Calla-licious!

Calla-licious!


Calla have just blogged about their latest skin releases and by heck they’re good. I’m *very* picky about the skin that I am in. The majority of last year saw me in the very first skin I ever bought, from Naughty designs. I blogged about it on here that it felt wrong to change my skin and I wasn’t going to do it..then I realised that I was talking from betwixt my perfectly formed buttocks. I’ve come to realise that the very best skins don’t actually change my appearance that much, but enhance it in different ways..and with all the make up options that are available I’d be plain stupid to not even consider it. So I now have skins from lots of places- Artilleri, Total Betty, RaC..etc. The question is should I add Calla to that list? Having never tried a Calla skin before I was eager to try out the demos that Tigerlily Koi had sent me, and they are very nice indeed. One of the most striking facial features are the lips, which have been created with a lovely deep shine in the bottom centre that looks great, and when smiling the teeth look good (trust me, this is important. Some skins I own that are absolutely wonderful look absolutely shite when I do a wide grin) In particular I’m very impressed with the blood red lips option.I prefer red lipstick above any other colour and on this skin they look absolutely tantalising:) But it’s not just about the mush, it’s also the shading on the chops and the eyeshadow options – the overall ‘feel’ of the face that make for a good skin, and this does well on all counts. The eyeshadow options are lovely, and one particular feature that I really love is the little mole…as someone with more than her fair shair of moles on her chops in RL (when I was a little girl I thought they represented constellations, as you do..I’ve always been prone to fanciful ideas!) I liked seeing a skin with one, it adds some authenticity, and a touch of class. Lighting has been worked into the texture of the skin in a very professional way, highlighting areas like the wee dimple above the top lip to perfection, and the nose and nostril shaping are equally good. Behind closed doors (in other words, nekkid) the body detailing on this skin is sublime. Great shading and toning on areas like the shoulder blades and butt. The ‘lady garden’ area is neat and the boobs are fine, although I do think all skin makers should include prim nipples as part of the package please. ( I know that sounds bizarre, but if you ask me you need them for naked moments-and if they’re part of the skin you can bet that the tone on them will be perfect. Buying them separately is a bit of a pain..and before you say anything else *I know* I could be less lazy and make my own but hey, this is me you’re talking to!) Downside to this skin? well, picky mare that I am I didn’t like the eyebrows..I like mine to have a tad more ‘oomph’, but not in a Dennis Healey way (Old-school Labour politician, hairiest eyebrows this side of Jupiter)Wearing this skin was a huge amount of fun because I picked a more tanned skin tone than I normally wear and do you know it looked *amazing*…I’d only picked the darker colour out of sheer devilment (out for a drink and a natter with my Dad) but he even said it looked great, and Dad doesn’t do compliments easily (My nickname for my Dad in RL is ‘Miserable Scottish Git’ because, well he is. But he’s *MY* MSG so that’s all that matters:) However, as much as he liked the skin he didn’t like the tattoos I was wearing…pffffttt ( Stop laughing at the elderly you meany!) Anyway, the skin I am wearing is:‘Calla Evening glow lined blood red Cindy’  I’ve not ventured over to Calla yet to check out the prices etc, and the prices aren’t up on the Callatropia blog , but I am sorely tempted by the skin you see in the picture here..so, what do you think?
Marvellous Melino

Marvellous Melino

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Yay, banner not buggered no more! ( ‘Cept YES it is a tad fuzzy, something that I shall address at the weekend:)Tell you what elses is though, and that’s my sidebar accoutrements. WordPress, as wonderful as it is, can be a real faff at times to sort out, and to be quite honest yesterday I just wanted a nice early night..because I am lazy like that. However, I couldn’t have my early night until I had ventured into the Moroccan paradise that is Melino. (Owner- Tara Tagore) Backstory: Francesa Cassini, who has been a neighbour of mine for as long as I’ve been in Jasper and is utterly lovely to boot, invited me over to her new place where she is now happily residing with her beloved. I love exploring people’s homes…nosey cow that I am, because I love the way people decorate their virtual dens. How’s this for synchronicity-she’s only living in a Botha Architects ‘Aqua House’ (apparently she saw mine and fell in love with it-told you they were good!) and it was great fun meandering around her home and seeing how she had chosen to embellish it. Francesca is a tad keen on vibrant reds and oranges, which is reflected throughout in her choice of furnishings, and the whole look is stunning. But what REALLY caught my eye were the soft furnishings, in particular a Moroccan bed with ‘special’ enhancements that was just divine. Of course I begged and pleaded for a LM, and lo and behold I found myself literally in paradise. This place is sumptuous, god only knows why I haven’t been here before. I have never seen such a store in SL before, and it captures the flavours of the East perfectly. If you want cushions and soft furnishings in beautiful patterns and colours, this is the place to be. If you want rugs, lamps, candles and wonderful cupboards and dressers come here. I spent an hour and a half just wandering around, it’s that kind of store. Plus, they are so sumptuous and inviting that I saw other couples snuggling down together to enjoy the attributes and sheer loveliness of the creations. The colours make this place an utter feast for the eyes, and don’t even get me started on the tents! If anything has made me yearn for more prims it’s this place..I honestly cannot fault it…….yummo!

Yummy! Tesla and Ivalde Hotness

Yummy! Tesla and Ivalde Hotness


(See what I did there? Clever kitty!) I haven’t paid much mind to clothing shopping this past few weeks, but that’s all changed following some amazing recent releases that caught my eye. First up, I want to show some love for Ivalde, something which I really don’t do enough of. Ivalde, for me, is one of the most graceful design houses in-world, and it is of no surprise that it has many ardent fans amongst the Second Life populace. Whenever I visit it’s busy (Just like ‘Last Call’ used to be whenever I ventured near, and consequently took ages to get into) and that’s probably because of the quality that is on offer: when you wear an Ivalde design you know that you’re channelling the classical elegance that screen sirens such as Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly and Marylin Monroe oozed out of every pore. In fact there’s a whole range of Marylin Monroe inspired creations for you to enjoy, as well as garments reflecting many different decades and eras such as Victorian and Edwardian. This trip however I wanted to check out the dresses; I can never have enough dresses and they are just that little bit spesh. Immediately I landed and was in clothes heaven. The angels of habidashery surrounded me in a warm blanket of couture loveliness (Yes, it’s official, I’ve lost it!) and led me to the glory that is the Verun frock. I bought it in black ( naturally) but if I had the dosh I’d get the whole package as they are so utterly delicious, perfectly shaped and and with the seductive ruching and prim collar that they’d look perfect for any occasion. I also fell in a big way for this dress, the Konstante White Emo dress, because It is just ruddy well perfect, in an entirely 1980’s way. (Both styles being horrendoulsy fashionable in RL at the moment.) I love the fit but I had a few issues with shoulder seams and the belt was a damn pain in the ass to adjust, but after I mixed it up with some accessories from Yummy and my quintessential Tesla shoes I’d forgiven it:) Speaking of Tesla, the lovely Miss Miles dropped a package on me that contained some rather FABULOUS sunglasses. These are called ‘Oracle’, are *scripted* and can be worn on your face or moved up onto your skull. They look good down, but look how good they look perched on my bonce, the whole outfit just works doesn’t it? Buy these babies and you don’t need anymore sunnies either, as the menu allows for colour change (great colours too!)and opacity of glass. Wonderful superstarry shades these aren’t they? Methinks she’s been channelling Yoko Ono! More credit to Tesla for creating these beauties at a measley L$499, as I’ve seen shades on sale that aren’t half as good for the same price. Yes, I know I sold my soul to Tesla a long time ago, but I don’t care, because when she makes wonderfulness like this can you seriously blame me for being a Tesla Miles groupie? No? EXACTLY! So there you go, Yummy, Ivalde and Tesla all in one lickable 80’s ensemble….oohh I’m spent!
Lounging around in ‘The Aqua House’…

Lounging around in ‘The Aqua House’…


..just got a heck of a lot comfier thanks to the ‘Otto’ collection, the latest release from PRim Designs. I’d like to say I spent the weekend exploring the grid in a mad and happy fashion, but alas- a combination of being perpetually booted out ( is anyone else getting this on a regular basis?) and a migraine meant that I couldn’t log on for long. I missed a dinner party as well, which is never good- I like food and parties very much..so apologies for my none attendance Francesca, I was a poorly Kitty. BUT I must say when I was on I managed to have quite a happy little time, seeing as I’d been sent some utter gloriousness from two of my fave designers- Tesla Miles and Prad Prathivi. Now, Prad is a very dear friend of mine, but even if he wasn’t I’d want him to be. Not only do I have a bit of a kitty-crush on him, he also crafts furniture happiness with his business partner Rrishanna Regina, as I’ve blogged many a time before. So you can imagine I was delighted to receive the ‘Otto’ set from hime to review, and as soon as I’d opened the package I knew I was going to have to find space in my pad for the items inside- funky bean bags, stools and a really sexy wall unit with built in TV. My Dad, Leapylee Cliffhanger, hadn’t realised that you can actually watch TV in-world, so as you would expect it blew his noggin when I switched the box on. (I then went on to explain that you can watch and rent movies in world, and not just of the ‘special’ type..his virtual gob dropped in amazement:) Prad always picks great textures for his items, and this wall unit is no exception. The linear design and the juxtaposition of the glass insert against the wood frame works really well, and if you have any virtual knick-knacks then you can display them to maximum effect on this piece. (Hard as it may be for you I don’t really have that much in the way of virtual knick-knackery, so now I’m looking for daft things to stick on my shelves!) The Otto bean bags are simple constructions but perfectly proportioned (much like Prad himself I’d imagine-ho ho!) I’m sure that the hardened shoppers amongst you know that you can purchase some pretty sublime bean bags from many stores in-world (Ms Callie Cline and Corn have some nice examples) but what sets these apart from the crowd is their overall simplicity and compact design, coupled with two great sitting animations built in. I have the both the navy and white versions now deposited around my home, and both will easily mix and match into any interior with ease, provided you tend towards a more modern approach to interior decorating. Of particular interest however is the Otto chair/stool. Remember the Berlin stool I reviewed last week? This is PRim Design’s version of the same home essential, and although similar in styling it is very different in the way it’s been rendered. Texturing is great, although it doesn’t have the same degree of detail that the Greene Concept ‘Berlin’ chair/stool has, BUT that isn’t a fault, it’s just been created differently. This one also has nice chunky prim feet, and again includes excellent seating animations. I’ve decided/concluded that there’s just no excuse for bog standard sitting poseballs and animations anymore- you know the ones I mean, the same ones you see again and again all over the grid. Perhaps this is one of the benchmarks that we should consider now when buying furniture, it’s not just how it looks, but what it does when you sit on it that counts! ;P All in all I love the Otto range, I really do, and I’ve adapted my home to feature it. In fact I had Shinjles over for a quick natter and she concurred that the seating was great too. I’ve come to realise that there are more chairs in my virtual house than there are people to sit on them..but who cares? It all looks so pretty! Oh, and speaking of pretty I mentioned Tesla didn’t I…..