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When I was a kid, my parents went to Hawaii and my Dad, who grew up in a very poor home and only dreamed of visiting such an exotic locale, got so excited over the fact that the hotel had peacocks in the lobby and gardens. The idea was just so decadent and I know it was was of those moments that made my Dad proud of himself for all he had accomplished so far.I saw one in person myself on a trip to Morocco when I was a teen, and then a few years ago walking through some beautiful gardens near Lisbon, Portugal. They really are beautiful creatures and because of the simple childhood memory of my Dad’s excitement, they hold a special place in my heart. When Sparkle Skye used the words “peacock” “green” and “dress” in the same sentence, my reaction was “yes yes yes!”
The Chanteuse gown has several options, like most of the dresses from Sparkle Skye. I’ve shown two versions here, the “short train” above, and the “slender” skirt, below. A longer train and a short version of the dress are also available. The Goblin wings from Fancy Fairy are not part of the set but I can not imagine a more perfect set of wings for this gown. I love that besides the spine attach option, you can also attach one wing to each shoulder, perfect for wearing multiple accessories.
Oh oh oh… so, I know I haven’t done much blogging this week, and I am saving most of the “blogger appreciation” goodies for a time when I am less likely to saturate the feeds with redundant items… but but…. Tuli!!!!!!!! I love youuuuuu!!!!! I would attempt not to get all fangirl, because Tuli is really a wonderful, down to earth person who I consider a dear friend, but sometimes, I just wanna hump her leg. Bloggers were treated to a prototype of her upcoming Hope skin and this face is so pretty and so sweet…. I’m almost not sure if I am allowed to wear it 
The photos were shot at Camelot Gardens which, to be honest, is a little old school as far as SL building is concerned. Their are no sculpts here and the textures, which are actually fantastic, don’t have drawn or baked on shadows which we have come to see as the norm. Its the kind of place where you will see newish residents dancing romantic with other newish residents (I profile stalked over a half dozen AVs there and not one was over 6 months old!) But… if you can put that aside for a few minutes there really are some great photo ops. Bring your pose hud though… it’s a no build area.
(update: I mentioned some white halo at the edges of the dress, but since my post, Sparkle has gone in and corrected that flaw. thanks Sparkle! )
Poses are from (=Cats of a Feather=) and were passed to me as a blogger appreciation gift. Thank you Melancholia Lilliehook!
Sparkle Skye Chanteuse – Peacock Green
[]::Tuli::[] Hope prototype skin
Fancy Fairy Goblin Wings in Green
Sky Everett Designs-Quiet seduction-Raven
Sometimes you get a notice from a store you like and as soon as the pics rez you say “oh gotta have that now”. That was my reaction when I saw the new releases from Worldwide Industries. The second thing I said was “Feles you wanna shoot this with me?” D’uh, why did I even ask? she said yes almost as soon as I sent the IM.
The Camo Overalls and the Doris Bras are adorable and super sexy, as are most items from WWI. Adorable AND sexy, no wonder we love this place! The overalls come on the pant, jacket and shirt layer so you can add a sweatshirt or jacket, and also includes a very short, very low cut shirt in black and white, seen in the last photo. The bras, sold separately in 2 packs (light color and darker hues) come on all layers, the norm for WWI top separates.
I often like to have consistent designers on all models in one blog shoot. When Feles passed me her look and I saw her in Truth hair, I sighed at first, not wanting to be a pain and ask her to change something that looked good, not her fault I don’t have any hair from Truth, right? You see, I’ve been resisting because I usually go for something with more movement, but I kept seeing Feles… like…. everyday…. appearing with yet another style and well, I was starting to get a little jealous. It did look so good. So I stomped my foot and pretended to keep resisting and tped on over to Truth to see my options. El and I both found hairs we love.
Poses in this set are from Snooky’s, which has some of the most adorable (there’s that word again!) and fun friends and couples poses on the grid. The top shot is a set for three, but the second and third both combine poses from two different sets. By this point in the shoot Feles was getting pretty sick and tired of me telling her “refocus on the box” and “just a few more minutes on this one” and totally lost it… luckily, I keep El around for protection.
all shots, all models: Worldwide Industries Camo Overalls and Doris Bra
Feles:
GP Petal Dark Breeze Mermaid 2
Truth Tahlia mocha hair, green band
Poetic gold flakes olivine eyes
addiXion half tribal full body tattoo
Dawn Design Female Black Combat Boots
Elysium:
:GP: Sundust [Dark] Sunny-Buttermilk 2
>TRUTH< Tahlia 2 – cocoa
[]::Tuli::[] intense eyes – green (group gift)
Negko Tattoo 53: scorpio haka
Maitreya Female Desert Boots – Brown
Elysiana:
:GP: Acorn [Dark] April-Pure 2
>TRUTH< Collette – auburn
[]::Tuli::[] intense eyes – blue (group gift)
Ely’s Upper Body Stars Tattoo (not available)
PornStar Slip-ons MultiColor
poses from Snooky’s
location: The Wastelands
I had been so uninspired this past week that I posted to plurk asking for suggestions… the first two replies? pink. blog something pink *glares at gogo and leah* I don’t usually do pink. But hey, I asked for help so I typed pink into my inventory search to see what came up.
I got to my Sn@tch folder and saw a few things labeled as pink that would be great together. I started trying things and thought to myself “hmm this pink is rather purplish” and got a big smile on my face. Now I can wear pink, but it doesn’t have to be pink. To add to the perfection of the moment, I had added Ivey Deschanel, Sn@tch designer, to my plurk timeline that very day… it was serendipity.
The Bit of Trim Sweater and the Spellbound skirt have been in my inventory for quite a while, and when I put them on I went back to look at my flickr, not believing I had never worn them together before. This isn’t quite what you get when you put the skirt on though. I have this thing for long skirts that are shorter in the front, so I modified it from the floor length full skirt it was designed to be.
Poses in these shots are from Ana Lutetia’s latest set, and this next one is my favorite. Usually this kind of pose leaves me with a thumb in my boobs, or the arms look awkward trying to fold around the boobs, but this one is just perfect.
Flickr is a great resource for finding SL locations; the “SL Photographer’s Heaven” group is all about places on the grid where you can rez a poser for taking photos. When I’m in the mood for something new I will look through the group, most photos include SLurls, or look at the “master list” included in the group discussion. through the group I found the Macbeth sim… and I am not sure what else to say besides o m g.
The first photo was taken on the outer edge of the sim, there are lots of photo ops around the perimeter of the main build. Dark, animated ghosts hover around the the main room, a very high space with tall columns; if you have the volume up you will hear them speaking, quoting from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Step out of the main room into a tunnel of flowers and…. reaching hands *shudders*. Check out the text near the floor… quotes from Macbeth scroll along the ground. (the tunnel is not actually this purple, that’s my processing.)
Pssst…. have you heard that Tuli is in the process of releasing new skins? 
This one is available at her location at The Deck, with other makeups to be released soon. The eyes are from Tuli, too; a group gift that you won’t be able to buy.
:::Sn@tch Spellbound Skirt (Pink):::
:::Sn@tch Bit of Trim Sweater (Pink):::
-TESLA- Kensington *purple* Boots
[]::Tuli::[] Faith “The Deck” exclusive (tan)
[]::Tuli::[] intense eyes – green
Negko Tattoo 45 body: viola’s sorrow lotus pink
Cake – Faith – Black II – Flexi Hair
poses from Ana Lutetia
location: Macbeth
Sometimes I read about a beautiful place in SL and I put it on my “must visit” list only to have it go the way of so many other lists… *looks at the stack of papers on her desk and goes back to pretending they aren’t there* When El and I got our hands on the new Ophelia gown from Evangeline Miles I spent some time thinking about where to shoot and then it became obvious, the Oubliette sim, home to Evie’s Closet. I had never explored the sim, or taken any photos there, and it was one of those moments where I kicked myself in my virtual ass for not taking advantage of this location sooner. The builds around the sim give you a variety of colors and textures to shoot against, plus you can rez your poser there!
The Ophelia gown is one of those items that you want to put on as soon as it lands in your inventory, and then swish and sway around the grid in for a few days. I was looking at the gown trying to figure out exactly what it is that makes it exceptional, you know, besides the totally subjective “I LOVE IT!”. Evie doesn’t just make a dress… she finds ways to make it special and then executes the ideas beautifully.
To me, the most subtle thing about Ophelia that takes it to the level of outstanding is the outer layer of skirt prims. Instead of just drawing the leaf detail on the black texture (which works well on the bustle) the leaves are on a partially transparent background giving the illusion that they are floating a bit. The photos don’t even begin to capture it. Oh, and because the inner layers have no transparency, there were no alpha issues when I walked through fields of flowers! *cries tears of joy* The entire skirt is breathtaking; the multiple textures, the sculpted flowers, not to mention it fits perfectly. I did move the poser as I grabbed this shot to get the dress to flow, it isn’t this big; but trust me, you are going to be walking and spinning and dancing around in this one anyway.
After shooting for a while on my own El starts in with “I got one too!” and lands in front of me, right in the shot. She’s not really a gown kind of girl, but the tea length skirt, available in an add-on pack, is just her style. The add-on pack includes 2 pair of gloves, the tea length skirt, and a hair ornament that I totally forgot about until the last shot (see last photo).
The shorter skirt uses the same layering technique with the leaves as the gown but is so different in every other way that it becomes an entirely different dress. I love when a big formal gown has a more casual option; give me options and I am way more likely to pull it out of inventory more than once.
Speaking of multiple ways to wear it… or not wear it! The bodice is long and can be worn alone! When I opened the folder and saw that the dress top was on a jacket layer I got very excited, whispering under my breath “please be long, please be long, please be long” It doesn’t come with the panties, but I’m sure you can find something… or not
me:
*EC* Ophelia Gown – Licorice w/ add on pack gloves and hair flowers
[]::Tuli::[] Meredith (suntanned) sultry starlet
*Shai* Duchess Red Panties with Garters and stockings
Sky Everett Designs-Quiet seduction-Raven
*EMJ* Gunmetal Lace Ruby Necklace (xstreet only)
Maitreya Slinky Stiletto black
El:
*EC* Ophelia Gown – Periwinkle w/ add on pack skirt and gloves
:Gala Phoenix: Petal [Light] Breeze-Robin’s Egg 1
Celestial Studios Notions in Blue :: Underpants (lt. blue)
Analog Dog Mia brunette
~Digital Adornments~ Romance Stone Choker
(Shiny Things) Classics – white
Some outfits just naturally mix and match wonderfully in a mash-up, and many of the suits and dresses from Silent Sparrow fall into that category. The many options and accessories included with each set let you really play with it and give it your own spin. Hyacinth Tiramisu has such a unique way of working with textures that her clothing is instantly recognizable to many people all over the grid; I think that’s why it so fun to see how you can wear it differently from someone else.
Ok, it’s true… El bought the Seelie Fairy set because of the bow pasties. At first she was hesitant because it comes with a prim skirt which requires the system skirt which she won’t wear… so she stood there wondering if this was something she had to have, and the pasties sealed the deal. Most of the pieces here are from that set. It includes a belt like corset with hand drawn laces up the front too, but to create her own look El added the corset and short jacket from the Maida set in ash.
Photos from this set were all taken at Immersiva, a haunting and beautiful sim created by Bryn Oh with expressive sculptures scattered among water and checkered hills. There are even instructions at the landing point for a custom windlight setting (not used here) to give it as erie, foggy, heavy feeling.
I think this last shot may be one of my favorite closeups of El. ever, and it’s very different from what I usually do. Most of the time I am so caught up with clarity that I don’t want to push any effects that distort or blur or otherwise create distractions but I just love this… the clarity of the one eye and the uneven color on the lips…I’m glad I had an experimental moment there.
~silentsparrow~ (ash) maida corset, jacket
~silentsparrow~ (althea) seelie fairy garters, gloves, bow pasties, stockings, shorties, wings
:GP: Petal [Dark] Breeze-Robin’s Egg 1
{Violet Voltaire} Love Like Blood Collar, Earrings, Cuffs – Overcast
Shiny Things Ballet Flats black
Magika Hair – Poof – White B
I first posed with Timmi Allen’s sculpted lions last summer, and since then his work has gown to cover an entire sim and several floating islands worth of sculpted animals and builds. As soon as I put on the Jane set from Skin Flicks, I thought of the wonderful textures of the scenes at Sculptie Island and headed over to talk to the animals.
There are several components in the Jane set for you variety lovers like me: the jacket can be worn long or short, with pants or shorts or a skirt and there are 2 pretty shirt options too. There’s even a sweet, simple matching pair of flats. Mavis has tried an interesting technique for adding shading to her attachments; she duplicated some of the prims on the arm and leg cuffs and made them a very transparent black, slightly smaller than the original prim, to create a subtle dark area. You may not be able to see it in detail at this size (which is a good thing, we don’t want it to be obvious) but if you have a look at the larger versions it is more apparent)
This was one of those looks that came together easily once I had clothing on. The Haley hair from Bishwear is something I bought thinking it would have some very specific uses… but I’m hooked, I don’t want to take it off, and the coffee lips of PXL’s Grace was a perfect match. The messy wispy strands in the front of the hair are about as close to my RL hair as I have seen in SL, and the fullness is something I’d kill for. Ok, I have to say it: it’s the kind of hair I can imagine flying around my face during really good sex.
I think it is worth noting that based on customer requests, Skin Flicks recently changed from transfer/no copy to copy/no transfer on their clothing items.
All poses in this set are from Luth Brodie’s Reel Expressions.
[PXL] Grace NAT CatEyes CoffeLips BrownEB
Skin Flicks Jane Jacket, Pants, Shorts, Skirt, Frilly Shirt, Flats
~Muse~ Heart Lariat Necklace (RFL 2008)
*EMJ* Elegance Simple Bangles (xstreet only)
*Bish*Haley-Auburn
I was looking for something on my flickr and when I came across these photos that I did a couple of weeks ago I kicked myself for forgetting to blog them! A friend had brought me to KWZ at Omega Point but swore me to secrecy as she was working on a few projects highlighting this new shop, but once I saw Thalia Jie post a pic of this same outfit to her flickr stream I decided it was fair game!
The design and textures of this dress and the others in the shop are so unique; it really is one of those places where I walked in and said “I want one of everything.” I am a huge fan of dresses that are long in the back and shorter in the front, especially in SL where this reduces the look of having your legs intersect with the dress prims as you walk. The cut of the upper body is about as sexy as you can get without bearing it all, the designer here definitely knows how to use shape and line to accentuate curves… and oh, how I love to wear things cut in a way that would be impossible iRL!
I admit, I was a little intimidated to shoot this after seeing Thalia’s photo. That woman has a sense of style that is downright intimidating, not to mention an inventory full of skin, hair, and accessories that would make any fashionista drool! I knew I’d be able to create some great shots, but, what could I add to this look to really make it my own, to add my own personality to it? I considered the amount of skin showing and I knew, a tribal themed tattoo from Negko would be a great addition, and contribute to the sense I had of feeling like some sexy bad ass warrior.
Poses in this set are from the “[lap] i heart boy bloggers” set (except for the following dancing photo). When Dove of Long Awkward Pose offered bloggers a set of poses, I decided that I had so many girl poses, this was a great opportunity to add some male poses to my collection. They definitely have a masculine edge to them, but I don’t feel any less feminine or sexy using them for myself as well.
This look deserved a location as interesting and complex as the dress design. If you haven’t been to Golgothica, you really must go explore. There are a variety of photo ops from peaceful campsites to windmills and castle ruins, especially if you know how to tweak your windlight settings. I have to laugh when I consider how much time I spent getting that sun in just the right place, with the sky just the right color, without loosing my AV in the shadows.
Some last notes about the dress… there are some “new designer flaws” such as a white halo at the edges of the clothing layers, and the seams could use some work, especially where the shirt and pants layer meet. I didn’t do much touching up of this in the photos, so you can see these are not fatal flaws, just some things that could be improved upon as the designer gains more experience. I am a picky bish, but if I can overlook these issues in order to enjoy the overall look and design of this dress, you probably can too.
KWZ LeM Gold Scale from Omega Point (not shown in the photo, this set also comes with prim belt and
* 0 Style *Dana*(Chestnut)_M
[]::Tuli::[] Kalista tan 18
-TESLA- Kensington *bronze* Boots
“Erzulie” by Tekeli-li – choker and bracelet
tattoo from Negko (I have a bunch and I can’t remember which one this is)
I spent a lot of time yesterday working on commercial projects, but when I had done enough work to get ahead of my deadlines I decided I needed a little “me” time. I wandered around the grid a bit, checking out stores and locations I’ve been meaning to visit. I have no idea how I ended up at League, but there I was looking at the fat pack of denim booty shorts. I have looked at this fat pack a half dozen times at least… and I always have this “one color vs fatpack” debate in my head… do I really need 6 colors? Well, tonight I decided the answer to that was yes, so I went for it.
I was not disappointed, the texture is great, and the color options offer a lot of variety: black, dirty and dirty blue which have a terrific super-worn look to them, light blue, purple and a paint splattered pair. I love how the pockets stick out longer than the actual shorts, but it’s the cut and shading of the ass that make these my new favorite shorts.
I figured the cut/torn booty shorts deserved a top that was just as worn so I ran over to Worldwide Industries and picked up the Torn Tank, another item on my “I’ll buy it when I’m ready to wear it” list. Yes, it’s quite see through, but if you are more modest, it does come on all layers so you can layer up for less transparency. Oh but let’s face it, even totally opaque, neither of these items is for the modest AV!
My wandering also brought me to AM Radio’s the refuge and expansion, which has some of the best spots on the grid for grabbing photos. I want to thank Ms. Vixie Rayna for mentioning him the other day and bringing this place to the front of my mind. Even if you don’t end up incorporating much of the scenery into the shots, the textures are great for photo backdrops. Not only do AM Radio’s builds provide great sets for photography, you can also rez objects there making photography for a control freak like me a much smoother process!
Philotic Energy: Teagan Rich Chocolate
[]::Tuli::[] Natalie (sunkissed) 08b
League Booty-Shorts~Dirty
-TESLA- Kensington *chocolate* Boots
Wworlwide Industries Torn Tank Brown 2
poses in this series from the Torridwear Wallflower set.
I’ve been shooting photos all week with the intention of blogging, but I’ve been having a hard time focusing lately. I tried actually writing the blog a half dozen times, only to throw my hands up and dig into inventory for something else to take photos of. Luckily, our inventories are full of good stuff to play with!
Lots of that good stuff comes from Bare Rose. I must rant before I share my photos. Most items at B@R are priced between 130L – 180L, though I’d be willing to pay much more than that. The textures are detailed, there are lots of options, and you can just feel the love and creativity put into every sculpted attachment. That isn’t to say that I expect all designers to sell their items at these prices, but it does make me wonder how some designers put an 800L price tag on an outfit with mediocre textures, poor seams and ill fitting attachments. Ok, on to the good part!
El was off exploring ColeMarie’s new sim/art space and, before we even grabbed one shot, Feles exclaimed in IM “I can dress too? I want to play!” We TPed her in and soon she was a flowing billowing explosion of rich color. The kimono, called Nocturne no.3 even comes with the hair and fantastic shoesss… oh, glowy stuff is in the way, sorry. I didn’t photoshop in that glowy business, the location just pulses and moves, you have to give up control over the environment and just go with it.
Did I mention that it came with the hair? Everything you see on Feles comes with the costume, except for the skin. Chai’s group gift skin, Coeur, is still available when you subscribe to the group.
El’s skin if from Gala Phoenix and is called Doily, look close!
Feles:
::: B@R ::: Nocturne No3
LF CHAI Skin -Ginger- Coeur
Elysiana
::: B@R ::: Golden Thorn
:GP: (she can’t remember the tone!)-Doily-Frex
Magika Hair – HoH – Blonde D
Autumn Rainbow Dragonfly Wings
Early this summer, I was introduced to the work of Tekelili Tantalus when I was asked to incorporate some of his jewelry into one of my mermaid shots for Second Style magazine. After visiting his shop, I fell so in love with the items there, that I added a shot to my series in order to photograph one of his AV designs for the magazine. (I’ll post that shot soon)
Tekelili’s latest releases, Loremaster and Voidcaller, are inspired by the writing of HP Lovecraft, and his famous character Cthulhu. more below*
This photo series shows parts of the Voidcaller costume. I admit, I am too attached to my shape and my face to go through with the full AV, but the parts of this set are just exquisite on their own, so much so that he also sells them apart form the full AV set that includes skin, shape, and head. Today and tomorrow, all items created by Tekelili are 31% discounted at his main shop.
Almost everything you see in these shots comes with the AV and costume: skirt, cape, sandals, arm bracers, staff, book, wings and the totally amazing collar. The AV and costume are meant for males, so I had to do a bit of modifying, but unlike some other designs with lots of parts, these items scale down very easily. I also added something to cover my breasts; they may be magic too, but it’s not necessary to bare them for spell casting!
There are hundreds of costume and AV designers on the grid, lots of very talented people creating something out of nothing; it’s all pixels and prims and sculpt maps until someone like Tekelili starts to bring it to life. Sometimes the result is really good, and sometimes, it’s magic. And magic this is, every single piece of this costume is perfection. The shapes, the textures, the idea, the flow of the fabric. For me, who has never read Lovecraft and knows nothing about the character this was fashioned after, I still feel that Tekelili has created something just for me. It’s purple! It has stars! and crystals! and a cape! and and and…. OMG the staff! OK, I know I have to hand over my geek membership card, I am sorry, at heart, yeah, purple crystal stars are what makes me smile.
After my shoot, I was chatting with Tekelili about the costume and he passed to me this must have Starry Magician’s hat, which is for a very limited time available for 1L at his main shop. After thanking him I quietly cursed at him under my breath… there was no way I was blogging this costume without a shot of the hat. It’s color change (leather, metal and crystals all change) and, well, it has stars, and crystals, and.. and… crystal stars and… and I can make it purple. Like I said, this stuff is perfection.
Star Spawn Void Avatar (costume only) by Tekeli-li - Purple
Magika Hair – Omfg – White B
*sUmi* /starry/4fr sunkissed /purple/
poses from Torridwear & Maitreya
shot at Templum ex Obscurum
*I asked Tekelili to explain the characters that inspired the AV:
“They’re inspired by the writing of HP Lovecraft, and his famous character Cthulhu. In his stories, the Star Spawn are supposedly his much smaller minions, or possibly children, that look a lot like him. These became the inspiration for the mindflayers of Dungeons and Dragons fame in turn- but those didn’t have wings. The star and tentacle theme came from the Cthulhu stories- supposedly, they’re from space, and, Cthulhu and his “Star Spawn” came and built a city called “R’lyeh”, which then sunk, and Cthulhu’s supposedly still there “not dead, but dreaming”. It’s very much a cult classic. And thus, the stars, and the watery-tentacle theme, what with the squid heads and all.”
You’ll have to go check out his shop to see the full AV, tentacle face and all!