The poses in the first three pics are all animations from the KAMI-HITOE Ice Skate AO. They are really beautiful, fluid animations, but I couldn’t really capture that in still shots. It is a complete AO, and considering the quality of the animations, it is a real bargain at L$700. Also, I apologize for the quality of the pics. Usually I go to the effort of rounding out the sharp corners of the avatar frame and filling in various gaps. But figure skating pushes our avis to their limits, and there were just too many boo-boos to repair.

Oh, but this is supposed to be about the color “patina.” My first stop was the boho shop at Purple Moon, and I found this too cute top! The top has a prim attachment just below the bust, which gives it just a little bit of a babydoll flare. Oh, and my ice rink? Laura Streeter found that for me. It was an Advent gift from Yasum.

Most of all, congratulations to all the skaters participating in the championship this week! You rock!

• What the cutie is wearing:
  • Top: Purple Moon Prune Top in Blue
  • Jeans: Felicia’s Fashions Blue Jeans
  • Watch: TDRSpecial Watch
  • Skates: with Kami-Hitoe Ice Skate Animation
  • Hair: Alice Project Momo II blonde
  • Skin: Dutch Touch MegAn Olive
  • Eyeliner: Dutch Touch Eyeliner nr 2
  • Nails: Candy Nail #BS Aquamarine

Someone (I won’t mention any names, but her intials are LAILA LAPERRIERE) told Bourbon to give me all the hard colors. I’m surprised Bourbon didn’t come up with that one on her own. So I was scratching my head about iron. But when I logged in on Sunday afternoon, it was Rezzie to the rescue! I saw the tee and the tights, and thought, that’s for me! So, throw in a few accessories to complete the outfit, and it was off to the Linden Railroad to ride the iron horse. You know, train = “iron” horse? This weeks color is iron? Aw, nm.

What the cutie is wearing:

• Tee and tights: * RezIpsa Loc * Iron Heart
• Scarf: Amacci Scarf 4 (included with Suzette hair pack)
• Boots: Sentou Yousei Little Booties Black
• Belly Chain: Purple Rose Petite Heart Belly Chain Silver
• Watch: TDRspecial Watch
• Bangles: Bossa Nova Bangles
• Skin: Dutch Touch MegAn Olive
• Eyeliner: Dutch Touch Eyeliner nr 2
• Cowboy hat with hair: A&A Joelynn nr. 9
• Poses:
  • 1 – Embody F KAROLINA 1
  • 2 – Manifeste Inventory Cleanup nr. 94
  • 4 – Manifeste Inventory Cleanup nr. 81 (with an emoter added on)

I don’t know what I was thinking, giving Yvette unsupervised access to my blog. She’s impulsive, irreverent… And that “cute” act she puts on? Yea, she’s about as cute as PMS. But the People have spoken, so I guess Yvette is here to stay. But this is still my blog, and I’m doing this week’s color

I went over to Rezzie’s on Sunday to see if she had an outfit for indigo. After all, I want to support designers who support the challenge. I guess I got there a little early, because she didn’t have her indigo set out yet. But I found this cool scoop-neck tee in grape, which was pretty close to Luna’s indigo color chip. Even better, it was just the sort of piece to start an outfit for leaving town on a tropical getaway. And thanks, Laura, for suggesting the lavender tights.

• What the pretty lady is wearing:
  • Shirt: Rezlpsa Loc T-Shirt Grape Soda
  • Skirt: Maitreya Jules JeansSkirt Black
  • Belt: MEB Black & Stud Belt
  • Earrings: La Forgia Jelwels Vertigo Earrings
  • Necklace: EarthStones Chocolate Box Necklace
  • Sunglasses: kk designer sunglasses silver
  • Nylons: No.9 Nylons Shiny Pantyhose Lilac
  • Shoes: Purple Moon Narcissus Ballerinas in Silver
  • Hair: [69] Cass 01 Dark Blonde Sandy
  • Skin: [BLUSH] Elle A Touch of Nostalgy
  • Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes Indigo
• Poses:
  • 2 – Fluke All Worried Mind – Demanding
  • 3 – [LAP] C-Runway
  • 4 – Bourbon’s Boudoir
• Location: Hollywood Airport, Santa Catalina/49/145/23

Well, Bourbon hasn’t sacked me yet cuz of the Champagne post. So while I still have the chance, I’m going to slip in Coral:

While I was setting up these shots, I was obsessing over the mesh hair. Ok, so I know that there are issues with mesh. We’re constrained by the fit, and if your friend isn’t in a mesh-enabled viewer, you look just plain weird. But I have to say that I’ve fallen in love with mesh hair. Fit isn’t much of an issue; for women it seems to be mainly a matter of how longer hair lays on the chest. But the big thing is that the hair doesn’t go through your boobs when you turn your head (check out the pictures above). Oh, and mesh hair makes photo editing a breeze!

Oh, but I forgot. The post was supposed to be about Coral. Artilleri has this cool coral-colored blouse. It’s sort of a neutral color, and can go with lots of different stuff. And although it’s retro, it works in a modern outfit, as shown:)

• What the cutie is wearing:
• Blouse: /artilleri/ Othelie blouse*coral*
  • Skirt: Donna Flora Tiffany
  • Boots: MEB Stiletto Boots Black Leather
  • Bracelet: Terra d’Ombra Carmen Pearl Bracelet
  • Sunglasses: Diram Armelle Diva Sunglasses
  • Skin: Dutch Touch MegAn Olive
  • Eyeliner: Dutch Touch Eyeliner nr 3
  • Mesh hair: Alice Project Persuasion blonde color pack
• Poses:
  • 1 – the vanity’s hair brush pose
  • 2 – the armoire’s f-pose
  • 3 – Fluke All Worried Mind – Prayer
  • 4 – LAP – Gotchyer Number
• Props:
  • Crux Vanity with linked drawer
  • {what next} Morning Tea Armoire

Hi, I’m Yvette, and Bourbon is letting me lead off the color challenge this time around! Maybe if I do real good, she will let me be a regular contributor. What do you think?

So…

• What the cutie is wearing:
  • Romper: Jane Needful Things Romper champagne
  • Skin: Dutch Touch MegAn Olive
  • Eyeliner: Dutch Touch Eyeliner nr 3
  • Hair: Alice Project Mandi blonde color pack
• Poses:
  • 1 – Vista VAStShy06B
  • 2 – Manifeste Inventory Cleanup 239
  • 3 – from sex desk
  • 4 – Fluke All Worried Mind Nailbiter
• Desk: Brazilian rosewood sex desk

One of the warm feelings we experience during Christmas is finding the perfect gift for our loved ones. So today I would like to show you the perfect gifts that my friends Melusina Parkin and Laura Streeter found for me.

First up is this sensuous black leather dress from Donna Flora. The dress can be worn either as a pencil skirt (shown) or with flexi prim attachments. Personally, I prefer the sinuous lines of the pencil skirt. Although dress is not backless, the back is formed into a provocative narrow line. The black leather opera gloves with prim cuffs, the scarf, and the brooche are included in the outfit. The sunglasses were my little Christmas present to myself; I found those at Diram.

Arguably the finest jeweler in SL is maizon Rayna, and credit for the pearls goes to her. The luster of the pearls is amazing, and the gold setting is exquisite. I love being draped in strand after strand of pearls, and the clasp brings it all together. The necklace and earrings are part of a single set, and the bracelet is sold separately.

I clean up pretty good, don’t you think?

I wish all of you warm moments spent with your cherished friends.  Peace out.

• What the cutie is wearing:
• Top photos
• Dress, scarf and brooche: Donna Flora Tiffany
• Earrings and bracelet: Terra d’ombrA Carmen Pearls
• Sunglasses: Diram Armelle
• Hair and hairbase: Amacci Rona (butterscotch)
• Skin: Dutch Touch Yri
• Lipstick: Dutch Touch MegAn Bright Red
• Bottom photo
• Earrings, necklace and bracelet: Terra d’ombrA Carmen Pearls
• Hair and hairbase: Amacci Rona (butterscotch)
• Skin: Dutch Touch Yri
• Lipstick: Dutch Touch MegAn Bright Red
• Eyeliner: Dutch Touch Eyeliner nr 3
• Location: The Vault- Vintage Jazz Club 1920′s 1930′s 1940′s 1950′s Music, Old Hollywood

MEB has a little something for you on the Peace On Earth Gridwide Hunt (POE4). MariaElena Barbosa has updated her classic Audrey coat in red. A warm wool coat in rich red, Audrey is sure to immerse you in that holiday spirit. Originally Audrey was originally sold as a coat with a charcoal collar and a scarf, but MariaElena has made a few changes for the POE4 hunt. One is that a silver fur collar has been added, giving a bit more festive feel to the coat. She has added a belt, and the belt is buckled with the peace sign, appropriate for both the theme of the hunt and the spirit of the holidays. What makes this particular release of Audrey stand out is the pair of white boots included with the set! Flat-heeled, the boots are an easy casual wear, yet the clean polished leather give them an upscale look. A nice finishing touch is the pair of white gloves.

Styling Suggestions

Although as you see, Audrey wears well on its own, I often wear it over a pair of dark-wash jeans. Now picture how Audrey would look with jeans when you add in those white boots! Other options to consider would be a pair of dress pants if you want to dress it up, or black leggings if you want to dress down. You have a lot of versatility. Finally, I topped off with MEB’s hat and braid. Although not a part of the set, the Julia hat with braid can be purchased separately at the main store.

Model: Yvette Donner

When I read about Juicy Bomb’s Newbie Style Challenge II, I thought to myself, Now, there’s a challenge for you!  Cuz, you know, if you have a ton of money, you have a lot of options for putting together a pretty darned good looking avatar.  Or like, it’s easy enough to find a bunch of free stuff on Marketplace, but you don’t want to just throw together some random looking avi.  But doing an amazing avatar on L$550 or less?  The game is afoot!

To summarize the rules: total cost is L$550 or less (including cost of any pay-to-join groups); any free stuff you can find is fair game; you gotta get the stuff during the challenge time (4 Nov – 31 Dec); and no fair using library stuff.

So I wanted to make an avi that would have a really different look from any of the choices you are given when you sign up for SL.  And more than that, I wanted to give my newbie a personality.  I was aiming for a classy girl who was gentle and kind, an approachable girl you might want to make friends with.  (I’ll fool them all!  Muah-ha-hah!)  Also, I wanted to give her a seasonal outfit, warm and cuddly for these late November days.  Let’s see how I did…

Model: Yvette Donner

In my little mind, the four essentials are the skin & shape (they have to work together, even if from different designers), the hair, and the animation overrider (I consider the AO to be our body language in SL).  I found the skin & shape on L$60 weekend.  Isis is not a store I was familiar with, but I was impressed with the makeup.  That light peach lip color makes a delicate mouth, and a little shimmer under the brows really opens up the eyes.  I was pleased with the overall quality of the skin, way better than I expected for the price.  Oh, and the regular price for that skin is L$145.  I spent a lot of time looking for the right hair, but finally settled on a freebie from Analog Dog.  The color was great with this skin tone, and along with those big doe eyes from Daring, the hair style gave that soft, feminine look I wanted.  The turtleneck sweater from COCO fits well under that big cozy collar of MEB’s Helene coat.  The black sweater and navy coat go well together, but I wanted to offset them with a lighter pant.  Perfect color and classy style, the tan cords from Bokeh looked like they were made for this outfit.  Black ballerinas are a must for anyone’s closet (they go with just about anything).  These silken ballerinas from LG are embellished with a subtle brocade, and adorable gold laces pick up the color of the pants.

So I was left with a few touches to give my newbie a finished look.  Candy Nail has attractive nails that can be had for under L$100, but I scored these for free from the lucky letter board.  The skin has no lashes, but I found these tattoo lashes from Pink Acid; they give sweep to the eyes, but don’t have heavy mascara that might ruin the look of the makeup.  The AO was actually one of the first items I picked up for the avi.  There are several cheap or free AOs around, some of them really fun.  But I chose the Vista dollarbie for its natural stands.  The full body picture was posed using one of the Vista stands.

A last note.  The challenge was difficult, but way fun!  While scouring the grid for high quality freebies/cheapies, I visited stores that I don’t often go to, and many that were entirely new to me.  It gave me a new appreciation for all the designers who make our world such an amazing place.

• What the cutie is wearing:
• Skin & Shape: Isis Sorbet, Cream skin tone (L$60)
• Hair: Analog Dog ladonna, nutmeg (L$0 Analog Dog Freeball)
• Eyes: Eyes Daring (L$0 group gift; free to join)
• Eye Lashes: Pink Acid Natural Eyelashes (L$30)
• Nails & ring: Candy Nail #P069 Air Orange (L$0 Lucky letter; free to join)
• Sweater: *COCO*_Gift_TurtleneckSweater (L$0)
• Coat: MEB Helene (L$0 November group gift; free to join)
• Pants: Bokeh – Fords Cords “Tan” (L$25 Marketplace)
• Shoes: *LG* Black Silk Ballerinas (L$30)
• Animation Overrider: Vista Animations VISTA BASIC FEMALE AO V08 (L$1)

• TOTAL COST: L$146

  Poses: LAP Poise (Headshot); Manifeste Inventory Cleanup 10 (Full Body)

Model: Yvette Donner

This time of year I often find myself wrapped in the warm colors of autumn.  But you know?  Let’s brighten it up some.  With it’s silver fur collar and cuffs, MEB’s Helene blue velvet jacket (MEB’s November gift) is a fabulous way to start off.  Helene was released in early 2010, but true to MEB tradition, it’s quality and style have held up well, and it is a wonderful addition to any winter wardrobe.  MEB’s white leather pants really make the outfit pop; they are available on the 2nd floor of the main store.  Exposeur has such a fun gift in the store.  It’s a pair of mittens with a set of 5 poses.  The mittens are adorable, and they are scripted for 9 color options.  Now I just had to have a cozy warm hat to top this off, so it was time for a trip to one of my fav hair stores, Amacci.  Suzette is a hat-hair combo, and a matching scarf (not shown) is included.  The hat & scarf are each scripted for 9 color options.  And lastly, ok, I admit: one of my reasons for putting together this outfit was to have an excuse to show off my new mesh boots from Insolence.  Even if you regard mesh with suspicion, these are worth a look.  Camilla includes three sizes in the purchase.  In case you do have issues with the fit, full-perm alpha textures are included in the set, so you can modify these to suit your avi.  So there you have it – a nice warm fall outfit that you will totally sparkle in!

Model: Yvette Donner

• What the cutie is wearing:
• Coat: MEB Helene Blue Velvet Jacket (November gift)
• Pants: MEB White Leather pants
• Boots: INSOLENCE Nina Boots Brown
• Mittens: {.:exposeur:.} Mitten (gift)
• Hat & Hair: Amacci Hair Suzette ~ Summer Blond
• Skin: Dutch Touch MegAn OLIVE
• Poses
• Top: {.:exposeur:.} Winter Mittens 3 (gift)
• Bottom: Manifeste Inventory CleanUp 73
• Windlight: Canimod

I was going to go outside and do a little fall cleanup in my garden, but I opened the door only to discover that it was raining!  So I came right back in and decided to blog a nice, warm fall outfit that I had put together.  I had gone to Jane to try on one of her new mesh coats.  But the convict jacket (not mesh) caught my eye; it was just what I had been looking for!  Individual colors (navy, raven, and truffle) can be purchased for L$145 each, but I bought the greedy pack, all three colors for L$245.  (I still want one of Jane’s mesh coats.)  While there, I fell in love with her scarves!  The scarves are sold in color packs; I picked up the red pack (cherry, delicious, and raspberry) for L$75.  The shorts are a group gift from COCO that can be picked at the store.

click to enlarge

I wanted to do something fun and sexy on my legs, so I decided on the patterned panty hose from BabyLuv Boutique.  The boots are new from Koketka.  Take a close look; the texture of the leather is amazing!  And for L$325, just too good to pass up.  Finally, the perfect the hair to top off this look arrived yesterday as a subscription gift from A&A.  A few loose strands of untamed hair hang down, and they swish nicely when I move.

• What the cutie is wearing:
• Shorts: *COCO* Gift-DenimShorts_Pants (Group gift)
• Zyrraphotic – Charcoal Sweater
• JANE – convict jacket.navy
• JANE – loop de loop scarf raspberry
• BabyLuv Boutique Big & tiny squares  pantyhose 1
• Koketka – Frenzy Boots-chocolate
• Hair: A&A Tekesha Hair Cappuccino (Subscription gift)
• Dutch Touch ::MegAn:: OLIVE
• Pose: Manifest Cleanup 59