G Field Group Gift

GField just sent a cute and feminine gift to their subscriber group today.  With the conclusion of Culture Shock, the new maxi skirts have been moved to the main store and Cerberus Noel has also released new puff-sleeve tops.  A yellow version of each is a gift to us!  Thank you, Cerberus, for your kind generosity!

Credits:
Outfit: *G Field*: Group Gift: Puff Sleeve Top and Maxi Skirt - Yellow: Subscriber Gift
Necklace: Addiction: Alluring Necklace: from Lazy Sunday set of awesomeness: Still out @ 75 L
Skin: Idiosyncrasy: Natasha -Natural 6: released at Skin & Shape Expo and now at Main Store
Hair: LeLutka: Rykiel - Sweden
Hair Accessory: Pididdle: Feather Extensions

Skin & Shape Expo 2011: Mock Cosmetics

I joined the Mock Cosmetics group back earlier in the year when our group limits were raised.  I did it on a lark as I had checked out her Midnight Manias and Lucky Boards from time to time.  She was good back then and I was kind of messing around with tattoo layer makeups but not in earnest.  In those few months, Mocksoup Graves has become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to makeup layers.  The woman is absolutely prolific, so today I am only going to show you the products she has out at the Skin & Shape Expo.  Her group, however,  costs 250 L to join BUT this moment there are OVER 30 group gifts in archives, not including demos and dorky gestures and dances.  And there are a few group gifts in the store which I've not even had a chance to pick up yet.  Mock, as she is known, does full makeups, lipsticks, liners, eyeshadows, etc. as well as playing around with skins.  On a personal level she is delightful, down to earth, and friendly and I know from group chats and occasionally being a tester that she works really hard to make her range fit several skin ranges.  How about I shut up now and show you her work?

This is the Basic Eyeshadow in Brights.  I'm wearing the lovely Natalie skin from Idiosyncrasy in the Natural Base tone as a foundation and I've not added or painted on lashes or any of that mess.  The colors are lush, well shaded and have light brown liner that I find interesting.

I have big love for the Nautica Eyeshadow set.  She has played on a seaside theme of sand and surf with delicacy as well as panache.  Again, no retouching as they need no enhancement.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Bronze Desert Eyeshadows for anyone looking for a good solid set of brown shadows.  Different parts of the eye are accentuated with in this series and includes dramatic as well as daytime looks.

The Skin & Shape Expo is only going on for a few more days; May 22nd to be exact.  Right now the number of events closing out soon is a bit staggering but a visit to Mock's booth is time well spent.  I cannot say enough good words about her in-world group or Mock's level of customer service.  See you around the grid! I have catching up to do!

Credits:
Skin: Idiosyncrasy: Natasha: Medium - Base: currently available at Skin & Shape Expo with more at her main store.
Makeups: [mock] Cosmetics: at Skin & Shape Expo as well as a wider range at her main store. (Join the group; it's worth it if you dig makeup!)

Skin & Shape Expo 2011: Idiosyncrasy

Ashia Tomsen, the creator and genius behind Idiosyncrasy, will forever hold a very special place in my heart. Ash was one of the first people with whom I revealed my obsession with all things fashion in SL.  Ashia is the person that started me blogging and she is one of the the most savvy, honest women I've had the honor to meet in SL.  Ashia has been making skins for several years now and she is undoubtedly a stickler.  Any skin you get from Idiosyncrasy has been painstakingly made and checked from top to toe hundreds of times for imperfections.  Her new line, Natasha, named for a treasured friend, receives it's inspiration from the rebellious spirit of Biba cosmetics as well as MAC's Surf Baby collection.  It premiers exclusively at Skin & Shape Expo 2011, which runs through May 22nd.

Natasha is available in 3 skin tones: Pale, Natural and Dark.  Each single pack contains 12 skins with 3 cleavage options, teeth options, light and dark brows, as well as a dark and light tat layer hair base and a full body tattoo layer.  Ashia is nothing if not thorough.

I wanted to show you the full body tattoo layer because Ashia has so carefully placed freckles in proportion to where they would fall in real life.  Ash doesn't do anything half way and the grid is a lovelier place for it.

Skin & Shape Expo 2011 is donating to Direct Relief International and each store has at least 1 items where 100% goes to the charity.

Credits:
All Skins: Idiosyncrasy: Natasha: Makeups 01 through 07 shown in serial order in various brow, teeth and freckle options.  There is also a natural base layer in each shade that also includes all the various options.  They are exclusively available right now at Skin & Shape Expo here. ]
Hair:  Pale 01: Elikatira: Comfort; 02: 69: Keri
          Medium 06: Elikatira: Me; 07: LeLutka: Rykiel
          Dark 03: Elikatira: Mood; 04: Mina: Thulani
          Body Shot: Medium08: LeLutka: Rykiel
Bathing Suit: Mimikri: Starlet Bikini

Culture Shock: Orion / Di's Opera / Mango Mango

First off, my apologies for the blogging gap, but several RL obligations have kept me from doing much on SL this week besides checking messages and sorting out a few things.  Right now there are so many events going on, many being fundraisers for awesome charities, that it is difficult to decide where to go first.  Both Skin Fair and Culture Shock will be ending on May 22nd so if you've not made it to either, now is a great time to go.

Orion Gant of Orion does great things with sculpts in his clothing and I've picked up many pieces over time.  He has 3 items where a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders as well as a new dress that is one of my favorites.

Summer Flowers comes in four colors with a dramatic sculpted skirt and floral trim on top.  The sculpts are modify and copy so you can adjust it to fit your personal shape.  Sileny Noel, of Mango Mango, has the lovely Vintage Sweetie skin available at Culture Shock and it was perfect for the clean retro look I was going for with Orion's clothes.  It is available in five skin tones.

Sileny has included many options in each skin pack.  I love her freckles but it also includes a non-freckled version as well as cleavage and various brow options.  She also made a full body freckle tattoo layer that I just love and you can pick up at Culture Shock.

I've way too many leggings (and skin and hair and shoes and dresses and poses and houses, etc.) and I've been starting to thin them out but the Zebra leggings from Orion are becoming fast favorites for me.  I really like the shading on them with adds to their realism.  The sculpted bottoms include both a copy/mod version and a resize scripted pair so that you can fuss with them to get them just right.  I've been completely gonzo for Di's Opera's Old Luggage set, also at Culture Shock.  There are three different bags as well as special poses (one shown above) included in the set.   It my latest fix for pixelated retro items.

One of my friends calls this my Bo-Peep dress but I've also been called Florence Henderson and Bea Arthur and I adore the Arienette 2 Dress. The Custard version above is exclusive to Culture Shock and I love it because I could play this dress so many different ways.  It could easily get myself up like campy Bo-Peep or grunge it up with heavy boots and messy hair, but I'm not going for Look of the Day here. I want you to see the hard work Orion put into the sculpts on this dress. Again, its modifiable for your fitting needs.

I need to get back to Culture Shock and get another good luck before all the wonderful exclusive items are gone after May 22.  For a map and complete list of store locations visit here.

Credits: (Culture Shock slurls should direct you to each store)
Photo 1:
Dress: Orion: Summer Flower - Rose: available at Culture Shock
Bracelets: Mandala: Milky Way Bangles
Hair: fri.day: Tatum
Skin: Mango Mango: Vintage Sweetie - Pale: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Photo 2:
Leggings: Orion: Zebra Leggings (also available in blue): available exclusively at Culture Shock
Shirt: GField: Ruffle Tops: Turquoise: available at Culture Shock: this one was free!
Bag/Pose: Di's Opera: Old Luggage: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Shoes: Theosophy: Caerau Ribbon Pumps
Necklace: Bliensen & MaiTai: Beware of Wolves: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Hair: Truth: Trinity
Photo 3
Dress: Orion: Arienette 2: Custard: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Bag: Di's Opera: Old Luggage: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Necklace: Artilleri: Chunky Bead Necklace (I've had this piece forever so Im not sure its still available)
Hair: Clawtooth: Woman of the Year

Culture Shock: Bliensen & MaiTai

Plurabelle Laszlo, the creator behind the Bliensen & MaiTai, is a goddess. Nothing less describes her level of talent in jewelry making.  On a surface level her jewelry is gorgeous but what I particularly love about it is the humorous play on kink and the dark side that is evident in much of her work. Her charity items, of which 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Doctor's Without Borders, best exemplifies that aspect of her work.

Beware of Apples depicts scenes from the Prince's discovery of a dead Snow White.  Snow White, one of Grimm's collected Fairy Tales, is a story of jealousy, wish fulfillment and resurrection, as well as the polarization of women into evil and passive characters.

Beware of Wolves depicts Little Red Riding Hood alongside the wolf (Oh what big teeth you have!).  Most of are familiar with the Perrault  or Grimm version of the story about not talking to strangers, but this tale had been told in various forms as early as the the 14th Century about werewolf trials of the times.  In those versions the wolf leaves dead granny's meat and blood for poor Red to eat as well as disrobing her and throwing her cloak into the fire.  This story has so many levels of interpretation from naivity to sexual awakening to solar myths.

Geiko is a term for Geisha from the Kyoto districts, who is a woman trained to entertain men with conversation, dancing and singing.   Geisha are not prostitutes but often worked alongside the highest classes of courtesans. One primary way to tell the difference between geisha and maiko (courtesan) is that the makeup of a geisha is much more subtle.  Plurabelle offers two versions of Geiko in each set, a light and a bright pink, which I am guessing is a reference to this difference (or she might just say stfu). Anyways, they are simply stunning pieces with sublime texturing.

If you are still reading my text, you probably need a break from my thesis. Tomorrow's Cherries all depict cherry blossoms (viginity - lol).  What I love and you need to get close to the ads to really appreciate is Plurabelle's use of antique textures as the background for the blossoms.

The final piece she if offering at Culture Shock are the Yesterday's Bloom earrings.  I love this particular style of earring that she creates as it works so well with the mod style clothes I love to wear, especially with its starburst segment that could be interpreted as the skeletal remains of a spent blossom (you can take this from here by now, lol).  

Culture Shock remains open through May 22nd and is now very enjoyable to get through.  For a map of the event and a complete list of slurls visit here.  Each designer has provided at least 3 items where at least 50% of all proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.  

Credits:

All Jewlery: Bliensen & MaiTai: available exclusively at Culture Shock

Skin: Fall Out / Fall In: Deliciouz skin: Devin: available exclusively at Culture Shock

Hair: Photo 1: Elikatira: Comfort

         Photo 2: mikan: Melmo

         Photo 3: le salon: Anna May: has been closed forever

         Photo 4: lamb: Babys On Fire

         Photo 5: lamb: Lost

Culture Shock: Swansong

If you've been avoiding Culture Shock because of worries of lag, crashing, no rezzing and all the other assorted good times that can accompany SL events now is your time to start going.  The sim is less crowded, probably because Skin & Shape Fair 2011 started today and that looks positively packed on the map.  I'm lucky enough to have some more items from both events to show but today I want to show you the gorgeous Siam Maxi from SwanSong.

AtomicSparkle Skytower, the creator at SwanSong as well as Atomic Bambi and Evoke, knows so well how to make gorgeous things!  Many of her outfits from SwanSong have a tropical and carefree attitude while maintaining elegance.   I've been picking up pieces from SwanSong since it opened and the Siam Maxi, with its halter top and open back, is one I will wear throughout this summer season.

SwanSong has 3 offerings for Culture Shock, each of which will donate 50% of the proceeds to Doctors Without Borders.  Each item is available individually as well as in a fatpack.  Culture Shock runs through May 22 so there is still lots of time to shop!  For a map and list of store slurls visit here.

Credits:
Dress: SwanSong: Siam Maxi (Ocean & Noir): available exclusively at Culture Shock
Skin: LAQ: Tess2
Hair: 69: Olivia 02 & Keri: both in Sandy Blonde which is only 50 L for a few more days! 

Culture Shock: Baiastice

One of the nice things about being an active fashion blogger in SL is the opportunity to occasionally preview events before they are officially open.  This results in a lot of work, too, but that isn't what I'm going for here.  My prolific blogging partner, Jacqui, IM'd me and told me I had to see Baiastice's Mattina chiffon dresses at Culture Shock because they were so me.   She knows me so well!

Sissy Pessoa, the hardworking designer of Baiastice, must have worked her fingers to the bone making these beautiful dresses.  The dress is primarily sculpted prims with all the requisite clothing layers.  Sculpted clothing is becoming quite prevalent in SL and those of you who have tried it know how difficult fitting can be.  Sissy has obviously put a lot of thought into that as the top comes in 4 sizes to fit a most avatars.  The sculpts are not resize scripted so if you have decent editing skills you can modify the top to fit your specific height and width requirements.  If you are anything like me and want to immediately start messing with the sizing,  I recommend you copy the pieces before you start messing with them or you could ruin these beautiful pieces.

The skirt on the dress is available in 2 versions; a multilayered option shown in the top photo and a single skirt as shown just above.  Again, these do not have a resize script so you can manually adjust as needed.  Again, copy before you edit, particularly on the layered skirt!  What truly impresses me about the skirts is that Sissy has added an AO with both walking and standing animations that let you avoid having your hands get buried in the sculpted pieces.  

The Mattina chiffon dress is available in 3 colors, mixed cold (blues/greens) mixed hot (pinks/golds) and royal (violets).  It is a a high quality piece that displays the breadth of Sissy Pessoa's talent that makes her a fashion leader.   The purchase of this dress benefits Médecins Sans Frontières, so please, reduce your scripts, brave the lag and pick it up!

Médecins Sans Frontières most recent donation total from Culture Shock is $L1,007,003.  This is more than $4,000 USD earned for the charity and the event runs through May 22.  We are blessed to have so many generous designers and caring individuals in SL!  For a complete map and list of slurls for all participants visit here.  

Credits:
Dresses: Baiastice: Mattina Chiffon Dresses: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Bracelet and Hair Ornament: Bliesen & MaiTai: Geiko: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Skin: Fall In: Deliciouz Skin: Dee (photo1) / Devin (photo2): available exclusively at Culture Shock
Shoes: Baby Monkey: Ultimate Ingrid - Lime
Hair: Elikatira: Away (photo 1)
         69: Jessica 01 (photo 2): currently only 50 L in new shades: Dusty Blond and Silver

Culture Shock: Ingenue

I've been a long-time fan of Betty Doyle, creator and designer for Ingenue.  Over time her pieces have become less "vintage" or strictly period pieces to include classic pieces that work with a wide variety of looks.  If I were to sum up Ingenue into a few key concepts it would be: impeccable quality, an eye for detail and timeless appeal.  Betty's work ranges from basic, well made pieces that are a wardrobe staple to clean, elegant outfits that amaze me with their sophistication.  Anything Betty makes, from clothing to shoes to accessories, has the same level of high quality, so I'm guessing she is a perfectionist and I am glad for it.  Her releases for Culture Shock have a sweet and springy flair and instead of continuing to fan-girl all over Betty I will get on to the photos.

The new Bicyclette tank also doubles as a body suit and has all the requisite layers you need.  It has a racer-back design and 100% of the proceeds of the Cocoa version benefit Doctors Without Borders.  I've paired it with LeeZu's new Yve pants.  I had a really hard time choosing which pair to buy!  The skin I am wearing in this post is another of Arcy Halfpint of Fall Out/Fall In's Deliciouz Skin in the Dee version.  I really love the glow added to the face of these skins.  Working perfectly with the outfit are Bleinsen & MaiTai's Yesterday's Bloom earrings.  The Lilly Bracelet is a new subscriber gift from Kouse's Sanctum.  TY, Kouse <3!

The Harvesting Daisies dress is a sweet little summer dress with perfectly made sculpted skirt.  I recently changed my body dimensions to be more curvaceous and it still fit me perfectly. I love the top that is part of the skirt and will totally wear it with other clothing.  I can see it with some high-waisted pants for a retro look. All proceeds from the emerald version benefit Doctors Without Borders.  I'm also wearing Bliensen & MaiTai's Beware of Apples necklace and earrings but will show them again in a feature post because they are way cool.

The Madeleine tank has a sculpted shirt and adorable bows at the shoulders.  Take a look at how well the sculpt fits!  I did no adjusting at all to the shirt.  It simply fits that well and the continuity of texturing is that good.  I try on, wear, buy, etc. a lot of clothes and trust me, they aren't all this well made.  All proceeds from the Sunshine (yellow) version benefits Doctors Without Borders.

Culture Shock continues to run through May 22nd.  Each designer must include at least 3 items that are exclusive to the event and at least 50% of the proceeds benefit Doctor's Without Borders.  Many designers have at least one item where 100% of sales benefit the charity.  For a complete list of participants and locations at Culture Shock, visit here.

Credits: (Culture Shock slurls should give you a beacon to the correct shop)
Photo1:
Shirt: Ingenue: Bicyclette Tank: Cocoa: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Pants: LeeZu: Yve Pants: Hippie Orange
Earrings: Bleinsen & MaiTai: Yesterday's Bloom: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Bracelet: Kouse's Sanctum: Lilly: subscriber gift: TY Kouse!
Skin: Fall Out / Fall In: Deliciouz Skin: Dee: Sweety: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Hair: LeLutka: Rykiel
Photo2:
Dress: Ingenue: Harvesting Daisies: Emerald: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Jewelry: Bliensen & Mai Tai: Beware of Apples: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Hair: Elikatira: Horizon
Photo3
Shirt: Ingenue: Madeleine Tank: Teal: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Pants: Ingenue: Katherine Trousers: Mink: available at main store
Hair: Love Soul: Hair*088: Cocoa

Culture Shock: Sassy Kitty / Di's Opera / Mango Mango!

Culture Shock is in full swing and runs through May 22nd.  150 of the best designers in SL have gathered to earn funds for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).  Today I have a variety of items to show you, including a freebie, from the event.

Sassy Kitty has a slew of items in which they are offering a portion of their profits to Doctors without Borders.  My personal favorite are the black Puffy Shorts, with it's undone belt and bloomer bottoms.  I'm a sucker for bloomers!  I paired it with the free gift from Somnia, an argyle corset and black bra.  The  bra and panties are available as a tattoo layer in addition to clothing layers, which is way cool.  I absolutely adore the Old Luggage set from Di's Opera.  It is one of Di Hoorenbeek's charity donations for the event.  The set includes 3 suitcases and high-style poses that rock because the suitcase doesn't eat into your body.  I am not using one of the poses here because I needed to show the pants but I will on another post.

The skin I'm wearing is from Mango Mango.  My pal, Sileny Noel, the creator of Mango Mango, worked her little tushy off for Culture Shock and has released her new Vintage Sweetie skin in bunches of tones and options.  It's a nice clean makeup so its easy to add eyeshadows as you choose.  She also made a full body freckly tattoo layer, which I am wearing.  Really cute, Sileny! <3

For a map and a complete list of slurls for culture shock visit here!

Credits: (Culture Shock slurls should direct you right to the store)
Shorts: Sassy Kitty Designs: Puffy Shorts Black: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Corset / Bra set: Somnia: Free gift available exclusively at Culture Shock: thank you, Sanura Snowpaw, for such a lovely gift!
Bag: Di's Opera: Old Luggage: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Skin: Mango Mango: Vintage Sweetie: Golden: available exclusively at Culture Shock
Hair: Elikatira: Escape
Tatoo: I<3 Rein: Power Doll (I am unsure if this store is still open)
Piercings: Ellabella: Star Child
Stockings: Pig: Argyle Sock M. Suspender - Ziegfeld S.
Boots: Coco: Lace-Up Work Boots

Culture Shock: R.icielli / Bliensen & MaiTai

Continuing the awesomeness of all things Culture Shock with offerings from R.icielli and Bliensen & MaiTai.  These are 2 more of my favorite stores; R.icielli for modern high-fashion with a European flair and Bliensen & MaiTai for unique, quirky high quality jewelry.

I was honored to be able to review 2 of R.icielli's charity offerings at Culture Shock.  Culture Shock is in full swing now and there are 150 of the top SL designers participating in the fundraiser for Doctors without Borders.  Each designer is offering at least 3 items where 50 - 100% of the proceeds will go to this charity.  One of R.icielli's items is the fantastic IRIS bodysuit.  I didn't want to cover it up with skirt or jacket so that you could see the item in it's entirety as I know that rez might be a challenge there for a few days.  It's a perfect item to pair with a skirt or slacks and R.icielli sells lots of items in complimentary colors which makes it an excellent base piece.

Another of R.icielli's charity items is the fantastic SUELLEN mindress in cherry.  One of the things that draws me to R.icielli is their great ability to create works that rely heavily on sculpted pieces and I think their dresses are some of the cleanest, chicest works on the grid.  The texture has a fantastic shimmer for modern look for evening.  I paired the dress with one of the many sets available by Bliensen & MaiTai for Culture Shock, the Tomorrow's Cherry set.

 

Tomorrow's Cherry's is a gorgeous set with a cherry blossom branch as its primary texture.  The set plays off a gorgeous pairing of gentle spring tones.  It is modifiable but for me it needed no modification beyond positioning, so without scripts it should not tax sims as you travel about.  Plurabelle Laszlo has offered several items for Culture Shock and I will do a full review at a later point as her work cannot be missed!

Credits:
me1:
Bodysuit: R.icielli: IRIS Bodysuit it Autumn: exclusively at Culture Shock
Belt: R.icielli: VANESSA belt in sangria at the main store
Stockings: Zaara: Nishar Leggings in burnt olive (naturals pack)
Skin: Fall Out / Fall In: Deliciouz Skin - Devin (cougar): exclusively at Culture Shock
me 2:
Hair: LeLutka: Rykiel in Toast
Dress: R.icielli: SUELLEN minidress in cherry: exclusively at Culture Shock
Jewelry: Bliesen & MaiTai: Tomorrow's Cherries: exclusively at Culture Shock
Hair: Elikatira: Rythm

Culture Shock: The Sea Hole

Where do I start with my love for all things The Sea Hole? Drinkinstein Sorbet, the genius behind the store, ranks as one of my all time, always go back to designers for originality, humor and mad texturing skills.  I've been wearing her clothes for years, own many of her skins as well as her home and garden products.

Drink has 9 items she is offering at Culture Shock.  Her bold collection has a geometric theme and I love clean mod looks so this is big love for me. Culture Shock runs from May 1 - 22 (it JUST opened) and each of the 150 designers involved must provide at least 3 exclusive items where 50-100% of the proceeds is donated to Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), an independent humanitarian medical organization.

The Geometric Collection consists of a halter top, a belted mini skirt and an accessory set.  Each part is sold separately and is available in 3 different colors; Guiness (monotone), Peacock (blues) and Candy Canary (yellows).  These are made to mix and match and I particularly love using the Candy Canary accessories with the Guiness halter and skirt.  The skirt is a system skirt so my advice is to make a skirt shape copy of your shape so that you dont end up with a huge bubble butt.  For those new to this, copy your shape and take your butt size and saddlebags down.   I take mine down to zero, which would generally be pretty mannish, but I find necessary to achieve the slim look I love with this outfit.   There really isn't a better way to achieve a slim skirt like this that will work for many body types.

System skirts used to be used frequently but it had been awhile since I had worn a really short one.  I happened to be chairing a meeting the evening I put on the outfit and didn't notice until I cammed myself halfway thru the meeting that my sexy parts were exposed to the world.  So, word to the wise, wear a pair of panties underneath this skirt if you are going to be sitting in an group circle (blush).  We don't generally sit a lot in SL, so it's all good!

Thank you, Drinkinstein, for being so generous with your offerings for a great cause.  Modavia and  Chic Management have a map (Chic Mgt only) and complete list of slurls on their websites, which I have linked.  Go have fun, be groovy and spend lots of Ls for exclusive clothes!

Credits:
All Clothing and Accessories: The Sea Hole: exclusively at Culture Shock.
Skin: Fall Out / Fall In: Deliciouz in Devin: exclusively at Culture Shock
Hair:
   me 1: LOQ Hairs: Cheesecake: available exclusively at The Dressing Room Blue right now
   me 2: Elikatira: Comfort
   me 3: Clawtooth: Easy Breezy