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.

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.

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..

Splitting Hairs!!!

Now that the Hair Fair is almost over…(not really there are 6 more days to come to the fair) and pretty well everyone has blogged the subject (except for me), and everyone is sick and tired of hair, (although how that could be possible..?) I am sharing some of my faves.

This doesn’t count the hairs I haven’t yet bought or the “specials” I’ve put aside for the right outfit.

Calico Ingman Designs Megan, Dernier Cri Michelle, Exile Lindsay, Argrace Fedora Hat (texture ch) Glamourous Wavy, Fuel Coco, Fashionably Dead Dorothy’s Way, Fascino Gorg, Find Ash Fickle Lover.

Raspberry Aristocrat Krissy, Hairapy Elena, Maitreya Dylan, Kin Raine, Onigiri Ichigo, House of Munster Axel Reds, Lamb Baby’s on Fire, Katey’s Claudia.

Refuge Harriet, Tiny Bird Hayden, Simply Britnee Tonta, Vignette Kasey, Wasabi Pills Ailith, Truth Sofia, Sirena Drusilla (up and Down comes with hair sticks).

Credits: Skin Blowpop N2 Elizabeth Tone C Mulberry Wine, Milk Motion My loose TShirt Silver Bird, Eyes Exodi Vetro Hazel, Socks Tea Lane Cupcake HF Gift, Reaction Girl Flower Shorts, UBU Pornstar Hightops Multi, Jewellery Violet Voltaire Cuppycake Birthday Set, Tuli Henna Colourable Tattoo. Poses - Flowey and Striking Poses.

A little Blowpop N2….

It’s probably not much of a secret that Annyka Bekkers has been working hard to further develop her already well known and beloved skins. And many of us who belong to her group have also been checking out her pre-releases which have been lovely. Finally she has released her new line of, Elizabeth, Carmen, Ava and Maya skins, each with a whole range of make-ups and options. I was really hoping to have the opportunity to review these skins and I thank Annyka for allowing me to do so. When I looked at the range that is available for all the skins I realized that I couldn’t in all conscience jam all the information and pics into one post. I decided to dedicate this post to the body and overall quality of the skins and do further posts on the individual skins which in themselves each have a unique personality.

Tone 3 Bare2 – Elizabeth, Ava, Carmen, Maya, Hair Tiny Bird Willow/Buttermilk, Chestnut, Cafe au Lait, Expresso

I have been running around the Hair Fair wearing Elizabeth for the last day or two, bald (sometimes) half dressed, sitting on a red cube so I can move and I must say, you really have to like the skin you’re in, under those circumstances. It has given me the opportunity to really look at the skin. I first started by going through the skins themselves in my skybox, comparing them with my own shape and the shapes developed for the skins. One of the issues I have had in the past with blowpop skins have been the lips. The lips have never really worked on my Avie and when I compared them with the shapes for the skins, I realized that they were quite different. Like many others I am quite attached to my own shape but I found a nice compromise between the Shapes made for the skin and my own. I have found that small changes don’t really change me too much and I just save the new shape under Blowpop or whichever new skin I’m using so I can refer to it later. Generally I usually wear the lighter shade for most skins but I am really enjoying the darker shades as well, maybe because the shading is so nice and very natural. Or maybe it’s because of summer…

Tone 2 Bare2 – Elizabeth, Ava, Carmen, Maya, Hair Tiny Bird Willow/Buttermilk, Chestnut, Cafe au Lait, Expresso

One of the first things I noticed about these skins is that there are no glaring examples of photosourcing, ie. the ears, which so often look weird. Most skins nowadays use some photo sources but what is nice here is that most of the skin appears to be hand drawn. The nose-eyes-mouth area is particularly nice and since this area is so important to my liking a skin, I really have to be sold on it. As well the boob area, tummy knees, bum are all nicely shaded without being overdone. There are areas of shade on the body, under the arms, Bum, behind the head and chin which don’t usually get much attention and except for under the chin neck area (which bothers me a little) is really well done. Clavicle, ribs, shoulder blades, knees, back and tailbone are nicely rendered as well. I am also very impressed with the feet, given the limits one has to work with in this area, they are likeable. Each skin comes with 3 eyebrow shapes which makes it easy to match with your face. Between each of the different skins, there is also a slightly different shading at play which you can notice if you demo Carmen and Maya. (With more highlighting on Maya.) Each skin has unique features. The unmentionables are also well rendered (for those that like that sort of thing) and each skin comes with a …bush. (Not that kind of bush!!)

Tone 2 –Elizabeth Twilight2, Ava En Deshabille2, Carmen Candela2, Maya Queen of the Night2, Hair-Tiny Bird Emma/Cafe au Lait, Outfit Analise.

All in all, a lot of care, attention to detail, understanding of anatomy and artistry have gone into making these skins. There are so many nice details that I could keep talking…but I’ll save the talk for later. Blowpop N2 skins are available here. A single skin (with 2 lip make-ups) is 900L. A value pack of all skins in one tone are 3200L. Value packs include the shape for that skin, and the shape alone is 600L. Poses by Persona and Striking poses.