The Block is Back

My friend Prima introduced me to The Block a while back and it has since become one of my favorite shopping areas in Second Life. With its gritty urban-Neko theme and creative store elements, The Block is simply cool. So, when the new sim opened a couple of days ago, I rushed on over to check it out.

Not wanting to look square, I assembled the following look of urban loveliness. The hair is ETD sideswipe in Chestnut Brown, one of the excellent almost-freebies available at the ETD main store. The leather jacket is part of the Heiress suit by Last Call and has excellent buckled cuffs. I added the top from the Embla Sirianne sky blue dress (free at Ivalde) for a touch of color. I mirrored the buckled on the jacket with my French Spirit Buckle boots. My G.L.A.M "Silver"skinny jeans in charcoal, the new Aitui dark denim messenger bag, and PuNk Couture's "Slave to the Music" necklace (LOVE) finish off the polished street look that would turn the haughtiest Neko's head (IMHO).

The first think I noticed is that there is a lot more space for new stores. This makes sense as it had probably outgrown its old sim. The Block is a great place for urban, Neko, and Rockabilly fashion as well as the largest collection of high-quality men's stores I've seen in one place. The Block features such great stores as Gritty Kitty, Jeepers Creepers, Artillerie. With so much room and such great stores already in place, The new Block is certain to become even more of a fashion destination.

My favorite store from The Block is Sinistyle, a grungy urban clothing store for both men and women. While some of their designs focus on urban warfare(bloody items and trash armor), they have some really great trench and military coats.

Fashion is not the only market in The Block. Urban themed "stuff" of all kinds can be purchased here, including grimy furniture and guns. While this is of no interest to me, It is an intriguing aspect of the SL economy for the curious to peruse. Perhaps I should pick up some particle mace?

If you need a quick respite from the streets, you can enjoy the warm atmosphere of Caffeine. Caffeine has plenty of seating, coffee available, free t-shirts, and a decent music stream. It is a nice place to take a break from shopping and chat with friends.

The Block has retained its urban style. The new sim is surrounded with brick tenements placed cleverly to take advantage of forced perspective. The taller building and facade create a deep inter-city feel that was somewhat lacking in the old sim. However, I was very disappointed to see that the Neko-themed area had not been recreated. While there is still construction going on, I could see no place that seemed reserved for its later recreation. Where is the Groomers, the sushi bar, the movie theatre that served kitty snacks? Other atmospheric detail are missing as well. Where is the crane with the swinging wrecking ball?? I sincerely hope that more details will be added in the future as they set The Block apart from other urban sims. It will be a sad day if the most remarkable element of The Block is a Japanese bus stop.

So, The Block is bigger but, it seems, not better. At least not yet. It is clear that shopping at The Block will only improve, but hopefully not at the expense of creativity and soul.

Face of Style Contest

Entrance into the Face of Style closed yesterday at midnight, so I can finally share the photos I entered! I am so happy because I have been dying to post them for a week. Was I being paranoid by not posting them until now?? Maybe, but you never know.

So, without further adieu, i humbly present to you my first attempt at entering a photo contest:

This was my body shot. I just LOVE the location. The textures are so excellent it almost looks like I photoshoped myself into the picture.

I am wearing the Erin boho dress by Last Call. I chose a water location because the light eyelet fabric of the dress seemed to demand it. However, I thought the elegant black lace would be better served in the darker atmosphere of a rain forest than at the beach. My hair is ETD Survive in Mahogany, but I made a copy and did a white linen retexture on the headband for this outfit.
Other items: Miriel's Casual Excess Necklace in black, Miriel's Bauble Earrings in Black, and Butterfly Bangles by ??? (i will have to do some research to figure out where i got these).

This is my headshot. The pose isn't extremely inspired, but i like the way it allows the details of the dress to be featured. The dress is the gorgeous Regina Dress by last call. I chose ETD Bonita II hair in burnt mahogany for a romantic look that wasn't too formal. My necklace and earrings are Miriel's Moon and Tide in Black with white mother of pearl. I chose this set because I thought the detailing on the dress looked like stars, so I thought a moon necklace would be fitting and I liked its delicate simplicity. Black elbow gloves were added for drama.


This is my profile shot. This was the hardest picture to choose. I love the pose in this picture and how it allows the whole outfit to be showcased as well as a good view of my profile. I love the outfit too, Trixie baby tee and brown plaid pants by Celestial Studios. I paired with it G.L.A.M. metallic pumps color-changed to baby blue, Skool Daze bangles in peach, and Caroline's cameo locket in black and gold. The hair is my signature, ETD Bedded Attitude in mahogany.

I had a really had time choosing between the above shot and the following to be my profile picture:

I loved the background in the alt picture and I loved how the car mirrored the colors in my shirt. However, I did not like how you could only see the top on my outfit in this picture. Also, it sort of looks like one of those Myspace cellphone camera pictures the way my left arm is stretched out. Ultimately, I choose the first picture despite the lack-luster background.


I didn't retouch or photoshop the pictures at all. I'm sure I am in the minority of entrants for leaving my photos au naturale. I just think it is much more thrilling
to capture a really great "candid" photo. I'm sure I could strike a few poses and snap a spangly (spangly??) background behind it and it would look awesome. I think that finding the perfect spot and the perfect lighting and tying your fashion in with the environment is half the fun of of photo shoots. Hopefully others agree.

The results of the contest will be announced on June 24th. I am not holding my breath as there have been hundreds of entries. I am fairly inexperienced compared to many fashionistas I've seen on blogspot and Flickr. I'm not going to say I don't care if I win, but I will say that I have had so much fun doing this that it was already worth it.

And I will also say that it is a great promotion for any SL business. Contests like this are excuses for massive shopping sprees. More contests please!!!

Liverpool: Home of the Beatles

'Ello Mates! Welcome to Liverpool in Second Life! Birthplace of The Beatles.

I was inspired to visit by my Downtown Dots dress, a funky vintage micromini by PuNk Couture. Me in a micromini skirt? Who knew?? I love everything about this dress except for the neckline, which is a little too Appearance Mode cookie cutter. The dress comes with a matching choker with a red bow. I paired the dress with freebie thigh highs and freebie black velvet knee boots. My earrings are freebie hoops that I recolored white, my red bracelet is from PuNk Couture, the diva glasses from Last Call, and my scripted purse is from ETD (7 sassy AOs for high class ladies). My hair is the casual and sleek Mia bun by ETD with tintable scarf. All in all, a super-fab outfit perfect for exploring the shabby chic streets of Liverpool.

The Liverpool sim consists of two main streets, the dock-side promenade and the famous Matthew Street. Liverpool features many atmospheric pubs, including The Cavern, where The Beatles were born.

There are also many Beatles and Rock n' Roll themed shops with unique items. Want a Beatles band shirt, a piano that plays John Lennon's Imagine, or full Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band costumes? This is the place to go.

The RL British Rock Band "What The...?" has it's base in Liverpool and featured John's sunken bed from the movie Help!

Liverpool has great amenities. There are creative camping spots where you can paint John Lennon's face on a wall or fix a moped. You can also rent bicycles, jet skis, boats, and even scooters for free!

While it appears that there is still a lot of construction being done, the creators of Liverpool have done a good job thus far of featuring Beatles's related city landmarks. For instance, take a look at the skyline:

Look familiar?? Perhaps you will remember the Eleanor Rigby scene from Yellow Submarine:

And speaking of yellow submarines:

There aren't a ton of activities here besides shopping and bar hopping, but one neat thing I found was a fishing game on the dock. You watch your pole until you get a bite and then you type "strike!" to try and reel 'em in. And the best part is, you get to keep your catch!

Liverpool is your one-stop Beatles fix in Second Life. And you don't even need a ticket to ride :-) (lol)

Shedding My Skin

I haven't posted in a few days because I have been busy. I am sure all of SL is now aware of the Face of Style contest being put on by Celestial Studios and Last Call. If not, you can check it out here.

Yes, I am planning to enter and I have been working non-stop on my photos. No, you cannot see the pictures... yet. The rules for contest require you to wear clothes and skin from one of the two designers. The clothes were easy, as both designers have beautiful, high quality designs(MUCH more to say about that later). What was much harder was committing to a new skin.

Skin is probably the single most important item you can buy for your SL self. It makes you who you are. My first (and until recently, only) purchased skin was Pale-Brick House by Gala. It has given me the face you have come to know and love ;-P


I love the phenomenal makeup detail on my Gala skin, the soft and porcelain skin tone, and the reserved yet accurate "lady parts." However, the makeup I choose for my skin lacks a certain drama for formal occasions. I had been planning to buy a new skin with smokier makeup for evening and darker hair colors. I had been planning on buying from Gala again, but the before-mentioned contest caused me to take a look at the Vogue skins at Celestial Studios.

The CS Vogue skins are completely different from Gala skins and I was shocked at how different I looked as i tried on the demos. The difference was so great that I was not sure if I could make the switch to Vogue, but as I tried the different demos on (for hours btw) I really came to like my new "supermodel" look. The result was this:

The skin I chose was the CS Vogue- Pure skin in Light Noir (how fitting). The Vogue skins are less realistic than the Gala skins and while that might sound like a criticism, it is not. One problem I had with the Gala skins is that the light makeup i chose made me look dead around the eyes in some lights and direct daylight really bleached out my face. My new Vogue skin is much more flattering in a wider variety of light and gives a smoother, more airbrushed look to the face. Vogue pack I bought comes with a plain and freckled skin with the same makeup which is super convenient.

In addition to the skins, the pack comes with 3 sized of awesome prim lashes!!! My previous experience with prim lashes were not so good. I found them so difficult to fit that I gave upon them. Not so with the CS Vogue lashes. They fit easily and they look SO lovely. And they work with my Gala skin as well( fixes the dead-eye thing nicely).

Another great thing about the Vogue skin is that they are semi-modible with sliders. There is limited adjustment of the eyebrow shade to match different hair colors and the lip color can be moded as well. To top it off, there is a little beauty mark near the eye for ultimate femininity.

So, change is hard and sometimes scary, but the great thing about SL is that you can have a face to match every aspect of yourself.

Aaaand... since I'm dying to share even though I know I shouldn't, here's an outtake pic from one of the (many) photo shoots I've done for the Face of Style contest featuring my brand new skin.

Ivalde: My One True Love

I'm here at ~~Ivalde~~ Village, home of my very favorite store in all of SL: Ivalde Antique and Vintage Clothes.

~~Ivalde~~ Village is a lovely Norwegian sim featuring Ivalde & Ask designs, Hairapy, Second Mirage jewlery, Elegance Hats, & Prim Seduction Shoes. In addition, there are waterfalls, a viking ship, and beautiful strolling areas to explore.

Hair: ETD Bedded Additude Mahogany; Necklace: Miriel's Casual Excess choker in black; Bracelet: Miriel's duel metal bracelet in black/silver

No one designer satisfies me so completely and so often. I have scores of items from Ivalde and a wish list a mile long. Designer Neferia Abel is truly a genius. The beauty of Ivalde (and Embla) clothes is in the detail. Take, for instance, the scalloped neckline of the vintage Audrey dress (above) and how it is mirrored in the hemline. It is beyond gorgeous. It sets this dress apart from countless others in SL with the same basic style. You can always tell an Ivalde design.

Speaking of unique, I present to you Ragna, my first dress from Ivalde. This dress is perfect. The delicate prim sleeves and wispy skirt make me smile every time I wear it. The muted green color is rich and indulgent. It is the ultimate sophisticated, feminine and lovely dress for day or evening.

Necklace and Bracelet: *BBB* Natural pearls; Shoes: Lassitude& Ennui Eva pumps in coal.

Flirty, feminine dresses are a specialty at Ivalde. Take the Siv floral sundress. I don't usually like large floral prints, so this dress was a great surprise. Perfect for a stroll through the garden or afternoon tea, the rose print on this dress is bold without being overbearing and the skirt flows gracefully with your movements.

Necklace: Miriel's Bounded Elegance in silver

Ivalde makes casual dresses and skirts as well. The vintage Margarita dress is so simple yet so sexy. This dress features a delicate floral pattern and intricate lace trim which adds sophistication and grace to this simple and easy dress. This piece is as casual as a pair of jeans, but so much more striking.

The vintage Trude outfit is another great casual look. The spaghetti strap dress has a short flirty prim skirt with floral detail, a cute white belt at the waist, and intricate ribbon detail around the neckline. This dress is great for day or evening and can be dressed up or down.
Neclace: Dhiny Things knotted bead necklace in mother of pearl. Bracelet: *BBB* natural pearls

But it doesn't stop there. In addition to the prim skirt, Trude also comes with stylish high-waisted striped sailor pants with a lower white belt for a more casual look. Trude also comes with an adorable white scallop-trimmed bolero that can be worn with either look. The addition of the bolero creates a beautiful diamond shaped neckline. all of the items are mix -and-match, and easily integrate with other pieces in your inventory.
Necklace: Miriel's Mirror, Mirror in black. Bracelet: Black & White butterfly bangles

In addition to a large selection of vintage items, Ivalde also has a great selection of rockabilly, Lolita, and Gothic styles for when you are feeling grim. I got the Brit outfit for free at the Ivalde Island's grand opening treasure hunt and I am sure glad i did. I would never have bought the outfit on my own since it so 'wild', but it is super cute. I wear it sometimes to live music shows and I even won a clothing contest for best goth outfit with it. Nice!! Brit features a tunic-style cap-sleeved shirt with an asymmetrical hem, black and white striped leggings with matching fingerless gloves. What I like about this outfit is that it has attitude without being gaudy or flamboyant like I find most goth stuff to be. It is really more No-Wave than Goth, but you can swing it whichever way you like.
Necklace: Slave the the music Necklace by PuNk Couture.

Items at Ivalde range in price on average from $L250-400, which is standard for outfits and dresses. But the quality and style is superior to most in SL, so you are really getting a great deal.

There is really no reason not to visit Ivalde or window shop off-grid at the Ivalde website.

Sea-worthy Fashions

My last post was so long, i figured that I would talk about my cruise ship fashions separately.

The adorable white eyelet dress is the Veranda dress by Miko Omegamu of *ICING*. Featuring a lovely flowing prim skirt and bow, this dress is perfect for daytime adventures on or near the sea. I'll be writing more about *ICING* as they have a ton of super cute dresses and the prices there are excellent. The beaded necklace with fun knotted detail is from Shiny Things. I actually got this for free at the GNubie Store in Indigo. You can get it in Ruby or Mother of Pearl and is one of my favorite necklaces.

The shoes I'm sporting I actually purchased onboard. They are called Diva Pumps by Eye Candy and they cost only $L35! They have optional bling, Sexy Walk, and have 12 color change options. The AO is a little wonky, but they are cute, versatile and a steal!!

My Evening look is the 1897 Tzarina gown in Ruby by Shenlie Fine Millinery. I got this dress on clearance for only $L100. If it is still available, it comes is a variety of dramatic jewel tones and it perfect for the most formal of occasions. My hairstyle is Barbie by Hairapy. This hair is super cute and flirty. I love wearing it with all of my vintage day and party dresses, but I found while writing this piece that it can be great for sporty looks as well. Speaking of sporty...

I'm not super into sportswear, so I made my workout gear from bits and pieces I had in my inventory, all of which were free. The tank is the ETD wifebeater, the pants were part of the LandF Sporty Outfit, the wristbands were from Devilish Cupcake, and the shoes were PuNk Couture hightops. The main PuNk Couture shop is closed until autumn, but they have a kiosk in Emerald City. However, I'm not sure if the hightops are still free.

My skating outfit was also made from a collage of random items. The black gloves were free from a lingerie box. The shirt was the top of the Flexified Lacy Flower Dress (short) found at most of the free stores and warehouses. The prim skirt came from the French Spirit Black and Sexy Flex Dress and the "tights" were a black recolor of a freebie "New Pants." Not to shabby, wouldn't you say?

Cruisin' Aboard the S.S. Galaxy

The summertime is a perfect time to hit the open seas for a little rest and relaxation. So why not pack your bags and visit the S.S. Galaxy-Queen of the Sagittarian Sea!

This place is huge and reminds me very much of a Royal Caribbean super-liner. If you have never been on a cruise ship and are curious what they are about, you have to tour the Galaxy. It is a wonderfully detailed sim(s) with lots of extras and is just like a RL cruise.
There is so much to see and do here, it is wise to check out the hospitality desk in the main lobby when you first board the ship. There you will find ship maps, an events calender, and a teleporting station to the main attractions of the ship. Don't just TP around though or you will miss a lot of great little hidden areas.
There are lots of little bar and lounge areas where you can grab a drink with a little umbrella or enjoy a fine Cuban cigar *blows smoke rings oo00OOO.*
Make a visit to the bridge to see where all the captain stuff takes place. These things look important...

Culture yourself with a tour of their 2-story art gallery...

Or spoil yourself in their 3-story mall. Goodness...

Another way to blow (or win) some Lindens is in the Ships casino. They have lots of games to play, but I thought the most entertaining to watch was the horse races. Go Green!!!

If you like games, they have a giant chess game and skeet shooting on deck. Am I on the black team or the white team?

Other deck activities include a large pool with a giant slide, a basketball court, jogging, and and ice skating rink!!!! You'll need a pair of ice skates if you want to skate. You can get a free pair at Sarah Nerd's Freebie Paradise that has a basic skating AO. However, if you were looking for some fancier moves, you can purchase a pair of Skoop F Icicles ice skates at the rink for 75$L. These skates are a little clunky, but they come with a bunch of tricks and fancier skating AOs.

If you are looking for an outdoor feel without actually braving the deck, you can take a stroll through the lovely indoor atrium. There are beautiful fountains, foliage, waterfalls, and jacuzzis to relax in.

Not to mention a fair variety of poseballs with romantic possibilities.

If you are famished after an action packed morning, you can enjoy a casual lunch or dinner in the Bamboo Garden Japanese Restaurant. This is actually my favorite spot on the ship.

Isn't it gorgeous? This "outdoor" restaurant is actually inside the ship!! There is a conversation area and dining area with a sushi bar soon to come!

Don't worry, they supply you with the chopsticks. But they don't teach you how to use them!

You can work off your meal and prepare for the evening in the Galaxy Spa.

Did you know the average cruise ship passenger gains a pound a day?

Work on that base tan so you don't scare children at the pool (tanning goggles provided).

And relax and refresh in the sauna. There is no nudity in public areas so they offer complimentary men's and women's towels. Classy!

After you leave the spa, you may want to explore some of the social areas in the evening. There are two boiler rooms on this ship.
The regular kind...

And the kickass danceclub kind.

If you're not dancing the night away, you can take in a movie at the movie theatre (Poseidon is currently showing). However, the main evening attraction is the Zodiac Ballroom. Formal attire is required, so wear your best!!! I hope i didn't overdress :-)

You can visit the Galaxy for just a day, or you can rent accommodations. There are a variety of cabins with different sizes from basic staterooms to the Captain's Suite (below).

All in all, the most fun you can have on a boat in SL. You can spend a whole day here just exploring! And if you cabin fever, take a shore excursion to Sagittaria. I think i have a crush on the skipper.

Bon voyage!!!!

S.S. Galaxy: Queen of the Sagittarian Sea

Residential/ CommercialShopping, free activities, gambling, dining, movies, barsShopping rating: Fair: mostly small designers, varied types of goods sold