Many of you probably remember the shopping guide I published last year for Christmas. Well, this year - 95 items spread across 20 pages in the December issue of Vain Inc magazine… written by yours truly!

The shopping guide covers categories from clothing to shoes, and people to shop for from Him/Her to Alternative Lifestylers. With 95 items to choose from, you’re sure to find something to grab! Click here to check out the shopping guide!

Happy Holidays!

I am *so late* on this post, but… better late than never, eh?

Kari’s (SLURL) newest release tickled my fancy like no other. Not only because it was a collaborative effort between four of my absolute favorite designers, but because… well, let’s just say the new “Kicks” hold a very special place in my wittle heart. XD

An entire outfit… jacket, pants, shoes, hair… all in one ginormous, collaborative effort of awesomesaucetasticness. Kari, TorridWear, Celestial Studios, and Panache all teamed up to form what I can only describe as the kick-ass-and-take-names team on this release.

First, let’s talk about the new Kicks. Menno, being the friggin’ sweetheart that he is, tapped 20 of his friends for their favorite colors… and immortalized them in a texture change menu for these awesome new shoes. Each color combo is named after one of his friends (you’ll find the yelow/black combo under my name XD) and honestly, this makes these shoes so diverse that I could literally wear them with anything. Choices are what we liiiiiiiike… and Menno certainly is a pro at giving us that! The shoes themselves are no mod, but come with a handy-dandy resizing script for all your resizing needs.

Next up, the New School and Girl’s School hair styles, a collaborative effort between Kari and Panache (SLURL, by Zyrra Falcone), is an absolutely adorable, rough and tumble couple o’ hair ‘dos with a BEANIE… a BEANIE!!! I love mah beanies. Oh, ho ho yes. And this beanie is also scripted for texture change… an added bonus in my book. Unnngh. Lurve.

The New School Suspenders are just killer, and so well made. I often find myself looking for suspenders that aren’t just hollowed out cylinders bent at an angle… and these certainly take the cake. Sculpted and scripted for texture change, these suspenders rock my old school socks off. And they’re SO CUTE… ugh. *drools*

The New School Jeans are a collaborative effort between Kari and TorridWear (SLURL, by Torrid Midnight) and I think Menno actually describes these on his blog best… “These are worn out, ripped up, dirtied, and well..just plain comfortable jeans. What better way to compliment that track jacket? You’ll get two pair of jeans, blue and black, including sculptie cuffs in two sizes.” Again with the choices! God, I love diversity.

And last, but certainly not least (no seriously, not least) is the New School Jacket, a collaborative work of Celestial Studios (SLURL, by Starley Thereian), TorridWear and Kari… an awesome track jacket that is perfect for that rebellious street look. Available in ten different colors, with a sculptie collar included! I love this jacket… it has definitely got to be one of my favorite pieces added to my ridiculously extensive wardrobe.

I don’t think I could possibly explain how excited I am about the future of this store, its future collaborations, and its future blow-my-mind-kthxbai releases. :) Head on over to Kari (SLURL) and endulge yourself in a little New School newness!

The brilliant and beautiful Aleri Darkes of has made her new releases over at Diversity Hair (SLURL), which include not only stunning new hairstyles for you hair fiends, but also… you guessed it,… SKINS for us blatant skin whores, like myself. XD Oh, and here’s a tip for all you less-than-30-day-old avis out there… there is a box of free skins available in the skin room!

The new skin line, Virgo, is a gorgeously done birthday suit and a STEAL at the generously low price!

Please note… I’m going to try this skin review a more compact way… you all will have to let me know what you think. Do you prefer compact with pictures, or do you prefer more detailed/opinionated with pictures? I really like the idea of allowing everyone to form their own opinions and encouraging all of you to drop by stores and grab demos, just to take a peek yourselves, in case I miss anything… but I also want to make sure I point out certain things, like “oh my god that ass is to die for,” and such. Maybe I could do both? Hmm. It’s just that I’ve noticed that by writing out long reviews, I often find myself repeating the same things… “as good as SL feet can get”, “argh, pubic hair!”, etc. Regardless… hopefully by compacting the review I will be able to squish more of them into my bloggie. XD And now, on with the show!

Creator: Aleri Darkes
Shop Location: Addictive (SLURL)
Tones Available: Pale, Fair, Sunkissed, Tan, Dark
Price: $300L per skin (1 skin) / $900L per 4-pack (4 skins) / $1600L per 8-pack (8 skins) / $4600 per fatpack (24 skins)
Note: Aleri’s notecard included with the skins explains this section very well I think:

You will find in your skin pack three seperate skins. Each of these skins has a different option for the private region, this gives you more versatility when wearing different cuts of clothing. I have also included a set of prim lashes that I hope you enjoy , and the recommended bald base for this skin, which is modifiable so that you can change the shape of your brows. I have also included variations on the Eyelashes, so that when wearing hair with bangs the lashes dont show through if wearing the approiately named lashes. These skins started out as the Splendor skins by Sezmra Svarog. I have spent weeks in changing and altering different parts of the not only the face but the body of these skins.  I am eternaly greatful to Sezmra Svarog for giving me and many the opportunity to create from her bases.  Any Suggestions you may have for upcoming MakeUps please send a notecard to Aleri Darkes , no promises but I will try and endeavour to do what I can to make as many options as possible in the upcoming months..

Detail Pictures:

Full Body, Face, Torso, Back, Legs/Feet, Hands, Ears

A couple of things I’d like to point out…

The face is absolutely gorgeous. Granted, your shape may need a wee bit o’ tweaking, but that’s to be expected, really. Your shape adds so much to the way a skin looks on you, so don’t be afraid to tweak it a bit to make sure you’re getting the look that you want. This is something I discovered rather recently… I can make nearly any shape look “like me”, but I generally need to adjust my mouth first on ANY new skin. My mouth is apparently what makes me, “me”. Go figure, right? :P

I absolutely love the nipples on this skin; they’re very soft and well rounded and delicate. The skin itself is incredibly smooth and I am rather impressed with how very porceline it looks.

My only real request for future modification is the eyebrows. Choices on their color as well would be an invaluable addition to the skin. But Aleri, dahling, you’ve done WONDERS on the pubic choices! Bravo. :) My inner Brazilian lover loves you!

So girls, skin whores and non-skin whores alike, head on over to Diversity (SLURL) and grab some demos! At $300L a piece, seriously… you just can’t go wrong.

PS: OH! I forgot to mention… while you’re there, don’t forget to pick up the new hair! I personally grabbed Niobi (right) and Liani (left), and I must say I am absolutely ENTHRALLED with Niobi (<—omg big word, I must be impressed!). Both styles are sculpted to perfection, and stunningly gorgeous. $175L per color pack! Get ‘em while they’re hot off the blogroll!

PSS: There seems to be a yellow starfish hunt going on as well at Diversity (I’m so out of the loop)! Little starfishies have FREE Virgo line skins inside! Go hunt ‘em down while you can!

The immensely talented Sheltered Heart of House of Heart (SLURL) has released four new hairstyles on OnRez today! Dirrty Gurl, Margo, Sable, and Wild Isabella are all quickly becoming four of my favorite hairstyles.

As a New Orleans native, born and raised, the first thing I really noticed was that Wild Isabella totally reminded me of Mardi Gras strutter costumes… and so I instantly fell in love with a sense of nostalgia when putting it on. The delicate feathers are just fantastic for adding that extra oomph to the crazycurly hair-do.

Dirrty Gurl is a messy, flirty, bedsecks, walk of shame ‘do with a ‘tude. I could’ve paired it with some sort of casual outfit and a morning-after ciggie,… but figured I’d just let the ‘tude speak for itself. I love this hair. And the *snarl* it makes me feel.

Margo is a cute and curly up-do that kind of gave me a little Manhattanite in the middle of winter feel. The kind of up-do you’d wear with a cozy sweater dress, bundled up while walking through the fashion district shopping for very expensive holiday gifts. Adorable.

Sable is a cute, versatile, long side pony tail that I absolutely ADORE. It is officially my favorite side pony EVER… and they are so hard to find!

Check out OnRez to grab these styles! Single packs run for $195L a piece (5 colors), double packs are $290L (10 colors) and the whole Kit and Kaboodle packs are $700L. Oh, and don’t forget to visit House of Heart (SLURL) and pick up the other absolutely fantastic hair dos! So much hair, so little time. *cringes at linden balance*

Excellent work, as always, Shel! :)

While shopping with some friends at House of Heart yesterday, we ran across an avi who was wearing a -stunning- hair style. Being the hair fiend I am, I simply had to A. do my research on the creator, and B. get my ass over to the shop to buy it.

I would like to share not only the hair style I ran to this store to buy, but also a couple of extremely cute clothing items available for purchase there as well: namely, the tights and shorts in the picture below (details on teh outfit are under the picture… you know the drill!). The shop’s name? Shop Seu (SLURL).

After doing my research, I found a few blog posts on the glorious world wide web that mention Shop Seu. A few of them, should you choose to read up yourself (and I would…and have!) can be found at Fashion Victim, Soigne, and Linden Lifestyles.

While hair color selection is pretty sparse in Shop Seu (SLURL), the ones that are available are positively stunning. The hair in question that I simply -had- to have??? The sexy long hair in black… available for only $170L. Happy shopping!

Top: S.Y.D. - Brown Plaid Outfit / Basic Tank Top
Shorts: Shop Seu - Short Pants in Brown
Tights: Shop Seu - Taitsu Taight in Red
Shoes: Urban Bomb Unit - PornStar Xtra Hi-Tops Multicolor v2
Necklace: House of Heart - SoHo Necklaces in Gold
Hair: Shop Seu - Sexy Long Hair in Black
Eyes: MADesigns SOUL Eyes in Pale Grey
Skin: Celestial Studios - Vogue Skin Vamp/Enchant in Bronzed

I know I suck and haven’t been blogging as much recently, but OMG I’ve been so busy working on my spring line, and meeting photo requests that I just haven’t had time! I promise, I have a few reviews in the works… one for the absolutely GORGEOUS Beauty Avatar skins, and a second for a FANTASTIC line of silks.

I am about to run off to work, but before I do, I wanted to make a quick mention for all you shoe whores out there:

Ignite Nightfire of Arcane (SLURL, blog) has really taken his new passion as a content creator by storm! If you get the chance today, DEFINITELY head on over to Truth Island and pick up one of these two babies:

I must say that the Newtown cork wedges are to DIE for, and the pumps are bloody fantastic. Each pair is available in eight different colors, or as a TEXTURE CHANGE (which is also bloody awesome). The shoes are available for $225L per pair, or $800L for the full texture change! *ALSO* Bonus…. if you join Truth’s subscribe-o-matic, you’ll receive a pair of the Newtown cork wedges in Lead for FREE!

Another thing I’d like to mention is that Truth (blog, SLURL) has also released MOAR NEW HAIR!!! *drools* Jennifer is most definitely my favorite this time around…

I am simply in love with all of these newest releases, and I especially can’t wait to see what other goodies are in store for the future. Mmm Mmm MMM!!!

I was incredibly surprised on my little shopping excursion today. So surprised and delighted in fact, that I had to hop onto my blog and tell everyone all about it. Are you ready? Here we go.So, my husband text messages me this morning asking me to find a grim reaper costume for a photo idea that he has. So naturally, my first stop is OnRez… a simple place to search for damn near anything you could ever hope for (along with SLExchange, but that’s a different story). I type in “grim reaper” and what comes up but one of the most perfect reaper scythes I’ve seen in game thus far. Of COURSE… I rush right out in-world to buy it (I don’t know why I do this… I much prefer to buy items in world than from OnRez… but OnRez is the perfect “searching” spot!). I was pleasantly surprised to behold the other treasures that tickled my fancy (or should that be “fantasy”?) when I popped into this charming little shop — Tekeli-li Dark Artistry (SLURL, OnRez).

Now, being an artist first and foremost, I was initially inspired to look around more by the fact that the store calls itself “dark artistry”. But what really caught my eye… was the fantasy hair-dos and SPECTACULARLY detailed jewelry collection available in this quaint little tucked-away store.

The first thing I thought was, “Okay, how have I never heard of or seen this place before?” I’m really starting to think I don’t shop enough (but my inventory begs to differ). Le sigh. The second thing I thought was, “ZOMG, I must have those.” And so I quickly purchased the Oracle, Predator 2, Youkai 2, Medusa, Lovecraft, and Juno scripted styles.

I bought every hair style in the place (I think). Now, before I go into too much detail, I want to reiterate that this is a FANTASY shop… all of the hairstyles are fantasy related. While that remains true, I also want to stress that these styles (while the hair textures are lacking in some colors) are BEAUTIFULLY done, not to mention fantastically detailed and ornamented.

Because of my ridiculous art and photography addiction (haven’t you noticed yet?), I just had to have the hair — my favorite of which is, hands down, the beautiful Predator 2 style. And can I stress… EXCELLENT name for the style. Simply love it. And how very fitting *chuckles*.

Among other things, I also purchased 3 wonderfully detailed jewelry sets: Morgana, Hecate and Nereid. All of these sets run around $350L for eight pieces per set (with the exception of Nereid which is 6 pieces). I do have to say that the Nereid set is very well done… a compilation of sculptie seashells and starfish. Quite gorgeous. And get this…

As if the hair and jewelry detail and ornament wasn’t enough…

All of these pieces (hair included) are SCRIPTED. You have the options of buying the hair in individual colors (unscripted), or for a measly $300L you can buy a version that is scripted to change both the hair textures (32+ available colors), hair gems (30+ available colors) AND hair metals (7+ available colors), giving these hair styles an incredible diversity I have yet to see done in other hair shops.

And to top it all off, the owner of my new favorite fantasy shop is the sweet Tekelili Tantalus — and let me TELL you, customer service is definitely her forte’. I was an idiot earlier today while at her shop, and accidentally purchased 3 of the Medusa styles without realizing the diversity of the scripted version. After purchasing the scripted version, Tekelili took it upon herself to IM me, point out that I had purchased both the scripted and nonscripted versions of the Oracle hairstyle and promptly refunded $345L once she explained that I no longer needed the 3 colored versions I had purchased because the scripted version allows for all of those colors, and more! For that, Tekelili, I love love love you. You are my new favorite person. I shall sacrafice live Godiva chocolates in honor of your name.

So this is my shopping story!!! What started out as a hunt for the perfect Grim Reaper scythe, ended with a visit to a spectacular fantasy hair and jewelry store that I feel absolutely no shame in promoting to the fullest: check it out. You’ll love it. Tekeli-li Dark Artistry (SLURL, OnRez).

PS: A special thank you to you Tekelili, for giving me the perfect hair for my latest inspiration:

Just in time for Valentine’s Day…

First and foremost, I’d like to say - I am such a bitch. I can’t believe it took me this long to get this review up here, despite that it’s been sitting in my “for review” folder for over a month now. For that, I PROFOUNDLY apologize. I got so busy, and had a whole wedding to plan in like a week, and a class to put on, and a shop to organize, and and and… well, you get the idea. But all is not lost (I hope)! These dandy little numbers are just in time for that risque Valentine’s Day look I’m sure several ladies out there will be trying to achieve at one point or another this week — in the club, or in the bedroom!

With all of that said, I’d like to present you with the very fantastic designs from the mind of Erik Hugo, of Hugo Designs (SLURL). Click for larger photo:

This man has been incredibly patient with me, and frankly I wouldn’t deny him the chance to pimp slap me all over the grid, or cover me in peanut butter and set me out for the birds to peck at, for not getting this all up sooner. But better late than never, right? And besides, after taking another look at his shop, I have to say that I am ashamed for not bringing this to you sooner!

The thing that caught my eye most with these designs was not the skimpy and revealing nature of most of them (though that did play a part!), but rather Erik’s rather creative use of drop shadows and lighting on the clothing. I always love it when designers add little details like this… drop shadows, realistic highlights, the mark of any true artist in my book. As an artist first and foremost, I always feel confident when saying that God is in the details, and the designers that take the time to add the subtle ones the way Erik has are aces.

The fantastic outfits you’ll see pictured above are, from left to right, Tiana in White (which also has a GORGEOUS camisole included in the set that is not pictured), Lita in Black (the panties are not included, but are a piece of another set in Erik’s shop called Jane), The Classic in White (all pieces pictured in picture three and four above are included in the set), and Ava in Red. My favorite of the group so far has to be the Classic, but I have to say, despite that I haven’t had the chance to snatch it up yet, the latex this man has been rolling out with is rather impressive (click for larger photo):

I have one word: Yummy.

If you’re not completely convinced yet, I’d like to invite you all to drop by Hugo Designs (SLURL) and check it out for yourself. With prices ranging from $95L to $395L+ and the little details I hold so dear (drop shadows, *drool*), this place is definitely one for the landmark huddles. I do hope to see Erik get more into class lingerie as well… I can never get enough of that! *hint hint*

Now, while we’re on it… I’d also quickly like to share with you the FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC hairdo I’m wearing too (pictured right, click for larger photo). This is the Kaori hairdo from a little shop called H2L (SLURL) on one of the (many) fantastic Japanese sims. I tell you, those Japanese sims are a haven for the fashion trends awaiting to happen. I have no idea if this has been blogged yet or not (I know I’ve seen a few of the men’s hairstyles from H2L mentioned on SL Men), but if you have never been to this shop: you simply must drop by and grab this hair style. It’s a little pricey at $350L per color, but it is WELL worth it in my opinion. I didn’t really see any other styles there that tickled my fancy (and really there are only about 10 styles, half of which are men’s, in the whole shop), but who knows, YOU may!

And last, but certainly not least, all poses in the above photos (excluding the ad shots from Hugo Designs) are provided by DILEMMA (SLURL). Creator Roxana Demina is really on a roll with these new poses, titled the Glitz and Glam set. You are only seeing three in the above photo, but there are ten in this particular set, ALL of which are FANTASTICALLY chic modeling poses — with just the right touch of oomph and attitude.

Some fantastic shopping opportunities here, ladies! What’s better for an impromptu Valentine’s Day card for your honey than a shopping trip for some sexy little outfits, a new hairdo, and some seductive poses? And for you anti-Valentine’s Day girls and guys out there, go ahead and treat yourself anyway. All this fabulousness is not to be missed!

There’s so much going on, I don’t even really know where to start. So I’ll do this in an orderly fashion, really… all bullet-pointy and stuff.

The Second Mirage jewelry store is having a Flickr Contest for which first prize is every piece newly released in 2008. THAT… is a sweet deal. For all us girls out there that love jewelry, this is a hell of a reward for taking a few decent snapshots. Perhaps even the guys could get in on this… wonder if Serenity would be willing to forward the prizes on to one lucky lady should a guy win? Hmm… well, anyway, here is the scoop:

Take a photo featuring you in Second Mirage Jewelry and post it to the “Second Mirage” group on flickr! Enter as many times as you like, but only ONE submission per named set/item though, so pick your best shot for each! All submissions to the group need to be before January 22nd! The winner will be unveiled at the upcoming Second Mirage showcase to be held over the weekend of January 25-27!

Any questions, contact SerenityVal Alcott inworld or by email at serenityval[@]gmail.com.

Also, as I’m sure many of us in the blogosphere have heard by now, Last Call (AND Moderno) will be having their “final shebang” beginning 11th of January during which all items for sale by Ginny Talamasca, Katterina Dagostino, and Devyn Carmichael will go on sale one final time for $100L a piece. After the sale, all items by these designers will be permanently retired — more details as follows:

Starting Friday 1-11-08 at 9am SL Time, all Items created by Ginny Talamasca, Katterina Dagostino, and Devyn Carmichael will go on a final $100L sale. All Items will be marked as Modifiable and Transferable but will NOT be Copyable. So please be careful with items you purchase, once this sale has concluded all sale items will NO LONGER be available in SL from their original creators.

I will continue to honor all Gift cards up until 7am Tuesday morning 1-8-08 when I shall close off the island to begin reprogramming the vendors and their respective inventories. I know that not everyone will get this notice before the deadline, so let me be clear. I will honor Gift Cards submitted after Tuesday morning and for the duration of the sale, BUT they will only be redeemed for the ORIGINAL item’s price NOT the sale price. Once Last Call has closed its doors following the conclusion of the sale all gift cards will be considered Void. The sale will run for approximately one month or possibly longer demand permitting.

For those of you wondering if the Dazzle Sim will be shutting down for good, don’t fret. Lyra Muse assures us that that is in fact NOT the case… simply that Ginny Talamasca has virtually “left the building”… a tragedy in itself, but from the sounds of it, a personal need. I wish him all the best, and sincerely hope the rest of you do too.

Moving right along…

The current Second Life hair texture guru (in my personal opinion) has released some new styles over at RaC (SLURL). I simply LOVE these hair textures… I’ve never seen them more real. I have to say that my favorite one is definitely “Silk”, closely followed by “Princess”. To see some shots of these awesome new styles, head over to Melanie Kidd’s blog and check them out. Then, while you’re at it, head on over to RaC and buy them!

Raskella Canadeo, lovely designer of Blooberry (SLURL, OnRez, SLEX), has announced that she will be completely redoing her storefront, including a new building, new posters, etc. Until previews are ready on her blog, she also has some quite lovely new releases for us to enjoy. A little sample:

I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I’ll definitely be shimmying my little butt right on over to Blooberry to grab this cute lil number! Along with the other new releases she’s proudly displayed on her blog.
And finally, another thing I’m sure most of us have heard about… Simone! has opened her fantastically fantastical $100L discount outlet store (SLURL), full of LOTS of $100L clothes for all of us to play with. I know I stopped by the other day and spent a cool $2k pretty easily. If you’re on a budget, this is probably THE place to stop and shop, so I’d recommend polishing off those wallets and getting on over there to do some serious comfort shopping.

WHEW! Lots going on… So much to do, so little time!

No girl I know is a stranger to Diversity Hair (SLURL, OnRez) which is why I’m so happy and flattered to be doing this review. I’ve been a long time fan of this particular hair shop, and considering that they’ve just redone a good chunk of their textures, I’m even more psyched.

I was asked by delightful store manager Sasy Scarborough to take a look at a few styles and offer my feedback (this was over two weeks ago now.. I am SO SORRY it’s taken so long!), and I was so thrilled when I got my review copies that I almost died. The hairs are FANTASTIC, and are available in a multitude of colors and styles. Styles are sold in shade packs for $175 (for four variations of one color) to $300 (for six to nine specialty shades).

I’ll start out by saying that you CAN have demos sent to your avatar through the OnRez storefront. Go shopping and enjoy a lag free experience whilst you decide which hair you must, must, must buy! Lord knows I love convenience… and I think this is why sites like OnRez and SLEX are so brilliant. Lag free shopping?! Sign me up!

Now on with the hair…

I received five styles to review: Alexi, Jasmine, Laura, Penelope and Sydney. Of the five I’d have to say that my favorite is, hands DOWN, Penelope - a flirty little messy side bun that accentuates my avi-face beautifully. If you’ve seen me in game lately, you’ve likely seen me sportin’ this style with some serious attitude. What’s nice about this ‘do is that it’s casual enough to wear with my ratty jeans, but elegant enough to wear with a cute little summer dress. I just love that kind of diversity… no pun intended. ;)

Jasmine is a perfect little braid that drops off to the left of the face, with a cute little color changing hair tie. What I like about this style is the bangs: they’re so beautifully wispy and chic and don’t fall flat down on your forehead. For some reason, I feel like THOSE types of bangs make me look goofy… but I love the bangs that have a little “style” to them. These definitely accomplish that.

Laura, a beautifully elegant bun, would look perfect with damn near any evening gown or cocktail dress your inventory can produce. It also sports the same wispy bangs, and many tendrils of curl that shape the face beautifully. The bun is perfectly round and sits atop the head nicely, and is actually larger than most bun up-dos I’ve seen that weren’t beehives. No matter the occassion, this style is sure to draw stares, not to mention requests for landmarks!

Sydney is a positively ADORABLE bob with stunningly detailed flexi hair accentuating its cut. This has quickly become one of my favorite hair styles for my casual little tomboy looks. The color changing side-barret is a cute little addition to a fantastic style.

Now, the only style I didn’t really like a whole lot was Alexi… and not because it’s not well done, but because I don’t feel that it shapes my avi’s head very well. It could just be the shape of my head! But I sort of think it makes me look a little … “egg headed”. I LOVE the side detail, and the back, but the front just doesn’t suit my palette when it comes to the way I look for hair to accent my face. KnowwhatImean? But regardless, give the demo a try!

Diversity (SLURL, OnRez) is FULL of many, MANY styles, and these are just five of the spectacular product they have to offer. If you’ve never seen their store, what’s wrong with you?! Get yer butt over there! If you HAVE… then drop by again, because between new releases, new textures, and overall quality at $175L per shade pack (four color variations!)… you just need to have this. And girls, you know what I’m talkin’ about… you can never have enough hair!