Optimist

Waiting, but I don’t mind
I’m all bus stops and heat
I’m neon in your daylight
I’m the optimist of 30th Street
How it is is how it oughta be

~ “Optimist” by David Byrne and St. Vincent

When you see the buds on the trees, Radiohead drops a new song, sunshine arrives, you can’t help but be an optimist. I put together a casual, about-town outfit and strolled the streets of St. Pete’s City. My top and jacket are Ariadne Garrigus’ newest separate with a texture change HUD for the top and sweatshirt. She gives you a ton of cute patterns and solids for the top. I matched them up with the funky harem-style pants from AscendSL that comes with a color-change HUD and bejeweled sandals from Lilo Denimore, both featured at Shiny Shabby. Aikea Reiko has a selection of darling embossed handbags and Empyreanforge has a terrific bracelet set with texture change HUD at Shiny Shabby.

Queue Marlowe is bringing this great ponytail back from the Fantasy Faire and putting it in her store soon. My skin is Inka Mexicola’s generous group gift for the Essences fans, a system skin with all the beauty we are accustomed to from Inka. And I am totally in love with these gorgeous eyes from Audrey Lamede for Cosmopolitan Room.

Hair: AD – omega – LIGHT BROWNS by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog *

Skin: Essences – Hope *medium01* brown by Inka Mexicola for Essences *

Eyes: .ID. Cosmic Eyes / Dark Brown by Audrey Lamede for Insufferable Dastard, available at the Cosmopolitan Room

Lashes: .LeLutka.Kyra lashes.02 by Thora Charron for LeLutka *

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

Top with jacket: ***ArisAris~Gara36~Imagine~jacket and shirt~ MAITREYA by Ariadna Garrigus for ArisAris *

Pants: //Ascend// Inga Harem Pants – Maitreya Lara by ascendsl for Ascend, available at Shiny Shabby *

Necklace: (Yummy) Small Crystal Necklace  – Silver by Polyester Partridge for Yummy

Bracelet: EF: Ankara Bracelet Left – Gold by EmpyreanForge for Empyrean Forge, available at Shiny Shabby *

Hip chains:  Hip Chain – Babette – FULL SET – Curvy – BLACK – V1 by Maxi Gossamer for Maxi Gossamer

Handbag: :[P]:- Amy Rose Bag [Down Hold]:// Love by Aikea Rieko for The Plastik, available at Shiny Shabby *

Sandals: :::ChicChica::: Nancy Mokko by Lilo Denimore for ChicChica, available at Shiny Shabby *

Poses by Valencia Southard for Marukin

Taken at St. Pete’s City

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

September Song

“The autumn leaves blew over the moonlit pavement in such a way as to make the girl who was moving there seem fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves carry her forward. […] The trees overhead made a great sound of letting down their dry rain.”~  Ray Bradbury

Photo by Frenchy25

My pal Frenchy25, a terrific photographer, caught me wandering around St. Pete’s City, looking at NevaCrystall’s newest sim, and he played paparazzi (or so he said) and captured a shot, which I show above. I was pretty impressed he caught me because I was stumbling around, trying to settle on a spot for a photo—hard to do because they are so many great spots on this decorative sim. For this photo, I chose Poulet Koenkamp’s gorgeous new jacket for The Instruments, available in several different prints with solids. Poulet does not always make her own mesh but she does such fabulous textures, it really doesn’t matter. Her texture work puts her head and shoulders above many. My skirt is Kiddo Oh’s fashionable and well-fitting find at Tres Chic, custom mesh fitted perfectly to the Maitreya body. And my boots from Sora Tatham for Shiny Shabby are also fitted to the Maitreya body and perfect for an autumn outfit.

Catwa Clip recently came out with her new mesh head which includes expressions and makeup possibilities (which I hope to feature on another blog). I put Umazuma Metaluna’s beautiful new skin just for this mesh head on , clicked my makeup choice into place, and discovered a beautiful woman. With Uma’s wonderful eyes for this month’s Cosmetic Fair, I made a soulful beauty. Both Nikohl Hax and xxxsaltandpepperxxx off eclectic jewelry at this month’s Shiny Shabby, both in custom mesh.

Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Reese Mesh Hair – Chocolate by MissAllSunday Lemon for /Wasabi Pills/, available at Uber *

Mesh Head: CATWA HEAD Jessica by Catwa Clip for CATWA *

Skin applier: [theSkinnery] Estee (Catwa Applier) toffee by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery] *

Eyes: [theSkinnery] Flirtacious  eyes – 4 by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery], available at The Cosmetic Fair *

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

Jacket: :: PM :: Etnia Jacket by Poulet Koenkamp for PurpleMoon Creations, available at The Instruments *

Skirt: Autumn Skirt – Wine Maitreya by Kiddo Oh for .::Dead Dollz::., available at Tres Chic *

Choker: S&P Necklace Andy female by xxsaltandpepperxx for Salt & Pepper, available at Shiny Shabby*

Necklace: .random.Matter. – Pheron Necklace – Gold by Nikohl Hax for random.Matter., available at Shiny Shabby*

Boots: ::GB:: Lily boots-Maitreya by Sora Tatham for Gabriel, available at Shiny Shabby *

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

Taken at St. Pete’s City