Tag: Second Life

LOTD: Graphic Novel Kitty

LOTD: Graphic Novel Kitty

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

Comic Book KittyIt’s always a bit tough looking at photos on Flickr because so many times I’m not just absolutely blown away not only by what I see but by the knowledge that my images will never come close. Not that I’m seething with jealousy, but it’s fair to say that a lot of the best visual artists who post their Second Life snaps to places like Flickr also have access to some of the best photo-processing kit you can buy, the jammy chuffs! This doesn’t detract from their achievements because there are some truly talented Second Life photographers out there who deserve our praise and admiration, but what can we do to make the best of our photographs if we don’t have access to Photoshop etc? Well, you can do a lot worse than check out PICMONKEY. I’ve been using it for a few years now and I absolutely love it; it’s great for adding oomph to my pictures along with text, stickers and filters and is just the ticket for quick tidy-ups and tweaks. I pay a few dollars every month for a pro account, and it’s one of the best things that I’ve ever done. I don’t just use it for Second Life either, I use it for my real life pictures too, but there’s no doubt in my mind that my blog would be a lot less interesting without it!
Something that I really enjoy is the theme area of the website. Picmonkey provides a variety of themed items including text, filters, stickers, fonts and everything you need to make pictures that really come into their own on occasions like Christmas and Halloween. You can have hours of fun adding ghoulish tints to photos or hanging baubles on images for home-made Christmas cards.
I’m particularly enjoying their ‘Comic Heroes’ theme at the moment. It features a selection of visual options, such as newsprint, that you can use to decorate your images, along with graphic-novel inspired fonts. The results are excellent and you can knock up a fun image in no time at all, which is what I have done with my LOTD shot for today!
Actually, I wouldn’t have messed around with the picture had it not been so light-blown when I took it but I just couldn’t get the right windlight setting. Fortunately, by using some of the Picmonkey features I’ve been able to turn my image into something that really does belong on the pages of a graphic novel! (Quick Kitty-Note: There are two graphic novels I urge you to read at the moment by the way: ‘Saga‘ and ‘God Is Dead‘. Both of these are amazing and you will thank me for recommending them, I promise!)
Of course, my picture is just a way to display the urban touches to my look. The majority of my items are from this month’s round of UBER which is continually jam-packed and with good reason, it’s an absolute corker with practically every contributor getting the theme spot on. In fact, my look is exactly the same as the one I was wearing in my previous post, with a couple of exceptions. First of all, check out this jacket by PIXICAT. Yes, PIXICAT strikes again with another awesome item, this time a perfectly rendered jacket. I’m thinking I should stop talking about PIXICAT because I’m not on their payroll, but it’s very hard not to talk about Areve’s work because it’s just so damn good.
Reason to like this ‘London’ Jacket? Well, first of all, it’s incredibly easy to wear, and I found that I was able to layer it over other items very easily without other mesh coming through. It’s available in pattern and prints and the range of options is very solid indeed. What I really like however are the sleeves; it’s much easier to spot this on the plain versions of the jacket but take a good look at all the creases and folds in the fabric. It looks as though the sleeves have been pulled up and dropped down suggesting a worn feel, which I’m really liking.
I’m also wearing yet another new hairstyle (I’ve bought so much hair this past month it’s unreal, and has been incredibly painful to my Linden balance!) but this one is from a brand I’ve never worn before. The brand is DOE, and the style is called ‘Puddin’ and is obviously a homage to everyone’s favourite psychopathic ex-girlfriend, otherwise know as Harley Quinn. I could have opted for traditional Harley Quinn colours, but I know that I’ll get more use out of brown shades, especially ones with dipped options, and that’s what I plumped for. I love the shape of this hairstyle; the ponytails on either side are perfect and I love the little curls that flick upwards. I like how the fringe is over to one side too meaning you can show off your brows. I think this is as close to perfect-ponytails as I’ll ever get in-world, and I’m especially chuffed with them!
Last but not least are my spectacles which are actually about five years old! I doubt very much that you’ll find them anywhere. I bought them in 2011 and they’re from a brand called DECEMBER which no longer seems to exist but they’re so well made that they stand the test of time. You know, if I was a content creator from a few years ago and someone was still wearing items I’d made after the fact, I’d be pretty chuffed, wouldn’t you?

Kitty wears:
Skin: ZOUL CREATIONS (Della sk1 – Dk Brows – chC worn with Della Eyeshadow – Carbon 03 and Della Lips Red 02)
Lashes: HUSH – Lashes – Flirt
Lips: PXL SweetLips v1.4
Ears: AITUI – Ear: Gen 4 Heart Plugs
Body: SLINK Physique Mesh Body (+ SLINK Casual Hands)
Tattoo: WHITE WIDOW ‘Insidious’ WIZARDING FAIR 2015
Eyes: BUZZ Cora Eyes – Honey {Medium} THE EPIPHANY
Eyeliner: MONS / Makeups – black eyeliner series-8
Septum Piercing: YUMMY Spiked Septum – Silver
Dress: EATERS COMA – Dress w/ waist tied shirt / Dark Gray (S)
Shoes: REIGN.- Thigh High Sneakers (Slink Body)- Red
Jacket: PIXICAT – ‘London’ Jacket in Red – UBER SL
Hair: DOE ‘Puddin’ (Browns) UBER SL
Pose: BOUNCE THIS –  Pose from  ‘Destiny’ Pack (Cannot recommend these poses enough, check out the MP store!)

Kitty Visits: Hogwarts! You’re a Witch Kitty!

Kitty Visits: Hogwarts! You’re a Witch Kitty!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hogwarts

Well, tell us something we didn’t know eh? <Chuckle> If you’re looking for something absolutely fascinating to visit in-world, and you like all things HARRY POTTER then you’re in for a treat.
In case you aren’t aware there’s an absolutely vibrant roleplay community called MISCHIEF MANAGED in-world, and each year they throw a fantastic fair where you can purchase all kinds of magical items from clothing to jewellery to animals to everything that any aspiring Wizard, Witch or Magician could possibly require.
Last year was a treat of a trip to Diagon Alley, but this year we’ve been cordially invited into Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry itself.   If you haven’t visited before then you’ll be delighted to know that Hogwarts has indeed been built in-world and it looks absolutely astonishing too. Role-play really isn’t my cup of tea at all but I can see why this is one of the most successful ones on the grid;  quite simply it is perfect, from the exterior build of Hogwarts itself into the actual castle which has been carefully constructed to resemble the books (and of course the films) as closely as possible. You can’t help but feel a sense of excitement, if not a little trepidation, as you wander around the halls. I loved every minute of my visit.PicMonkey CollageI also absolutely loved some of the items on sale too; there are Gacha machines galore as well as carefully crafted poses, props and all kinds of wonders  inspired by the film for you to buy. My absolute favourites were the carnivorous plants that feature animations and sound to the touch, but there’s also some stunning wearables from big Second Life names like CAE and KIBITZ, along with the WHITE WIDOW ‘Insidious’ tattoo that I’ve previously blogged and refuse to take off at the moment (because owls!)PicMonkey Collage 2Even if you’re not mad on all things Potter but have love for Witching and Wizardry in general, be assured that you’ll find plenty here to please. I cannot recommend this event enough and who knows, you may find yourself tempted to apply to join the academy? (Details are HERE) Be sure to check this event out before it closes at the end of July, and I hope you enjoy your visit as much as I did!

Click HERE to visit THE WIZARDING FAIRE 2015

LOTD: A bit of everything! (OMG Gacha, Hair Fair and The Seasons Story too!)

LOTD: A bit of everything! (OMG Gacha, Hair Fair and The Seasons Story too!)

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

Kittyy_011

July is in full swing and it’s a BUSY time of year guys and gals, and with so many events running at the moment it’s hard to know which way to turn or where to spend you hard-earned Linden Dollars. Blogs such as ELOQUENCE (and SERAPHIM) do an epic job of featuring the majority of in-world events so that you can see if there’s anything that you fancy before you try to TP in, and for that we owe them our gratitude. It must have been an absolutely enormous task recording the releases and photographing them at the HAIR FAIR Blogger preview last night, yet Vixen Thibedeau has done a sterling job.  (I was there for about five or six hours, got lost twice, spent way too much and felt completely overwhelmed by it all, so pity the poor blogger that has done all the legwork for you!)

If you don’t use blogs such as ELOQUENCE or SERAPHIM to plan your event visits then I really do recommend that you start doing so now. I never land at an event now unless I’ve had a good look at what is on offer beforehand. I go to each event with my list in hand, get my shopping accomplished and get the hell outta Dodge! I’ll return once the initial furore has died down towards the end of the event run, and then I can happily wander around and take in the build, the displays and the ambiance of the place. (Oh, and stare at all the avatars in attendance and scrutinise what they’re wearing. Ahem, no, I don’t, honest.)

Today’s ‘Look Of The Day’ then includes some items that can be found at events that are currently setting the grid on fire. I’ve gone for a dressed down look today, with the key element being this absolutely ravishing hairstyle from a brand called ‘MURRAY’.  I’ve never heard of them before yet I think they’re going to have an exceptional HAIR FAIR 2015, because all the styles they offer at the event are flawlessly executed. There’s no fuss, no tortured prims or misaligned mesh to be seen and no flatness of texture either; but you will discover hair that is beautifully styled, textured and utterly perfect when worn. (Regular visitors will have noticed that I’m wearing a long hairstyle and shock, horror Kitty-readers but most of the styles that I have purchased at HAIR FAIR 2015 have been loose and flowing, rather than my normal much-loved bob shapes. Clearly I’m sickening for something!)

But back to MURRAY; the reason I fell for this ‘Giorgia’ style is because, well, just look. It’s perfect isn’t it? This is the ultimate in plain and simple long hair. Some people may think that when you’re launching at such an occasion you should go out all guns blazing and throw some seriously fancy styles our way, but actually I think it is far better to start as you mean to go on. It would be way too easy to throw avant-garde and over-the-top styles at us but we’d wear them once, twice maybe before throwing them into the backs of our inventories, and I don’t know about you but mine is bursting at the seams as is. Better to launch with something with universal appeal in my opinion, which is what they have done with all four of their HAIR FAIR releases.

You know you should never disregard ‘simple’. It takes a proper artist to make something look so easy and effortless, when behind the scenes it’s actually very difficult to do. Hair creation in world can be merciless after all. MURRAY is a brand that has started with, well, not so much of a bang, but definitely not a whimper. (I think an assertive stamp of the foot?)
They’re a brand I’m going to be watching with interest and I cannot wait to see what further items they come up with during the remainder of 2015. Incidentally, if you’re curious about the flower it’s actually a freebie in recognition of HAIR FAIR’s 10th birthday and comes in a pack of 6 different shades for you to enjoy from TABLEAU VIVANT. (When you do manage to get in watch out for the freebies that the majority of vendors have placed out for us, there are some absolute cracking styles that people are giving away!) It looks beautiful with this ZOUL CREATIONS ‘Della’ skin and I’ve resurrected my PXL Sweet Lips from my inventory to wear too. Why? Because they’re plain awesome!

My dress is another summer release from the APHORISM label. Rucy Byron is turning into a virtual design powerhouse in 2015 consistently releasing quality fashion for male and female avatars; the dress is available in either pattern, plain or floral flavours and encapsulates perfectly the Boho vibe that seems to be rocking Second Life in 2015. You’ll find it at THE SEASONS STORY.  To accessorise, I’ve added a nose-ring from the latest round of OMG GACHA! which is full of Summer and kawaii-themed delights with loads of machines to play.

There really is so much going on this weekend/this month/this summer in-world that you’ve absolutely no excuse not to find something that you’ll enjoy, and don’t forget that INDIE TEEPEE is in full swing over the weekend too, don’t miss it! ( I previewed it in my last post here)

Kittyy_008

Kitty Wears: 

Skin: ‘Della’ by ZOUL CREATIONS
Mouth: PXL Sweet Lips (worn with Della lipstick/applier) by PXL 
Eyes: ‘Charm’ Eyes in ‘Brown’ by IKON
Ears: ‘Naked’ by AITUI
Lashes: ‘Flirt’ by HUSH

Hair: ‘Giorgia’ Hairstyle (light brown 05) by MURRAY @ HAIR FAIR
Hair band: Tropical Headpiece’ in ‘Sunset’ (TABLEAU VIVANT HAIR FAIR gift)

Body: ‘Physique’ by SLINK
Hands & Feet (Casual Hands and Mid Feet) by SLINK

Dress: Summertime Dress (s) by APHORISM (THE SEASONS STORY)
Shoes: ‘Boho Platforms’ in Brown by PURE POISON

Septum Ring: ‘Nisha Septum Ring’ (Black) by ^^SWALLOW^^ (OMG GACHA)
Ring (just seen..only just!) Schadenfreude Owl Wee Beastie Ring by SCHADENFREUDE

Pose: AN LAR POSES ‘The Watchtower Series: Two’ INDIE TEEPEE

LOTD: Goa Trance Kitty Ahoy! (Dancing around her bedroom, not the beach!)

LOTD: Goa Trance Kitty Ahoy! (Dancing around her bedroom, not the beach!)

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Snapshot_005

I’ve not compiled or featured a LOTD post for a wee while so I thought that I’d share my current appearance with you all. I’m totally in love with my look at the moment, and that’s due to a number of factors: a fantastic group gift hair from LITTLE BONES, my glorious ZOUL CREATIONS skin and the amazing ARCADE offerings from ZAARA. It’s not even the most recent group gift either, that’s called ‘Rude’ and is on the counter, but this long-length style which is a shift away from my usual bobbed/mid-length favorites works perfectly with my outfit.  I don’t tend towards long hair in SL for a number of reasons. It doesn’t always photograph well with bits of clothing or limbs sticking through it and I find it very hard to actually discover long hairstyles that I truly love. I do have some, but they tend to get used for blog posts then find themselves thrown into the deepest, darkest corner of my inventory. Not so with this style at all.
I remember once reading an article where a journalist that the Pet Shop Boys do themselves a huge disservice by using epic songs as B-sides; the point being that because their quality was so great they could be released as singles. This is a gift in a similar vein; the style is incredibly easy to wear and ALL the colours you could possibly require are included in the pack. Had this been available to buy I would have bought it. Instead, Nova Faerye has been seriously generous in giving this one out to group members. I really rate the slightly off-centre parting and the way that the hair falls onto the shoulders. I also particularly like the lock that hangs down at the back too, it’s very realistic, and of course being LITTLE BONES hair you’re guaranteed some beautiful colour options. I’ve waxed lyrical about how much I adore ‘Carly’ by ZOUL CREATIONS before, but I’ve not taken her off for a number of weeks now.  I just keep finding new ways to wear her because of the quality eyeshadows and lip colours Shantia Soulstar crafted to match. As you can see the skin works with this look perfectly; the eyeshadow and lip colour compliment the colours of both my hair and my trousers completely. I opted to wear the no-brow option though just so I could add my go-to brows from JUST MAGNETIZED, and, of course, my favourite MONS eyeliner is included too!

!I also picked up this utterly amazing nose-chain from MAXI GOSSAMER at UBER. The nose-chain is something I have always wanted to try wearing in-world but have never quite felt brave enough to give it a shot.  They’ve seemed a little too obtrusive, but this delicate chain with pearl embellishment really does the trick.   I think that it works beautifully with this casual look despite it having a dressy feel.

Moving on, I discovered a store recently called B BOS. It’s clearly been around for a while, but it’s a new discovery for me and it’s not bad at all, featuring some really excellent tops, dresses, pants and other items. In fact,  I dragged a friend over there so she could also indulge. As regular readers know I do like my mesh pieces and there are plenty of those in-store to choose from, it was a highly enjoyable visit.  If you go  be sure to take your time and check out this cracking top that I’m wearing called ‘Valery’. It’s available in a number of colours and with some printed logos too, but I chose black so it would prove more versatile. It cost a very acceptable L$160, and I really rate the hanging strap and chain details, as well as the high cut and cap sleeves. I do have a few criticisms though. First up, there are a number of textured items visible in the store that are clearly not original (for example the Batman logo features prominently).  My second criticism?  I hate store logos on outfits and this top sports the B BOS logo on the back below the collar. I don’t wear store logos in real life, let alone second and I prefer items to be plain rather than have names emblazoned upon them.  I didn’t register that it had the logo on it until I had purchased the item,  but decided that I had to make an exception because I really do love the styling plus the name is relatively discreet and I can just about cope with that. Last but not least, ZAARA at THE ARCADE is absolutely killing it with these amazing ‘Arpora Fisherman’s Pants’. I’ve raided multiple yard sales and got myself every single blooming colour and I fully intend to spend my summer in Second Life wearing nothing else. They are utterly sublime, beautifully patterned and textured (as you would  expect from Zara Kohime) and fit my Slink body like a glove. I want more of them, no, I NEED more of them. They make me a very happy kitty indeed. If I can find the bracelets to go with I’ll be satisfied! (UPDATE: Found them, OH HAPPY DAY!!)

Finally, check out my flat. It’s an absolute mess, absolutely festooned with gacha wins past and present, but I don’t care a ruddy jot. THE ARCADE has provided so many brilliant decorative pieces this round that it’s hard to know when to stop, so I haven’t! There are clothes, cats, make-up and stuff everywhere, and I couldn’t be happier. As my friend Natalie put it, my flat is incredibly eclectic, and I think it’s a fair reflection of who I am in both lives, although I must confess in the metaverse I am definitely better dressed. Right, you’ll have to excuse me, I’m sticking my ZAARA Goa trance CD’s on and attempting to tidy-up..toodles!

Kitty Wears:

SKIN: ZOUL CREATIONS ‘Carly’ (Sk1 No Brows ChB)
(Eyeshadow – Carly Eyeshadow Magic 03)
(Lipstick – Carly Lipsticks Lilac 03)
EYELINER: MONS/Makeups – Black eyeliner series -8
EYEBROWS – JUST MAGNETIZED ‘Diva Brows’ (Brunette 03)
EYES – IKON ‘Destiny’ eyes in Maya (M/L)
LASHES – HUSH ‘Flirt’
HAIR – LITTLE BONES ‘Wasted’ (L) (GROUP GIFT)

Body:
MESH BODY – SLINK ‘Physique’
TATTOO – INHALE ‘Vessels’ (AVAILABLE AT THE CHAPTER FOUR)
MANI/PEDI –ADORED @Sparkling Nights’ (Slink + Omega)

Outfit:
TOP – B BOS ‘Valery’ top in Black
TROUSERS – ZAARA ‘Arpora Fishermans Pants’ *Eggplant* (AVAILABLE AT THE ARCADE)

Jewellery:
CHOKER – XYZ//Tattoo Choker (black)
NECKLACE – ZAARA [Goa Party] Rudraksh necklace (AVAILABLE AT THE ARCADE)
RING – REIGN – Chamber Rings- Meow (Black)
NOSERING –MAXI GOSSAMER -‘Maharani’ (AVAILABLE AT UBER)