Purple Pain

Purple Pain

Purple PainI’m so sad that we’ve lost Prince. Really gutted.

This picture was my way of sort of sharing my grief.  

RIP you glorious bastard you; the music you created will stay with us forever. 

SKIN: AMARA BEAUTY ‘Lucie’ CATWA applier /MAITREYA body applier in 02 Fair (worn with lipstick from matching lip palette) Available from WE❤ ROLEPLAY 

HAIR: WASABI PILLS ‘Cleo’ (Lunar Palette) Fantasy Faire 2016

EYES: BUZZ  ‘Glacier Eyes-Storm (RARE)’  THE EPIPHANY

EYE MAKE-UP: DEESSES ‘Fierce’ Eyeshadow set (Catwa)

DRESS: LA PETIT MORTE ‘Violetta’ Gown in Plum THE BLACK FASHION FAIR 2016

MANICURE: DARK PASSIONS Koffin Nails – ‘Something Wicked’ Fantasy Faire 2016

Any colour, as long as it’s black

Any colour, as long as it’s black

JUDE_001I think I’ve mentioned before on these pages how much blogging has changed in general since I started all those years ago.  These days there’s far more emphasis on designers seeking out a select few bloggers to actively promote their wares, rather than bloggers approaching them directly.  The latter still happens, but I guess these days it’s a bit passe.  The general consensus is understood to be that you find out who’s looking for bloggers, and you see if you meet their criteria.  If you do meet their requirements then job’s a carrot and you apply and hope/pray/sacrifice to the Gods that you’re accepted.  Now there’s nothing wrong with this approach, but it does have flaws.  For example, designers can have certain criteria that some bloggers find very difficult to attain.  A recent example of this was DEAD DOLLZ.  Now, I’m a huge fan of the brand but I didn’t stand a cat in hell’s chance of being accepted as a blogger for them. Nor did a lot of other people, cue tantrums and snark and cries of “It’s not fair!” Perhaps it isn’t, but here’s the thing, if you make something and you’re going to give it away for free then I think it’s your right to choose who blogs it. Suck it up Buttercup, move along and if you like something THEN BUY IT! Yes, I know it seems to be the same bloggers who get the goodies every time; well, look at their work and you’ll see the reasons why they’ve been chosen. It sucks not to be selected, I get that.  After all my time in-world I still apply for events and I don’t qualify for many more, but I never give up.  (It comes down to this; blog for yourself, for enjoyment above all else, and anything else that comes along is a bonus!)

Anyway, I went to  THE BLACK FASHION FAIR 2016 this morning after a considerable lie-in (boy, I needed that!. ) I rezzed in-world and zoomed over to the event and I was generally very impressed by the quality of the wares on display.  I was also very pleased by the layout of the place; it’s easy to navigate and makes shopping very accessible. There’s a lot of lacey numbers on display, along with plenty of tops and short slinky dresses. I spotted some gorgeous gowns too, and some great jewellery.  (You’ll also find quite a few quality freebies, including a set of three poses from PURPLE POSES that you mustn’t forget to pick up.  PURPLE POSES are a great pose brand and I do like their work, so anything free from them is a proper treat!)

Anyway, going back to my intro I picked up this cracking dress with suspenders by DEAD DOLLZ at the event and I think it’s a bit of a corker. It’s called ‘Jude’, and is made for my Maitreya body so fits perfectly. The HUD that comes with it allows for a few texture change options along with metal and fabric colours for the suspenders, and three different stocking styles.  I’ve teamed it with a hairstyle that will be available at TRES CHIC.  It’s by BEUSY, and it’s called ‘Lolita’. This is a prime example of my trying something that I wasn’t too sure about and it working utterly perfectly.  I love the plait across the crown and the tendrils that frame the face. It’s also very easy to resize too, which helps!

Of course,  I’m still wearing my ‘Lucie’ skin that I blogged yesterday, along with DEESSES eyeshadow to emphasise my peepers, which are from BUZZ at THE EPIPHANY.  It takes a lot to get me out of my IKON eyeballs, but this brand is a close favourite of mine, and I luckily dropped a rare on my first try! I’m also sporting a few freebies in this shot.  First of all these earrings and my black manicure are all gifts from THE BLACK FASHION FAIR 2016, along with an aforementioned pose by PURPLE POSES. Last but not least my location is actually a prop that I won in a Gacha at TRES CHIC from L’etre.

Here’s your shopping list! Happy Saturday!

Kitty Wears:

SKIN: AMARA BEAUTY ‘Lucie’ CATWA applier /MAITREYA body applier in 02 Fair (worn with lipstick from matching lip palette) Available from WE ❤ ROLEPLAY 

HAIR: BEUSY ‘Lolita’ TRES CHIC

EYES: BUZZ  ‘Glacier Eyes-Storm (RARE)’  THE EPIPHANY

EYE MAKE-UP: DEESSES ‘Fierce’ Eyeshadow set (Catwa)

DRESS: DEAD DOLLZ ‘Jude’ THE BLACK FASHION FAIR 2016

SHOES: REIGN ‘Onyx Heels’ (Maitreya High)

EARRINGS: SN@TCH ‘Akasha’ Earrings – FREEBIE- THE BLACK FASHION FAIR 2016

MANICURE: PICHI ‘Black Manicure Nail Lacquer’ – FREEBIE- THE BLACK FASHION FAIR 2016

POSE: PURPLE POSES ‘Callie 02’-FREEBIE- THE BLACK FASHION FAIR 2016

PROP: L’ETRE ‘Contemporary Hall’ (From Gacha) TRES CHIC 

LOTD: Graphic Novel Kitty

LOTD: Graphic Novel Kitty

Comic Book KittyIt’s always a bit tough looking at photos on Flickr because so many times I’m not just absolutely blown away not only by what I see but by the knowledge that my images will never come close. Not that I’m seething with jealousy, but it’s fair to say that a lot of the best visual artists who post their Second Life snaps to places like Flickr also have access to some of the best photo-processing kit you can buy, the jammy chuffs! This doesn’t detract from their achievements because there are some truly talented Second Life photographers out there who deserve our praise and admiration, but what can we do to make the best of our photographs if we don’t have access to Photoshop etc? Well, you can do a lot worse than check out PICMONKEY. I’ve been using it for a few years now and I absolutely love it; it’s great for adding oomph to my pictures along with text, stickers and filters and is just the ticket for quick tidy-ups and tweaks. I pay a few dollars every month for a pro account, and it’s one of the best things that I’ve ever done. I don’t just use it for Second Life either, I use it for my real life pictures too, but there’s no doubt in my mind that my blog would be a lot less interesting without it!
Something that I really enjoy is the theme area of the website. Picmonkey provides a variety of themed items including text, filters, stickers, fonts and everything you need to make pictures that really come into their own on occasions like Christmas and Halloween. You can have hours of fun adding ghoulish tints to photos or hanging baubles on images for home-made Christmas cards.
I’m particularly enjoying their ‘Comic Heroes’ theme at the moment. It features a selection of visual options, such as newsprint, that you can use to decorate your images, along with graphic-novel inspired fonts. The results are excellent and you can knock up a fun image in no time at all, which is what I have done with my LOTD shot for today!
Actually, I wouldn’t have messed around with the picture had it not been so light-blown when I took it but I just couldn’t get the right windlight setting. Fortunately, by using some of the Picmonkey features I’ve been able to turn my image into something that really does belong on the pages of a graphic novel! (Quick Kitty-Note: There are two graphic novels I urge you to read at the moment by the way: ‘Saga‘ and ‘God Is Dead‘. Both of these are amazing and you will thank me for recommending them, I promise!)
Of course, my picture is just a way to display the urban touches to my look. The majority of my items are from this month’s round of UBER which is continually jam-packed and with good reason, it’s an absolute corker with practically every contributor getting the theme spot on. In fact, my look is exactly the same as the one I was wearing in my previous post, with a couple of exceptions. First of all, check out this jacket by PIXICAT. Yes, PIXICAT strikes again with another awesome item, this time a perfectly rendered jacket. I’m thinking I should stop talking about PIXICAT because I’m not on their payroll, but it’s very hard not to talk about Areve’s work because it’s just so damn good.
Reason to like this ‘London’ Jacket? Well, first of all, it’s incredibly easy to wear, and I found that I was able to layer it over other items very easily without other mesh coming through. It’s available in pattern and prints and the range of options is very solid indeed. What I really like however are the sleeves; it’s much easier to spot this on the plain versions of the jacket but take a good look at all the creases and folds in the fabric. It looks as though the sleeves have been pulled up and dropped down suggesting a worn feel, which I’m really liking.
I’m also wearing yet another new hairstyle (I’ve bought so much hair this past month it’s unreal, and has been incredibly painful to my Linden balance!) but this one is from a brand I’ve never worn before. The brand is DOE, and the style is called ‘Puddin’ and is obviously a homage to everyone’s favourite psychopathic ex-girlfriend, otherwise know as Harley Quinn. I could have opted for traditional Harley Quinn colours, but I know that I’ll get more use out of brown shades, especially ones with dipped options, and that’s what I plumped for. I love the shape of this hairstyle; the ponytails on either side are perfect and I love the little curls that flick upwards. I like how the fringe is over to one side too meaning you can show off your brows. I think this is as close to perfect-ponytails as I’ll ever get in-world, and I’m especially chuffed with them!
Last but not least are my spectacles which are actually about five years old! I doubt very much that you’ll find them anywhere. I bought them in 2011 and they’re from a brand called DECEMBER which no longer seems to exist but they’re so well made that they stand the test of time. You know, if I was a content creator from a few years ago and someone was still wearing items I’d made after the fact, I’d be pretty chuffed, wouldn’t you?

Kitty wears:
Skin: ZOUL CREATIONS (Della sk1 – Dk Brows – chC worn with Della Eyeshadow – Carbon 03 and Della Lips Red 02)
Lashes: HUSH – Lashes – Flirt
Lips: PXL SweetLips v1.4
Ears: AITUI – Ear: Gen 4 Heart Plugs
Body: SLINK Physique Mesh Body (+ SLINK Casual Hands)
Tattoo: WHITE WIDOW ‘Insidious’ WIZARDING FAIR 2015
Eyes: BUZZ Cora Eyes – Honey {Medium} THE EPIPHANY
Eyeliner: MONS / Makeups – black eyeliner series-8
Septum Piercing: YUMMY Spiked Septum – Silver
Dress: EATERS COMA – Dress w/ waist tied shirt / Dark Gray (S)
Shoes: REIGN.- Thigh High Sneakers (Slink Body)- Red
Jacket: PIXICAT – ‘London’ Jacket in Red – UBER SL
Hair: DOE ‘Puddin’ (Browns) UBER SL
Pose: BOUNCE THIS –  Pose from  ‘Destiny’ Pack (Cannot recommend these poses enough, check out the MP store!)