Salon Perfect Hair (and skins! Preview - Le Salon)

Moire Georgette’s skins at Le Salon are not realistic. They’re not photo-realistic and they’re not photo-perfect. But they are fun, glamorous, hand-drawn, and gorgeous.

As i’m guilty of doing with all skin reviews, i’m going to talk about the face. Is it because the body is lacking? Definitely not - the shading on the breasts, stomach, pelvis, everything really, is delicate and accurate, and does not end up like an anatomy lesson. It is merely because the face is what sells a skin to me, like many others i’m sure, and in this case is particularly interesting.

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The pack Moire sent me included a couple of “Vamp” makeups and another named “Catherine”, all of which are right up my alley; there are other makeups too, all of which are striking and loud, which is also very much to my liking. There are currently 5 skintones, the palest of which i’m sporting in this post, and Moire assures us there are more ethnic tones to come, as well as more makeups. I’m not sure what I can say that the picture doesn’t say better. The lips are full and lush (and go well with my pout, but also work with a smile), the nose is cute and neat, and the occasional beauty spot is to die for. I also love the thick, dense brows, which are tintable! Huzzah! I’m also wearing the “Olivia” style, in one of the pale blonde hair colours, “Wheat”.

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For those of you that don’t fancy the somewhat daring look of her skins, you may instead take a liking to her hair. The long style shown above, “Esther”, is somewhat different than the normal long, straight, flexi style that many hair designers create, particularly in its translucent front (<3) and its slightly exaggerated parting on top (also <3). This is the “Moonlight” hair colour, one of 30 varied textures.

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So whether you’re a skin whore or a hair whore, I sincerely recommend a trip to Le Salon at its GRAND OPENING, TODAY AT 7PM, AT THE COMME IL FAUT MAINSTORE. This is what Moire writes in the review pack:

To promote the new releases, Le Salon will be holding a treasure hunt on hair store, for three exclusive skins and three hairs in exclusive colors. This one may be slightly more challenging than most treasure hunts; players will have to find and touch three items of each kind in order to receive their prizes. Items are shampoo bottles, hair dryers, perfume flasks and other beauty products matching the ‘beauty salon’ theme.

BE THERE!

Regally Fashionable (Review - Royal Blue)

Marni Grut, mastermind behind Royal Blue, has been a friend of mine for some time now, but even before we were properly acquainted I was a great admirer of her creations. What Marni creates is always far from conventional; her quirky designs are always completely unique, and always fabulous. There’s a certain unpredictable quality about her work that really appeals to me, personally, as even though i’ve come to know her quite well, I never know what she’ll create next - though I do know that it will always be fabulous.

I’m a little late with this review, so the items shown below will probably be familiar to you from other blogs, Gillywinkles’ Deux Looks for one. But you’re all just going to have to live with that, and one can never really get enough RB, if you ask me.

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Shown above is the “Lost Ballet” skirt, in Sea. While there has been no shortage of ballet-themed skirts and dresses in-world over the last few months, this is one of the few that I really liked. Firstly, it’s a little more exciting than usual skirt fare, in that it is sheer, and vibrant for it. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it’s a statement; it’s not floaty and drifty and serene, it’s big and its bold. Each layer is of course flexi, but they just bounce once or twice and they’re back into uniform precision, and I love that. The skirt retains its structure without sacrificing its movement, unlike many other structured (and often sculpted) pieces. Below shows the skirt in Nude, which is less in-your-face and more calm, without being a wuss.

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More from Royal Blue, plus other details, after the cut! (caution, bewbies)

Not Your Everyday Outfits (Review - Baiastice)

I think it’s fair to say that in SL, the fashion community is always on the lookout for fresh, new designs, and there is most certainly a growing market for the more bizarre and “couture” fare. I can think of few stores that fulfill that wish, and one that springs to mind is Baiastice by Sissy Pessoa. Sissy’s creations vary from the fairly ordinary to the abstract and wacky; she makes simple dresses, as well as complex wigs with television sets in them.

I’ve had the good fortune to walk in a couple of Baiastice shows with MAD Agency, and I attended another one just a few weeks ago, so I have been in a sense monitoring her progress as a designer. It just so happens that i’m only reviewing fairly new stuff here, but some of her older outfits are worth a look too; I remember some really nice Georgian/Victorian-esque, dramatic pieces.

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The picture above demonstrates to an extent the variation in Sissy’s designs. On the left we have ‘Creamy Vicious’, which includes the dress, hat and tights. I really like this outfit, firstly because it isn’t too over-the-top; sure, the skirt is really puffy and not practical at all, but it really works without looking horrendously costumey (it also has a really cute, big bow on the back). The textures are really great, and the primwork is similarly so. Next we have ‘Friday Night’ in Purple. This perhaps represents the complete opposite of the previous outfit, in that it’s really quite tame, without being boring. It comes with gloves and leggings, and while I personally could do without the former, they do make the outfit more interesting. On the right is ‘Blame’, which is one of my favourite Baiastice pieces in my inventory. It’s not necessarily the most casual item, but nor is it too ‘out-there’. For me it’s almost ethereal meets glam - pixies meet Cher, perhaps. (as a shameless Cher fan, that sounds like a great combo!)

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The outfit on the left, ‘Teacher Skirt’, perhaps represents my only real qualm with Baiastice; too much going on with the outfit. I helpfully didn’t photograph them as I really didn’t like them, so you have no idea wtf i’m on about, but the shirt comes with very odd sleeve/cuff prims which really don’t seem to look right, to me anyway. The socks that turn shoes into boots are similarly not my cup of tea, but they’re interesting and have grown on me a little since my initial look at them. However, all that being said, the overall aesthetic of the outfit is very much up my alley, in particular the hat. ‘Silver Symphony’ in the middle also has elements I didn’t appreciate; the fishnet leggings and the visor for me aren’t really necessary, but the dress itself is fantastic, so I don’t mind. The sculpted skirt is really amazing, or at least I think so! For good measure I threw in ‘Scandal’ on the right there, a dress I featured in my first post, and I still love. It’s a little black dress with an arty twist - what can I say, it was love at first Right Click>Add to Outfit.

As a whole, i’d say that while there can be little things that don’t quite tickle my fancy about Baiastice outfits, Sissy’s work is really fantastic, and her artistic vision more than compensates. I really would recommend a visit to her store: Check it out!

Other credits

Hair: MMS Ballerina Bun

Skin: Sin Skins 2.0 Preview Skin (<3333)

Shoes: Maitreya Verve Pumps and Stiletto Moody Foxy Slingbacks

Quick Outfit - Around the Office

Hey people, just a quick post today - felt like puting together a simple office look today, nothing too business-like though. It feels much less stressful and much easier to do these posts once in a while, there’s less work involved as opposed to a review, in which i have to pretend i’m wordy and know things.

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I started off with the lovely Cowl-Neck Sweater from Mojo, which I love and don’t wear often enough. Rather than leave the cleavage exposed, I covered it up a little with the blouse from the Trend du Jour outfit from Armidi. I love system skirts, as many of you will know, so the High-Waist Pencil Skirts from Ingenue get a lot of action in my inventory, and to hide the seam I added the belt from the G.L.A.M. Bossy suit. I’m wearing the sandals from Gracile again, as I don’t think i have any other strappy heels. Any recommendations for Spring footwear? I have a pair of the [VG]/Storm Schmooz Jenne ones, which are really nice, but they weren’t in the right colour. Any suggestions are welcome.

Stay tuned for a couple more reviews in the next week or so! xo

Credits:

Skin: MMS Gen4 Fair Bare

Hair: Armidi - Symphony Twist

Sweater: Mojo - Cowl Neck Sweater

Shirt: Armidi - Trend du Jour

Skirt: Ingenue - High-Waist Pencil Skirt

Belt: G.L.A.M. - ‘Bossy’

Shoes: Gracile - Dress Sandals “Stone Queen”

Is the F for Fabulous? (Review - biancaf)

No - it’s for Foulon, but it’s a fun idea. Or a lame title. Whatever.

This post is almost out of date now that bianca has released a new skin line (i think) however I absolutely love the ‘fata’ range of skins, and felt they could not go unblogged. I’ve also got a little picture at the end showing a couple of examples from the new range, so you can see.

I chose the ivory skintone, which is neither pale nor tanned; something of a happy medium. Upon trying demos of these skins some months back, I found that they were an ideal alternative for models (and everyone else) to the likes of MMS, which you see everywhere these days. While there’s nothing wrong with an MMS skin or Naughty, for example, it’s nice to have a change, and see something new on the runway. Bianca’s skins provide an ideal mix of smooth, perfect skin and dramatic makeups, which really stood out to me. While there aren’t very many ‘tame’ makeup options, they do still vary in aspects such as gloss, shadow and colour, naturally, and there are enough choices to prevent one from getting bored. I’ve selected some of my favourites here, to give you an idea of what I mean:

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I’ve really enjoyed wearing these skins over the last few weeks, and not just for the faces. Being a slender AV, I have small breasts, and it can often be a chore finding skins which have appropriate shading; many skins have some serious shading going on, making what should be a natural pair into a near-exploding pair of FFs. While I still want to retain an attractive cleavage, and still have a little womanly curve, there are limits; I don’t want the ‘dead heat in a zeppelin race’ look. The rest of the body features similar gentle detail, resulting in a skin which is neither bland nor overly dramatic.

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I really can’t think of anything to criticise when it comes to the fataivory skins; the face is great, and the body is attractive and appealing to all AVs, in my opinion, not just the thinner-framed. Perhaps a larger range of makeups, featuring more suitable skins for ‘daywear’ as an example, would be nice, but really i’ve gotten by perfectly well with the ones I have. You really must at least demo these skins, in all the tones, especially if you’re a model or are into photography (i’ve found them very easy to work with in PS).

Pics of the new range under the cut! (although i can’t seem to get the cut to work on the feeds? le sigh.)

Lick, Don’t Bite (Review - Blowpop)

Ok, so when Annyka dropped some of her new Tuesday line of skins, I squeed. Because they’re gooorgeous. Her skins have always had that certain something unique about them, and this line is no different; the details on the face are really fantastic; what i particularly admire about Blowpop skins is not just the fact that they’re really lovely skins, and fantastically unique, but that they really have that ‘wow’ factor. In a sea of Minnu Model Skins and Celestial Studios, Tuesday really catches the eye.

This is my first skin review, and while i probably should nitpick over the whole body, i’m not going to. I’m going to look at what I feel are the most important parts of an AV - basically from the cleavage up. If you really want to look at nipples and foofs, you’ll just have to get a demo (which you should anyway). For the record, the nipples and foof of the Tuesday skin are perfectly nice, I just have no desire to talk about them, as I almost never see them on my AV. I’m not a hussy like Rach (oh snap).

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So, what’s the difference between Mellie3 and the Tuesday line? Quite a lot actually, but most importantly it’s the Couture Level Hand Drawing™ that Annyka has implemented for these new skins. What can I say that isn’t obvious? The lips are really fantastic, kissable and full. Unfortunately my AV has a terrible nose, but trust me when I say that’s perfect too. The shading around the eyes and so on is similarly yummy. The hightlights and shadows can be particularly ’severe’ in some places, but in a good way, and I know you all love it. Eyebrows are something of an area of dispute for SL skins, but I have no problem with these, they compliment the rest of the face really well. Also, chest/breastbone/cleavage shading is lurvely; the chest/breastbone area is quite dramatic, and I <3 it. As you can see by the pic, the makeup range is quite varied, and they’re all scrumptious. No doubt Annyka will be releasing more makeups before we know it!

For those of you curious about the rest of the body can check out the body pics below the cut - they should give you a better idea of tone, and of non-extremities. Credits after that. <3

Black and Gold…

Ello ello!

This song won’t leave me alone!! I mean, it’s great and everything, but a week and half of non-stop humming is maybe a bit much?

Anyway, this post is inspired entirely by the wonderful Sam Sparro tune with a dash of the totally rockin’ Agyness Deyn thrown in for good measure.

Details and stuffage after the cut…

Straight to Business

Hello Fashion Planet Readers! (hopefully)

If you want to know more about this blog please see our previous posts, and the ‘About’ page. Thanks!

Now, as I sat down to make a post about Businesswear in SL, I thought to myself ‘I don’t want to blog the obvious, or blog things that everyone’s seen before’. And then Armidi released all those shirts and blouses.

However I feel I have managed to keep just a little Armidi in here, and mixed it up with other things to make fairly simple but smart and slightly varied professional looks. I also learned how to do shadows, so you’ll see lots of them from now on!

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Firstly I put together a less dressy, more modern and young look, beginning with the Tres Blah Gwen Black Sweater, which has numerous options, including with shirt and tie or any combination of the above. I then added the gorgeous tight leather pants from the Cachet ‘MAX’ outfit, which are worn on the pants and socks layers for extra length. Next I added the rather sexy and very amazing ‘Annyka’ hair from Aden - and I know I’m not the only one who loves that ‘do. I myself don’t own much Tuli, even though she’s a fantastic content creator, as before the S5 line my avatar just didn’t suit her skins; the Classic range of makeups however are really lovely and I do enjoy wearing them every so often. For accessories I added the near-compulsory Slinky Stilettos from Maitreya (although i have noticed a lot more fab stilettos clicking around SL, does anyone recommend others? i’m always cautious about trying new stores, and some pairs are just too damn expensive), the ‘Juju Sunglasses’ in Bistre from Tres Blah again, and the ‘Hapsburg’ bag in Onyx from Paper Couture’s Fall ‘06 Collection (how old now, huh?). Black glasses might’ve been better (thanks, B!) but sod it, too late now

More outfits (and minor windlight/photoshop disasters) after the cut.

Hellooooo? Is this thing switched on?

Hey there blog world! It’s the Tramp here, clocking in for duty …at long last! I have been one very lazy girl, but all Val’s pestering has finally paid off it seems :p

As you might have guessed from the name of the blog and Val’s previous posts, i’m the casual, slightly messy, mis-matched one out of us two. I’m actually quite jealous of Ms Glushenko’s poised perfection, but i just can’t pull it off dammit!

Anyway, i didn’t have a clue what to talk about as my first post, so i decided to just show you guys a couple of outfits i’ve been skipping about in lately (and my new favourite skins! wheee!).

First up is my take on being girly… with a bit of a ‘rough and ready’ twist.

I teamed this feminine, floral skirt and delicate vest top with this ace jacket from Ce Cubic Effect which gives the outfit a completely different edge. I love love lovvvvvve this jacket. The texturing and sculpty work make it look perfectly aged, like i just can’t take it off, which isn’t far from the truth. I’ve shoved my tootsies in to these cowboy boots from J’s. Once again, they have great texturing for that ‘just been roaming about it the wheat fields’ kinda vibe. Yeeha! And i KNOW the shade isn’t an exact match for the jacket, but not matching is my thang, remember?

The second outfit i want to post here shows the other side of me. I’m totally addicted to all things kitschy and cutesy.

So, a pretty straight-forward outfit, with this adorable striped tunic from Karamia. It’s worth metioning you get loads of choice with this dress - sculpty skirt, flexi skirt, and 2 sleeve options. Always good to have options, innit. The hair is new(ish) from HCT and boasts a scripted colour-change bow and band. I love the style of this, and the straight fringe actually sits ok on my shape for once! Hurray!

Now. SKINS! YAY! I, like about 90% of the female SL population am totally addicted to buying new skins. An expensive habbit usually… but not always

The skin i am wearing in the above piccie is from a new (to me anyway) store called Bazy, and i’m in love with it! Seriously, haven’t taken it off for 2 weeks, and that’s saying something. Aaaaaand, the skins are only 250L to boot. Double yay! I’m not gonna bother analyzing them at all, because i think i’d be a bit crap at that, so here’s a picture instead.

L-R, Basic, Red, 80’s, plum. All in the Med/light tone.

(how cute is that little beauty spot?! click click on the pic for a bigger version)

Anyhoo, that’s me for now. Hope you’ve made some sense of my ramblings.

Hearts n stuff,

Rach

Oh, wait… umm, product info:

Outfit 1
Jacket - Ce Cubic effect
Spring skirt (2 pack) - <3 Cupcakes
Vest - Random
Western boots - J’s MainShop
Hair: Polly, Burgandy - Truth

Outfit 2

Tunic - Karamia

Leggings - Armidi

Bead necklace - Yummy (upstairs in Nylon)

Shoes - Periquita

Hair: Vida - HCT

SKIN - Emmie [med/light] - Bazy

Competition Winner!

Congratulations to Lilith Meriman, who has won our little contest, and bagged herself some fantastic goodies

The answer was of course C-Glam Magazine; I was lucky enough to be one of the models for Minnu Palen and Miabella Foxley’s handbag shoot in the first issue.

Thank you to everyone who entered, I hope to see you all at Glam World tomorrow, and hopefully back here at the blog

Look out for a post coming soon from Rach :O

-Valena <3