Phoenix Rising

It's been WAY too long since I've blogged, and I must apologize for that, I've been super busy with modeling school, the holiday season, MMI pageant, and my other SL and RL responsibilities I have been remiss in blogging my outfits, but honestly I *WILL* catch up, all my styles are saved so I promise to be blogging more often in the future!

Besides being a homework assignment for school, this outfit is just plain GOLDEN in more ways than one!  I put it together from a couple different outfits but they blended together so nicely it's hard to know where one starts and the other begins.

The idea for this outfit was inspired by Carnival in Rio, as well as in the Caribbean islands.  I already had this winged outfit in my inventory but I left off the skirt that came with it, and instead added a different one, as well as the headpiece and bracelets.  The name of this is "Wicca the Lioness" hence the clawed boots and furry textured top.  I am seeing this outfit more as "Phoenix Rising" because of the gold color and impressive wings.
Rhia is not a carnival reveler but a warrior in her own right.  The wings represent rebirth and renewal, and on a very personal level the heart signifies that I am still here with heart beating and a feisty spirit to match.

~Styling~

Purple Moon "Wicca the Lioness" outfit boots, top, bottoms, armor, heart, and wings.
Utopia "Jive" pants, top and fringe in Gold
Oceane Diva Cat Makeup in Gold
Gaeline Mesh Eyelashes Mysteria
Lazuri gold bangles
Velvet Whip Horned Queen Headdress (light)
Shape-my own
Glam Affair Sia skin Nostalgia Blue America B
IKON Sovereign eyes- Chocolate
Amacci hairbase tattoo- Honey Blond
JUMO Alexa Black Eyeliner 004
Slink hands by Siddean Munro

A Little Bit of Business Chic!

No need to look drab at the office!

Kick it up a notch or two!

A little fashion savvy goes a long way at work.

Just because we are facing another workday doesn't mean drab, boring, or same-old same-old, think outside the box when it comes to office chic!  I chose this gorgeous monotone neutral dress with cinched waistline and slim skirt, keeping the theme with matching tights and heels.

When you want to look both professional AND a bit fun this outfit is ideal.  The elegant pattern on the jacket draws in the eye and the sleek waistband accents an hourglass shape.  The flirty stand up collar travels down to the fitted waist and the top beneath shows a tasteful slit of decolletage, just right for the workplace.

After work, this outfit transitions well for a dinner out, drinks on Friday evening, or even a special occasion where you want to look tailored and elegant yet not too overdressed.

~CREDITS~

Dress LG Boutique "Hot Right Now" at LaVian
Necklace "Shine as Illuminators #17" at Loordes of London
Hair "Orchid Plain Darkbrowns04" at Truth Hair
Heels "Cuore" fatpack at N-Core Shoes
Earrings "Nora's Huggles Elite" at Zuri Rayna Jewelry
Eyes "Sovereign Eyes in Chocolate" at IKON Eyes
Skin "Marta Jamaica Clean" at Glam Affair
Glasses "Goto Glasses" at HOC Industries
Tights "School Tights Black" on MP at 318 Trois Dix-Huit ans

Meet Jessica!

Catwa has a new mesh head!  Her name is Jessica and I have to admit of all the mesh heads I own, this is the one that looks the most like "me", meaning her facial features most resemble my long-time look for my avatar in SL.  I love all my mesh heads and each one can be used to convey a bit different mood or feel to a photo shoot but I will say that Jessica is fast becoming the one I use the most!

I was able to use her with my Maitreya Lara mesh body with *NO* skin appliers and in my opinion the overall skin tone match is better than with an applier.  I tried the head and body with a skin applier and the neck blend was not to my satisfaction.

It's a no-brainer to say that Jessica is a gorgeous beautiful head, but she is also very versatile and her look can be modified and tweaked so she looks a bit different each time as you will see in the pictures that follow.

Here, I styled Jessica a bit different each time with different makeup and hair color, there is so much you can do with her.  These photos (all of them) are unretouched, only cropped for sizing.   The eyelash choices are spectacular with Jessica, and I chose a thick full lash as is my preference for that bright-eyed look I am so fond of with my default avi's face.

Jessica's interface HUD is pretty intuitive, if not downright simple.  I was used to the LOGO interface HUD and going over to the Catwa one took a bit of getting used to.  I won't show the screenshots of it here, so many other great bloggers have already done that, I wanted to concentrate on the many looks of Jessica.

But wait!  There's more!  She has facial expressions also and she can move her mouth to what you type in local chat!  The latter feature I probably won't use on a regular basis but the facial expressions ohhh yeah!  Check out her various facial expressions below.

At first, I was a bit put off by her price tag 3599L, and I did take a week or two to think over a purchase such as this to be sure it was worth it to me.  I tried the demo, I liked it but.... what really sold me on her was seeing others blog about her and showing their photos of how versatile her look can be.  Once I began working with her for this photo shoot, it was a slam dunk "she's worth every penny" type of thing.

The other thing I love about Jessica is that her eyes do not come with the head, you need to use mesh only eyes with her *BUT* this allows you to use exactly the style and brand of eyes you want.  They can be a bit tricky to position but once you have that figured out, the end result is the most realistic looking mesh head I've ever seen or owned yet.  Great job Catwa!  I've worn her hair for years now and this head is every bit as good as her hair has always been.

Styling notes:
Maitreya Lara mesh body v3.4
Blueberry Beaded Dress for Maitreya (fat pack all colors)
N-Core "Enchained" fat pack heels (worn without optional chain accents)
Boho Bangles bracelets by Maxi Gossamer (pink & silver)
IKON Triumph Eyes (denim)
Exile "Under the Sun" hair in the last two sets of collages.

To summarize, if you are looking for a versatile and realistic looking mesh head, Catwa's Jessica is the one.  She's easy to use and looks the most natural of all the mesh heads I currently own.  I also notice with this head, she looks really good under MOST lighting situations... a few of my others *REQUIRE* studio lighting and lots of it in order to look their best.  Jessica takes to light and shadow equally so she's very easy to photograph.  I give her a five star rating!

Greetings from Failure to Thrive (The Gray Child)

I just love discovering new places in SL, especially artfully designed places that have a message or some type of artistic value.  This I found in Failure to Thrive (The Gray Child), a wonderful sim where I chose to take these photos.

I didn't come here with a fashion shoot in mind, but the beauty of the place was just calling out for me to photograph it.  So this blog entry is as much about the place as it is the fashions.

Sometimes you go to visit a sim in SL and you pick up a "vibe" from it that either makes you want to explore it more or simply TP away from it.  This one drew me in and inspired the series of photos I am sharing here.

This sim looks just amazing in the default windlight setting but if you play around with other windlight settings you can create a totally different mood if you desire.

The skies themselves are just as breathtaking as the surface of the sim so I had to include some good sky shots too :-)

I named these photos the "pensive" series because the poses make me feel like I was lost in reverie and enjoying the ambiance of such a surreal yet magical place.

It was a delight to photograph here and I hope to get back soon for some more, there are some wonderful props here and the mood is so surreal like being in another world... most mesmerizing.

Styling Notes:

Shape my own
Skin Glam Affair Marta in Jamaica shade
Calpurnia headpiece by Astralia
Jewelry by Meva
Dress by Baiastice
Eyeliner by Oceane
Shoes "Enchained" by N-Core

Jackpot Gacha & Mrs Lovett

If you love to play gacha and you don't want to break the bank, head over to Jackpot Gacha for some awesome finds!  At only 30L per play it's bargain enough BUT wait there's more!  On some random pulls you get more than just one item!  You could get two, three, or even four items!

This outfit I am wearing is from the Les Encantades Mrs Lovett gacha at this event.  I was lucky enough to get the ultra rare which I am wearing in the pictures it's totally stunning but the other corsets and skirts are really nice too.

So.... anyone for some meat pies?

Styling Notes:
Mrs Lovett corset and skirt ensemble Bloody Onyx ULTRARARE
LB Glamour Eyes Ayanna 10 eyeshadow
Amacci Liane lipstick tattoo Nutmeg 7
!IT! Dark Redeemer headpiece 02
Izzie's mesh alpha eyelashes
Lazuri Precious Gothic necklace and earrings
Truth hair Grande with bangs
WoW skin GG August Noralie in Golden
IKON Sunrise eyes Egyptian Blue (small)

LOTD 091215 Pinky at Collabor88

There's a lot to like this round at Collabor88, the theme is "Muted Coven".  I have no idea what that means but I did find some really amazing and unique things there.  It's an eclectic group this time, you can count on Collabor88 to always offer the best.  

In going for a "pinky" type look I tied it together with the gown, collar, the headpiece and the makeup.  I'm super impressed with the Glam Affair skin "Marta" offered there.  I am wearing the Jamaica skintone with makeup 1, it really accentuates the eyes nicely.  I am wearing lipstick 8 which is a delicate vintage rose hue.  I love how Glam Affair makes your skin look flawless, even super duper close up.  So YES I am ready for my close up!  

The unique collar makes this gown something special, and the texture of the feathers is very realistic as you can see in the pic!  I'm not normally a fan of high necks or turtlenecks but this collar had a regal shape to it that I couldn't resist.  

Styling notes:

Baiastice gown pink fitted mesh with collar @ Collabor88
Glam Affair Marta Skin and makeup @ Collabor88
MC "Falsies" eyelashes upper and lower
Astralia Calpurnia headpiece
Meva Flower Spheres bracelets silver 2
IKON Sunrise Eyes pale blue sz small
Exile hair "Dancing on My Own" sparkle rare blonde

Breaking Through

Today I've been thinking about breaking through barriers or portals into new and exciting things.  Sometimes that first step can be daunting, but after that each step gets easier and easier.  When was the last time you walked through a door previously unknown to you?

Fear can make us hesitate, fear of the unknown or fear we won't measure up somehow.  Courage is finding it within yourself to take that first step.  You never know what wonders await you on the other side!

Styling Notes:

No.match No.horizon hair
(2Chez) Cherry Pink mesh Dress
(2Chez) Cherry Pink maryjane wedges
Astralia Calpurnia headpiece
Necklace and earrings Queen of Hearts Set by Lazuri
Izzie's bangles silver/red
WoW skins Noralie Golden
IKON Sunrise eyes, pale absinthe
Slink aviEnhance hands and feet
Izzie's Romy dark metallic eyeshadow
Izzie's mesh alpha eyelashes with HUD
Amacci Liane lip tattoo (nutmeg) #7
GA Makeup eyeliner v1 black
Oceane eyeliner moon 3