Demo Day at Kittys! Collabor88 Feb 2020

February 8, 2020February 8, 2020 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Calloo Callay! It’s ‘Demo Day’ at Kittys! What better way to spend a very blustery Saturday afternoon (we’re supposed to be getting a storm later, it’s called ‘Storm Ciara’ and frankly she can just ruddy well bugger off) than trying on all the things currently on sale at Collabor88?! I bloody LOVE C88, it’s one of my favourite regular in-world events and I’m always excited each month to see what treats lie in store…

I had a look at the catalogue on Seraphim, and then zoomed on over to the cam-shopping platform and had a quick cam around, noting a few items that I really liked the look of and thought that might be worth a try-on session at home. Laden with virtual bags I TP’d home (in the first few days of an event it’s always better to try on at home or at a sandbox because loitering keeps other people from the event, and frankly that’s just not on) and threw them all over the floor as I set about my demo session. I ALWAYS demo before I purchase; it’s just not worth the disappointment of investing in a purchase only to get home to find that it doesn’t work well on your body at all. I’ve learned my lesson on this the hard way. If something’s been rigged badly and you’ve just bought a fat-pack of something divine, you’re going to be in for one helluva unpleasant shock when you realise it’s borked.

All of the pictures I’m sharing with you here have been taken with my graphic settings ramped up high, using bright lighting to enable me to see details properly. The windlight setting that I tend to use for such purposes is ‘Bree’s Apple blossom’, should you wish to give it a try. I haven’t post-processed or enhanced them in any way, they’re just as they appeared on screen. Click on a picture to see a larger version.

First of all I’m trying on this beautiful ‘Marie’ hairstyle from DOUX. I own a lot of this particular brand’s hairstyles and it’s a nightmare because I ALWAYS say to myself that I’ll get the basic pack, and end up getting the ruddy deluxe one, but no matter. I definitely think DOUX hair is worth your attention and investment; I’ve always found their styles to be consistently high-quality featuring beautiful textures, colours and styles along with well designed hair-bases, which makes the styles infinitely wearable. Plus how did we ever manage before stylist HUDS, huh?

‘Marie’ is a side-swept, layered and waved style that evokes a classic feel. It’s more or a medium length and sits just past your shoulders at the back. It’s also a bit nice, I fell for it as soon as I put it on! I mean, just LOOK:

I generally don’t go for brighter colours like the ones above but I felt really drawn to them while I was trying the style. Of course, they’re colours that are in the Deluxe pack because of course they are, and they’re each individually worthy of high praise. This is just three photographs mind you, be aware that there are ….. in the HUD for the Deluxe pack. Which is nice. Ugh, I have no self-control where virtual hairstyles are concerned and this one is just so pretty that it would DEFINITELY make ‘fetch’ happen…(Think about it.. you’ll get the reference!) I love it. Damn you, DOUX!

Moving swiftly on then and next is the latest skin from INSOL. I couldn’t try the LELUTKA one as I don’t have the latest head but no matter, I’m more than happy with my GENUS ‘Baby face’, and even more so after I tested ‘Lena’ upon it. I don’t wear many INSOL skins, and more fool me because this one is very pleasant indeed. What attracted me to this particular skin was the brow shape built into it; I’m a total virtual brow whore. I love them, and I’m a huge fan of wearing a no-brow skin and adding brows from other content creators to create a totally unique look. However, this is a skin that I would be more than happy to wear with the built-in brow, which has a lovely strong arch and frames the face perfectly. The detail on the face itself is great too, especially the central highlighting and shading, which renders a subtle look to the face making for a great base to layer virtual make-up on. (With a trowel, obviously!) The big thing for me when I’m buying a new skin tends to be will I have to buy the facial skin AND a new body applier HUD? This generally then leads me to scrabbling around in my absolute nightmare of an inventory and either feeling defeated or elated. I’m delighted to say that today was the latter; I did indeed have an applier for my body colour of choice, ‘Peach’, and when I added this to my Maitreya 5.1 Lara Body it just made me fall completely in love with the skin. The INSOL skins are L$888 each (L$2588 for the fat-pack), but VERY worthy of your time and investment. ‘Lena’ is available in 7 skin tones at the event.

Next up we have the first clothing item that I tried. This is the TETRA ‘Velvet Mini Dress’, and I was attracted, but slightly wary of the shape of the mesh. It’s been a recent trend in Second Life fashion to have dresses that fall off the shoulders BUT occasionally the mesh shapes just don’t work with your AO (Animation Over-rider) or dancing animations. This is a really important point to make so listen closely gang; when you’re trying on frocks, tops and what-nots that are off shoulder or super baggy switch your AO on and go for a walk around. Then stick your favourite dancing animations on and try again. If the mesh seems to fit and flow with your body well, then you know you’re onto a winner. You may find that for super safety you have to alpha-out areas on your body (quite often I have difficulties with the fit around my armpits/boobs where I have to deploy the alpha layers) Also, if it’s a dress, does it come with pants? Some do, dome don’t. Can you wear mesh pants underneath (should you want to?) or apply layer lingerie to hide your virtual lady garden from up-skirters? (Yes, there are people like that in Second Life, you literally cannot be free of the chuffers in either life. HEX THE LOT OF THEM I SAY!) Ahem. Anyway, I stuck my arms up in the air and swung them around like I just didn’t care, which I didn’t. I zoomed in, I zoomed out and I had a proper look. Unfortunately, there is a wee glitch under the right armpit that I cannot resolve with alpha-layers alone, so I need to have a think about whether or not I invest. That’s a shame, because it’s certainly a pretty frock and I really like the overall shape. It’s textured well and the HUD features excellent details such as changing the metal upon the belt eyelets and the fabric on the belt buckle and buttons. I really like that, it means you have styling options to play about with to make your perfect dress. I think it will work well with heels (can I just say I literally CANNOT WAIT until someone starts releasing kitten heel styles for the new foot shape that’s been added to MAITREYA. I’m desperate to get my kitten heels on, I’ve always loved them. Come on shoe-makers of Second Life, crack on! Cough *Gospel Voom are you there?* Splutter…

JUST BECAUSE is a brand that has been on fire with quality releases recently, and this month is no exception. The ‘Alicia’ gown is old Hollywood styling with voluminous sleeves leading to tight cuffs at the wrist, a cinched in waist and beautiful draped skirt. You can use the included HUD to change the colours of your dress and the flower adornment, changing the colour of the petals, the pearls in the centre and the leaves. I love having fun with elements like this; you can create a myriad of looks and this dress would be great for virtual occasions of any kind but honestly, to me it screams “WEDDING DRESS!!!” especially when worn in the ivory or white colour choices. To be fair though it’s lovely in any colour and works beautifully with the DOUX hairstyle. It’s as if they were made for each other; simple earrings and a pearl necklace would be perfect for a wedding look, with perhaps a flower decoration in the hair (or an up-do with tiara, veil, the whole works) but this isn’t a dress that you need to overpower with embellishment. It’s stunning as is. Problem is, it’s not the kind of dress I would invest in because, well, I’m not a classy bird that goes to lots of grand occasions where I could wear such a show-stopper. I’ve not even got wed in Second Life, but if I did want to I’d give this dress serious consideration, and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching it would be a sensational choice for a romantic dinner date with your beloved. That said, I might treat myself to one so I can swoosh around at home and pretend to be all glam…

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my trying-on session, and there are still lots more lovely things at this month’s round of C88 that I haven’t had the chance to test out yet, but I’m thinking I might do a video featuring a few things..what do you think?

Is there anything you think I should demo and share here?

Let me know in the comments!

Witchy Wednesday – The Wizarding Fayre 2013

October 16, 2013October 16, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

There is so much Halloween goodness hitting the grid at the moment that it is incredibly difficult to keep up! However, it’s a Wednesday, and I haven’t posted a Witchy Wednesday in ages, so I’m going to feature an absolute corker for you today.

Watch out for tons of Witchy related activity, spooky surprises and ghostly goings on in every corner of the grid, with hunts, events and sales galore celebrating the Halloween theme. Be wary and wise by making sure that your eyes are glued to the blogosphere for news on the latest events. I also recommend keeping at least one eyeball fixed firmly in a Mad-Eyed Moody style on Elysium Hyne’s Pinterest boards. Ely seems to moonlight as a pinning whirlwind and is doing a great job of keeping a record of all the festivities. Last but not least, Seraphim SL offers a myriad of event catalogues that are well worth a browse.

So let me tell you about The Wizarding Faire 2013. This has been going on for a while already and is due to end on the 20^th, but it’s an absolute must-see! (I realise I am late to the blogging party on this one, and I’m playing catch-up. Real life, what can I say?) The Wizarding Faire is of course a celebration of all things ‘teenage boy-Wizard’ related, but even if you aren’t a fan of the series of books this event is styled after you will still find lots of interesting items on sale, with some of them more Witchy than others.

There are 48 designers in attendance, and each one has contributed something very special. Gachas, clothing, poses, furniture, the list is endless. Not only that, the sim is beautifully designed and fabulous for visiting and taking tonnes of photographs. Look, you know it’s going to be special when you have to open a wall of rocks to step inside!

I spent a happy hour here exploring and shooting pictures and buying lots of nice things..

I absolutely fell in love with the ATOMIC cauldrons and potion-making supplies. Ivy Graves is a veritable mesh Goddess, and these look fabulous. They’re a great shape, a little different to the cauldron norm and are beautifully textured to perfectly capture a worn feel. The little jars of essential spell making ingredients really look the part too. Love it!

I also need to give a shout out to LARK as well, because Sienia has done it again. ‘It’ being making mesh magic all on her own. I am constantly blown-away by the work that Sienia does. She is blessed with a talent for great design, teamed with an astonishing imagination making Sienia’s creations an important force in Second Life design.

Her latest works are these are these awesome ‘Towering Tomes’ that fit in very well with the Imaginarium Librairium that was such a success at The Arcade this year. These books are actually able to be worn, or can be rezzed to great effect as a furnishings, which is what I have done with mine…

You’ll find lots of clothing items at the event. It’s well worth checking out the astonishing Damien Fate’s FATEPLAY label because not only will you find some fantastic clothing, but also the BEST mesh Witch Hat, called ‘Damadore’, that I’ve yet seen on the grid: nice and plain and simple and best of all A FREEBIE! Whoop! There is so much to enjoy at The Wizarding Fayre. It must be said that the team behind this event have produced a corker; rather than fill it to the brim with items that are of dubious quality, each item is a winner. There’s just enough to enjoy with bucket-loads of original mesh items to splurge upon, and the environment is, excuse the pun, simply enchanting. It stands up so well to repeat visits with so much to enjoy. In a grid that is often teaming with events and occasions it takes just one quality themed event to truly show how it’s done, and The Wizarding Fayre meets that brief head-on.

I’m NOT going to blog all of it in the hope that this will encourage you to fly on over there and see for yourself. Check out the list of designers below, how could you not want to visit knowing these guys are taking part?!

As a final nudge to elbow you over to Diagon Alley, I must tell you about the frogs.

Yes, you heard me, frogs. What Witch is worth her salt without heartfelt affection for these amphibious critters? I love frogs, and I automatically fell in love with THIS Gacha when I saw it:

Yup, it’s full of every kind of frog to fulfil all your ribbety needs! What drew me to it was the inclusion of the Desert Rain Frog, which is featured in THIS video, which I love. But readers, they are all equally fabulous. I’ve bought a few of these to decorate the landscaped areas at my new home (more on that coming soon!) and each one of them is an absolute joy to behold. They’re beautifully created and textured, and I have no idea how BEETLEBONES has crafted them, but I am so pleased that they did! They’re AWESOME. Oh, and yes, Gacha prizes. Damn those addictive things! Snapshot_014

This is Sylvia, she’s my pet Moon Frog and she lives on my fireplace:)

So, tempted by The Wizarding Fayre? Better hop on your trusty broomstick and zoom on over to the event faster than you can exclaim ‘Expecto Patronum!’

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And if you like my broom, this was a group gift from Dutchie this month, and it is great fun! I’m practically already set for Halloween! See you at The Wizarding Faire!

Kitty Plays ‘Catch-Up’

May 16, 2013May 16, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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?

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.

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.

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!