When I found out last week that Gala Phoenix was on the cusp of releasing a new skin, I did two things: 1) I weed a bit ( That happens when I’m excited) and 2) Started visiting Curio in a stalker-like fashion to see if I could gauge when the ruddy things were going to be released. I have NIL patience and like a spoilt child I wanted the skins NOW! YESTERDAY! WAAHH!!! But dear reader, if I’d had to wait until Christmas it would have been worth every second..because ‘Elf’ is a superb set of skins from, IMHO, the BEST skin creator in Second Life. I’ve tried to stretch my skin-wings this year and wear different brands, and I’ve enjoyed doing that, but I always go back to Gala. ‘Elf’ is a superb example as to why I keep returning, and why (by hook or by crook) one day I shall own every single set of skins she’s ever made, because every one is a treasure that needs to be cherished. Let me make one thing clear: I don’t know Gala in SL and I think I’ve only ever spoken to her on just a few occasions, and v. nice she was too, but it’s probably a good job for her that I don’t. If I did, I would be forced to lock her in my basement and lick her head incessantly until she produced even more of her epidermis excitements. Curio makes me go all funny in strange ways, evidently but I can’t help but be moved by the quality of the product.
Anyway, enough waffle ( HAH!-Every reader of the blog) Just what is so good about these skins? Short answer is nothing AND everything. They follow Gala’s tried and trusted formula of being exceptionally coloured, textured and styled. If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it is the mantra here and she hasn’t, so no ground-breaking innovations but skins that ooze quality and style from every virtual pore.
In fact, speaking of pores, these skins are uber-zoomable and by that I mean when you zoom in you can still see amazing definition on every single freckle and crease. In fact, these are so detailed that I am amazed you don’t see hair follicles!
The body shading is just perfect. Creases and bony bits like shoulder blades and clavicles are all enhanced realistically and the naughty bits are, well, spot-on! Gala always makes boobs look uber nommy as well, and this series is no exception, nipple-tastic is the phrase that should be applied here…
On to the chops then, and obviously the skins are called ‘Elf’ so are, of course, suitably festive in their colour schemes, but don’t be fooled. They’re wearable all year round, so as sound an investment as ever. Let’s talk make-ups..In this shot I’m wearing ‘Fire Engine 1’ and well dear reader, see for yourself. The lips are just amazing, and these are only the semi-matt ones, the gloss ones deserve column inches praising their wonders alone! I LOVE the shape of the lip, the creasing and the dimples to the side..they are just perfect, and highlighted so sublimely that they almost provide a 3D effect. These lips look REAL: moist, nommable, kissable…I mean, what more do you want? The shading and blush on the cheeks and highlighting on the nose work beautifully together, and then there are the eyes…wow.
The eyebrow is slighter on ‘Elf’ than on past releases, and I’m always fussy about brows seeing as they are ‘The coathangers of the face’ after all, but hey, just because they’re slight doesn’t mean they’re ineffective. Joan Crawford may well have screamed about wire hangers, but these brows work in an under-stated way and are just enough; in fact anything more would potentially detract from the eyeshadow; and that would be a crime because each particular eyeshadow is a bobby dazzler. Of the two options the first tends to be the more subtler choice. Like I said before I’m wearing ‘Fire Engine 1’ in this shot, in contrast ‘Fire Engine 2’ features a red eye make up that looks mighty impressive. ‘Gold Dust 1 and 2’ feature gold eyeshadow and pale pink lips; the second option features a more heavily shaded eye and it makes for an ultra- elegant look, that reminds me of the way Charlize Theron is made up on the J’Adore advert..ahem. ‘Holly 1 and 2’ feature green eyeshadow and the glossiest, nommiest lip shine. ‘Holly 1’ reminds me of the way that I’ve seen lips painted by Japanese skin-brands like ‘Mother Goose’. I’ve always been attracted to it so I’m chuffed to see that Gala has created a shiny, glossy lip in a similar vein..seriously, you have to see to believe. ‘Pure 1 and 2’ are ‘natural’ make-ups with pale pink lips and barely any shading on the lids. To be honest, these are so subtle that it’s hard for me to tell the difference (But that could be my eyeballs Kittyfans – I’m in sore need of an eye-test) I very rarely wear a no-make up look in SL because I do love my woad so, but these are lovely and I’m sure I will sport them on the odd occasion. ‘Snug 1 and 2’ feature a darker lip and a taupe/smoky eye. It’s classy and neat, potentially an every-day kind of look. Finally there’s ‘Soot 1 and 2’ which feature intense dark eye make up contrasted with a pale pink, almost au naturel lip. Now, you have to see the lips on this one. The’re good on all the other skins, but on this one? Well, they look real. Utterly authentic; I cannot get my breath.
I’m pretty overwhelmed by this release, and it’s hard to be anything but enthusiastic about it because it is, in a word, amazing. The fat pack of 24 skins (6 Dark, 6 Light, 6 Dark Freckle and 6 Light Freckle) costs L$3000. That is a lot of moolah, granted, BUT you get 24 skins..24 skins..let me repeat..24 SKINS for your money. You could of course purchase a single makeup (you get 8 skins) but why would you want to do that when the whole package is just so scrummy, hmm? I urge you to visit Curio and grab the demos and give them a whirl, and I also want to say “Congratulations!” to Gala, should she ever read this ( doubtful) because ‘Elf’ is something very special indeed for which she should be rightly proud.
Right, bugger off and stop reading because I’m going to go and get nekkid and drool over myself..I mean, have you seen the belly-button on this skin? Amazeballs..seriously…