Last night, my friend Agnes Periapse and I decided to head to the Hair Fair. We trimmed down our attachments, digging in our respective inventories for fashionable primless clothing. I had Achariya’s Hair Fair Challenge in mind, but one thing led to another and we ended up looking less cool and more fool. We had a ton of fun, though!

There’s not a lot to say - we both made new skins and applied our favorite textures. Repeat with Linden hair. A few slider tweaks later … and a paisley pony and lined lion were born!

If you’d like to see people who took Achariya’s Hair Fair Challenge seriously check out these links:

• Fashion Junkie: Hair Fair challenge
• Chic Aeon: Hair Fair Challenge
• Cajsa Lilliehook: And Jupiter aligns with Mars
• Violet Voltaire: Hey! At least I wore manties!
• Malicious Style: Hair Fair Challenge
• silentsparrow: no-prim hya and party!
• Red-Headed Step-Child: The Bald and the Beautiful
• Closet Crisis: 8/22/08 Guest Submission Annah Whitfield
• Cerrie Janus: Challenge Me This
• Malicious Style: I can haz earz back? kthnx
• Closet Crisis: 8/22/08
• Sn@tch: The Primless Challenge at Sn@tch
• Mau’s & Mej’s: http://mausmejs.blogspot.com/2008/08/hair-fair-3th.html
• Comme Il Faut: Mind the lag
• Gidge Uriza: Hair Fair Challenge - ARC = 21
• IsabellaGrace Baroque: Hair Fair Challenge Ala’ Bella

Enjoy the Hair Fair (URL, SLURLs: Orange, Pink, Purple, Red)!

August 26th, 2008 | Tags: Hair Fair 2008, Sway's Creations | Category: Shopping | Comments (4)

Some things are just meant to go together. Thanks to DP YumYum (URL, SLURL), I am now convinced that muffins and donuts are inseparable. Mmm, donuts …

I built this outfit around the feminine “La Clochette” set from Gris-Gris (URL, SLURL). I was ecstatic to see how many layers were included in the set and the unlimited possibilities for mixing and matching began to fill my head. For some reason, I became obsessed with making the “melting Candy Top” from Momo (SLURL) work. “It’s all about the accessories,” I said to myself and was I ever right!

The absolute show-stealers in this outfit are the arm and legwarmers. My arms are clad in Gritty Kitty (URL, SLURL) “Sugary Gloves” and the “LoC Socks” are from Amerie’s Naughty (URL, SLURL). Of course, my favorite piece is the “Cuppycake Necklace” from the oh-so-talented Violet Voltaire (URL, SLURL). I need the Cuppycake set in every color and then some - I will never take it off!

The “Cani” hair style is also from Gritty Kitty. It has a teeny little heart crown and texture-change streaks! I picked up the heart theme with my mask from Bare Rose (URL, SLURL) - I just love anything with hearts, even surgical masks. I also love anything with skulls, especially skulls with ribbons and bows, so my current favorite shoes and belt were required to complete this look. God bless Kari (URL, SLURL)!

August 25th, 2008 | Tags: Amerie's Naughty, Bare Rose, Curio, Dernier Cri, DP Yumyum, Gris-Gris, Gritty Kitty, Kari, Momo, Violet Voltaire | Category: Shopping | Comments (7)

Caught in the act! “Uno the Kitty” stole all my carefully collected and stamped cards - he’s just jealous that he’s not the center of attention at the current Creator Stamp Rally (URL)! He was available as a prize from Tangram (SLURL) last year, but that’s old news. Let him pout, there are more important things to talk about - maybe even cuter!

One of the stars of the current Rally is the “French Bulldog” from Vooner (SLURL). I want to hug him and squeeze him and call him George. No, Fred. Wait …

I think I’ve gone a bit overboard, but I just love CSR! It has been a blast so far and I’m not even done … I am all shopped out for now. The event lasts all month, though, so I have plenty of time to catch up on everything I missed!

These are tears of joy, really! Minajunk (SLURL) put out this absurdly cute “Cry Skin” for the Rally, which I accessorized with BettiePage Voyager’s (SLURL) prize - a frilly dress and hair. Time for a spot of tea, courtesy of Feather (SLURL)!

Speaking of joy, I was ecstatic to see the new blog Ace for Apple. Aceius Hax is one well-dressed gentleman and I’m glad to see he is trying his hand at blogging - I expect lovely, interesting things! Aceius blogged about the Rally, he’s just as enamoured of the cuddly creatures as I am. Check it out!

August 12th, 2008 | Tags: Black Knight, BP, Creator Stamp Rally, Cubic Effect, Dernier Cri, DP Yumyum, Edelweiss, Feather, Gritty Kitty, Happy Mood, Kurotsubaki, Mijn Boa, MilcaHolic, Minajunk, ON, Tangram, Vooner | Category: Shopping | Comments (2)

The Creator Stamp Rally has begun! I love, love, love this event. Shopping and limited edition prizes? Count me in! For more information, check out the official website or Achariya Rezak’s (URL) awesome CSR post. My first stop was the newly opened Happy Mood (SLURL) sim - it’s so adorable. I bought a new bunny for my collection, it came with a stamp card! Now I am off to gather the rest of my stamps … and probably a handful of cards, too. See you there!

August 9th, 2008 | Tags: Happy Mood, Kurotsubaki, Tokushi, Tres Blah | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

I just can’t stop buying hair. Thankfully, I am kept well supplied by the designers in SL. Saeya Nyanda of Kyoot (URL, SLURL) has long been a favorite designer of mine, so I was thrilled to see she had tried her hand at hair. And what hair it is! There are currently only two styles available, similar messy, bedhead buns - one short and one long style. I loved how romantic and playful both styles are and I am really looking forward to what else Saeya comes up with.

The longer “Waverly” style matched this maid costume from another of my absolute favorite designers in SL, Moeka Kohime of Edelweiss (URL, SLURL). Edelweiss has the Grid’s best Japanese costumes - if you’re into maid or school girl uniforms, that is! Don’t get me wrong, though, there wasn’t a lot of dusting to do at the brand new Kyoot build.

August 5th, 2008 | Tags: Curio, Dernier Cri, Edelweiss, Kyoot, Lassitude & Ennui | Category: Shopping | Leave a comment

June Dion of Bare Rose (URL, SLURL) continues to impress me with her rapidly improving sculpty creations and texturing skills. One of her latest releases, “Pink Mist”, immediately caught my eye. It comes in both a frilly version and an open jacket version (pictured above) - perfect for nearly any fantasy setting. At only L$130, you can look like a princess without spending like one, too!

August 4th, 2008 | Tags: Arai, Armidi, Bare Rose, Chakryn Forest, Curio, Dernier Cri, J's | Category: Shopping | Leave a comment

Sometimes a topic will sweep the SL fashion blogosphere. These memes often have nothing at all to do with SL, but every so often a real gem will shine through. If you read any fashion feed whatsoever, you will have noticed the “Ruth Challenge.” The premise is simple: take the default “Ruth” shape and make it over, with as little shape editing as possible. Who started it all? Alaska Metropolitan, with her post “Who’s That Girl?”

I’m not usually one to jump on a bandwagon, especially not ones that travel as quickly as they tend to in SL! Trends come and go in the space of a few days. Here today, gone tomorrow. Ruth has been with us all for so long, though, that I couldn’t resist. I’ve never found Ruth unattractive - her shape is quite similar to my own in SL, after all! I did three looks. It’s hard to stop, once you’ve started!

My first attempt was also my favorite. I fell in love with this skin from Sin Skins (URL, SLURL) immediately, it is so deliciously dark that I had to trick both SL and Photoshop into lightening things up. The other photos haven’t been so heavily edited, though!

I haven’t been able to change out of these “Sweet Death” jeans from Calypso Giano (SLURL) lately, they are just so cute! I keep finding adorable matching accessories, like my belt and shoes from Kari (SLURL) and the top from Momo (SLURL).

I have to admit, this shot is all about the dress. It was a Lucky Chair exclusive at Silent Sparrow (URL, SLURL) recently and I was ecstatic when I finally got my copy. Thank you, hya!

To find out what other fashionistas have been able to whip up, check out these blog posts:

• SL Fashion Avengers: Ruth Challenge
• Dead as We: Ruth challenge
• Malicious Style: The Ruth Challenge!
• LaynieWear: Making Ruth Pretty…
• JuicyBomb: Hi, My name is Ruthie
• The Body Politik: Make Ruth Pretty??
• PXL Creations: For the Love of Ruth
• Style Your Destiny: Ruth Challenge, Part 2
• Ivalde: My Ruth
• One Perfect Piece: What About Ruth?
• Adam n Eve: Ruth Supermodel
• Kiss Kiss: Who Am I?
• Achariya.net: For the longest time I had no idea what Ruthed meant
• Essence of SL: Ruth Challenge
• Chic at Phil’s Place: Dangerous Ruth
• Slaundry: Remembering Ruth
• LaynieWear: My final Ruth- Gnubie Ruth
• Sn@tch: Sn@tch Takes the Ruth Challenge
• SLink: My Ruth
• Schadenfreude Enterprises: Halp! I’ve been Ruthed!
• Something Different: Fine as Ruth
• Persona: Ruth “revamped”
• Something Different: Ruth as a Drow
• AnnaH: I am back … ruthed!!!
• iheartsl.com: Am I Ruthed?
• Silk Caravanserai: Ruth Kajira
• Fing: Equal Opportunity Ruth

This is the kind of meme I like to see on the feed! If I missed you or you post a new Ruth Challenge after this goes out, feel free to leave a message - I can’t get enough of Ruth!

August 3rd, 2008 | Tags: Armidi, Boing Fromage, Calypso Giano, Canimal, Curio, Dernier Cri, Draconic Kiss, Emvee Cuba, Gritty Kitty, Kari, Last Call, Magika, Maitreya, MG Fashion, Miam Miam, Momo, Muse, Silent Sparrow, Sin Skins | Category: Shopping | Comments (2)

In Second Life, I am usually dressed like the sterotypical “girl next door” - if it’s not cute, I am not interested. Sometimes I take a little break, though, and that’s when I will try nearly anything. I love trying out different hair colors, different styles, and even entire avatars (admittedly, some of those are really cute - like Tinies!)

One of my interests lately has been shiny, shiny latex. When done right, latex is really pleasing to the eye - the highlights bring a touch of realism to our virtual world.

I have long been a fan of the lingerie available at Insolence (SLURL). During one of my last visits, I stumbled across the Misty Line, tucked away in the basement at Insolence. I fell in love with the sets (pictured above is nearly the entire Misty Line). I love the variety of form and cut available - if latex can be cute, some of these pieces certainly are! The highlighting tends to be a bit strong, making this latex seem thick, but it’s still a nice effect. The prices for each set varies from L$290 to L$490 and, although nearly all sets come with accessories, stockings and gloves are also available separately for L$90 each. I was disappointed in the lack of color options, the Misty Line is only availble in black. Not that I am complaining, black is sexy!

For something a touch more intense, Graves (SLURL) is the place to look. With the tagline “What’s Your Kink?”, you know you’re in for a very interesting shop. The prices for sets range from L$290 to L$700, so there’s something for both the casual shopper and the hardcore latex fan. Nearly every set comes with multiple options - pictured above are two sets, each worn in two different ways. The highlighting is subtle and extremely effective, it’s all about the details at Graves.

Whether you’re looking to try something new or wanting to add to your collection, check out Insolence (SLURL) and Graves (SLURL) - who knows, you might even like it!

August 2nd, 2008 | Tags: Curio, Dernier Cri, Insolence, Laqroki, The Abyss | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

I recently found an absolutely gorgeous little store called Kitheres Industries (SLURL). It’s oh-so sci-fi and I love it. There’s not a lot to choose from yet, but everything available has been carefully crafted and textured - these are real labors of love.

(Full Credits)

The “Delvian” skins were what first caught my eye at Kitheres Industries (SLURL). Based on the Farscape character Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan, the Delvian skins are alien and exotic. I took a number of liberties with the character, making this skin my own as much as I could. This wasn’t about dressing up, but about looking dangerously good.

The Doomed Ship (SLURL)
(Full Credits)

For the base look, I chose the Delvian skin in pink. I wanted to stand out, so it was just natural for me to add a pair of “Poison” ears with “Punky” piercings from Illusions (URL, SLURL) - it took a bit of work to tint these to match, but it was worth it! With the “Caelyn” hairstyle from Novocaine (URL, SLURL), I was beginning to feel like an intergalactic rocker. Ziggy Stardust, anyone? Hot.

The Doomed Ship (SLURL) was the perfect background for such an over-the-top look. This is an RP sim and I do not recommend running around naked. Read the rules and respect your fellow Residents! Of course, as a photographer, I have been known to bend the rules from time to time, so I might have exercised my artistic license before getting dressed.

The Doomed Ship (SLURL)
(Full Credits)

In this gorgeous setting and with that hair, there was really only one option for my clothing - the equally dramatic “Monokrom” set from MekaNoiZe Labs. I was going to say a lot of wonderful things about MekaNoiZe, but everything at the store has been taken down and is no longer available. I am extremely sad about this. To make up for this missed shopping opportunity, I will be posting about similar clothing in the next few days, just you wait! In the meantime, check out Kitheres Industries (SLURL) - you won’t be disappointed!

July 22nd, 2008 | Tags: Amerie's Naughty, BooN, Farscape, Illusions, Kitheres Industries, MekaNoiZe Labs, Novocaine, The Doomed Ship | Category: Shopping | Comments (2)