Check out what was going down this past week at On Your Toes!
2. She’s So Unusual Back Bow Pumps
3. She’s So Unusual Crystal Clear Pumps
6. LeeZu Baxter Klara Stilettos
See you next week! Happy Shoe Shopping!
I’m thrilled to showcase our latest issue of Second Style. This month we have a fabulous interview with cover girl Tuli Asturias. I’ve been a fan of hers since way back (and I still have the old clothes to prove it!) Iris Ophelia created two absolutely stunning pictorials this month: Garden Glamour and the playful, iconic “Dressing the Part.” We also have dynamite content from Haver Cole, Ana Lutetia picks another great up and coming designer, Justine Babii gives us the runway picks from April and much much more.
It’s available as a PDF download, in-world from our HQ (and all of our other kiosks), and on issuu.com.
I hope you enjoy!
What’s been shaking this week…On Your Toes!
1. Yes, Virginia, There is a Gladiator.
2. Being a Member has its privileges…
3. Vivid Venus
4. Sasy Chic
See you next week! Keep on Steppin’ 
Meet my alter-ego, Miss Nomer, a babe with that retro-vibe going on that is just SO cool and with it. She is so-named because her clothes are actually BLAND…. and yet so NOT bland. Confused? Well, that’s my default setting so join the club *grins*. I shall try to explain.
Rachel Breaker and Chave Paderborn are the designers behind BLAND, a store that is new to me (and new-ish to FashCon I believe) . Yet Chav I am aware of, as she is the creative genius behind Steamstress, the tongue-in-cheek victorian steampunk shop that brought us the fabulous Skypirate Hat. It took me a little while to work out where I knew the name from as Chav’s new venture couldn’t be more different, yet it still retains it’s subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) underlying humour.
When I visited the store and subsequently approached Chav to request some review items, she asked me what I would like. My reply could only be “all of it” – I felt like a kiddie in a candy store with so many cute, gorgeous and quirky clothes to choose between. I eventually whittled it down to a few outfits, two of which I am going to show you today. But really, you should go and look for yourselves as this is merely the tip of a very lovely iceberg.
Image 1 :: BLAND Bee Dress
I’m not sure how the retro-thing came in. BLAND is not, per se, a retro store and when I started out I certainly wasn’t aiming that way, but it just worked. The hair (by Ingenue), the funky 12 ” vinyl record bag, the Mary-Janes… if I’d had more time I’d have not felt out of place hanging out at a 60’s diner chatting up Marty McFly. Yet the bright yellow is bang-on-trend for this season and would look just as fabulous with a cropped jacket and pumps for a sexy, modern office look.
The Polkadotty Dress I fell in love with immediately. The ultra-short puffy babydoll style has echo’s of the Beatlemania era when skirts only just brushed the underside of your butt (I’ve seen pictures of my Mum – obviously I’m far to young to recall this :p), but the bold, bright polkadot’s are bring it right up to date.
Image 2 :: BLAND Polkadotty Dress
I wanted short hair for this look, and eventually went for a male wig by ETD that I’d bought in one of Elika’s fabulous sales. There are very few men’s hairs out there that don’t suit women with just a few tweaks, so don’t be shy of picking up hair bargains meant for men and giving them a try. The fabulous purple lipstick is courtesy of the Jadzia Noxious skins from The Abyss. These are one of my top two favourite skins (the other being Starley Therian’s Vogue skins at Celestial Studio’s) and come in packs with a variety of bold shiny lip colours – a set seriously worth saving up for, you will get much use out of them. Together, this edgy modern-retro look is just begging for a party to boogie-on-down at – sounds good to me!
:: What I’m Wearing ::
Image 1 ::
Skin:: The Abyss – <TheAbyss> Jadzia_Noxious_SR[1]C
Shape:: my own
Hair:: Ingenue – Ingenue ~ Bombshell ~ Natural Black
Eyelashes:: Cake – Cake – Deco lashes – Tintable
Eyes:: Random Freebie Box – Emerald (no named creator)
Manicure:: Tete a Pied (now Fleur) – TaP Reverse French Black & White nails
Dress:: BLAND – Polkadotty Dress
Shoes:: Digit Darkes - Digit Darkes’ Mary Janes-Gingham Check-black (boxed)
Belt:: Armidi – [Armidi Gisaci] Courtney Side-Tie Belt – Leather (Black)
Bag:: Digital Eyes – Digital Eyes Bag – Mote Evolver 12″ (vinyl record)
Jewellery:: Pushbutton Industries – *PBI* Legohead Set
Spectacles :: Artilleri – /artilleri/ gladys glasses *yellow*
Image 2 ::
Skin:: The Abyss – <TheAbyss> Jadzia_Noxious_SR[2]B
Shape:: my own
Hair:: ETD – ETD Brian – Blonde
Eyelashes:: Cake – Cake – Flutter lashes – Tintable
Eyes:: Random Freebie Box – Emerald
Manicure:: Skin Within – [SW] Vixen Manicure
Dress:: BLAND – Bee Dress
Shoes:: Shiny Things - (Shiny Things) Lulu pumps – pearl/black
Jewellery:: Carnaby Street – Mod Disc Earrings & Bracelet (Colorable)
Seen In World :: Yes
Review Copies :: BLAND dresses
Friends List :: No
Here’s what happened last week…On Your Toes.
3. Kitties Lair Francine Mary Janes
4. Spring Ballet Class Set from Spirit
6. Kitties Lair Peep Toed Mules Kewt
Happy Shopping and see you next week!
Click the magazine’s cover (or, click here ) to read the latest issue of SexySecond over at Issuu.com.
This issue was especially fun to do, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. There is a wonderful interview with Rachel Breaker by Marleen Vaughan and an incredible guide and photo spread on retro fashion by Stella Stapleton. Second Style’s own Justine Babii also returns with her popular Second Street feature, which shows us what people actually wear in Second Life!
In addition to all the great articles, I hope you’ll take a look at the ads as well as a couple of our advertisers have snuck in special deals and offers available only to Sexy Second readers!
I’d love to hear what you think!
Enjoy!
This week I’m trying something new…less talkie talkie, and down to the point. Check out the week at On Your Toes…
Shoes featured this past week include……
1. Siren on Stilettos
2. PixelMode
3. Jaywalk
4. Periquita
5. Five Minutes After
6. House of Nyla
7. Truth
8. Tesla
9. Armidi
Something slightly different from me this week. I don’t normally do skin reviews, but when I was trying on a bunch of skins I’d picked up from the Skin Fair (yes, a little belatedly) one set stood out so much I almost didn’t have time to put my clothes back on before running to pick up some more demo’s. Esthetica Makeup Arts (EMA) isn’t a particularly easy store to find. It’s set off the mainstore of Material Squirrel, in one of the wings, at the far end of a wide corridor – certainly not a shop you would see in passing. Which is a shame, as Alexis Stapovic produces some nice work.
(EMA) Neoplasm MakeUp in Jen Skintone (Relay For Life Skin)
When Eloh Elliot released her free-perms Another Shop skins earlier this year she, in my opinion, shook up the Second Life® fashion industry more than any other single person has in the history of “Phil’s Place”. Skins were suddenly not something that only the incredibly talented few could aspire to produce, at extortionately high cost to the consumer. Everyone could now own a more than decent looking skin, and anyone who wished to could now try their hand at skin design, having a good basis from which to work. The downside has been that everyone and his/her dog has made a skin, and some really aren’t worth the upload fee. Most have had so little about them changed from Eloh’s originals that avatars risk becoming mere clones of each other. And, from a purely personal point of view, Eloh’s skins frankly just don’t suit some shapes (mine included). It’s a refreshing change, therefore, when I come across a skin, worked from the original Eloh bases, that is a little different…. and done well. EMA produces such skins.
The striking thing about EMA skins is the eye make-up. Hardly surprising then that Alexis also makes a range of eye textures under the brand name “Flawed Perfect”. Stating her influences to be “from of a multitude of sources, from the natural world of plants, animals and nature, to the exotic wild color of broadway show girl musicals… All of it. Everything.” [from EMA website] there is more than a hint of “catwalk” to Alexis’ designs.
The skins come in six skintones ranging from pale (Willow, Kim), thro’ light tan (Amanda, Fiona) to medium-dark tan (Jen, Autumn), all of which have been reworked from the original Eloh bases to totally original tones. The body shading of the Eloh skins is retained (and so not shown here), however, to my eye there is more “glow” giving a fresh soft feel. This glow extends to the face, again retaining the lip shape (and slight smile) and nose shading characteristic of Eloh, but with significant change to the cheek area and, especially, the eye area.
Enough of the whittering, and on with the pictures! Click on the pictures for larger image.
![(EMA) Flare MakeUp, Jen Skintone [Self Indulgence Range]](http://blog.secondstyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/02/EMA_Flare_Jen.jpg)
(EMA) Flare MakeUp in Jen skintone (Self Indulgence Range)
(EMA) Trapt MakeUp in Amanda Skintone (Counterfeit Range)
(EMA) GIR MakeUp in Fiona Skintone (Feral Range)
(EMA) Kitten MakeUp in Kim Skintone (Valentine Holiday Range)
(EMA) Fleck MakeUp in Willow Skintone (Costume Skins)
(EMA) Venti MakeUp in Autumn Skintone (Costume Skins),
Venti whiskers, ~FLawed Perfect Neko Apnea eyes.
As dramatic as they are, these skins are perfect for this Springs wardrobe with it’s trends of bright fresh colours and bold statements. However, as I’m left wearing the Venti skin I think I’ll just go and find a nice warm lap to curl up on *wink*
:: What I’m wearing ::
Skin:: Esthetica Makup Skins – as indicated
Shape:: my own
Hair:: ETD – ETD Gwen – Platinum
Eyelashes:: Celestial Studios – (CS) Lashes – Classic 1
Eyes:: Skin Deep (now The Body Politik) – Skin Deep Real Hazel eyes/Twinkle Eyes
Seen In World :: Yes
Review Copies :: Yes
Friends List :: No
