..and I do, I really do. It doesn’t matter how many skins I wear (and I must have worn hundreds during all my years in Second Life) nothing, and I mean NOTHING, beats the feeling of putting on a new skin and realising it’s the closest thing to perfection you’ve ever encountered. Well, at least that’s until the next slice of perfection comes along, which is pretty frequently in our virtual world these days, but forgive my capricious nature and allow me to indulge myself when I say for that moment nought comes close to that skin that you’re inhabiting.

I refuse to believe that I’m the only one in Second Life who gets giddy when it comes to these things. You cannot stop camming in upon yourself and  you find yourself practically drooling into your keyboard as you twist and turn on your pose-stands.  Ever experienced that? It’s a real rush as you rummage through your inventory to find the perfect styles, the perfect make-ups and the absolute must-have outfits to match the dream skin you’re sporting, and you become ever-so-slightly obsessed with it to the point that you’re disappointed when you look in your real life mirror and don’t see that skin looking back at you..those blurred lines between your reality in the virtual world and the physical one are never more fuzzy than when you find something so perfect.

So, what am I prattling on about? My latest skin obsession, which is LUCIE from AMARA BEAUTY. If there was ever a skin that could shine bright like a diamond then folks, this is it!  I’m wearing here my CATWA ‘Gwen’ head, IKON eyes and MAITREYA ‘Lara’ body, along with my MANDALA ears. Nothing else, no make-up or additional in-world lighting; this is just a raw shot from my skybox. Gorgeous ain’t she? 

 What makes her so special for me, in particular, are a couple of the component features that Shantia Soulstar has used so expertly to create this beautiful face.  I’ve written on these pages many, many times about brows being ‘the coathangers of the face’ and how skins don’t work properly if the brows don’t work. It never ceases to amaze me how many esteemed designers in-world just don’t understand that simple fact! You can apply as much shade and tone to the base skin as you like but if your brows are dodgy then you may as well just throw your dice in the bin, do not pass ‘GO’ and go straight to jail.  Fortunately,  this is something that Shantia Soulstar has proved that she understands very well because the brow featured on ‘Lucie’ is the very definition of ‘on fleek’.  This is a thick, well-defined slim arch that sits beautifully upon the browbone of the mesh underneath.

The next critical feature is the mouth. Both brow and mouth need to balance out; I’m talking in terms of their weight and feel rather than colour. Again, some designers struggle with mouth shapes, and when you throw a mesh-head into the mix that complicates matters. Again, we aren’t let down here; this is a substantial lip that a certain Jenner girl would covet. Worn bare it’s plump and pouting; add lipstick and you’ve found your canvas.

The body is of course just as crucial to matters as the face, and anatomical details have to be present and correct.  To that end you’ll find everything in check here; highlights fall upon natural curves and shading accentuates the parts that matter.  Nipples look right whichever skin tone you choose (I’m wearing 02 Beige throughout) and knees, elbows and ankles ( all those bony bits!) have been worked upon to blend  into the rich base tone.

Shantia never skimps on the extras either: the lip palette that is available for LUCIE features an entire spectrum of juicy shades but of course, you can find appliers galore across Second Life to wear with her. As a base for make-up she’s a real treat; I’ve been revelling in everything that DEESSES produce recently for both my LELUTKA ‘Stella’ and CATWA ‘Gwen’ head, and I’ve found the DEESSES ‘Fierce’ eyeshadow palette and the ‘Luxe’ eyelashes set both work absolutely beautifully with LUCIE.

But back to the topic at hand: this skin is an absolute winner. She’s versatile and I’ve styled her in countless ways over the past few weeks that I’ve been wearing her, and I am so enjoying her.   Even though there have been recent skin releases from brands that I really adore I haven’t flinched, I’ve stayed true to LUCIE because she’s just resplendent.  Of course, I’m a fickle mistress and I will change to another skin soon enough I’m sure, but for now I am quite honestly happy to simply revel in her.

**Find ‘Lucie’ exclusively at WE LOVE ROLEPLAY until the end of April (booth 29)**

Kitty Wears (top picture): 

SKIN: AMARA BEAUTY ‘Lucie’ in 02 Fair (worn with lipstick from matching lip palette)

EYES: IKON ‘Triumph’ Eyes ‘Storm’

EYE MAKE UP: DEESSES ‘Fierce’ Eyeshadow Palette

HAIR: LITTLE BONES ‘Thoughts’

TOP: ZAARA ‘Ruhi’ Layered Blouse (Ivory) COLLABOR88

NOSE RING: ZAARA ‘Goa Party’ Baga Nosering

POSES: Picture 1: RK POSES ‘Cara’ 5  Picture 2: AMTIE ‘Aire’ 5