Shopping in Second Life

Back In Motion

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I must apologise for having been away from blogging for a while. My absence was unplanned but I haven’t felt very well and I just didn’t have the concentration to log in to SL, take and process photos and then put them together to publish. I may be blogging a bit less often for a while, but I will do my best not to let so much time go by between posts. I could have just put up any old thing to be more timely, but if I give less than my best effort I feel I am letting you, my readers, down. I never want to do that so I beg your patience as I work my way back.

I must say that part of my absence was due to a lack of inspiration. How many pretty dresses or sexy jeans can you blog before they all seem to run together? I am getting more excited about landscape photography but for me it takes much more concentration than fashion or portrait photography and just the thought of it made my head pound. I needed something to spark my interest and ignite my passion again.

It really was a simple concept that did it. Rika Oyen of Argrace has created two new hairstyles for photography, complete with poses. In both, the hair is free-falling away the body. I am showing you Saki today, which is styled so that your hair swings as you tilt your head back. The five poses that come with the hair in both pose ball and HUD form are perfectly created to suit this hairstyle. However, I am sure this hair will come in handy for other poses with a similar head-tilt. I tend to shy away from high-fashion poses because it just doesn’t look natural to me to have my head leaning back and my hair perfectly molded around my shoulders. Perhaps these new styles from Argrace will allow me to channel my inner Cao and be more adventurous with my photography 😉

I realise this is not the first time hair has been designed with movement and physics in mind. I’m also sure this isn’t the first time that styles have been teamed with poses. But this is the first time this concept has inspired me to invest in it and sparked my creative juices enough to put me back in motion. I felt a little rusty both photographing and processing these photos, but it’s a start 🙂

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Thank you for your patience. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to a bright New Year. You’ll see me again before the ball drops and the clock strikes midnight.

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Dress: Zaara : [Mesh] Aamani wrap dress (S) *pistachio* by Zaara Kohime
Shoes: [Gos] Boutique – Eva Slingback V2 – Baby Pink by Gospel Voom
Jewelry: EarthStones Love Always Set – Diamond/Platinum by Abraxxa Anatine
Hair/Poses: *ARGRACE* Saki – Red by rika Oyen
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Peach Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Star Struck

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There isn’t much that is more exciting for a blogger than a sales event. That is, unless it’s seeing two of your favourite bloggers at the event!

I logged in yesterday to a note card from {What next} announcing Winter Thorn’s offering for the new gacha area of the Liaison Collaborative. The Liaison Collaborative is one of the events I anticipate since I know there will be some fantastic new home items from some of my favourite designers in The Garden. Combine that with the Poser’s Pavillion and it is heaven, indeed.

However, just as I rezzed in, I spied a familiar name – although not someone I have ever met in person. Alexa, aka Spunknbrains, was standing not ten metres away from me! Normally I’m rather shy when I see someone I admire near me, but this time I jumped straight into IM. Alexa and I have been carrying on conversations via blog comments for months, so it felt like striking up a conversation with an old friend.

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As we were chatting, I’m pretty sure I stopped mid-sentence to squeal, “OMG, Chic Aeon!” While Alexa warned me not to become star struck, I have to admit that I was. And I wasn’t brave enough to speak to her. She has been one of my blogger heroes since long before this site was even an idea.

It wasn’t enough to stop me from shopping, however 😉 I snagged some sweet poses and gacha gifts and I was a very happy girl, indeed. I’m going to go back in a few days when it isn’t as busy to check out the furniture in more detail; for this visit, I hit the jackpot with two rares – sightings of a pair of my heroes.

The hobby horse in the second photo – the reason for my visit – is just too adorable for words. It works as an AO and the petting motion is one of the stands. Make sure you hit Page Down while wearing it – I won’t spoil the surprise, but it had me about to fall off my horsey in laughter!

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Jacket: -tb- Oversized Coat (S) – Army Plain by Julliette Westerburg (available at Collabor88)
Top: JANE – needful things.romper.yw pale gold by Janie Marlowe
Jeans: Maitreya Skinny Jeans – #02 by Onyx LeShelle
Boots: Lenox Duck Boots Women’s by Leviathan Flux (available at The Men’s Dept.)
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Kira Mesh Hair – Cinnamon by MissAllSunday Lemon (Gacha prize at The Arcade December)
Jewelry: EarthStones Precious Moments Locket & Earrings -Mother of Pearl by Abraxxa Anatine
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Peach Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Poses: Vanity Poses – Snow Cloud:Play by Vanity Mirror (available at The Liasion Collaborative)
{what next} ‘Silver Bells’ Hobby Horse by Winter Thorn (Gacha prize at The Liasion Collaborative)

I Met A New Friend

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Believe it or not, I hadn’t visited The Trace, one of the more popular photography destinations in Second Life, until this week. I have seen some breathtaking photos from this location and to be honest, I am normally a bit intimidated taking photos in locations that have been so beautifully photographed. The tree tunnel is iconic; I ventured down that lane, but I didn’t even attempt to capture it. Many better photographers than me have immortalised it already. You can find some of them on the Explore Second Life Flickr group page, but there are many more scattered all over the net.

So when I do visit one of these places, I attempt to find and shoot in the less-photographed areas. Yes, because I am a bit shy about having my work compared to others’, but also because there are often scenes that haven’t been captured – at least, not that I have seen as often.

There are many of these at The Trace. But I was captivated by this gentleman, oh, so dapper in his red scarf, curiously trying to discover the secret of the blinking lights…and the feathered-friends who visited. The creatures in this sim are delightful and I was pleased they allowed me to be in such close proximity without darting or flying away.

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While this glorious stag is exploring the bird feeder, his mate is more curious about what lies inside this winter cottage. Perhaps there is a salt lick stored inside or maybe she is just doing some reconnaissance for Christmas Eve. You need to look closely to see her; I was careful to shoot from a distance, afraid I might scare her away. I would not want to be responsible for ruining a child’s Christmas morning because she didn’t have time to scope out the location of the Christmas tree for Santa to deposit his goodies 😉

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Skirt: Tee*fy Edela Buttoned Skirt Navy by Azure Electricteeth (Available at Collabor88 December)
Top: JANE – needful things.romper.br champagne by Janie Marlowe
Jacket: (fd) Leather Jacket – Brown by Toast Bard (Available at Collabor88 December)
Tights: INDI – Tights from INDI Designs Misha by Jamie Holmer (old Hunt gift)
Boots: erratic / selene – mesh ankle boots / tan – gold by Erratic Rain
Hair/hat: ~Tableau Vivant~ Noel Hair – Fall by M4ri1yn Magic (Available at Collabor88 December)
Necklace: Cae :: Knotted :: Necklace by Caelan Hancroft
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Peach Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Nail appliers: KOSH – Slink Applier CANDY CANE FINGERNAILS by Lynaja Bade (The Arcade gacha prize)
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Pose: aDORKable Poses: Ella 2 by Adorkable Peapod (NLA)