SKIN FAIR 2015 – La Malvada Mujer ‘Anna’

March 28, 2015July 13, 2015 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Now until two seconds ago I had absolutely no idea that LA MALVADA MUJER means ‘The Evil Woman’, but thanks to the wonders of Google Translate I do now:) Faina Cortes is the brains behind the brand that creates skins, make-ups tattoos, poses ‘and garbage’ (her words not mine) in Second Life. And personally, I don’t think she has an evil bone in her body!

First of all this is NOT your regular skin brand, and that’s a strength, not a criticism. These are skins with edge that stick two fingers up at regular Second Life skin standards and veer completely off track. That’s not to say that they’re completely ‘out there’, but they’re the kind of skins that many will avoid because the shading and styling on them is a little too irregular for their tastes. Now, that’s a shame, because they’re missing out on taking a trip with some of the tastiest alternative skin-wear in world, but it also means that if you choose to sport these skins then you’re one hella unique individual indeed, and in a world teeming with ‘unique individuals’ then that’s really saying something!This is a world of twisted tattoos and dramatic eyeshadows and lips. This is a world where cheekbones are so sharp that they will cut you, so perhaps there is some evil to be reckoned with, after all. They’re certainly not skins for the faint of heart.

I went for an oddball 1990’s inspired look when wearing ‘Anna’, the SKIN FAIR 2015 release. Initially I struggled a little with styling, but eventually realised that with this skin, less is more. So I pared back my look removing the tattoos that I normally wear these days and focusing on the skin itself. Now, like all the reviews I’ve done so far I haven’t changed anything about my basic shape at all, yet straight away you can see how different my face looks to normal. This is due to shading and shaping and there is LOTS of it here. Cheeks are super-sharp, eyes well defined and lips acute; think angles and edges rather than softness and sheer shape. That’s not to say that the shading isn’t exceptional, it is, but this skin has a definition that some will not be used to at all. Don’t fear it. As an analogy, this is the kind of skin you would probably see on the most haute-couture of catwalks.

It’s fair to say then that LA MALVADA MUJER skins are not for everyone, and you won’t descend into a virtual club to see it filled with avatars sporting these looks. But that my friends is a bonus; in a world where we can indulge our differences it’s often surprising to me how much we can look the same. Not if you’re wearing these skins. Last but not least if you have the TMP Mesh Body then this is the brand to seek out and try because there’s so much tailored to fit your investment. For the rest of us think regular skin layers to sport, but also colourful alternative bright eyebrows and shadows along with lips to match and freckles that look authentic due to their lack of symmetry. I urge you to give this brand a go guys; it’s very different but a lot of fun.

You’ll find LA MALVADA MUJER on SKIN FAIR 2015 SIM 1, Booth 44

**Kitty wears ANNA Skin Tone 2 NB* ANNA Lipstick N2* ANNA eyebrows violet**

Anna Skin is available at the event 4 skin tones, with separate eyebrows, eye shadows and lipsticks available separately from the skin.

SKIN FAIR 2015 – Static Skins ‘Seia’

March 26, 2015July 13, 2015 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I wasn’t familiar with STATIC skins before SKIN FAIR 2015 at all, and if I’m brutally honest, I struggled with Seia at first. I couldn’t get her to work on me; styling proved difficult for some reason and I felt like I’d lost my mojo..and then all of a sudden, we clicked!
Her face suddenly struck me as having a real vintage quality to her, almost a 1920’s aspect with the thin, slightly fuzzy brow and the very pronounced cupid’s bow to the lip. I’m glad I persevered because she’s an incredibly satisfying skin to wear indeed. In fact, I ended up styling her in my usual fashion, adding a tattoo from THINGS to add a wee bit of ‘oomph’ and being very pleased with the results, as I hope you can tell from these snaps!
Unlike some of the other skins I’ve featured from Skin Fair 2015 Seia doesn’t have an overwhelming stack of options choose from, which may seem a tad underwhelming but trust me, it can actually be a relief too! We’re laden with appliers and layers and mesh attachments, sometimes it’s good to keep our choices simple and few. The trick is, they need to be QUALITY. Impiety hasn’t let us down on that score. I would have liked a no brow skin option, just because I’m that kind of gal, but I can work with what I’m given when it’s this good. As you can tell, I ended up being rather keen on this skin indeed.
So what do I like about Seia? The visage is very pretty and if you are looking for a vintage look to your chops I’d recommend this skin straight away, even though I don’t think it’s intended to evoke that kind of feeling. (Pro-tip, If you increase the size of your eye opening just a tad, and make the dip in the philtrum a little deeper, this skin will practically turn you into Clara Bow) OR you can do away with the regular mouth altogether and add some PXL Sweet Lips into the mix, should you so wish. I was delighted to find appliers for the lipsticks in the package that will fit PXL Sweet Lips, Nyam Nyam and Loud Mouth.

Each skin tone costs just L$599 and is bursting with goodness in each bottle. Guys, this is an absolute bargain considering what you get in each pack! I’m wearing ‘Sunkissed’ and it’s a lovely warm ivory tone that doesn’t skimp on the details one jot, even though for the price it could. Your purchase gets you the basic skin along with versions featuring black, blue, purple and red lipstick options, along with the aforementioned PXL, Nyam Nyam and Loud Mouth appliers. That’s not all, your Slink, Lolas and Omega applier needs are catered to as well!

I’m so glad I took my time to enjoy ‘Seia’, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by her and think she’s a great find at SKIN FAIR 2015, and I think you will too!

Click HERE to go straight to her!

SKIN FAIR 2015 – NAR MATTARU ‘Kyrin’

March 25, 2015July 13, 2015 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

You STILL have time to visit SKIN FAIR 2015, of course you do it doesn’t end until March 29th. I had planned on this post being up on Monday but alas, real life thought differently, so let’s crack on. I have to be honest here and say that I’m wearing an absolute favourite skin brand of mine and that’s NAR MATTARU. This skin is called ‘Kyrin’ and she’s an absolute treat to wear. Let me just recap a second though: ZOUL CREATIONS and NAR MATTARU were real eye openers for me at SKIN FAIR 2014, and I’ve kept a close kitty-eye on both brands ever since. I just cannot understand why these brands aren’t bigger in-world. As I’ve said in a previous post, ask someone to name a skin brand and they’ll probably mention either BELLEZA or GLAM AFFAIR. There’s no problem with that because both of those brands are absolutely fantastic and totally worthy of their in-world status BUT I just wish I could encounter someone who would holler out one of the less known but equally worthy contenders. Because they are just that dear readers; they’re JUST as worthy of your attention and I guarantee you won’t ever regret wearing them.

But I digress. We’re here to talk about ‘Kyrin’ and why I love her so. Well, just LOOK at her. She’s beautiful. She slips over your shape like a glove and caresses every curve. She looks crazy astonishing naked, and there are no harsh lines to be seen nor details amiss. Jade Glazner has really excelled herself this time, and although she seems to have gently steered NAR MATTARU into the niche of an alternative brand do not let that put you off giving ‘Kyrin’ a go even if you don’t like piercings or tattoos or any bodily adornments whatsoever. With or without she’s a wonder, and as I hope you can see a great skin to photograph too!

Ultimately you need your skin to be super-wearable on your avatar and Kyrin ticks all the right boxes. Her brows are thick but not over-whelming and look extremely good, and the makeups are great too. Jade always throws amazing lip colours into the mix and that’s the case here for ‘Kyrin’. The eye makeups are also pretty damn fine as well; I don’t need to add a separate eyeliner layer for a start, the ‘Ghostwing’ more than meets my needs! I mean, just look at this face…

It’s just an absolute pleasure to wear skins this good, it really is, and every new skin I’ve tried this Skin Fair 2015 has been a joy to behold, and ‘Kyrin’ is an absolute addition to that list. I’ve had some serious compliments as well, I always seem to when I wear Jade’s skins, and it’s been really satisfying being able to tell people what I’m wearing and where they can find it. Oh and last but not least you’ll find Maitreya and Slink appliers as well as Wowmeh and TMP, plus Kyrin is ‘backwards-compatible’ with Jade’s previous release, the ever amazing ‘Zoe’ skin.

Inherently wearable, incredibly beautiful and absolutely Nar Mattaru. Don’t miss her!

Ready to go shopping? NAR MATTARU is SIM 1, booth 27. Here’s your taxi!

SKIN FAIR 2015 – Random Matter ‘Ashri’

March 19, 2015July 13, 2015 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

If I’ve said it before, I’ve said it a million times; makeup layers in Second Life are only super effective if you have a good base to start with. Random Matter’s ‘Ashri‘ provides not just a great base, but by gum it’s a lovely skin to wear too. I’d actually say that Ashri is one of those skins that don’t have the mass market appeal of some other skin brands on the grid, BUT before you read any further into that let me reassure you that is NOT a criticism. If anything, it’s a compliment. Ashri has a look about her that is unique, alternative and different to most of the other skins that I’ve worn thus far, but make no mistake, she’s beautiful and super-adaptable.
First of all, the skin tone. I opted for ‘Porcelain’, which is a shade that is usually too pale for me to sport every day in the metaverse but the way that Nikohl Hax has crafted this base makes me question my Second Life choices. Seriously it’s a beautiful skin colour. (Zoom in on the picture above, I’ve done nothing to it other than crop it down!)You absolutely MUST try this one in world because you’ll only see the effect when you’re wearing her but as tones go she is one of the best I’ve seen at Skin Fair 2015. It is very hard to put it into words but there’s a luminescence about this shade that just sings off the screen. It’s easy for a pale colour to look very ‘flat’ on an avatar, and some creators have never quite got that right. Nikohl could teach them a lesson or two, because her shading takes nothing away from the base tone yet enhances, brightens and illuminates in all the right places. When Ashri is applied to a mesh body boy does she work perfectly. I mean the back of her legs, the crease of her knees even has definition and lighting and her legs look amazing as a result. There’s thought gone into this creation; check out the enhancement on her temple. I mean look! There’s shading there, somewhere that most skin makers leave out completely. It’s a revelation. Incidentally, Ashri is a great skin to sport when nude and I’m pleased to say that you don’t really notice the neck seam on this one at all. Never mind Second Life, I want to have my pasty white skin this colour in real life! This is a skin that you can play about with and really enjoy. And here’s a thing- I got real hints of celebrity whilst I was styling her on my avatar. See what I mean?

The above shot makes me think of Dakota Fanning. The one below?

I get serious Michelle Pfeiffer vibes off this look! In fact, and I hate to say it but the words are going to have to be said, this skin makes me think all kinds of alternative/hipster chic, if there is such a thing. Coupled with PXL Sweet Lips (Yes, Random Matter has appliers, how awesome is that?!) you really can get that look. And what a look it is. So much FUN! Back to my comment about makeup. Because of the way that Ashri’s face has been created she makes an outstanding base upon which to add eyeliner, lipstick and eyeshadow layers. She looks ruddy stunning as is, with her delicately colour-washed eyelids and hint of blush on her cheeks, but she really does offer you endless possibilities when you throw the contents of your virtual makeup bag into the mix. I’ve tried her with different brows and with different looks and loved every single one. Here are a few below to give you an idea of what I mean:

Of course, Random Matter has their own range of epic makeups to choose from too (click HERE to see what I mean!) so you’re never going to be short of ideas. And if you do run short of them you really should check out the website because it’s great; jam-packed with alternative stylings the like of which this Kitty really approves. Nikohl makes mean Jewellery and accessories too, which is what you’d expect from someone so talented (She’s in college full time for Graphic Design/Game Art.) Impressive no?

You’ll find Ashri at SKIN FAIR SIM 1, booth 53 (it’s on the top level). Ashri can be purchased in Cream, Porcelain or Ivory tones. There are 4 system lip colour options included in the pack (Base, Coral, Nude and Peach) and you can also purchase appliers for Sweet Lips, Loud Mouth, Nyam Nyam or Kissers. In each pack you’ll find base skins with Black, Blonde, Brown, Red or No Brow (woot!) options. There’s also a brow kit on sale for L$50, and they’re well worth treating yourself to! Incidentally, this is another skin creation that doesn’t cost the earth (yet it feels like it should). Each tone costs L$600 per pack. Mouth appliers are just L$50 a throw, and body appliers for Slink, Physique, Maitreya Belleza AND Lolas are just L$50 each as well. It’s a bloody bargain yet it shouldn’t be, these are quality skins that deserve to be twice the price. Luckily for us, they aren’t, and I insist that you buy them all. Congratulations Nikohl, and well done for creating such a glorious skin. I’m loving her versatility and quirkiness, what a corker!