Spring Layers

Spring is a time when you’re not sure what the weather will be—it might be warm, might be cold. And then you’re kind of anxious to get your summer clothes out after wearing the same sweater what seems 100 times.

This outfit from Anyusha Lillienthal is a reminder that layers can be functional AND fashionable. She puts together a long top with a ruffled bottom (cleverly made with a sculpty tight-to-the-hips), capri leggings and a denim vest. A scarf tops off the set, keeping the cool spring winds off the neck while still showing a little skin and allowing for the removal of layers as the day gets warmer. I love the funky modern print Anyusha chose. She also includes a cleverly engineered alpha layer to hide your fanny—a sort of SL Spanx—though I am not wearing it.

I haven’t worn Tuli in a while and it’s high time I did again. All the features of a beautiful Tuli skin came back to me—the perfectly drawn eyebrows, the gorgeous eyes, the sumptuous lipstick makeup layers. My glasses are a funky color-change pair from Leona Iuga. (Thanks to Daphne in Fashion Emergency for the landmark!)

Happy Spring!

Hair: >TRUTH< Courtney – fudge by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: [:T:] Zoe / sunkissed :: 04 Electric with [:T:] Zoe / sunkissed / lips :: Lilac by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Deep Brown (ML) by Ikon Innovia for FASHISM *

Outfit: Ibizarre Neelie Dress – Nature by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre *

Glasses: -NALA-*Cruella* by Leona Iuga for –NALA-

Shoes: Ingenue :: Tallula Heels :: Chocolate by Betty Doyle for Ingenue *

Ennui

I have been feeling a lot of ennui about SL lately.

This look reflects that. It’s actually a lovely look in sepia with a great dress from Anyusha Lilienthal. I love the print and the sleeves. Check out the thin little belt holding up the sculpty ruffled skirt. I removed the chest prim because the square neckline is so well done and charming as it is. It also shows off the pile of beads from Nena Janus I am wearing. This outfit is a triumph of using sculpties and textures judiciously in both the dress and jewelry.

I was turned on to Jaden Foxclaw’s skins by Voshie Paine, and I wanted to exploit the melancholy and wistfulness of this skin by opting to make it more modern and contemporary in look rather than going towards the ephemeral lolita or vampire look. I did this by topping my head with a sassy hair from chiaki Xue, who makes these wavy short hair cuts with incredible ease.

The photo was not touched up. Taken directly in SL with shadows. The beauty of creators’ work in SL keeps curing the ills of ennui.

Hair: **Dura-Boys&Girls**16(Dark Brown)resize by chiaki Xue for Dura *

Skin: [.:Mascarade:.] Chou – Jolie – by Jahen Foxclaw for [.:Mascarade:.]

Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Warm Silver (M) by Ikon Innovia for FASHISM *

Dress: Ibizarre Marissa Dress – Vanilla – Bag by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre *

Jewelry: *League* Wanderer Jewellery Set by Nena Janus for *League*

Shoes: Absolution – Maizi Flats by Teresa Republic for Absolution

Summer Breeze

See the curtains hangin’ in the window
in the evenin’ on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin’ through the window
lets me know everything is alright

Anyusha Lilienthal recently released her Summer Jam line which made me think of the song “Summer Breeze.” God knows we need some summer breeze as another snowstorm is predicted in my area. I am glad Anyusha is coming out with this—from the mojito-flavored top to the funky Miami beat skirt, it makes me feel warm and sunshiney to wear this. Anyusha even includes a matching necklace!

My skin is a beauty just released by sachi Vixen in four darker skin tones—this being one of the lighter ones. Sachi includes a set of lipsticks and eye shadows as well as cleavage and nail polishes. I chose to wear this muted lipstick and piercing green eyes from Ikon Innovia. My cute little espadilles are from Gospel Voom, with color change options for parts of the shoe.

Finally, my hair with hat is from Nishant Zobovic. Blessedly the hat is tintable and the ribbon can be as well if you choose. I like this option. The hair itself, and all the demos I tried on were static—no flexi. Kind of a bummer.

Summer breeze
makes me feel fine
blowing through the jasmine in my mind
~ “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Croft

Hair: [Anaphora]_Sofeea_Mocha by Nishant Zobovic for Anaphora

Skin: Adam n Eve Skins – Tanisha Latte – Fresh with Adam n Eve Lipstick Tattoo – Tanisha Pink Latte by sachi Vixen for Adam n Eve *

Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Deep Absinthe (ML) by Ikon Innovia for FASHISM *

Top (with necklace): Ibizarre Summer Neckholder – Apple by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre *

Skirt: Ibizarre Summer  Print Skirt (dots) by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre *

Shoes: [Gos] Espadrilles Model by Gospel Voom for Gos

Say a Little Prayer

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now,
And wondering what dress to wear, now,
I say a little prayer for you

Whenever I hear the song “Say a Little Prayer,” I think about the woman in the song—a pretty young Marlo Thomas type (even though it’s always an African-American woman singing it.. hmm) with white Mary Jane platform heels and a jar of bobby pins on her dresser and nylons hanging to dry in her little apartment. But who is she saying a prayer for and where is he? She goes off to work on the bus, has a coffee break, and says a prayer for him. He’s on her mind. Considering the song came out in 1967, I am guessing he is away at war. Of course, Burt Bacharach wrote the song—he was the master of catching the zeitgeist of his age and rolling it into a catchy pop tune.

This outfit really has nothing to do with the song except I was hearing Aretha Franklin singing it when I took the photos, and the kind of retro jacket from monica Outlander with its big buttons and oversized Peter Pan-shaped collar and my little plaid mini skirt from Anyusha Lilienthal seem a little 60s. (Now the front cut up to there on the jacket, the drawstring waist on the skirt and the decidedly 2010s technology of sculpties is hardly 60s. Come to think of it, remember when polyester was the new space age material in the 60s. I consider sculpties our polyester—wait until meshes come. We’re gonna seem so old fashioned!)

I have donned one of Tuli Asturias’ revised Eva skins. It seems she has extracted the lip colors and cleavages to put them on a tattoo layer to match the tattoo layer technology of SL. I have also tried on one of her simple eyeliners, sold for a reasonable price. If you’re going to wear her skins, might as well grab the tattoo layers.

My darling believe me,
For me there is no one
But you.
~ “Say a Little Prayer” as sung by Aretha Franklin.

Hair: >TRUTH< Riley – java by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: [:T:] Eva / sunkissed / br :: 03 Lavish with [:T:] Eyeliner 3 by Tuli Asturias for Tuli

Jacket: Miamai_Lenore Purple by monica Outlander for Miamai *

Top: :. WoE .: Manda Butterfly Tank (Purple) by Dick Wiesel for :. WoE .: *

Skirt with Tights: Ibizarre Kayla Mini Skirt – Vichy Mauve by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre *

Earrings: Ear Candy ~ Fascinating Purple Diamond Earring by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Bracelet: Ear Candy ~ Fascinating Purple Bangles by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Boots: Ugh – Lilac by Eponymous Trenchmouth for Jeepers Creepers

Ugh!

I am working on a project–soon you will all hear about it—but the proverbial uh spackle is hitting the fan in my mind. I am almost done but wondering what I have forgotten, what is missing?

So this is an easy outfit for rolling up my sleeves and getting the work done. My t-shirt is a cute little thing from jomatshere Allen, who has a lot of these cute little things in her store. My jeans are quick and cute from Anyusha Lilienthal, who has a whole set of fabulous jeans at her store. I love my cute comfy little espadrilles from Renee Harvy, who makes it so easy.

Finally, a subtly pretty make up from Tuli Asturias, part of her newly redone collection. Tuli still rocks the grid with her skins and I look forward to more. Finally, I have a beautiful necklace from Damanios Thetan. It finishes my look and classes up my otherwise casual demeanor.

The stress is a little high but I won’t let it show!

Hair: sunday brunette with AD hair base – brunette by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog *

Skin: [:T:] Emma / tan / bl :: 05 Sweetheart by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

T-Shirt: [VS] Style Top Crown Pink by jomatshere Allen for [VS] Style *

Jeans: * Ibizarre Lolo Jeans – blue-black used by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre

Necklace: {Damani} – Pearl Lotus – Necklace by Damanios Thetan for Damani *

Shoes:::Duh!:: Espadrille Old Rose by Renee Harvy for Duh!

Merry Freakin’ Cussmas

This yuletide has been a trying time for me. First there were the putzy cookies with the chocolate that slid off when I dipped them and the jimmies that flew into every crack and crevice of my kitchen. Then there was the infamous gingerbread house that required a half hour of sanding to get the edges straight, had frosting that was like cement (which dried all over my fingers), and used gumdrops with a suspicious aftertaste. Then there were the fifty oddly-shaped gifts to wrap, the tape roll that shot under the sofa into a dusty area (I suck at housework, ok?), the huge rolls of flimsy wrapping paper to handle in a small space, the darn Pillow Pets which could not be wrapped or packaged. And I won’t even tell you about shopping in my small local grocery store during the holidays, which involves half-blind elderly ladies in fur coats steering oversized carts down the narrow aisles and picking through the stollen and pfefferneuse.

Since SL is a place of fantasy, I have enjoyed the fantasy of having a gift-wrapping room like Candy Spelling’s infamous room, one where all I do is wrap gifts. Gin Galtier indulged this fantasy with her Gift Wrapping Station, which I installed in a corner of my sim and merrily wrapped gifts unencumbered by mess, dust bunnies and the aggravation of finding enough room to wrap that impossibly shaped box of candies.

I wear a cozy sweater from salire Landar, which is very nicely textured with the prims lining up with the system piece on the avatar extremely well. This is not an easy task at all and salire pulls it off (and at a very tasty price—this was 50L). Salire meant this to be a mini dress but I am wearing jeans underneath because chances are I will get Sharpie marker all over my skin if I am not protected.

I still love me some Tuli Asturias. This was part of a set offered through the Skin Addiction group’s Black Friday sale. She needs to release some new skins before I really start swearing! My scarf was Machang Pichot’s offering last year in a holiday gift, and my boots are this season’s answer to looking sexy and festive all at once. Bax Coen once again hits it out of the park, with her Prestige boots offered in this color changing boot with fleecy tops. Not only do you get red and dark red, but also green and blue if you want something less.. cussmassy.

On my cookie tray: Repressed Rage Roundabouts and Preholiday Meltdowns (with nuts—deal!)

Station: elefantu – Gift Wrapping Station (Linked, 105 Prim) by Gin Galtier for elefantu *

Hair: [e] Melody – Red 08 by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elikatira

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3/dk) :: 04 with []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3) red lips by Tuli Asturias for Tuli

Sweater: *salire nordic knit/White by salire Landar for *salire

Jeans: Ibizarre Lolo Jeans by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre

Scarf: AOHARU_BT_KnitScarf_G2_Christmas by Machang Pichot for Aoharu

Boots: BAX Prestige Holiday Boots by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Designs*

Fall

… And every year there is a brief, startling moment
When we pause in the middle of a long walk home and
Suddenly feel something invisible and weightless
Touching our shoulders, sweeping down from the air:
It is the autumn wind pressing against our bodies;
It is the changing light of fall falling on us.
~ from “Fall” by Richard Hirsch

Fall is the poet’s favorite time of year—bright colors, bold scents, and the idea of death lingering over everything. It’s a delicious sort of melancholy really, an indulgent state of emo. It requires long walks through the fallen leaves, squinty gazing up in the now-bare trees, and a pensive expression.

It also requires, as with everything I do, a good wardrobe. In this case I shrugged on a great jacket from kinbo Akina, which comes in three colors (get the fat pack at only 400L for versatility). I layered it over a spankin’ new sweater from Anyusha Lillienthal, which sports a cute sculpty front pocket and slouchy waist. I had a little trouble adjusting this prim at first but layered under the coat it looks dandy. Leggings also from Anyusha keep me warm.

My skin is a beautiful freckled fall wonder from Trin Trevellion. This particular line is suitable for redheads or brunettes and has a beautiful skin tone with pretty lips and gorgeous eyes. My pretty earrings are from Maeve Mortlock, the goddess of fun and inexpensive jewelry. (She said her RL sister is a RL jewelry maker but Maeve herself is too “tomboyish” to make silver do what she wants so she does it in SL.) I would buy a lot of this jewelry if it were available in RL–it has a beautiful hand-crafted look.

My boots, which are perfect for fall leaf kicking, are from Siddean Munro, who is just in the middle of spring on her side of the world. With their luscious leather textures, the great zipper, and the really easy resizer hud, these boots are a deal. (And I love the styling—check the strap running under the boot!)

Written while listening to “Broken” by S.Carey.

Hair: >TRUTH< Paige – copper by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: -sD- Wichita [Tan.Freckles – Spring] by Trin Trevellion for ::Sindecade:: *

Jacket: oyakin*linen-coat(beige by kinbo Akina for oyakin

Sweater: Ibizarre Mara Jumper (Woodbine) by Anyusha Lillienthal for Ibizarre *

Pants: Ibizarre Romy Leather Pants (black) by Anyusha Lillienthal for Ibizarre *

Earrings: Ear Candy ~ Chunk of Jade Earrings by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Boots: SLink Mieke Riding Boots – Brown by Siddean Munro for SLink *

Caught in the Rain

City girls who run around town know you shouldn’t be caught without an umbrella these days. The weather is turning colder, the leaves are mostly off the trees, and a rainstorm could come down at any time on a gray day to drench you, so it pays to be prepared.

First, have your umbrella. Second, have a good warm coat like this one from cocoro Lemon. I love how cocoro has styled the coat with a cheetah print inside. This coat is so authentic, from its dangling laces to its hood to its untailored silhouette. She was smart to make the coat open and a little oversized—it’s the cheetah that gives it zing. I donned pants from Uriah Eulenberg that I got in a set I purchased at a Designers United event. Made for men, the pants are high waisted knickers with a great wool tweedy texture. Blessedly, they look great on women too. I layer cheetah print leggings from Anyusha Lilienthal underneath, part of her animal series. And a cheetah print top from Mimikri Kit, picked up at a recent Dressing Room foray, completes my outfit.

Mallory Cowen still presents some of the freshest skins on the grid and her new Phoebe2 is no exception. Once again we have the unbeatable glow that Mallory advertises, the finely shaped eyebrows, the expressive eye makeups, the pretty lips and the great skin tones.

Onyx LeShelle recently came out with a new slew of content—hair and shoes. I have not had a chance to check out the shoes, but I certainly liked her new hair selections, especially as they show movement and life despite the static nature of sculpties. (Though she has always been good at making hair look less like a prim on the head and more like individual strands making a whole.) I loved this hair for this look—anyone caught in the rain would be a bit disheveled.

Gospel Voom has recently come out with a new set of women’s boots and they are fabulous and chic, especially when one might be concerned that Gospel can only do clunky Doc Martens. These are well-built with a gorgeous sculpty shape and absolutely brilliant leather textures. I love the little leather tie.

a wind has blown the rain away and blown
the sky away and all the leaves away,
and the trees stand. I think i too have known
autumn too long
~ e.e. cummings

Hair: Maitreya Kim – Caramel by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Skin: LAQ ~ Phoebe2 – 03 [Peach] Glow skin by Mallory Cowen for LAQ

Jacket: *COCO*_ModsCoat_Black by cocoro Lemon for COCO

Top: Mimikri – Tank Top (undershirt layer) / Nina leo by Mimikri Kit for Mimikri

Pants: BALACLAVA!! Narcissus On Chapel St.—pants by Uriah Eulenberg for BALACLAVA!!

Leggings: Ibizarre Leo Leggings by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre *

Shoes: [Gos] Posh Bootie – Obsidian by Gospel Voom for [Gos]

Umbrella: Rain Black Umbrella by Seagel Neville

A Chill in the Air

Fall has come in too quickly. I am still staring at the shorts and t-shirt in my drawers, wondering if I will ever be able to wear them again. It’s not so bad because fall brings back the best part–snuggling up.

So I have snuggled up to .. myself. Yeah, that’s my male alt modeling for me. I needed a hunk in a pinch and there he was, chilling in his box, so I pulled him out. (Yeah, really, what kind of loser snuggles their other doll except me?) The reason was this adorable seasonable skybox from Gin Galtier. She has made 50 only to be sold on Marketplace and for that alone, it’s worth considering. I don’t normally do “on location” shoots, but the colors in this skybox are so pretty and autumnal, I wanted to show something cozy.

Check out the sweet desk in the corner with Gin’s eclectic styling. The skybox comes complete with all decor, which is also modifiable and removable. So you can hack this skybox as you please and still have a cozy nook for warming up. At 215 prims, it’s a lightweight packed with a lot of goodness.

And if nothing else, it’s chock full of great photography opportunities. (How humiliating—being cute with myself… *sigh*. What I do for “art.”)

My outfit is the kind of cozy I need on a chilly day. Doc Eldritch knitted up this beautiful sweater last year that comes with a hood or this great cowl. My jeans are comfy and sexy and made by Anyusha Lilienthal. And I love these boots from Ansor Hoorenbeek (who does women’s as well as men’s.. hello), which come with three different leg options. The great leg warmers make me feel cuddly. My boy is dressed in a great sweater from mappy handrick, jeans from machang Pichot and shoes from Guu Nishi. But really, this is all about the skybox…. and the girl ;)

“Then summer fades and passes and October comes.  We’ll smell smoke then, and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a sense of sadness and departure.” ~  Thomas Wolfe

Featuring elefantu [October Song] Limited Edition Skybox by Gin Galtier for elefantu, sold on Marketplace *

On her:

Hair: Meredith – Dark Copper by Calico Ingmann for Calico Ingmann Creations

Skin: LAQ ~ Julie – 02 [Peach] Glow skin (red hairbase) by Mallory Cowen for LAQ

Sweater: DE Tango Fall 09 Sweater – Toffee by DoC Eldritch for DE Designs

Jeans: Ibizarre Lolo Jeans by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre

Boots: [ hoorenbeek ] Warmleg Boots – Brown by Ansor Hoorenbeek for Hoorenbeek

On him:

Hair: LAQ ~ Radiant M05 (L) – Midnight by Winter DiPrima for LAQ

Skin: no.07 :: Demetris – Natural :: Goatee 01 – Hair by Aeon Jiminy for no.07

Sweater: *ARAI* Nit_gray by mappy Handrick for ARAI

Shirt (underneath): *ARAI* Jersey_black by mappy Handrick for ARAI

Jeans: AOHARU_BT_VintageDenim_Black by machang Pichot for AOHARU

Shoes: HOC Industries – Easy Striders by Guu Nishi for HOC

Blood and Sand

Everyone’s a romantic, especially the tough girl with the heavy eyeliner and shirt sleeves rolled up. She’s romantic because she believes wearing one’s toughness on the outside makes a difference.

That’s why our girl wears a romantic film t-shirt made by Darling Monday—Valentino’s “Blood and Sand.” I love this series of t-shirts. Usually you find them with silly sayings or bold and rather cliched graphic artwork. This set has movie poster artwork, “silkscreened” on with a distressed worn appearance. The art is compelling, the titles are fun, and the shape is great. I like the rolled up sleeve, though it doesn’t work well with AOs—something about that attachment point—the shoulder–just messes things up and attaching it to the pec didn’t help. I wish the t-shirt itself had a cleaner edge so the prims could just not be worn.

Smokey eyes are provided by Hart Larsson, who has given us a much edgier set of skins with his Dafne set. I had a hard time climbing into this skin but once I got it, I got it and really loved it. (And you’ll probably see more of this skin very soon because I am really getting into it.) He provides a very plain eye or a very smokey—almost raccoon eye–with this set, and a very sparse eyebrow, so the skin seems naked either way—either in its minimalism or its exaggeration—which makes our girl even more romantic. Hart’s work is, as always, a piece of art.

I love this hair from Mirja Mills. It’s well shaped, cute, coy, and youthful. Mirja pays attention to the details on this one, making little curled strands out of prims around the nape and ears, running dark to the roots. I fell in love when I put it on.

Wears her heart on her sleeve—rolled up:

Hair: .:EMO-tions:. * ANCHA * / flames by Mirja Mills for Emo-tions *

Skin: [PXL] Dafne PA EX PaleLips MEB by Hart Larsson for [PXL] *

Top: fri. – Film.Crew (Valentino) by Darling Monday for fri.day

Jeans: * Ibizarre Lolo Jeans – blue-black used by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre

Shirt around waist: DYN Brown Check Shirt (Tied) by Fred Kenorland for DYN (no longer available)

Earrings: TSS – Looped Multi Earring by SweetThing Baker for The Sweetest Sin

Eyebrow Ring: Aitui – 1 Captive Bead Eyebrow Ring /surgical steel/ by KiKi Miranda for Aitui

Cuff: Aitui – Plain Wrist Cuffs (R) -Small- by Jesseaitui Petion for Aitui

Nail polish: Symphony Skins- Fingernail Polish Gloves by Claire Harford for Symphony Skins

Shoes: z [mm] Sneakers Hunter special by Magnifico Miggins for Magnifico Exclusive *