iNFLiCT - Eternity Awaits

Well, here's the secret to getting me out of my clothes faster than anything else - a fabulous new body modification and a photography studio. Heck, for something as terrific as Eternity Awaits, the studio is probably optional. More body art than ink, this scarification styled design is absolutely breathtaking. iNFLiCT makes many of my favorite tattoos but they have raised the bar with their recent additions.

Strongly Maori in inspiration, the patterns surround and accent the breasts in the front and define the spine and shoulders in the back. Small matching patterns are included in a stocking layer for the calves and are absolute perfection with ever so high heels, though I love this with a simple tank and jeans as well.
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Definitely not cheap at L$749, Eternity Awaits is worth every single Linden in impact - I flat out love it and haven't taken it off since I bought it. There are several more similar pieces that I will be investing in over the coming weeks as well. As with all of iNFLiCT's designs, Eternity Awaits comes with every layer in Light, Medium, Dark and Tintable for ease of wear with any outfit. As a bonus there are two facial attachments named "The Heart" in black and tintable that accent the left eye (unfortunately the one obscured by my favorite hairstyle).

I honestly don't think that my pictures could ever do Eternity Awaits justice, but I can promise you that any one of the iNFLiCT creations in this style will make you the center of attention and target of compliments.

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Go get uncomfortable in your skin at the iNFLiCT Main Store.

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Top Left:

Hair - Writer (Burgundy) by Detour

Earrings - Crystal Charm Earring (Creativity) by Earthstones

Body Mod - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT

Top - Danger Tank by Stellar Designs

Jeans - Hell and Back (Light) by The Abyss

Boots - Desert Boots (Beige) by Maitreya

Middle Right:

Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour

Body Mod - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT

Skin - S5 Medium Diva 1 by ::Tuli::

Lingerie - Dionne Black Latex Open Panties by Insolence

Boots - Lizzley Myla Boots (Black) by Whittentons

Bottom Center:

Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour
Body Mod - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT
Lingerie - Melanie (Black) by Insolence
Boots - Lizzley Myla Boots (Black) by Whittentons

Back to RL and SL...

Ah, but what fun it was. Come tomorrow, I'll be once more posting the best of SL fashion (in my humble opinion), but today, I have to pay homage to the island. The parties end, but the flags wave on. Bangers and mash, EUFA 2008, Newport Race Week, pink sand - a damned near perfect place. One more picture from my holiday, with love. :)

Hmmm...Well, That's Positive

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

On Holiday, But...

Out of the country for a few days, kicking back with friends and enjoying a little island sunshine and boating. I was planning to do a bit of blogging and take a few shots of the new clothes I picked up before I left (Dark Eden, The Abyss, HSC and more), but if you think SL is laggy on a nice wired broadband connection, try it on wireless from an island to really learn a lot about patience. I swear I never thought my hair would join me tonight!

Soooo... unless I get a speedier connection, while I may pop in to sit quietly on a barstool somewhere, I probably won't be able to gather the information and take the pictures for articles until I'm settled in back home. That said, I have an inventory full of new stuff that's just dying to be blogged, so I expect I'll go on a posting binge when I'm comfortably snuggled up with my zippy modem at home.
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Meantime, I'm thinking of y'all with every ray of sunshine and pint of stout - promise. :)

JCNY Model'Fest - Epilogue (For Now)

Wow! What a blast! One solid week of the runway at JCNY, planning outfits, practicing poses, smiling and greeting. I can honestly say that the other Showcase Models for the week made the time go by far quicker, as did the parade of friends who were kind enough to show up and offer support and, in some cases (you know who you are, LOL!) heckling. =)

So, what was the week like and what did I learn? Well, I learned a lot about posing - far more than studio work. I decided that I had two jobs during the week - being memorable and making the clothes look good. And I quickly discovered how important the right poses are to the second goal - the right pose makes a great outfit spectacular, the wrong pose and the best clothes in SL look downright odd. I admit that after the first day, I was at Animah buying pose packs and testing my poses with the outfits before hitting the runway - yes, it is harder than it looks and requires more preparation than I had thought.

The week is paid, but the real point is exposure and the opportunity to meet people involved in the fashion industry in SL. I chatted with so many people from all over the world in RL and with all sorts of interests in SL that it would be well worth the time even if not one of them had anything to do with fashion. That said, quite a few did and I thoroughly enjoyed talking and asking questions - both with the other models and the folks that came by.

The stars of the show, however, were the clothes. And the shoes, don't forget the shoes. The range of styles and designers was broad and some of the outfits were just amazing. As for me, I got to pull out some of my favorite outfits that don't get nearly enough wear. I tried to dress in clothes from a lot of different creators in a variety of styles, though formal wear was definitely in the majority as the JCNY jewelry went perfectly with my more... ahem... elaborate gowns.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. If you've ever wondered what the modeling thing is all about, polish your shoes, comb your hair and go take some pictures.

On the left (worn Saturday):
Dress - Red Rum Gown by Haute Style
Shoes - Bitch Booties (Black/Black) by Stiletto Moody

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On the right (worn Monday):

Dress - Three Woodpeckers by Chambre du Chocolate

Shoes - Verve Pumps (Black) by Maitreya

JCNY Model'Fest - Showcase Model Week

So, 'round about Tuesday I log in to see the message that I've been invited to join the JCNY Fashion District Vendors group. Figuring it has something to do with the contest, I agonize for a bit, drop a group (What? You have less than 25? Pffft.) and join. I look up and see that my title is now "JCNY Showcase Model". Cool. That's gotta be good, right? I mean, if I had a clue what it was, that is. Back I go to the contest note card which says that each week, "Showcase Models" will be selected to take the runway at JCNY. It goes on to say:

SHOWCASE MODELS - What is a SHOWCASE Model? After entering your photos you will be up for 'Showcase Modeling' during the month. A Collection of 15 models are up for showcase during each week of the contest. These models are hand selected by the judges to take the runway at the JCNY Flagship Store. SL Newspapers, Fashion Photographers, Model Agencies will all be randomly present to view the showcase models. If you are selected as a showcase model you will receive a group tag from JD Hansen of JCNY. You will be paid 15L an hr for being part of the showcase during the festival. **The models who are showcased are considered to be the featured models of the current week's entries and are not in any specific order of placement in the runnings.
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Allrighty then. Apparently, I need to get dressed and go to the Farrah Island runway and do... something. I rummage through the closet, settle on something black (shocking, eh?) and teleport over to find a cluster of posing people perched precariously on a platform. Go alliteration! I walk around, try and figure out what I'm supposed to do, give up and ask. After a few IMs, I head up on the runway, clock in (nope, never seen a time clock before, either - I'm learning tons!) and start posing.
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Tomorrow, more about the JCNY Model'Fest experience, meanwhile, come visit at Farrah Island - I'm the grey blob trying not to fall in the moat.

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On the left (worn Friday):
Dress - Mara (Ruby) RFL Limited Edition by Nicky Ree

On the right (worn Thursday):

Shirt - H3 Shirt (Black) by Cubic Effect

Pants - Sarrouel Pants (Black) by Cubic Effect

Shoes - ChiChi Pumps (Black) by Maitreya

DeLa - Jill Tank Top

I was in the mood for red the other day and happened by DeLa to see the Jill tank top in the new releases. In an array of rich colors, this is a perfect summer top, paired with everything from jeans to skirts and you will find yourself pulling out the included belt over and over. Together with almost any skirt or pants, this top makes for a sleek, pulled together look that can be paired with pumps or boots equally.
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Each top is a base color with three patent leather strips down the front center line in two colors, black and a complementary shade of the base. It comes in Purple, Red, Sky, Turquoize, White, Moss, Gray, Golden Olive, Brown, Bitter Brown and Black for L$380 per color (no Fat Pack at this point). If you travel a bit into the store you will find the Sherry leggings in 21 colors as well - which match perfectly with the Jill shirts (and so much more).
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The included belt comes in three sizes to fit just about every avatar and is not only a perfect match for the shirt, but easily versatile enough to be worn with other outfits. The shirt comes in both color combinations (black and complementary accent) in all three layers to be tattoo friendly (this is a great shirt for those sleeves you have in inventory). The shirt bottom comes in underwear only, so for some combinations you may need to leave it off.
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Indulge in a bit of versatile summer casual wear at the DeLa Main Store.

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On the left:

Top - Jill Tank Top (Red) by DeLa

Pants - Cotton Capris (Black) by Nevermore

Shoes - Court X Shoes (Black) by AW Design

Jewelry - Yin Yang Earrings (Red Jasper) by Earthstones

On the right:

Top - Jill Tank Top (Red) by DeLa

Skirt - Black Lace Skirt by Canimal

Shoes - Verve Pumps (Red) by Maitreya

JCNY Model'Fest - June '08

So, I'm innocently checking out some friends' shop where they have been redecorating when I notice this fabulous dress upstairs, down the wall and in the corner. (Don't worry, I'm getting to the Model'Fest part, promise.) Next thing I know, it's in my inventory and I'm trying it on. Now, the NewbieDoo mission is to give back to SL with good quality, tested starter clothing, shapes, skins and accessories, but the Black Leather Ballet dress is far from newbie gear.
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So there I am, checking out the new duds and chatting. On a whim, I put on one of the Nikki "Beaten" skins and start accessorizing. One thing leads to another and before I know it, I find myself shopping for doll keys before stopping at JCNY, picking up the Model'Fest rules and then traveling to Dickins Photography Studio to take 7934759745 photos for the portfolio (for which you only need three, of course). No, I don't expect to win, place or show, but it's definitely something new and different and I certainly had fun putting the photos together.

The contest ends at the end of the month with prizes including L$30K, a modeling contract, gift cards to some of my favorite stores, a photo shot and a layout in Best of SL magazine - so some pretty cool stuff. If you decide to enter, read the rules several times and make sure you go through your entry step by step so you don't miss anything - I nearly overlooked a few things and I was being pretty careful about it. Now, the pictures I'm including here are the ones that I didn't send in, since I'm assuming those are now the property of JCNY, but they should give you an idea of what I sent in as well as inspiring you to visit NewbieDoo and own a Leather Ballet Dress of your own.

On the left:

Skin - S5 Tan (Glam 2) by ::Tuli::
Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour
Jewelry - Precious Seas (earrings and necklace) by JCNY

On the right:

Skin - Nikki (Gash, Freckled, Light) by ::Tuli::
Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour
Jewelry - Precious Seas (earrings and necklace) by JCNY
Dress - Leather Ballet Dress by NewbieDoo

Doll Key - Celtic Needle V3 (Silver) by All Dolled Up
Stockings - Dark Lusts Black Fishnet Stockings by Blacklace
Shoes - Lizziey Black Myla Boots by Whittentons

Things Change - Six Months in SL

As I was pondering the pending 6 month resident milestone, I ran into someone I'd not seen in a while who commented on how much my avatar had changed. I was kind of surprised as all the elements are still there - I'm still a brunette, I still don't have max hooter sliders and my basic taste in clothes and colors are the same. But it started me thinking about how much difference little incremental changes could make to the "everyday look" - Second Life Evolution as it were.
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I dug through my old pictures and, while I'm soooo not going to post my rez look (mainly because I can't find the pics anywhere), I do have my first "newbie outfit" after my initial visit to The Shelter. I'd almost forgotten I had red hair and was apparently built like a 12 year old boy. All in all, I've seen worse, but still oozing of clueless noobit - the shoes just make me want to cry. I'm sorry to say that I have no idea what the skin or clothes are in the first shot, but I can say they came from either The Shelter or The Free Dove - both fabulous places for new residents.
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The second shot, I'd moved to brunette (I'm thinking this was still the first few weeks), hair was still long, but I remember shopping forever to get a skin I loved - Vivant Bronze Feline 3 by Tete a Pied (now Fleur). I'd also discovered Glanz eyes (which are still the only thing other than my shape that hasn't changed at all) and I'm pretty sure I'm wearing my 30 day free hair from Gurl 6. Not a bad look, actually, and I still have everything in the picture in my wardrobe.
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I'd say the biggest change occurred when I started finding short hairstyles that I liked. They seem to be everywhere these days, but I swear I don't remember there being nearly as many 6 months ago as now. My first short style was the Aveda Short Crop 2 which I still wear when an outfit needs a clean edgy look. About the time I started blogging, I discovered The Poynter by Armidi, which seemed to work a bit better with my facial features and which isn't featured here because it's the style you can see in my blog profile pic. Skin remained TaP Feline which I still wear for the fabulous dramatic eyes and the picture was taken at Toby's Juke Joint - one of the best places for casual blues in SL.
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So, where am I today? Well, I have a lot of skins, but Tuli (Tanned) dominates the inventory with Fleur close behind. I've fallen so utterly in love with the Writer hair from Detour that I've actually bought multiple colors (and regret not investing in the Fat Pack, but that's the story of my Linden Life, much to my financial chagrin). I'm pretty much still in jeans when I'm not shopping, photographing or blogging, but my collection of boots is utterly fabulous, my t-shirts have actual texture and I'm completely enamoured of SL's incredibly talented tattoo artists.
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If you ask me I'd probably tell you that this is close to the final evolution - I feel utterly "at home" in my current skin and hair, though I expect those may evolve with new generations and techniques. My shape and eyes have not changed since my first "store bought" set, so I expect they are there for the duration. All in all, my friend was correct - I certainly don't look the same. But, hey - never doubt, never look back (much), right?

League - Spattered Booty Shorts

Well, summer is here and it's time for shorts. Really short shorts. OK, booty shorts. But, like anything else, there are booty shorts and there are booty shorts. I came across the League Spattered Booty Shorts while I was cruising around on a Steampunk binge and landed at the League main store at Steam Forge. I've been regularly pulling them out of my inventory ever since - somehow they just seem right for wandering around exploring. Not up for a hike in the woods? Throw on a t-shirt, add some footwear with attitude and a killer pair of stockings for a completely different look.

The shorts are available in 6 colors - Spattered, Purple, Light Blue, Dirty, Dark Blue and Black at L$120 each. There is a fat pack of all colors available for L$500 and if you lean towards casual in your daily dress, it's well worth it. The shorts are wonderfully detailed with paint splatters, pockets that hang below the "cutoff" and terrific textures that make these "faded favorites". I should also mention that each short comes in both the underwear and pant layers for versatility with tattoos and multilayer tops.
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Paint the town spattered at the League Mainstore @ Steam Forge.

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On the left:
Shirt - Open Shirt (Red) by E. Watkins
Shorts - Booty Shorts by League
Hair - Beloved (Night) by Detour
Boots - Desert Boots (Beige) by Maitreya
Tattoo - Cherry Blossoms Tattoo by Garden of Ku
Bracelet - Stone Donut Bracelet (Labradorite) by EarthStones

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On the right:
Shirt - Talkin' T "Ubergeek" Cropped by Civvies
Shorts - Booty Shorts by League
Hair - Luna (Night) by Detour
Shoes - Natural Born Goth by The Padded Room
Tattoo - What is the Matrix by iNFLiCT
Earthstones Crystal Charm Earring - Creativity

Group Gift of the Month - May

Wow - this was a very tough month once again. Kouse's Sanctum not only gave the group the traditional gorgeous monthly gown, but to celebrate the grand opening of their Avilion Vale location, there were specials and freebies galore for the group. The regular May gift was the Calliope gown in Blush. ::Tuli:: released the new S6 skin line with three skin sets named Emily, Nikki and Celeste and distributed 6 free skins from these to group members. Either of these would be perfect candidates for this month's outstanding group gift, but since they are coupled with major changes or releases, I'm giving them their own posts and taking them out of the running for group gift - still, they deserved mention for sheer generosity.

::69:: gave a box of bangles and trinkets, adorable as always. Pixeldolls gave away Ribbon Boots and the Indigo Gloss swimwear - both very nice spring wardrobe additions. House of Heart gave away some lovely hairstyles (Antonia, Valencia, Victoria, Vivienne and Waverly) and I'm going to count the Digit Darkes Aegina Silver Bikini that was the Mother's Day Gift. This month, however, Baiastice gave group members a huge mix and match (4 skirts and glitch pants, 8 tops) of colors in light, breezy fabrics perfect for spring. The skirts are iridescent, the tops are gorgeous as separates - the entire box makes for a wonderful wardrobe addition. Baiastice gives monthly group gifts as well as regular freebies at the store, but I guarantee once you see the gorgeous clothes, you won't make it out with just the gifts.

Baiastice Main Store at Best of Italian
(Group Name - **Baiastice** by Sissy Pessoa , Cost to Join - L$0, Group Tag - *Baiastice*)

Update - Nikki & Emily Skins by ::Tuli::

At about the same time as I was writing up my post on the three new next generation skins by ::Tuli:: (Celeste, Emily and Nikki), Tuli Asturias was making my post happily out of date, releasing the Sultry makeups for the Emily skins. Yes, I admit, I was one of the folks hoping for a stronger lip color and it doesn't disappoint.

I'd also like to thank Tuli for the set of Nikki "Beaten" skins - they have received many compliments already, including two requests for photographs. Even more exciting (because the skin is beautiful), there will be a line of regular makeups for the Nikki skins, though the Beaten makeups (Gash and Grief) will remain exclusive to the Dogtown store.

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Skin - Emily Sultry (Tanned, Freckled) by ::Tuli::

::Tuli:: - "S6" Skins (Emily, Celeste & Nikki)

The long wait is finally over, the "S6" skins are out - and they have names. I'm a ::Tuli:: skin fanatic - they are absolutely gorgeous in every detail and perfection on my shape. I own a rather excessive number of S5 skins and bemoan the fact that I discovered them too late to own the S4s (especially the spectacular freckled ones). When I received my group gift of the Emily and Celeste skins, I was not disappointed.

There are three next generation skins - Emily, Celeste and Nikki (which is exclusive to the Dogtown location). They come in light, pale and tanned skintones (Nikki only pale and light) with four eyebrow colors (dark, medium, light and red) and two tintable styles of pubic hair (landing strip and heart shaped). The base skins are shaved.

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Emily combines a glossy lip with a dramatic eye that makes for a wear all the time skin (especially the freckled versions) that is absolutely luminescent. The released makeup colors are candy, petal, coal and paradis. Celeste comes in air, smoke, lumina and dawn, continuing with the deep eye and the lighter lip makeup, but using brighter colors in matte for a feeling of innocence. Individual makeups are L$1150 and include both the freckled and unfreckled versions, a fat pack is available for each skintone with all four makeups in both versions for L$3000.
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The Nikki skin is special and spectacular in several ways. Sold only in pale and light through the Dogtown Urban Shopping store, Nikki comes in freckled and unfreckled versions of the gash and grief makeups. Gash features cuts and scrapes across the eye, lips and cheeks, grief combines a tearstained smeared eye with a scraped lip so beautifully as to satisfy any urban waif. The makeups are L$1250 individually or $1850 for a fat pack of the entire skintone (both makeups, both versions). Someday I will own the Nikki skins, but I am holding out to save up for the fat pack - they are that well done.

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Get comfortable (or uncomfortable) in your skin at the ::Tuli:: Main Store at LeZoo or the ::Tuli:: Store at Dogtown (Nikki only available here).

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Top left:

Skin: Emily Light (Coal - Freckled) by ::Tuli::

Hair: Luna (Night) by Detour

Earrings: Crystal Charm - Creativity by EarthStones

Center right:

Skin: Emily Light (Coal) by ::Tuli::

Hair: Writer (Night) by Detour

Tattoo: Gecko by Muisim

Shoes: Viniani Heel (Black) by Armidi Gisaci

Bottom left:

Skin: Nikki Light (Gash - Freckled) by ::Tuli::

Hair: Writer (Night) by Detour

Earrings: Crystal Charm - Creativity by EarthStones