OotW 06 / 2011 - Longing for Summer

Outfit of the Week 06 / 2011

Hey folks! I know it's been a while. I couldn't spend as much time on the grid as I wanted to.
But here I am, with a new budget-friendly outfit. It's more summery than the local weather would allow - all we get is humidity and thunderstorms and rather chilly mornings. Hence I am still wearing long jeans and even donned a scarf, which looks quite glamourous along with my sunglasses, and of course the big summer hat with wavy blonde hair by Kletva. I discovered this store through my recent visit at The Dressing Room BLUE. Even if blonde usually isn't my colour, I fell in love with this hairstyle the instant I saw it. The Heidi top is from Berries Inc. and again a bit unusual for me, but I like to show my girly side, too!
With this slightly vintage look I could easily mingle with all the wannabe top models and film stars around... ha, as if I wanted to! Instead, I took a relaxing stroll along the beach below the village of Verdigris. The quaint village, nestled on a cliff and a bridge, with its small shops is well worth a visit, just as the pier on the other side of the sim and the bay below the bridge, where I stopped to take my picture.

Here's the breakdown of today's outfit:

hair: KLETVA - Joss/Blond/Super Summer -- L$ 70 (The Dressing Room BLUE)
scarf: Adjunct - Check Snood Scarf -- L$ 10 (Marketplace)
sunglasses - [Gos] - Cateye Bizarre - former hunt gift (Zombie Popcorn 3)
top: Berries Inc. - Heidi top sand/white -- L$ 90 (*)
jeans: Luck inc. - Tyra Jeans Starlet Wash Dark Blue -- former hunt gift (Cover My Furry Butt)
flats: +mocha+ - Trad Style of Japan [Temari] -- former hunt gift (The Tea Hunt)

pose: !bang - Cuz It Rhymes -- former lucky chair gift, seems no longer available

(*) review copy

The picture was taken at Verdigris.

This leaves me with L$120 - I'm still not increasing my budget for being so lazy recently.

OotW 05 / 2011 - Fade to Casual

Yesss, I'm still here! I promise, I will try to catch up over the next few days.

"Fade to grey" would have been a little too obvious as a title for this post, but it's not easy to make a mostly grey piece stand out. Summse Sands of Berries Inc. kindly sent me a review copy of her latest release - very casual, yet cute hoodie jackets. There are five different colours available: khaki, sand, grey/blue, grey/white and the grey/pink one I am wearing.
The hoodies come on all layers and with sculpted, unscripted prim attachments for the hood, the sleeve cuffs, and the bottom. I really love the cute details on the bottom part, the pockets, pull strings and the small ribbon that's typical for many Berries Inc. products.
The second picture shows the sculpted hood and the back side of the bottom, which has a really nice, loose look.

This outfit is very typical for me. Jeans, t-shirt, sneakers (not shown), and I just threw on the hoodie jacket, because it is still too chilly to run around in short sleeves. It's very comfy and practical, something not too many people in SL care about, I guess, but for me it is important.

As far as I can tell, neither the jeans by vive9, nor the octopus shirt by [name pending] are still available. The shirt was a gift for the Make Him Over 4 hunt and is one of my personal favourites for it's geeky goodness.

I am planning to show you some other sides of me very soon, since you have now seen quite a bit of my usual style. Still waters run deep.

I have been debating with myself whether to count review copies against my weekly budget, but finally decided against it. On the one hand, I want to show what you can do with as little money as possible in SL, without cheating. But on the other hand, I might not always be able to post straight away when I receive something to review, and it would be frustrating for the designers, my readers and me to wait until I have "saved" enough money to actually afford the item I didn't pay for in the first place.

The breakdown of this outfit is rather short:

hoodie: Berries Inc. - Hoodie - grey/pink -- L$ 130 (*)
jeans: vive9 - Becca Jeans -- n/a (old gift)
t-shirt: [name pending] - Octopus tee -- n/a (MHO4 hunt gift)

(*) review copy

Poses are from my AO and the pictures were taken at a friend's home.

Since I've been so lazy posting, I will not increase my budget until I have caught up. I still have L$ 200 left to shop.

Week 05 / 2011 - Theory's new clothes...

Theory's new skin - face

Here is the post you have all been waiting for! Well, at least I have. The last few weeks before starting this blog, I have been looking for a new skin, but couldn't find any, that met my requirements both in looks and quality. As you may have noticed, my shape is different from what the "standard" girl in SL looks like. Hey, don't get me wrong, you're all pretty! But it simply wouldn't be me.
I tested a lot of beautiful skins that didn't fit my shape, and I found one with a pretty face but horrible seam matching and was, despite of the quality, rather pricey.
At the time I made my new profile picture and opened this blog, I had given up on finding something that would suit me. Only a couple days later, however, I saw a girl with an absolutely stunning skin. A bit of research later, I found myself at The Plastik. where I tried several demos of the Lionheart skin series until I settled for Myth as a colour and the bare make-up option (which still has some heavy, but pretty eyeliner).

Theory's new skin - back

It took me some consideration to spend L$ 999 on a skin, but I was very positively surprised when I opened the box. One makeup option contains not one, but eight different skins - four face options in two body shade definitions. I'm only showing the bare option in high definition in these pictures, but you get freckles and two types of blush, too. The box also contains matching elven ears for both definition types and eight set of eyes for mythical creatures. I am not an elf or faun, but both ears and eyes are very pretty as well and I might show them in a future post.



Now you know what I have been saving my budget for, and I don't regret it at all. This new skin seems like a more refined version of my avatar.

The only new item featured in this post is the new skin:

skin: The Plastik. - Lionheart HiDef - Myth - Bare:Bare

pose 1: Hot Dolphin Love - MHO4 hunt gift
pose 2: Glitterati - Breast Cancer Awareness 2 (L$ 0)

I used my friend's photostudio again.

After buying the skin, I have L$ 200 left.

Week 04 / 2011 - It's hunting season, part 2

Outfit of the Week 04-2011

(read part 1 here)

I couldn't resist to put together another outfit consisting mostly of gifts from The Seasons Hunt. There are just too many hunt gifts I really love. My apologies to all the designers I haven't featured here! It doesn't mean I don't like your stuff, it was just too much to choose from.
After digging through the folders of hunt gifts, I ended up with this look. The untamed hairstyle by [Shag] is rather unusual for me, but we all have to push our limits every once in a while. It goes really well with the hair band by *un Jour* and it has antlers, too!

While I usually stick to my geeky spectacles, I kind of collect all kinds of glasses or goggles (especially if they are free or cheap, of course). These are a instore gift from Berries Inc. and accentuate this crazy look perfectly.
In case you didn't know, Berries Inc. is having a sale! They are retiring some of their older items, which have been placed on a flea market just outside the mainstore. Every item there is L$ 45 and will be gone forever after January 31st!

Speaking of sales, but totally unrelated to this post and outfit... the L$ 100 sale at Nomine ends this Friday (well, my eyes are, and I have loads of other stuff from there as well)!

Now back to the outfit. The face tattoo by Pididdle makes your nose and cheeks look red from cold and the lips chapped. It adds a really cute touch to every wintery look!
The cosy short coat from +KiiToS!!+ keeps me warm at all these snowy sims out there and it looks just great. All the prim parts fit perfectly, too, and go very well with my AO. There is also a male version in the box. I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it looks just as great on guys! FYI: +KiiToS+ will be rebranding to pivaaca in February.
Just like the hair band, the olive trousers by [Young Urban] add a subtle touch of colour to my otherwise very brownish outfit. They are unisex and come on both underpants and pants layers and with sculpted pant legs (not shown), which is great, I love to wear layered looks. Dear designers, I know all of you are busy, but it doesn't take that long to put your textures on different layers and name them properly! It really, really helps people to combine your stuff with other things to create a unique look! This little extra effort is part of what makes me come back to a store.
I don't think I have to say much about the unisex worker boots from the lucky chairs at :::Urban Warehouse:::, other than that they are fantastic. They add just the right bit of rough, edgy touch that I need to make this outfit "me". They have four texture options, brown or black, with or without paint splatters and they also come with an alpha layer for v2 and compatible viewers. And they are going to be removed from the luckies within the next 24 hours!

Before I come to the usual breakdown of the outfit, I have a bit of random oddness for you. After my last posting, I popped over to Kumaki to check if the headphones are still on the lucky board - they are - and saw something that really made me laugh.

I guess the lucky boards meant me! Sadly nerd doesn't spell with a T.

Here's the overview of the items I am wearing:

hair: [Shag]- Sylph - kitten -- TSH gift
hair band: un Jour - Le Calmant -- TSH gift
glasses: Berries Inc. - silly goggles -- free instore gift
face tattoo: Pididdle - Chapped lips & Cheeks.Nose -- TSH gift
coat: +KiiToS!!+ Classic Coat -- TSH gift
pants: [Young Urban] - Norfolk Pants Olive -- TSH gift
boots: :::Urban Warehouse::: - worker boots -- lucky chair gift

The pose is also from Pididdle and the picture was taken at a friend's photo studio.

The lucky boards picture was taken at the Kumaki mainstore.

 This outfit was entirely free and I now have L$ 949 to spend! I also have a good idea for what I am going to use the money, but since I am up do date now with this posting, you will have to wait a little while... see you next week!

Week 03 / 2011 - It's hunting season

Outfit of the Week 03-2011

Winter is not yet over in SecondLife and I got pretty cold during my first shopping adventure. So I decided to finish it by doing The Seasons Hunt. I did not only find many warm and cosy clothes and accessoires, but also very nice furniture. There were so many great gifts from awesome designers, it was really hard to decide which ones to show. Again, I opted for a comfy casual look.

The hunt ends on January 29th, hurry if you haven't done it, yet! 

Oh, btw, since this is my first post about a treasure hunt: I will never give out exact hunt locations in this blog! For me, hunting is a fun pastime and I really don't want to spoil it for others, who see it the same way.

Back home, I retreated to the Winterborn Skybox, which is a TSH gift from Concrete Flowers. After I had made myself at home (and a nice cup of hot tea), I flung myself into a comfy chair, pulled out my headphones and relaxed to some good tunes, ignoring both my cellphone and the piles and piles of books I have to study.

In SecondLife, I roleplay as a student of medicine (amongst other things), so I spend a lot of time studying or researching at my laboratory - when I am not roaming the grid, doing treasure hunts, searching for freebies and great deals, of course.

outfit, from bottom to top, as I am lying upside down:
headphones: Kumaki - StepNote_Pink Kamo nabe -- free, lucky board
scarf: ::SplitPea:: - It's So Cold -- TSH gift
top: Ingenue - Ever After Cardigan -- TSH gift
jeans: Doppelganger Inc. - Frost Jeans -- TSH gift
boots: duboo - achoo set -- TSH gift

also in the picture:
skybox: Concrete Flowers - Winterborn Skybox -- TSH gift
rug: :: rucott :: - Rag winter-- TSH gift
armchair: :: Awesome Blossom :: - Oversized Knit Chair -- TSH gift
table: [North West] - Seasons Little Slate Table (winter scene) -- TSH gift
wreath: butterdish - starry wreath -- TSH gift
decoration: [.nordari.] winterized memories. -- TSH gift
radiator: [kusshon] - "best friend" radiator-to-go -- TSH gift
desk: [Magic Nook] - Study Hard! -- free
cup and cellphone: -- [LostHaven] Roleplay Survival Props -- L$ 1

The picture was taken in the Winterborn Skybox by Concrete flowers at my home and the pose is from the chair by Awesome Blossom.

After spending L$ 1 on the roleplay props, I have L$ 699 left.

Week 02 / 2011 - Back to the... 80s

Outfit of the Week 02-2011

Here's my post for calendar week 2, I am slowly catching up. I tried hard to put something together that has not been featured on other blogs over and over again recently. I almost succeeded and ended up with a very casual and slightly punkish 80s look I quite like.
It reminds me of my very early days in SL, which I spent as a little punk brat.

For punks, hair in particular, Black Maria is one of the best places to shop. All their older hairstyles are free on the upper floor of the store, along with some other non-hair goodies. They come in a variety of mostly bright colours, some tipped, some not and in all kinds of punk styles. I stocked up my inventory there with plenty of hair for all my punk and cyberpunk looks. The free hairbase tattoo from Arcavim finishes the punkish touch nicely.
The necklace is a lucky board prize at Kittenish, I've had it for some time now, but I checked today and it is still available.
One of my latest discoveries is the classic "I <3 NY" t-shirt, which is a free group gift from :::Coy:ott::: at the Urban Warehouse. The sculpted parts fit my rather short and slim shape perfectly, but are modifyable, just in case. Urban Warehouse also has very cool worker boots in their lucky chairs and another free shirt for group members.

Rings and nails were the Kozmetika opening gift from [Virtual/ Insanity] and come in many different hand sizes, with or without nails. I am somewhat of a gamer nerd, so I really like the pac man on the ring fingers, and it fits my 80s look, too.
The jeans are from ::Maschienenwerk::. I don't think I have to say much about this place. They have so many great freebies to choose from! While most of their items are aimed at a male audience - which is great, because there aren't as many good freebies for guys as for girls - many will fit us girls, too, with some tweaking (prim parts are either resize scripted or modifyable).
And, last but not least, the classic sneakers, which may not be exactly 80s, but I really love them. They are a free group gift at [ JP ]:dsg. and come in white (shown), black and brown.

From top to bottom:
hair: Black Maria - Ruby 02 Pink (2) -- free
hairbase tattoo: Arcavim - Crescent 50% -- free at KMadd (TP to freebie corner from the landing point)
necklace: =^K^= Kittenish - The Caged Heart - Golden Cage -- free (lucky board prize)
t-shirt: :::Coy:ott::: - I luv NY -- free (group gift, join for L$ 0)
bangles: Sn@tch - No. 9 (Skulls & Metal) -- discontinued
bracelets: Sn@tch - Jeweled Cuff -- discontinued
rings/nails: [Virtual/Insanity] - Game/Over Rings & Nails 20 -- free (opening gift at Kozmetika)
jeans: ::Maschienenwerk:: - Zeitzone Jeans -- free
shoes: [ JP ]:dsg. - [Unique's] >>Chelsea<< -- free (group gift, join for L$ 0)

The pictures were taken at the [ JP ]:dsg. sim, which is a great place to shop and explore, and the pose is, once more, from my AO.

The whole outfit was completely free, which boosts my current shopping budget to L$ 450!

Week 01 / 2011 - At the bus stop

Outfit of the Week 01-2011

Here I am, at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere, ready to start my shopping adventure. For this first outfit I went for a really casual look. 

The necklace from Bare@Rose is one of my oldest items, but I still wear it frequently, and all attempts to replace it with something more recent have failed so far - I always tend to go back to it.

The t-shirt is still available at the [hate this] lucky boards and has been one of my favourites for quite a while now. 

The comfy sneakers might be among the earlier works of the fabulous Guu Nishi from HOC Industries, but their great fit and looks, many colour options and the low price make them a 'must have' that goes well with lots and lots of casual and sporty looks, modern to retro. Guu is giving away all her oldie items for free, before she will remove them for good. Don't hesitate and pay a visit to HOC Industries now, before the goodies are gone!

The jeans are part of a free outfit from Ivanka Akina. It comes with a shirt, belt and three pairs of jeans with sculpted legs. Soon after I had bought it on the marketplace, these jeans found their way into my folders of frequently used clothes.

Another more recent discovery, finishing my look for today, is the belt & bag from the [BUKKA] subscribe-o-matic.

From top to bottom:

necklace: B@R 10L Shop - B@R Phantom Crystal Necklace -- L$ 10

t-shirt: [hate this] - lucky bamboo female -- free, lucky board

bracelet: [Warmth18] - FREE Wristband -- n/a (store is closed)

belt/bag: [BUKKA] - Leather bag -- free, SOM

jeans: Ivanka Akina - hipster jeans 2 -- free

sneakers: HOC Industries - Bolts Sneakers -- L$ 40

The picture was taken at The Mother Road and the pose is from my AO (Oracul/Kuso - Mr. Smart for female shapes).

I spent L$ 50 on this outfit, which leaves me with L$ 200 for further adventures, a great way to start in my book!