SKIN FAIR 2015 – Soul ‘Kissers’ and Paper Rabbit ‘Willow (Cotton Candy)’

April 2, 2015July 13, 2015 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

So SKIN FAIR 2015 has finished, *blub*. The doors have closed for another year, but WHAT AN EVENT. It really was brilliant this year, and I enjoyed every minute. I purposely didn’t blog everything at the event because I knew I would struggle to keep up as you can tell with the delay on this, my final event post, BUT my final offering for you is a bit of a 2-in-1 triumph.

First of all, PAPER RABBIT skins. A brand I’d heard of but never tried, so SKIN FAIR 2015 was of course the perfect opportunity for me to give them a whirl, but my experiment was actually due to the fact that I’d been given a new mesh mouth to play about with, this time from SOUL.

Now as you know I’m quite enamored with my PXL SWEET LIPS that I blogged just before SKIN FAIR 2015. They’re a bit pouty/grumpy though, and I don’t want to look like that all the time (99.5% of it maybe, but occasionally I’d like to have a wee bit of a grin on my chops!) So thank goodness for SOUL KISSERS, a range of mesh mouths that cover a huge wish-list with their range; Closed, Open, Smile, Vampire, Orc AND Neko are all available for a cheap-as-chips price of L$599.

If you’re a SOUL skin wearer you’ll be delighted to know that every single Catalina skin shade is covered in the skin applier that comes with the HUD, plus there’s nine luscious lipstick shades from that skin line too. These are Omega Applier ready, and we’re promised that quite a few skin creators are planning to expand their range to include SOUL KISSER appliers, so I decided to hunt such a brand down and kill two birds with one stone, as it were. (Note, I wouldn’t actually do that because a) my aim is dreadful and b) I wouldn’t be throwing stones at birds..)

So, that reasoning brought me to PAPER RABBIT. I’m wearing the Willow ‘Cotton Candy‘ skin in Peach tone, and I chose this because I was seriously drawn to the eyeshadow colours, and the fact that the appliers I purchased (For my Maitreya body) included HEART SHAPED NIPPLES. (A friend had a photo on her wall of a girl in RL who’d had her areola tattooed to make them look heart-shaped and it looked super cool. (Either that or she was blessed at birth) I thought it was a GREAT look, so I was super eager to get the skin on and see how it looked. Fabulous is the short answer!

Guys this is just such a pretty skin and super fun to wear, it really is. The make-up is beautifully applied. I mean, LOOK AT THAT FACE! JUST LOOK AT IT!! I mean if that’s not a face that doesn’t need a serious amount of kisses then I just don’t know what is; it’s absolutely beautiful. I thought I’d seen all the best make-ups at SKIN FAIR 2015 until I saw this face and fell fast and hard for it. The details don’t just stretch to the face either, all the shading across the body is pretty darn fabulous, and again those nipples! OOSH!

But back to the point of the PAPER RABBIT PURCHASE, what was the SOUL KISSER like? Well, the picture above should give you some idea. I initially found it a little difficult to apply but that’s because I’m impatient! Having said that it’s not exactly rocket science to fit these lips though, so once I’d tweaked and twizzled and added the applier I was soon in action, and you know, I think they look great! They have a lovely shape to them, incredibly pert and pouty and kissable, and it’s just so nice to see some mesh chops that show teeth and the potential for a smile.

So with that in mind I went out and bought the ‘Cupid’s Pout-Smile’ version, and well, see the results below, doesn’t it look authentic and girly and just, well, super nice?

I really love the combination of this Cotton Candy skin AND the Soul Kisser. It helps that the lipstick on the applier is a scrumptious purple-pink tone that just works utterly beautifully, I’m super-chuffed with it, and I think it makes for a super pretty Kitty. Incidentally, Cotton Candy includes a no-brow version (much to my delight) so I added some of my favourite brows (JUST MAGNETISED ‘Diva’ brows) and TRUTH’s latest release, ‘Fynn’. I think the result is just outstanding, don’t you? So, here are your instructions for today: Go to SOUL and check out the SOUL KISSERS range. I did pop by the PAPER RABBIT store but this skin wasn’t available yet so perhaps Helyanwe Vindaloo is working up to it?

Pester her for the speedy release of this one, it’s bloody lovely I’m sure you’ll agree!

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!