Practice

Real life has kept me away from my blog for the longest time since I started blogging, but here I am again, and with a whole heap of new stuff to share.

My dress and boots are both from Just Because for Uber - the dress comes with a scarf which I am not wearing here, but both are available in the gorgeous Just Because palette.  The boots are also available separately at Uber - I have never seen footwear from Annie Melson before and all I can say is that I hope she does more.  They are so easy to wear and come in her extensive palette with plenty of options to customise via hud.  

 I didn't wear the scarf because I wanted to show off this pretty necklace from Cae for FaMESHed.  Unfortunately you cant see the earrings but I have given a closer look at the necklace.

My freckles are by La Boheme, and my eyes, lips and manicure are all from different designers at the current round of Applique.  

My first pose comes from the Nantra set currently at The Liaison Collaborative, and are actually skating poses but I didn't trust Zsa on the ice, so made her practice on the soft snow first.  Wise move as she spent more time on her bum than she did standing.

Oh, quick mention, Lumipro have released their 2017 update and it is amazing - I didn't think they could improve on it but they have.  I can say honestly that I can't imagine blogging without my Lumipro hud now.

Credits:

Body
Mesh body (including hands and feet): Maitreya Lara
Shape:  based on  Strawberry Singh Zara but tweaked 
Hair including hat:  Exile Snow Fall - available at The Arcade
Mesh Head:  Catwa Destiny   
Applier:  Pink Fuel Liya

Eyes:  Catwa eyes using Soley Inc Cassie eyes applier - available at Applique

Cosmetics
Lips: Arte Isabel Lips  - available at Applique
Freckles:  La Boheme  Face Paint Freckles & Moles  - available at We Love Roleplay
Manicure & Pedicure:  Kosmetik Chrome Nails, glitter - available at Applique

Clothing
Dress:  Just Because  Emily Dress - available at Uber 

Boots:  Just Because Anna - available at Uber 

Accessories
Necklace:  Cae Eira - available at  FaMESHed
Earrings:  Cae Eira - available at  FaMESHed

Other stuff:
Poses:  Nantra Pic 1: The Agony of Defeat- available at Liaison Collaborative,
Pic 2:  Paparazzi (older release)
Lighting:  Lumipro Lighting System - 2017 update

Tools I use in most blog posts

Fate Eye Poser (before this I used Anypose Expression Hud)

Pose Anywhere Pose Huds

Combo Fix to fix broken ankles, wrists, neck etc

Bits n Pieces

If an item is for sale at an event, I give the slurl to that event.  However in case this blog post is read after the event has finished, I also include the slurl to the mainstore.  

All Slurls are current at time of posting.  If you are unable to find an item, or 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).

I wear a mesh body, head, hands & feet in all posts. I use alpha cuts where necessary, and if I can't get an item to work with my mesh body, I will neither wear it nor blog it  Most items I blog fit various mesh bodies and/or feet, and often classic avatar standard sizing and/or fitmesh. Please make sure to demo anything you see here that you are thinking of buying to be sure it works for you.

#479 To light a candle is to cast a shadow

....Ursula K Le Guin

I am so into my mesh heads now, I can't imagine I will ever be able to wear my system head again!  Today I am wearing Mila from Belleza on my Catwa Jessica head again but with the addition of some of the make-up from their new add-on which is available at The Liaison Collaborative.  

My dress and shoes are from a Hilly Haalan ouftit currently available at The Designer Showcase.  The outfit includes a clutch (not shown), and all three pieces are texture change via hud, giving a selection of mix and match solids and patterned textures to choose from.  The dress and shoes are compatible with most of the major mesh bodies plus classic avvies.

I used a new studio for these pics - when I got my new pc I was very much into the "on location rather than studio" mindset as I finally had a pc that could cope.  However, there are occasions when I missed using a studio so when I heard about this one in a youtube video by Morgana Hilra here I ran to check it out - long story short, I was impressed, I bought it, and I love it!   

For just $350 this studio from SecondSnaps has everything I need plus a whole heap more.  There is a great choice of backgrounds already loaded and there are more to purchase or you can load your own.  It comes with a pose stand loaded with quality female and male poses (I am using Nantra poses here though).  It also has a shadow menu giving some great shadow options, and you can alter the opacity of those shadows, which is really useful.  There are also colour change lights which you can choose to use, or not.  I have only had the studio a few days so still have to learn all it can do, but already I can say without a second's doubt that for 350L it is incredible value for money and I wish I had found it years ago! 

Credits:

If an item is for sale at an event, I give the slurl to that event, but in case this blog post is read after the event has finished, I also include the slurl to the mainstore.

Body

Body:  Maitreya Lara
Head: Catwa Jessica
Applier: Belleza Mila - available in mainstore for The Mix
Add On Makeup:  Belleza - available at The Liaison Collaborative
Hair: Elikatira Nataline - Redheads
Eyes - IKON 

Cosmetics

Dark Passions - Koffin Nails - Maitreya HUD - Soft Prints 

Clothing

Hilly Haalan  Sheer Panel Dress Spring - available at The Designer Showcase
Hilly Haalan Halle Heels 

Accessories

Cae Romantique

Poses

Nantra - Effortless - available at The Liaison Collaborative

Location
In my attic, using SecondSnaps Studio 3.07

Tools I use in most blog posts

Pose Anywhere 

Lumipro 

Anypose 

Combo Fix

Info

There are often 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).

#470 Life is a shipwreck......

.....but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats - Voltaire

Annie Melson has outdone herself again with this lovely new top for The Liaison Collaborative.   As well as a plethora of great colours there are also different textures - ribbed,  floral and my favourite below, which has galaxy-like texturing.  The Libran in me made it impossible for me to choose which top to wear for this post, so I have showed you a selection.  I have teamed the top with Annie's designer jeans which are a previous release.  

Showing various tops off gave me the opportunity to show a few different poses from "Stumped", Nantra's new pose prop, also available at The Liaison Collaborative.  The stump is texture change and contains 12 quality poses.

I took these pics in the grounds of my new home (I hear the chorus of "not another one!"), and I am really excited to be starting a new chapter in my sl-life.  This last 18 months has been really tough but it has taught me many things.   Most importantly it has made me realise how blessed I am in my sl-life to have wonderful friends who have been there for me and made me laugh even when I thought I had no laughs left.  The last year has also taught me to trust my gut instinct, which is rarely wrong, and never to waste precious time on something that is not making me happy.  I have also learned that I have not had enough silliness in my sl-life for far too long, bring on the silly!

Credits:

If an item is for sale at an event, I give the slurl to that event, but in case this blog post is read after the event has finished, I also include the slurl to the mainstore.

Body

Maitreya Lara
Lumae :: Eirtae - T6 - Tawny // Bare (Brow 6) - available at Skin Fair
Amacci Hair - Bettina
Mon Cheri Falsies
IKON eyes

Cosmetics

Alaskametro Desert Silver

Clothing
Just Because Designer Jeans 
Just Because Lucie Shirt - available at The Liaison Collaborative
KC Couture Nancy Heels

Accessories

Mon Cheri Gypsy Beads R #Tan White
Ama Sookie Bracelets : Blood - available at The Liaison Collaborative

Poses

Nantra - Stumped - available at The Liaison Collaborative

Info

There are often 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).

ZsaZsa loving the camera

“The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually in one's own".  Susan Sontag 

I have two posts that I am working on at the moment, but when I tried this this new pose set "Love the Camera" from Hopscotch at The Poser Pavilion, I had to put them down and create a post to use the poses in.  The pack contains 8 different poses all of which I love so much that I am showing them all below.  

Since starting blogging I have become a total pose hoarder (after over 6 years of going "pfft" if I got a pose gift, and just - shock horror - deleting it - with a derisory "what would I do with a pose??"  Little did I ever imagine I would bitterly regret hitting that delete key!)  Anyway, I did a little happy pose dance when I saw these, and just know they are going to get a lot of use as they are so versatile - demonstrated perfectly by the difference between my pictures and the advert for the set.

Another cause for happy dancing today is the general release of Belleza's Leila skin's  - within 30 seconds of getting the notice I was there with my bank manager trying to drag me out.  I won, of course - thankfully the bank manager has yet to master the art of teleporting so he didn't stand a chance :).  As is blatantly obvious from this blog, I love Belleza.  Since starting to blog, I have tried other skins but never really feel "me" in them, no matter how pretty they are.  From the first moment I tried Leila on (the special at the last round of Collabor88), this became the skin I felt was absolutely perfect for me, even more so than the Belleza Lily, Chloe, Shyla and others that have been worn to death over the years (thank goodness pixels don't wear out).  So I have been waiting and hoping they would do a full release, and they did, yay!  

The outfit itself is not a new one, but after I tried the poses this outfit from Caverna Obscura came to mind, as this dress is so pretty and "floaty", and I felt like a break from mesh for today.  To go with this lovely dress I dug into my SLink folder for these pretty ballet flats that I had not used yet.    And finally, I think the gorgeous Maxi Gossamer jewellery really work well with this outfit.

Credits:

Skin:  Belleza - Leila, tan 0

Hair:  D!va:  Flora, type B, red amber

Eyes: IKON - Perspective, blush

Hands:  SLink - elegant

Feet:  SLink -  flat

Eyelashes:   Redgrave - 6, natural

Lips:  Belleza – Leila tan gloss lips 0 & 1

Eyeliner:  Izzies - Cat eyeliner 4

Nail Appliers:   Hello Dave – FrenchOmbre1

Dress:  Caverna Obscura - Nocturne, vanilla ice

Shoes:   SLink - Margot ballet slippers, pearl

Jewellery:  Maxi Gossamer - Octavia necklace and earrings

Poses:  Hopscotch at The Poser Pavilion

Backdrop:  KaTink - Sky