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Unique New You
One of my favourite things about Bakes on Mesh, and I have possibly said this in the past, is the ability to add a bit of uniquely you to your look, with some very easy steps. There are of course ways to do this with purchased items of course…chances are not everyone is going to stack 14 tattoos the exact same way you might do, You may wear brows that are not sold separately from one skin, with another, and the freckles of yet another to create your combination. It may be a mesh item that is kind of your trademark, even if everyone else at some point has worn it, you never leave home without it etc. I pick up bits and pieces of myself that way…I have the belly button area heart shaped if you look very very close, freckle I added a few years ago. Then I have my face freckles I made, also years old now. I found a scar in a skin pack by She Said Destroy in the past 6 months or so, and as soon as I put it on I found it not only seriously cool, but I was wearing my year long Bobby Trio pins that I rarely detach, so now I just tell people that the scar is from one of them slipping and cutting my lip. I find it hilarious that I have a hair related injury. Then the other day I made these face hearts, because why not. I am not sure they will be a forever thing, but at this time in SL history, I am the only person that has them…these ones I mean, because of course others may have face hearts, but these are mine, I made them, they are placed where I put them, and my freckles are mine and my belly button freckle is mine and while the bobby pins were a gift I had out at Hair Fair last year, I am probably the only one wearing them as much as I do. That is all it takes, in a world, where we buy the same skins, the same clothing and footwear, accessories and body types etc, we can be as unique as we want to be, with some very minor effort.
There are so many programs out there now that allow for free editing, Gimp being one very popular option, and getting the SL Uv’s and even the different body and head UVs has never been easier. Creativity is encouraged as much as possible, and if you are Premium Plus for instance, all your uploads are free, and if you are not Premium Plus, there is the Beta Grid to test on before you know that that is the final texture you want to work with, and you can upload it for one cost instead of all the FINAL, FINALFINAL, FINAL3, NEWFINAL, NEWNEWFINAL, version you may have tried first. Start off small, if this interests you to do, even if it is just a simple freckle on your back, adding some colour to your ears, or whatever floats your boat, now more than ever that itch to be a bit more your own creation is about and who knows, it could be that small step that leads to bigger creations.
Another thing about Second Life is that we have serious ‘Hive Mind’. While, I mention that no one is going to stack 14 tattoos the way you do, funnily enough it could actually happen. I also think that going in under the hood so to speak for all Residents of Second Life, is a good thing, at least once, at least one time, find the UV’s, find the software, and make something, even if it is to type a word and see how it lands on your skin, and so on, see what it takes to create something from scratch and not only do you get your unique twist, but you may have a better sense of how much effort went into the thing you bought recently. I did a post on making Alphas etc in the past HERE maybe that can help you along with making something of your own.
While it is fairly evident, in not only my blog posts but also my videos that I am not enjoying Summer right now, because in the whole other half of the world it is Winter right now, and it is cold. So today’s look is a bit of a weather change look, it might be sunny out, but a bit of a chill could hit, and so this works effortlessly. The Lofi hair by Lamb is fantastic, it has many texture options for the beanie, and an off option for a logo that I am not showing, but does appear on the beanie by default – love when you can turn that stuff off. Then you have the ability to turn the whole beanie off and just wear the hair, which is definitely more bang for your buck. I moved away from my usual black hair for this post, which is funny seeing as it is one of my often identifier parts that make up Sasy, often it comes up as Sasy and her black hair. This ombre look suited the beanie vibe well though, and the braided style. I also loved that it looked like I dyed my hair using the run off from a new pair of jeans – I cannot explain how I think, I just do. The top is also from Lamb, and it is so pretty and has that perfect stretched closed look that gives it a bit more something something, than just sitting there being pretty.
I needed that warm, even though even in the cold I wear short sleeves often, the armwarmers by Cynful were just perfect, they come from the Bisou Sweater dress set, I do enjoy when you get extras like that with an item of clothing, that you can then wear with many other things. There are so many different colour options available also, and PBR or regular Blinn Phong versions. Now moving down we have a somewhat recentish release by Fashionably Dead. These are the Sour Cherry Jeans, and they are torn and worn to perfection, with lace mesh panties that come with. Now full disclosure here, depending on your AO and how you stand or move about, these will clip at the front, as in the panties will push through the jeans, this is the way Second Life is sometimes as we know, so if you plan on spending the day/night dancing around, perhaps a set of Bakes on Mesh underwear under them may be preferable, but the lace ones are so cute and again you end up with a set of panties that you can use with other things. There is a matching corset that they go with, so it is a Lingerie set with an outerwear outfit combination. Going a bit street with my look, I wanted to add my very much loved oversized fishnets by Miwas, I love these, as you have seen them many times by now, but they just give something to the look that I want, and there is no denying it, even if not your taste, it is just how I like them, I also love fishnets under torn jeans.
Moving down further, this is where I get on my blah blah about shoes and feet and pants and stuff. So I love my Slink Feet, and I love the shoes I had when I wore them and them only, body etc…so when it comes to wearing footwear with more recent reborn purchases, I do not always have the footwear that will go with. So because these are pants, and because Reborn allows for hiding feet and toenails via the HUD not by a bom layer alpha – Thank you for that – I am able to wear my Slink feet instead and then wear whatever shoes I feel like wearing. So do not limit yourself if you have an abundance of inventory that is still usable in this way. Also I checked the shoes are still for purchase, so I am still crediting a product that is buyable, by those wearing the items they were made to fit. They are the TEEKS shoes by Reign and they are just a lovely slip on and come in a great colour range,l actually they come in their own colours as well as previous Blueberry colours, so that is just a whole lot of great colours to choose from. The rings by Sigma, also MOD also fantastic, allowed me to tint to match the yellow and I was feeling very warm, but also bring and full of sunshine at the same time.
Equipment Used
VR Studio and HUD/Library – VR Foundry Marketplace
Important: Moles featured on face or body unless otherwise stated are created by me, for me personally. If wearing moles or freckles etc layers by other creators they will always be credited. As my face moles are the same always, it will be clear to know it is mine not part of the skin.
Poses & Props
Body Parts
Feet:
Deluxe Feet – Slink (only available through purchase of the Hourglass Body on Marketplace)
Body :
Reborn – EBody
Head:
Milena Head – Akeruka
Appliers:
Nail appliers – Flair
Skin Worn:
Dara – PumeC
Ipanema Body Skin – Velour
Head and Body BOM Layers:
Peaceful eyes – Insol Mainstore
Lip Scar Elena – She Said Destroy
Evelyn Eyebrows, Strapless Bra – Nuve
Sinner liners – Tutti Belli
High Waist Fishnets – Miwas
Hair Worn:
Lofi – Lamb
Wearing:
Peony Cardigan (Summers end set) – Lamb
Sour Cherry Jeans & Panties – Fashionably Dead
Bisou Sweater Dress Arm-warmers – Cynful
Footwear :
Teeks – Reign
Accessories:
Stone Inlay Rings – Sigma
Hoops Forever Reboot – Dark Mouse
Balmain Gemstone Headband – Flair
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How we fit!
I took a long break from blogging in the last 12 months, I probably mentioned that during Hair Fair posts. It was not by choice – I did not decide one day I was not going to blog, I just didn’t blog. Then during Hair Fair, I did twenty posts in one week. Not exactly making up for posts not done in the past, but it definitely made it more present.
I have lists of blog posts, things that I wanted to discuss, rant about, suggest, and give insight into… posts that I want to do that involve me doing more than I had been. And then there is that niggly feeling that stops me going forward with them. There are so many ideas that I want to tackle, and so many going forth and taking on a whole new way of blogging, that has me hitting the brakes each time. It is pretty much what caused the huge gap, the first of its kind for me.
There are funny outcomes to projects in Second Life, much like real life I am sure. But it is that concern we have that if we start, what if something happens and I cannot keep going? What if as soon as I do that first post of 50 that I plan, something means time flies past and I did not complete it? Wouldn’t that be letting people down? (Do not ask me who these imaginary people are; I did not say that these were always rational thoughts.)
Then there are the other sides – the “oh, let me just step in here for a moment,” and then before you know it 10+ years have passed and you are still committed to that thing, and you did not see that coming. Pretty much like how I did not expect to still be here 20 years on, or still blogging 20 years on. Am I still a 20-year blogger, though, if I stopped for almost a year? I mean, it is not like I shut up and didn’t put fingers to keys in other places – that was my attempt at changing pen to paper.
Truth be told, I am actually not sure in this current format what I contribute to blogging anymore, when I do. I do not believe people go rushing out to buy what I am showing, like used to be the case… and I am not making that up, that is documented somewhere by someone/s. I am also not the only blogger that can honestly say, without any hesitation, that that is true of the past. We know as older bloggers we did contribute to the spending power in Second Life; it was undeniable.
I do think, though, that sometimes I may inspire some shopping, or at the very least some kind of revisit or a second look at something, if that makes sense – I always try to make sense. I like to put together looks or chatter on about things that make people remember they also own something similar, and “oh, they have that skirt and now they can see another option in what they could wear with it…” or the infamous “I did not know it did that” – this one makes me chuckle and sob at the same time.
I have always tried to blog that way, as the more informative blogger… I am not the “takes stunning pictures” person. I am more of the girl that looks good in catalogues with the information present, not the type where you are standing there, mouth agape, looking at the billboard-like quality of a post. I think there is definitely a great need for both, but the “me” side of that wants the other side of that to still provide all the information. Not wordy-wordsness, but at least credits on all items, because the shopper part of me is not going to go to your post to see where you got those pants if the last time I went to see who you got your pants from, you didn’t tell me.
I guess that is the reality of it all for me now, not knowing where bloggers like me fit anymore… I used to really believe in what we did. I am speaking for the missing girls on my platform, not the bloggers still blogging – I get to speak for them because they are not here, so they cannot turn my region purple or set it on fire any more. We spent hours of every day, kazillions of Lindens (yes, we purchased way more than given), and we believed in discovering stores and pushing them up and into people’s eyelines. We ran around Second Life like people possessed, trying to find that “not been exposed to the masses” item, so that we could then see everyone wearing it for the next few weeks and know we helped with that.
We got to speak to store owners; they would reach out to us and ask if we would consider blogging them. It was all very flattering – there were no cattle calls back then. Getting to know them was awesome, and long-lasting friendships were formed. We also used to reach out and let stores know we featured them in our posts, and they may never have heard of us or even been aware blogging happened, and they would be so excited. Those that did know of the Second Life blogging culture were often as invested in following along with it as the rest of us… takes a moment to just say in a soft whisper, “The Planet,” and sighs.
Anyway, I am rambling. Maybe this is why other bloggers have faded off over the years – they just didn’t know where they fit anymore. Something to think about.
The remind them of how something works part of this post is this amazing hair by Lamb. The cut is perfect, the short layered look that with some product and an idea can turn into this clapping by clicking your fingers, smoke filled jazz club vibe. I love that, I love when hair is telling you a story. I look this way in the day, but a few accessories, some dark shades and some sticky stuff that comes from a tube, and I am a whole other mood. I also really enjoy these jeans, and the colour palette, the thing I have about not liking purple does not include most purples and especially not plum. I love plum colours when done well and Lamb does them well, have you ever noticed that her colours always look that right side of vintage, I have, and I adore it.
I do not know if I was feeling nostalgic because of the top and wrote the post, or if I was already feeling that way and the top just perfected the look. I found it such an amusing thing to have on a shirt, and if you have been in Second Life long enough you have been around the loop of the ‘they copied me’ stuff, not stores, I mean people on the street, getting all bent out of shape about someone having on the same items, never thinking about the fact that they were also just released and everyone went running as a large wave of shoppers. The tank and the very cool armwarmers are from For You, and I got the chance to talk to their creator today, just a side IM as I tend to do randomly to people, about things I am thunking. If you have never had an IM from me about something random, have you ever even logged in to Second Life – I am going to laugh for days about saying that.
Equipment Used
VR Studio and HUD/Library – VR Foundry Marketplace
Important: Moles featured on face or body unless otherwise stated are created by me, for me personally. If wearing moles or freckles etc layers by other creators they will always be credited. As my face moles are the same always, it will be clear to know it is mine not part of the skin.
Poses & Props
Bang Poses
Body Parts
Body :
Reborn – EBody
Head:
Milena Head – Akeruka
Appliers:
Nail appliers – Flair
Skin Worn:
Dara – PumeC
Ipanema Body Skin – Velour
Head and Body BOM Layers:
Peaceful eyes – Insol Mainstore
Lip Scar Elena – She Said Destroy
Evelyn Eyebrows, Strapless Bra and Panties – Nuve
Hair Worn:
Bixie Hair – Lamb
Wearing:
Low Rise Jeans – Lamb
Nicole Tank Top, Harper Arm Warmers – For You
Footwear :
Seon Slides – Flair
Accessories:
Written in the Star Choker – Mandala
Rockstar Gf – WORN
Hoops Forever Reboot – Dark Mouse
Y2K Shades – Lamb
Bobby Trio – Flair