Here In Black And White

Sometimes, things can be very clear, right and wrong are as different as black and white. But most of the time, we hover in those middle shades of grey, those murky areas where there is no clear answer. It's hard to know what to do when the answers are not clear, when you need to tread carefully, so as not to offend and not judge too quickly. I have been hovering in that grey area for a while, and I thought it was time to let the shades of grey be reflected in my Look Of The Day. I started with this fabulous Celestial Studios Charmed Line skin in the 00 Tone, it is a startlingly beautiful skin, particularly this Black Smoke make-up. You almost feel as if you have stepped off the silver screen from some old black and white movie, but there is a lovely glow about this skin that goes beyond mere black and white. I love this short Edie pixie cut from [Aden], it is a lovely cut that really accents the jawline, very feminine and classic. These amazing AYN Lashes are from [the oBscene], I think there are stunning, and there were so many amazing pairs to choose from, lashes are one extravagance I can't seem to resist. I wanted to go with a grey eye, and this past week sweet Anju Enoch of *Petit Ange* passed me her latest eye creations and asked me to have a look. These warm_ashgrey eyes are my favorite, but more details on these amazing eyes will follow in a separate post.



I was looking through my new items folders for a great top to wear, and stumbled upon this amazing Empire Top from (PixelDolls), a past group gift. I think it is pretty spectacular, and if I know (PixelDolls), there are likely half a dozen other great colour versions available in store. I urge you all to join the (PixelDolls) Subscribe-O-Matic group, the free gifts come in faster then you can wear them, the quality is always exceptional. I felt a little exposed at the throat, and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to wear this phenomenal +Japancakes+ Wild Petal Scarf, and this was it. It is a lovely sculpted piece, and is scripted to texture change with a click, with dozens of lovely colour options. It is really a statement piece, and works well an open neckline and short or up-do hair style. A simple pair of basic black slacks, these from the now closed *LAST CALL are a nice addition, any pair of basic black slacks would work well here.



This past week, I received an amazingly delightful surprise, fatpacks of all the new shoe releases from REDGRAVE. I know Anessa put in a good word for me, and the first pair I tried on were these stunning and mysteriously named Winter Boots in Black. I couldn't make it two feet from my front porch in winter in them, but they are a lovely sexy heel and buttoned legwarmer combination. A pair of delicate and beautiful Nouveau Earrings from (Miriel) soften the drama of this look. I love that any jewelry purchase from (Miriel) feels like a custom order, the vendors are scripted to allow you to choose options like metal colour, stone colour, and whether you want a transfer versus copy version of the item. For a single colour accent, I went with this great Rock Bag in Green from Cachet. I had no idea it was so large when I picked it up at the shop, but it is a really stylish modern bag, that adds a little chic to this look. The Black Pearl & Silver Cuff is a favorite from Frangipani Designs, as is my (Caroline's) Gimcrack Diamond Solitaire Ring. I really love this look, and think I may stay in the middle grey are for just a little bit longer today.

Shopping Details:
Top - (PixelDolls), Empire Top (Black) [Past Group Gift]
Pants - *LAST CALL: Ingrid Pants, low-waisted [From Set, No Longer Available]
Scarf - +Japancakes+, Wild Petal Scarf
Shoes - REDGRAVE, Winter Boots (Black)[Review Copy]
Bag - Cachet, Rock Bag (Green)
Earrings - (Miriel), Nouveau Earrings - Black/Jet
Ring - (Caroline's), Gimcrack Diamond Solitaire Ring
Bracelet - Frangipani Designs, Black Pearl & Silver Cuff
Hair - [Aden], Edie (Black)
Skin - Celestial Studios, Charmed Line (Tone 00, Black-Smoke)
Lashes - [the oBscene], Lashes - AYM - Tintable
Eyes - Petit Ange, *an* Cleareyes_warm_ashgrey_Bright

The Missing Difference

Sometimes in Phil's Place, we forget to root for the little guy. The big mega-brands get a whole lot of attention, they can afford to send review copies to everyone, they have customer service reps who handle the day to day, and the money just rolls on in. Unfortunately, little shops, no matter how brilliant they are, face an uphill battle, particularly if their creators cannot spend full-time working on new product to feed our massive hunger for newness. D!FF=> was one of those little guys, and unfortunately, they closed up shop a few months ago. It is a shame, they had some really lovely items, and I have many of their things. The question is, do we blog items from sellers that are no more? I say yes, we do, because it serves to remind us all that we need to support small business in-world, as well as the big guys (& gals). The adorable Isometric Dress was one of my last purchases from D!FF=>, I love it's simple summer style, the lovely print and colour combination, and the fact that I didn't have to shell out brand name bucks for it.

I went for dark almost bronze gold accessories, inspired particularly by Violet Voltaire's brilliant No Love Lost Set in Bronze. Violet is a "Wizard of Primery" (I made that up, but it's true), I love her little cogs, bows, and other unique details that make her work so interesting and desirable. That and she doesn't charge insane prices for her stuff. I pulled in a freebie from ~*Fresh Baked Goods*~, this from the Velvet SIM Launch, a sweet candy coloured Gold Charm Bracelet. I think these are still available, along with matching earring on velvet, but on Retrology they have the same set in pretty pinks and baby blue. The bag is new from [Armidi Gisaci], the Focsani Bag in 24K Gold could carry a lot of my fashionista must haves. I pulled in a great Purple Showtime Shoe from (Next Step), a really fun fussy Stiletto Pump.



This hair was a freebie I nabbed at the opening of [The oBscene], they have some great skins too, but I really love this Ceres Style in Black. This is my favorite skin from bianca F., the Bloom make-up with it's pinky-purple shadow. Lashes are from [Detour], and it is clear I am seriously addicted to these Love Lashes. Eyes are Freak Fantasia's Glassy Mustard Green Hazel Beauties. Let's not let those Different and Unique places go missing again, remember to blog what you love, not just what everyone else is wearing.

Shopping Details:
Dress – Differ*nt, Green/Purple Isometric Dress [No Longer Available]
Shoes – (Next Step), Showtime II (Purple)
Bag- [Armidi Gisaci], Focsani Bag (24K Gold)
Necklace, Earrings – Violet Voltaire, No Love Lost Jewelry Set (Brass)
Bracelet - ~*Fresh Baked Goods*~, Velvet SIM Launch Gift – Gold Charm Bracelet
Hair – [The oBscene], Opening Gift – Ceres Special Black
Skin – bianca F., *bf* fata2-ivory-bloom
Lashes – [Detour], Love Lashes
Eyes - Freak Fantasia, Glassy Mustard Green