Tag: Belleza

They call it stormy monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad..

They call it stormy monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad..

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

21January

Being Bipolar isn’t especially nice.  I manage extremely well, all things considered.  And I really don’t like to moan about it, because there are so many out there who have it far worse than me. But it can play absolute havoc with plans, and when I’m on a bit of a downer the only way I can cope is by shutting the world out and functioning at the bare minimum. 

The depression that is a particular symptom of mine can be crippling. If I had to choose between the manic highs and the thundering lows of this condition, I’d opt for the highs everytime. But even so they’re not exactly fun. When I’m on a high my brain races, I hear incessant music, chatter and sounds (I call it my ‘head radio’), and I can’t sleep. But when I’m feeling low, I feel crippled. I feel shut off from everyone and everything around me and just want to be left to hide. Thinking becomes difficult, I become exceptionally forgetful and morbid and procrastination is the theme of the day. It is incredibly hard to function; even basic tasks, like blogging, become the toughest of challenges.

This is why sometimes you’ll not see me update for a week or so. I work in real life, so obviously that takes priority, but occasionally if I find my symptoms are starting to go haywire then I shut myself down from all kinds of activities, blogging and Second Life-ing being the main one. Which is pretty crap really because it’s the one of the few things in my real life that give me lots of joy!

But I always come back.

And here I am; still feeling a little out of sorts but there is just so much wonderful stuff occurring in the world at the moment that it would be silly if I didn’t log-in to experience it. To ease myself back-in gently, here’s a look of the day that I am really relishing.

First up is the hair. This is available at MY ATTIC and is from MINA. It’s a lovely, mid-bob style called ‘Nikky’ and I really do adore the shaping of it. The face is slightly hidden creating a really sexy profile, and the hair is also materials ready, which means that it has an extra bit of oomph (that’s a technical term, that, obviously).  It has a lot of volume too, which can be a little over-powering BUT that’s easily fixed if you increase your head size a smidgen. I think it’s glorious, and the colour choices that are available are really very impressive too.  It was hard to know what to plump for truth be told, but I liked the Light Brown options best of all, and I’m incredibly happy with the result. Even better  the hair packs cost a mere L$95 a pop, so what’s not to love?

Next we have the skin which is by BELLEZA. I’ve written so many times on these pages about that brand, but they never cease to amaze and astonish. This skin is called ‘Ria’ and  includes a number of delectable make-ups in the pack. What really appealed to me were the subtle winged-eyeliner options featured in the range, and also the array of gloss and matt lips. Feeling a bit low I needed colour, so plumped for the gorgeous red lip. Tricky Boucher always creates perfect lips and the suggestion of shine upon these is very special indeed. Ripe for kissing I think!

My Jewellery is an old favourite; it’s the ‘Wanderer’ set from LEAGUE, an esteemed Second Life brand that is having a fantastic 50% off sale until January 26th. Guys, don’t miss it. There are some stunning items of clothing and exceptional footwear, as well as skins, included in this epic event, but my tip for you is to stock up in the awesome accessories that LEAGUE has always excelled at. This jewellery purchase  is a replacement for a previous Wanderer set of mine that went, well, wandering from my inventory a few years ago. (There’s NOTHING worse than looking for something in your Outfits folder and seeing the words ‘Broken link’ is there?) I’ve opted for the version that includes different kinds of mixed wood shades, but I am tempted to return and pick up the other colour-ways if I can scrape together the funds before the sale finishes It’s always been one of my favourite jewellery sets and as an added bonus the bracelets are incredibly good at hiding SLINK wrist seams. The set is available for a mere L£123 at the moment, and be sure to check out the scarves and other adornments while you’re in-store. Stock up, you’ll thank me for it!

I wrote previously about my favourite jacket of last year, and here it is again, the EMERY Hollywood denim jacket.  Any opportunity to wear it and I’m there, and it goes extremely well with this dress from GATO. I *had* to get this frock because it features a cat print, and of course you know how I feel about cats. I must confess though I very nearly didn’t get it because rather than it being full it’s just a partial-mesh piece, and I have had disappointing experiences with those kinds of outfits before. I couldn’t resist though, so I had to indulge, and I’m really glad that I did because as you can see it actually works really well. I’ve made an exception though, and I really hope that GATO as a brand starts to lean towards full-mesh pieces. It’s a really great label with a great feel to it and some of the best styling I’ve ever seen.  Don’t believe me? Check out the GATO Flickr, it’s sassy and vibrant and just really rather wonderful.

Last but not least back to MY ATTIC, because I’m using a fantastic pose from PLOOM’s latest pose release at the event. This is a five pose pack that features some really great stands, with both a standard and curvy option for girls with a bit of oomph on their avatar. This stand, number #6, is destined to be a favourite of mine from a very impressive and original pack of poses indeed.

So that’s my look fo the day, hope you like! I’ve a list as long as my arm of things I need to blog, and I’m catching up..albeit slowly. Until then if you need your blog fix (and even on my down days I sure as hell do!) Why not peruse some of the entries on my sidebar, or check out my Bloglovin feed? 

KITTY WEARS: 

Hair: MINA ‘Nikky’ (Materials) in Light Brown L$95 – Available at MY ATTIC
Eyes: IKON ‘Ardent Eyes’ in Pewter (ML)
Skin-BELLEZA ‘Ria’ in Medium 4 (Dk, worn with Gloss Lip #2) (NOTE: Individual  skins L$188, fat pack of five is L$788) – Available at C88
Jewellery – LEAGUE ‘Wanderer’ Wood Medley – L$123  Don’t miss the sale!! (Ends January 26th)
Jacket – EMERY Mesh Denim Jacket Hollywood-Dark L$350 (Check out my blog post HERE)
Dress – GATO Kelly Dress. L$100
Pose – PLOOM  ‘DNCR’  kitty wears #6  L$95- Available at MY ATTIC

(Huge thanks to Heidi Volare for blogging so many beautiful things recently that she got my arse in gear and helped get me out of my blog-funk)

HORRORFEST 2013 – If you go down to the woods today..

HORRORFEST 2013 – If you go down to the woods today..

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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You may well encounter a rather beautiful surprise. I’m calling this my ‘Fantasy Fairy Witch-Queen ‘ ensemble, and this  post is in complete contrast to the last one, because rather than me walking around freaking everyone out with decapitations galore, I’m instead gliding around and  looking very Witchy-glam.  

HORRORFEST  2013 is actually bursting at the seams with fantastic fashion that isn’t just limited to  wearing during the Spooky Season.  I compiled this look to share with you a few amazing pieces that are available at the event, and I’ll be featuring more Horrorfest-inspired ensembles during the duration of the show, but for now let’s kick off with an absolute belter shall we?

SAKIDE is one of those brands in world that rarely puts a foot wrong, and I have many items from the store in my inventory.  I was delighted to see that they were taking part in this event, and even more so when I discovered what they were contributing.  They’ve allocated a lovely collection of wearables, the highlight for me being this astonishingly beautiful tube dress. This is the ‘Wilds Dress’ in red. The dress is incredibly on-trend, in a style that a lot of celebrities are opting for at premieres, and I’m not surprised because it is so beautiful. It’s deceptively simple; with the dress featuring a double-layered skirt that’s short underneath, but overlaid with a gauze that reaches down to the floor.  There’s a black pattern embossed onto it as well as  a thin belt defining the waist. It’s absolutely breathtaking.  Effortless really, yet works so well. I’ve teamed it with some SAKIDE leather arm-warmers which aren’t featured at the event but I found them lurking in my inventory, and whaddya know? They look spot on with the frock.

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The dress isn’t the only star of this show;  feast your eyes upon this astonishing headpiece by PAPER MOON.  This is the ‘Sisters of the Moon-Sister Crow’ head-dress, and is part of a range available at Horrorfest, with other versions called ‘Sister Deer’, ‘Sister Rat’ and the charity donation item, ‘Sister Autumn’. All of them are equally amazing, but this one really spoke to me. I’ve never really been a head-gear wearer in world, but I know that plenty are, but that changed when I took one look at the quality of these. Oh my word, they are beautiful. This one features a crow skull centrepiece, framed by a pair of goats horns.  Flowers also adorn the ensemble, which is completed with a teardrop jewel hanging from the beak of the skull. A final flourish is the pearl beading, which drapes delicately upon the forehead. I didn’t need to make any fitting alterations to this at all;  it worked straight out of the box and when teamed with this LAVIERE hair that I scooped out of my inventory it just looked perfect, don’t you think?

A final item to wrap up the whole look is the collar from SOUZOU EIEN, a brand that I had never encountered before Horrorfest.   Again, like head-dresses, I’ve never really been a collar fan.  This all changed back in August when I was sent the ‘Sansa Neck Corset’ from LARK, and I’ve never looked back. ( You can read that post HERE)  Neck collars and corsets really finish an outfit in a far more substantial way than a necklace or simple tie-scarf, and not only that, they can create a drama all of their very own, as is clearly demonstrated by this ‘Elegant Throat Corset’.  Again. like the dresses and head-pieces there are a number of varieties for you to investigate at the fair, featuring lace or velveteen fabrics, but each one of them is equally worthy of your Lindens, and as you can see really does add a very classy finishing touch to an outfit.   It completes the whole ensemble that I am wearing absolutely perfectly, and  I think I look ruddy gorgeous, even if I do say so myself.  I bet you’d look just as lovely in this too!

Available at Horrorfest 2013:

‘The Wilds’ Dress in Red by SAKIDE

‘Sister Crow’ Headpiece by PAPER MOON

‘Elegant Throat Corset’ by SOUZOU EIEN

Other items: 

‘Leila Med 3’ skin by BELLEZA

‘Joana’ Hair in Soft Caramel by LAVIERE

‘Leather Armwarmers-Black’ by SAKIDE

‘Perspective Eyes-Blush’ by IKON

‘Avatar Enhancement hands-Relaxed (L)’ by SLINK

‘Classic manicure in Red’ by IZZIES

Pose from a selection by MARUKIN

The Story Of The Season

The Story Of The Season

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

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The problem with September is a VERY skint Kitty. Why? Well this is because there are way too many wonderful events going on in world at the moment. It’s driving me mad, but in a GOOD way.

The Arcade is still busy and bustling, but there’s also the fantastic latest Collabor88 collection and a new kid on the block, The Seasons Story.

The Seasons Story was incredibly busy upon the first few days of opening so that I couldn’t actually get in, but when I did I realised why it had been so popular. This is a real quality event, the theme being Autumn (of course)and each stall is arranged around a beautifully decorated sim featuring trees, fruits and flowers of the, erm, season.  It’s delicious to look at and walk around. You can practically smell pumpkin soup and warmed cider as you meander down the pathways investigating  each vendor.

There’s a vast array of fashion, hair, skins and furnishings on show for the fall-addicted avatar. I confess that I was like a kid in a sweet-shop once I managed to get in, because there’s some truly wonderful shopping to be had here.

In the photograph I am sporting the fabulous flannel shirt from SHEEP DOOR, and I really like it,  although I do wish the demo had included examples of the textures rather than it being a demo for fit. Still, as you can see it looks perfectly snug and wears really well.  Ripe for layering in this cool September sun.

I also really fell in love with this glorious hair and beret combo from  INK.  It’s a great unisex style, available in a limited selection of colours but an absolute bargain at L$150 a pop.  Not only that, each style comes replete with hud for beret colour-change happy, and includes a couple of hairbases, one of which is specifically aimed at the male avvie and includes a beard.  I love thoughtful touches like that!

I combined my choices from The Seasons Story with some quality purchases from Collabor 88.   I cannot get enough of this Belleza ‘Leila’ skin which is the perfect choice for the season. I’m wearing combo 3 ,which features a winged eyeliner against a palette of golden hues and a lovely warm red lip. The colours are just breathtaking, and I’ve realised now that Belleza probably draw my favourite brow in SL; it’s *perfect* and frames the face beautifully. I can’t get enough of it.

I’m also sporting this delicious jumper from TEE*FY  in  ‘Pumpkin’ shade. I’m really loving this brand at the moment.  This is a brilliant example of a wardrobe staple being perfectly re-created in Second Life. It features a generous roll-neck collar and comes with both a no-sleeves (for wearing under jackets) and long sleeved versions plus  alphas layers to suit. Another example of a designer actually giving thought to how something will be worn, and again it’s a touch that’s truly appreciated.

What do you think to my foxy tail? This beautiful brush is  available at Collabor88 from AUXILIARY, and even better no beautiful foxes were harmed in the making of it! You can purchase it pre-attached to a denim skirt, or you can buy separately to add to your own items.  It’s available in a variety of shades and is a really unusual enhancement to your wardrobe.  I really love it!

The Seasons Story is a perfect environment for taking photos.  The backdrop above is actually comprised of the Gacha items that virtual design Goddess Sienia Trevellion (the name behind the LARK label) has at The Arcade this round. The books have been enlarged to create a really effective display, and they demonstrate the awesome imagination and skill that Sienia possesses. She is one of those people in-world who is a constant source of wonder to me and I cannot praise her work enough. In fact, all the designers I’ve featured here today are an absolute joy, and one of the reasons why I love my Second Life so much.

And finally let me tell you about the pose.  This is from a pose maker that I discovered at The Seasons Story called MODEL POSESand I am really impressed!  There are two packs available of five poses for L$60 each, and they’re excellent quality with a natural grace and finish to each movement.  I’ll certainly be keeping an eye for this brand in future! (The pose in the photo is number four from the ‘Martina’ collection)

Have I wet your shopping appetite? Good, I am pleased to hear it! CLICK HERE to visit The Seasons Story, and HERE to visit Collabor88.  Enjoy!

 

 

LOTD: The light is changing and Autumn is on her way..

LOTD: The light is changing and Autumn is on her way..

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

ImageSo here I am taking a breather behind a rock and having a think about a few things. (This is my intelligent thinking face, stop laughing at the back!)

I’ve actually managed to get into The Arcade a couple of times now (although not for long sadly, I maxed out at five minutes before I was unceremoniously booted out.) As a result of my swift sojourn there  I have a superfluous amount of oars in my inventory because the Apple Fall Gacha clearly hates me. (I’m desperately trying to get the rare sideboard!) I was lucky enough to get the tall cabinet and believe me it is a thing of sheer beauty, but then, so many items in this round of The Arcade are, and it’s hard to know where to start once you do get in. I’ve actually taken to sitting outside, behind the venue on the chairs and camming in which is a useful tactic if you don’t want to be bamboozled by busty avatars and unceremoniously booted out of the way by toddlededoodles or whatever the child avatars are called these days.

As you can tell by the picture I got my paws on some CURIO OBSCURA boots and I think they are nothing less than extraordinary. In fact, my mind is completely boggled by the Gachas this round. I knew that they were going to be good, but blooming heck, they’re outstanding! In fact,it’s really hard not to completely lose your way on them and just throw all your money at them.  You know, the content creators who have worked on this event must be making an absolute fortune, and quite right too. The effort that has gone into the whole enterprise is there for all to see, and everyone involved deserves to do well from it. I actually find myself just staring at the creations I see on the screen before me in sheer wonder at what has been made.  It’s almost meta-wonder too; I’m staring in wonder at something in a virtual world that someone in the real world made for it. Kind of makes the brain boggle a bit doesn’t it? 

So, the reason for this post.  I happened across a really useful blogpost during the week that features a listing of various yard sales which is very handy to have  if you’re keen to hunt down a particular item. I actually had to put a plea on Plurk for said blogpost too, because I thought I had bookmarked it and was seriously alarmed when I realised that I hadn’t.  (Amazingly enough someone identified exactly what I was looking for by my asking if anyone..”Knew of a blog post by a lady-blogger that features a list of yard sales..”  Plurk really is a clever wee community when it wants to be!)

So the blog post can be found here, and it’s rather blinking good as a comprehensive yard sale starting point. I realise that more locations will have been added since the post was published, but even so it’s a more than adequate way to plan your yardsale tour.  It’s on a blog called ‘All About The Little’, which is a blog aimed at the child avatar community, and even though child avatars are not my thing I do recognise the very important role that they play in many a person’s Second Life. It’s actually a really nice blog too; professionally laid out and very informative too. It’s clearly a labour of love for Addison Faye and aims to keep the kids community up to date with events on the grid, and in my opinion does a cracking job of it.  And if Google docs are more your thing, get your eyes on THIS LIST too! LOOK AT ALL THE SALES, CAN YOU EVEN?!

A final thought, if you’ve had your fill of all things Gacha,  let me frustrate you even further by telling you that this month’s round of Collabor88 has started and it’s a flipping corker.

But don’t despair too much, at least you might be able to get into The Arcade now! 

Kitty Wears:

Hair: Boys & Girls 46 in Sienna by DURA

Eyes:  Ascension Eyes in Sahara (M) by IKON

Skin: Leila (#7) by BELLEZA (The Arcade) 

Nails: Nail Polish from ADORE & ABHOR (Fifty Linden Friday, 6th September)

Scarf:  Skull Burgundy By MILK MOTION (previous Arcade round; you may be able to find at Yard Sales)

Dress:  Oversized Sweatshirt by CYNFUL

Boots:  Mish-mash Carnivale Abomination Boots by CURIO OBSCURA (The Arcade)

…Oh, and pile cream from Preparation Ouch, I knew I shouldn’t have sat on this draughty cold floor for so long!