I shop, therefore I am...broke that is.

This would have to be one of my most favorite styling results of all my attempts. Possibly because I had so much fun after purchasing the gorgeous pale blue jacket from Chantkare, teleporting to all my haunts looking for just the right pieces to go with it. Well what I think are the right pieces. Lots of lovely new designs at Chantkare so go look...go...go.

I immediately had it in my mind to create something with white and was stuck on finding a mini-dress no longer than the jacket.

I was like a squirrel foraging for nuts until I hit DeLa and found 'Angela', a suede mini-dress in white. Walking around DeLa, I found these amazing shoes called 'Grace'...hehe...Amazing Grace.

This outfit is actually a Chantkare and DeLa fusion and I'm thrilled with it. That's what I love about styling an outfit using different pieces from different designers. There is an element of creativity involved in the choices that you make.

Now I would like to ask, no PLEAD, with designers to make their pant/under-pant layer modifiable. With avatar heights so varied, I am always left frustrated when I purchase something, particularly dresses, where the glitch pant layer is seen poking from the dress/skirt because they are too long. It's such a simple thing to rectify and negates the need to forage through my inventory trying to find something else that might work. Also, I'd like to see more attention given to the quality of the seams on glitch pants. How many times do you put them on and find that the length at the inner and outer thigh are markedly different or at the inner thigh the texture is all smudgy and uneven? I'm not usually a whinger but this is one part of an outfit that is often neglected but can mean the difference between looking great or throwing the whole thing in the trash.

In case you want to know:

Hair base: Vanity Hair.
Hair: Puka in Essence color by Vanity Hair.
Skin: Elena in Pale tone by LAQ.
Eyes: Icy by WAP.
Jacket: Lesley Sweater Tunic in Sky by Chantkare.
Hair flower: Kusum in Soft White by Chantkare.
Dress: Angela Suede Mini-dress in White by DeLa.
Shoes: Grace in White by DeLa.
Bag: Dudu Clutch in White from DeLa.
Earrings: From UnTone (sadly no longer operating).
Bangles: Metallic Tres in Silver by Armidi.
Poses: Exposeur Poses.
Location: Pleasure.

Some Lace With Your Zombie???????

Hey SLifer's...No I didn't forget to put a top on under my lace jacket in case you were wondering. Cleavage is in don't you know? To be more precise, it's OUT, like let it hang out at every opportunity. A little slither of magic tape and not a slip of the nip in sight. I wanted my ZOMBIE Stomach Wound to feature prominently created by Max Lexigle from Repulse for the upcoming Zombie Popcorn Hunt running from June 1st to 15th. I had a great time at the last Zombie Hunt so here's hoping this year's a cracker.

Yoriminaty Beresford from Yorim's Factory is a designer I greatly admire and this lace cardigan in brown called to me from across the shop. I've worked out my purchasing MO (modus operandi) only recently. I buy things I like with no idea what I'm going to do with them. This look started with the cardigan and Zombie tattoo layer and developed from there. I like the juxtaposition of lace with gaping wound.

It felt like everyone was at the recent boot sale at Stiletto Moody. Somehow I pulled a swifty as I was wading through the thick mud of lag near the front entrance. I cammed in to the boot section and clicked 'sit' on a vendor poster. Next thing I was past all the other shoppers right where I wanted to be. Click, click, click and I bagged my boots. Here are the Bare Lucille's...a heelless wonder of fantasmic proportions. Works well with my Croco bag from Septem Essentia. 75% off some Moody magic just couldn't be overlooked.

I've worn these Burleske tights to shreds from LeeZu as they go with so many things. A big shout out to Glow Studio for the necklace/earrings, Redgrave for the Trinity skin/hair layer and Baiastice for the hair attachment.

I award my crown to the undeniably talented designer and business woman Linka Demina from [glow] Studio . Not only does she have the most dynamic and cutting edge label around, she's also affiliated with The Dressing Room and The Dressing Room Blue. I've never met Linka but her work inspires me and makes me proud to be a SL fashion lover. Thank you Linka.

Union Jack-et For The Royal Wedding.

I thought I'd go a bit British in honor of the Royal wedding next week. I have my invitation which is currently under lock and key in my bank's vault. I have the dress, shoes, bag, hat and have booked in my make up artist and hair dresser. Seriously darlings, they are going to have to work hard to un-beautify me if I'm not to stand out like a beacon of gorgeousness and outshine the bride.

A little trip to Yorim's Factory recently found me walking out with this cool Union Jack cardigan. Teamed with the Not Without You Seance pants and Tee*fy Astra wedges, I love the fusion.

These shoes have become a fav of mine and I love how cute they look with the black and parchment colored anklet's from Maitreya which have been the most utilized purchase in my inventory...ever.

Get the London look here:

Hair: Up, Up and Away in Essence color by Vanity Hair.
Skin: Trinity Daylight Skin by Redgrave
Eyes: WAP Designs
Top: Union Jack cardigan by Yorim's Factory.
Pants: Seance pants in Black by Not Without You.
Shoes: Astra Wedges by Tee*fy.
Earrings: By DeLa.
Anklets: By Maitreya.
Location: Heaven Lake.

Natural Beauty Meets Sascha's Designs = Perdy Me

I died bringing you this post. In fact I died 4 times. I scooted off to Wolfenstein because I liked the aesthetics of the sim but it turned out to be a combat location and hidden in the hills, unseen residents were playing 'shoot em ups' and I was the target. Thanks dudes! Every time I got the shot set up which took me forever, BANG I was dead and on my way home. Well I guess it serves me right for entering unarmed. The only thing I had was some very pointy and possibly deadly stiletto's but didn't fancy getting blood on them.

Anyway I managed to finally finish the shots featuring two of SL's powerhouses. That being Sascha Frangilli from Sascha's Designs and Miah McAuley from Natural Beauty. Both darlings sent me little gifties from their new range and I thought I would join forces and combine their products in the one post.

Click the pics for an eyeful.

Sascha's new gown is called Zephra and comes in Black or White. I love the chance to don one of her stunners and opted for dramatic black for this series. I added a few little pieces like the orange belt and hair piece because it's always fun to give your outfits the personal touch. Your shopping bag will be overflowing with all of the extras Sascha provides with her outfits including bolero, hat, lacy shawls to name but a few.

Miah's new Natural Beauty skin range is called Malinka and with 10 make up choices in each tone that includes light and dark brows, 2 cleavage options and brow shaper, don't say she doesn't spoil you. Likewise, Miah offers 8 skin tones from light to dark and everything in between. It's been such a pleasure to see Miah's label grow and develop. She really offers an exceptional product and given the range she has built up, has worked incredibly hard.

Until next time...be sweet.

Couture-ish Camo.

Saw these camo pants in Bang Bang and thought 'I'm makin' me an outfit'. I did fail to credit the cap. That's from Bang Bang too.

I'm now back from holiday's and am ready for more blogging.  Cha is back in business.

Smart Cabinet from Behold Designs

The minute I saw this cabinet designed by EnCore Mayne from Behold Designs I fell in love with it.

The detail is wonderful and the scripted smoked glass doors are something else. EnCore generously sent me the cabinet and I couldn't unpack it quickly enough. If you are looking for a quality yet functional piece of furniture for your home, look no further. You can purchase it from EnCore's Marketplace store here. For the incredibly low price of $211L which equates to around $1.20 US, it's a phenomenal price when one considers the skill and time involved in producing this.

Thanks darling. Looking forward to your next masterpiece.

Art Of Darkness Collection By House Of Fox.

Bintang, Nasi Campur and Spa's. Yeah I'm back.

This post is so, so late but you'll have to excuse me as I was otherwise disposed. These are a few of the outfits from the Art of Darkness Collection by the House of Fox and I must say, I LOVE THEM. Go look, go look.

 

While Chalice has been away, she's had a bit of work done with Dr Rey from Dr.90210. In fact, she's had an Extreme Makeover so keep a look out.

She eats, ROOTS and leaves. New LeLutka Hair.

Personally wanted to send a big thumbs up to LeLutka's new ROOTS hair line. Love it to pieces ladies and I can't help but sit back and contemplate how far SL has come in terms of hair creation. When I think about the first lot of hair I purchased in 2007, the comparison is amazing. I'd been AWOL for a bit and Vixie Rayna urged me to go have a look at the new roots hair as quick as I could. I'm so glad I did because I just love the subtlety on the crown.  This is just one of a few styles available.

Bouquet for LeLutka.

Ah-Oh. Look what Chalice Did.

It was the most horrible night of her life. She didn't mean for it to happen. She wanted it to be perfect and tender and the best he'd ever had.

From the start it was a recipe for disaster. She wanted to try something new to show him how much she loved him. After all, the way to a mans heart is through his stomach. She wanted to start from scratch so everything was fresh.

Unfortunately Chalice didn't realize that catching a fresh chicken for dinner would be that hard and used a little help from her favorite firearm, the Glock model 18C. Chalice 1. Chicken 0. Her romantic dinner of Coq au Vin was no more and she ruined her favorite outfit.

Hair: Nadja by Maitreya
Skin: Elena Glow skin in pale by LAQ
Nails: Red pack by je suis
Top: Suellen Mini Dress from R.icielli
Pants: Jam Psych Pants by Sweetest Goodbye
Boots: Black Suede by Bax Coen
Earrings and Necklace: 'I love you my friend' by glow studio

Don't you be hatin' me. I'm going on a RL holiday to somewhere hot, tropical, full of spa's, beaches and Bintang.

All Hail The Maxi.

I've blogged items from the fabulous store Not Without You before as I'm a huge fan of the designer, Cashmere Pye. I purchased this dress a while ago called, wait for it....Zebra and was meaning to share it with you as I wanted to profile a maxi dress.

I love the retro appeal of this one as it reminds me of pictures I saw of my mum in the 1970's wearing something like this. I took a few maxi dresses with me on my world trip in 2009 as their versatility and impact took me from beach to bar. Chalice has accessorized to the max for night time fun but some summer sandals, hair in a loose bun, floppy hat and casual beach bag would be just as cool by the beach. Well until you whip it off and show off your new kini's.

I just wanted to give an honorable mention to Exposeur Poses & Animations. I only fairly recently discovered these poses (god knows why it took me so long) and they are just the best, particularly for photo shoots. The variety is unreal and I just find them so life like with great attention to detail. Hands beautifully positioned and they work so well with clothing. Join the group guys as there's wonderful deals etc to be had.

The business end:
Skin: Michelle by Mayden Couture
Hair and accessories: Bossy in Cranberry by Cake
Eyes: Moss by Acid and Mala
Dress: Zebra by Not Without You
Earrings: Love Me by JD Designs
Bracelets: Tres Bangles in Silver from Armidi
Bag: Vintage Clutch by Glow Studio's
Nails: By je suis
Poses: By Exposeur

Life's A Beach With Elymode.

If you want flirty, fun and sexy, look no further than Elymode and the new release 'Shameless' set that Elysium Eilde has created. Its ever so cute and just a little bit naughty.

Choices abound in terms of mixing your colors and layer selection so you can create tons of looks. I love the half tank and pantie option shown above as they make fabulous swimwear.

Put it all together as I've done mixing up the layers and you have a complete dress but still many more options to wear as separates with some of your favorite pieces. Ely gives you permission to show a booby if you leave off one of the strap layers. Not wanting to invoke too much excitement on her blog, Chalice left the girls completely covered but please, $100L and a pair of Maitreya Gold's will get you a wee peek.

I've lined up the limo for you to go directly to Elymode so just press HERE.

Did I ever tell you Chalice was one of sextuplets? No? Well here they all are.

One final thing. Anyone NOT heard of the Skin Fair? No I didn't think so. Will you all stop teasing me with such fabtastic skin previews on the feeds. I'll have to turn to crime to fund it all.

Item provided by designer: Yes
Photoshopped: Yes

The Empress Butterfly by My Precious.

This stunning gown is another gem from Agnes Finney's My Precious label. I always have a slight attack of nerves before I attempt to style and capture her work because I want to do it justice. I never think I do but nonetheless, I try.

I have come to appreciate her attention to detail, amazing use of texture and her ability to make her outfits float and dance when moving. As the outfit is non-modify, you'll need to wear your little skirt shape to avoid splitting the system skirt but once on, it fits like a glove. Chalice is the tallest one can be in SL and if I don't pop on my narrow sparrow hip shape, I can split the textures of some skirts. The dress itself is simple and elegant while it is the bow and skirt attachments that bring this outfit to life.

Less was more in terms of accessories so just wore these lovely long earrings from Glow Studio that dust the shoulders. Some quality prim nails from je suis in a complimentary pink hue, the new amazing pale glow skin from LAQ and this new release do from Miamai called Kana and I'm done.

I have fallen in love with Di Hoorenbeek's poses from Di's Opera particularly her Fatale series. They come with cigarette's for that Marlene Dietrich feel but let me assure you, these are only herbal fags. Honestly officer, I'm smoking oregano.

My selection LM's:
Hair & Base: Kana in Brown by Miamai
Skin: Elena Glow in Pale tone by LAQ
Eyes: Adorable Series in Opal by PixelDolls
Dress: Butterfly Empress by Agnes Finney - My Precious
Nails: Pink range by je suis
Earrings: White Dreams by Glow Studio
Poses & Cigarette: By Di's Opera (Fatale series)

Photoshopped: Yes
Item provided by designer: Yes

Blogger Bashing.

I'm a glass half full kinda gal and as I've gotten older, have come to realize that things are never quite what they seem. I have learned to stand back and take a look at different perspectives before I make up my mind. I used to be entirely the opposite and would make snap judgments as quick as look at you. When I say this shift has opened up a whole new world, I'm not joking. I can listen to one side of an argument walking away with a certain mind set then hear the other side and I've reanalyzed my position yet again. Some say this is sitting on the fence. Not true I say. Sitting on the fence in my opinion is when someone makes their mind up and won't be swayed even when evidence is presented to the contrary. People with strong and rigid opinions often have the ability to attract others to their cause a bit like the Pied Piper but that doesn't mean they are right just because they have a large following.

I felt compelled to comment on the current distension in the blogging world between The Rumor and certain people who have taken umbrage about some comments left by Rumor writer's that were, let's be honest, in bad taste. The thing about taste however is everyone's is different. Two camps appear to have emerged from this and you only have to read the comments from both to see how opinions widely diverge.

There have been a number of blogs over the years that have built their reputation by being opinionated, sarky and blunt yet I can't recall such a public backlash as I've seen with The Rumor. The comment that had racist connotations and the one questioning if someone was still alive were uncalled for because in my opinion they had nothing to do with promoting the products and they were just plain nasty. They were understandably called on this and Pennelope Thiessam attempted to clear up the controversy. Whether one agrees with the genuineness or sincerity of her statement, she did take the time to address the issue in a public forum. Primarily I'm really concerned in respect to a persons freedom of expression being shut down because some influential people don't like the essence of the blog.

I find The Rumor a really handy tool to suss out who is selling what at discounted prices and while I think they've got some nerve bagging products they haven't even purchased or tried on, it is their right to do it, say it, express it. Everyone who puts anything into the public domain must be prepared for criticism as well as praise. Pennelope and the others are dealing with this right now as it's par for the course when you make controversial comments. The same goes for those who make things in SL for money. You put it out there then you had better be prepared for some form of critique whether it's a snarky one liner under a picture or a well constructed review of your creation.

There are no right or wrong blogs. There are situational unacceptable comments that cross the line in terms of inappropriateness that breaches laws or the Charter of Human Rights. When that occurs, the author(s) must be taken to task, as they have, but not liking a blog because it ruffles the wrong feathers, well that's when you should keep scrolling past.

I guess what I'm saying is by all means be angry at those comments just don't use that one situation as an excuse to destroy a person.

Goodness Gracious - Here's Sascha's Designs And LionSkins.

Sascha's Designs has a new release dress called Gracious. As usual, value for money is what you get with any Sascha Frangilli outfit due to the plethora of options she provides. I just love how with a click here and there, you can transform from Oscar red carpet to Queen of England. Gracious is available in Bronze, Aqua, Blush, Emerald, Magenta, Mauve, Peacock, Pink, Purple, Strawberry and Sun. I've chosen the stunningly regal bronze color with a few options to give you the idea. The texture is dazzling and it never ceases to amaze me how she gives life to her dresses in a way many cannot.

For a bit more detail, click for a bigger picture.

The skin I'm wearing is a new release from the unstoppable (thank god) Ms Lion Jonesford of LionSkins. This girl is a perfumed steam roller who keeps charging ahead with the most inspired skins on the grid. This line is called Silka and once again, Lion provides a tonne of make up options you can purchase separately. As the name implies, this skin is soft, dewy and silky. Available in Pale (shown), Sun Kissed and Sun, the ethereal and natural tones of this skin are sure to be a total winner and a lovely contrast to some of her bold, statement skins. Lion has done something beautiful with the arms in terms of shading. Love it darling. Go and get yer Silka girls.

Style notes:
Skin: Silka in Pale from LionSkins.
Make Up Layer: Silka range from LionSkins.
Hair: Tatum 2 in Happy from Friday.
Hat: Fleeting Headdress from Adore and Abhor.
Dress: Gracious in Bronze by Sascha's Designs.
Shoes: Wallpaper shoes from Bottle Bird.
Poses: By Di's Opera - From Fashion Week.

Kiss Me On My Mouths For V-Day.

Plant one on my lips baby! Pick a lip, any lip.

Happy St Valentine's Day darlings. Hope you feel the love and remember you don't need another person to tell you...just stand in front of the mirror and express your undying love to YOU.

To ensure that Chalice didn't just pay lip service to this special day, she created her own look to say Happy Valentine's Day to each and every one of you.

“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.”

Just remember the most important love affair is the one you have with yourself.

And she wore:
Skin: Isolde Cachet by Exodi
Eye Shadow Tattoo: By Miamai
Lip Tattoo: By Natural Beauty (previously Tik Tok)
Hair Base: By Vanity Hair(red)
Hair Attachment: Heart by Vanity Hair (group gift)
Pants: Leather Shorts by So Many Styles
Top: Black Body Suit by Kletva (was sold through The Dressing Room Blue)
Nails: By je suis (red pack)
Mouth Collar: By LaGyo
Earrings: Black Lace by glow studio (was sold through The Dressing Room Blue)
Shoes and stockings: Cherie Xtreme Hells by N-Core
Bracelets: By Fairy Tail

Background design by Chalice Carling.