The Heart Of The Matter

Sorry for giving the appearance that I fell off the virtual map, I just had the worst case of Food Poisoning and/or Norwalk Virus, complete with several hospital visits, and am only now feeling like I have the energy to do anything productive with my time. Basically, I now have a rather fast heart rate, and they aren't sure why, but it seems to be normalizing on it's own now too. This "Look Of The Day" has been sitting in waiting since March 5th, and it's about time it got it's due attention. It is somewhat amusing that this look includes the adorable BareRose Key of Heart Bag in Red.



I love coats, particularly ones that make nice use of prim pieces and have some nice appropriately sized prints on them, like this AOHARU Red Check Short Trench Coat. I really love the collar and waist tie on this coat in particular, and the red plaid is really fresh and spring like. I paired it with a simple pair of black jeans from *AnnaH* (now .:Storin:.), this pair was part of the Heart of Love Limited Edition Laura set. The shoes here are a perfect matching red from Lya, the Sakura platform wedge pump was a gift from one of the Retrology event hunts, and are a really fantastic basic shoe. I loved the way the open collar of the coat looked with the [Armidi Gisaci] Gunmetal Niama Necklace, a great layered look adding a lot of impact at the throat. Other accessories include the adorable Kandy Kitty Mod Love Ring, and a simple ITF Dual Ball Brow Piercing.



This amazing wig is from Maitreya, the Piper II is soft fresh perfection, with a bobby pin tucked on one side, and it's smooth silky texture. It is a remarkable wig and looks particularly realistic. I have been wearing the -AnaLu- *InRainbows* skins almost exclusively since Ana dropped a review pack of them on me when she first released them. I love the soft lips, the lovely brow, it is a luminous and unique looking skin. The lashes are Thora from MMS, but might now be available at LeLutka, while the eyes are the amazing Miriel Hazel Eyes. A soft and sweet look, getting to the heart of the matter, which is that I have actually missed all my friends in the online community and blogging for you all very much.

~ Ketsy

Shopping Details:
Coat - AOHARU, BT_CheckShortTrenchCoat_Red
Jeans - *AnnaH* (Now .:Storin:.), from Laura HoL *Limited Edition* Set
Shoes - Lya, Sakura (Red)
Bag - :::B@R:::, Key Of Heart (Red, Hand)
Necklace - [Armidi Gisaci], Niama Necklace - Gunmetal
Ring - Kandy Kitty, Mod Love Ring
Brow - ITF, Brow Dual Ball [No Current Location Found]
Hair - Maitreya, Piper II - Blacks Pack (Pitch)
Skin - -AnaLu- *InRainbows* NAT13 .brownish.
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)
Lashes - MMS, Thora Lashes [No Current Location]

The Roaring 20s - Vain Inc. Magazine Issue 20

This month, Vain Inc. took a trip through time, and I did my best to bring the fashion of the 1920s alive. Fabulous dresses from ~Ivalde~, Cartunno Couture, Greenwood Designs, Adam N Eve, Rebel Hope Designs, & Simone. Hats, wigs, and shoes to suit the style of the era.



Check out the full Issue HERE.











Click the images to see larger versions with credits on my Flickr Stream.

Cry Me A River...

Sometimes you just need to have a good cry. It's so hard to get the face of an avatar to express emotion. Sure you can get an Emoter HUD, an often passed about full perms item, but it has a limited range of mostly comical expressions. It is often the skill of the pose maker, the lighting, the angle of the eyes that allow the appearance of emotion. Then often some post processing, be it Photo Shop, or a similar graphics program, is often the way we add emotion to our in-world snapshots.



But what if you want a straight screen shot, are unable to post edit, or need to express sadness in an in-world event, drama, or show. This is where the remarkable Kala Bijoux of Material Squirrel has given me yet another reason to adore her. Her new Real Tears scripted attachments can give you the look of tears without any post-processing. The unit attaches to the face, and if you click on it you can customize the look of your tears (highlight transparent items is helpful to find it and adjust it's position).



Whether tinting the teardrops, adjusting the number of drops, or the speed that the drops fall, it is a really interesting and unique wearable, and I was thrilled when Kala dropped some review copies on me this week. There is also a version that cries bloody tears, for all the Vampire roll-players who might enjoy for some really dramatic flair. The tears come in male, female, and child avatar sized versions, and there are 2 attachment points for the female sized version so that you can wear your favorite lashes at the same time. For the Photo Shop phobics, like myself, it is a really great item to add some drama to your pictures. Give then a try if you want to add a little emotion to your Second Life. It's alright to cry, crying gets the sad out of you.

Shopping Details:
Tears - Material Squirrel, Real Tears by Kala Bijoux (Female AV Size - Chin)
Hair - ETD, Chel (Naturals I, Black)
Skin - -AnaLu-, *In Rainbows* NAT13 .brownish.
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)
Lashes - MMS, Thora Lashes (Now LeLutka)

Boppin' High School Baby

Since my blog-mate Nikkita has being working overtime, and doing me proud, I figured it was high time I hopped back in and did a long overdue post. This look is all about the Rockabilly, right down to the title of the post, a song by Don Willis, a Rockabilly icon. I have been all wrapped up in the Rockabilly for ever-so-long, pretty much since my earliest days in-world, and it is still my most comfortable look. This one came together effortlessly, particularly when I opened my gift from Antonia Marat when she recently added a Subscribe-o-matic to /artilleri/. This great Marion Cardigan sweater was part of that gift, and it is so dang cool. I pair it up with a perfect Black Pencil Skirt from Ingenue.



I went to town with the accessories here, starting from the top down with a gorgeous sculpted Rose Hair Flower from /artilleri/, and also Antie's fantastic scripted color change Bead Hoop Earrings. The necklace is a simple favorite go-to piece from Decollage, the Bubblegum Pearl Necklace which is hand tintable, therefore endlessly useful. I went with some great bangles, starting with a Black & White Checkered Messy Bangles stack from [Woo's] on the left wrist, and a Gem Jelly Donut Bangle in Silver from ~*Fresh Baked Goods*~ on the right wrist, colour changed by script to match my look. Also wearing my Caroline's Jewelry Gimcrack Diamond Solitaire Ring. The final touch, are the J's Real Toe Ankle Belt Sandals in Black. Whether you are a fan of the real toe look or not, they really work for a Rockabilly vixen look.



Any Rockabilly chick would be proud to show off her tats, and I love mine. The upper body Maggie Tattoo is from /artilleri/, while the sexy leg tat is called Damage from AITUI TATTOO. My favorite big wig when going Rockabilly is [Aden]'s Amy in Black, it is Amy Winehouse beehive fabulousness and so much fun to wear. The skin is my favorite Canimal Essence Skin, this is the Pinup make-up, and I love the arched eye-brows that have a penciled in look. Thora Lashes are from MMS, but may be available at LeLutka now, eyes are from Freak Fantasia.

Shopping Details:
Sweater - /artilleri/, Marion Cardigan (Jacket Layer) *pink* [Previous Subscribe-O-Matic Sign-up Gift]
Skirt - Ingenue, ~The Pencil Skirt~ (Black)
Shoes - J's, Real Toe Ankle Belt Sandals (Black)
Necklace - Decollage, Bubblegum Pearls (Tintable)
Bangle - ~*FBG*~, Gem Jelly Donut Bangle Silver (R)
Bracelets - [Woo's], Black & White Checkered Messy Bangles (L)
Ring - Caroline's, Gimcrack Diamond Solitaire Ring
Earrings - /artilleri/, Bead Hoop Earrings! *color change*
Upper Body Tattoo - /artilleri/, Maggie Tattoo (ushirt)
Leg Tattoo - AITUI TATTOO, Damage =socks=
Hair Flower - /artilleri/, Rose Hair Flower *pink* (mouth)
Hair - [Aden], Amy (Black)
Skin - Canimal, Essence (Grace)... of Pinup
Lashes - MMS, Thora Lashes [No Current Location]
Eyes - Freak Fantasia, Glassy Mustard Green Eyes

Born To Be Wild

When things get a little "Wild" at PIN UPS, and it is time to bring out the animal prints, I can never seem to find what I am looking for. I know I own a lot of animal print clothing, but it is rarely named as such. To save time, I simply searched for "Zebra" and up came this /artilleri/ Zesty Zebra Dress, a gift from the amazingly generous Antonia Marat during her Christmas daily group gift event. I threw it on in a hurry, and was instantly smitten, there is little that I don't love from Antie. As it is still freezing up here in Canadia, I wanted a little more coverage, and searched for a jacket layer shrug to bundle up in, I was thrilled to find a match in this Stich by Stitch Magic Little Teal Shrug, which had exactly the right retro flavor for this look. Stitch by Stitch has some really unique and adorable items, and they have a real hand crafted look to them which I find particularly appealing.



I decided to go with a basic black retro-inspired shoe from Maitreya, the adorable Sassy shoe, which has the feel of an stacked sandal with a cute peep toe. The accessories are in a bright contrasting cherry red, starting with favorite /artilleri/ bead hoop earrings that are scripted to colour change with a click menu, and a Decollage Bubblegum Pearl Necklace, that can be hand tinted to any colour. I also threw on a WRONG Beads and Bangles bracelet, a little attitude goes a long way. I also am wearing a basic dual ball brow piercing from ITF. The Clutch Bag is another great find, from Bare@Rose Haute Couture's Lucky Chair, it comes in a variety of colours, I managed to snag this great golden Yellow one. It has a great vintage look to it, and reminds me of some of the treasures I used to find in my grandmother's closet.



The hair is /artilleri/ as well, the Sarah Jane style in Black, a really adorable vintage and rockabilly wig. Antoher wonderful -AnaLu- Skin from her *In Rainbows* mods, I simply adore the smooth soft glow of these skins, and the colourful make-up is right up my alley too. This is the NAT 10 .greenish. version, I haven't stopped wearing these skins since Ana Lutetia sent them my way, they are fantastic. Eyes are from Miriel and lashes are from the former MMS.

Shopping Details:
Dress - /artilleri/, zesty zebra dress *neon teal* [Christmas Group Gift]
Shrug - Stitch by Stitch, Little Teal Shrug
Bag - :::B@R:::, Clutch Bag, Yellow (L Hand) [Lucky Chair Gift]
Shoes - Maitreya, Sassy (Mixed Black)
Earrings - /artilleri/, bead hoop earrings
Necklace - Decollage, Bubblegum, Pearl Necklace (Tinted)
Bracelet - WRONG, Beads & Bangles (Red)
Brow - ITF, Brow Dual Ball Piercing by Lyric Meiji [No In-World Location Found]
Hair - /artilleri/, Sarah Jane (Black)
Skin - -AnaLu-, *In Rainbows* NAT 10 .greenish.
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)
Lashes - MMS, Thora Lashes [No Location Currently]

Meat The Pin-up

Had a blast tonight at the PIN UPS "Eat Me!" Event, an edible costume contest. I was stumped as to what delicious designer duds to wear, when Apathia Hammerer, designer of Pig, reminded me she had sent me over copies of her Hamkini and Bacon Wrap suit. I had forgotten her sending them, and had a good giggle at the time, so I tried on the Hamkini and it was an instant yes, in the way that only meat garments can be. I felt a little exposed in nothing but ham steaks, and felt it was a little close to my skin-tone to look entirely wholesome, so I threw the Bacon Wrap suit on underneath the Hamkini, and viola, we have the vintage meat pin-up look of my dreams! It's a lot shocking, and someone commented that it looked like I was wearing my insides on the outside, but I thought it was entirely hilarious, and the absolute height of edible fashion. Never has an ensemble so far from kosher looked so delish!

Shopping Details:
Swimwear - Pig, Hamkini & Bacon Wrap
Shoes - Kitties Lair, Peep Mules Kewt! Aqua Gold
Earrings - /artilleri/, bead hoop earrings
Necklace - Decollage, Bubblegum, Pearl Necklace (Tinted)
Brow - ITF, Brow Dual Ball Piercing by Lyric Meiji [No In-World Location Found]
Hair - /artilleri/, Sarah Jane (Black)
Skin - -AnaLu-, *In Rainbows* NAT 10 .greenish.
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)
Lashes - MMS, Thora Lashes [No Location Currently]