Top Men’s Skin Shops in Second Life

April 25, 2010 — barbarellanoel

Skin by Mazzo Design - Aldo darker with A&A Silvio hair

Don’t believe the self-administered hype that many skin shops make.  Just because they say they have the best skins doesn’t make it true!  Soooo many bad skins out there.  And, importantly, don’t buy based on the very gorgeous and highly photoshopped vendor pic.  Another thing to look out for is that often you will have a very well done face and…uh-oh!  What is up with that body!  Try before you buy whenever possible.  Many will have free demos or ones that cost L$1 but its well worth it if it prevents you from having L$800 to L$1500 worth of buyer’s remorse.   Hopefully this guide will cut down on your wild goose chase.  For your convenience (and sanity), here is a compilation of the skin shops that I think offer the best skins for men…a work in progress but hopefully a good start for you.  You will find the shops listed in no particular order.  Following their listing is their blog if they have one, where you can get a peek of their skins.  Also listed is the slurl to their shop.  Best of luck!  (Please send me LMs of any shops you recommend!)

TOP SKIN SHOPS FOR MEN:

Signature Skin Labs

Redgrave

Second Skin Labs

Belleza

Mazzo Design

  • This humble shop may very well be my favorite skins for the male body.  The amazing photorealistic details don’t look out of place in SL as many photorealistic skins do.  Faces are attractive too.  So, while creator Mac Ayers proclaims his skins to be the “Best Male Body Skins”, I find it hard to disagree with him.
  • http://slurl.com/secondlife/Seymour/77/42/104

Unique

Pulse

The ABYSS

Fallen Gods, Inc.

ISPACHI

PXL

Adam n Eve

Millage Valenti

CheerNo

The Body Politik

Sakurako

Posted in Menswear, Shopping, Skins, Tips. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

Mariposa – A Fabulous New Jewelry Shop

April 20, 2010 — barbarellanoel

I have decided to have a go at being a shop owner myself recently – making and selling shapes.  I’m really in a very entry level state and don’t think it deserves mentioning here yet but as soon as I feel I make the cut, I’ll tell you more.

However, while we were both setting up our shops, I made a new acquaintence who most definitely deserves a mention.  Her name is Felicity Winslet and her shop is Mariposa.  Her jewelry designs are NOT the typical new shop owner fare!  Felicity has some authentic designer skills and her first shop offerings are beyond magnificent.  You think I exaggerate?  Well, take a look!

I really really want you to SEE how wonderful the prim work is so I enlarged the Aubade pink/bronze necklace.

Mariposa - Aubade necklace in pink/bronze

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Malt/108/40/22

In my opinion, it is only a true artist that can recreate tactile sensations for their virtual objects.  Can’t you just feel the weight of the well polished stone?  The cool heft and smoothness of the bronze pieces?  The earthy texture and smell of the leather strip?  All magnificently balanced with a delicate setting of the stones making a gorgeous statement that works well with the prissiest of outfits down to the most casual jeans outfits.  I love when I can make items in my inventory work for me in multiple ways…these become my most treasured items.  And no doubt, Mariposa’s jewelry pieces have earned their own folder in my favorites section.  It is one of those rare shops that fills me with the “I must have it!” urge.  Dangerous…yes.  However, Felicity is not only one of the talented, she’s one of the generous.  Her prices are quite affordable and she offers equally fine quality free gifts in her shop.

Although I’ve only shown you one set, there are many others offered in sumptuous colors and wearable styles…and you should see them for yourself!  So, I don’t think you need me to tell you to GO there.  I suspect you already have your cursor over the slurl cocked and ready to click.  Well, don’t let me hold you here…MOVE ALONG!

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Ibanez Eyes – Worth a look!

March 16, 2010 — barbarellanoel

This little shop was brought to my attention recently and I decided to take a look even though I had some reservations.  Not that I heard anything bad about it.  Its just that…well, uhmmm…ok.  Usually when I shop for eyes in SL, I’m left disappointed.  They always look soooo good on the model but when I buy them and wear them, I immediately feel a big let down.  Or worse, I wanna just rip them right outta my head!  You know what I mean?

Well, I took the LM and arrived at the location.  I was immediately put at ease with the serene chirping of crickets and birds and the soft tinkle of wind chimes.  I then rezzed the shop and scanned the area.  The shop, I noticed, was simply and elegantly designed and laid out with an impressive logo using the Eye of Horus.  Very well done.  I was convinced that there may be a good chance that good things may lie inside…and indeed, there are!  In fact, I now have a new favorite set of eyes which I’m wearing below in the center shot.

Can you spot the freebie set of eyes? Trust me, its in there!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Indigo%20Hills/206/14/22

I could list the eye colors here, but I just want you to GO to Ibanez because my pics can’t show you how good they really look.  There are free demos so I suggest you try them.  The attention to details by creator Annie Ibanez is just wonderful…not too over the top, but just enough.  She has baked in shadows on the sclera textures to prevent that blinding white flat look that many eyes have.  And when the avatar looks to the side you will notice very slight blood vessels for that realistic look.  I quite like it.  In fact, I love it!

As far as selection, there is plenty of it.  These shown here are the everyday wear but Ibanez also has all the fantasy and out of the world looks too.  From whimsical, to frightening, to the dramatic, Ibanez has a great selection to choose from.  You can even get eyes for your Na’vi!

You may also want to check out the Midnight Mania board.  The way it works is that if 25 people register by midnight, those first 25 get a free sample eye pack!  Today the board was locked when I visited at 11 am slt.  So 25 lucky people will get a gorgeous set of 5 eyes for free tomorrow morning!  Definitely worth a trip to Ibanez on a regular basis for that.  But make it EARLY!

Annie has also informed me that she will soon release her new product: a fully scripted eye hud with 25 colors of eyes.  It will enable you to switch colors on the fly, change the eye size to small or large, add glow, lighting effects, and even allow two different eye colors.  I can’t wait!

Well, I hope I’ve convinced you that Ibanez is worth a look.  Annie Ibanez is a great creator and offers quality products at her sim in such a pleasant and enjoyable environment.  She’s also very generous…be sure to pick up her complimentary eye set and dragonfly wings!  Hope to see you there…unless you are number 25 which, in that case, I hope to see you…later.

Don't forget to pick up your complimentary Dragonfly Wings!

Posted in Eyes, Shopping. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

Every day is a great day to visit fri.day!

March 3, 2010 — barbarellanoel

Why have I NEVER heard about the shop fri.day????

How could this have happened???

Cuz I’m telling you right now that it is now easily one of my FAVORITE hair shops!  OMG!  Gorgeous styles with excellent flexi pieces creating a beautiful and natural look.  They’re amazing…AMAZING!

I started out by buying up all the interesting demos…they are free.  I then went to my folder and began trying them on.  Typically I will like 2 out of every 5 that I try on.  Imagine my surprise when I liked the first one.  Then the next one.  And then the next one!  And the next, next, next!  Yeah…I dropped some lindens here, but the prices are reasonable, colors are great, and the styles are just perfect.  They complete me!  Seriously!  You have the look all together – skin, shape, clothing, shoes.  But something is off…hair is good, but not…quite.  Well, for me, this hair made things very right!

fri.day hair - Cassie in Cranky Brown

I struck up a conversation with a fellow shopper and asked her how long the shop has been around.  I expected to hear “not long”, but instead heard that they’ve been around awhile.  GASP!  How did I not know about this shop?  Well, my friends, I’m here to TELL YOU that this little shop is someplace you should put at the top of your shopping list immediately.  In addition to the hair (women only, sorry guys), fri.day sells casual separates for women.  Cute everyday looks that are essential for building a great wardrobe.  The jeans are beautifully made, great textures, stylish, and have up to four leg styles to choose from: cuffed, boot, flared, and skinny.

Deena Hair & Thermal Henley/Jasmine Hair & Ballerina Sweater with Low Rise jeans

From the name, to the designs, fri.day is a simple, elegant, versatile, and an easy to wear brand that you should have in your inventory.

fri.day is casually elegant, elegantly casual.  The team at Monday is made of excellent creators.  Check out their blog to see more of the styles that they offer.  And then take your lindens and go here to buy these great styles!  You’ll find the hair in the back of the shop behind the curtains.

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Top Hair Shops in Second Life

October 19, 2009 — barbarellanoel

Hair page_002

Do you get as exhausted as I do looking for the perfect hairstyle?  Well, I’ve composed a list of the top SL hair shops for your convenience.  It’s not comprehensive…just as I know of them in SL.  If you feel I’ve left one out, please drop me a note.

Armidi

Truth

Cake

Maitreya

fri.day

Uncleweb Studio

Damselfly Hair Salon

Analog Dog Hair

Calico Ingmann Creations

ETD: Elika Tiramisu Designs

Aden

sWEET HAIRs

Exile

Wasabi Pills

Detour

Hair Solutions

Clawtooth by Clawtooth

Bishwear

Creatives!

Diversity Hair

Kin

Laqroki

H2L

Sky Everett Designs

Adam n Eve

Magika

Calla

Vixen Hair

Gurl 6

Naughty

Tami McCoy

Panache

Zero Style

Curl Up and Dye

Gritty Kitty

Artilleri

Philotic Energy

Defectiva

Tekeli-li

House of Heart/Bewitched Hair (soon to be renamed to Hairy Situations)

Hairspray 1 & 2

  • http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hairspray/21/128/52
  • These two sims are devoted to hair shops only.  Its a good way to check out lots of hairstyles on a massive hair hunt!  If you find you like a shop just click the LM giver to TP to the main store  location to get more hair selections from that designer.

* This list will be expanded and edited as more info is collected so do check back periodically for updates.  Also, the article can be found in the tabs at the top of the page for easy access.

If you are a hair designer and have a more current blog url or slurl please let me know!  I’d like to keep the list as current and usable as possible.  And of course, anybody can let me know of a shop that they feel should be on a list also.  I welcome any suggestions and will check them out.

Posted in Hair, Shopping. Tags: . 2 Comments »

Oubliette

October 7, 2009 — barbarellanoel

Oubliette_006

Found!  Gown by Evie’s Closet

Oubliette_010Found!  Baby Doll dress by Evie’s Closet

Do you like flat, square sims?  Shops all lined up straight in a row?  Non-landscaped parcels of mish-mash items for sale?  Vendors all lined up in rows and rows on uninteresting walls?  Do ya?  Well then,  DON’T come to Oubliette!  Oubliette is for dreamers, the curious, the dramatic, those who love fine quality goods, and for those who love The Hunt!  Right at this VERY moment there is a terrific hunt going on there called Pieces of You…and I mean a quality item hunt, not a freebie junk give-away.  See the dresses above?  I found those items only moments ago…gorgeous, gorgeous items by Evie’s Closet on Oubliette.  And I’m not finished!  I will NOT leave until I find Saiyge Lotus’ Strange as Angels collection.  I have one earring at the moment and as soon as I post this, I will continue until I own every prim of that collection!  I’m a huge fan of Saiyge Lotus’s shop Balderdash.  Isn’t that a fun name?  I recommend that you visit her shop here and take lots of lindens.  Every time I enter her shop I buy pretty much everything she has that is new since my last visit.  Her items are creative, unique, exquisitely detailed, and simply beautiful.  No, not simply at all.  Neither her designs nor her landscaping and terraforming of the sim are simple.  Complex is the word.  A master’s touch.  That makes this hunt all the more worthwhile…her sim is endlessly surprising and beautiful.  The fact that you get these amazing purple boxes of treasures (12 in all) is icing on the cake!

Oubliette_012Saiyge Lotus’ Strange as Angels collection

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Oubliette/180/144/26

To join in the hunt just click on the sign upon entering and rezzing on the sim.  You will need to join the hunt group at a cost of $88L and then each box is $1L for a total expense of $100L.  More than a fair deal!  The gown and dress I’ve already found is easily valued over $1000L.  Not to mention the fun of the hunt!  Take friends to make more of a game out of it…see who can get the whole collection first.  They aren’t easy to find, but wandering the sim and taking in the sights is half the fun.  If you really really can’t find a few boxes, then look in the notecard given when clicking the start board…there are clues in there for locations.

Balderdash keeps good company too.  The other shops on the sim are Winx, Evie’s Closet, and Frippery…all high quality designers and shops worth checking out and they’ve all contributed to the hunt items that you will find.

Well, I must go…got some hunting to do.  Happy hunting to you all!

Tip: There are many Hunts offered in SL.  They vary in quality, but it’s a great thing to participate in.  Join them all if you can…they will lead you to new discoveries and give you a great education on what good products vs. bad products are.  They will also lead you to wonderful and little known sims.  Some of my best discoveries were found this way!

Posted in Fun interactive sims, Furniture, Jewelry, Scenic sims, Shopping, Tips. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

Black Taj & White Taj

August 30, 2009 — barbarellanoel

White Taj_001 (2)

http://slurl.com/secondlife/White%20Taj/124/223/52

When you arrive, you’ll be facing the White Taj which is based on the Taj Mahal.  The Black Taj is a creation of imagination.  Both are architectural wonders.  The palaces are vast and there are many rooms to be explored and hidden places to be found.  Each palace has a dance hall, so grab a date and select a location – or try them both!  Take an airship tour of the sim, or a relaxing rowboat ride. And don’t forget to explore the forest…there are some beautiful places that you’ll want relax in.

White Taj & Black Taj_001

Posted in Ambient, Clothing, Dancing, Fun interactive sims, Scenic sims, Shopping. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

Zaara

August 29, 2009 — barbarellanoel

“Wondrous things!”

This is what Howard Carter said to Lord Carnarvon when asked what he saw as he peered into the tomb of King Tut.  And this is what I say to you as I peer into the shop, Zaara.

Zaara_001

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zaara/201/132/27

I’ve found a new weakness.  Another amazing and irresistible store that will wring more than a few lindens out of my hands, despite the more than reasonable prices here.  Its just that it is IMPOSSIBLE to resist buying the amazingly rich and beautiful creations at Zaara Kohime’s store, and I have to confess that I ended up buying more than a few impossible-to-refuse outfits.

I was out exploring the other day and found myself at a middleastern sim and wandered into a shop with some eye-catching colors and textures.  They were saris.  I honestly have no occasions that I can think of that I would need to wear a sari…so you’d think that I’d keep walking.  But no, the beautiful satiny, rich textures of the saris proved to be irresistible and so I indulged and bought one.  I also bought a fat pack of the jewelry to accessorize for a total effect.  When I put them on I was more than pleased.  Not only was the design flattering and attractive, colors beautiful and appealing, but the craftsmanship was beyond impressive.  I knew I had to find this creator’s main store.

When I arrived and rezzed, I scanned the area with my experienced eye and immediately knew that my visit to this store would yield a few treasures.  And I wasn’t wrong!  Not only does Zaara have gorgeous saris, but she offers contemporary casual wear for both men and women, dresses, and the gorgeous traditional Indian formal wear for both men and women.  Lovely scarves, wraps and jewelry can be found here as well.

Zaara 4 outfits

A variety of looks can be found at Zaara’s

See more of Zaara’s items here:  http://zaarakohime.blogspot.com/

Posted in Clothing, Jewelry, Menswear, Shopping. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

Black Spot

August 26, 2009 — barbarellanoel

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Black%20Spot/149/164/24

Got a little Captain in you?

Black Spot is a pirate lover’s dream.  Gorgeous and intricately made ships can be found here for purchase as well as other sundries.  But as usual, I prefer sims that don’t overtly hawk items and Black Spot is one of those sims.  It offers some amazing vistas and beautiful water.  Lots of dramatic scenes and mood to be found here.  It begs for exploration, and you will be rewarded if you do.  There are interactive rides and hidden passages leading to…..?  You should find out!  I’m once again awed by another’s creative talents…this time by Lia Woodget, creator of Black Spot.  I really can’t say enough about her amazing creation…other than its on my MUST SEE list!  Hmmm…I fully expect to see Johnnie Depp in full pirate gear any minute now.  Not that that’s a bad thing :)

TIP: I don’t use photoshop in my pics…mainly because I want you all to see the images as I see them.  But also because I’m photoshop illiterate!  (Anybody wanna school me?)  But I did play with the windlight settings as seen in the pics above.  I was afraid to do this, but I’m over it now.  It won’t mess up your settings!  You can always go back to default.  But if you click world tab on the top of the screen, then environment settings then environment editor, then advanced sky (whew), then at the top in that box find sky presets…just click any or all of those for some amazing tweaks to your screen shots.  It’s lots of fun!  And can really create a mood – spooky, sunny, alien…whatever look you want, you can create it.  Try it and have some fun!

***Note:  It appears that the 100 or so sky presets are only available with the Emerald viewer.  The Linden Lab viewer has presets too, but only about 15 or so.  I gotta say, I’m loving the Emerald viewer.  Lots of fun options and I don’t see any downsides so far.  Here’s the link to download the Emerald viewer if you’d like to try it:

http://modularsystems.sl/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=sections&Itemid=5

There are two parts to download:

1. GreenLife_Proprietary_Pack_Voice-Support-FPS-Boost.exe

2. GreenLifeSetup_1-23-673(Optimized).exe

This was a very painless and problem free download for me.  Best of luck!

***I just found that you can have hundreds of sky presets with the LL viewer.  Just download them from the LL website via Torley’s post:     http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/WindLight_settings

Posted in Fun interactive sims, Furniture, Scenic sims, Shopping, Tips. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

Immersiva by Bryn Oh

August 17, 2009 — barbarellanoel

Immersiva by Bryn Oh_004

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Immersiva/44/101/21

Immersiva by Bryn Oh_001As I walked closer I read the note

Willow

~

We hid in the tree at night

Or crouch in the foaming brine

Not thinking of the rust

That will mar our metallic shine

~

As the hunters drew close

You left our shelter and drew

The spotlight to your flight

So all they would see is you

~

Caught and dismantled today

I look at your remnants in sorrow

I will curl up in your remaining parts

And turn myself off tomorrow

~Bryn Oh

Immersiva gives me the feeling that I’m only half awake, sleepwalking through a dream.  It is filled with wonderfully created and arranged artistic displays, conjuring sorrow, love, hope, despair, sweetness and melancholy all at once.  Upon arrival, pick up the notecard explaining the settings to best view the sim, and about the Rabbicorn Story.   Bryn Oh has made a world from her heart, expressing a sort of bittersweet tale…leaving me wanting more.  It isn’t the sort of place to rush through.  It isn’t a place to stumble around in with your giggling friends.  It’s a place to go with a contemplative mind, a curious mind, and with your senses heightened to soak it all in.  There are items meant to be interacted with.  Do look at things closely, do have your sounds turned up, and do click when you see your cursor become the pointing hand.  And without a doubt, do go to this sim and immerse yourself…it is a MUST SEE destination.

Learn more about Bryn Oh’s projects here:  http://brynoh.blogspot.com/

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