the black ‘Zen’ Kimono because I think I’ll get the most wear out of it, pairing it with the red top for the same reasons. In my head, I’m already thinking of ways to style these pieces; with leggings, short skirts and boots and even shorts and tights..The list is endless! I don’t think this look could be more ‘Kitty’ if I tried. I love it. What do you think?

KITTY WEARS:
Kitty’s Body Basics including:
SHAPE – KITTY’S OWN
BODY – MAITREYA Mesh Body ‘Lara’ V 2.1
SKIN – GLAM AFFAIR ‘Brandi Sweet’ America NB
HAIRBASE- ESSENCES Ash Black
EYES – IKON Destiny Eyes in ‘Maya’ M/L
LASHES – HUSH ‘Flirt’
EYEBROWS – JUST MAGNETISED ‘Diva’ Brows Brunette 02
EYELINER – MONS
MOUTH – PXL ‘Sweet Lips’ 01 (Worn with GLAM AFFAIR applier)
EARS – AITUI Ear System Gen 4 Heart Plugs
Kitty’s Clothing:
SKIRT – BUENO ‘Hard Luck’ Denim Skirt Indigo
JACKET – FOXES ‘Spiritualist’ Kimono Zen ***N21 EXCLUSIVE***
TOP – FOXES ‘Spiritualist’ Kimono Top Small Red ***N21 EXCLUSIVE***

Kitty’s Accessories:
HAIR – CHEMISTRY ‘Mila’ HUD 1
JEWELLERY – Necklaces by YUMMY, including N21 EXCLUSIVE ‘Small Crystal Choker’  (the rest you’ll find at the mainstore)
SEPTUM PIERCING – MONS Mesh Septum Ring in Style 1, Black.
CHOKER – XYZ Tattoo Choker Black
MANICURE – NYLON OUTFITTERS ‘Celestial’ Nails for Maitreya Body

NEW YEAR, NEW KITTY!? (Not ruddy likely!)

NEW YEAR, NEW KITTY!? (Not ruddy likely!)

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

 January_003

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS!

I hope you’ve all had a fantastic festive season with your family and loved ones.  I know I had an absolutely cracking time, but in between RL work and being with loved ones I found very little time to log-in (which is just as it should be!)   I’m making up for it now though with gusto, and busily compiling some blog posts for you all to enjoy. So let’s start as we mean to go on shall we?

Seeing as it’s a new year I thought I’d share my first semi-nude shot of the year with you all, LOL!  This is me sporting the latest mesh body to hit the grid, ‘Lara’ by MAITREYA. Now, I decided after the BELLEZA malarkey that I wasn’t going to buy any more mesh bodies because with all the DMCA nonsense I didn’t ‘t know if they would prove to be a sound investment. Spendin thousands of Lindens upon something for which you’d expect regular updates, only for the item to be DMCA’d and taken off-grid isn’t a good return on the money spent. Not that I’m tight but I’m not made of Lindens, and I like to be careful what I buy. (Of course you do Kitty, that’s why you have 56k of items in your inventory…PFFFT)

Fortunately BELLEZA returned back to the grid with their wonderful mesh body and a happy Kitty this did make, so when MAITREYA released Lara my initial thoughts were “Nah, I’ll give it a miss.” I already had two mesh bodies, SLINK and BELLEZA, so I didn’t need another one, right? WRONG.

I made the FATAL mistake of demoing Lara. (I blame Magenta De Vinna AKA Skittles for this, because I asked on Plurk if I should give it a go because clearly I can’t think for myself, and Skittles told me that it was definitely worth a demo.) The rest is history. Readers, this body is bloody divine. I zoomed over to a sandbox, opened the box and fell in love.

So what are my thoughts on this bod? It’s very different to SLINK and BELLEZA in that, well to my eyes at least, it’s more ‘lifted’ around the bewbs and bum areas, but not in an exaggerated Nicki Minaj-on-acid manner. It feels youthful and zesty and vibrant and is VERY easy to wear. To me, SLINK feels like the classic mesh body that anyone can wear, BELLEZA feels more modern in some ways,  but this one feels, well, fizzy and vibrant, if you get my drift? Indeed, this is the first mesh body I’ve tried where I’ve managed to get a really good skin match out of the box without wearing one of the designated skins. Seaming issues to the neck in this body have been minimal for me, and after a few minor corrections I can’t see a join at all. I have had problems with my BELLEZA body and my SLINK body with the neck area, but the MAITREYA body has pretty much worked straight out of the box, which has made it a real blessing in my opinion. The whole package feels less ‘fussy’ in a lot of ways; although the HUD doesn’t have the panache of say the Belleza HUD, it’s effective and easy to use. I think the alphas are the most

The whole package feels less ‘fussy’ in a lot of ways; although the HUD doesn’t have the panache of say the Belleza HUD, it’s easy to use. I think the alphas are the most effective thus far too; I’ve found fitting my clothing around this to be the easiest of all the bodies that I wear.  I’ve had issues in the past where I’ve had to change my shape to get the best fit, I haven’t with this and my outfits look grand.

As far as changes go I’d like to see more hand positions included and more nail polish colours too in the basic HUD, but apart from that I really don’t see what other improvements will need to be made, other than enhancements over time.  The HUD needs work I think, even when resized it’s quite intrusive on the screen so if that could be reduced to a tiny icon by the click of a button that would prove useful. It also lacks ‘Oomph’ as far as HUDS go, it could do with prettying up a bit, but that is a cosmetic change that has absolutely no impact on the quality of this body at all.  Of course I ended up buying it, and guys I haven’t taken it off since I got it! 

If you’re into mesh bodies then you definitely need this one in your collection, and if you’ve never tried them before why not give the DEMO a try? The results are really

The results are really fantastic, as I hope my photographs demonstrate..

Boxed

I mean just LOOK at my bum, look at the hands…GAH!!! Amazeballs aren’t they? I absolutely LOVE it! There’s plenty of blogger buzz about this release too. I particularly liked Berry’s blog post about this body, which compares it with others on the market (except Belleza), and you can read it here.

Check out the MAITREYA ‘Lara’ body by clicking HERE to visit the Mainstore  The body costs L$2750 (That’s about £5.25), and for the product I think that’s an incredibly fair price.

Have you tried the Maitreya ‘Lara’ body yet?

What do you think?

Let us know in the comments below!