Royal Blue … Review

Royal Blue is one of the many charming Boutique type stores located in the Horst/LLoyd/Starlust sims. I had been planning to make my way over there for a while, so I was delighted when Marni Grut dropped a sample of some of the new items appearing today at her store. Of course I had to take a gander at her wares and was impressed by the originality and freshness of her designs, grabbing a few items while there. The clothes are sold as separates and meant to mix and match. She also sells shoes, bags and accessories.

Credits: New Items – (Royal Blue) Floaty Summer Dress Dark Summer, Jacket Corporate Pow Wow in Boardroom Blue, Shoes Sluts in Skyscrapers(come with re-size script), Bag Studded Clutch Olive(comes with AO or without). Eyes (Exodi) Realite grape,(Fashionably Dead) Heavy Brow Bird Skin, Hair (!Lamb) Unbirthday redux Tacky Gold, Jewellery (Violet Voltaire) No Love Lost and DM Stoned Life Bracelet, Pants Meow for I am Catwoman Black and Top Body Con is not Dead silver (Royal Blue). Shot in 1920’s Berlin Project and Tochigi Japan. Poses by LAP, Blogger Pack.

This ‘n that……

This summer might be remembered at my house as the one that never was. The fickleness of the weather and family commitments have resulted in a gradual piling up of outfits waiting to be blogged. Rather that dedicate a post for each I have decided to show you a few of my favourites.

I acquire clothing in SL in various ways. I love to shop, so I am constantly exploring new areas. I go to sales and will often wait for a sale and then go crazy picking up items that are faves. Fairs are also a good way of seeing and buying new products. (Like the hair fair and skin fairs). DSN can be a valuable approach to seeing samples of designers wares. Belonging to the maximum number of groups, I do belong to a few which are fairly generous to group members. These tend to be some of my favourite designers as well. Subscribo’s ….I join a ton. When it comes to soliciting review items, I do mostly with skins. This is because in the case of skin reviews you really need a few of the skins, in a few tones to properly show them and discuss them. That doesn’t mean that the occasional review item doesn’t come my way. It is always interesting to look at an item with fresh eyes. Sometimes I will come across an item randomly in a Japanese sim, or one I’m shooting pics in not having any idea where it will turn up in a blog or I might look specifically for piece that will match a theme I’m working on. All that said my inventory is starting to look like the Creature from the Black Lagoon and I need a front-end loader to find anything…..

Credits: (It is Long)

Pic1-Skins-5th&Oxford Audrey English Rose Med (Group Gift), Exodi Shiloh Honey Coconut(Callie Cline Flawless Lashes), Blowpop Ava Almost Blue2 Tone 2, Sin Skins Light Drow Skin7 (Sale), Otaka Designs Tattoo Azteca (DSN) Upper Body. Hair- Foam The Lioness, Sari’s Hipie-dee-doo-Dreads Brown, (fd) Dorothy’s Day Earth, 0 Style Sheila Yummy, Shoes-SLink Claire Wedge Chocolate, Sakka’s Studio WedgeSole Gladiator, Magi Take Chucker Sneaker, L&E Travellor Boots. Jewellery-Bleinsen + Maitai Necklace Sleeping Flower (SCD), Exodi AnaLu Set, !Rt (Rotton Toe) Tamagotchi, Retro Plastic Watch and Bracelets (Earrings Heart Container Violet Voltaire), Mono Green Rusted Choker&Bracelets, HOC Aviator Style Glasses. Outfits- Naive Stacie, Milk Motion Cut out Pants, *DP* Belt Bangle Set, Exodi Harlow Daywear Mocha Forest, Truth Zanadu leggings Brown, Pink Outfitters Main Street Swing Jacket&Tee, A02 Painters Dystroyed Denim Pants, Socks Vinyl Cafe, Belt SD Wears Awaken Belt Silver, Denim Vest and Grafitti Jeans Fashionably Dead.

Pic2-Skins-Ugly Dorothy Mama’s Lipstick (Harajuku Skin Fair)Candy Nails Black , Curio Petal Beach Osprey2 , Le Pinceau Loreena Light, Fashionably Dead Salvation Army Song Bird Skin. Hair-Gritty Kitty, Faders Blond, Lamb Baby’s on Fire Butter, Analog Dog Bex Dark, Curious Kitties Nanotech Graphith, Shoes- *UN* Death Dolly Goth Mary Jane, She’s So Unusual Shoes Tri Rose T straps, Magi Take Chuckers, Sakka’s Studio Cream Strap Sabo Sandals. Jewellery- Hair Rose *+.RP.+*chain cross, Cad&Tart Fleur de Lis Collar, PD Celtic Cross wristbands, Cuffs, Milk Motion My huge Necklace, Psyche Glow Bracelets, Fashionably Dead Necklace, Fear&Loathing Leather Bracelets, Cuffs. Outfits-Pididdle Pitseleh Pencil Dress grey, !Lux White Star Stockings, {Boutique} Georgiana Dress, Sh*t Happens Stirrup Pants Mariya, T-Shirt Navy Skull Shit Happens (10L) Shorts S&S Sailor Shortie Blue, (PO) Shiny Thread Belt Fashionably Dead, Boy friend Socks WWII, T-Shirt Drowsy no15, Shorts Anuenue Loose half Pants green, Socks Sen2.

Note: I’ll apologize now for not providing SLURLS for all these items. In the spirit of Mashups everywhere I chose not to be constrained by limited options and show the looks I like, which mean that there are at least 50 stores. I’ll be happy to help you find any of these items inworld or on my Comments if there is any difficulty. I also used a whole slew of Poses from various sources , ++Desire++, Oyakinbo, {Flowey}, Dare, Cyanide, Pididdle, LAP, Rel Expression, Striking Poses… I try to keep track.

Enchanted…

Normally when a new skin comes into my life I walk around the grid for a couple of days to get a feel for it. I tweak the face to fit the skin better and try to get a feel for the personality and how this skin fits with my Avie. “Enchanted” is the new skin from Cupcakes and at first glance has much in common with Seduction, another Cupcakes skin. I remember Seduction's lips primarily and these lips are still large and beautiful. I found my Avie had a sad look to her so the lips got smaller and corners turned up a little more than usual. She had something of a classic beauty look to her which is fine though I like my blonds to have an edge. I was running around shopping…(so many sales!!) when I spied this dress from A-Bomb and with the shoes..I realized all it needed was some funky hair and I’d have an 80’s Debbie Harry feel.

The body has some nice shading and its understated, soft with a lovely belly. There are areas across the body where the tone is a little uneven but could be interpreted as light tanlines. The face is especially well shaded with contouring around the cheeks, lips and eyes. I have shown the freckled versions as I love the texturing, freckles are lightly sprinkled around the body.

The skin comes in four tones; Cream, Apricot, Sienna, Sepia, and Cioccolato. All my pics are with the Sienna Tone, a light tan.

There are 11 Make-ups which run the gamut from Bare to Ruby. Eye make-ups are pretty, and lips range from very glossy to matte. Left side; Bare Freckles, Berry Freckles, Fairy Freckles, Glamorous Freckles, Golden Freckles. Right Side; Midnight Freckles, Natural Freckles, Princess freckles, Ruby Freckles, Smokey Freckles. (I left out Midori Freckles, oops!) This picture doesn’t do justice to the gorgeous eyes and lips, it is well worth demoing just to see them. Individual skins are 1000L with fatpacks going at 5000L. Poses are from Flowey, who is having a 50% sale this week and I found the Mike and animation (Falta’s Animation) for free in the sim where I took the pictures, Sinners Heaven. The Hair is from Truth and the shoes from A-Bomb as well, are texture change which makes them pretty versatile.

Credits; Outfit 1-Skin-Cupcakes Enchanted/Sienna, Eyes-Exodi Vetro Eyes Blue, Outfit-A Bomb Little Lisa Dress, Fukmi Shoes, Jewellery Violet Voltaire Creepy Crawly Cuppycake, Hair-Truth Grazia Mirage. Outfit 2-Skirt Tuli denim miniskirt pink, !lux! Pink Band Aids Luxicous Main Store, Flipflops Sand Shack Surf Co. Freedom flops pink. Poses from Flowey (Bottom pose is a blogger gift from Vposes.)

Heading to the beach….

I am a beach bum. There is nothing I like better than a day or week spent messing around on a beach. Packing for a beach excursion is another story. Between one towel and packing ones whole house is the challenge. I have taken holidays with family members who could not pack light. No word of a lie, this is what they physically transported from cottage down 2 stair carries, across rocky shore; wagon packed with 2 coolers, 6 chairs, bags packed with toys, games, food, towels, sunscreen, blankets, 2 umbrellas, dog, bikes, cooler containing every drink known to man, huge lunch and every known condiment. After lugging all this stuff to the beach, an operation requiring half a day, we would arrive, the sun would disappear behind a cloud, it would begin raining and we would have to drag all that paraphernalia back up to the cottage. And the cottage was so close as to make most of that effort unnecessary.

So aside from family vacations which resemble a John Candy movie or Nation Lampoon Vacation, this is what I pack for a day at the beach; 1 Bag for carrying it all, Sunscreen, Sunglasses,Hat, Book, Magazine (neither of which I’ll really read) drinks, Towel and Beachmat, maybe snacks or small lunch (don’t forget the bikini and camera..). Of Course if I am not close to home (or cottage, or Hotel) then I’ll revert to John Candy mode. But really, the whole point is to get to the beach, ASAP, and if I’m lucky I’ll find a nice Tiki bar nearby which serves great food and has a happy hour…

Credits: Skin Blowpop Elizabeth ToneC Granny Smith2, Hair @Waffles! Miucha, Outfit from Sand Shack Surf Co. Racerback Striped Tank, Rolled Denim Shorts, Freedom Flops, Funnel Cake Shades, Beach Bag from Ibizarre (with animation), Jewellery from DM Designs Jewellery Gems n Roses. Pics Shot at RFL Spirit.

Moon River....

Roslin Petion and CJ Carnot only have themselves to blame. After waiting for weeks with bated breath to see the new skins…. I suffered a relapse to Diva-ness upon glancing at the name of the new Line, Audrey… I have spent the last day or two channeling my inner Audrey but I stopped myself before things turned really creepy. The funny thing is I was in New York last March (after Twenty Years) standing outside of Tiffany’s and I did not go in… Some things are better left imagined..

These two collaborators, who have been part of some of the best loved Skin lines in SL, closed up shop several weeks ago in order to introduce not only skins but a whole new Brand, 5th & Oxford. Roslin has said that they will over the next few months be introducing a whole range of products which will fit with the concept of a lifestyle brand.

Audrey comes in four lines at this point; Fresh Freckles, Fresh, Smolder and Smokey. Like in the past, the make ups are impeccable and if you have owned Fleur or TAP skins before, you will not be disappointed. What has changed about the make ups now are the changes which have occurred in the body. The lips are far more defined, with a variety of lipsticks and shading. On the face the nose is nicely rendered as is the lip area. The body as a whole is beautifully shaded with details, like the belly, back, neck and bum each having it’s own character. The only area missing detail to my view is the ankle but it seems to be a problem area for a lot of skin makers as the ankle can look knobby if done wrong. My overall view of the skin is that the shading and details are sensitively rendered, coupled with the makups which as usual are stunning.

There are three tones for each skin, fair, Med and Tan. Medium being my favorite. Each skin is 600L with 6 skins going for 2400L (with a store card). Demo’s available. Because I was channelling Audrey and because Ivalde was having a photo Contest (which I believe I missed by a whole week), I went looking for something she might have worn. Early 60’s old Hollywood….

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

© 1961 Paramount Music Corporation, ASCAP

Credits: Skins-5th&Oxford, Audrey (wearing fair smolder2), Eyes-Exodi Twilight Bella, Hair-Curio Paper Tiger Wheat Blond, Dress -Ivalde Desiree Black 1960, Shoes-Sin Daphne, Cigarette-Mika Elegant Animated Cigarette holder/Ebony silver, Jewellery Chuchulet. Most pics taken at MC Store.

Maya…

Last but not least, in the series of new Blowpop skins by Annyka Bekkers is Maya. I have tried in all these reviews to capture something of the spirit of these skins with clothes and hair,while keeping my own shape and find a look that I was comfortable with.

Like the others, Maya comes in four tones. My Fave was the third.

This is the third tone and the make-ups are available with 2 lip options. Maya C Tone Bare2, Au Contraire2, Mink2, Van Bean2, Grenadine2 and Queen of the Night2.

While shooting Carmen in Drowsy sim, I came across a store that I realized had the perfect clothes for what I wanted for Maya , Kurotsubaki. As well I bought the Hat and Hair there. I wanted to capture something of the comfort and casualness of summer clothes. Cotton, bright colours and a Hat to protect me from the sun. Scrunchy Socks and flat shoes I found courtesy of Beanie Canning’s blog, Beanie Loves Japan.

Credits: Eyes Exodi Twilight Bella, Hair and Hat (+earrings) Kurotsubaki Mugiwara, Clothes Kurotsubaki Old Clothes Skirt Green, Tunic Yellow, Scarf Pretties by JB Marms Spring Scarf Orange Sorbet and Bangles, Socks Sen*2, Shoes Sakka’s Studio Strap Sabo Sandals, Tatoo Aphrodisia from The Garden of Ku (GoK). Pics Shot at Feast and Aught. Poses from Flowey and Oyakinbo.

Doomed…

I honestly don’t know what to call this style….Circus Lolly? When I read about the closing of Crimson Shadow, I was sad I must admit but my ears perked up when I heard the word sale and they perked up again when I heard that Carnival of Doom was also having a sale. 50 L for dresses. Each of these pieces were 50L..

I knew I would have to find the perfect location to shoot pics of this outfit or I would end up looking perfectly ridiculous so I returned to a sim I have photographed before, Crucible. This amazing build has many odd corners and out of the way places to explore.

I had lots of fun playing around with the windlight settings. Shoot me, I had to use a facelamp…(only on this shot though.)

These great boots are from Sn@tch because everyone needs at least one pair of killer stompers. I managed to pick up a number of Dresses, a Corset Thingy and an Evil Avatar…

Credits: Skin-Curio June Doe, Eyes Exodi Vetro Blood, Sn@tch Gooshers, Hair Shadenfreude Black Witch Nekomi, Leggings Truth Xanadu Silver, Socks Mia Snow Broken Heart Garter Stockings (part of Broken Heart outfit) Earring RinRin Rin Cafe&Shop (F), Earthstones Spider Lip Ring, Outfit- Carnival of Doom Blood Bigtop Tanktop, Tutu and Lingerie, Ruff and Cuffs.

Carmen….

When I first took a look at this skin along with the other new generation of Blowpop skins it probably grabbed my attention a little less than the others. That’s because I was wearing it with my usual fair hairs and clothing. I started looking at hairs and clothes to match this skin and realized that it needed big bold colours and style. It goes really well with dark hair and as I have used here, strong reds. This is a firey attention grabbing skin which suits an avatar with a strong personality.

A medium tanned skin Carmen comes in four tones.

The make-ups are bold with 6 different eye and lip combinations and each comes with 2 lip options. B Tone-Bare2, Ay Candela2, Clavel Rosa2, La Mosca Azul2, Hipnotico2, La Cereza2.

While searching my inventory for clothing to match the skin I came up short….So in reviewing stores I wanted to visit I came up with the unlikely name “Rotton Toe”. As I like weird names and store concepts I teleported over there only to find exactly what I was looking for and these great shoes by Shadenfreude topped off the look perfectly. The hair from House of Munster, which is one of my faves from the fair, is one of the few which would fit with the collar of the top.

Credits: Eyes Exodi Vetro Blk, Rotten Toe! Formal Ringmaster Pants, Infected Satin Shirt Red, Shoes Shadenfreude Dark Red Lucent Bow Heels, House of Munster Axel Reds, Candy Nail Black Evolution, Tattoo Luce FrontKiku/Back Butterfly, Choker Silk and Satin Darkness (DSN)

Pics were shot at Forbidden Thorn (this Sim seems to be down..) and Drowsy Sim, (which I of course couldn’t visit without buying somethin’). Poses from Rel Expression and me.

Ava…..

Blowpop’s new version of Ava is a fair, smooth and more refined skin than Elizabeth. This skin works well with brown hair and like Elizabeth is quite versatile. Wearing KittyKitty2 Tone C.

Four tones are available for this skin with my favourites being the second and third tones.

There are six make-ups with two lip options available on each. These are all tin the “C” tonal range. Bare2, Chocolate2, Almost Blue2, En Deshabille2, KittyKitty2, Pomegranate Liqueur2.

I enjoyed putting this outfit together. Hair and Hat (Hat texture change) by Argrace fedora Hat Glamourous Wavy light brown (hair fair), Eyes Exodi Vetro Brown, Top Naive Beulah Yellow, Pants Naive Jeans Estampados Light –Cuffs texture change. Shoes Callie Cline Happy Flats, Bracelets Sn@tch Chunky Silver & Black Bangles (swag bag), Black Bra Dutch Touch Bra dress top. Pics shot at Om Nom Nom. Poses by LAP.

Bandana day….

In honour of those who have lost much more than just their hair and continue to fight…

Wearing Blowpop Carmen Clavel Rosa, Winx Carmen Miranda Bandana, FN Mityana Mini dress Ruby red, Exodi Vetro Eyes Black.

Elizabeth……..

If a picture is worth a thousand words..then I shouldn’t have to say much about this skin by Annyka Bekkers. I will say that I have been wearing it for over a week, am very fond of it, and have found it to be highly versatile. I have worn it trying on all the hairs from the hair fair and every outfit I have bought. I am very picky about what skin goes with what outfit and this skin really seems to fit everything. The make-ups are natural leaning towards the reds with subtle shading in the eye area.

This outfit is from a store I found at the fantasy faire, GK Designs. GK Elizabeth- All pieces were included. (Even the boots and weapons.) I used a different hat than the included one as I am a lousy hat fitter… Pirate Hat available for free from The Pirate Store. And Pics were shot at Blackspot, one of the best places for Ships, Barrel Homes, and Peglegs you could ever hope to find. The hair is a new one from Sirena, that I bought at the hair fair, River Sandy, and it can be worn down or in a braid as it is scripted. (A little fiddly getting the braid to work but worth it.)

The skin comes in 4 tones. *blowpop* Elizabeth tones A-D Mulberry Wine,Hair by Bubbles Clawtooth (Hair Fair)Timeless Glamour (golden Girl and Vintage Style Hat) and Top by Pididdle Hungry for a Holiday Cardigan Olive.(on sale Yay!!) Apologies to those who think I should have kept with the pirate theme..I really wanted to show that the skin goes with a lot of styles…

Skin *Blowpop* ElizabethN2, Tone B Bare, Cherry Blossom, Graphite, Granny Smith, Mulberry Wine, and Twilight, 5 Make-ups are available with each skin in 2 lip options. Hair by Fuel-Coco Caramel Brown, Top by Pididdle-Cameo Cardigan Black(sale, yay again..), Jeans Signature Denim “worn” by Callie Cline. All Eyes Exodi Vetro Hazel, Poses Mine and Striking Poses, SI Photo Emotions Hud used for facial expressions..