Tadaima!

That's Japanese for "I'm home!" It was a wonderful 12 day trip to Kyoto, Japan. This blog post doesn't have anything to do with Japan though ;) Just explaining my absence.

Details:
LeeZu's Westwood Coat in Palace Flowers.
Ingenue's Leslie trousers in Tiffany.
MichaMi's Laila top in Wine. [R]
Adam n Eve's Piper in Tan Bare. [R]
elikatira's Breathe in Red 05.
Ingenue's Wanderer in . [NA]
Mandala's Senjyu earrings in Snow.

Details:
Artilleri's Auntie Elsie dress in Green.
Mon Tissu's Montsegur pumps in White.
Adam n Eve's Piper in Tan Bare. [R]
elikatira's Breathe in Red 05.
Dark Mouse's Anzac set in Gold

All poses by STaTus http://shrimp56.kodakgallery.com/

52 ORANGE (with grateful thanks to Luna Jubilee!)

I can't believe that I have done 52 posts in Luna's challenge,. Not always on time mind you, but I did it! Thanks again ms luna :)

While I've done inventory diving for most of the posts, for the last one the right dress fell into my pixel paws thanks to Anessa Stine of DCNY. It is her new Mesh Knit Dress in Harvest. [R] I'm still not a fan of mesh as it makes my shape "not sam", but it is nice to not have the mini-skirt flap. I also like the way the sleeves can be longer without looking icky. But more on mesh another time.

Other details:
Hair: Breathe in Red 05 from elikatira
Skin: Piper in Tan from Adam n Eve [R]
Jools: Anzac set in Gold from Dark Mouse
Shews: Sloane Pumps in Caramel from Mon Tissu
Poses: STaTus [R]

52 CREAM

The next to last of the 52 Week Color Challenge, brought to us by the indefatigable Luna Jubilee proves that the CREAM rises to the top! Thank you Luna:)

I know some of us have taken this as an excuse to go shopping, but I had a lot of fun diving into my inventory to find the items needed. In this case it's an old DNR gift dress, the Satin Shine Cocktail Dress in Yellow. It's still available at Nicky Ree's store. I am wearing the Samara Shoes in Champagne [yes named after me by the uber-sexy Damen Gorilla], alas now [NA]. My skin is also AnE, Ariadne Natural Lemongrass from the talented fingers of sachi Vixen. Hair is from Clawtooth, Good Evening in Strawberry Cream. The Cream Pearl Flower Necklace is from Dark Mouse. Poses from STaTus.

52 KHAKI

WOOT! I'm actually posting this in the right week. *waits for everyone to pass out*

A search for Khaki didn't reveal much, but eventually I settled on the Chifone dress in Khaki, a gift from oyakin. I have to say that I am enamoured of the fluffy skirt. The "jools" are new, from Dark Mouse. They are called Dreaming of Camelot and the stones are colour-change. This "colour" is some sort of pale green that works well.

Hair is from elikatira, Details in White 05. And I am still wearing Liane from Adam n Eve with the Pinkade eyeshadow.

Poses are from /GEEZ/

52 DENIM

WooT! I found an unblogged image that just happens to be denim.
The denim outfit is in 3 parts from A La Folie and called respectively "jeans bleu clair court & Top" and "Tee Shirt crochet blanc."In the right two images I'm wearing Fleur's Sailor Pants in Black [NA] instead of the denim skirt. I am wearing a PXL Creations skin in all images.

Left 2 Images Other Details:
Truth hair :: Marie
Caroline Jewelry :: Turtle set
Shiny Things :: Jane Wedges in Tan

Right 2 Images Other Details:
Exile hair :: Fastball in Pyre
Dark Mouse necklace
TommyBoy sneakers

ta ta Tangerine

Tangerine has also been lurking in my "to blog" folder, specifically the Prudence Cardigan from Mon Tissu. Here I've paired it with MichaMi bottoms, Dark Mouse jewels and Adam n Eve skins to produce 2 different looks. The primmy parts on the sweater work really well, in particular the retro padded shoulders. I'm wearing MichaMi's newish Suede Skirt in Brown, the Bohemian Flare Necklace and Bank's Closed Earrings from Dark Mouse as well as Adam n Eve's new Paige in Natural. [R] Candy Clogs in Copper from Shiny Things finish off the feet:) Hair is elikatira's Details in Red 05.


Here's an earlier image from about the time the Prudence Cardigan came out. In this case I'm wearing MichaMi's Laila pants in Black along with ETD's Heel Strap Platforms [NA]. My jewelry is again Dark Mouse's Obsidian, which also has a nice retro feel to it. Hair is from Amrita [NA] a style I found on Cajsa's blog eons ago. My skin is Adam n Eve Taylor in Natural.

So ta ta Tangerine!

NEW at L'Abel

Neferia Abel of Ivalde and the couture label, L'Abel has recently released a large group of lovely newness from L'Abel. First up is the elegant black dress, Orianna. [R] Its ruffles are beautifully done, fit well and make a very chic statement. With Orianna I am wearing...

Hair: aurora hair 01
Skin: Adam & Eve Taylor Natural Blush
Jools: Dark Mouse Obsidian Eye
Shews: Maitreya Gold Ixkin in Pearl


Second is a more casual option, the Adria top [R] and the Daija cord pants. [R] Both come in many colors. I love the lace on the top and the zippers on the pants.

Hair: elikatira Later Red 05
Skin: Adam & Eve Taylor Natural Blush
Jools: *MM* Feather Pendant Necklace & Earrings Set [NA]
Shews: ETD Heel Strap Platforms [NA]

So Good it Takes Two AAs

Swan Ling is the proprietor of Argyle Anonymous, hence the double AAs! She was brought to my attention by her RL sis, Elle Kirshner of Second Spaces, but the rest was love at first sight:) There is a limited number of items, each available in nicely retro-funky patterns. I tried to put together my own combination, but once I decided I wanted the Original Denim Skirt, such a flirty hem, I couldn't avoid the combination in her poster. Oh well. So much for MY originality. I selected the Button Shirt in Orange and the Cream Floral Tank.

Other details:
Aurora Hair 01
Shiny Things Plainers in Black
Dark Mouse Obsidian Eye Jewelry in Gold
Adam & Eve Taylor Gold Natural
Poses by /GEEZ/

IFW10 :: Fun with Milena

Well *hangs head guiltily*. I didn't get the IFW10 blogging done before it ended. My excuse is that Relay for Life in SL 2010 was also this weekend and it is all-consuming. We raised almost $220,000 USD to fund the fight against cancer.

Now on to monica Outlander of MiaMai's beautiful dress, Milena, shown at the event, which she was kind enough to drop on me.




Milena is a beautiful tiered full-length dress that lifts up in the back a bit to form a semi-bustle. It also include a flexi bit on the bodice, which I have named a "floof."The textures are gorgeous, the movement soft and it comes in a number of colors. Shown above are red and green. In all pictures I am wearing PXL's Candy in Natural/Wine, Cameron from Truth Hair and Dark Mouse's Carnival jewelry. Poses are by /GEEZ/.




Then I decided to have some fun. First I mixed the Green bodice with the Blue skirt and chest floof. I think mixing them shows off the floof better. It is perfectly placed around the modest keyhole in the neckline



Then I did the Red and Black versions 2 ways. I prefer the red top/black skirt version by a small margin, but either is stunning. So I have given you an excuse to buy at least 2 Milenas :)

The Mouse and the Lamb...

A couple of my favorite items in a mash-up for today. Enjoy!

Hair: Bang Bang Bob in Butterfinger from !lamb
Skin: Tuli [old group gift]
Jewelry: Spheres in Peridot & Copper from Dark Mouse
Clothes: Laila in Wine & Black from MichaMi

Out of the Dark (Mouse)

One of my favorite jewelers has been having a LOT of trouble with the new SL search, which means that people can't find her classified ads that she has paid for when they search. So several of us who both love and admire Mouse Ministrobell and her Dark Mouse store want you to have a chance to see her beautiful creations. Oh and everything I am showing is on deep sale in her discount store on Taber. Sets for L$50 which often include bracelets and rings as well as earrings and necklaces with 2 attachment points. Fatpacks for L$100, which give you one set free. [FYI I paid for every item in this post.]

Mouse makes the premier vintage jewelry sets on the grid. The attention to period detail is delicious. I mean how long has it been since you wore screwback earrings? Her work is muted, occasionally tarnished as befits a vintage item, but NEVER dull or invisible. So without further ado, my attempt to bring Mouse out of the Dark.


From left to right: Dark Mouse Giftwrapped Set - Copper;
Dark Mouse Vintage Carnival Set (Copper);
Dark Mouse Shell Flower Set - Copper;
Dark Mouse Tarnished Silver & Lapis Set;
Dark Mouse Flowers are Blooming Set (Gold)




Left: Dark Mouse Vintage 50's Diamond Pearl Set - Copper
Right: Dark Mouse Retro Glamour Earring Set - Gold

Other details:
skin: Tuli Gina 02 [available at The Dressing Room]
hair: Tiny Bird Nantes in Copper
body suit: Maitreya in Sea Green
eyes: Poetic Colors Lavender Fields Medium
poses: Glitterati Head Poses

Sometimes things just happen...

I have an embarrassing backlog of posts to do, but sometimes you end up in outfits that just blog so easily. Hence these two for a Sunday.



The first resulted from the perfect marriage of the !lamb Bang Bang Bob hairstyle in Butterfinger, still available for 50l Fridays through today and the Tuli Eva group gift skin in tone 3. Somehow the colors and textures just seemed to work. I love the slightly ragged edges in the hair, much more realistic than an even line. BTW Tuli's Eva, at least the gift one, has eyelashes on the skin. When well done, as these are, that is a real plus. Then the Dark MouseM Spheres in Peridot Necklace - Copper finished the look. I changed in MichaMi's Laila in Wine, as I'm not allowed to show you what's about to be new at MichaMi :)




The second outfit started with the Stitch top from Sweetest Goodbye, which I had seen on the feed. The question then became how to select the rest of the outfit. Violet Voltaire's No Love Lost set was easy. It shared that edginess that the top has. But black trousers just didn't work, nor did really brown ones either. So I am wearing the Isabeaux leather pants in brown [really a kind of greenish brown] from LF Fashion and some old Liah boots in Gunmetal for Jaywalk, alas no longer available. The hair is the new Eva from Exile in Auburn. It's a bit too ladylike for the rest of the outfit, but oh well :)

Again thanks are due to the 37 bloggers who took up my 3 Little Things challenge:

A Mashup for a November Wednesday

I bought the Magnifico Manolo boots in brown at the shoe fair--then the challenge began :) I decided to go for more subdued tones so as not to outshine the rich brown of the studded boots. So I am wearing the Isabeaux leather pants in brown from LF Fashion and a turtleneck in brown from the no-longer existing Frangipani Designs. My jewelry is the very 20s feeling Reversal of Fortune from Dark Mouse. Hair is Zoe in Copper from Truth and I'm wearing PXL Creations' July Spring Passion is Natural.

Flight of Fancy

It all started with a picture Aemilia Case posted on plurk -- a hairstyle with a witch's hat. I asked for a version without a hat and she said it was coming. And here it is -- Twig Snap in Red Spice.




In IMs with Aems I suggested it looked like "cootie garages" and that it needed birds to make it complete, since it resembled a coiled bird's nest. I ended up attaching the HPMD* bluebird to my chin and editing ... and yes it's one of those that ^chirps^. I was able to make it small enough to nestle in my hair. I love the stray flying bits in the style as well as the slightly ragged-edged bangs.

Continuing the theme of flight I then added the *BOOM* Aranel's Wings (flared). These wings are beautifully made. I particularly like the bit of glow around the edges as well as the heart "plumb line."

The rest of my outfit I have blogged before: belt from Dark Mouse, MichaMi's Laila top in Cream, LF Fashion Isabeau leather pants in brown, J's ankle boots in sand and PXL Creation's Grace Natural cateyes/rose lips with freckles. My tattoo, barely visible, is the hart, thistle & thorn tattoo from ~silent sparrow~.

Fair Warning!

When I headed to the Skin Fair now going on at the KMADD Events sim to pick up demos, there was one skin I knew I wanted. That was Tuli's Bella Natural in Fair. Tuli had been kind enough to send demos out to her inworld group so I could just buy on the spot.

Having secured that I struggled through the lag to League, Pink Fuel &, finally, Curio, where I made an expensive mistake:( I accidentally BOUGHT a Vixen skin in Sundust, rather than getting the demos. It's a lovely skin, but I was leaning towards Breeze II in Petal. So my "warning" is ... make VERY sure it's the demo box that you're clicking :( Particularly in the gray lag sea of the fair.




First up is what I came for, the Tuli Bella and boy is she!! The modeling, the freckles make Bella a combination of wise and innocent. I'm wearing Adam n Eve's Dorsal in Aqua. The textures make this a very elegant dress. My hair is ETD Tyra in Auburn Burnt, a great low lag "do" for fairs. On my feet are the Zhao Precious Silver, which are color change and very useful with dress-up clothes or lingerie. My jewelry is all posts is from Dark Mouse. In all except the last picture it's Divine Deco in Gold.




Next up is my "mistake", Vixen Pure in Sundust. It photographs better than it looks on me inworld, but the gloss on the right is quite wearable. And it never hurts to have a few suntans in your inventory. On the left I am wearing Last's Call's Elizabeth [Diva] in RED. This is also elegant, but verry slinky. On the right it's Adam n Eve again, my namesake dress, Samara, in Apple. It comes in many luscious colors and has a lingerie option that is pretty hot.



The Curio I had originally wanted was Breeze 2. I gritted my teeth and robbed my "bank alt" because Breeze 2 Mudslide in Petal was irresistable. Both of the makeups suit. If you don't know, Curio offers you two related skintones, two makeups and freckle or not for the 1k they cost. So when everything suits, it's a real deal! I'm wearing another Last Call, the Bass dress, which was one of my first purchases from LC back at one of their sales in early 2007. Shoes are Adam n Eve's Babii in Black. These shoes are so smooth that they should be illegal. Jewelry remains Dark Mouse, this time Vintage Marcasite in Silver. Hair is a new favorite Fastball in Pyre that I picked up at the Exile sale.




And to close, a blast from the past. My first good skin was Gala Sparse Medium. It looks pretty bare now, but it was my skin for many months. I use it now to adjust eyelashes :) On the right is my second good skin, Gala Shale in Medium. I can see the development trajectory and, in many cases, progress in skins, but the softness and perfection of these have a lovely innocence about them. I wear the Shale from time to time because I adore that mouth and the shading. Sometime "old" is "as good as new."

Ready and Willing for L'Abel

When Neferia dropped these dresses on me I was ready and willing to give them a try:) What I am able to say now is that these two dresses, Emelie and Mellie, are 1,000 times more wonderful than they are "on the rack"




The store displays do NOT do these two dresses credit. The textures and prims are really well done, as is the system skirt for Emelie. Mellie comes with its own gloves and Emelie has a silver bolero with the most adorable buttons up the back.

Also wearing:
ETD D'Orsay stilettos in black
Mussed jewelry set by Dark Mouse
Exile Fastball hair in pyre
PXL Creations Grace Natural Cateyes/Flamenco lips with freckles

"These Boots Are Made for Walkin"

And dancing and prancing and ... wearing around SL in general. Thanks to Damen Gorilla's creativity, they are all MINE. And thanks also to Damen I am poorer LOL. I KNEW I wanted the Fawn ones the minute I saw the ad picture on Plurk.

I pretty much wore them with what I had on for the last post, except I exchanged the blue checked gauze shirt for the L$1 pink one, matching my new boots nicely:) The closeup on the right shows the lovely rounded collar as well as the Dead Fish Earrings in Silver from Dark Mouse.

Other details:
Poses are still from [pda]
Hair: Olivia in Henna from Amacci
Skin: Parfait 1 in Strawberry from Fleur [only at their Rue D'Antibes store]

Humming along...

This post could also be titled "I (heart) Beaning Canning." As well as "I (heart) Samara Cioc. The reasons will be come clear :)

The post started with the check gauze shirt in blue from ::humming::, which came to my attention via Beanie's blog, Beanie Loves Japan, a resource for all of us who enjoy the Japanese creators in SL, but lack the language skills or time to seek out what Beanie so generously shares with us. The texture and collar are totally sweet. I paired the shirt with the Whippet & Buck Stein tailored shorts in Indigo and my favorite summer soles, SueShoo in White from Periquita.

My poses are from [pda] aka Penny Dreadful Arcade. Samara Cioc's poses are full of quirkiness with many drawing on film imagery. It was fun to break out of the modeling pose range for this outfit. So many thanks to Beanie and Samara :)

Other details:
Earrings: Retro Daisies from Dark Mouse
Hair: Olivia in Henna from Amacci
Skin: Parfait 1 in Strawberry from Fleur [only at their Rue D'Antibes store]

Oh, Mama!

In my country (Spain) we celebrated Mother's Day one week earlier that almost everyone else - it's always on the first Sunday of May for us. So, while everyone else was celebrating with their mums, I got away from my family for the weekend. Of course, as is customary whenever there's any special day on SL, I came back to a ton of notices that were doomed to getting lost. I could, however, rescue an important one saying that Nicky Ree had a special Mother's Day gift, available only until 12th May. Lookit!

It is, of course, not me but the dress, Satin Shine Floral Gown in blue. As is usual with Nicky Ree's designs, it comes with two different skirt options, but I'm only showing the ballgown one in the picture because I suffer from that common SL disease, called bigbummitis.

I guess I could have worn prim feet with this one, because surely no one would have noticed a skin colour mismatch. However, I opted for rescuing a pair sandals from last season, which I think picked up nicely on the purples and blues on the gown - they're Sasy Chic in Tulipe, from Aphrodite Creations. Also the delicate jewellery, from Dark Mouse, echoed the blue on the dress. They're the Spring Flowers earrings and necklace in silver, plus the Aquamarine Chunk Bracelet, also in silver.

The skin is an old favourite, a Vogue from Celestial Studios - although I had my doubts, because the new group gift from Rockberry (Uma) matched very nicely, too, also with purple smoky eyes. But I guess I've been changing skins so much lately that I liked the idea of getting back to a classic. The hair is ETD's Tiana, eyes and lashes are from Miriel and poses are from the Reel Expression "Party dress" set.

Full outfit credits, here.

Who put a spell on me?

Srsly, Secondlife™ is a sale festival lately and I can't stop spending.
Crisis? What crisis?

The dress shown in the picture, the Runed Wrap Dress, is part of the still ongoing *Hexed* sale. When I first tried it on I wasn't sure about it - the skirt was a bit too short for my taste, but thanks to Miko Omegamu's video tutorial I managed to adjust it to the desired length without any problems - I guess the awesome texture motivated me enough, et voilà, a totally wearable dress! As further precaution against leg exhibition I added the Mesh Black tights from *Sheer* and the Maitreya SoHo Boots in black suede, which I had been hankering for since I first saw the release announcement. I know there's prim feet sold all around the grid (even some freebie ones); I have been beta-testing them lately, but I still prefer the good old toe hiding system of wearing a nice pair of boots (especially because they do not require tinting every time you change skins!!).

Which reminds me, another discount item: the skin. Yup, I'm still on *that* experimental phase where I can't wear the same skin (skin brand, even) for a week - but seriously, how could I? They're all so yummy! Shown above is Laqroki's Alexis skin, from the portrait line, whose prices have all been reduced. At the sight of a Laqroki, I must confess I normally say, "Are you kidding me? At those prices? Not *that* good!"... but I guess 990L for a full pack (6 makeups) is enough to convince me to try them out. All the other portrait skins I tried on made me feel "someone else", but Alexis fit just right. One of these days I may do a skin post - if you don't mind me doing it in a diving suit!

Anyhow... while I was still at the Hexed sale I received a notice from Dark Mouse that announced reduced prices on some items to be retired - so in my shopping daze, off I went! Here you can see the Lapis Lazuli set in silver. Could it be a match made in heaven? The gems wouldn't have fitted the blue on the dress so perfectly if I had done it on purpose!! I paid about 50L for all three sets (silver, gold and copper) and all the reduced prices were along those lines, so I bought everything that was on sale, just in case. If the world ends now, I win best accessorized! ;-)

The other items shown are Truth's Nikhita (still from *that* 50L sale), eyes and lashes by Miriel, and the Sunny Day Stone Bangles from EarthStones. Poses with attitude from Long Awkward Pose.

Further outfit details here.