Second Style Magazine

Ever since Camilla Yosuke from Insolence started to make her pretty lingerie, I’ve been following her releases (and buying them). Her latest, Lilly, is a pretty piece that comes with tons of options on all layers. Tattoo friendly, outfit friendly, you name it, you got it. And not only does it come on all layers, you also get to choose between the corset, the small corset and the bra and the panties or the tiny thong, with or without garters for the beautiful stockings Err… choose, which one to wear that is, not which one to buy, because all options are in the folder. This set comes in rich dark colours, beautiful for the fall and winter.

The prim work, the frilly bits on the cups as well as on the bottom of the corset and the panties are fitting me without the need of adjusting any (something that i really appreciate) and the same goes for the satin ribbon on the back. The gloss on the stockings is really gorgeous and I’ll wear them a lot this season. I wouldn’t mind if Camilla decided to make other colours of them as well.

The other need to knows:

Hair: Maitreya’s Loose Bun in pitch, skin: PXL Creations Linda in tan (available soon), Earrings: Illusions Amirah set, Shoes by Adam ‘n Eve Valentine’s special (not available anymore)

Seen in world: yes    Review copies: no    Friends list: no

Yes.. thank you… I found these cute tops in an almost deserted japanese mall in a shop called Ebiskins. You know, one of those tiny shops that have like uhm… 3 things? In this case a free set of really cute FREE eyes, a few fantasy skins, somewhat feline, and these tops. Fatpack only  I’m afraid… oh well.. not that afraid, since it is priced at L$ 100.

 I have met Kim food on occasions when I was hanging out with some Canadian friends at the SL Tim Hortons. Goth girl, quiet, sweet. A builder. Since I never go to Timmie’s anymore (probably it doesn’t even exsist any longer), I lost track of some of the people I met there. Until last night, when Kim dropped me a folder with some really lovely goth jewelry pieces (The Coeur Noir set). So totally not my day-to-day style, but so well made that I had to hop over to her newly opened shop and picked up some more things to share with you.

So without further ado, take a look at some of the detailed full prim pretties that Kim has been making

Coeur Noir is a set that is made of 4 pieces, all of which are available as separates too. This is the earring, which for me is the best piece of the set, further there is a necklace, a bracelet and an anklet, all executed with great eye for detail. I had to smile at the little label on the earring and the necklace… It really makes this set the signature set for Kim. All her jewelry is scripted for resizing, so whereas it might appear non mod… if you click the pieces you can adjust the size to your avie.

The reversed Gothic Cross is very intricate. The microprims have al been aligned by hand, not using a loop rez or other script to make the chain. When I talked to Kim earlier she told me she has been putting in a lot of time and effort to make her textures, and with success, there are a lot of unique details in her work. I’m always amazed to what people are capable of with the tiny prims. After almost 2 years in SL, I am still a total building retard.

Maybe my personal favourites are the reversed cross earrings. I admit, probably because they are less goth  in the look and feel than Kim’s other work. I really zoomed in on these for you to see the lovely textures on the gems and the meticulous build of these pendants. Usually I just like to show you stuff and then leave it up to you whether you go see for yourself or not.. but in this case, I am really so pleasantly surprised, that I can only say.. please… go take a look for yourself and do the ctrl-0 thing, because these photos just don’t do justice to the real pieces.

I’m not really into gothic, as you will probably have noticed by now, so I don’t really know the places where to shop for quality goth content. If you do.. please leave a comment, as Kim is looking for a new place to set up shop that fits her brand and has some decent traffic. Your tips might help her to find something good and affordable.

Delora Starbrook, creator of marvellous silks at Haven Design and fantasy hair at Sanctum Hair is having a gift card sale these days.

She urgently needs to move in RL and a sale might be helping preventing from becoming homeless , or as she states:

“So the low-down of this is:  Buy a gift card.  For yourself, or for someone else, and help keep me from becoming homeless (and unable to make you new, pretty things) in a month.

All store cards are marked down in price in the dispensers around my main store location.
L$450 for a L$500 value store card.
L$900 for a L$1000 value store card.
L$2000 for a L$ 2500 value store card.
L$4000 for a L$5000 value store card.”

When in the fall of 2007 Miriel informed us that she had bought her own sim, and Fleur (back then stil Tête à Pied) decided to do the same, I was sad… sad because Nouveau, back then the home of Miriel, Fleur, and  until now, Lassitude & Ennui was one of my favourite sims. Beautifully landscaped and awesome content. But… Fleur has developed a pretty pretty sim next to Nicky Ree’s and now Miriel is back in action as well with a GORGEOUS sim. She spent months making textures and raw files for the sim, updating old and creating new content as well as developing a storyline for The Golden Cage, an ongoing treasure hunt which has become a very alluring yet somewhat sad story.

This is the introduction:

Though the public is free to explore this island, this was not always the case. For centuries, the land was entirely private, held by a series of owners for their personal use. In fact, it has changed hands multiple times, collecting a colorful history in the process. There is the allegedly cursed archaeological dig of Robert Neston, the notorious parties of Rebecca Fairfield, and, perhaps most notably, the disappearance of Charlotte West.

West’s time on the island was shrouded in rumor and secrecy. Officially, her husband John West bought the island as a place for her to convalesce while he worked on the mainland. Even before she arrived, though, there were stories: she was mad, or John wished to be rid of her, or both. The nurses and servants who cared for her on the island rarely left and were not permitted to discuss the situation, fueling further speculation…..

Following the hints hidden in the notecards, you will eventually find some gorgeous pieces of jewelry. They will not be for sale. Don’t spoil the fun for others and enjoy your little treasure hunt.

But there is more.. as said.. new jewelry, new and revamped eyes, shapes and finally.. the lashes that Roslin has been teasing me with ever since Miriel first handed them to her (which must have been somewhere in Januray!) These are without a doubt the best looking, most natural lashes on the grid. They are tintable, have a great fit and they don’t cover your eyemake up like some of the, uhm, more dramatic (read Priscilla Queen of the Desert-ish) lashes that are omnipresent these days.

Miriel’s jewelry has always been amazing, and more often than not, extremely affordable. I will have to do a separate post on the jewelry to do it justice, but for now, just take a look at these pretty shinies.

I’ve always loved the edgy, colourful designs from Canimal, so when I saw she made some shoes… I got frustrated with the seconds it took to TP to her shop! In a flash I bought the fatpack, which is a steal, for L$ 950. I believe singles sell for L$ 200. What is even more value for money, is that the bows are colour change. When you touch them, you get a menu with 9 options. The fun colour combinations and the design make every outfit. Did I mention skulls on the bow? Ok, so I did now. Put on your sneakers and run to get these.. they are so cute!

Slurl to follow.

A couple of weeks ago I saw some cute looking faces appear on the blog, and I promised myself to look into them. I did, I liked the demos, and I ended up buying some at Coquette. Now these skins are mainly about the pretty faces, the body is not very detailed although what is there is really well done. When I asked the creator about other skintones, she told me she was in the process of finishing 3 more skintones and if I felt like waiting with my post so that I could try them too.. Uhm… me… waiting for more skins.. what do you think.. ? Pope still a catholic?

Over to the goodies…. Delish comes in 4 skintones, with and without freckles, with tintable eyebrows and lips. For now there are 32 make ups that vary from naturally sweet to more bold and a little funky and all skins come with a complimentary modifiable shape, and 3 sets of eyes. The mouth reminds me a bit of Nora’s Entice, and that is a skin I have always liked a lot on me.

While I see quite a difference in this skin compared to the ones I initially bought, they share the smooth body texture. As said, there is not a huge amout of detailing in the body, but I haven’t spotted any serious seams and over all it is very pleasant to look at. I’m not a great fan of the nipples, but since I tend to keep my top on anyway, I couldn’t care too much about them.

 At only L$ 495 per skin, this is really worth a try.

Lingerie is Nightlife @ Solange

Sometimes you see a dress that just begs to be worn in a million different ways… ICING’s Pinstripe Princess is such a dress. I love Miko’s work , and have a serious crush on her lovely textures and pretty primwork. However I keep picking her system skirt outfits when I need something cute, and need to put it on fast.

 Ok.. 4 ways to wear this pretty dress. From left to right:

* Icon red straw hat, Icon gold necklace, Icon straw bangle, Shiny Things Belle. NB the red belt is part of the original dress (jacket layer and prim beltrstrap);

* Eleanor hat by Elegance Hats, Paper Couture Flower Bead Dangle, Paper Couture Divinichi ruffles (tinted), Four Yip’s Roly Poly Dream Dress Tweety Back Belt (tinted and reattached). Shiny Things Tuxedo Pumps;

* Cachet Tiffany Hat Earth (tinted), Ultimate Bugeye shades by Fashionably Dead, Miam Miam Retro Disc Necklace (tinted), Callie Cline’s weathered brown Fat Belt, Storm Schmooze’s Duote 1;

* Kari’s Newsboy cap, Malina Glasses by Role Optic, Paper Couture Regal Pearl earrings, tattoo and black belt form Barerose’s Cross Bone’s outfit, Mraz scarf Ruby by Decoy and boots by Blaze.

 I confess… Usually when I have things to do at my shop, I TP, go in.., do the things I need to do and eventually stay for a while to talk to some of the people who happen to be there. Then I TP out again. Sometimes though, I go for a walk,because Rue d’Antibes is a lovely sim, with some interesting shops. So today I noticed a new to me shop, right next door! Reale, owned by Mallu Mayo, has a small, but very cute and feminine inventory. Nicely designed, crisp textures, vibrant colors and nice primwork. And because a girl likes to do something different than skins for a change, I figured I’d share some of Mallu’s work with you. From Left to right: Dulce, Spring and Stampatto.

Mallu also has some cute eyes in her shop, and in her main shop apparently some hair as well.

I’ve never been too enthusiast about Portia Sin’s skins. Somehow they just never worked for me… the skintones… I preferred other brands, the make ups, I preferred other brands still, and my main concern with Sin Skins… the eyebrows.. no matter how I tweaked mine, I couldn’t get them the way I want them. Until last night. I found a preview pack in my inventory. This time Portia has just gotten it right. 8 skin tones, varying from a translucent dolllike porcelain, to a tone that is so dark, I’d call it liquorice. It reminds me of the Tuareg, the beduin people in the Sahara that are known for the almost blue shine to their dark skin. She has also made a freckled skin that I think has about the best freckles in SL. They are uneven, some darker than others, and scattered all over the face, the chest, shoulders, upper arms and back.

The body of this skin is just good… a pleasantly realistic skintexture… not 100% smooth.. but without the ultrarealism some creators put in these days. After all, if the veins in my legs show, they are varicose and it is time to have them done. Same goes for couperose, pores and blemishes. Women all over the world put in a lot of effort to get rid of all that… so I certainly don’t want it in my SL skins. No need for cosmetic surgery with Sin Skins though, the bits are nicely drawn and in harmony with the skintones. The skins come shaven, but, and I love this in the light of the recent “To shave or not to shave” discussion, Portia has found a very creative solution for those girls who want a bit of hair, or even get creative. *drumrolls* Enter the scripted patch! The WHAT?  Yes,  enter the scripted patch… a very thin sculpted prim, that fits the female anatomy perfectly and that though a menu gives you a number of options to dress up your pussy. No, as usual you will get no nudieshots from me, but I’ve included a texture that Portia gave me with the options. As you can see, you can go from mild to hot ‘n spicy with these.

On the photo made in Emvee Cuba, the yellow new Money Wool dress from Kyoot Army, the neclace is from Icon, the hoops are from Earthtones and the beret is not available in the shop, but was sent to me by Mavis McGettigan from Skin Flicks and I coloured it. The undies in the bodyshot are from Twosome. As usual the settings I use for skin reviews is Caliah Lyon’s windlight preset. I turn off the atmospheric sliders and use no face lamp.

Portia’s new skins will be made available somewhere this weekend. Keep an eye on her blog, or just drop by her shop to see if they are there yet

If you read my personal blog as well, you may have noticed that a couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece over a flawed lace texture in an otherwise cute dress. I didn’t think it was something to share with you on Second Style, because it was mainly about customer service and not so much about the dress. This dress, on the contrary, is totally Second Stylish. I found it the other day when I returned to the Haute Couture sim for the first time in months. Forda Fairlane made it, for Haute Style & Co. and she has totally nailed it with the lace overlay on this elegant summer dress. Everyting is just right on this design, the flexi that moves really good when you walk, the prim bow and the lovely flower chest piece. With the lace texture, it is practically impossible to make a totally seamless design, but the belt does align perfectly on the front and the back texture.

The skin is Fleur Dig Ophelia 1 in buff, the necklace is the Southsea choker by Damsel, the shoes are Maitreya’s Patent Black Virtue shoes (shoe expo exclusive)  and a special thank you for Mavis McGettigan from Skinflicks for providing the RFL baldies with some of the cutest berets around! 

Siddean Munro from Slink recently opened her own sim and has now tons of space to put all her colourful clothes and shoes as well as her increasing hair and skin inventory on display. Since I once told her about my boots fetish, she was kind enough to drop me her latest creations. The Paige calf and the Paige ankle boots have a plateau that I actually like. Unlike a lot of the hoochie plateaus around, these are modern and classy. The textures are beautiful, of a velvety suede and on the heel they have the cutest details. A little bow on the ankle boots, and a tiny buckle on the calf boots. The ankle boots come in 12 different colours, the calf boots in 5. Both the ankle and the calf boots sell at 300 L$ per pair and are available in convenient fatpacks as well.