Beauty Avatar’s Beautiful Skins
Sita Loire, the creator behind the Beauty Avatar line (Flickr, SLURL, OnRez), has undoubtedly become a contender in the great race that is skin design. A relatively new designer, she has released lines of clothing for both men and women, as well as shoes, shapes, and skins. Ahhh… skins. My poison. What else would we be talking about today?!
Creator: Sita Loire
Shop Location: Miami Island (SLURL) or OnRez (URL)
Price: $1400L per skin / $18,000L per fatpack (16 skins)
Other Notes: This will be a review of the Nefertiti line of skins by Sita Loire of Beauty Avatar. There are other skin lines available entitled Callisto, Rozen, and Nemesis. I have to say that the Rozen skin is also INCREDIBLY fantastic, and if you haven’t already, get over to Beauty Avatar and try on some demos. There’s also FREEBIES available for both MEN and WOMEN!!! Lovely gift boxes just waiting for you to snatch them up. The women’s gift box is located inside the skin shop, while the men’s is located inside the clothing shop.
Being the eternally grateful skin whore that I am, I recently came into possession of a pack of the beautiful Nefertiti skins in Bronze and I must say… I absolutely fell in love. Anyone that knows me at all knows exactly how picky I am about the skins I’ll wear. For instance, I really hate it when skins drastically change the look of my face. This does not mean I won’t WEAR pretty much any skin I come into possession of (what can I say, I’ve become a shape-for-skin tweaker), just that it’s a personal preference… I like my face. Ya dig? :P
I am happy to say that these do NOT change the look of my face. Barely at all, really. It makes me very happy. :D Yay for keeping mah purdy face!
Now, let’s get down to business.
The first thing I’ll comment on is the makeup. While I absolutely adore the colors of the lips, cheeks, eyes, etc… I have to admit that the halo-ed lip liner is a little off putting to me. It kind of reminds me of those older business women who, so entangled in their daily work lives, forget to freshen up their lipstick and are left with a line of lip liner around their lips. I always thought that was strange. However, the Nefertiti line seems to be the only one of the four available at Beauty Avatar that has this small, matter-of-preference pet peeve of mine. Another thing that’s quite strange about the face itself is the VERY over pronounced “line” from the top of the lip to the tip of the nose… I am completely unsure of what it’s called, but it is very dark in comparison to the rest of the skin and just looks very unnatural. And while some people I have read dislike the funky style of some of the eyeshadow, I must say I rather enjoy most of them! Being the artist and photographer I am, things like that are usually very good to have in a photo shoot… it adds character, if nothing else. Know what I mean, jelly bean?
The boobs are excellent, wonderfully shaded and highlighted, not too harsh, not too dark, a subtle hint of a tanlined on the rather beautifully textured flesh. The nipples are a darker tone than I’m usually used to seeing which I think actually works out great for these skins — it gives them a much more “exotic” look.
The ass is excellent… yes, yes, I know I have this strange fascination with all things buttocks-y. Hate me for it. But regardless, this is an awesome butt. Flawlessly shaded and squeezable, just the way I like it. A small, barely noticeable seam sits right above the waistline, which is something I notice with a lot of skins really… a rather tough spot to contend with, I know! However, with an ass like that… who’s gonna be looking?
I ADORE the naughty bits on this particular skin as well. It’s much… “smaller”?… than what I usually see. It sports a neatly trimmed puff of hair as well. Being the Brazilian girl that I am, I could live without the puff of pubic hair, but really, that could be just me… I’m strangely preferrable to the full-bare vaginal state. A little off topic… this is another reason why I am so in love with Starley Thereian’s skins. While her skins do have a small puff of pubic hair, she also offers a Brazilian option… in the form of an underwear layer, skin painted on, with no pubic hair!!! I love you, Starley. More skin designers should take that cue from you (*hint hint, nudge nudge*).
Another thing I am strangely attracted to about the lovely Nefertiti skin is the abdomen and navel. It’s just… beautiful. Soft yet defined and elegant. Gorgeous. I absolutely adore that… the little details. They always get me. *tears up a little*
The feet and toes are PERFECT. No, really! Just perfect. Save for the seams around the ankles, the toes are just heaven-sent and flawless in their composition. Absolutely adored in my book. With SL feet being so hard and ridiculous to work with anyway, I just love it when designers take the time to do their best and make their feet look as perfect as they can. Bonus. And while I did not get a picture of them, the knees on this particular skin are fantastic as well. Just take my word for it. ;)
The hands are great, beautiful detail. The nails are ready to be painted, which is exquisite because I love to shop for nail polish and prim nails. If you’re a nail polish girl, these skins are definitely the ones you’ll adore.
The ears… I must admit, not fantastic, but better than some I’ve seen. They definitely suffer from “pasted on” syndrome, and as with many skins it comes as no shock to me that ears are just… hard to work with when it comes to making them “blend in naturally”. And really… how many people look at your ears, anyway? :P I’m sure there are those who do… but I’m not one of them. At least, not unless I’m doing a skin review! Besides, my rats nest of a hairdo covers them 90% of the time anyway!
All in all, a fantastic skin and a really exciting jump start for a relatively new skin designer. I can’t wait to see what other skins Sita Loire comes out with… her more recent lines are just exquisitely beautiful, and are CLEARLY only getting better. If you haven’t had the chance yet, I really would suggest a trip to Beauty Avatar on Miami Island (SLURL, OnRez) where you’ll find the lovely line of skins, shapes, clothes and … well, beauty. Treat yourself a little bit on this lovely Sunday afternoon!
Arcane Skins: The Next Big Thing
I had the pleasure of working with Truth Hawks of Truth (SLURL, Blog) recently and happily met his good friend, Ignite Nightfire of Arcane (SLURL, Blog). As circumstances would have it, I ended up with not one, not two, but THREE of the four makeup fat packs currently available for Ignite’s FANTASTIC skins. And being the skin whore I am, albeit a late one now (sorry, Ignite!) I just HAD to write a review on them. Because… well… mmm mmm MMM!
I have to start this post out by saying that these skins have the best boobage I’ve ever seen. Bar none. And I’m not just saying that because I think Truth and Ignite are awesometasticscrumbdiddleyumpcious people either. I’m saying it because, as a booby-booty girl, it’s true.
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty!
Creator: Ignite Nightfire
Shop Location: Truth Island (SLURL)
Price: $1100L per skin / $4000L per makeup fatpack (5 skins)
Other Notes: Let me state first and foremost that these skins are a STEAL for everything you’ll be purchasing with them which includes: the skin itself, a shape, prim hair (by Truth), eyelashes and a facelight. For $1100L you can go from newbie to “I just whipped the koala’s ass,” in 30 seconds.
While the skins are not transferable, there ARE gift cards available in denominations of $500L, $1000L, $2500L and $5000L! I wonder if it would be possible to change these denominations to something more like, $1100L, $2200L, $3300L, and $4000L… maybe? Just to better accommodate the purchase of a single skin, two skins, a fat pack, etc. */endpondering*
Skin tones available range from very light to tan and are very yummily named… Ghost, Creme, Fudge, Latte, and Caramel. All skins are available in four different makeup styles – Smoked, Vivids, Colors and Galaxy. My personal favorite – Smoked Sheer in Caramel – is what you will be seeing this morning!
One of the things I am most emphatically pleased with about this skin is the skin texture itself. It is very good in that it gives the illusion of pores on the skin without obstructing the skin “flow” itself. Know what I mean? It all blends together very nicely, especially on the legs and chest. Brilliant work! As I’ve stated so many times before, I am always so very happy when content creators throw in these extra little details that just add so much to the product.
Now, as I stated earlier, the boobs on this skin are FANTASTIC… I mean, I have honestly never seen more perfectly blended nipples on any other skin in game, and believe me when I say I’ve looked at a LOT of skins (zomg, you should see my skin demos folder… it’s redonk). The highlighting and shading is not too harsh, not too subtle, it’s actually just right… very photo realistic. The caramel skin tone almost looks fresh out of a tanning bed!
The booty is also superbly shaded and definitely passes “Ryker’s Ass Test”, as I’ve begun calling it. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a closeup, but I feel rather comfortable going on record as saying that it is, “bootylicious”. That’s right, I said it! Bootylicious.
Another thing I don’t think I’ve ever diliberately pointed out on a skin before that I am CRAZY HAPPY about on this one… the navel. Belly button. The spring break shot glass. It’s beautiful and lickable all at the same time, something that I’m sure many of you girls out there will enjoy come time for those intimate moments with your favorite honey. And while we’re on the topic of intimate moments… the “nether regions” are rather yumtastic too. Sporting a tiny landing strip, which I find incredibly cute, and the pussy itself isn’t ULTRA LONG… so it doesn’t blend into your butt crack when you bend over like it does on some skins I’ve seen, which I think is nice… LOL! I’m sure all of you know by now that I’m a Brazilian girl (not the country, the pubic hair preference), but this landing strip is actually a happy compromise to that crazy preference o’mine.
The knees are also superbly shaded and highlighted, not too small or too big. That’s one thing that ALWAYS drives me crazy about some skins… the knees are so tiny and knobby that it’s just ridiculous. Thankfully there are a few skin creators out there that have found the perfect balance of knee-to-leg ratio and have run with it, making for a happy Ryker.
The hands are lovely on this skin, and the toes and feet are, as usual, as good as toes and feet in SL are going to get… I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that feet in SL are horrendous, and they’re just not going to get better (this is why God invented socks). But if I could throw out a recommendation here, if you’re a skin creator in Second Life and looking for a good foot template to work off of, I would highly recommend downloading Eloh Eliot’s PSD files and using her toe and toe nail shading. Hers are, by far, the best feet I’ve EVER seen in SL (Ever. EVER! Fucking EVER)… I would even go as far as to say that they’re as perfect as feet are ever going to get… but I would LOVE to see someone prove me wrong! Go feet creators, go!
The only, only, only, ONLY problem I see with this skin, and it’s a minor one at that, are the ears. They kinda look just… pasted on? I don’t know. But a little blending work there, and voila.. perfection. Considering this skin is virtually flawless (I didn’t even see a single seam… I looked… hard!), I didn’t notice the ears until someone pointed them out to me. A minor set back to a 99% perfect skin!
As first timers go, I have to say that Ignite is on his way to the gold. I don’t even think he COULD “get better”, because it’s obvious that this guy has his digital skin painting skills nailed down to a science. I am truly excited to see next generations, and this is only the FIRST. With the minor improvements he could make on these skins, they’ll undoubtedly be pinky-and-the-braining it all over the grid in no time.
What are you waiting for?! Head over to Truth (SLURL) and pick up some of these Arcane skins by Ignite Nightfire (Blog)! If nothing else, try on a demo. Your avi will thank you for it! And congratulations, Ignite, on your AWESOME skin launch! You’re a rockstar!
PS: While you’re at it, make sure to hit the hair section in Truth’s shop and pick up one of his latest hair releases! My absolute favorite is definitely his new, sculpted “Emma” ‘do (top left in the picture below), which I must admit looks smashing on my pretty little avi. I’m sure it would on yours too!
Question for the Masses
I thought I would take this particular question to the readers of this blog, however few or many I may have! Seeing as how you’re all avid Second Life residents (except for Ed, who is undoubtedly reading this… hi Ed), I was wondering if perhaps the following may or may not be of interest to anyone.
If you’ve been reading my blog here, you’ve undoubtedly noticed my tendency to announce sales happening at stores, steals, giveaways, etc. Now, all too often these sales and things are happening on a very limited basis… and for those of you that do not read this blog often (or subscribe to the feed), I really have no way of getting this information TO you. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t want to know about it. You know what I mean? So here’s my proposition:
Would anyone be interested in joining a group if I created one in SL wherein I will announce my blog updates, sale discoveries, great finds, etc… things like that? If desired, I could also attach my actual blog posts (reviews and all, complete with landmarks and textures of photos as required) to the announcements I make.
What does everyone think of this idea? I would love your feedback.
SALE: Artilleri is 2 Years Old! Know What That Means?
That’s right!!! A 50% off sale! Guys and gals alike, I encourage you to head on over to Artilleri for a sale that will be ending in ohhhh…. about 5 hours? LOL!
From the Artilleri blog:
Everything in the mainstore (this does not include artilleri home) is now set to 50% off it’s original price. This sale will last for 48 hours, after that the prices will go back to 100%. I hope you see this as an opportunity to get some extra artilleri stuff at a good price. :)
Hurry! Get your butts over there! The sale ends tonight night at 9PM!
A Quick Note to Ana Lutetia
Girlfriend, you rock. Hardcore. So hardcore that I want you to sign my boobies.
Our dear Ana Lutetia has created, easily, one of the best resources available within the blogosphere right now. I’ll be bookmarking it immediately, and you should too.
It is called, simply, “SLURLs – Store Locations”… and it is exactly what it sounds like: an alphabetical directory of SLURLs to all the best stores. I wonder if she’ll be accepting requests to add store locations? Maybe!
This is very cool, Ana. Incredible initiative. I just love initiation! Way to go.
Fuse Clothing: Mr. Hugo, You Are Da Bomb
I heard through the blogosphere (grapevine, locker room, whatever) that there’s a new designer in town by the name of Jonathan Hugo. His new shop, Fuse (SLURL), I felt was definitely worth a mention here, as it shows some SERIOUS promise in the fashion world.
While his shop (housed in one of Barnesworth Anubis’s newer builds, the BelAir) is small and very sparse at the moment, the few items he DOES have are VERY noteworthy. SO noteworthy, in fact, that I’ve commissioned my very good friend, Mr. Stephen Venkman, to model a few of his outfits for me.
Yes, ladies, this shop mostly has male clothing at the moment… there are a couple of female choices, though not many. However, I have high hopes for his future female fashion endeavors! If they are anything like his male clothing, I am sure the future is bright indeed.
Now, let’s get down to bidness!
A couple of things to note right off the bat about the jeans that Stephen is wearing… they ARE MODIFIABLE. When you initially put them on, they are, as Steph would say… “nut hugging”. However, you can modify them to be as baggy as you like, so DO NOT FRET if you put these pants on and realize that the tops of your rock star boots are no longer tucked away neatly below the fold. That can be changed. These jeans can be taught!
Each piece of clothing shown here is sold individually. I am especially fond of the polo shirts… they are beautifully made, fantastically textured, and I’m just such a sucker for realistic wrinkles.
The seams on these shirts match perfectly, right down to the triangular side seam traditional of polos. The texture has a good bit of depth to it, and as I mentioned, the wrinkles are fantastically done. The pectoral muscle shading is beautiful, giving off just enough “hint” of muscle tone beneath the fabric (I know how you boys just LOVE your muscle tone!). The only real problem I have with the polo shirts is I kind of feel that the shoulder cloth is a tiny bit… “over-wrinkled”? Is that even a word? But other than that, brava. These are beautifully done. The polos come in six different colors (Clay, Salmon, Olive, Lilac, Stone, and Earth), and are available for $110L per shirt.
The next item of business, Mr. Hugo’s wool jersey for men, is also incredibly well done. Like the polo, it is very well textured and superbly shaded right down to the subtle highlights on the long sleeves; not to mention that the perfection of the seams is almost scary. I have to admit, I am a huge pain in the ass when it comes to seams on clothing… and these definitely pass my test. Not even a MILLIMETER off center. Incredible. These fantastic jerseys are available in four colors (Earth, Mist, Sunset, and Thunder) and, like the polo shirts, are available for purchase at $110L per shirt.
I’d also like to mention here that all shirts are modify/copy/no transfer.
Finally, the jeans (playfully known as the “nut huggers” from this point on) lack very little in the way of denim texturing. Honestly, this particular denim texture has to be one of the better ones that I’ve seen on the grid. Thanks to the fact that these jeans ARE intially tight on your legs (but they ARE MODIFIABLE!), they DO actually look great on female avatars. I know. I tried them on myself, and I’m rather pleased with the results. If I could change one, tiny thing about them though, I would have to say that I’m not crazy about the fact that the zipper button is kind of a rusty orange color. I, personally, would lean more towards a silver or tin colored button. That might be me just being nit picky, but you never know. But, zipper buttons aside, these jeans are fantastic. I do declare, Mr. Beauregard… I believe I’m in love with the manly jeans! There are six pairs of jeans available at the price of $110L per pair, and they come in colors City (a grey-ish color), Factory (a black color) and Subway (a dark blue color) with your choice of regular texturing or gritty texturing. Everyone (ladies included) should definitely run out and snatch these up. I am sure they would make a welcome addition to any wardrobe, ESPECIALLY considering that they’re modifiable.
Yes, I do believe I am rather impressed by this little gem of a shop. Mr. Hugo, I cannot wait to see your future releases! And please don’t forget us ladies… we have plenty enough clothes, I know, but, but, bububu… we will love you for it. I promise!
The name is Fuse. Drop it a visit! You won’t regret it. Also, feel free to bookmark his blog. While pretty underdeveloped right now, I imagine it will soon be teaming with life like a koi pond in a Japanese garden.
PS: Ladies, there ARE female items available in the store (approximately 9 items). It is well worth the visit! Kimberly, if you’re reading this, I think you would look *STUNNING* in the Secretary outfit in red!
Diversity Hair Sale
I subscribe to exactly 102 Second Life related blogs. It’s true. I do. And I add more every day. Isn’t that sick? I just had to get that out there.
Anyhoo! Given the fact that I AM such an obsessive reader, I am privy to the following fantastical information…
The lovely Aleri Darkes over at Diversity Hair is having a big 50% off all Natural Hair color packs in the store (excluding clearance items, of course). The sale, once again, ONLY APPLIES to NATURAL HAIR packs. While unfortunate that it’s only that one pack, hey… it’s only $150L, ya dig? And they sell my color (black), so rockin’! The natural packs come in six colors: seaside sand, eclipse, cranberry, java, honey suckle, and hot chocolate. I’m sure most everyone (unless you REALLY REALLY like your colored tips) will be satisfied by at least one color in this lovely pack, so I fully encourage you to drop by (SLURL) and get ta shoppin’! This includes you, too, boys… Aleri sells both male and female hairstyles! The sale will last until midnight on October 31st.
In addition to this fantabulorastic sale, Ms. Darkes has also released three brand spankin’ new hairstyles — my personal favorite of which is the lovely Jacqueline II. The curls are delicate, the flow is spectacular, and I absolutely adore the way it frames my ever-so-lovely face. I’m sure it will frame yours just beautifully as well, so consider this my official endorsement. It’s beautiful. Really!
~runs off to shop!~
