Today I planned a trip down Rodeo Drive for a little retail therapy. Shopping in SL has become one of my main priorities and jobs along with browsing the fashion blogs for any new goodies that I can find or new places that I had never heard before. It’s amazing that I find myself dressing up specially just to go shopping. Being in this fashion industry has certainly taken it’s toll but that’s no matter because I’m definitely not complaining! Here’s just glimpse of my day-to-day outfit out on the town. I love dressing in casual yet chic, modern and elegant clothes that give off an air of sophistication without being too stuffy and buttoned up.
Top: House of Hucci – Jalston Jumpsuit Black (top) Bottoms: The Secret Store – Flared Pants cream Shoes: R.icielli – plastic set shoes (Previous TDR) Hair: Exile – Camille (Previous TDR) Necklace: Mandala - kagetora necklace Ring: Milky way Ring (ring only) Gloves: The Secret Store – Fine Gloves White
So there’s something that I wanted to discuss today and it seems like I’m not the only one with this issue and topic on the brain. If you haven’t heard yet let me be one of the first to fill you in right here, right now. Linden Labs has reported that they will be disabling the search in V1 based viewers. What does this mean to you as a user and resident? Well it’s quite simple, this will, in effect, cause all V1 viewers of LL or third party viewers to become pretty much useless and unusable. Why is LL forcing these changes on the residents when it has become clear that people are still not happy with the upgrades or satisfied with all the new changes even after a year of it’s initial release? One of the many reasons is that they are planning to introduce MESH into the grid in the coming months in rolling phases.
What is Mesh and how is it an improvement to your second life experience? Well this will not only cut down on the usage of prims and as a consequence the lag that we go through daily, it is also much friendlier to those with lower graphics cards. Take a look at the youtube video and it’s brief introduction on Mesh in second life.
A Brief Look at Second Life Mesh Support
So to those that have refused to go to team V2, it soon looks like you’ll have no choice. But wait! There have been some people that refuse to bow to low to these new changes and the Phoenix team is one of them as they recently have released their new Firestorm 2 Beta which is so good that it could be an official release. In my personal opinion Firestorm is a combination of everything I loved about v1 in phoenix and the old LL viewer along with v2. While you can’t change the look (although skins are available to change even if they are not stable at the moment) you can adjust and customize the interface much more than you could with the LL V2 viewer. Below I took a picture to give you a glimpse into the Firestorm Viewer.
Outfit Credits:
Dress: Crissy Designs – *Sonya* Denim Shoes: P10 – Serenity Heels Denim (free) Hair: Exile – Kumiko Skin: [Al Vulo!] – Ninni Shine cocoa Tattoo: [AvB] – Night Fever Bracelets: BND – Black Ethnik bangles Ring: [Mandala] – Milky Way ring & nail (ring only)
I liked the interface of the LL V2 viewer but I hated how it looked cluttered with the sidebar that would not go away. With the firestorm you still have the option of keeping the sidebar and the options can pup out at the sides or you can completely undock them like in the phoenix viewer. My favorite aspect of the 2.0 viewer is that the notices aren’t so noticeable! I always hated how it they would pop up and there was no way to hide them but not with the V2. The buttons below are customizable as well which is another thing to note. I can move them around or hide them with a simple click of the mouse as well as resize the chat bar however I want depending on how much I use it.
Another thing you may have noticed if you were looking closely enough was that Firestorm has an embedded Animation Override. Below you’ll find a tutorial on how to customize it however you need. I found that there were a few bugs when I sat down because it didn’t automatically switch to my sitting animation. Or it would switch to it and then pop back to my standing animation which annoyed the hell out of me and I’m starting to think it’s more trouble than it’s worth to even use it. Hopefully with the next release they will have fixed this problem.
Be sure to take a look a the videos below to get a better idea of all the different aspects they are offering in this release. I think this offers the best of both worlds in the V2 and V1 viewers. I also want to make a note that this is probably the most stable I have been in second life, especially compared with my previous use of the LL 2.0 viewer. I probably crash about 3 times a week, if that, and I’m definitely not using a high powered computer. It works so well that I actually run smoothly even when I move my graphic setting is moved to ultra for more than 15 minutes.
Did you know when you clean up your inventory, you find AMAZING things hiding there….of course you know:) This cute little sun dress hadn’t been hiding long . It’s an anniversary gift from Purple Moon for its group members. I love the delightful flirty type skirt. Imagine dancing, twirling around and just have a carefree time. The retro pattern of the dress gives the dress a vintage type feel. This dress can go from having an enjoyable day with the girls to having a nice summer night with the hunny. With this dress, I felt this short and wispy hair from Tiny Bird with its color change daisy headband would fit it exceptionally well. Tiny Bird is now closed by some items can still be found on Marketplace.
I am figuring that summer is my time for doing hunts. Moolto.com is having the sister hunt this month and I can’ t believe i finished it . So far I have found some great quality gift such as this skin I am wear. Despite being partial to tan to dark skins, I love this one by Deesse’s Skins It gives off the porcelain doll effect for me. The makeup color choices compliment the skin very well. I took a trip to the store and I’m impressed by the variety of skins.. Check them out if you are in the need for a new look.
Jewelry: Purple Moon Roses vintage Earrings in Copper (Group Gift)
Now this is such a long overdue post for the fashion conscious males of second life. I sincerely apologize for neglecting you and your interests in this creative world of fashion and am making up for it with three great outfits that are all under L$100 except for the skin which was L$300 if I’m not mistaken and came with an outfit of it’s own which I’m not displaying just for my personal taste. I have recently been exploring the world of male fashion and how you guys go about finding your great purchases. It felt a bit alien to me if I was to be honest and being in a male oriented store and stuffing all the male gift items made me feel even weirder. But that’s all in the past and it paid off because I came away with some great items. A few of these are hunt items, others are gifts, and others still are bargain finds from my time browsing and perusing the markeplace. Modeling Credits go to Tacitus Cortes. Thank yew for being my inspiration!
Hair: Jaryth’s Barber Shop – Clipper Cuts – Sabastian Black Skin: Zyra – Donato Outfit: **GizzA** May Group Gift (Male) Shoes: HOC Industries – Skoochers 2 (brown)
Hair: MADesigns – Gili – Dark Brown V (Men’s Stuff Hunt) Skin: Zyra – Donata Pants: Black Capris DS (marketplace) Shirt: -Phoenix Rising- Push (Grey) Shoes: HOC Industries – Skoochers 2 (black)
Hair: MADesigns – Gili – Dark Brown V (Men’s Stuff Hunt) Skin: Zyra – Donata Outfit: **GizzA** Avenue Group Gift
I’ve recently been exploring the art world of second life as a way of broadening my horizons as I also improved and expanded my ever-increasing wardrobe. I just recently visited the Gruntled Gallery by Alexx Fenstalker (aka Thomas Griffith) and wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I steped into his surreal reality. I happened to come across his work through the Showcase SL search and it states, “Apartment 5B is an art installation by Artist Alexx Fenstalker. The installation is meant to be a comtemplation of how mental disorder and family dysfunction affects the lives of those it touches. All aspects of the installation are handmade, including all of the texturse which were painted in gouache.”
I also decided to dress up for the ocassion and gallery viewing with a beautiful dress from | Aleida | that I came across while browsing through the online marketplace for some inspiration. They’re having a closing sale apparently so I’d advise to get your last minute buys while you still can. When I stepped into the so called “apartment 5B” which resembled a small house rather than an actual apartment I was initally confused until I turned on the music and just soaked up the images that my brain attempted to process. I found myself near tears within 10 minutes of visiting and whether it was the inspirational piano pieces by Michael Bartels warbling over the speakers or the desolate and painful images scattered around the room is unclear. But to have something affect me as no art has ever affected me has really brought a new perspective to me and my view on art. If you have the time or the inclination I’d suggest taking a peek at this art. They also have it on sale for a bargain considering what I think it’s work but definitely something that will inspire the senses.
Hair: Amrita – Sedna Blackolive Belt: *Baiastice – Dita Corset Belt Red Make Up: BOOM - Love my eyes Liner & Mascara Skin: Al Vulo! Skin – Ninni – cocoa shine Dress: | Aleida | - China Doll – noir/rouge Shoes: P10 – Amara Heel SnakeSkin VIP Gift
I truly do not believe being an SL model is something anyone is “born” with. It’s not RL where we are born beautiful with perfect bone structure and skin, etc, etc. Here in SL, we all have the possibility to become excellent models. Does everyone have what it takes? Of course not. We’ve all met a couple people along our modeling travels that just simply do not “get it”. They simply do not take the time to scrutinize themselves or take advice well or simply are not professional enough to do well in the SL modeling world. Could they change and improve? Sure, with some work.
Some people are “natural” SL models. Perhaps they were serious gamers in a previous life and can strut along the runway just as easily as they can walk on their own two RL feet. I, personally, was never a gamer and as a noob, I could barely walk up staircases. One good friend used to be so kind as to teleport me to tops of stairs, I was so challenged. I’m still impressed by models who can glide up and down complicated runway structures, stopping on a dime. Over my 2.5 years in SL, I’ve gotten better. Other people were builders in SL before coming to modeling. They know their way around prims. I’m proud to say that I once ran a clothing shop and while I truly kind of stunk at designing, it taught me a lot. I can make simple pieces to finish a styled outfit or edit jewelry to get it just how I need it. This is not something that comes naturally to me, but the more I work at it, the better I get. Some people are fashionistas in RL and it translates well into SL. They can make any outfit “flow”.
There is a saying, “Fake it until you make it” and it certainly holds true in SL modeling. What’s your strength? We all have one. Maybe you are great at picking poses; being a little daring to get just the right pose to rock that outfit on the runway. Maybe you have a great attention to detail and have the patience to cam around yourself a million times, editing and rotating those clothing pieces until they are perfect. Maybe you’re a brand new model and all you have is some Lindens and your personality. Well, that works too. Then be the professional and sparkling personality you know you have and work it! We’re all not perfect. Not in RL and not in SL. Most of us are still learning, day by day.
I haven’t been modeling very long. I started my first class in January. I’ve taken two courses so far and I’ve been friendly enough to make a good number of friends I can count on. I think they have been my greatest asset in the modeling world. People I can say, “Where can I get a light purple ponytail hair with sparkles?” and they give me some clues or LMs. Friends I can brainstorm outfits with. It’s only from each other that we learn. We learn of new styling products, new modeling tools, and new techniques. A friend that can give us a final look over and remind us that we forgot to shrink our ass!
You have a strength…and you’re not perfect. How can you use the skills you currently have to grow as a model? What strengths can make you stand out? Only you can answer that. So the next casting you have or class you attend, go in thinking positively about the ONE skills you have that no one can take from you. Even if it’s “I’m friendly enough to make one friend today in class,” or “I know every prim on my avatar is perfectly placed”, then do it!
This cute Mimikri Maxine Floral dress, from The Dressing Room Blue, is great for a summer stroll in the park. I love the soft pastel floral pattern and what better way to stay cool in the hot sun than adding Coco Designs straw hat to shade yourself. I’ve added this lovely Pearl Daisy set from Alyssa Bijoux that accents the floral pattern in the dress nicely.
Dress: Mimikri Maxine Floral Dress
Jewelry: Alyssa Bijoux Pearl Daisy Set
Hat: Coco Designs Strawhat White
Hair: JE Republic Yuna Smoky
Skin: Belleza Elle SK16
Eyes: Poetic Dark Wood
School is out, Children visiting the grandparents and I know some of you work for the education system:). That means……SUMMER. I am so excited because this is my favorite season. Kicking back with friends, enjoying that sun(remember sun block) and of course the beach. Today I show off a nice firm figure with the help of American Bazzar and the nice short androgynous hairstyle by Drot. I love pairing colorful accessories with an outfit, Mandala is a perfect fit with the hair. Adding more color I am wearing makeup by L.fauna. I am crazy about the eyeshadow color. Last but never least, the thick lashes by Damned.. awesome.
BIKINI: [AB] American Bazzar: ineednewbikini
EARRINGS: Mandala: LIMITED colors[MANDALA]SENJYU Eearring- TOKYO NEON
From over 40 contestants that applied we are excited to report the 2 winning and 2 runner up contestants of the MPI Could You Be a Model Contest.
Formal
Winner : Rhawnie Draconia
Runner up : Tabitha Somersley
Casual
Winner : Mynx Halostar
Runner up : Herlijk Resident
The final round of the contest was held on May 22, 2011 where 12 contestants competed for prize packages from our supporters Mr. Stephano Zepp CEO of Model Pages International, Jewelry by Jake , Saschas Designs, Ms Designs, Lili Couture and G+T creations.
Many thanks to our Judges:
Initial Round - Melancholia Roux SL Model & MPI Stylist, Indyra Seigo from Indyra Originals and Pure Nikolaidis SL Model/Trainer
Final round – Dani Plassitz from Styles by Danielle, Emiles Xeltentat and Markski Glom.
The Fashion Garret (TFG) and The Dressing Room (TDR) discount shops offer one stop shopping with many great designers. Glam Affair currently has this Mary natural tone skin at TDR for 70L. Shine‘s Joanna D. dress is at TFG through May 22 for 70L. I like the contrast of the gold studded shoulders and chain details on the belt with the nice black texture this dress has. I added Swallowtail‘s Teardrop Chain necklace and earrings that has the same chain details as the belt. To finish this outfit I added the Shiva hairstyle that I picked up from Plume‘s booth at the Culture Shock event.
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Well, that works too. Then be the professional and sparkling personality you know you have and work it! We’re all not perfect. Not in RL and not in SL. Most of us are still learning, day by day.
MOJOTI Luxury Eye Wear
