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.

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

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Armidi/135/127/26
• ShopArmidi.com (register here to shop online for Armidi products)
• Women & Men

Truth

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Truth%20Island/111/211/26
• http://truthhawks.typepad.com/
• Women & Men
• Free hair section

Cake

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/FNKY%20Cake/129/76/24
• Women & Men

Maitreya

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Maitreya%20Isle/178/175/23
• Women

fri.day

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Friday/150/129/32
• http://www.fridayofsl.com/
• Women

Uncleweb Studio

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Yamashita/58/87/21 (right click on the water then “sit” on the rainbow)
• Women & Men

Damselfly Hair Salon

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Damselfly%20Hair%20Salon/146/228/25
• http://dragonflydesignsinc.blogspot.com/
• Women & Men

Analog Dog Hair

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Analog%20Dog%20Hair/128/128/22
• Women & Men

Calico Ingmann Creations

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Calico%20Kitty/123/23/26
• http://calicocreations.blogspot.com/
• Women & Men

ETD: Elika Tiramisu Designs

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/ETD/112/129/30 (this lands you inside the Celestial Studios shop.  You must fly to ETD next door…closest tp I could grab
• http://elikatiramisudesigns.com/
• Women & Men

Aden

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kahmiya%20Cove/160/96/26
• Women

sWEET HAIRs

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Faces/6/2/270
• Women

Exile

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Covet/179/66/31
• Women & Men
• http://exilegear.net/

Wasabi Pills

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Thibedeau/40/95/23
• Women & Men

Detour

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Detour/136/118/22
• Women

Hair Solutions

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Elite%20Island/141/133/22
• Women & 1 Men’s hair
• http://hair-solutions.blogspot.com/

Clawtooth by Clawtooth

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tableau/100/128/134
• Women
• http://tableaulovesyou.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/halloween-goodies-at-clawtooth-by-clawtooth/

Bishwear

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/BishWear%20Island/100/199/22
• Women
• http://bishwear.blogspot.com/

Creatives!

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/ididntdothat/96/106/22
• Women

Diversity Hair

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Addictive/125/130/294
• Women & Men
• http://aleridarkes.blogspot.com/

Kin

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eventide%20Far%20East/165/209/45
• Women

Laqroki

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Laqroki/128/128/20
• Women & Men

H2L

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Harajuku/118/90/22
• Women & Men

Sky Everett Designs

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/L’Utopie/40/124/29
• Women & Men

Adam n Eve

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Genesis/120/177/39
• Women
• http://www.adam-n-eve.co.uk/?cat=5

Magika

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Magika%20Land/81/187/27
• Women

Calla

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Calla/115/184/37
• Women & Men
• http://callastyles.blogspot.com/

Vixen Hair

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/VIXEN%20Hair/147/115/21
• Women
• http://vixenhair.wordpress.com/

Gurl 6

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/GuRLyWood/110/109/22
• Women & Men
• http://gurl6.blogspot.com/

Naughty

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Naughty/79/168/24
• Women & Men

Tami McCoy

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dixie/77/77/424
• Women & Men
• http://tamshair.blogspot.com/

Panache

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Panache/117/139/124
• Women & Men

Zero Style

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zero%20Style/124/136/39
• Women & Men

Curl Up and Dye

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Inari/31/228/23
• Women & Men
• http://leetahmoxie.blogspot.com/

Gritty Kitty

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Koreshan/44/83/25
• Women & Men

Artilleri

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/artilleri/95/123/26
• Women

Philotic Energy

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bloodlines/97/10/22
• Women & Men
• Punk hair

Defectiva

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/bel%20Drift/145/232/501
• Women & Men
• http://defectivaupdates.blogspot.com/
• Neko, Emo, Punk hair

Tekeli-li

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hollow%20Earth/70/210/42
• Women & Men
• Amazing fantasy hairstyles

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

• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bewitched/72/88/22
• Women & Men
• http://blog.bewitchedhair.com/

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.

Greetings from Barcelona.  Having a great time – wish you were here!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tumotiko%20East/69/136/0

I’ve not been to the real Barcelona, so I can’t say if this sim is similar to the real deal or not, but I can tell you that it’s gorgeous, very well designed, appealing to the eye, and a great place to hang out in general and meet folks.  It’s good if you know a bit of Spanish as there are many Spanish-speaking people around.  It offers a cozy cafe to share a latte with friends or to have a dance.  There are assorted shops and art galleries.  And in addition to the city feel, the edges are beach covered and offer sights to see, boating interactive activities, and more hang out spaces.  The music is a soothing Latin station, good for chatting with friends or dancing.

Here’s a tip…do visit sims that have a majority of non-English speaking residents.  Don’t be afraid!  It’s a wonderful way to experience another culture without a passport or even leaving your home.  There are translation devices easily found in SL, many of them free.  There is a bit of a learning curve, but it’s well worth it.  Its a terrific way to learn a foreign language or practice your rusty skills in a language you are semi-literate in.  I’ve had many non-English speaking friends do this very thing in order to practice their English and I’ve seen them become remarkably proficient by the exercise and rather quickly too!  Overall, it’s a great way to expand your world and your skills while having a great time.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tableau/166/149/133

When you arrive, you will find yourself in a simple blue-walled house with several vendors of interesting objects.  Do take a look.  But whatever you do, do not fail to walk outside the door.  Once you exit, turn around to admire the unique design of the store Rootbeer then, continue to explore the entire sim.  This sim is one of the most unique and fantastic sims I’ve come across in some time.  I can’t simply name shops for you to explore, there are too many whimsical and wonderful things spread throughout the sim in various stores, things so imaginative, silly, creative, and most importantly, fun!  I bought the most useless gadgets here and I love them!  In the pic above I somehow wound up at Club Luna wearing the always chic Extreme Cat Eye Shades from Paper Couture and the RACHELBREAKER SPLOOGEGUN that shoots gobs of pink goo.  Very well made items, not just frilly props…and great for laughs!  After the club, I found an interesting hair shop called Clawtooth by Clawtooth.  I bought a demo hair for Kitten with a Whip at the shop and proceeded to try it on.  But I was confused…stunned.  Something….wasn’t…quite right…

WHY THE HELL AM I SQUATTING ON THE FLOOR???  AND WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING A MOUSTACHE???  AND WTF IS THIS LADY DOING TO ME???!!!

I cam out a bit to soak it all in…

And I roll into a hearty laugh!  The surprise of it, the absurdity, the irreverence….I love it!!!  Check out the cow in the background wearing the tiara.  If the lady didn’t have a drawn on goatee, I’d be kinda ticked…but as it is…I get the joke.  A surprising and eclectic riff on the standard DEMO boxes on other demo hairs by creator Bubbles Clawtooth.  Pretty funny!  Well, as  you can see,  Tableau is full of surprises and silliness, not to mention one-of-a-kind items that you really should check out.  A lot of laughs with your friends can be had on this exploration.  I ended up buying the hair which inspired me to whip out my other recently purchased Carved Flower Cat Eye Glasses by Paper Couture and my Poppies dress by Icing and go totally retro!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Armidi/135/129/26

This dress is from Armidi’s Gisaci shop.  I have this in a couple of colors, merlot and deep blue.  Not only do the textures have a beautiful satiny shine, the flow is just lovely when walking.  Along with a wide range of clothing choices, the shops offer hair, skin, and other accessories for both men and women.

Oh dammit!  Lindens help me!  I just bought another outfit here.  Well, I’m not weak…NOBODY can resist these items!  I dare you to try

http://slurl.com/secondlife/SIXTY%20NINE/128/128/2

At Sixty Nine, you’ll find a great selection of women’s hair.  I know, I know…you poor fellas.  Only one choice at this shop, with or without the hat.  But a good one, nonetheless.  For the lucky women, there are some really beautiful looks here…very complimentary styles for when you want to put the glam on.  So, what makes good hair?  Gotta be good with the flexi, and NO helmet hair!  And the colors gotta be alive, not flat.  You’d be surprise how hard it is to get black right.  Not all black tones are the same, and even black needs a soft highlight to combat that flat look.  Kumii Yoshikawa has carefully balanced these features to give you hair that gives depth and sways with the gentle SL breeze.  Love it!

This hairstyle is called Miracle, dark olive from the ash pack.  You get 5 shades for $200L.  Also, the bow is color change…click the bow and you get a menu with 4 color choices.  Not a bad deal!

Here’s a little tip:  I wanted to modify a strand of hair to get it out of my face.  To do this, first make a copy of the hair for backup.  Wear the hair then click the hair to edit.  In the edit box click edit linked parts and select the object you’d like to modify.  When done, close the box and you’re done!  Not hard at all.  I’ve often shortened bangs, made BIG hair smaller, and even tweaked the color a bit (Insilico post hair).  As long as you make a back up, no problem…have a go at it!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/INSILICO/189/181/3602

When I first arrived, I was dazed and disoriented.  It was difficult to know which direction to go…with each step into the blackness I uttered a silent prayer that I wouldn’t plunge into the cityscape below.  As I tried to make sense and direction out of the lights, buildings, and chaos about me, I came upon a platform where a sleek motorbike was parked.  I jumped onto it but was immediately repelled by the security system.  I had to continue walking.  I stepped once again into the darkness, only to find myself falling.  It was a short fall and I landed on the platform landing of a stairwell.  As I picked myself up, I noticed a movement in the darkness…on the stairs above me.  I was startled, but couldn’t make out the shape.  My heart beat faster…and I decided to keep walking.  Out of the corner of my eye the shape took form.  It was a man in a dark leather coat.  And he had a gun… pointed at me!  I suddenly realized how careless it was for me to try to take the bike…it must have sent an alarm to the owner.  And now, the owner was here.  Tracking me with his gun.  “Keep walking” I told myself.  I inhaled deeply and took two steps.  “Oh my god!” he said.  “You’re Leeloo!”  I turned around, smiling at him.  “Yes” I answered.

True story, by the way!  The man put the gun away.  His name was Jaco.  We chatted a bit.  I learned that he resides on the sim and he invited me to join him as he docked his ship.  He told me to hop onto the back of his bike and we jetted off.  His ship/residence was a dome-shaped structure with AMAZING textures…really, the whole sim is absolutely incredible!  Bladerunner, The 5th Element seem to inspire the look of the sim.   Jaco sat in the pilot seat and I sat next to him and he carefully maneuvered the ship to the docking station.  After a perfect dock, I thanked him for showing me about.  He was a real gentleman, that is after he put the gun away

Some serious RP goes on here, but don’t let that intimidate you.  Visitors are welcome.  This sim is a MUST SEE destination.  Truly, one of the best sims in SL.  I strongly urge you to visit it!  You may meet a new friend like I did.

Landing the bike at Jaco’s residence

Jaco piloting his ship towards the dock

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Drowsy/187/48/38

Drowsy is a charming little seaside village that is definitely worth a look.  It reminds me of  the type of village one would love to visit on a lazy afternoon – with a delicious packed lunch, a leisurely picnic on a blanket in the warm sun, gentle warm breeze blowing with the soft grass swaying.  Then after a while, hike up to the village for some antique shopping.  At Drowsey, I didn’t see any antiques for sale, but I did see a wonderful derelict building with clothing, skin and hair for sale.  There are a few other shops too, but mostly I recommend the sim for the beautiful scenery and leisurely mood.  The sim seems designed for exploration with a cobbled narrow main street that leads to other intriguing paths.  Hmmm…..which path to choose?   I think I will explore them all!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tiki%20Tattoo%20Cove/34/168/22

“I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts…”

Kick off those shoes, get your sunscreen and sunglasses on and head over to Tiki Tattoo.  They’ve got everything, from land rental, to island clothing, tattoos, beach furniture, landscape plants, to even prefabs.  Tiki Tattoo has the most exstensive and authentic looking, top quality Polynesian items I’ve ever seen in SL.  Not only is the sim beautiful….(do kick off your shoes and try out the items for sale), but the genuine feel, down to the laid back and relaxing music, makes this a wonderful place to shop, hang out, and pull together an island look.  I’ve got my look all together, see?  Now, all I need is a Hula dance!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Truth%20Island/102/208/26

Truth is another one of my staples for wardrobe and hair in SL.  Yesterday, I received a notice from Truth with pics of new releases of dresses and hair.  One look at those pics…I was soon on a TP to Truth!  The result is the look in the pic above.  Sunday Dress in Sand, Isabella hair in mocha.  If only you could see the details of the trim of the dress.  So delicate and beautiful!   I also stumbled into a 50% off hair sale there which is ALWAYS a good thing.  Another GREAT thing is that Truth offers an adorable short ‘do called Jess as a free gift.  And as with all products they offer at Truth, it is a quality-made item.  It won’t just sit in a freebie folder unworn.  One word about groups.  There are some groups that you must absolutely sign up with.  Truth is one of those shops.  Now with the group joiners that don’t take up group slots, there is no excuse not to.  Not only do you get the best designs hot off the design table, but you get all notices of goodies and sometimes, if  you’re lucky, gifts just for group members.

To see more of what Truth offers, visit Truth Hawks’ blog at:  http://truthhawks.typepad.com/