Mami Jewell has released a new dress in many colors. This teal version and it’s available in a limited edition on Marketplace.
Here you can see it in all its exuberant glory, with flexi panels that add movement and grace.
When Sarah McLachlan wrote Angel, she was not thinking of the sort you might see in a Sunday school lesson, but one more like this perhaps. The song is about seeking comfort and escape from life’s pain through a needle, through heroin addiction to be precise. Inspired in specific by Jonathan Melvoin of Smashing Pumpkins who died of an overdose about 20 years ago, the more general inspiration came from McLachlan’s own experience of seeking comfort and reassurance from other drugs. McLachlan, when speaking about the song, seems to think the feelings of inadequacy, of insecurity, of alienation are part of the music industry. Personally, I think they are part of life.
there’s always some reason
to feel not good enough
and it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release
memories seep from my veins
let me be empty
and weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight
in the arms of the angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you fear
I thoughy this blood-tipped “angelic” gown paired with the needle-sharp Say wings from Glam Affair would be a great representation of McLachlan’s “angel” whose comfort is only temporary unless, of course, it is the final comfort of death. Incidentally, Maylee Oh of The Secret Store who made this gown also made a video of her weight painting and texturing it and while I have no idea what she is doing it is strangely hypnotic to watch.
The gown is a gorgeous brocade with a delicate blood tip. You see more red in this picture than the other because of the red projector I was using to light the scene. The wings are white and plum and the projector lights them as well. I actually selected the plum textures in the wings and tinted them bright red to go with the dress and the jacket.
My shoes are from Hucci and are incredibly elegant. I love how the leather comes to a point and echoes the feathers and the wings.
I always wear lingerie under my clothes. After all, sometimes when you TP in, your clothes seem to arrive a few seconds after you do. Luxuria is my go to brand.
A chose Truth’s Anouk hair style with the color-change bands and Donna Flora’s Julia set with rubies.
My makeup comes from Glam Affair’s newest release Mavi, a Lelutka mesh head applicator. I opted for the brightest, reddest lipstick.
Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******
Poses: Di’s Opera
HUDS: AnyPose Expression HUD v1.0 – Wear Me
Slink Ankle Lock
Skin: Glam Affair Mavi Asia
Mesh Attachments: .LeLutka.Mesh Head-STELLA v1.1
Slink Avatar Enhancement Feet High & Handas
Slink Physique Mesh Body V2.4 (ADD ME)
Appliers: Flair Mani-Pedi 13
Glam Affair Mavi Asia
Luxuria Serpentine Red
Eyes: pc eyes by LL – shallow water – medium
Hair: TRUTH HAIR Anouk
Clothing: [Slink]The Secret Store – Avianna Dress – Blood Dip @ Collabor88
[Slink]The Secret Store – Harpy Mantle – Blood Dip @ Collabor88
Glam Affair – Sya Wings Plum @ Collabor88
Shoes: ::HH:: Hucci Minerva Sandal – Collection (Slink) @ Collabor88
Jewelry: Donna Flora Julia
(Yummy) True Fate Ring – Gold – Rainbow @ Collabor88
Location: Kalopsia Broken Floor, anc Bubbles
I tried something a bit different today.
It has become known that It’s only Fashion is not just a site to visit for fashion, stories, tutorials, and other things, but also a place to find Home & Garden items. I have seen many different little setups grace the feeds over the years and I have always wanted to try it myself. I find it hard to be motivated to take that first step, when there has always felt little need for the end result.
I don’t have a home, I never have. Prims have always been allocated to the use of the store. I sometimes will have something silly and unneeded out. My blogging area has all sorts of things around it. A home though, that has always been a fanciful wish that probably will never be. To be inspired to decorate, when you don’t have the need to do it, that just wasn’t coming to me.
I started my push forward by going though all the skyboxes, houses, cottages, buildings, and so on, that I had nestled in a folder. I threw about 100 out, haha no joke. H&G is the one thing in my inventory that you could consider an utter mess, as my venture in those folders happen so infrequently.
A lot of the items had rez scripts that no longer worked, as LL likes to update certain things from time to time. One house made me really sad, loved it, but it was no mod, and the rezzer totally borked it.
I think for a first real try, I did okay with this room. I am happy with it. I can imagine some cute little avatar sitting there, reading a book, playing with the cat, musing about her day.
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[CIRCA] is in the new round of Swank this month, bringing you a new set to play with. It is called French Connection , and comes with Chair(24 Animations, with Male and Female options), Table(with Book and Decor), Travel Case(9 Animations, with Male and Female options, as well as Colour Change Blanket), 2 Cookie Plates, Mirror and a matching Rug. To put the whole setup out, it is only 15LI,100% Mesh and all components are Transferable. There are 2 colourations, the one shown here in Paris Purple, as well as the Paris Tan. They are currently 30% off from Sept 7th until the 30th, only at Swank.
Other Room Styling Credits – You can find Store Links HERE or by Ingame Search
Skybox – Candy Cloud – White Vintage Skybox – 9LI
Chalkboard Wall Art – MELONopolis – Wonderland Chalkboards – 3LI
Lamp – Alchemist – Flower Lamp Ver.1 White(Common Gacha Prize) – 2LI
Mannequin – {anc} – Mannequin SnowWhite(Rare Gacha Prize) – 5LI
Cat – Birdy – Mr. Bigglesworth Naked Cat(Common Gacha Prize) – 15LI – *NEW* @ The Arcade
Floor Decor – ChiC buildings – Geo Spheres – 1LI
Candles – [CIRCA] – “Bali” River Rock Candles Set of 3 in Slate – 7LI
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass,” is great advice for writers. It is attributed to Anton Chekhov who did write something pretty close to that. It remains good advice whether it is apocryphal or not. It basically tells writers to show, don’t tell. Of course, some writers go overboard and describe every single thing in such detail that they have left themselves no room for emotional honesty or plot, but in general, as a reader, I prefer showing to telling. It’s much easier with a picture, though, and in this one you can see the glint of moonlight on the waves.
Of course, what you really want is the perfect blend of show and tell. You don’t want authors telling you what every person is thinking, you want them to trust you to figure it out from their actions and their words. Writers who tell too much insult our intelligence, assuming we cannot get the point without it being spelled out. Fashion blogs often just show, with pictures and very little else. I like to add a bit of telling to explain things like why I fell in love with the Moon Lounge from {anc} at The Arcade. No one loves props more than bloggers and I was afraid I would spend a fortune trying to get it from the gacha machine, but I got it on the first pull.
Continue reading
“The amazing thing is that every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements – the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution – weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way they could get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.”
Carl Sagan said we are all star-stuff and shooting these pictures for this post made me think of him. The keke glitter constellations and the anc. mist clouds made me think of galaxies and nebulae. The windswept magical dreaminess of the Papillon dress from Moon Amore only added to that. It comes with a color change hud that allows wearers to choose colors for the bodice, skirt and embellishments. This particulate texture has a field of clouds that inspired the direction I took with the shoot. The fluttering of butterflies are optional. You can wear the skirt with no butterflies, with just the butterflies on the skirt or with the long kite tail of butterflies. As you can see, I went for maximum butterfly. The outfit also comes with a gift of balloons, but left them out. The balloons come in a range of pastel colors to coordinate with the dress.
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That shirt! You know the one I mean. We all have one. The shirt we have owned since forever, that repeated washings and years of wear have softened the fabric to a perfect level of comfort. It is the adult equivalent of a blankie. A shirt that ends up in every load of laundry because after a hard day, we put it on the minute we get home, as though putting on a hug. We have forgotten to turn it inside out a few hundred times and the fabric is pilling and snags are visible here and there, but we don’t care. It is our favorite shirt and we will keep it until it falls apart on our body.
Whatever sizing and substance the fabric once held is gone. It conforms to our body like a second skin, a cozy, comfy, second skin that says “You’re good enough. You’re smart enough. And doggone it, people like you.” We have that shirt in our first lives, but now we can have it in our second as well, thanks to Vinyl’s Little Toast (sukoshitosuto) and any doubts whether this distress and well-worn look was not deliberate can be dispelled with a look at some of the other options on the texture hud.
Yup, that’s deliberate.
Continue reading
JUMO has released an amazing gown. It’s an entire outfit, really, with shoes, jewelry and the works, but I like to mix and match and showcase different ways to wear things, so even though an outfit is lovely, I seldom wear it right out of the box. Part of the joy and purpose of blogging is showing how clothing is more versatile that it first appears, mixing it with other items as I have here – adding this jacket from Peqe, for example, mainly because I prefer a shrug or jacket over something strapless. That beautiful sideswept hair is from Wasabi Pills.
Wearing a ballgown can sometimes be a balancing act even when you are not on a tightrope. After all, the overall zeitgeist of SL fashion has become more informal with ever passing year. I don’t care, though, I love formal gowns – in my first and my second lives. Sadly I cannot afford so many in my first. This gown comes with several alternatives including the sheer lace attachment that covers its entirety as well as option flexi skirts that add fullness and flow to the skirt. They come in gold or a deep rose red.
The sheer lace overdress may be a bit polarizing. It does not bling, but there is some script I think that makes the texture seem to sparkle. I wore it this morning and got rave compliments on one hand, but also an IM asking if there was some glitch because “it looks like it’s tuned to a channel that has no reception. It’s off the air.” 
However, it is an add on, so it can be left off – which gives you an equally brilliant gown. That peacock is a pet, by the way and follows voice commands. I sent him to his perch so I quit knocking him in the head with my dress as he followed me about. He sat there and would occasionally fan his plumage. Such a lovely boy.
By the way, speaking of bird, do you not just love this flying bird ring from Swallow? It’s at The Arcade and not to be missed. Alaskametro released these new nails and I swear I could not have found a better complement to this gown if I had commissioned one to be made for it.
Other additions to the outfit include this mask from David Heather and the headdress from LODE. Both of them can be found at The Arcade.
My makeup features Glam Affair’s skin for the Karin head from Lelutka with some additional makeup from Adam & Eve on the eyes and lips.
Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******
Poses: aDorkable & furnishings
HUDS: AnyPose Expression HUD v1.0 – Wear Me
fri. – Ankle Lock
Skin: Glam Affair Asia
Mesh Attachments: .LeLutka.Mesh Head-KARIN v1.1
Slink Avatar Enhancement Feet High Left V2.1
Slink Avatar Enhancement Feet High Right V2.1
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands V2.1 – L – Elegant1
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands V2.1 – R – Bag
Slink Physique Mesh Body V2.3.1
Appliers: alaskametro<3 “tropics/gold” nails applier
Glam Affair ( Lelutka Heads ) Karin Applier [ Asia ]
AE Eyeshadow Set 6 (Lelutka)
AE Lipstick G Set 4 Lelutka
LeLutka Karin HUD 1.1
Glam Affair – Slink Feet Skin Appliers (Asia )
Glam Affair – Slink Hands Skin Appliers ( Asia)
Glam Affair – Slink Physique Applier – ASIA
Eyes: Aphotic Gloom – Aquilius Eyes (Apple)
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Sharon Mesh Hair – Rouge
Clothing: .:JUMO:. Diamond Queen Gown S
:JUMO:. Diamond Queen ADD ON S
Peqe – Bali Shrug (M)
Shoes: .:JUMO:. Diamond Queen Shoes
Jewelry: .:JUMO:. Diamond Queen Earring L
.:JUMO:. Diamond Queen Earring R
*LODE* Head Accessory – Golden Shower BIG [mix] RARE .@ The Arcade
-David Heather-Masquerade Mask/Gold .@ The Arcade
^^Swallow^^ Flying Bird Ring GOLD .@ The Arcade
Location:
junk. vintage boutique bench.@ The Arcade
tarte. dragonfly lights @ The Arcade
{anc} Hatsuyume / wind parasol (long) pink 2Li .@ The Arcade
{anc} Hatsuyume / wind parasol (short) pink 2Li .@ The Arcade
{anc} Hatsuyume / pink peacock PET 6Li RARE .@ The Arcade
{anc} Hatsuyume / flower branch (stand) gold 1Li .@ The Arcade
[ keke ] butterfly screen – bright RARE .@ The Arcade
[ keke ] butterfly wall decor – yellow .@ The Arcade
NOMAD // Amore Moon & Stars .@ The Arcade
HPMD* Garden Tree08 with Lights – bGreen a, b, and c
{anc} canopy:lace:gold @ mainstore
Anc Cirque de Reverie tent, balloons, chairs, ladder, tightrope, globe light, signboard, – from previous Arcade, available at mainstore.
I am not really feeling that woe is me at the moment, but this pose in ant’s broken chair at May’s Collabor88 just seems to embody the melodramatic despair of some poor benighted Shakespearean unfortunate. I used the Animare HUD to adjust the pose just a bit so the head and arm rest on the floor. Continue reading
Mesh dress, shoes, body, hands, feet, jewelry, hair and face. Yes, I am all meshed up. The dress is from Milk Motion for this month’s Collabor88. It comes in several pastel colors – fitting with this month’s theme. I love how asymmetry in the neckline echoes that of the skirt. I also adore the belt, enough that I wish it were sold separately to war with other items. I have one quibble, but it is rooted in Second Life limitations, not in poor construction. This dress has shoulder pads, as you can see. That gives it a great architectural look. Sadly, every long hair I tried to wear intersected with it. I normally prefer the shorter hair and updos anyway, because I love jewelry and want to see it. But, I also like having the option of long hair and that is a little difficult with these shoulders. Of course, one of those free-flowing manes would work.