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: 

Skin Fair 2013: More skins than you can shake a virtual stick at!

Skin Fair 2013: More skins than you can shake a virtual stick at!

I’ve not even scratched the surface of what promises to be an exceptional Skin Fair. Over the past few days I’ve posted about a number of skins, but there are still yet more waiting to be experienced and enjoyed.  Even better you have less than 24 hours to wait!

 As I have said, repeatedly, I haven’t been this impressed by skins in a long time.

Even though I’ve reviewed a few quality skins it is impossible for me to select a favourite from the selection.  It’s too vast, and I’m confident that if you’re shopping for new skins you won’t be disappointed.

So here are a few more skins worth your attention when you hit Skin Fair 2013

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Whenever I think of Rockberry skins I start singing ‘Rockferry’ by Duffy in my head. Totally bonkers word association nonsense I know, but just as Duffy is a quality songstress, Rockberry skins are sharp and vivid in their countenance.

I tested a darker skin than I would normally wear from the Rockberry ‘Paige’ line, and I was not disappointed. I don’t wear skins that are deep tones, and that’s evidently  to my detriment, because as you can see this skin is absolutely mouth-watering.

The make-up range for Paige is excellent, and detailing more than adequate. The brow is slight rather than heavy but works against the framework of the face and the cleavage option is particularly impressive, thanks to fabulous shading which is in evidence across the whole line.

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Izzie Button is a skin maker much beloved by many a Second Life avatar, and it’s hard not to see why when she’s creating confections as tantalising as her ‘Asia’ skin. This is the ginger version, and benefits from freckles and great pigmentation-detailing across the skin layer. It’s just so darn pretty!  There’s a youthful vibe to this skin too; and when hair in a ginger shade is added it just completes the spicy look. Stick me in a union jack dress in this one and I’d be more than happy!

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Mons is a label that I know quite well, in that I use their cosmetics a LOT and love them.  Wearing a Mons skin was a new experience for me, and they’re really quirky. I love the glittery highlights on the lip and some of the eye make-ups are sparkly treats.  I was really impressed by the Cat Skin, and I think it’s going to be a very popular choice.  The brow on this one was less shaped than others I’ve tried, but I actually really liked it which surprised me as I usually prefer a neater line. I think I look adorable in it.

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Last but not least, is Mirror’s Enigma. This is the Medow skin, in the light skintone, and I think it’s enchanting. It has a soft quality to it from the gentle way that the colour has been applied, it’s a beautiful skin.  The flush in the cheeks carries over the nose and looks really beguiling; although there’s nothing innocent about this skin at all, it is made of win in all the right places. It’s extremely wearable and is my final pick of the skin previews.

 As I write this I’m actually perched upon the steps next to the Essences skin stand, which incidentally has some of the best make-ups that I’ve seen in the fair and I predict they will make massive sales at the event.  Looking around I can see the creators milling hastily about and frantically completing their displays. I feel a great sense of wonder at the moment; skins make such an impact on our appearance and the people that I am surrounded by are genuine artists in every sense of the word. I can see that Apple May has just rezzed in to add the finishing touches to her stand, and Elysium Hynes is hovering above me in the sky.  I can only assume that she’s blogging as she buzzes like a humming bird around the sim.  It’s getting busier now; there are more and more green dots on the map as more people arrive to set-up.

Here’s a line-up of all those who will be participating in this year’s event: 

:Modish::
. : VyC : . Men’s Bodyshop
.::WoW Skins::.
[ a.e.meth ]
[][]Trap[][]
[Gauze]
[ROCKBERRY]
[sYs]
[theSkinnery]
**SHINE** Skins&Fashion
*Anymore store
*Les Petits Détails*
*Step inSide*
+Nuuna+
~Alchemy~
Adam n Eve
Aeva // Heartsick
AKERUKA
Alessandra Skins & Fashion
Amacci
Apple May Designs (AMD)
Belleza
Birth
Blue Blood
BLUSH SKINS
CandyDoll
Casa del Shai
Chillie
Cupcakes
Curious Kitties
DeeTaleZ
DREAM INK DESIGN SKIN & TATTOO
Dulce Secrets
Elysium Skins & Apparel
English Muffin
Envious
ENVYME
Essences
Eye Candi
FAKE
Fallen Gods Inc.
Fresh Fx / House of London
Fruk
Glam Affair
GLANCE
HUIT
Inside Lab.
Iren
Izzie’s
JeSyLiLO
KOOQLA
Le Masque
Leafy
LOGO
LoOmi
Mirror’s Enigma
MOJO
MONS
ND/MD Skins & Shapes
Nivaro
Nomine
Nvious By GG
Oceane Body Design
Ooh-la-licious Skins
Pink Fuel
ploom
Razzanova
ROZENA
RUBY Skins
Sinful Needs
Skindustrial Bodywerks
Snow Rabbit
Sparkyle
TELLAQ
The Plastik
The Sugar Garden
Tokyo.Girl
Tuli
TuTy’s
Ugly Duck
ViViG
Zanzo
Zoul Creations

Congratulations to everyone concerned, and I wish everyone involved in Skin Fair 2013, whether creator or customer, a very happy and prosperous event indeed. 

*Update: I think I’ve figured out what Elysium was up to! Check out her awesome pinterest board featuring details of some of the 80 Skin Fair participants..nice one Elysium!

**All hair in this post by Elikatira. All eyes from Ikon. Shirts from dollle and Enelya’s Creations**

Skin/Shape Expo 2009..Kitty pops her Rockberry!

Skin/Shape Expo 2009..Kitty pops her Rockberry!

Here’s the second of my skin postings from the expo, and again it’s a superb example of the talent and skill that is on display. If you tried to get in today you may have struggled because it would appear that the sim has been jam-packed with lusty shoppers for most of the day, but don’t be disheartened, there is plenty of time left to enjoy it.

All the interest that the Expo has generated just highlights how competitive the Skin Trade (cue Duran Duran) actually is, and with good reason; skins are probably the most important item in your inventory, and with so many excellent designers on the grid these days it means that second rate just isn’t good enough anymore. Creators looking to provide the ultimate skin experience for us virtual consumers are continually raising the bar in their campaign to make the perfect skin. Designers spend hours, days even, in their quest to ensure that their finished products are deemed worthy enough to be worn by the masses..and I’ll be honest in that I don’t envy them one iota..can you imagine the pressure?! Yes skins are costly, but when you see works of art like this example from Rockberry, wouldn’t you agree it’s worth every linden spent?

I was a Rockberry virgin prior to the expo but no longer…My berry has been well and truly popped by this amazing skin-‘Farrah’ in Tan. Like the Curio skin that I blogged yesterday this one has depth and structure that is utterly astonishing to behold. I LOVE the way that light and shade has been skillfully worked into this skin at the exact points on the body that would be highlighted in real life. The torso, clavicle and shoulder blades are well defined and drawn, and the colouring is, as you can see from this picture, sublime. ‘Farrah’ has a lovely face, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, and the shading upon the eyes is very alluring, whilst the lips look dirtily damp and inviting. I love the fact that you can buy this skin with a built-in tattoo, something I’ve never experienced before because I’m always a bit wary of tatts, but I’m bowled over by the body art on this skin. It looks faded like a real-life tattoo, and the edges of the design are ever so slightly blurry, making it look realistically worn-in. I just adore it..

I thought following the Curio skin was going to be hard but actually it hasn’t been at all. This is equally wonderful but in a very different way. I’ve photographed the skin whilst wearing my ‘Selina’ shape, which has lovely long legs to show off the tattoo as it  snakes all the way down to the ankle, and I’m also sporting YET MORE new Truth hair and a frock from League. I’ve not added any jewellery for a few reasons, there’s a lot of detail here in the drapery of the dress, the pattern upon the skin and also the texture of the hair, so anything else would just detract from the overall effect…which is just ruddy marvellous, even if I do say so myself:) Another one to check out at the expo, when you can finally get in of course..hope you like!