Just Jezza (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge (Entry 13 of 30))

Just Jezza (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge (Entry 13 of 30))

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Jez doesn’t log in very often, as regular readers will know, so it’s always lovely when he does. And I must say, as male avatars go, he is rather tasty.

Of course this is totally down to me.

I heard that Fatewear had released some new awesomeness so I took him along to go see and yes, awesome is a fitting word to describe the lovelieness on offer!

Fatewear, from Damian Fate, has to be one of the best brands of male mesh clothing on the grid. Damian is an outstanding creator, using brilliant textures and bringing them to life with shading and shaping that adds depth and reality to each outfit.  

Each item is carefully created;  I mean you really get the sense it took ages to perfect each piece, yet it’s never overstated or brash. Subtlety is key with this brand, with gentle colour transitions and patterns that are visually striking but presented perfectly. Damian is a creator’s creator, and so he should be, he’s been in-world a long time so knows his stuff. This is a designer to aspire to!

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His latest releases are a contemporary selection of slacks, tanks and hoodys, which granted aren’t complicated pieces but they need a special touch if they’re to work perfectly, and these do.

I decided to get Jez a ‘Simon’ hoody, and some ‘Nick’ pants, and they just look amazing on  him.  They’re ‘materials ready’, something that I haven’t played about with as yet, but even though I’m not using the MR viewer these still look totally authentic and really look good on his avatar.  The hoody in particular works extremely well. You can wear it with the hood down, or up for a more mean and moody look. It fits like a dream, and the creasing details are perfect. It looks real, what more could you ask for?

Well, I felt Jez needed some new hair too so took him along to Exile. I’ve not tried their men’s styles and wanted to see if Jez would suit them, and the very first one he tried he bought. You know when something just looks right on your avatar? This style; ‘Jackson’ in ‘Marone’,  is a prime example of that. It works beautifully with Jez’s David skin, which is of course meant to replicate the astonishingly handsome David Beckham.  It does a great job of that, but Jez’s shape is tweaked to make him look slightly less like David and more  like..well, Jez!  (I especially like the eye wrinkles that are built into this skin, they make him look beautifully aged and very handsome!)

It’s nice to know that when your virtual fella does actually log in he’s going to look glorious. I just wish he’d log in more often!

Jez wears:

Shape: Jez’s own (based upon Redgrave original)

Skin: REDGRAVE – David in Tan.

Hair: EXILE Jackson in ‘Marone’

Outfit: FATEWEAR (Nick pants and Simon Hoody)

Eyes: IKON ‘Ascension’ in Pewter (M)

The IKON Eyes Have It! (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge (Entry 2 of 30))

The IKON Eyes Have It! (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge (Entry 2 of 30))

The very best monthly group gifts, in my humble opinion of course, come from IKON. 

Because each  month VIP group members are treated to a new pair of eyeballs from  this exemplary brand. 

The gift is available between the first week of each month, and is ALWAYS spectacular. 

Granted, you know that you’re going to get a pair of eyeballs, but when they’re as awesome as the ones produced by  Ikon Innovia it’s always a pleasure to receive them. 

This month the gift is a pair of eyes from the ‘Destiny’collection, called ‘Maya’. They’re fantastic; a stunning blend of jade and yellow tones with ribbons of gold. (The collection of 36 eyes is available exclusively at The Boutique until June 10th, after which they will be available in-store) 

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If I had squillions of Lindens I swear I’d buy every pair in this collection because they are just AMAZING. The colours are all breathtaking and have been perfectly blended to create eyes that glimmer and glisten. The lighting upon the iris is utterly sublime and the size options in every IKON pack mean you can guarantee that your eyes will definitely have‘it’, if ‘it’ is being totally delicious. ( I tend towards the ‘M’ size)

If you aren’t a VIP group member, then poddle along to IKON now and join up and get these awesome eyes while you have the chance.

I promise you’ll be captivated by them. 

Kitty Plays ‘Catch-Up’

Kitty Plays ‘Catch-Up’

As I’m sure regular readers know I work in real life (Shh! I know we don’t like to talk about that!) so my time in-world is often limited.  This means I have to play ‘catch-up’ when I finally come back in, and I have to say that at the moment Second Life is really overwhelming me due to the amount of events that are currently running on the grid. I shouldn’t complain too much though, it’s a good time to be an avatar, especially if you want to be a super-stylish one too!

Problem for me as a blogger is that there are so many events in-world that I know I can’t possibly do justice to them all on these pages. You have to appreciate that these kinds of occasions take weeks of planning and organising so it’s only fair that when they begin they receive the quality coverage they deserve.

Perhaps one of my issues is that when I attend an event I like to take my time and wander around them, and then I  get distracted, go back to stores repeatedly and have another look, and then forget where I saw things that really caught my eye in the first place. I do actually have a notebook that I use to remind me of locations and places where I’ve seen fabulous items, but of course, that only works if you remember to write in it….DOH!

In a situation like this when I feel that there’s just so much going on that i don’t know where to start, I find a good visual aide to be invaluable.  It saves me time if I can see what an event is offering by checking out a dedicated web-site,or checking out the feeds to see what other bloggers are covering.

Fortunately we are blessed with resources like Serpahim which seems to cover the majority of sales and events on the grid. To be honest, I’d be lost without that blog; it’s become my go-to on a daily basis to find out what’s happening and where, and a quick nosy at their snapshots always help me plan my spends ahead.  I’m also  finding myself glued (or should that be pinned?) to Elysium Hyne’s Pinterest selections for event reportage too. Here’s a huge thank you to Elysium and all the team at Seraphim for their hard work!

Anyway, let’s get on to the good stuff. I have managed to treat myself to a few lovely things this week, so I’ll do a quick post about a few things I’ve spotted at a couple of events before I scurry off to check out some more!

First up, The Liaison Collaborative has gifted us with ‘The Boutique’, which features a superb selection of fashion, accessories and poses. The theme is ‘Fresh’, and they aren’t joking, featuring zesty contributions from Baiastice, !Bang, Belleza, Bilo, Cae, CNS Emotion, E! Apparel, Earthstones, Elikatira, Essences, Flowey, Glam Affair, Gos Boutique, Half-Deer, Haste, Hopscotch, Ikon, Inside Lab, Ispachi, Izzie’s, Just Designs, La Petite Morte, Lassitude & Ennui, Lavallie, Leezu, Noodles, NYU, Olive, Rebel Hope, Valentina E. and Vanity Poses. Phew!   I always enjoy these events; they’re not so large as to leave you feeling bewildered, and the selection of designers that contribute are all well-established, quality brands. There’s a real feeling of finesse to this event and I always get the impression that there’s been a lot of care taken by the planners behind the scenes to ensure that they have curated the very best goodies for the event. That’s why you find brands like Belleza showcasing skins, and how I wish they wouldn’t.

</me Kitty shakes fist angrily!>

Because yet again Belleza have adorned their sublime Mya skin with some utterly glorious make-ups and naturally I couldn’t avoid them. As I’ve said before, I love make-ups and it would take some serious coaxing to get me out of my Izzie’s skin and into another, but Ava proved way too hard to resist, with her winged eyeshadow perfection in a variety of colours. It would be just plain rude to not indulge. So I did.

And I look fabulous, see? 

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Don’t even get me started on the totally delicious array of IKON eyes at the event either; I had to walk away lest I spent my rent. Suffice to say that IKON are my favourite brand of eyes in world (I am wearing them in the picture above of course, but these are an existing pair from my collection) and seeing new ones made me all teary and misty-eyed. So to avoid further distress I swiftly departed on to my next destination, The 100 Block.  

This is a ‘Depraved Nation‘ event and it features over 100 participating designers and artists. That’s way too many to list in this post, so if you click HERE you can go visit the official blog and review the selection yourself, but suffice to say I found it very satisfying indeed.  I’ve been zooming all round the, erm, block, most of the morning  with gay abandon and totally relishing the fabulous fashion on display.

There are some really special mesh items on sale and it’s nice to see that there are some goodies for the chaps as well as the ladies, and there’s also hair, piercings and tattoos.

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I discovered a new brand of hair whilst I was at the event.  In the shot above I’m wearing ‘Toffsy’ (Maroon) by Adoness and I really love it. It’s an unusual combination of bob shape with added oomph and curl, and I think that it makes for a winning combination.

But what’s also rather special is this fantastic frock that I discovered at the event.  I’m all about Leopard print in Second Life, well, I am called Kitty after all, and I was really blown away by this stylish gown that I found hanging on the rack at Ellemeno.

I’ve blogged CarrieAnn Lemon’s label before and it’s a relatively new yet well-produced brand that is especially focused upon the mesh boobs market, but don’t let that dissuade you from investigating their goodies because you don’t have to sport mesh boobs to look sensational in them. I was going to wear my Lola’s for this shot, but in the end I thought I looked fabulous enough without.

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Taking a traditional gown shape and bringing it bang up to date with Leopard print is a brave move, yet it works beautifully. Now I wear a LOT of leopard print and there’s one thing I’ve noticed, especially with mesh items. If the textures aren’t carefully applied, and to be frank if a decent Leopard print texture isn’t used in the first place, the result can be a bit..well, rubbish.  But there’s no such worries here with this gown; the print really looks the part and the shape of this dress is nothing short of perfect.

I wish I could wear this in real life, but alas, I’d look like Bella Emberg channelling Bet Lynch.  

But at least in Second Life I can look divine, eh?

So anyway, because I’m still playing catch-up I thought I’d share a small list of events that I really do think you will enjoy checking out, and to make things even more fun for you, I’ve included links (to either Seraphim or Elysium’s posts) so that you can have a peek at the good stuff before checking them out in-world.

Who knows, I may even bump into you at one of these!(You’ll recognise me, a bewildered looking idiot) Be sure to say ‘Hello’ if you do see me!

Happy Shopping! Oh and a thought, if you find something nice why not tell us about it in the comments below? Toodles!

Another SL Meme: Pet Peeves

Another SL Meme: Pet Peeves

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Darn you Strawberry Singh and your epic Second Life memes! I jest of course, but Berry’s latest meme asks a very valid point, what really winds you up about the virtual world we call home?

I have to be honest, this wasn’t an easy meme to respond to.

I was worried I’d put a few noses out of joint, so I have tried to be gentle. I’ve also not included all of my peeves, as some need to be kept closer to home. But it certainly got me thinking, so thanks again Berry! (I wonder what she’ll come up with next?!)

  1. RUDENESS.  Yes I get Second Life is a virtual environment, but that doesn’t mean that you leave your manners at the loading screen. If you’re ill-mannered in real life I’ll think you’re an asshole. If you’re ill-mannered in Second Life I’ll think you’re a special kind of asshole. It takes a certain kind of individual to sit behind their keyboard and type something mean or just plain-rude to someone in a virtual environment.
  2. ANTLERS. I’ve had just about enough of seeing antlers everywhere in Second Life.  Don’t get me wrong, I have seen some absolutely amazing clothing featuring deer motifs, and I’ve also seen some equally amazing jewellery featuring it too. I’ve also seen some fabulous antler chairs, antler light fittings, in fact antler home furnishings galore! I mean, what’s next, an antler toilet brush? It’s like a never-ending weekend at Ted Nugent’s house!  If you’re role-playing, I get the need for antlers. If not, just please cease and desist before you drive me into full-on Fenton mode.  Before you know it we’ll all be going moustache mad, how ludicrous would that be?  Oh, wait, that’s already happened..
  3. GROUP NOTICES:if you send them, PLEASE for the love of all-that-is-holy, SPELL CHECK them and if English isn’t your best language then please get someone who speaks it to proof-read for you before you send out. I do actually pay attention to group notices, and they often  tempt me to go and investigate offers and items. But if you issue them exclaiming things like; ‘Plz check this now!’ without a LM, or something like ‘Hurry! This price won’t last forever’ I will just delete. Pro-tip: Notices should stand out, because they need to attract customers. They require a punchy yet informative title to draw your customer in to opening them and reading them. Therefore be original, be witty, be playful but most of all be bothered to actually tell me what you’re sending the notice out about!  Sell me the product that you’re advertising and include a picture or I just won’t bother to read any further.  So many people out there must make wonderful creations that I never get to see because their notices are written so shabbily, so just don’t. If you’ve taken care over your creation, take care over your advertising too!
  4. SOCIALISM. Well, actually no, that’s not the pet peeve, but THIS is:

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There are so many furniture builds featuring this particular set of books that you would think we’re all political nerds in Second Life. Obviously the majority of us aren’t,  but I bet we all have these books on our shelves! I bet if you search your inventory you’ll find furniture featuring them. It’s not just the lesser known creators that have used these either, some of the uber-established furniture making names have featured them on multiple occasions and it just drives me to utter distraction. I’ve seen carefully constructed furniture utterly ruined by adding these bloody books.  If you’ve taken the time and care to develop and build a fantastic, original item then why ruin it by including something that can be seen a myriad of other places on the grid?! The mind boggles. Please stop!

5. BAD DESIGN: OK, this is quite a broad-ranging response, so let me try and clarify it a little bit.  I’m talking about ugly, cheap textures deployed upon builds. Build shapes that look dated and six years past their prime. Skins with no depth or shading upon them, and the worst thing, clothing, especially gowns and skirts, made with those cone-shaped prims that  legs tend to stick out of in a manner worse than Angelina Jolie at an awards ceremony. Please don’t misunderstand;  I don’t want to come over holier than thou on this and I realise that taste is a very personal thing, but I find it hard to believe that with so much design inspiration to be found on the grid people still create what is, quite frankly utter garbage. What boggles the mind even more is that occasionally they expect to sell it….WTF?!

Peeved Kitty wears: