Holiday Spirits!

Ahhhh... yesterday was a glorious day for my holiday spirit - Bax released the absolutely incredible ankle boots in red patent, Moxie Polanos released both Candy Cane and Holiday Bliss and I finally got over to EarthStones to pick up my Snowflake collection. Combined with my favorite Air reading glasses, I'm kicking off my Yuletide today with two terrific holiday looks (and a wonderful excuse to buy those red patent leather boots...).
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Starting at the top with the Snowflake pearl jewelry, the asymmetrical earrings (no two alike, you know...) sets off any winter ensemble. The entire Snow Flurry Pearl Snowflake collection consists of earrings (L$249), necklace (L$299) and bracelet (L$299) - breathtakingly detailed in small pearls to contribute to the feeling of each piece being unique. The bracelet is absolutely elegant over a velvet or satin evening glove with that special holiday dress, the necklace has the perfect lines for strapless or scoop necked gowns. The Rosetta glasses in Crystal White by Air set off the delicate primwork in the jewelry to perfection for you studious gals...
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So, off to find the perfect dress? Try Moxie Polano's holiday collection - I bought both Holiday Bliss, a sexy Ms. Claus look, and the Candy Cane Victorian influenced holiday gown. Holiday Bliss (L$250) is a richly textured jacket and booty short combination with fur collar and cuffs for all your sexy holiday moments and is the outfit I was waiting for - though I do wish a fur trimmed skating skirt had been part of the package. The Candy Cane gown (L$400) is the best holiday formal I've seen so far, but I'm on a Victorian Christmas binge. The red and white corset with lace up back and amazing detail on the prim skirt guarantees there is more than enough to keep you the center of attention at any holiday festivities.

Finally, the purchase you know you want to make but are trying to justify - Bax Boots just released the newest entry in the must have ankle boot line - Red Patent Leather Ankle Boots. Droooool - I admit that I elbowed my way in to throw down my L$700 without hesitation. With options for three colors of red, fur or lace tops, color change for all parts, these are *the ultimate* in versatile footwear. I own the black patent, black suede, brown suede and red patent and practically live in these boots - a true investment in a classic.

Start your holiday off right at the MP Haute Style Main Store, EarthStones Main Store, Air Main Store and Bax Boots Main Store.

Credits:

Top Left:

Hair - TossMeAround (Wine) by BishWear
Gown - Candy Cane Gown by MP Haute Style
Jewelry - Snowflake Collection by EarthStones
Glasses - Rosetta Crystal White by Air

Center Right:

Hair - TossMeAround (Wine) by BishWear
Gown - Candy Cane Gown by MP Haute Style
Jewelry - Snowflake Collection by EarthStones
Glasses - Rosetta Crystal White by Air

Bottom Left:

Hair - TossMeAround (Wine) by BishWear
Gown - Holiday Bliss by MP Haute Style
Jewelry - Snowflake Collection by EarthStones
Glasses - Rosetta Crystal White by Air

Boots - Red Patent Ankle Boots by Bax Boots

Then & Now... Again.

Every now and then I like to look back and see how things have changed, so the other night when I pulled out one of my staples, the Tedious outfit by Apple May Designs, I remembered that it had been the subject of one of my earliest posts. I decided that it could be fun to pull out the original blog pictures and take another set with my more recent hair, skin, accessories. The whole look is utterly schoolgirl, so perfect for fall with a soft, warm, barely legal sweater top over a short tartan skirt.
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The outfit just screams for body art and, not surprisingly, both sets of photos are "inky" - the earlier with iNFLiCT's [name] and the later with Nambya's Sunburst. It's a very leggy outfit and while it looks great with just Dark Eden's Thetis ankle boots, the white stockings from Insolence's Melanie set paired with AW Design's CourtX Patent Leather Stiletto Mary Janes pull the "back to school" look together. Of course, for the serious, studious finish, Air's Rosetta Glasses in Crystal White are perfect for perching on the end of one's academic nose.
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Obviously the look lends itself to short hair, with Novocaine's Edwina in the more recent shot and Armidi's Poynter in the older. Tuli's S5 skin rounds out the earlier picture, Glanz Transparency Shine eyes are worn in both and today I was wearing KA's Sunkissed skin in Smokey 02. Jewelry in both is by EarthStones, with the Wire Wrapped earrings, Yin Yang earrings and the newly released Yin Yang belly piercings as well as the virtually never removed Bali lip ring.
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Almost all items listed here have had posts of their own, so I'll leave you to the tags for more information, you can pick up Tedious in several colors at Apple May Designs Main Store.

AIR - Lace & Arabesque Glasses

Sometimes really amazing things come in small packages. Air is a small store with a fabulous line of very sexy reading glasses. Yes, you read that correctly. Reading glasses. Beautifully detailed glasses. You will fake a vision problem just to have an excuse to wear them. Don't buy all the demos - they will just make you want every single pair. And I can guarantee from the comments I got while wearing these that guys definitely make passes at girls in these glasses.

My pictures don't do justice to the amazing level of detail in these - lacy frames with drop chains and jewels that look as good with an evening dress as they do with a sweater and jeans. There are multiple styles for all face shapes and preferences, but not all styles come in all metals or colors. The first pair I fell in love with was the Arabesque which only comes in Antique Copper and sells for L$600. I couldn't show them all, but the Lace Glasses can be bought individually for L$500 or in a Fat Pack of gold, copper and silver for L$1000.
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See everything more clearly at the AIR Main Store.

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Top left:
Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour
Eyes - Transparency Shine (Clear Grey) by Glanz
Glasses - Lace Glasses (Silver) by AIR
Skin - S5 Tan Natural 1 (Freckles) by ::Tuli::
Top - Full Sculpted Knit Jacket (Black) by Cubic Effect

Bottom right:

Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour

Eyes - Transparency Shine (Clear Grey) by Glanz

Glasses - Arabesque Glasses (Antique Copper) by AIR

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

Top - Full Sculpted Knit Jacket (Black) by Cubic Effect

Paper Couture - Silk Gypsy Dress

At Paper Couture, black is the new black and hopefully always will be. Honestly, no one does black quite the way Paper Couture does - warm and liquid and flowing. I've never had a dress from there that there weren't parts that could be used in all kinds of outfits and Silk Gypsy is no exception. If the full prim sleeves and deep v-neck of the blouse don't convince you, combined with the waist enhancing corset this outfit is worth well more than its weight in Lindens. Which isn't a lot - this dress is a bargain. At L$250, there's no reason that Silk Gypsy shouldn't be in every gal's inventory.

A single color offering like the rest of Paper Couture's line, Silk Gypsy comes with a blouse (shirt), corset (jacket), prim sleeves and three skirts, both scripted and unscripted (perfect for pictures) as well as a mesh layer (skirt) and glitch pants (pants). Obviously the top can be worn with many combinations of skirts, so I paired it with a comfy old pair of ragged jeans and soft boots and had a terrific, soft casual look - perfect for a relaxed evening out with friends (new or old). I was planning to change shoes when I switched to the full dress shot, but the first pose I hit looked perfect with the boots and gave it a more period look, so I kept them - though I can assure you the dress looks spectacular with just about any heel height and shoe style.

Discover why I hope nothing will ever replace black at the Paper Couture Main Store.

Top left:
Hair - BooN75 by BooN
Eyes - Transparency Shine Eyes (Clear Grey) by Glanz
Skin - Tasha 11 Portrait Skin (Tan) by Laqroki
Glasses - Arabesque by AIR
Top - Silk Gypsy by Paper Couture
Tattoo - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT
Nails - Deep Dream Collection by bijou
Belt - Song Bird Belt (Black) by Cubic Effect
Jeans - Sexy Ripped Jeans by Naima
Boots - Bot's Black by Storm Schmooz

Bottom right:

Hair - BooN75 by BooN
Eyes - Transparency Shine Eyes (Clear Grey) by Glanz
Skin - Tasha 11 Portrait Skin (Tan) by Laqroki
Tattoo - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT

Outfit - Silk Gypsy by Paper Couture
Boots - Bot's Black by Storm Schmooz

EarthStones - Wrapped Crystal Jewelry

I bought the Wrapped Crystal Necklace right when it came out and it is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. It was, however, missing what I was sure would be fabulous earrings. Alas, time passed, new releases came out and my necklace was still a solo piece - a great solo piece, but sometimes a gal needs some earrings. Imagine my delight when I got the notice from EarthStones that, after much work, the earrings I lusted for had been released!
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The necklace is a drop necklace with a natural shaped polished crystal wrapped in a delicate wire frame. The earrings are delicate and detailed triple stone versions of the necklace. Both come in Labradorite, Baltic Amber, Watermelon Tourmaline, Moldavite, Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Rose Quartz and Quartz Crystal. The earrings are L$249 purchased separately or all stones in a Fat Pack for L$1569. The necklace is L$225 and L$1399, respectively.

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This is an incredibly versatile set that mixes equally well with casual wear, formal wear or club outfits. It neither overwhelms an outfit nor does it fade when paired with a strong outfit. Obviously since I've had the necklace forever, both the earrings and necklace can stand alone as well as making a stunning pair.

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See some of the most beautiful crystals SL has to offer at the EarthStones Main Store.

Top Left:

Hair - BON75 (Jet Black) by BooN

Glasses - Arabesque (Antique Copper) by Air

Earrings - Wrapped Crystal (Labradorite) by EarthStones

Tattoo - What is the Matrix by iNFLiCT

Outfit - Elite by Eclipse Development

Bottom Right:

Hair - BON75 (Jet Black) by BooN
Earrings - Wrapped Crystal (Labradorite) by EarthStones
Tattoo - What is the Matrix by iNFLiCT
Outfit - Three Woodpeckers by Chambre du Chocolat