Garden Party

 

There are times when you just need to dress for yourself and show your own style and wear some of your favourite things.  I have loved this hat from Poison Rouge called Lorelei for some time now and it was just waiting for the right outfit.   Enter Abby - a new release from PM.   I can't rave about this dress enough.  It's such a romantic style - a short dress with a bustier lace up top and with optional puff sleeves.  It comes in six denim colours - all with optional white sleeves.  In the megapack there are also 4 patterns - including the black floral pattern above.    You can see the HUD details for both the single colour and the megapack below where you can see the options for the sleeves, ribbon, and metal colours.  

I love to shop - but I think that this will be my favourite outfit for a while :) 

SINGLE COLOURS: 

MEGAPACK:

Dress – PM – Abby

Exclusively at The Belleza Event

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Belleza/97/127/24

 

Size Range: GenX Classic, Lara X, Lara X Petite, Legacy, Maitreya, Maitreya Petite, Reborn, Reborn Waifu

 

Single Packs – 199L (Dress Colour and White Sleeve Options)   

Megapack (6 Colours + 4 Bonus Colours for Dress/Sleeves+ White Sleeves) – 599L

 

Necklace – Kunglers – Lindsei

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Accidentally%20Inlove/137/114/23

 

Hat – Poison Rouge – Lorelei Hat

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poison%20Rouge/111/120/24

 

Hair – Ade – Baby (Group Gift)

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ade/133/196/1008

(Group Join is FREE).

 

Head – Lelutka – Inez

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LeLutka/117/145/24

 

Skin – Velour – Swift

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VELOUR/70/72/81

 

Eyes – IKON – Splendor

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stars/136/132/1000

 

 

Makeup – Cazimi – Juicy EvoX – 4 – 60%

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAZIMI/173/207/23

 

 

Body – Maitreya

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maitreya%20Isle/137/182/23

 

Body Skin – itGirls & VELOUR x Picasso Babe  for Lara X

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VELOUR/71/69/81

 

 

 Lighting – Incongruent Truths

 

Taken on Location at Joyful Gardens: 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Joyful/138/96/24

Model, Photographer and Stylist – Yhishara Cerise

 

Have Car - Will Travel (at a Hundred Miles an Hour and with all my bags!) (#3 In a Series)

There are certain things that are considered classics.  The reason for this - in my opinion at least - is because they have an appeal that outlasts trends.  People love them so much that even years after they bought them they still consider them "go to" pieces when they need to put an outfit together.  The combination of a skirt and tank top is such an outfit in reality and   PM's (Purplemoon's) Amanda set is such an item in Second Life.  This is the third iteration of the set and it's just as great as it was when Poulet first released it. This fall, for the Saturday Sale, she created a mix of denim skirts with floral embroidery and updated colours for the top.   What I love the most -  is the floral embroidery:  You can see a close up of that here: 

And here:

The quality of the texturing is one of the most important details to me and something PM does very well.  With the previous release of the patchwork textured Sarah dress one can see the roughness of the burlap, the softness of the velvet, and the shimmer of the silk (this is especially evident in the black version of that dress).   It's one of my favourites for that reason because it shows Poulet's great attention to detail.   The Amanda set is also one of my favourites - along with the Emma blouse.  They are things we would reach for in our real lives too - not just our Second ones.  They are classics to me.    

Like all of the megapacks she releases, here is the HUD with all it's options:

Dress – PM – Amanda Limited Edition Fall 24

5 Embroidery colours for the Skirt,  5 Solid colours for the Tank

18 Belt Colours, 10 for the Buckle and 3 Metal options. 

Size range: Gen X Classic, Gen X Curvy, Maitreya Lara X Legacy, Maitreya,   Reborn, Reborn Waifu

Exclusive for The Saturday Sale at the PM main store:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stellar/125/54/23

Also at the main store: The Corey Platform heels.

 

Hair - Truth - Carla

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Truth/159/137/24

 

Necklace  - Orsini Jewelry Sarah Necklace Maitreya

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Orsini%20Jewelry/167/15/23

 

 

Eyeshadow – Amara Beauty – Valerie Eyeshadow Evo X – Grey

No longer available

 

Lipstick – Izzie’s – 60’s Pale Lipstick Evo X BOM – o5 Nat D

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Izzies/48/119/31

 

Skin – DeeTalez – Nora – Nordic

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/DeeTaleZ/236/93/266

 

 

Heed – Lelutka – Avalon 3.1

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LeLutka/124/136/24

 

 

 

Body – Maitreya Lara 5.3

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maitreya%20Isle/125/136/23

 

Eyes – Ikon – Splendor – Desert Pack – Glass

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/FaMESHed/247/221/800

 

 

Honourable Mention – Kunglers – Wendy Rings

 

Lighting – Verdigris

 

 

Pose  versuta. // GIFT // anbu // 4

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chill%20Thrill/95/144/21 

Taken on Location at Desert Palace, Cradle of Love

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cradle%20of%20Love/147/256/21

 

Sunset in Paris

 

The above image is flawed.  The flaws are subtle but I know they're there.  It started when I changed Yhishie's outfit into a random one after taking the Day of the Dead / Zara picture.  Looking closely at her face, I seen that there was a very faint leaf design. It was actually from a tattoo makeup set from Miamai called Silvana.  It is a very vibrant set of makeup all in a wonderful profusion of fall colours.  But there is also an additional layer that is just the texture which makes the skin almost look like it's been etched with a leaf design. I thought it very delicate and beautiful.  With the shape having such a fragile look to it and with the leaf design making it look almost scarred it just made me think of one word: vulnerable.  

And while I was taking this photo, I thought, "Wow, the styling, lighting, pose and everything is coming together very well!" And then I went to post it to Flickr without thinking.  And that's when I noticed the flaws.  I was able to crop most of them out but if you look very closely you can still see what the problems are. I thought for a moment to delete, retake the photo and resubmit it but I stopped and thought, "No,  I am going to let this stand because even if it is flawed, it's still beautiful."

We all seem to be afraid of flaws, especially in photography and edit out any imperfections to get things perfect.  I've always said that in an online setting everything can be perfect but it can never be real.  And in real life, things can be real but will never be perfect. Maybe we hate showing flaws so much because we want perfection and know things will never be that way.  This is especially true in online social media platforms where everyone curates their images and thoughts to portray only a certain image in order to be socially accepted.  We don't want to make a mistake.  

It takes a great deal of courage to show one's flaws, to say, "I made a mistake." or "I did the wrong thing here."  But in the real world - we don't have an edit program to make things different to edit out the wrong thing as though it never happened.  We can only accept ourselves for who and what we are and love ourselves for the good that exists within us.  And then acknowledge that even with the flaws - things will still be alright and work out the way they're supposed to.

Perhaps all this is too deep for a Monday morning.   But what can I say?  I've had coffee.... 

Día de los Muertos Under a Purple Moon

 

When I first seen the Zara outfit from PM I knew exactly how I wanted to style it.  Fall is here and with it several events both in Second Life and Real Life.  One (I hope) will be the Keep Calm and Give Me Candy Hunt from PM which has become an annual Halloween tradition in Second Life.  The other is a real life holiday called Día de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead).  Due to the skull theme, many people feel that it must be  the Mexican version of Halloween, and I actually used to be one of them until I did a BOSL article on holidays.  What I found is it's actually a very different kind of celebration.

Traditionally observed over the first two days of November, the Day of the Dead is a time for family and friends to celebrate loved ones who have died, making it more of a remembrance observance than a ghost and ghoul scare-a-thon. The sugar skulls seen everywhere were not actually a part of the ancient Mesoamerican tradition but have become accepted in modern times.  Indeed, the skulls have become so widely accepted that they have become symbols of the holiday. 

I find this holiday to be very beautiful in it's sentiment.  I lost a real life brother in October many years ago, so I always tend to think of him at this time of year.  He would have loved to know we were celebrating his life in such a way by looking at the good things in life that he was a part of rather than the pain of his loss.  He was such a good brother to me and even through tears, I can't help but smile. 

The accessories I chose for this outfit came from a long ago gacha set from DeviousMind called LaCatrina.  The set features an early 1900's gown in bold black and white stripes in an off-the-shoulder and bustled style.  But it was completed with vibrant and beautiful floral accents that just brought it to life (such as the parasol and floral sleeves shown in the image above).   The mix and match colours of the Zara gown created a look that is so beautiful that I had to do a picture of it. 

OUTFIT – PM – Zara Jumpsuit and Overskirt

Available exclusively at The Statement Arena until September 15 (So one more day peeps!)

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TSA/132/133/3501

Sizes available: GenX Classic, GenX Curvy, Lara X, Lara X Petite, Legacy, Maitreya, Maitreya Petite, Reborn and Reborn Waifu. 

Price:  Single Colours - 299L   MEGAPACK - 1599L

Comes in 12 colours and consists of the jumpsuit and the overskirt (which can be worn separately):

Single Colours come with a hud to adjust the transparency of the corset part of the jumpsuit. 

 

In addition to being able to change the transparency, the megapack HUD comes with the option to mix and match all  16 colours (12 basic and 4 bonus) of the corset, trousers, and overskirt.   It also comes with 5 colour options for the belt for even further customization. 

 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS BUT NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM THE CREATORS:

PARASOL, ROSE ARM WRAPS – DeviousMind  - LaCatrina – Ofrenda – Gacha Prizes  

(You may be able to find gacha resellers offering them on the SL Marketplace but the money will go to the reseller not the original creator). 

EYES – Ikon – Hope – Abyss

 

RINGS – Yummy – Spring Splendor

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tableau/175/102/23

 

BRACELET – Kunglers – Irene

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Accidentally%20Inlove/160/135/23

 

NECKLACE – Lazuri – Prana Necklace 1

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Lazuri-Prana-Necklace/11579401

 

 

MESH HEAD – GA.EG – inaya 3.0 #HDGenX Bento Head

FULL FACE MAKEUP TATOO - GA.EG Mesh Heads Addon - HT06 Muertos Tattoos

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GAELINE%20CREATIONS/6/72/26

HAIR – Limerence – Adrianna

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MagnetiS/234/225/10

 

MESH BODY – Maitreya – Lara X V 1.0

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maitreya%20Isle/125/180/23

 

SKIN (HEAD) – Velour – Swift – Chantilly

SKIN (BODY) –  : itGirls & VELOUR x Picasso Babe  for Lara X

Both available here:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VELOUR/59/53/81

 

BACKGROUND ITEMS – PM – Samara Background Vines

PM Mainstore in the group gift section:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stellar/124/39/22

 

 

LIGHTING – Orac-Gray

POSE -9-BehaviorBody(modelposes)

MODEL, STYLIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, AND EDITOR – Yhishara Cerise

Relevant Nostalgia

                                                                                   

I was watching a fashion related channel on YouTube the other day and the influencer was styling an outfit based on those popular in the 1950's.   She was almost apologetic that the look was going to be featuring vintage items rather than new which I found odd.  Often when styling an outfit I find treasures in my inventory that I forgot I had and I am quickly reminded that great design doesn't have an expiry date.  

For this outfit featuring the new Sarah dress by PM,  I found the Enfant Terrible headpiece (appropriately) called Eyecatcher, a hunt item from ages ago.  I also found some mesh eyes called Hope by IKON that are just as gorgeous as they were the day I bought them (though the line is discontinued now). 

 I have also found myself going back through old photos people have posted on Flickr. It's so funny to see how we all look then compared to now.  Once in a while though,  I would come across the image of a Second Life avatar or an outfit and it would be so amazing that I could swear it was taken yesterday it was so perfect. 

While I have never hidden the fact that I am a lifetime PM fangirl,  so many designers (past and present) and so many people have made my SL a beautiful place to be.  

 DRESS:  PM  - Sarah Dress

Sizes available: Reborn Waifu, Reborn, Maitreya, Legacy Perky, Legacy, Maitreya Lara X

PRICE:

10 SINGLE COLOURS 199L (2 PER PACK – ONE SOLID ONE PRINT)

 

MEGAPACK – 599L   (ALL 10 COLOURS CONTROLLED BY HUD)

Available exclusively at the WIP Event from September 2 – 22, 2024

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/WIP/102/80/1502 

 

Mesh Head: GA.EG – Inaya 3.0 HDGenX Bento Head (EVO X)

Lipstick: GA.EG Lipsticks – BX-CB05 – Donna – 09 (EVO X)

Eyeshadow: GA.EG Eyeshadows – BX-CB05 – Donna -08 (EVO X)

Available at the GA.EG Main Store

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GAELINE%20CREATIONS/95/130/26

 

Nails: Cazimi – Autumn Boho Nails – Cazimi HUD Blue & Brown

For the Saturday Sale September 6, 2024

Available at the Cazimi Main Store

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAZIMI/126/139/23

 

 

 

Skin: Nuve – Holly – Lelutka Evox – Valley

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/RAWR/152/10/22

 

Body: Maitreya Lara X

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maitreya%20Isle/136/181/23

 

Body Skin: itGirls & VELOUR x Picasso Babe  for Lara X

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VELOUR/95/107/83

 

Hair: Stealthic – Shallows

Available on the Second Life Marketplace

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Stealthic-Shallows-Complete-Package/22402583

 

 

 

 

Headpiece:  Enfant Terrible – Eyecatcher

(Hunt Item – No longer Available)

 

Eyes: IKON – Hope Eyes – Abyss

(No longer available)

 

 

 Pose: AMITIE_Pose Bea 02 (No longer available.)

Lighting: A-6PM

Photographer and Stylist: Yhishara Cerise

Location:  Drawbridge Nature Preserve

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Drawbridge/38/193/68

Beauty in Yellow Flowers

Sometimes in life, we have a set idea in mind of how things should go based on how we want them to go.  However, many times our Plan A doesn't come together and we find ourselves needing a Plan B.   For this photo, I knew I wanted to use the headpiece from Kungler's Marie set and I knew I wanted to wear the PM Sienna gown.   But the original concept for this photo was very different from the finished image.  Which shows, even if things don't work out the first time, they may work out the second time.  It also may be just as beautiful and make us just as happy that we don't mind that it wasn't the original plan.  

Dress – PM – Sienna

Available at the PM Main Store

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stellar/124/39/22

 

SIZES – GEN X CLASSIC, LARA X, LARA X PETITE, LEGACY, MAITREYA, MAITREYA PETITE, REBORN, REBORN WAIFU

PRICES - SINGLE COLOURS - 299L        

Single colours have options for changing the sheer panels, gemstones, and zipper metals. 

MEGAPACK - 1599L

The Megapack has all the options of the single pack, all 12 basic colours and 4 bonus colours for the dress.  You also can choose from 16 colours of gemstones to further customize the gown. 

 

Hair – Stealthic  - Sense

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rapture/57/160/22

 

Headpeice – Kunglers – Marie – Head Jewel

Bracelet – Kunglers – Gaia – Bracelet

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Accidentally%20Inlove/168/109/23

 

Eyeliner and Eyeshadow – Cazimi – Paramour

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAZIMI/165/207/23

 

Lipstick – Izzie’s - Dark Academia - 05, Caramel 65%

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Izzies/78/94/31

 

Nails – Encore – Shades Fatpack

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Libra/60/218/1494

 

Skin – Velour – Swift for Evo X – Sunkiss

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VELOUR/53/49/81

 

Eyes – Euphoric – Salma Eyes Applier for Lelutka

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SHOPPING%20THERAPY/136/188/3995

 

Head – Lelutka – Evox - Inez 4.0 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LeLutka/122/140/24

 

Body – Maitreya 5.3

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maitreya%20Isle/140/182/23

 

 

Shape – Wren’s Nest – { wren's nest } Inez Proportional

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Torver/214/198/1702

 

 Pose: Amitie Pretty 05

 Lighting - Places Beach Cay Surreal

 

Grass - [ keke ] clover grass . spring . swaying

Grass 2 - [ keke ] clover grass . spring . 20 x 20

No Longer Available.

All about Diana

 

DRESS – PM   DIANA LIMITED EDITION for the Saturday Sale

 

LIMITED EDITION SIZES:  Gen X Classic, Legacy, Legacy Perky, Maitreya, Maitreya Petite, Maitreya X, Maitreya X Petite, Reborn, Reborn Waifu

SINGLE COLORS – 99L               MEGAPACK – 350L   (HUD OPTION FOR MEGAPACK)

AVAILABLE AT THE MAIN STORE:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stellar/127/20/21

HERE IS THE HUD FOR THE DIANA LIMITED EDITION MEGAPACK 

If you love this gown as much as I do it also comes in 16 standard colours.  Single colours (with two variations) is priced at 299L but for the price of the megapack you will get all 16 PLUS 3 bonus floral patterns for the skirt.) It comes in all the same sizes as the Saturday Sale Limited Edition pictured above. 

(SINGLE COLOR PURCHASE HUD IS ON THE LEFT,  FULL MEGA PACK HUD ON THE RIGHT)

A VERSION OF THE DIANA GOWN ALSO IS AVAILABLE FOR GROUP MEMBERS:

****************************************************************************
This outfit features: 

 

SPECIAL MENTION:

EYES – IKON – FORTUNE – Aurora

Available now as a gift at the IKON Mainstore:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stars/145/128/1000

JEWELRY – KUNGLERS – JENNY

Available on the SL Marketplace

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/KUNGLERS-Jenny-set/17491631 

 

HAIR – STEALTHIC – ENDLESS

Available on SL Marketplace:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Stealthic-Endless-Complete-Package/22402663

 

MAKEUP –

EYESHADOW – CAZIMI – SOFT AUTUMN EYESHADOW

LIPSTICK – DELICIOUS EVOX LIPS  - PACK 2 – 3

Both Available at the Cazimi Mainstore:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAZIMI/126/139/23

 

SKIN – GLAM AFFAIR – WINNIE

GIFT Available at the Glam Affair Main Store

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Beauty%20Avatar%20couture/157/78/32

 

 POSE:  Versuta  Megan 7

AVAILABLE AT THE VERSUTA MAIN STORE:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Marlow/46/168/27

LIGHTING – Bryn Oh's BOX MetaLES

LOCATION – Visit Greece:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paradise%20Found/61/210/30