Otherworldly

Another delicious round of Midnight Order has opened and my visit there resulted in quite a bit of shopping. I absolutely had to have the gorgeous sabatons by Static (and, of course, the matching gauntlets as well), though instead of wearing it with something that might combine more naturally with pieces of armour, I couldn’t resist wearing nothing but the stunning Porcelain tattoo from Fallen Gods. With the right choice of hair and some carefully selected poses and camera angles, I am almost decent. ;)

I don’t apply for a lot of blogger positions any longer, things are busy enough as it is, but I did send in for Petrichor’s latest blogger search since I do like blogging intricate fantasy outfits and jewellery. So this is my first post, featuring the Zarys outfit. This is a release from a little while back that was created in collaboration with Ersch and consists of a dress, optional sleeves (one or both arms) and panties with leg chains as well as some spiky armor pieces (not shown). There are several different packs available with different texturing huds for the fabrics as well as the metals. The opacity of the dress can also be altered via the huds. Sizes included are eBody, Kupra, Legacy, Legacy Perky, Lara, Lara Petite and Mounds.

The hair is Wasabi’s New Year’s Edition of Mystique and the skin is LeLapeau’s Elsa with body skin by Velour. I am stepping out of Fanatik’s Stalker Castle and using a pose by Serendipity.

Zaara is participating in the current round of We Love Role-Play with the beautiful Umrao ensemble consisting of anarkali (dress), churidar (pants) and dupatta (scarf). For the first time, she’s offering both Maitreya and Legacy fits, including Petite and Perky versions. The colours and textures are impeccable (just look at the embroidery on the chest, such exquisite detail) and with the fatpack you are able to mix and match all the pieces in a variety of ways.

The Estrella skin by alaskametro is not new, but an updated version that also uses her updated skin tones will be available at the Skin Fair when it starts on the 11th (click here to learn how to get early access today). If you have already bought the skin, you can of course redeliver it to get the new version, you don’t have to buy it again. I really like the nose and the lips on this skin, they’re very nicely shaped. The Gel eyebrows are also from alaskametro and these are a Skin Fair exclusive. They include six colours (plus they are tintable) and both regular and EvoX fits.

Speaking of Skin Fair, I was hoping there’d be some interesting skins for the SLUV, but when I looked through the booths it was all EvoX among the new releases. I will need to give it a closer look, but it does seem like the market has become completely EvoX dominated. As someone who likes to use a variety of heads, its disheartening.

I picked up this couple pose from Serendipity some weeks ago, but I didn’t have a clear idea in mind for it. Then Ran went shopping for hair and came back with No.Sand from No.Match while I got my hands on the Dynasty avatar set from Fallen Gods, this year’s Fortune Teller prize. I dressed up in part of the Dynasty outfit, though instead of wearing the (very cool) skin included I added the Temptation tattoo that is a free gift at Fallen Gods booth at the Halloween Shop & Hop. For the rest of Ran’s outfit, we looked to Stitched, and for the decor I used Dreaming Thicket and Paper Moon.

I was supposed to be on vacation and thus a blogging hiatus. But our car broke down last week as we were on our way to our summer cottage, so for a few days more I am stuck at home with much less to do than I had planned. Hence, blogging. Fortunately, there are some great events right now, including a new round of the Epiphany. I couldn’t resist the SultryGarden gacha from deviousMind, which features a ribbon harness with intricate lace appliqué. I tried out the first colour that I won and said to myself that there was almost something bridal about it. I gave it another try and fortunately it gave me the Pearl next time, perfect for my idea!

Of course, this would definitely be something for after the ceremony, unless you are having a very unconventional wedding. ;) I am still wearing that ridiculously pretty hair from Stealthic, Lavish, and my favourite skin and head combination even though they’re far from new: PXL’ss Ava on LeLutka’s Cate.

Poema is a skin brand that I been eyeing for a while. Their skins have always been quite varied and had a lot of character, but they have primarily been focused on skins for a more mature look. Nothing wrong with that, but it has not been quite what I have been looking for. For this year’s Skin Fair, poema has launched a brand within the brand called Rahra which will focus on younger looks, but still with plenty of character. There are three skins out at the Skin Fair and I have chosen to feature Bamby.

It has been a long while since I did a proper skin review, but with Skin Fair 2021 just having opened it seemed like a good time to revisit what used to be a staple of the blog. I’ve also fallen more into the habit of simply blogging as opposed to reviewing items, so I wanted to revisit that as well.

However, before I dive into looking closer at Logo’s Bella head and Bella skin, I have to say I am bothered by LeLutka’s addition of a new UV to their heads. With BoM you finally had a variety of skins to choose from for smaller head brands as well, at least from those creators who stayed true to the SL UV. Now it looks like we’re heading back down the path of brand-specific skins and I am not liking that prospect.

But, I digress! This is about the latest head from Logo and the skin released for it, both available at the Skin Fair on the North sim. And as this is a skin review, there is nudity below.

I have a love/hate relationship with gachas. It can definitely be a exciting to play, but it can also be really frustrating. Over time, the excitement factor has lessened, but sometimes a set crops up that brings it back. For example, Lux Aeterna’s “Feast for a King” at the Arcade. Lux Aeterna makes beautiful things that are very much in my wheelhouse when it comes to style and sources of inspiration and the two rares in this set created an immediate “must have” feeling. Fortunately for my virtual bank account, the beautiful skybox landed in my inventory almost right away.

I am loving the Autumn we’re having right now. Much less rain than usual (knock on wood, though it is sure to come) which really lets that crispness in the air which is both a scent and a feeling linger. The colours have been a little slow to come in, but now they are starting to get there. In Second Life, Autumn is definitely in full swing and with it all things Halloween. It is a pretty good substitute when I start feeling nostalgic about not having The Secret World to play anymore; Halloween was definitely the natural season for that game too.

With the help of Del-ka Aedilis, I’ve headed deep into the woods to mix up some potions. Perhaps you would like to come by for a visit?

The massive new release from Fanatik is now out (11 new products, plus two new group gifts), which prompted me to return to the showcase sim yet again, this time in the guise of a wanderer exploring the rugged landscape. The new landscaping items and the sim built with them are inspired by St. Kilda, a remote Scottish archipelago in the North Atlantic, so it is no wonder that it reminds me a lot of the coast of Northern Ireland where we went on a tour a few years back to visit various filming locations for Game of Thrones. To visit the sim, head over to Fanatik’s main store and click the teleporter right at the front of the store. That is also where you will find all the new products.

When it comes to mesh heads for male avatars, the situation is starting to get pretty decent with several brands offering multiple choices. Slink, for example, is now up to four male mesh head with their latest two releases, Marcus and Ethan. As with the previous two (Anderson and Finn), they have a “sister” each among the female heads, in this case Miranda and Emma. While you could certainly make them look a lot more masculine, I decided to try both of them with the androgynous “Andy” skin from alaskametro (even though the body of the skin is actually female) since I wanted to see how pretty they would get. ;) I also used the Nyx hair from Wasabi for both looks and a set of outfits from the Muses.

From Adam n Eve and Deep Static comes all the hugs & kisses you might need for your time on the beach in the shape of a swimsuit and a pair of cool sunglasses which have matching colours and metal textures. Both these new releases are available at the WIP event which runs from the 2nd to the 22nd of every month. Finishing off my beach look is a new hair from Wasabi with a texture-change scarf and my skin is Skin Within’s Zoe who looks just lovely as a redhead.

I love the idea of combining clothing and jewellery as sachi Vixen has done in this gown for the Vintage Fair, where a bejewelled collar tops off a slinky silk (or velvet) gown. I went without any additional jewellery to focus on the collar itself and stayed with Truth’s latest group gift for my hair, here in the version without any wisps and with everything neatly gathered up. Dutchie’s New Amsterdam houseboat served as the stage for the photo, with the mid-century vanity showing in the background, to hint at either the beginning or end of a festive evening.

It is way too warm and I wish I was closer to the ocean so that I could cool off in the water. Being down at the beach at sunset, especially when the water is still warm enough for a swim, is just magical. Hopefully I’ll be getting the chance in a few weeks, but until then I can only experience it virtually.

After a hiatus in January, a new round of We Love Role-Play opens in just a few days (on the 4th). The pretty top that I am wearing is Paper Moon’s release for the event, a tank top style with laces all the way up the back (which I of course failed to do a shot of…) which comes in seven colours with each including a fresh and a faded version. This is the faded version of Crimson, which I paired with a skirt from On a Lark. Matching two unrelated mesh pieces isn’t always easy, but these work wonderfully together.