EYE SCREAM

Tomorrow, August 30, is the last day of Atelier Kreslo's Ice Cream Sale! Lots of cuteness so shake your moneymaker and get over there. But I really needed a pose that would allow me to hold five ice creams at once!

Ice Cream: Ohmai "Gingy's Chocolate"
Spoon: Scribble "Silver Spoon" (vintage group gift)
Dress: Sassy! "Tennis Dress"
Hair: D!va "Diva2" (vintage group gift)
Skin: Glam Affair "Leah Light" (100L Skin Sale is over now I think?)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Teeth: Dead Apples "Regular Teeth" (also available with gap!)

Love,
Serene

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood



But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind



Jacket: Teefy "Faux Fur Coat" (@ Collabor88)
Collar: Cherry "Georgie Collar Necklace"
Shirt: Coco "Bow Shirt" (vintage)
Skirt: CIA "Paisley Pencil Skirt"
Boots: Lapointe and Bastchild "Elise"
Stockings: Izzie's "Stockings Black" (Black Fair gift)
Hands: SLink "Mesh Hands"
Hair: Exile "Bad Reputation"
Skin: Curio ":GP: Sweetheart - Rose" (vintage)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Eyeshadow: Paperbag "Angel Eyes"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Poses: by Glitterati and Juxtapose
Song: sung by Billy Joel

Love,
Serene

RUTH, IS THAT YOU?

You might remember that two weeks ago I was complaining about some weird glitches that I were experiencing whilst trying to use the new "Advanced Lighting Model" in the updated Linden viewer. Overall I like what the new viewer does with shadows and the ambient light feels softer and kinder to me, but there are issues like with anything newish that is still in development.

... So to get to my point, I took this picture yesterday while I was trying on outfits. I popped off my wig. (What is that?!? Am I wearing an invisible prim on my head?) I quickly checked my "Current Outfit" Folder. No, I'm not wearing anything on my head, but you know, that looks just like Ruth's System Hair!

So here is what I found out: I went to look at my Bald Base. For you new folks, the Bald Base

1) controls the shape of your eyebrows, and
2) makes you bald so you can wear a wig, or if you set the hairstyle longer, you get System Hair (a.k.a. the ugliest hair of all time). System Hair was what they used in the dark ages before anyone made wigs.

You can shrink the System Hair very short so it all sits inside your cranium. But the maker of my eyebrows just applied a transparent texture to the System Hair instead of shrinking it. This transparency was conflicting with the transparent textures in my wigs. *sigh* I fixed that, and now my wigs look right again. Hopefully that helps some of you too!

Love,
Serene

BEBE

I think I'm ready now to turn the corner into fall. I smiled at the brown turtleneck dress and chuckled at the fun shi-shi-faux religious iconography printed on.



The sexy smoky eye and plush lips feel rich too, don't they?



I need a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Dress: LIV-Glam "Bebe"
Leggings: This is a Fawn "Knit Leggings" (vintage!)
Boots: Fashionably Dead "Bossy Boots - Wingtip Brown" (last Arcade Gacha)
Earrings: Maxi Gossamer "St. Tropez Hammered Disks"
Hair: LeLutka "Alvina"
Skin: Essences "Sash" (@ The Dressing Room)
Eyes: Ikon " Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Hands: by SLink
Eyeliner: Kooqla "Black Magic Eyeliner"
Eyeshadow: Paperbag "Smokey Eyes"
Poses: by Flowey and Del May

Love,
Serene

THE END OF SUMMER

Summer is nearly over, and I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am glad it's over because I've been struggling with loneliness and in a few days I'll be able to bury myself in projects and other busyness. As a closing parenthesis, this weekend really stank. I was blown off by some people I was trying to make friends of, and suddenly dropped from an activity that after some effort I was finally beginning to enjoy.



You might guess that I was feeling really unwelcome among humans when I came down to the Beach to hang around with these sea lions. They don't pressure me to talk, and I never feel like I have to paste on a phony smile.



Again, I have mixed feelings ... Summer is almost over, and as much as I adore Fall, I wish time would slow down a little. I feel like I'm missing too much as it goes flying by. I can't believe how big the Kid is getting, and somehow we didn't fit in as many trips to the community swimming pool as I thought we would. School starts on Wednesday.



Swimsuit: Surf Couture "Seaside One Piece"
Shorts: Tres Blah "Denim Bermuda Shorts"
Sandals: Lassitude and Ennui "Signature Sandals" (for use with SLink feet)
Hat/Hair: Maitreya "Siobhan"
Skin: Essences "Sash" (@ The Dressing Room)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Hands and Feet: by SLink
Location: Baja Norte

Love,
Serene

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

The Devil You Know may look a monster to everyone else, but they always put on a friendly face for you.



But that doesn't mean their teeth aren't sharp. :D



Jacket: LIV-Glam "Hazelle"
Bodysuit: Nemesis "Friendship Bodysuit Poppy" (vintage vintage)
Skirt: Mon Tissu "Oxford Pencil Skirt" (system/mesh combo)
Jewels: Handverk "Zelda" (@ Collabor88)
Shoes: Maitreya Gold "Liaison - Oxblood"
Hair: Exile "Miu"
Skin: Essences "Noodles" (subscriber gift)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Teeth: Dead Apples "Regular Teeth"
Horns: Lassitude and Ennui "Slightly Monstrous Horns"
Ears: Trap "Beastie Drow-Elfs"
Hands: SLink "Mesh Hands Casual"
Poses: by Del May and Marukin

Love,
Serene

GRAMMA WAS A HOT TAMALE

Let's face it, a long, long time ago, your grandmother was hot and fashionable.



If that idea makes you uncomfortable, you probably don't like the corollary: someday you will not be hot or fashionable. Well, maybe you'll still be fashionable. :D



Suit: Fashionably Dead "Tweed Box Coat" and "Long Tweed Skirt" (@ Collabor88)
Shoes: Ingenue "Pickford Heels" (@Collabor88)
Hair: D!va "Layla Platinum" (@ Collabor88)
Skin: Essences "Sash 08" (@ Collabor88)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Hands and Feet: by SLink with Skin Appliers by Essences
Poses: by Adorkable

Love,
Serene

MISS LAVENDER part two: "T.T. D. B. C."

That's "Things That Drive Bloggers Crazy". So here I am to vent about the things that were making me rip out bits of hair during my last photo shoot: (Feel free to click through to larger versions of the photos if you want to see more clearly what I am talking about.)



The top half of each photo shows what I look like before turning on the new version of the "Advanced Lighting Model", for comparison. Now you know I love shadows and ambient occlusion et cetera, I love the overall softness of the new lighting. But I'm having some trouble with the newest version. First, you can see that the Alpha Mask that hides the system eyelashes is clashing with my prim eyelashes.  And hunks of my hair vanish, particularly around my bangs.



Take a look at my ponytail ... I wonder if there is a transparent prim built into this wig? Well, its a pretty new rigged mesh wig, so I doubt it. *scratches head*



I was having fun with the jewelry too. Now in the bottom half of this photo, I prefer the overall shading, shadows, and the clarity and reflectivity on the larger oval gems. But the texture vanishes on the smaller gems completely. I'm not completely certain, but I think these gems are textured on the inside surface, and transparent on the outside surface. *facepalm*

So what did I do? I didn't notice the glitches until I was shooting the close-up photos, and I didn't want to start over so late at night. So I pasted the gemstones from the top shot over the blackened gems in the second shot, and fudged the hair a bit. Ack. Saved by Photoshop.

Love,
Serene

MISS LAVENDER part one of two

Change is in the air. For example, Finesmith has recently started making gowns as well as jewels. I am wearing the mesh gown, but can you also imagine an enormous matching crown and an overskirt completely made of gems and metal? I don't feel like a good Miss Universe, so you can attribute the incomplete outfit down to shyness. I also put a lace undershirt underneath :D ... But even without the cleavage, the line of the gown is undeniably sexy, with its corseted waist and curve hugging fabric.



I recently bought a fat-pack of SLink mesh hands. I already had the feet, and now I find myself baffled by applier options. For now I am still using the older tintable hands and feet while I decide what skin appliers to purchase. I hope full price skins will all learn to include appliers for no extra charge, and discount skins should make one applier for all their skin colors, rather than expecting me to buy a separate HUD for every skin tone. Color me confused.



But overall, I am loving the new hands. I imagine they are more fun for people who don't change their skin color very often, but they are worth it !! Now on the other end of me I am wearing SLink Feet. And on my SLink feet I am wearing some new shoes from Lassitude and Ennui. The new Opium mules are clearly first-cousins to the Boudoir mules, but with several important changes. First of all, they are made as a SLink add-on shoe. Second, the shoe texture has been nicely updated. Finally, they come in the plain version I am wearing, and also a version with a cute little fuzzy pompom on the front. :D  I won't be throwing away my old non-SLink shoes, but these new ones are a nice addition!

All of the Mesh issues have finally compelled me to make some major changes to my shape for the first time in years. I shrank the top of my ridiculously brainy cranium to be friendlier to Rigged Wigs, adjusted my arms and legs a bit to fit the hands and feet, figured out how to make the "girls" fit better in both standard sizing and extreme corsetry, and while I was at it I decided I would take six inches off my previous Amazonian proportions. I hope I'm done now ! *sigh*

Outfit and Jewels: Finesmith "Crystal Reality" (I'm not wearing the whole outfit)
Undershirt: Whippet and Buck "Claven Lace Blouse"
Shoes: Lassitude and Ennui "Opium Mules" (new SLink add-on shoes)
Hair: Exile "Celebrity Skin"
Skin: Kooqla "Ojen Angel"
Lipstick: Kooqla "NY Summer Lips 06"
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Hands and Feet: by SLink
Pose: by WetCat

Love,
Serene

THE DARK KAWAII

The Love Donna Flora event is still running through August 11, yes do go, but unless it's too obvious to say, why not also pop in at the Donna Flora shop and see what else is available? For example, somehow in the past I have never noticed this "Opera" Jewels set. How can that be possible? Its dark deliciousness is perfect for Goth Girls and Boys, or for upcoming Halloween revelries. Many of her Jewels are also transferable for gift-giving.



This cute little dress was just kismet. Texture-change HUD also to five bright Jewel Tones. I like the contrast between the cutesy cut of the dress and the dark skullyness. Mwah!



Jewels: Donna Flora "Opera" Necklace, Ring and Earrings
Dress: LIV-Glam "Abbey Ray" (coming at The Black Fair)
Leggings: Izzie's "Metallic Leggings Black"
Shoes: Coco ""Engineer Boots" (vintage)
Hair: LeLutka "Alvina"
Skin: Essences "Cho" (@ The Dressing Room)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Eye Makeup: Nuuna "Sabe Makeup"
Hands: SLink "Mesh Hands"
Poses: by Ma Vie and Marukin

Love,
Serene

QUEEN ELEANOR

Lovely Calico Ingmann Hair I found at Hair Fair! Calico was the first place I went to buy hair, the first time I bought virtual currency. I love to see a few dog-years-old-time designers still hanging in there. The Freya hair is fab for role-play. You can texture change hair color, the leather headband and the metallic medallions. Like many other hair makers, there are still a few transparency issues if I stand in front of tree leaves and that kind of thing. I wonder if the Lab will ever figure out how to make that work?



The gown is a mixture of mesh (the lower gown and chainmail cape), system clothing (the mail shirt, glitch pieces and socks), and sculpted attachments (the collar and arm pieces). I appreciate the flexibility I have to customize the outfit.



Outfit: The Muses "Rainha" (mixed mesh, sculpt and system pieces)
Jewels: Lassitude and Ennui "Dewdrop"
Shoes: Lassitude and Ennui "Mojari"
Hands: SLink "Mesh Hands" (texture change HUDs)
Hair: Calico "Freya" (texture change HUDs)
Skin: Essences "Cho" (@ The Dressing Room)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"
Poses: by Label Motion

Love,
Serene

MISS COLETTE

When I am not being a lazy layabout on the beach, I am starting to look around for some fall outfits. Liv Glam's "Colette"is a sweet little understated outfit that makes a nice backdrop for bolder accessories. By itself, it is almost Spartan, but it shines behind the jewelry and handbag. I pulled some Maxi Gossamer jewels and a vintage Sey handbag out of my closet to dress it up.



I'm still in love with this Essences skin because of the plush red lipstick! Now showing with this cute hairdo by Ploom that I picked up at Hair Fair. I like this monochrome hair color range in a HUD, you can also change all the hairbands several colors to go with different outfits.



Shirt and Skirt: LIV-Glam "Colette"
Jewels: Maxi Gossamer "Baroque Teardrop"
Purse: Sey "Fur bag" (texture change)(vintage)
Shoes: Bax "Booties Black Reptile"
Hair: Ploom "Raichu" (texture change HUD)
Skin: Essences "Cho"
Hands: SLink "Mesh Hands Relaxed" (texture change HUD)
Eyes: Ikon "Ardent"
Lashes: LeLutka "Photoshoot II"

Love,
Serene