#311 Zsa gets her goth on

I have in the last couple of days completely binned two posts just as I was about to press publish, as I decided I just wasn't happy with them, to the extent that I couldn't fix them without totally redoing them.  That is a heck of a lot of work to throw in the trash, but I am really particular about what makes it on to this blog, and that I portray the items to the best of my ability. 

Anyway, I was a bit despondent for a moment, looking at my blank page, but when going through the new stuff in my inventory I found this little gem of a dress from a new-to-me designer, Livid.  I don't do many fantasy posts (I really should do something about that), but when I do I have such fun with them, and this was no exception.  The pulling together of various random or long forgotten pieces in my inventory, and the trawling of marketplace for the missing bits all add to the fun.

This dress is one of three similar dresses newly released by Livid, and I absolutely fell in love both with the beautiful meshwork and the leather and brocade textures which are so rich and sumptuous.  Parts of the dress almost glitter, in a gothic kinda way.  The leggings came with the dress and are system layer only.  The boots are part of a separate accessories pack, along with a collar and a clutch.  All the items from Livid are general releases, not for an event - that in itself was refreshing, as blogging these days seems almost entirely event driven.

I found the snakebites and bat earrings on marketplace, from another new to me store, Xia's Boutique, but the gorgeous Maxi Gossamer choker was pulled out of my inventory, along with the Adoness hair and beautiful shaved base.

Credits:

Body

Skin:  Belleza - Claudia BFF SK 5

Hair:  Adoness : ragnarok : pitch black *

Eyes:  IKON Deadshine 

Hands & Feet:  SLink Avatar Enhancement

Eyelashes:  Maxi Gossamer - Eyelashes - Party - Swallow Wings

Lips:  Izzies - Qopi Matt Lipstick black - available at TDR

Beauty Mark:  Belleza Beauty Mark 4

Slink Manicure & Pedicure:   Orc Inc. Fingernails - Goth Gloss *

Clothing:

Dress:  Livid: Barock Doll Dress Marie Antoinette *

Pants:  Livid: Gothic Corset Leggings *

Boots:  Livid: Gothic Corset Black Boots *

Accessories
Necklace:  Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Belladonna Crystal Beaded Choker (texture change)

Earrings:  Xia's Boutique - Jewel Bat Earring (texture change)

Piercing:  Xia's Boutique - Spiked Horseshoe Snakebites (texture change)

Poses:

Poses:  KaTink -  #1 Imogen, #2 Birthday 2013 gift, #3 Savi *

Backdrop:  KaTink  - Sky *

Info

There are usually more photos of blogged items on my flickr account here.

SLURLs are current at time of posting.  If you need help with anything I have blogged, feel free to send me an email, inworld IM or nc, or a plurk (all links on contacts page).  

Strolling under my Umbrella

“A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain" - Robert Frost 

By an act of wonderful serendipity this dress and pose/prop were among different boxes I opened this morning, and I was a happy little blogger when I realised how well they would work together :).

The lovely dress is from DandelionWine and comes in a selection of beautifully textured fabrics, all shown above, and changeable via hud.  I love how muted and understated the fabrics are, and with the slight train at the back, it has a very ladlylike and feminine appeal.

The pose and umbrella are a special from *~*Hopscotch*~* for Genre which runs from 15 Dec to 12 January, with a theme of Victoriana.  *~*Hopscotch*~* has a number of items at this round of Genre, but the prop/pose shown here costs just 10L  I think it works perfectly with this dress, transporting me back to a time less complicated and more innocent.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza - Nina Tan 11 DK

Hair:  Truth Vida

Eyes:  IKON Spectral Eyes - Apex

Hands:  SLink Avatar Enhancement Hands - Elegant

Eyelashes:  Maxi Gossamer - Eyelashes - Wild Full Thick

Eyeliner:  Belleza - Eyeliner 1

Beauty Mark:  Belleza - Beauty Mark 2

Manicure:  Orc Inc Fingernails - Rich Darks Fatpack

Gown:  DandelionWine Winter Long Dress 

Boots:  Hudson's:  Buckled Leather Ankle Boot

Jewellery: Cae :: Enchanted

Pose & Props:  *~*Hopscotch*~* Fancy a walk? - Umbrella (for Genre, slurl not yet released)

Backdrop:  KaTink 

The Hourglass

“Love is like the action similar to an hourglass: the heart fills as the brain empties" - Nikhil Saluja

Today I am wearing a stunning gown from another 'new to me' designer, Phwoar Couture.  The gown comes in a multitude of gorgeous colours but I felt like being silvery - though this colour is actually labelled grey, I think it is far more interesting than the usual drab grey.  I love the lacy cut outs, the extremely daring back view, and particularly the hourglass shape.  I teamed the gown with one of my favourite Truth hairstyles which I find quite evocative of the glamour of movies from the forties.

My eyes are the brand new mesh eyes from Ikon which have made their debut at the new round of FaMESHed.  They come with excellent easy to understand instructions, and a very user friendly HUD which allows you to resize the eyes, change the texture of the iris and sclera (impressed how I slipped in those technical words in, huh?) as well as posing and changing the eye direction.  Just one thing, don't get scared when you put on the fitting guide system eyes, it really isn't a good look!.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza - Nina Tan 11 DK

Hair:  Truth Video Games (previous Arcade gacha)

Eyes:  IKON at FaMESHed Spectral Eyes - Apex

Hands:  SLink Avatar Enhancement Hands - Casual

Eyelashes:  Maxi Gossamer - Eyelashes - Wild Full Thick 

Lips:  Belleza - Nina Tan Gloss Lip 11

Manicure:  Orc Inc Rich Darks

Gown:   Phwoar Couture Denisa Gown Dress

Shoes:  [Gos] Boutique Isabella Sandal - Magic Collection

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer - Earrings - Tarifa Beaded Cross, Maxi Gossamer - Bangles - Damasc Bangle

Poses:  aDORKable (now only on mp) 
Backdrop:   Pixel Mode

8 little corsets sitting in a hud

“Happiness is the sublime moment when you get out of your corsets at night" - Joyce Grenfell 

I don't remember ever wearing a jumpsuit in sl before, but this one from [ SAKIDE ] for She & Him event (which finishes 1st Dec), is great.  The textures are, as always from Sakide, faultless and very realistic, and their hud system gives you a whole heap of options.

The jumpsuit comes in a black and a red pack, both of which include the hud, giving 8 texture options for the corset, and 4 textures for the metals, as well as the option to hide the corset altogether.

As I am wearing black and red today I thought it was a good time to bring out these amazing red tipped eyelashes from Maxi Gossamer (you also get a full black pair in the pack).  My skin is new from WOW Skins for WinterTrend - you get the choice of four skintones, each with 4 make-ups plus natural.  As always with WOW you get a load of extras too - including a shape (I am wearing my own here) and appliers for Slink, Phat Azz, and Tango. 

Credits:

Skin:  WOW Skins for WinterTrend (29 Nov - 13 Dec) Audrey Tan 02

Hair: Exile::Criminal

Eyes:   IKON Perspective Eyes 

Hands:  Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands - Casual 

Eyelashes:  Maxi Gossamer - Eyelashes - Party - Swallow Wings - R/B

Manicure:  Orc Inc. Toenails - Rich Darks Fatpack

Outfit:  [ SAKIDE ] for She & Him (finishes 1 Dec) Modish Jumpsuit Red 

Shoes:  Slink Priscilla Plateau Heels Black

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer - Necklace, earrings & bracelet - Boho Bliss Tassel-Tastic

Poses:  WetCat 
Backdrop:  Pixel Mode

Doctor Doctor (Who?), there's a waitress in my cupcake!

“Cupcake.  Mmmm.  Wow"

ZsaZsa decided I wasn't giving her enough allowance so took it upon herself to get a job in a cafe - she also wanted to show off the fab new aprons she found in her inventory.

Trouble was, she can't resist a cupcake, so when she saw this gigantic one lying around, without a second thought, she couldn't help herself.…...........

......................and forgetting Health & Safety regulations, she just launched herself head first…..........

.............. and the only noise heard in the cafe, other than the gasps of shock from the customers, was the muffled nom noms while ZsaZsa ate so much cake that she started to feel a bit sick.  Even she had to accept that this is not a particularly flattering shot of her, and she ruined her Eggsterminate apron too, and that was her favourite.

Thankfully, *~*HopScotch*~* have done a whole line of fabulously geeky aprons for the Geeks'n'Nerds fair, so she has plenty of aprons to change into. 

Also, as she didn't jump feet first into the cupcake, so her fab new flatties were safe,

Sadly, all that cake made ZsaZsa feel tired, and when the boss came back and found her lying on top of the giant cupcake snoring, her feet didn't touch the ground as he gave her the sack. Always one to look on the bright side, ZsaZsa says that at least when she gets herself another waitressing job, she has five other aprons to choose from - but between you and I, I doubt cupcake diving waitresses are in much demand in any life.

Yep, I admit it, I am a Doctor Who and Star Trek fan, sorry!.  My inner geek absolutely loves these rigged mesh aprons and flats from  *~*HopScotch*~*- there are 3 Doctor Who aprons and 3 Star Trek. The cute little flats are also from  *~*HopScotch*~* for the same fair, along with a pair of Bowtie flats, not shown here.  There is also a set of aprons for male cooks, and a sonic screwdriver with poses

Credits:

Skin:  WOW Skins Cherry Tan 03

Hair:  Alice Project Grace

Eyes:  IKON Perspective Eyes 

Hands:  SLink Avatar Enhancement Hands - Casual

Feet:  SLink flat

Eyelashes:  Maxi Gossamer - Eyelashes - Wild Full Thick

Eyeliner:  Izzies - Cat Eyeliner

Nail Appliers:  Orc Inc

Aprons:  *~*HopScotch*~* Kiss the cook (Geeks'n'Nerds Fair)

Top:  Baku boho rose off shoulder knit sweater

Pants:   Lapointe & Bastchild Jeans, Slim

Shoes:  *~*HopScotch*~* Blue Box Flats (SLink add-ons) (Geeks'n'Nerds Fair)

Pose:  Kirin

Props:  aDORKable (now only on mp) - Dorkcake
Backdrop:  KaTink 

More goodies from Acid Lily

“Learn what you are, and be such” -  Pindar

I love Acid Lily, there are always some great bargains for just 70L.  Here I am showing too - the skirt is from Cubic Cherry - I really like the simple lines and unusual texture.  The poses are from Starry Heaven and there are two packs available at Acid Lily.   Both stores are" new to me", and that is one of the things I really like about regular events, discovering new designers.

Credits:

Skin: WOW Skins:. AmyLee Tan 04 CL

Hair:  Analog Dog trouble clef autumn2

Eyes:  Mayfly - Liquid Light Eyes (Bronze, w1)

Hands:  SLink Avatar Enhancement Hands - Casual

Eyelashes:  Maxi Gossamer  - Eyelashes - Wild Full Thick

Eyeliner:  Izzies  - Cat Eyeliner 
Nail Appliers Orc Inc

Top:  :::Sn@tch Corset Crop Top

Skirt:  Borlotta~ black mesh long skirt .::C.C. Kre-ations::.for Acid Lily

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer  - Ring - Mermaid's Serpent Eye - Small, Maxi Gossamer  - Earrings & bangle- Tarentella Gypsy Earrings

Poses:  Starry Heaven for Acid Lily

Backdrop:  KaTink 

ZsaZsa or Medusa?

Today's post comes almost entirely from Horrorfest.   My headpiece is one of many stunning headpieces from GSpot.  From a distance it looks really pretty, but when you come closer you see all the snakes wrapping around it -  in my view, the snakes make it no less pretty, and definitely add character :).

The dress is by SAKIDE, and comes in black and this wine colour - you also get a collar, which I have not shown here, and two versions of the dress - the second does not have the lower skirt so becomes a mini dress.  The texturing is beautifully done, making the fabric look very rich.  

My pumps are from The Little Bat for Horrorfest.  The final Horrorfest goodie is the grave, complete with bats flying overhead - I am a bit jealous, I LOVE bats, and would prefer them to be flying round my rl head :).

My skin is a new group gift from Glam Affair which was released with perfect timing when I was struggling to find a skin for this shoot.  I rarely wear even remotely pale skins, but I have enjoyed wearing something different for my Horrorfest posts.  

As I have no appliers for this skin, I couldn't wear my SLink hands (hence no close ups) but thanks to Gidge on Plurk I found out about the SLink mesh nails which you can use with appliers, so that is what I have used, this time with the pointed nail option.

Credits:

Skin:  Glam Affair - Vera, horror edition C, group gift

Hair:  Rumina - Alyssa, anniversary edition

Eyes:  IKON - Utopia, dark red

Eyelashes: Redgrave - 6, natural

Nails:  SLink - Avatar Enhancement Fingernails

Appliers:  A:S:S - Black Drama

Dress:  SAKIDE for Horrorfest - Wilds dress, wine

Headpiece:  GSpot for Horrorfest - Imogens Headpiece, Prints, 3

Shoes:  TLB for Horrorfest - Creepy Pumps, Zombies

Jewellery:  Pure Poison - Black Arachnide Necklace

Poses:  Orc Inc – various poses from different packs

Backdrop:  KaTink 
Grave:  CIRCA for Horrorfest - Elysium Haunted open Grave (includes the bats)

Arabian Nights

“We fear the thing we want the most” -  Dr Robert Anthony

Hudson's have just released a new set of beautifully made (as always) silks, Arabian Nights, which comes in a choice of 4 colours - ebony, red wine, evening blue, and the grape I am wearing here.  It also comes with a headscarf which I am not wearing.

Gorgeously flowing flexi items like these silks are the only reason that in my predominantly mesh "closet", there is still a small corner for non-mesh.  I may wear them rarely these days, but they still have their place.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza - Leila tan

Hair: Alice Project  - Persephone

Eyes:  IKON - Perspective

Hands:  SLink - elegant

Feet:  SLink - Mid Height

Eyelashes:   Redgrave - Glamorous

Eyeliner:  Izzies - Double Wing

Nail Appliers:  Orc Inc

Silks:  Hudson's - Arabian Nights, grape

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer - Copacetic Tallulah

Poses:    Glitterati (now only on mp) - En Pointe

Backdrop:  KaTink 

We are Golden

“We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden.” -  Mika

Today I am wearing a gorgeous dress from ISON at Collabor88. The lace detailing on the bodice is really beautifully done, and although I was a little worried about possible alpha issues with the slit, there are none, because it is so well made.  I am wearing the tan version - tan is not a colour I am usually drawn to whereas I really love the shade of this dress - I actually see it as more of a subtle gold, hence the quote for today from the lovely Mika.

I love a messy updo, and this one from Truth, with its subtle plait detailing and gracefully cascading tendrils, is my kind of "do" and I am sure it will appear in many future posts. 

Finally, the gorgeous new Amelia sandals from GOS which are already up there for me with the Lauren D'Orsay, as my favourite GOS shoes ever.  

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza – Leila, tan

Hair:  Truth - Vida

Eyes:  IKON - Perspective

Hands:  SLink

Eyelashes:  Redgrave

Eyeliner:   Izzies

Nail Appliers:  Orc Inc – Rich Darks

Dress:  ISON at Collabor88 - Amelia

Shoes:  GOS - Isabella

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer – Monaco Nights bracelet, Izzies – Leaves earrings

Poses:  Wetcat

Backdrop:  KaTink 

The Monday Blues

"Some of the greatest blues music is some of the darkest music you've ever heard".

Bruce Springsteen 

This weekend I have had a case of the blues, for no particular reason, and have done no blogging (other than completely binning 2 posts I had ready to post, including photos, because I just didn't feel they were good enough). I have basically just sat on a stool at various blues joints in sl and listened to the music.  No experimenting with new clothes, I just pulled on some old favourites that I knew I felt really comfortable in.

I wanted to get a post done today, and decided to leave on what I wore to listen to the blues (yep, haven't even thrown them in the washer) - so, here I am, in one of my favourite brands, Lapointe & Bastchild  from head to toe.  I LOVE this crop top, which comes with a texture change hud giving 12 different designs/colours, a few of which I show some of here.  The jeans and ankle boots are hud changeable too.  The jewellery is some of my favourites from Maxi Gossamer.

The only new thing in this post is the pose set from KoKoLoReS which is still on offer at fi*friday until tomorrow, along with a set of male poses.  They felt very comfortable and easy to use.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza - Leila, tan 12

Hair:  Truth - Rocky

Eyes:  IKON - Perspective, apex

Hands:  SLink - Casual

Eyelashes:   Redgrave - 5, glamourous

Eyeliner:  Izzies - Cat Eyeliner

Nail Appliers:  Orc Inc –  Rich darks

Top:  Lapointe & Bastchild - Cropped t-shirt

Pants:  Lapointe & Bastchild - Slim Denim Jeans

Boots:  Lapointe & Bastchild - Bianca Suede Ankle Boot

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer - Cross of Cordelia necklace, Voodoo Rockier bracelet, Damasc bangle and Love Rocker earrings

Poses:  KoKoLoReS for fi*friday until tomorrow - there is also a pack of male poses available.
Backdrop:  KaTink 

Rebel against Yourself

“Defy your own group. Rebel against yourself." Cathy Guisewite” 

I love the vintage glamour of this hair, which is the midnight mania item for this month from  Alice Project - and this board is open to non-members, so run on down and slap it! You get a hud with it so you can change the colour to whatever you prefer.  The gorgeous jewellery set from Maxi Gossamer is texture change, and I love how it "fills" the neckline. The pose for the last picture comes from Kirin, and is at the latest round of Acid Lily.  the dress is one of a number of colours to choose from the current round of FaMESHed.

Since starting to blog, and after a lot of experimentation - and a large number of cringes when I look at my early posts, I have learned a lot about my preferences, and think I am finally finding, the "core" ZsaZsa - the Belleza Leila skin, the dark lips & nails, and the wing eyeliner.  I have always loved vintage fashion, and this look seems to reflect that.

Someone commented that each month I am producing less blog posts and does this mean I am losing interest?  Far from it, in fact the opposite - I now take much longer to produce a post as I take my time over it, and have become really fussy - for every post I do produce, there is often 2 which have been binned because I wasn't happy with some aspect of them, or the whole look just wasn't "me" enough.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza -  Leila tan 12

Hair: Alice Project  - Rosemary

Eyes:  IKON - Perspective, apex

Hands:  SLink - Casual

Eyelashes:   Redgrave - 5, glamorous

Eyeliner:  Izzies - Double wing eyeliner

Nail Appliers:  Orc Inc – Rich Darks

Dress:  Rebel Hope at FaMESHed -  Kourtney

Shoes:  GOS - Paris Peeptoe, metallics

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer - Octavia earrings & necklace

Poses:  Kirin for Acid Lily - Fuyu no Uta, and Glitterati (now only on mp) - Headshots

Backdrop:  KaTink

Lace imitating nature

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin."

  Coco Chanel, April 29, 1939

I am producing less posts at the moment because I am concentrating on quality rather than quantity, learning as much as I can, and getting my inventory as organised as possible to make blogging easier - and this in itself has been taking a lot of time.  

I have also been having arguments with my groany pc who does not like it when I try to play with lighting and shadows.  However, I think we may have reached a compromise which means shadows and lighting effects will hopefully be appearing on a ZsaZsa post in the near future.  

Anyway, on to this post - I was thrilled to see Candace Hudson releasing another mesh/flexi combo, as she does them so well, and has surpassed herself with this gorgeous outfit.  I am wearing the Cloudy Blue, but it also comes in grape and ebony. The texturing of the lace is stunning, and the flexi add-ons fit perfectly.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza at The Boutique/Liaison Collaborative - Ava tan TLC 2

Hair:  Alice Project - Helga using Nova Collection Naturals 2 Hud

Eyes:  IKON - Perspectve, evening 

Hands:  SLink Casual

Eyelashes: Redgrave - 37, extended

Eyeliner:  Izzies - Cat eyeliner 3

Nail Appliers:  Orc Inc – Glitterslash 

Top:  Hudsons - Cloudy Blue Laced Satin

Skirt:  Hudsons -  Cloudy Blue Laced Satin

Shoes:  GOS  -Paris Peep toe, satin collection

Jewellery: Maxi Gossamer - Monaco Nights bangles, Izzies at TDR - Leaves earrings and necklace

Poses:  Wet Cat
Backdrop:  KaTink 

ZsaZsa aka Purdey has some Avenging Jazzitude

“Jazzitude is a little thing that makes a big difference". Apologies to Winston Churchill for slightly changing his words :).

I saw someone wearing this outfit at the weekend, and loved it so much I asked where she got it.  She told me it was her F4N (Freebies for Newbies) gift from Jazzitude.  

I tp'd over right away and picked one up for myself, and would not be surprised if I go back and get one of the other colour combinations.  There is nothing I dislike about this outfit, the textures are great, it fits perfectly with no shape tweaking, the boots are amazing and unlike anything I already have in my bulging invo.  

I think it might be the combo of the hairstyle and the outfit but I definitely feel like I have a bit of Purdey of the Avengers vibe going on here - for those who have no clue what or who I am talking about, click here.

Although my newbie days are over, I just want to say a big thanks to those creators who are so generous to newbies - and this shows that it can bring new customers in unexpected ways - I for one will certainly be checking out Jazzitude regularly now.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza ; Leila TLC Tan 4

Hair:  Alice Project - Erika

Eyes:  IKON at The Boutique - Perspective, evening

Hands:  SLink - Casual

Eyelashes: Redgrave - 6, natural

Eyeliner:  Izzies - Cat eyeliner 3
Lips:  Izzies – Lipstick, dark red

Nail Appliers:  Orc Inc – Goth Gloss Tips

Jacket:  Jazzitude - Black & Red

Pants:  Jazzitude - Leather Pants, black & red

Boots:  Jazzitude - Billie Ankle Boots, red

Jewellery:  Swallow at TDR - Skully Ring, silver & JJ's basic silver hoop earrings

Poses:  Diesel Works

Backdrop:  KaTink - City Nights