Sweetness

“It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.” ~ Chuck Palahniuk

I liked this quote because it reminded me that carrying a grudge is easy. Forgiving and remembering goodness isn’t as easy. I try hard to remember the creators who send me items to review without expectation–their gifts of talent are one of the sweetnesses in my SL.

Something’s so sweet about a easy dress in the middle of the summer, something stylish and fashionable but not too tight or fussy and this dress from Marcopol Oh from Shiny Shabby fits the bill. Fit to the Maitreya body, It includes a little sexiness on the side. I paired it with a great necklace from Ors Quan for Shiny Shabby and high heels from Senzati0n Domenitzo.

GenesisLab has created this gorgeous mesh head for Shiny Shabby this month. I love that I am able to wear system eyes and don’t have to mess around with mesh eyes to wear it, I was also able edit my shape with the head stretch to change the look of the face. It did require some editing in the eye depth, and I had to mess with the lashes.

Especially sweet as well is when a creator donates a portion of their income from the creation of an item for a charity or someone’s need. Carina Larsen is donating a portion of her sales from the sale of her gorgeous hair at Hair Fair 2016 to Wigs for Kids. She includes this full, pulled back look with optional bangs.

She also offers an elegant updo with optional bang styles.

A very full-bodied, long style with a side part makes me look a little Jackie O. And she is offering duo-colored pigtails as a gift for those attending Hair Fair.

Hair:

• Amacci Hair – Zip Duo by Carina Larsen for Amacci, available at Hair Fair 2016 (gift!) *
• Amacci Hair – Nora by Carina Larsen for Amacci, available at Hair Fair 2016 *
• Amacci Hair – Malva (Shorter Bang) by Carina Larsen for Amacci, available at Hair Fair 2016 *
• Amacci Hair – Galia (No Bang) by Carina Larsen for Amacci, available at Hair Fair 2016 *

Head with skin applier: Genesis_Head_Amelie_2.0 Cappuccino by GenesisLab for Genesis, available at Shiny Shabby *

Eyes: [theSkinnery] Flirtacious  eye collection – 9 by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery] *

Mesh body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V3.5 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Dress: Clef de Peau Outlet.Natasha Dress (Maitreya) Army by marcopol Oh for Clef de Peau, available at Shiny Shabby *

Necklace: MINIMAL – Aimee Necklace -Gold- by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, available at Shiny Shabby *

Nail appliers: Hello Dave – Nail Appliers – A 99 Please! by Maia Gasparini for Hello Dave!

Shoes: Essenz – Belgrade (Maitreya) by Senzati0n Domenitzo for Essenz *

Poses: The Daria Series by Katya Valeska for an lar, available at Shiny Shabby *

Star Crossed Lover

I’ve been stung by a star seed honey
He shone love like a lightning honey
I been hit by a star seed honey
His love burns like a lightning honey
I’m right here I’m your star crossed lover
I lie here like a starless lover
I’ll die here as your phantom lover
I never learn, I never learn

~ “I Never Learn” by Lykke Li

Callie told me the So caL sim was recently redone by Beloved Ruby, who is quite a talented artist, so I went over and Callie was right. The sim is gorgeous—picturesque and beautifully laid out. I’ll be coming back to take more photos! This sexy dress from Numer0Un0 that he made for Shiny Shabby stood out with its great textures and cutouts. The dress I wore was marked as “beta” for fit and I would say there might me a few problems, easily fixed with shape changes. For example, I upped the love handles to get the waist to expand the rigged dress enough to skim my waist without cutting in. I paired sexy heels from Hilly Haalan with the look. Hilly always offers a ginormous selection of colors on a HUD with all her items so you can swap out colors and match things up perfectly. I love it! I accessorized with gacha bracelets from Ors Quan for Shiny Shabby and Lapointe and Bastchild’s earrings for 100 Block.

My long hair is a lovely, pulled-to-the-side look from VivienMarli for Shiny Shabby. Monicuzza Babenco has made another spectacular applier for Shiny Shabby, and I splurged and got the new Aisha head from Catwa Clip to feature it. I am glad that Catwa decided to separate out the expressions, mouth styles, and talk features to decrease the pricing. It was too hard deciding to scratch up the money to get the new heads with features I rarely used simply to blog skins for my favorite designers. With features broken out, I could get both of the new heads and the add-on lip styles without worrying about paying for features I never used. The price was much more palatable for my needs. It also allows fans to dabble with the heads without getting in over their heads.

Hair: .Entwined. Hannah by VivienMarli for [Entwined], available at Shiny Shabby *

Skin applier: *YS&YS* Malika Tone03 Skin Applier – Catwa Mesh Head by Monicuzza Babenco for *YS&YS*, available at Shiny Shabby *

Mesh head: CATWA HEAD Aisha V4.9 by Catwa Clip for CATWA

Eyes: [theSkinnery] Sona eyes – 1 by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery] *

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V3.5 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Dress: N-Uno – Vika Dress // Maitreya – Beta / Pink by Numer0Un0 for N-Uno, available at Shiny Shabby *

Bracelets: MINIMAL – Berry Bracelet *1* Gold, MINIMAL – Berry Bracelet *2* Silver, and MINIMAL – Berry Bracelet *3* Silver by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, available at Shiny Shabby *

Earrings: L&B Triskelion Hoop Earring by BastChild Lotus and Paul Lapointe for Lapointe and Bastchild, available at the 100 Block *

Shoes: [hh] Millie Plastix Plains MAITREYA by Hilly Haalan for Hilly Haalan *

Poses by Valencia Southard for Marukin

Taken  at So caL, designed by Beloved Ruby

Tilted

I’m actually good
Can’t help it if we’re tilted

~ “Tilted” by Christine and the Queens

Coachella is coming up, and I am pretty excited because they have a pretty good website with live performances on it. My partner in SL lives kind of close to the event so some day I hope I can actually go and mingle among the kids. (We’ll likely be the very oldest people there.) My weekly music dude, Clark at Noon Pacific, has a little page up with recommendations with a guide to Coachella, which includes Christine and the Queens and one of their songs I particularly like.

I remixed my Coachella look with some recent event items, including a darling top from Kinu Mayako for 100 Block that holds particular interest for me because I have been crocheting a lot of granny squares lately. It’s sexy and bohemian and matched Paul Lapointe’s and Bastchild Lotus’ recently redone capris, fitted to several mesh bodies. I accessorized with a darling necklace from Ors Quan and Sigifaust’s great ring gacha set that includes a texture change HUD for any and all of the rings as a rare, both available at Shiny Shabby. Glamistry recently came out with these higher than high heel boots that include a stiletto heel (which in retrospect would be impossible to wear at Coachella but look cute with this outfit).

I chose Oytebis’ skin for Shiny Shabby because I thought the smudged eye makeup under the eyes was idea for a girl who is wandering Coachella at all hours. It’s a few long days and nights outside and who has time to attend to her makeup? The great thing about Oytebis’ skins is that she includes appliers for nearly every kind of mesh head with them as well as system skins, all in one HUD (except TMP, which you can request from the HUD). A floppy hat to keep out the sun from Rucy Byron comes with a texture change HUD and fits on Mina Nakamura’s hair perfectly. The two designers hooked up to offer this great look at Epiphany, and I am glad they did because it’s almost impossible to get a hat to fit hair—this time they did it for us!

Hair with hat: MINA / !APHORISM! – Kate hair 02 by Mina Nakamura for MINA and Rucy Byron for !APHORISM!, available at The Epiphany *

Mesh head: CATWA HEAD Annie V4.5 by Catwa Clip for CATWA

Skin applier:  .:[PUMEC] :. – .:ALICE:. –  /  March \  – SKIN by Otyebis for PumeC, available at Shiny Shabby *

Eyes: {S0NG} :: Ange~ Green Eye by Funeral Plutonian for {S0NG}

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V3.5 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Top: [ SAKIDE ] Hailey Top by Kinu Mayako for [ SAKIDE ], available at the 100 Block *

Capris: L&B (*Fitted* LARA) Swear – Capri Jeans by BastChild Lotus and Paul Lapointe for Lapointe and Bastchild *

Necklace: MINIMAL – Dream Necklace by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, available at Shiny Shabby *

Rings: ieQED lisette.rings by Sigifaust for ieQED, available at Shiny Shabby *

Shoes: Glamistry : EDELWEISS Heels – maitreya by Glamistry for Glamistry *

Poses by Valencia Southard for Marukin

Taken using the LUMIPro 2016 HUD by Stefan Buscaylet *

Taken at Elysion

Rolling Deep

“I usually travel with a posse. I roll deep. I travel like a rapper, but without the artillery. We don’t carry guns, we carry cookies.” ~ Gabriel Iglesias

I had my posse with me at the Furillen sim. We rode into town and then parked ourselves by the Airstream Serene has put out (from Wavie Haller—one of my favorites that he made). These “cRaZy lOVe” KittyCats are the other Love Collection pets KittyCats is offering this season and they too include a special animation in them where they will rez you a blanket and special poses so you can enjoy them with a friend. We rode in on my cycle from Turluccor Mode, a brilliant piece that includes all sorts of fun stuff for riding (lights, engine, turbo) and a huge set of poses and animations for single and couples. And the bike is pretty cute with the purple tank.

The main part of my outfit is, of course, the rockin’ aviator leather jacket from Paul Lapointe and Bastchild Lotus. As always, Paul has created a solid piece with great style, perfectly fit to the Maitreya body (and others). Bast’s HUD gives a ton of options in colors and textures. I especially liked the tank add-on options with some awesome t-shirt graphics. The jacket, tank and bra come as a complete package with a kazillion options for colors—it’s a very fat fatpack. My short skinny jeans are one of LiuMiwa’s pieces for Shiny Shabby, rolled at the ankle and perfect with Glamistry’s latest bootie, which also includes a texture change HUD for a ton of options. Keon Xenda’s poses show a male model but they were PERFECT for this set of photos (truly—I just positioned myself on the bike).

Deesselle Destiny made this sexy skin for the Catwa heads and I chose to dress it up with lipstick from the Catwa HUD and eyeliner from demi Placebo to make this hot tough girl look. I also got to try out Deesselle’s eyelashes for the Catwa head. (Kind of fun just applying eyelashes and not having to fit them into place!) A pretty necklace from Ors Quan for Shiny Shabby is a perfect piece of bling for this neckline. I love this haircut from Dubled, which is a gacha at Shiny Shabby. Frankly, you should get all of them because the shortened bangs are darling and the windblown curls are perfect for a girl who just got off her bike.

Hair: [DUE] Crush RARE by Dubled for [DUE], available at Shiny Shabby *

Skin applier: DS’ELLES-(WEAR) Applier Catwa head mesh- LORIE-NEVA by Deesselle Destiny for DS’Elles *

Makeup applier: .euphoric ~Nefertiti Eyeliner ~[Catwa] by demi Placebo for .euphoric

Lash applier: DS’ELLES- ( WEAR) – LASHES for Head Catwa by Deesselle Destiny for DS’Elles *

Mesh head: CATWA HEAD Annie V4.5 by Catwa Clip for CATWA

Eyes: L’Etre – Mesh Eyes [#30] by dam1710 for L’Etre

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V3.5 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Jacket with shirt: L&B (*Fitted*  LARA) Swear “Aviator”  Leather Jacket with L&B (*Fitted*  LARA) Swear “Aviator” Tank AddOn by BastChild Lotus and Paul Lapointe for Lapointe and Bastchild *

Jeans: miwa’s airship -LoveYourself Pants#5 GrayBlue by LiuMiwa for miwa’s airship, available at Shiny Shabby *

Necklace: MINIMAL – Cheesire Necklace Silver -female- by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, available at Shiny Shabby *

Boots: Glamistry : AZALEA Heels – maitreya by Glamistry for Glamistry *

Poses: RK Poses. Remy by Keon Xenga for RK Poses, available at Shiny Shabby *

48Sportster – Purple – EVO by Turlaccor Mode for Turlaccor Custombike Store *

Posse: “cRaZy lOVe” by KittyCats for KittyCatS *

Photos taken at Furillen, created by Serene Footman

Poses assisted by Avimote PoseMaker PE 1.02 by Avimote Dreamscape for Avimote *

Taken using the LUMIPro 2016 HUD by Stefan Buscaylet *

The Afternoon Knows

“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” ~ Jonathan Grimwood

I took a walk at Flux Sur Mer on sunny afternoon (thanks to windlight, which I see left some shadows on my skins from the trees) and enjoyed the beauty of the sim and idle shopping. I wore one of Hilly Haalan’s new dresses, a cute mini that comes with a great texture-change HUD to allow mix and match between the top, skirt, belt and tie. It’s a fabulous dress, very versatile and sexy in a cute way. I wore my new necklace from Crashnoww at Seasons Story, a bargain with a texture change HUD for the gems in the necklace and pendant. A darling handbag from Natzuka Miliandrovic carries all my essentials (theoretically) and darling patent leather pumps fit for Slink or Maitreya from Saki Galiazzo that include a HUD that allows me to custom color three different sections of the pumps. They fit perfectly!

I am wearing one of Thora Charron’s new Swish hairs with an animated lock that moves as if a soft breeze is blowing. Mr. Beresford noticed it and thought it was done very nicely and naturally. (And you know, men don’t notice anything.) I have been experimenting with the GA:EG Adriana Mesh Head. It is Omega compatible, so I pulled out the applier Mallory Cowen created for the Logo mesh head as an Omega applier. I found that Mallory’s skin applied to this head beautifully and will please those who always loved the LAQ look. Then I pulled out the Add-Ons for the mesh head and installed them, which was lickety split. Wear the Add-on applier, click and it installs into the HUD. They have provided a variety of different add-ons including lashes, brows, liners, shadows and lipsticks. I used the lash applier, one of the eyeshadows and one of the lipsticks. Once installed they do come with options like translucency so I was able to make the pink lipstick more translucent so it blended with the LAQ skin nicely (since the lipstick is not quite the same shape as the skin lips).

Hair: .LeLutka.Aubrey hair.FIT.A.Swish by Thora Charron for LeLutka *

Mesh head: [GA.EG] Adriana Mesh Head by Gael Streeter and ElleEtGance for GA:EG *

Skin applier: LAQ ~Omega Body + Linnea Applier (Wear and click!) [Tone 2.5] by Mallory Cowen for Laqroki

Makeups: [GA.EG] Mesh Heads Addon – AL01 Glamor Alpha Lashes, [GA.EG] Mesh Heads Addon – ES02 Kitty Eyeshadows and [GA.EG] Mesh Heads Addon – LP03 Sugar Lipsticks by Gael Streeter and ElleEtGance for GA:EG *

Eyes: .ID. Attraction Eyes #2 by Audrey Lamede for Insufferable Dastard, available at The Men’s Dept

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V3.4 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Dress: [hh] Liza Dress MAITREYA SIZE by Hilly Haalan for Hilly Haalan *

Necklace: **RE** LUX Fina Necklace by crashnoww for RealEvil Industries, available at the Season’s Story

Ring: MINIMAL – Zima Ring *5* Silver by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, available at the Season’s Story

Handbag: !:Lybra:! Vintage Bag Rose by Natzuka Miliandrovic for Lybra

Nail applier: [LB Solid Brushed S1 Reds] *Maitreya* Manicure by Santana Lumiere for La Boheme

Shoes: H@S Yummy Pumps Patent – Multicolor – Maitreya by Saki Galiazzo for H@S *

Poses by Luth Brodie for Reel Expression (no longer available)

Taken using the LUMIPro 2016 HUD by Stefan Buscaylet *

Poses assisted by Avimote PoseMaker PE 1.02 by Avimote Dreamscape for Avimote *

Taken at Flux Sur Mer

A Reason

Don’t ever sell yourself short, sell your sad things
Accept the new, don’t mingle on the past
Believe yourself, trust your intuition
You’re here for a reason, you know

~ “A Beautiful Exit” by Miguel

I wandered over to the Embryo sim to see if I could take some pretty photos. I put together this beautiful ensemble starting with the gorgeous top and skirt that Vix Nirvana features at Shiny Shabby. I really love the textures on the skirt and I wanted to give in to the bohemian flavor without reducing its elegance, so I paired it with Senzati0n Domenitzo’s fabulous shoes for OMGacha.  I took a trip to Seasons Story to find jewelry and found Ors Quan had this darling necklace and a gacha of cool rings, so I indulged myself and dressed up.

I wore Inka Mexicola’s newest applier for the LeLutka heads, which she is featuring at Kustom9. I really like the makeup options on the LeLutka head—I was able to tiny my lips and choose the translucency and my eyes. And you see a slight smile, which I chose from the expressions menu. My bountiful curls, pulled to one side, are Nita Bracken’s gorgeous contribution for Hairology. And somehow my hair managed to stay beautiful, even in the rain at Embryo.

Hair: Tameless Lilja by Nita Bracken for Tameless, available at Hairology *

Skin applier: Essences [Tarja] #Medium02 [Lelutka Applier] by Inka Mexicola for Essences, available at Kustom9 *

Mesh head: .LeLutka.Mesh Head-STELLA v1.3 by JadenArt for LeLutka *

Eyes: .ID. Attraction Eyes #1 by Audrey Lamede for Insufferable Dastard, available at The Men’s Dept

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – HUD V3.4 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Top and skirt: Storybook – Watercolor – Grape – Skirt and Sweater by Vix Nirvana for Storybook, available at Shiny Shabby *

Necklace: MINIMAL – Indi Necklace Gold -Female- by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, at the Season’s Story

Ring: MINIMAL – Zima Ring *5* Gold by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, at the Season’s Story

Nail applier: [LB Solid Brushed S1 Reds] *Maitreya* Manicure and Pedicure by Santana Lumiere for La Boheme

Shoes: Essenz – Cameroon (Maitreya) by Senzati0n Domenitzo for Essenz, available at OMGacha *

Poses by Luth Brodie for Reel Expression (no longer available)

Taken using the LUMIPro 2016 HUD by Stefan Buscaylet *

Taken at Embryo

Brandy Old Fashioned

“Claret is the liquor for boys, port for men; but [s]he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.” ~ Samuel Johnson

The brandy old fashioned, sweet, is my current cocktail of choice. It’s the unofficial drink of my state, a cocktail that so many people order here that bartenders can make them in their sleep. (And we’re talking a state that has 2.7 bars to grocery stores.) I am not much of a drinker, but I started liking this sweet cocktail ever since I had my first one a few years ago at a restaurant with an SL friend visiting town. I visited the Whiskey Bar at St. Pete’s in search of a brandy old fashioned last night (not a whiskey). I went out on the town wearing the group gift Thora Charron made for the holidays, a cozy mesh bolero that is no longer available (so I hope you grabbed it if you were in the group). My sexy dress is Culco’s exclusive for FROST, a very nicely fitted mesh dress with lace side panels and a lovely rose hem. Ors Quan’s very simple pearl necklace for Shiny Shabby and davidefre’s sexy high heels for Uber are my stylish accessories.

AvengeStore has come out with this beautiful applier for the Catwa mesh heads, and it looked absolutely alluring on the Jessica head. With a choice of brows, the skin has beautiful features and transcends the mesh shape (meaning I don’t instantly notice the mesh head shape but rather the beauty of the skin/face). I tinted the lips and added eyeliner with the Catwa hud native colors as well as using her hairbase. Kuranosuke Kamachi came out with this glamorous, old-school style at Uber, which is fantastic for any night out but especially for New Year’s Eve.

Hair: =DeLa*= Fitted Mesh Hair “Beatrix” by Kuranosuke Kamachi for =DeLa*=, available at Uber *

Skin applier: [Avenge] Applier for Catwa – tan tone by AvengeStore for [Avenge] *

Mesh head: CATWA HEAD Jessica V4.5 by Catwa Clip for CATWA *

Eyes: /// offbeat /// My Little Mermaid Eyes 03 by bonnietriendle for offbeat

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Feet V3.4 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Dress: -Culco- Floral Leather Corset Dress – MAITREYA by culco for Culco, available at FROST *

Bolero: .LeLutka.Nico.Bolero.Smoky.Skies by Thora Charron for LeLutka *

Necklace: MINIMAL – Alianza Necklace LightSilver by Ors Quan for MINIMAL, available at Shiny Shabby *

Shoes: JD – Alexis Maitreya Black by davidefre for Just Design, available at Uber

Taken at St. Pete’s City