~A Beguiling Tango~

Second Life is rich with creative people…each one expressing their genius in his or her own inimitable way.  Each time I set out to explore this amazing virtual world, I am awestruck with the depth of skill and attention to detail that goes into creating beauty, form and function out of pixels.  Pouring your heart and soul into producing something from your imagination is tough enough in First Life…add the challenges of translating that same work into pixels, on a computer, and you start to appreciate the dedication and perseverance required to do so.

I always feel honored and blessed that I have had the good fortune of becoming friends with truly artistic people in Second Life and one of those friends is someone I particularly cherish.  Jillar Lamar is not only an incredibly talented digital artist, in SL, she also has the ability to translate that eye for beauty into the landscape of her Second Life world.

The Beguiled; Art Gallery and Studio is where you will find the collective works from Jilla and where you will also find yourself immersed in a lush, whimsical landscape that invites you to slow down, wander the grounds and take in all the enchanting details.  Jilla has managed to build an artistic, three dimensional masterpiece worthy of Monet.

~A Beguiling Tango~

When I saw the Kara Little Black Dress and the Poppy Dot Chemise, from ~ghee~, I wanted to grab my husband and head to The Beguiled to tango the afternoon away; amongst the flowers.  We found the perfect spot, for dancing, right next to this wonderful Garden Piano from Boudoir.

~A Beguiling Tango~

You can find the Poppy Dot Chemise and the Kara Little Black Dress, and many more fabulous black themed dresses from ~ghee~, at the Black Fashion Fair.

Life is fleeting in any world…take time to explore and stay captivated! ❤ ❤

~X~

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Xiu is also wearing:

In Photo #1

Dress:  ~ghee~  – Kara Little Black Dress (available at the Black Fashion Fair)

Foot Ribbons:  ~ghee~ – Black Ribbon Wraps with optional Poppy Accents (available at the Black Fashion Fair)

Hair:  [elikatira]– Looking (retired style)

Skin:  Glam Affair  Aria – Asia (previous gacha item)

Hands:  Slink – AVEnhance – Elegant1

Necklaces:  MG-Maxis Gossamer Accessories Jewelled Owl, Wild Honey Bee & Jewelled Peacock

Bangles:  [EY:NO] (store closed)

Pose: BODY / shots – Tango d’Amore 03

Shot on location at Beguiled; Art Gallery and Studio  

Photo #2

Dress:  ~ghee~  – Poppy Dot Chemise (available at the Black Fashion Fair)

Shoes:  ~ghee~ – Sequin Heels Ruby

Hair:  TUTY’S MOCAP ANIMATIONS, SKIN & SHAPE, HAIR– LIMBO

Skin:  Glam Affair  Aria – Asia (previous gacha item)

Hands:  Slink – AVEnhance – Elegant1

Necklace: Created by my husband and not yet available

Bangles:  [EY:NO] (store closed)

Pose: ::Focus Poses:: – The Tango  *Please note that the left side of the female avatar, in this pose, gets burried into the right side of the male avatar…I had to do a lot of repositioning of the “female” pose ball to extract her body out of his and get a decent shot (that is why my foot is off the ground).  I also had to heavily edit the arms in this pose, using Animare, in order for them to meet up with his body and arms.

Shot on location at Beguiled; Art Gallery and Studio 

***I used three point body lighting and projector key and fill lighting from the LUMIPro lighting system.

**My Husband is wearing his FATEwear suit, AKEYO Black Wool Fedora and I do not know which shoes he is wearing lol.

***PLEASE NOTE that I am not a mainstream fashion blogger.  My focus is telling a story through a photo…so I DO manipulate my photos.  TRY before you buy. ***

~Sascha’s Red Hunger~

Let the games begin!

The Opium Evolution Hunger Games that is!

The games and shows will take place from August 1-10…but that won’t stop me from showing you an exclusive sneak peek at this stunning Red Hunger dress from Sascha’s Designs.  Sascha will be featuring the Hunger Gowns in Red, Gold, Silver and Black at the Opium Evolution Hunger Games Event…there will also be an exclusive color that will only be available at the games, but I am not going to tell you what it is yet…you’ll just have to watch this blog to find out in a few more days.

Sascha's Designs Red Hunger

Enjoy this sneak preview and get ready for the Hunger Games!

Stay captivated! ❤ ❤

~X~

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Hair:  Analog Dog – b – honey (Coral)

Jewelry:  LAZURI Jewelry – Celeste Heirloom – Color Change- Dark Gems

Pose:  Del May – Tilt

Shot on location at Baja Norte…thank you for such a beautiful and inspiring place Lauren Bentham ❤ ❤

***NOTE that I am not a mainstream fashion blogger.  My focus is telling a story through a photo…so I DO manipulate my photos.  TRY before you buy. ***

~Weekend Shopping Trip~

Thank god shopping in SL is a whole lot easier than in First Life…because my feet would be falling off my ankles after my weekend shopping trip.  I tp’d to so many places, I started to get confused about what was where, what stores/shopping venues I’d already been too and where I actually bought things from.  My poor inventory groaned a bit with the added items…but I did purchase one of those closet inventory organizers.  I promise, as soon as I get it up and running I will do a post about the pros and cons of it.

In the meantime, I found some really fabulous goodies to share with you.
Molochino Dress333

I’m wearing the ever-so-soft belted Haley Tunic from the incredibly talented designer, Aurelia Chauveau, owner of Molichino.  Her designs are new to me AND she makes her own mesh…I can’t wait to go back and indulge in more of her truly wonderful creations! <3<3  This tunic is very versatile…I have been seeing it on the feeds paired with skirts, pants, camisoles, and leggings. I decided to be daring and wear it all by itself…with the plunging neck and softly flared short hemline…how could you not feel sexy chic in it.

I decided to accessorize the outfit with a new pair of the [Gos] Sophia Peeptoes and [Gos] Butterfly Sunglasses.  Not only has Gospel Voom managed to create the ULTIMATE skin matching HUD for his entire line of shoes…but he has been designing some of the BEST sunglasses on the grid for a while now.  So while you’re there, don’t forget to also score a fabulous pair of  [Gos] shades.
Molichino Dress_011PM
My hair is Sound from [e]…where you can still pick up all her gorgeous styles for a HUGE discount at her retirement sale.  The ring is Tiger Lily from Maxi Gossamer, the necklace is Chakra from *Twishee*, hands are from SLink, my bag is Antigone from the oh-so-fabulous Miss Samantha S. Jones; owner and genius behind LIV-Glam, and I am still rockin the Aiko skin from Belleza.

The first pic was shot on location at Mont Saint Michel. and the second shot was captured at May Fair; using LUMIPro lighting and aDORKable Poses.

*Please note that I am NOT a mainstream SL Fashion Blogger and that I DO edit my pictures…please try demos before purchasing items.

~Yasum…you too can LIV-Glam!!~

I finally had the chance to visit *LIV-Glam*, a few days ago, and I was NOT disappointed.  Despite the fact that I am a bit late in “discovering” Ms. Samantha S. Jones’ store…I am making up for the lost time with my *LIV-Glam* purchases!  The l ALEIDA l bo furjacket set I am wearing today is actually a free hunt item in her store…however, you will likely see more of her things on my blog; in the future.
~LIV-Glam~

The funky shoes are from Yasum Design and are called *Geisha Geta Punk*…and with good reason…they have a delicious twist from traditional geta with their tip toe design.  The detail and texture, of the shoe, is fabulous…my only wish is that the foot were a bit more refined and the HUD were easier to work…but that isn’t deterring me from wearing them to death; they are just so much fun to wear and build outfits around.  Oh, and they come in several different pattern/solid tone choices and are priced at a very reasonable 99Lfor the single or 499L for the fatpack of all seven designs.
Snapshot_027PS61
I’m also wearing yet another amazing hair, Looking, from [e]Elikatira is having a HUGE retirement sale and you can pick up a single color pack or the “essentials” pack for the incredible price of only 70L!!  No outfit is ever complete without something from CHOP ZUEY COUTURE JEWELLRY.  In this instance, it is one of the gorgeous group gifts, Tabula Rasa (Necklace and earrings), the amazingly talented Belle Roussel generously blesses her members with. <3<3
Snapshot_013PM

Drop dead luminous eyes are from the Eternal Collection (Black/L) at Ikon.  Mr. Innovia…you have a new stalker!

Other Ephemera

Ring (on right hand):  *TWISHEE* (no longer available)

Wedding Ring Set:     CHOP ZUEY COUTURE JEWELLRY

Skin:  Belleza

Eyeliner:     LpD

Prim Eyelashes:  *REDGRAVE* 

Mesh Eyelashes:  ::BB::

Beauty Marks:  [:T:]

Hands:     Slink

Poses:     aDORKable Poses

Full body and foot pics shot on location at Avenue Headquarters, using William Weaver’s phototools windlight Horizon Building Light preset and LUMIPro HUD V 3.2.  The headshot was captured in my personal studio aslo using LUMIPro V 3.2

*Please also note that I am NOT a mainstream fashion blogger and I DO edit my pictures…please try demos before purchasing items.

~Change~

It is always around this time of year that I become more reflective.  I start shifting things around the homestead, organizing my desktop, and assessing my avatar for updates.  Usually these updates are minor, but I will admit I look drastically different from my rez day on October 5, 2008.
Xiu Sing's

Yes..this is me…fresh off Welcome Island.  Well, actually, it is about a week out…by this time I had switched out my eyes to these neon aqua ones and attempted my first “editing” project by lengthening the back of my hair. Of course, I thought I looked pretty good, but it didn’t take long to notice that there were better options to change my look.  There have obviously been a multitude of changes in skin and tweaking my shape over the years…but I have always wanted to keep a “Eurasian” look for her.  It hasn’t been easy, and there have definitely been some mis-steps with skins, but I think I’ve finally found a skin that compliments the look I have been working toward.  The Belleza Aiko (Pale) skin looks just stunning on me!
~Change~

I have absolutely adored Belleza skin for ages…but kinda gave up on it as an option because it never really fit the look I was trying to achieve.  Having said this, the ONLY place I took my husband for skin was Belleza; it is simply flawless on him.

I know Aiko was released a while ago, but, as I said, I had given up on Belleza as a skin option; I don’t think Aiko was around when I stopped trying on the Belleza demos. I am so thrilled that I decided to take a random trip back to see what Tricky Boucher had created lately!  The moment I tried the Aiko demo on…I knew I had finally found THE skin for me…THE skin that took over four years to find!  It is simply the perfect Asian skin…rendered with a deft and talented hand; crafted with an eye for the true nuances that mark the subtle beauty of ethnic skin.  Thank you Mr. Boucher…my husband and I both adore our Belleza skins! <3<3
~Change~

My outfit today starts with the Amy top and Zoey pants from /erratic/.  I can’t effuse enough about how fabulous this shirt and these pants are!  The shirt has gorgeous draping…with the front loosely tucked in…the back is untucked but lies wonderfully against the pant. It isn’t easy to wear separate mesh pieces and have them “layer” over each other without issues….but this shirt works!  The pants fit like a glove and have a buttery soft texture to them…with attention to even the smallest detail; such as the pull tab and slider on the zippers.

I finished off my look with the gorgeous Sound hair from [e].  Elikatira is having a HUGE retirement sale (HURRY back with your gorgeous newness soon!!).  It isn’t easy trying to get into the store right now…but WELL worth it…so RUN!!!  My necklace is part of the latest release set, **Attar**, from +:+WTG+:+; found at the new round of Limited Bazaar.  My Bracelet is part of the Harvest set from CHOP ZUEY COUTURE JEWELLRY, the Agam ring (no longer available), on my right hand, is from *TWISHEE*, and my adorable Beagle, named Bagel, is part of the Z Bag from ZOOBY’S.

Other Ephemera

Eyes:      Ikon

Eyeliner:     LpD

Prim Eyelashes:  *REDGRAVE* 

Mesh Eyelashes:  ::BB::

Beauty Marks:  [:T:]

Curved Wedges (Black):     [RA] RunAway

Hands:     Slink

Poses:     aDORKable Poses

Shot at my private studio using Scarlet Creative For William Weaver Art Gallery build using Lumipro lighting.

*Please also note that I am NOT a mainstream fashion blogger and I DO edit my pictures…please try demos before purchasing items.

Phototools, William Weaver & Firestorm 4.3 Beta

Ok, so I think I have my viewer/video card issues fixed.  I downloaded the Firestorm 4.3 Beta; which now comes loaded with the amazing Phototools.  It appears to be playing nicely with my video card…but I’ve only had it two days and haven’t done any serious photo shoots…so the jury is still out.  If you don’t know who William Weaver is or what his Phototools is all about…he is definitely worth checking out and Phototools is indispensable for SL photography.  Also, check out Mr. Weaver’s fabulous FREE photography builds on the Marketplace.

Here are a few quick snaps using the Edward Hoppper build 001:
Shadows...
I didn’t use a specific windlight…instead I used a combination of the sky setting sliders and my Lumipro lights…so I don’t have specific details on the lighting for you:(…
Phototools1
I took one from inside and one  from outside the build so you could see how the different perspectives look with the shadows.

Anyway, Firestorm 4.3 Beta is working great so far…hopefully I can stick with it and not have to bounce back and forth between it and Niran’s Viewer.  I REALLY like the quality of photos that I can capture in Niran’s…I’m just too dang stubborn and lazy to learn a whole new viewer.  I’m also spoiled by all those windlight presets that I can access in Firestorm, but are limited in Niran’s.

If you do download Firestorm 4.3 Beta and want to use the Phototools…make sure you read all the documentation on the Paperwork Shows site; where you will find all the information you need to utilize Phototools to maximum advantage.  Don’t forget to follow William Weaver and his amazing work! I don’t know him personally nor have we ever conversed or met…I just truly admire his work and builds. <3<3

The Other Details

Sari:   Zaara  ZC : 7 Menaka Sari

Hair:  “D!va”  “Maya” (onyx)

Shoes:     Maitreya Gold  Yaxkin Pearl sandals

Earrings:     ZIBSKA Severine earrings in Gold (Gift from Hair Fair)

Armband:  !!!Quality Designs!!! Athena set

Necklace:  *~*Illusions*~* Orinthia Puro set (Texture & Stone change)

Ring:  Zaara Raga oyster ring *paua*

Wedding Rings:  CHOP ZUEY COUTURE JEWELLRY Kismet Engagement ring and inset & women’s wedding band set.

Skin:  Glam Affair – Jadis – Natural Clean(a)

Eyes:  [Curio] Tragic Eyes – Fatpack (Purples and Blues) Watercolor Shine Large (Prim eyes) Not currently available.

Prim Eyelashes:  *REDGRAVE* Eyelashes- 11-Showgirl

Mesh Eyelashes:  ::BB:: (Beetlebones) Mesh Lashes V.01 (SLEB Black)

Beauty Marks:  [:T:] Beauty Marks tattoo layers (layer option 2) [:Tuli:]

Hands:     Slink Mesh rigged hands Elegant.

Poses & Props:     None…I used my Perfect Lady AO from Vista Animations

Props:   

Bed:     {what next} Morning Tea Bed

Luggage:     Sweet’n’Tart Skins & Tindy Creations [Boxed] Tindy Creations : I’m Leaving Home(Coconut)

Shot at: ~Ephemera Studio~

She’s a CHOP ZUEY Fascinator in her *Bliss Couture*…

She's a CHOP ZUEY Fascinator in her *Bliss Couture*

Ok…so Halloween is now only a few short days away and you’ve seen just about every type of costume there is in SL.  What if you’re looking for a costume that isn’t really a costume…something with a little bit of that dark All Hallows Eve edge but with elegance.  Then you are in luck!  This fabulous Halloween Dress from *Bliss Couture* is dark and edgy, airy and elegant, and sleek and sexy.  It is also FREE when you become a *Bliss Doll* (member group/free to join).  The detailing on this wonderful dress is a gauzy netting with bats in flight…I love that the edging on the top and skirt is formed by the bat silhouette.  Perfect for dancing the night away with your immortal beloved.
She's a CHOP ZUEY Fascinator in her *Bliss Couture*...

I couldn’t resist pairing the dress with the equally edgy yet elegant Itsy Bitsy Spider Fascinator (group gift/350L to join and worth EVERY linden!) from CHOP ZUEY COUTURE JEWELLRY.  The detailing in this amazing hat contrasts and yet compliments the dress.  The Bat necklace is a 2009 group gift from Alienbear Design….which is free to join, however, you won’t need to join the group to score this amazing piece of jewelry…just follow the embedded link to the Marketplace and it is yours for FREE!  I also picked up the Jewel Bat Earrings *PROMO* (15L) on the Marketplace from Xia’s Boutique…these earrings are loaded with color/texture and size change options!
She's a CHOP ZUEY Fascinator in her *Bliss Couture*

So what are you waiting for…grab your favorite undead dance partner and haunt the night away in style.

The Details

Free!!!

Dress:  *Bliss Couture* 2012 Halloween Gown Gift Bag (group gift/free to join) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gown/74/209/354

Necklace:  Alienbear design (2009 halloween gift Bat Necklace (black)) https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Alienbear-design-2009-halloween-gift-Bat-Necklace-black/98092

Prim Eyeliner:  Group Gift (free to join) *LpD* Skins Mainstore http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GoldenSand%20Island%20008/173/81/606

Almost Free!!

Earrings:  Jewel Bat Earrings *PROMO* (15L)  from Xia’s Boutique  https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Jewel-Bat-Earrings-PROMO/4109505

Color Change Claws:   (5L) available from Mini-me Productions https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Color-Change-Claws/2778198

Group Gift/with join fee

Hat:  Itsy bitsy Spider Fascinator (group gift/350L to join and well worth it!)  from CHOP ZUEY COUTURE JEWELLRY http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chop%20Zuey/39/138/27

NOT Free

Shoes:  Venezia (black)  from Similar Quality Italian Ladies Footwear http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sleeping%20Beauty/173/189/26

Hair:  booN des423hair attachment and booN matching hairbase (sold separately) from SAIKIN and booN http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SAIKIN/128/125/698

Skin:  –Jadis- Natural- 9 (a) (not free) from Glam Affair http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Beauty%20Avatar%20couture/164/134/25

Eyes:  [Curio] Tragic Eyes – Fatpack (Purples and Blues) Watercolor Shine Large (Prim eyes) Not currently available.

Prim Eyelashes:  *REDGRAVE* Eyelashes- 11-Showgirl  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/REDGRAVE%20Skins%20Fashion/97/162/23

Mesh Eyelashes:  ::BB:: (Beetlebones) Mesh Lashes V.01 (SLEB Black) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Beetlebones/48/39/2098

Beauty Marks:  [:T:] Beauty Marks tattoo layers (layer option 2) [:Tuli:] https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/T-Beauty-marks-tattoo-layers/1829557

Pose:  Diva  and Mode Dork Packs (not free) from aDORKable Poses http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Deck/77/192/21

Shot on location at:  The Glass Pavillion http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BAY%20OF%20BALFALAS/69/56/24