From sim to shining sim

I still have fond memories of the days when I thought freebie silks and blingy heels were the shiz, but mostly I’m SO glad those days are behind me. Especially when there are gorgeous things like Adore & Abhor‘s “Belle Epoque” jacket to wear! Teal accents add a great splash of color to the beautifully-textured jacket. The look is pure class and unique.

What Vic is wearing

Jacket: Belle Epoque Bolero Jacket from Adore & Abhor

Shoes: London Heels – Petrol from Redgrave

Skirt: *part of *GroupGift 1005#1 from Azul

Belly piercing: Music Note Belly Ring (part of Music Note Piercing Set) from Somnia

Ring: *Christmas ring made by Elanora Thorne (given out as a Christmas gift on Sylvhana Tari sim

Hair: Julie (Brown: Coffee) from Magika

Skin: deep tan-candy from TIK TOK

Makeup: *Magick Makeup_5 (part of group gift) from Miamai

Poses: Top, Fluffy Pose 10; bottom, Fluffy Pose 3; both from This is a Fawn

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_No6 from Miamai

Nails: Sculpted Nail V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Emerald from Chartreusia

* – review item, promo, gift or other free item

It’s been a long time since I made any New Year’s resolutions, and 2011 is no exception. I didn’t specifically resolve to clean up my near-90K inventory, but lately I’ve just felt like it needed some tidying – well, that, and the size of it means I can’t load everything, I lock up for a second or two every time I try to open my inventory window, and for some reason it makes snapshots damn near impossible. So I’ve started a bit of weeding out, actually purged about 15K items so far. This would be a lot easier if A) SL let me open two inventory windows at once without crashing or lagging to the point of not being able to do anything with them; and B) I could just weed and sort without finding stuff I forgot I had and going, “OMG I MUST TRY THIS ON RIGHT NOW!” Oh, and if C) I could stop buying more stuff…

Alas, neither A nor B nor C is likely to happen – maybe A if I ever do get it down to a manageable level. Meanwhile I’m having a lot of fun dragging old stuff out and putting it together with new stuff. Glam Affair‘s “Jadis Dark” skin is a special right now at The Dressing Room, and though it’s a darker tone than I usually wear, I really, really, REALLY like it. Also new to me are the very low-cut “Gumdrop” sweater from I Like Pie and the EarthStones “For Keeps” locket (which opens so you can put your own pic inside).

The hair isn’t new – I’ve had it for months and it’s actually a demo (you just can’t see the demo box in the pic) from Raspberry Aristocrat. And then, because I haven’t blogged anything from Zaara in a while and I LOOOOOVE Zaara, I added the “Churidar” pants, “Raga” ring and “Ilaida Mojri” shoes. Poses are from Olive Juice‘s “True Blood” set – I can’t remember, but I THINK they’re free or VERY inexpensive. And they make me think that one of these days, I really do need to watch “True Blood.”

What Vic is wearing

Sweater: Gumdrop – Cinnamon from I Like Pie

Pants: Churidar *white* from Zaara

Necklace: For Keeps Locket – Silver/Opal from EarthStones

Ring: Raga oyster ring *pearl* (silver) from Zaara

Hair: *Oh Darla! Hair – Black Beauty from Raspberry Aristocrat (demo shown)

Shoes: Ilaida Mojri *lime* from Zaara

Skin: Jadis Dark – TDR Special B from Glam Affair (special at The Dressing Room)

Makeup: Eyeshadow. Doe Shimmer. Crimson from PixelDolls

Poses: Top, True Blood: Maryann Promo 3; bottom, True Blood: Tara Thornton; both from Olive Juice

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_No6 from Miamai

Nails: Sculpted Nail V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Gold from Chartreusia

* – review item, promo, gift or other free item

Normally I run around the grid in relatively human form. Since my boyfriend does a lot of roleplay as a Drow elf, I’ve been experimenting with some fantasy looks. A combination of trying on some new stuff and digging old stuff out of inventory gave me this Drow-ish look. Unfortunately I can’t RP with him in my Drow form, because in his storyline, he’s kind of an outlaw and all Drow females want to kill him.  :D

I’m not sure RFyre designed the “Twisted Krissmus” women’s tux with Drows in mind, but I thought it went well with the look. I’m also loving SLink‘s “Sachara” elf ears, and as a cat lover, the “Grimalkin” necklace from EarthStones is pure win.

What Vic is wearing

Outfit: Twisted Krissmus Tux Womens Ensemble from RFyre

Jewelry: Grimalkin Necklace from EarthStones

Ears: Sachara Elf Ears Outy from SLink (part of Elven Ears Metal Free package)

Boots: Prestige Boots Black Suede from BAX

Skin: Castalia Skin – TDR #14 from Glam Affair (former special at The Dressing Room)

Makeup: Tightlined Quad Wing Eyeliner – Black from Ty Zvezda

Hair: *D4y 4fter – White A from Magika

Poses: Top, model.pose 28; bottom, model.pose 29, both from fri.day

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_No6 from Miamai

Nails: Sculpted Nail V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Ruby from Chartreusia

* – review item, promo, free item or gift

“TooToo” from Zanzibar creationZ is cute, quirky, flirty and fun – much like designer Arora Zanzibar herself. A sweet top with plunging neckline and a flippy, frothy skirt make “TooToo”  a party waiting to happen!

Of course, any good ballerina knows the importance of staying up on her toes. “TooToo” takes care of that for you with these adorable sculpted ballet shoes. They’re shown above without a pose so you can see their cool shape!

What Vic is wearing

Ballet outfit: *TooToo – Emerald from Zanzibar creationZ

Hair: Brown Pack // Layne from Magika

Skin: Mascara Tan from Mango, Mango!

Makeup: Eyeshadow. Doe Shimmer. Green from Pixel Dolls

Necklace: Blossom Beads 3 parts – second silver from TIK TOK

Earrings: *Callisto earrings (iron) from Sigma Jewels (from ZombiePopcorn Hunt)

Poses: Top, Just Dance Tatianna; bottom, Just Dance Anslee from Exposeur

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_N06 from Miamai

Nails: Sculpted Nail V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Emerald from Chartreusia

* – review item, promo or gift

I mostly love the holidays. But when the Christmas shopping season seems to start around Labor Day, by the time December rolls around, I’m getting tiiiiiiired! Lucky for me that Sanura Snowpaw of Somnia (formerly *Dreams*) has these adorable Dasia pyjamas so I can curl up and relax when the holiday bustle gets to be too much.

Dasia is just the kind of jammies I’d love to have in real life, and the little details really set it off. The front knot almost looks like a prim, but it’s just really good texturing, and I LOVE the little flower adornments!

Also love is Truth‘s ”Tamina” hair, with an option to attach the braid separately so you don’t get boobie peeking through your hair (long hair designers who’ve started offering this – THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!) I wear my hair like this a lot, especially in summer or… at bedtime.

What Vic is wearing

Pajamas: *Dasia Pyjamas (Green) from Somnia

Hair: Tamina – treacle from Truth

Skin: *Jasmine t2 Natural from Adam n Eve

Makeup: Makeup tattoo fall 12 from GLAM! skins

Jewelry: Music Note Piercing Set from Somnia

Poses: Top, Bella7; middle, Bella8; bottom, Bella1, all from /JUICY/

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_N06 from Miamai

Nails: Sculpted Nail V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Emerald from Chartreusia

* – review item, promo or gift

The Bloodlines clan has been kicked out and our sim is back to being pretty, so I actually care again about how my place looks. Thanks to Clutter ™, the insides of my houses look just as good as the outside.

The Haledon dining set above is a great fit for the windowed nook in my little Victorian house, and it’s also incredibly low-prim (as I’ve used up nearly all of my 3,200 prims already and still don’t have the Chartreusia mainstore completely set up, I like this!). The table and two chairs are packaged together; the centerpiece, oil lamp and plain wooden chair each come separately. You can change the textures and even get a wearable book to sit and read while you wait for someone to come along and bake you cookies!

The “Burlington” bathroom set is perfect with Awesome Blossom‘s cozy “Amelie” cottage.  The pieces have a fresh, clean feel just right for a country cottage atmosphere. There’s cute wall art available, and even a toilet brush. The seat on the toilet works, too… just, um, don’t stand directly under my skybox in case someone flushes!

In the snapshots

Top

*Dining room set: Haledon Centerpiece, Haledon Table and Chairs, Mission Chair:Color Change, Wind River Lantern, all from Clutter ™

House: CROW’S NEST HOUSE by Trix Seetan, available here on The Marketplace

Plant: Bird of Paradise Reginae (PlantPet 2.0s) from PlantPets

Bottom

Bathroom set: Burlington Mirror, Burlington Bathroom Sink, Burlington Clawfoot Tub, Burlington Linen Chest, Burlington Framed Prints, Burlington Toilet, Burlington Toilet Brush, all from Clutter ™

House: Amelie Cottage from Awesome Blossom

Rug: Old Wrinkled Rug from Awesome Blossom

Curtains: Scripted Curtain, Touch Me from Designer Prims

Winter on the grid is SO much better than the real thing. No shoveling, no freezing to death, no slick roads… and my RL winter wear doesn’t look nearly as good as this “Elizabeth” skating outfit from Evie’s Closet! Plus I don’t fall on my ass on the ice inworld.

The green outfit I chose is one of the six colors available to purchase. But wait, there’s more – Evie is having a special! You can choose from Gift Card Pack #1, a L$750 value (L$500 gift card plus an exclusive gold Elizabeth Faery/Skating outfit with wings) for L$500; Gift Card Pack #2, a L$1,250 value (two L$500 gift cards plus an exclusive lilac Elizabeth Faery/Skating outfit with wings) for L$750; or Gift Card Pack #3, a L$2,500 value (THREE L$500 gift cards plus both the gold and lilac Elizabeth faery/skating outfits) for only L$1,500. All packs come in a beautiful gift box, and you can pick up more gift boxes at the free vendor at Evie’s Closet. Oh yeah, there’s a Christmas tree there too with lots of presents from various vendors underneath, including Chartreusia‘s!

Also at Evie’s are vendors for BAX ice skates and the amazing skating AO (including skates) by Sala Snook of :KAMI-HITOE:. I’m a bit tapped out with the holidays, though, so I turned to the Marketplace – and found these cute high-heeled skates from ::V Style:: for FREE. If anyone DID want to get me that skating AO, though, I promise I’ll act surprised…  *wink wink, nudge nudge*

What Vic is wearing

Outfit: Elizabeth Skating Suit – Green from Evie’s Closet

Skates: SKha V.3 – White Ice Skates from ::V Style::

Pond: Iced Over Pond from Tree House Treasures

Winter tree: Crystal Ice Flower Tree – 2 from Heart Garden Centre

Animations: Top, SKATE camel spin; middle, SKATE pose spin; bottom, SKATE cross toe spin; all from Ll-animations

Hair: Bonnie – treacle from Truth

Skin: Claudia2 – 01 [Peach] Glow skin (hairbase) from LAQ

Makeup: Feline (Aubergine) from Kyoot

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_N06 from Miamai

Nails: Sculpted Nail V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Emerald from Chartreusia

I used to have this crushed velvet dress in RL that I LOVED. It was short and sexy and showed a lot of leg but still looked classy as heck, enough so that I could wear it to a stuffy office Christmas party and not worry about being too risqué. When Airedine Poe of Adore & Abhor dropped this Afterlight dress on me and I tried it on, I got that same feeling my crushed velvet dress used to give me – I looked HAWT! but still refined. This dress is all adore, no abhor – and that back plunge is something I wish my RL dress had had!

From the front, “Afterlight’s” clean, classic lines are perfect for showing off a great shape – and they make my homemade shape look good, too! The hair is “harper” from Analog Dog – I have long, fairly straight hair in RL and tend to wear similar styles inworld, but I love these bouncy curls.

I was also lucky enough to get Airedine as my Plurk Secret Santa, and when I opened the box she sent me I was thrilled to find these awesome studded heels from TGIS (aka Trashy Girls In Style).

These are perfect go-anywhere shoes – from dresses to jean shorts, they look great with just about any outfit. The included HUD is AMAZING. It has four tabs to let you match skin color, change the color of the metal (you can change the studs, buckles, etc. independently of each other), change the color (again independently) of the sole, heel, etc., AND… pick your toenail polish. Might sound crazy but the nails may be my favorite option because not only is there a HUGE selection of “normal” polished toenails, but lots of fun nail art choices as well!

Just a quick note or two: There is a Christmas tree with assorted gifts under it at Chartreusia‘s main store. If you’re a creator and you’d like to put a gift under my tree for my customers, I’ll be happy to do the same.

Also, many thanks to the people who sent well wishes to me following my mother’s recent heart attack. She is home and doing well and driving me more than a bit nuts, so my RL is still rather scrambled. My SL is also a bit crazy, except in a TOTALLY good way.  *grin* But I’m trying to squeeze some blogging in there, got lots of good stuffs I need to get on here!

What Vic is wearing

Dress: *Afterlight Dress Red from Adore & Abhor

Shoes: *Studded Heels BLACK from TGIS

Hair: harper jet from Analog Dog

Skin: Adriana Technicolor Freckles Hair from YS & YS (former special at The Dressing Room)

Makeup: avant garde makeup 1 red lip from GLAM! skins

Poses: Top, Show Some Back; middle, OUT OF THE WAY; bottom (shoes), Back Step, all from Get Bent

Jewelry: *Stars slide necklace (made by a friend, not available to purchase as far as I know)

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_N06 from Miamai

Nails: Sculpted Nail V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Emerald from Chartreusia

* – review item, promo or gift

How can you NOT like a dress called Sex & Candy? Even though I’m worried about the effects of candy on my prim teeth!

My new SLink molars are the ONLY prim teeth I’ve ever liked, and I REALLY like them. The lip parts are easy to tint and blend in perfectly with your skin, and the teeth are so natural-looking – no beaver face! (Yes, I hear you snickering, but that’s what most prim teeth look like.)

Luckily I also have lovely hands… to better hold a toothbrush, of course. Also from SLink, they’re HUD-controlled, and it only took me about five minutes to match them to my skin. That’s saying something – prim toes take me forever and then the light changes and I have to start all over again. You can change the nail color, ring and bracelet as well, and there are three different positions you can select, all from the HUD.

I picked up Dark Mouse‘s Bohemian Flare necklace recently because it’s incredibly versatile and goes well  with lots of my favorite clothes, but I think it looks especially good with this outfit. The detachable flower brooch came with the dress, from Kyoot, which was a Fifty Linden Friday™ item a while back and is LOVE, just very simple and clean with a miniskirt prim that actually fit my shape with almost NO editing (this NEVER happens). There’s a belted and unbelted version.

I still have a LOT of stuff to blog. Just did a bunch of snaps up so I’m probably going to be flooding the feeds… oh well. Average that with my lack of blogging lately and it all evens out. My computer is not at all happy about me saving snapshots to my hard drive, so I’m E-mailing them to myself. Definitely a drop in quality going to .JPG instead of .PNG, and I’m also doing a lot – I mean a LOT – less Photoshopping, at least for now, just to save time because it takes me forever just to liquify and remove all the jaggies.

What Vic is wearing

Dress: Sex & Candy Leather Mini Dress – Mocha from Kyoot

Prim hands: De Jolie Maines Hands Relaxed Set 1 from SLink

Prim teeth: *Prim Teeth from SLink

Necklace: Bohemian Flare Necklace from Dark Mouse

Hair: Cherry Hair Brown from (creamshop)

Boots: Prestige Boots Black Suede from BAX

Skin: Sundust [Light] Sunny-Smokey 2 from Curio

Poses: Top, MaximModel5; middle, MaximModel1; bottom, MaximMode3, all from /JUICY/

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes_N06 from Miamai

Eyes: Treasures prim eyes in Emerald from Chartreusia

* – review item, promo or gift

Sooo, SL and RL have both been more than a bit crazy for me over the past few months, and I just realized there was stuff from the Wear Gray fair I never got around to blogging… like this Light Fur Dress from Fumé. Now, fur dresses aren’t normally something I’d think of wearing, but I loved this in the vendor pic and loved it even more when I put it on!

The dress was a Wear Gray exclusive so isn’t available any more, but Fumé has LOTS of other cool stuff you need to go buy (and I need to get around to blogging). Also sadly no longer available is my Caroline skin from YS & YS, which was available for a limited time at The Dressing Room. The eyes were another Wear Gray exclusive from Chartreusia, which OH BTW IS BACK! and will have a grand reopening soon, and I totally need to blog about it.

What Vic is wearing

Dress: Light Fur Dress from Fumé (Wear Gray exclusive)

Hair: lykke cinnamon from Analog Dog

Skin: Caroline TDR Sweet from YS & YS (no longer available)

Makeup: Tightlined Quad Wing Eyeliner – Black from Ty Zvedza

Shoes: Ribbon Slingback Shoes – black/vamp from G.Field

Cuffs: Leather & Jade Reptile Restraints from Muircastle Builds

Pose swing: Blooming (red) from Adorkable

Nails: Sculpted Nails V2 – Platinum Edition V2 : Glitter from Pixel Mode

Lashes: NoAlpha Lashes N06 from Miamai

Eyes: FireEyes prim eyes from Chartreusia (Wear Gray exclusive)