It's A Sign.

You all probably know about the Albero Summer Gatcha Festival running from 7th July to 11th August. If you don't, you do now.

I had a lot of fun Gatcha'ing and shopping. The gambler in me came out and I found myself clicking like crazy to get the items I wanted.  

Some of the many, many items I picked up were:

• signs (Duck Soup) 
• backyard tent with rug and cushions (arcade)
• nerd flash racerback tank top (Sea Hole)
• coffee cup (created by Cleom Bailey)
• hair piece (miel)

I think those signs are going to come in so handy for when I feel like a full-on protest about something. At uni, I became so carried away and militant at a protest rally re: student fees that I think I incited a near riot. When the press came (read local paper), just as they were clicking our photo, I put my protest sign in front of my face. No one knew until the article came out and while we were all pouring over the paper, everyone in chorus said "Where are you (insert RL me)?" Then they saw my shoes and followed them up until.....well you guessed it. I was a walking protest sign.

Gentle request to Duck Soup - ahem...can you create a sign that is blank but you can add your own saying? Now that would be cool.

Impossible Cross Earrings from BEHOLD Designs. EnCore Made Them Possible.

One of my 12 special women I chose to send the '12 Women' note card to that is currently doing the rounds, EnCore Mayne has been designing things in SL for quite some time. From pogo sticks to jewelery and everything in between, I am constantly amazed at her knowledge and love her uniqueness. She displays her creations at BEHOLD Designs in Choerom or purchase from Xstreetsl.

EnCore sent me these unreal earrings called Impossible Cross. I was thrilled and the second I put them on and cammed in, I knew these were something very, very special. Delicate, simple and restrained, I could see immediately how technically skilled the design of these earrings is. I have a feeling, like in many of her pieces, some blood, sweat and tears may have been spilled in bringing them to fruition. I'm waiting for the right outfit to showcase one of her costume jewelery pieces that I know must have been a mare to make.

Look. Just look at that. One cross magically suspended in front of the other. I just love them EnCore and these will become my everyday earrings that Cha wears knowing that they were created with such care and attention.

In my hurry to share these, I'm not sure if EnCore has them up yet but do have a visit to BEHOLD Designs. She does awesome poses too. I'm not sure how busy EnCore is but she would be the one to go to if you wanted to commission some special, bespoke poses. Thank you sweetie for these and for being one of my 12 important women in SL.

I'm Old Money I'll Have You Know Kyoot.

Sometimes I just have to have an outfit so bad I click PAY without even bothering to look at the price. This was one of those times. I took myself off to Kyoot Army because I noticed in the feeds they were selling furniture/home ware pieces and went for a sticky. I saw this across the room and went, 'that's mine'...click. Ask me why I love it and I all I can tell you is it's my kind of dress. It's unexpected. It doesn't conform. It tells me a story. The woman who wears this dress is smart, tailored yet is so self assured she mixes colors and styles without a thought of playing it safe.  The dress is called New Money but I like to think Chalice is old money.  One who doesn't need to impress with the latest trends...one who makes the trends as they go along.  Ok I'm in fantasy la la land but it's my SL so I can pretend all I want.

This is a really well made set and I'm so impressed with the skirt. It fits like a glove wearing my skinny hip shape (read skirt shape) and I can't see any stretching or splitting of the material. The hat is a bonus and comes with the dress...I just love this whole look.

I purchased this bag from Stitch by Stitch. I had a little spree in Seven's shop yesterday so will be presenting some more SbyS action soon. I couldn't resist hopping back into my Allure shoes by Maitreya. Skin and hair by LeLutka and jewelery by JCNY.

I had some fun the other day judging a round of Miss Virtual World 2011. Sitting there camming in to see the contestants close up, I was struck by how much work these ladies had put into their appearance. It was mind blowing and all I can say is I would hate to be judging the finalists on the night...way too hard and stressful. From what I have seen, the standard is incredibly high and those of you who made it through to the live auditions deserve a gigantic round of applause because every girl I saw looked utterly amazing. Don't worry about haters...you looked AMAZING.

I took a walk around Alberto (Select Girls Shopping Mall) yesterday. WOW it's huge and I couldn't get over the set up of this sim. To the shop owners, builders/designers and managers of this shopping district, brilliant work.

Until next time, be beautiful inside.

The Niven Edge.

Are you having a beautiful week? I am. Despite seriously struggling with my doggie's terminal illness, I am immersing myself in her loveliness and making each moment count. I am her human mother and she is my canine baby...we love each other beyond words and this is what drives me to put her first. To do the right thing when its required and to hold her in my arms at home when it comes time to call the vet and send her to doggie Heaven wrapped in my love.

That said, I wanted to put together some Niven magic centered around the Niven Wing Lash and Geisha Lip tattoo layer. This whole tattoo phenomena available in Viewer 2 has opened up a new world of fashion styling to me and I love it. To be able to meld a Belleza body with a Niven face (or any combination) is simply wonderful.

I'm wearing pieces from the Niven's Monochrome Collection, the nautica top and Autoro shorts. I love the play on vertical and horizontal stripes that I followed through with the Ye Ye bag from Simay Creations introducing a hint of red.

In previous posts I mentioned my new find jewelery shop, Fairy Tale, thanks to Jennaa Loire's guest appearance on Fabulous Fashion, and here are some more pieces from this amazing designer. The ring and bracelets are group gifts and I fell in love with the Glasses Necklace, which like all their pieces, is intricately detailed. The earrings are just amazing too. Called Prayer Pierce, they are amazing to look at up close. xxxriexxx Serevi is the creative mastermind behind Fairy Tale and I hope you get yourselves over there for a look.

Again I'm wearing Kalnins Wonder shoes as I love them. I can't stop looking at the leather texture that gently folds over itself on the topside of the shoe. Opening up my extensive hat cupboard, I couldn't resist a little dress hat made by Kikis Homewood.

I particularly wanted to mention the setting for these pics. I visited Kyoot in Silent and was immediately taken with the amazing layout of this store. I ventured outside and found this scene.

Tik Tok Stella Skin...Recently Released.

I have so enjoyed the evolution of Miah McAuley's skin label, Tik Tok. Her recent release of her new line called Stella is a triumph in my opinion. Miah dropped these on me a little while ago and to be honest, I was struggling for time to get everything I had planned to blog on the blog. Tonight I had a few moments and tried on Stella. I'm so glad I did because I really do love this skin. Available in Light, Medium, Suntan and Dark, I chose to show the Light tone. The make up names are called Cat, Jade, Lady, Nude and Silver as shown below.

They are classy, elegant make ups with soft eyeshadow and glossy lips. I've shown the skins using the cleavage option. I also really like the brow shape on these.

I am wearing this gorgeous little lingerie set called Crystal, a freebie from Noon Twine's shop called Noon.

I recently watched Fabulous Fashion with Angie Mornington. I love Angie's show and was thrilled to watch two episodes featuring Sevenstar Amat from Stitch By Stitch as guest designer and another with Jennaa Loire as guest stylist. I love both these people, not only because they are sweet darlings, but also for their immense contributions to SL fashion and lifestyle. Good on you girls.  Do check out their episodes on Fabulous Fashion. Jennaa's appearance on the show led me to check out Fairy Tale jewelery. The ring, earrings and necklace are all group gifts but I would suggest you go over and look for yourself. The detailing of the pieces is stunning.

Last but not least, I'm wearing the Vanity Hair piece in black called Venice and a black hair base from Tiny Bird that allows you to wear it with any skin.

Thank you Miah for again allowing me to blog your amazing skins. I love Stella big time.

After my shoot I jumped in the spa and enjoyed the beauty of my surroundings.

Kalnins The Wonder Shoes.

Wonder by Kalnins.

A big thank you to Maris Kanto, designer of Kalnins shoes and shades. Once again, Mr Kanto has shared his new release shoe with blogger's and this is one right out the shoe box. Appropriately called Wonder, I have entirely fallen in love with this smart strappy heel with excellent shading and delightful tootsies. What I adore about Kalnins' prim toed shoes is the easy to operate hud. I consider myself the perfect gauge for huds, because I am so challenged, if I can use it, anyone can.

I would just love this shoe in RL. Its stylish and really does look comfortable.

I wanted to bring out this lovely top to show you, beautifully designed by Fhara Acacia from Ricielli . I purchased this from The Dressing Room Blue as Ms Acacia is a member of this designers group who provide quality items at a discount. I couldn't go past this Batik Gold Bag from Baiastice. The skirt is from Cubic Effect, a buy from some time ago but I'm sure if they don't have this, there will be something similar.

Glasses: Rita by Mojoti
Hair: Emme from Truth
Skin: Elle from Belleza
Bracelets: Spiked Bracelets by Blitzed
Ring: Fairy Tale

The Dressmaker's Dummy

Hello darlings.  After a mare of a working week, it's finally Friday night and I  wanted to blog my other Chantkare dress that I purchased on sale, my new Vanity Hair piece that was made to wear with the stunning Lionskins Nova line.

Applonia Criss from Chantkare does amazing stuff and I love this Paradiso dress in lovely shades of purple, pink and red for a mere $175L's. Proving that a little ingenuity can reap rewards, I used a set of bracelets I purchased from Vain that were modifiable and textured the bands I didn't want to transparent leaving this purple section on show. I love the match.  The hair piece I'm wearing is Venice from Vanity Hair, a stunning keratin flower with a whispy long piece draping down to the shoulder.  Of course my Lionskin Nova make up in blonde provides the perfect hair base that ties it all together.  I wore my favorite of favorite shoes, Aequus from Maitreya Gold and colored them red and pink.  To finish off, I wore my Pink Tourmaline Chandelier earrings from Paper Couture.

Best of luck to all the nominees in the Second Style Stylies competition. I particularly want Jennaa Loire to win in the blogger's section. Jennaa puts together some wonderful blogs about modeling, fashion and SL lifestyle and I would be just thrilled if she won. Go Jennaa Go.

Saying Goodbye Is Hard.

I don't want any of you to leave.

Is anyone else feeling a shift in SL lately? I've been in world since the latter part of 2007 and I've never felt this way about it before. I don't know what it is exactly and can't really verbalize it but it seems like every other day someone or something is leaving SL. I was so shocked to hear that Digit Darkes is the latest to turn off the lights and I just feel quite sad that wonderful label is no more. There's definitely change in the air and I don't like it. I want all those familiar people and brands to stay just as they are.

On the other hand though, there's anew generation of designers and creators coming in to keep the torch burning. I hope they can manage to keep it fresh and that this isn't the beginning of the end for SL. I do wonder why my gut instincts are screaming at me right now though. Is business really that bad?

SOON TO BE RELEASED - Michelle Skin from Mayden Couture

I love to get the drum on new releases and last night I got just that. Ms Maika Koray, the designer behind Mayden Couture, sent me a review copy of the about to be released Michelle Skin. In the folder were two skin tones, one dark and one lighter. Unfortunately I haven't been able to contact Maika to confirm the names of the two tone's; however, I opted to show the lighter skin. I also don't have a date of release for this skin but if I can catch up with Maika I'll pass it on.

As I always do when I review something, I visited Mayden Couture to get a feel for the product and to cast my eye over the existing skin range. Mayden Couture was an impressive enterprise. The skins are beautifully presented in vendor posters and the clothing, shoe, eye, nail, hair range available ensures there is something for everyone. Definitely a one-stop-shop for fashion lovers.

Without further ado, let me introduce Michelle.

I think the face make up is just gorgeous and I'm particularly enamored by the lips and chiseled nose.

I love the shading on the tummy. Quite different in my opinion as the rib cage is prominent and gives the impression of a model think physique.

I am definitely going to be wearing this skin a LOT. It's very easy on the eye and I think it just pops out at you. I love the hip bones also although I haven't captured them in these shots. As always my advice is to take a trip to Mayden Couture and demo, demo, demo. I would like to congratulate Maika on a fabulous skin that was an absolute pleasure to present.

The stunning swimsuit I'm wearing is from Elymode, hair piece is from Vanity Hair, shoes from Maitreya Gold and the black hair base is from Tiny Bird.

I dunno.

Lionskins Make Chalice Roar.

Lion Jonesford, skin designer and CEO of Lionskins has been transforming us into creatures of beauty for some time now and her recent skin line, Nova, is a testament to her immense and indisputable talents. You can't go past Lionskins for print and runway work because of the vivid, artistic make ups that come in a plethora of options to satisfy the most imaginative stylist. What is even more wonderful is the pairing of Tabata Jewell from Vanity Hair and Lionskins to create a skin/hair fusion so amazing that I ran right out of my NCore Cherie Passion Heels in my hurry to get it all on. Tabata has put together a selection of hair pieces made specifically for Lion's Nova range. What a thrill and advancement this is in hair/skin offerings and the moment I cammed back to view my outfit, I just smiled with a sense of satisfaction. SL is just going from strength to strength. Artistically that is, not fiscally.  The hair I'm wearing is China Temptation in Blond.

I found this wonderful Chantkare dress called Ascot at Applonia Criss' store at GOL that was on sale for $150L. Its divine and I chose this to wear with my new Lionskin/Vanity Hair purchase. A profusion of strong colors and almost Aztec in its pattern, I paired it with the Old Batik Indi bag from Baiastice. I think it works beautifully together.

You know I am a Simay devotee (see previous posts) and these earrings and necklace are called Gold and Coral. They are just so pretty and unlike some jewelery in SL that isn't so good in the flesh, these are even better than the vendor poster. Thank you Silvia Mayo (designer) for being so kind to me yesterday. Big hugs. I hope you have all gone for a visit to her store?  I promise you won't be disappointed.

As I said, I'm wearing my new NCore Cherie Xtreme Heels in Red Passion. I love the luster and worn feel of these shoes.

I finished off with my favorite watch, the Flight Compass from the wonderful Indyra Seigo from Indyra Originals. Now if you are lazy like me and prefer to shop than roost on a pose stand trying to align lashes, Tattanooga at Jador Fashion are selling a fat pack of mascara tattoo's. Five different styles for a mere $500L's and no crying over the pose stand. It paid for itself by not having to put money in the swear jar.

I'll be back with another Chantkare dress on special and a new Vanity Hair spectacular.

LeeZu's Runway Runaway.

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Am I the most beautiful wearing LeeZu of all?? Well you can't help but be beautiful in her fabulous frocks.

I dropped by LeeZu's GOL store the other day and saw this outfit from her Noir range. I just loved the lines. Simple but with a huge kick in the ass impact. It was a perfect chance to wear my new Boon hair called XFE275. I adore this hair so much and thank you boo Nakamura for dreaming it up.

I wanted to present this dress called Moonlight on the runway because that sprung to mind the minute I tried it on. Maitreya's Salience Heels were the only one's I thought of to pair with this dress....I love the fusion of these two designers in this ensemble.

Moonlight features gorgeous inlaid sequins that glisten as you glide. The deep split of the short skirt amps up the sexiness of this little black dress if that is at all possible. I love how the modest Victorian collar sits atop of the sheer bodice with a hint of nipple peeking through. Brilliant LeeZu, just brilliant.  I went minimalist with jewelery just wearing my Broadway Star Cocktail rings from Magpie and one earring, the limited edition Black Diamond from 24 Shoo Shoes.  I found a little veil that I thought would just finish it off.  Voila...I'm ready for the show.


Hair: XFE275 in Blonde from Boon
Skin: Elle from Belleza
Eyes: Expressive Eyes in Gray from Nany Merlin
Dress: Moonlight by LeeZu
Shoes: Salience Heels by Maitreya
Veil: Lace Face Veil from Mika
Rings: Broadway Star Cocktail Rings from Magpie
Earring: Black Diamond (Limited Edition) from 24 Shoo Shoes

I've Been Stylissimo'd And I Like It.

Click the pics for an eye full.

I went shopping at Stylissimo at GOL and found a gorgeous looking shop with fabulous displays. Of course I wanted everything but I fell in love with this outfit called "Long Fly Home". Living in Australia, almost wherever I go it's a long, long flight home and I wouldn't mind wearing this on the plane. Until of course I slip into my first class sleeper suit.

Being partial to tartan, kilts and men in kilts, this is my preferred look if I were being interviewed for 'Country Life Magazine' showing them around my big castle. Unfortunately I didn't get any further than the BonBon sim. A lovely little spot for snaps...soft light, great textures and buildings designed by one of my favorites, Yacchan Clip. Do go see his shop, 'Y's House, at the Creator's Pavilion.

The Look:

Hair: BAB853 from Boon
Skin: Elle in Fair Tone (Make up 11) by Belleza

Face Tattoo: Men's Grand Opening Gift by Tattanooga
Eyes: Expressive Eyes in Gray by Nany Merlin
Pants/Shirt/Braces: The Long Fly Home from Stylissimo
Hair Accessory: Taken from Rose Hair by Truth
Necklace: Hannya Necklace in Black by Mandala
Shoes: Natasha Tartan by Kookie
Anklets: From Maitreya in Antique
Earrings: From UnTone (no longer available)created by Cocomitsu Mayo
Gloves: Jill's Fighting Talk gloves at LeLutka

Stop Yanking My Chains.

If you haven't been to The Dressing Room BLUE, a fabulous shop of discounted items from some of SL's most notable designers, you simply must. Along with other terrific items all sold below $70L's, I purchased this dress with belt called Chained Dress and Mega Earrings all made by [ glow ] studio. I don't wear white enough so thought I'd just present this outfit where chains feature heavily.

Yes that is a speeding train in the background but I can assure you no Chalice's were harmed in the taking of these shots.

I did also want to mention that I had a shop-a-thon at NCore. I'd never been there before but I recall people talking about their shoes. I must say I'm very impressed. These are called Infinity XTreme Heels and believe me they should come with a license to walk they're so fabulously high. I normally steer clear of white shoes because they can look a dirty gray color but I love these. With cool attachments you can add or remove and the ability to color change them, you get variety. The numerous NCore shoes with prim feet I purchased were between $595 and $695L's. Excellent value and oh so easy to operate.

I've mentioned before that I love dreadies and these are the ultimate I've seen in SL for blondes. From Boon, the BAB853 (give it a name please - I call it Chalice's Marley) is my new favorite hair and totally how I would love my hair to look in RL. I love the juxtaposition of a superbly beautiful girl with hair that makes you wonder how it got to be that way and keeps morphing into a different sculpture as it grows.

Hair: Chalice's Marley (correctly known as BAB853) from Boon
Skin: Elle in Fair (Make Up 4) by Belleza
Eyes: Expressive Eyes in Gray by Nany Merlin
Dress incl. belt and Earrings: Chained dress and Mega Earrings by [ glow ] studio Available at The Dressing Room BLUE