Category: second life resident blogs

Tantalised by Taryn from Nar Mattaru

Tantalised by Taryn from Nar Mattaru

by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

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When it comes to writing about a new skin, putting the pressures of Skin Fair to one side, I like to really take my time and ‘live’ in the skin for a few days. It’s like anything new; you need time to become accustomed to the changes, to feel the benefits of the change and also to notice any quirks that emerge due to your new appearance.

Over the past few days I’ve been enjoying the latest Nar Mattaru release. Her name is Taryn and oh my word is she special. Guys, I adore her. She is an absolute beauty, with excellent detailing in all the places that matter. There are seven tones to choose from catering to every possible taste; I opted to try ‘Suntan’ and found it to be a rich, caramel shade that really suits my shape. As you can see, I look pretty hot, even if I do say so myself!

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The face is the main selling point for me with this skin. To be fair, I guess it’s the same for most skins I wear;  if I don’t immediately ‘click’ with the visage on a skin I won’t wear it. I know there’s a trend for unusual faces in-world, and fair-play to those that sport them, but my style has always been tailored towards what I guess you would describe as ‘classically beautiful’.  ‘Taryn’ is certainly that. Her face fit onto my shape perfectly and just evoked glamour from the get-go.

Seriously if you covet a beautiful look then ‘Taryn’ is not to be missed. I found her to be adaptable to many styles that I tested her with and wasn’t disappointed in any way, shape or form. Thing is, her make ups are utterly scrumptious. They’re really perfect in the choice of colours and the application; my particular favourite is ‘Canary’ which features the most delectable splash of colour and winged liner to compliment. There’s no end to the fun you can have with the make-ups either, there are 12 lipsticks and 7 eye make-ups to play with. I particularly enjoy wearing the lip gloss with the more avant-garde shades, such as the vibrant blue and punkish black lipstick…it really adds a slick of polish to a very modern look!

The other strength in this skin is her sculpted brows and the options for contouring and blush that are available too, in fact Jade hasn’t missed a trick when it comes to options for Taryn, with appliers for practically everything available separately; Slink, Azz, Wowmeh and Tango.

One thing I particularly love about this skin is that it photographs well. If you enjoy taking photographs of your avatar, the make-ups alone make Taryn a sound investment. She’s getting some excellent press too, and frankly I’m not surprised; there are a lot of bloggers out there who are just as enamoured by her as I am. Willow Zander has waxed lyrical about this skin’s many virtues, as has Elle Avanti, to name-check a few of the blogging celebrities out there currently enjoying this fabulous release.

nar mattaru_002Playing about withPicmonkey, as well as some of the make-up options, enabled me to create this rather vintage snap above.  There’s no denying the beauty of this skin really, is there? 

NAR MATTARU was a new name to me until I went to Skin Fair earlier this year, and I had a hunch then that Jade Glazner was a designer to watch.  For me Taryn has completely confirmed my judgement, it’s an excellent release and deserves to be worn and enjoyed by many across the grid.  The fact that she is so versatile and has so much to offer makes her an absolute must have for any skin addict.

Taryn comes with:

  • FOUR cleavage options (Small, regular, large and push-up)
  • FOUR brow options (Blonde, brown, ginger and black)
  • Make-up pack (Lip-gloss layer plus Eight lipsticks and seven eye shadows)
  • Tintable moles, blush, contouring and freckles

You get a LOT for your L$1000 making her a very sound investment indeed, and you can purchase additional appliers at the main store as I mentioned before.  What’s not to love?

Click HERE for your taxi and if you see Jade, tell her Kitty sent ya! 

Nar Matturu leaves me spellbound_001

Skin by NAR MATTARU, Eyes by IKON, Hair by SPELLBOUND.

AND THEN JEZ TOOK AN ARROW TO THE KNEE…

AND THEN JEZ TOOK AN ARROW TO THE KNEE…

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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I’m not really a fantasy chick. Now, don’t get me wrong, if Aragorn romped my way brandishing his sword at me in a wild and happy manner I wouldn’t say no, nor would I kick Jon Snow or Rob Stark out of bed if I’m honest, but on a day to day basis fantasy isn’t really my bag. I like to dabble in it on occasion for sure, but  I’m more likely to be sporting a pair of yoga pants and a tee rather than a pair of winged sandals and the Holy Hand Grenade Of Antioch. That could all be set to change though as a result of the Fantasy Gacha Carnival though, especially the fantastic APHORISM contributions.

ImageHead on over to the event and drop L$75 into their machine and in a matter of seconds you could find yourself  sporting one of these fantastic helmets. There are 8 commons and three rares to try to win, and my particular favourites are the Pagan Skull and Winged Viking design (both of which Jez is kindly sporting above.)  They look fabulous and I’m sure would be a real find for the most earnest of role-playing types. I confess I find Jez very, erm..alluring in this kind of head-wear and it might lead to another kind of role-play not catered to at this event..!

Moving swiftly on I should mention that APHORISM have also crafted some fabulous leather tunics and chain-mail for both male and female avatars that are available at the event too.  Of course they look perfect with the helmets, and best of all the rares feature ‘Arrow Attack’, a HUD controlled feature that includes fantastic battle animations for role-playing. You can check out some pictures of Jez sporting a few of the designs on my FLICKR, and they really are impressive items indeed. APHORISM is a brand that never disappoints and it’s so nice to see that they don’t compromise their standards for Gacha prizes, and dare I say it, their offerings are to my mind some of the highlights of the event.

Be sure to visit the Fantasy Gacha Carnival by clicking here. 

FLAT EBBE LINDEN MEME

FLAT EBBE LINDEN MEME

by Lisa Millar ♥ 4 Comments

 

Ebbe Linden

When Strawberry Singh released her new meme this week I knew that I would have to partake. But I’ve been so busy with real life that I figured I wouldn’t have time, so imagine my surprise when I logged in-world to find Ebbe Linden waiting for me! He was all snuggled up under my duvet with my hot water bottle wanting some Kitty cuddles. Apparently he’d heard that I’m incredibly good at the cuddling malarkey, I wonder who told him? Anyway I said Ok, just this once, as long as he didn’t make it a habit. I shuffled in beside him and propped myself up on some pillows…

Ebbe snuggled up beside me and asked me to tell him a story, so I decided to tell him what changes I’d like to see him bring to Second Life. This is what I suggested, in between offering sips of lovely warming hot chocolate and stroking his hair softly while he happily sucked his thumb.

1. Work on the Second Life pricing model from the ground up. It needs reconsideration, land prices are extortionate and so are tier fees. These need to be examined and reconsidered. It’s my firm belief that there could be so much more achieved in our virtual world if land were more reasonably priced.

2. Work on the Second Life image problem. Too many people think that Second Life ended years ago.  It’s utterly ridiculous! If I could count how many times I’ve heard the phrase “Second Life? Is that still going?” I’d be counting for a very long time. For me it’s always felt as though Linden Lab isn’t very supportive of the environment that it’s created, does anyone else get that vibe? It’s almost as though we’re begrudgingly tolerated sometimes, and that’s not a good feeling. People in charge should be PROUD of our virtual community. What we need is Linden Lab to be more vocal about Second Life and what it has achieved.  They need to be extolling the virtues of our community and work hard to really publicise the strengths of it in the media, rather than let them paint us all as sex-mad depraved perverts. (Well, some of us are of course, but not everyone!) We have such a rich, vibrant user-created world here to celebrate, not condemn.  Let’s see if Ebbe really will support the residents and gain back some of the reputation that Second Life has sadly lost.

3. Make premium membership more inviting! To encourage sign-ups the Lab really do need to be more generous. A good start would be to increase weekly stipend payments from L$300 to  L$500, and increase the prim limit in Linden Homes to 500 prims. Admittedly the introduction of mesh has made them easier to furnish but 250 prims doesn’t really allow for the frills and frippery that we all like to adorn our virtual homes with. In fact, perhaps it’s time to remodel the homes? Why not install mesh housing for a start, and get some of the best content creators in-world on side to help re-invigorate the living areas and give them all a fresh, new look. Linden Homes has always felt like a missed opportunity.  It’s almost there, but not quite.  It could be so much more, so could Ebbe be the CEO to sort it out?  I hope so, I really do!

And with that, I covered Ebbe up and let him drift off to sleep as I sang the haunting lullaby, ‘Soft Kitty’, gently into his ears….ahem.

(PS I refuse to think I was the only person on the grid to think of THIS when I saw the words ‘Flat Ebbe’ on Berrycake’s blog!?!)

(PPSS Am I the only one who think Ebbe’s avatar looks like Todd from ‘Breaking Bad’?)

THE HOME SHOW 2014 – THE TANTALISING TORONTO LIVINGROOM AND BATHROOM

THE HOME SHOW 2014 – THE TANTALISING TORONTO LIVINGROOM AND BATHROOM

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The TORONTO sets have been, I’m sure, a roaring success for Ria Bazar. Every single one has been an astonishing release, and none more so than the TORONTO BATHROOM and LIVING ROOM, at THE HOME SHOW 2014. Of course there’s a house to match the sets so you can have a fabulous, complete look from top to bottom, but I’ve found that these pieces work extremely well in a skybox setting, and because they’re mesh and prim-light they’re a perfect choice for a Linden Home with their ridiculous 250 prim limit. (Would it hurt to make it 500 Linden Lab, WOULD IT?)

ImageSo what can I tell you about them? I always wax-lyrical about Ria’s work upon these pages, and I ain’t about to change, especially when you consider how awesome these latest releases are. The living room is fresh and funky and works beautifully in both male and female abodes.  When I visited THE HOME SHOW the sets were proving exceptionally popular. (There was constantly a crowd checking the displays out which was great to see, but a bugger for taking photos! However in the end I got a few snaps to share, and then I want to show you what I’ve done with them in my skybox)

The strength of the whole TORONTO collection has always been the industrial chic elements combined with classic lines and modern yet tasteful accessories. This is amplified in the living room, with a statement sofa (colour-change, natch) that can be used with or without a decorative throw, and two metal chairs. One of them is available with a cushion which you’d need, as I imagine that it would be a bit uncomfortable upon the old derrière if you didn’t use one! There’s a very stylish leather pouffe to compliment, along with an epic combination of a standard lamp that is reminiscent in styling of a builders hand-held lamp, and a very striking main fitting that looks a bit like a spider! These elements are tied together by some beautifully decorated bookcases, a plant, a globe and some great photo frames ready to fill with your fave snaps. As always the accessories are just as fabulous as the main pieces and I really rate the wire candle-sticks and world-map that bring the suite together. It’s perfect to use on its own, or to add to, which is what I’ve done in my skybox below…

ImageThe TORONTO BATHROOM carries the factory vibe even further and a word to all Steampunk aficionados, you will need this in your life. The metal finish adorning all the key pieces can be colour changed to suit your needs, and the lighting echoes that in the living room; functional yet completely on-trend. The emphasis on metal textures and pipe-work, along with the wire accessory baskets, traditional stamped signs and brilliantly executed accessories make this an absolute winner, and that’s before you even consider the animations and rezzable props that can be applied.

ImageIt never ceases to amaze me how many extras that Ria fits into her furniture sets at no extra cost. They are always incredibly useful for scene-setting and you can make some gorgeous photographs with them, or use them to just enjoy spending time with your loved one. The TORONTO BATHROOM has to be my absolute favourite yet; it’s just so imaginative and will work in so many modern spaces, lofts and skyboxes. It’s absolutely made of win. And of course you can style these items in a myriad of ways, and you’re guaranteed a satisfying result. This is how I’ve done my bathroom, isn’t it glorious?

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The reason I feature BAZAR so frequently on these pages is because Ria excites me so much as a designer. The work she produces consistently offers fabulous quality and value for money.  From the classical stylings of the FLORIA range to her fantastic residences, Ria has provided something for everyone in her collection, and I’ll awlways be proud to feature her on my pages.

 You can visit her in-world store by clicking HERE, her marketplace HERE or check out these two TORONTO releases at THE HOME SHOW 2014. Here’s looking forward to her next release, I wonder what it will be?