Cupid's Office

(click to enlarge)

CATWA recently released an update and upgrade for the Gwen head which I will both fully review in an upcoming vlog. Ever since the updates and the new 500+ (!) animations, I really haven't been able to take Gwen off. The upgrade is amazing, especially for passionate photographers. Now there are even more stories to be told within a picture, simply by looking at a facial expression.

The Black Dot Project also opened recently. I already mentioned it in my previous blog post but forgot to tell that I will also be doing a vlog for them soon, probably somewhere this week. This rounds theme is "Love Shack". How exciting!

Some more exciting news is that Pillows also released a bunch of adorableness for Valentine Day, all of which is available at their mainstore and marketplace.

Before I finish todays post I'd like to mention that Key To My Heart and On the Boardwalk Gacha Fair are both ending soon. So if you haven't visited those yet, make sure you do that before they close!

Finally I'd like to wish you all a happy Valentine's day, I hope you all will be able to share and receive a bunch o' love today!

Credits:

*Hair: Amacci Hair - Diem - (Brown) by Carina Larsen

*Outfit: [WM] Super Bobbie Pink by Thidelly

*Shoes: G&D Shoes Lana Valentine Red Slink by Diamanda Allen (@ The Black Dot Project)

*Head: CATWA HEAD Gwen V4.6 by Catwa Clip

*Head Applier: [7DS] - Omega HEAD applier - Vlinder v2 by Izara Zuta

*Eyes: IKON Charm Eyes - Industrial by Ikon Innovia

*Pose: Overlow Poses - Pack 66 by Bubuzinha Luv

Decor:

Pillows - V-Day by Vivian Omizu

*Table: [P] Pillows, Vday Heart Table 1

*Cushions: [P] Pillows, Vday Heart Cushion

*Cards: [P] Pillows, Assorted Valentine's Day Cards

*Chocolate box: [P] Pillows, Chocolate Heart

*Shelf: [P] Pillows, Vday Wall Shelf w/Heart Curtain

*Wall Art #1 (bottom): [P] Pillow, Vday Heart Wall Decor

*Lights: *Shabby* XOXO by Rosemaery Lorefield (@ Key To My Heart)

*Wall Art #2 (top): [QE] Home Collection -Distressed Heart Marquee- /Pink/ by Emmins13 Sygall
(@ OtB Gacha Fair)

*Cage: Broken Hearted Cage - Cherry by Dahlia Dewitt (@ OtB Gacha Fair)*

*It looks light pink because of the windlight but the cage actually looks like this (screenshot with CalWL).

A Fresh Start

It's a new year so let's start anew. That was what I thought back in the first week of January. It's not even a month later and I have already broken my oh so precious new years resolution(s). Despite that I still try my hardest to hold on to them as they are really important for me. When it comes down to it I "just" want to better my current state and view of life. Your environment reflects upon your behavior and my behavior hasn't been the best lately. So it's something I have to change, something I have to start anew with; a fresh start.

Speaking of which, Gardenia events is running the Fresh Start Hunt in celebration of the new year and a new start (for some of us). The dress I'm currently wearing is one of the 35 FSH items and you can hunt for it at Emmalena Damour Designs. 

I matched the cozy dress with this stunning jewelry set from Snowpaws. I posted a raw close up of it on my profile if you'd like to see it with a more natural windlight. Furthermore I am wearing one of my all time favorite pair of boots from Loordes of London, this gorgeous hair from EMO-tions which I have actually reviewed before in one of my previous vlogs and a skin from 7 Deadly s{K}ins. It's currently available at The Makeover Room but that will be closing soon though so make sure you get there fast. When the skin moves back to the mainstore, which it will, it won't be discounted anymore. It's currently 50% off the regular price.

My wonderful friend Kaelyn Alecto has build an amazing sim which (re-)opened today. The sim is called It All Starts With A Smile (which is her blog name too). Kae has worked really hard on this and it turned out amazingly so come pay a visit when you have time! Also a tip for photographers: there are a lot of cute places to take cute pictures at *wink*. When you have shot your cute photo there make sure to share it in the IASWAS flickr group. 

Oh and and one last thing, you can actually find me somewhere in this sim too! Just look for this picture right here (also shot by Kae, she is the definition of an artist).

Happy new week loves!

Credits:

*Hair: .:EMO-tions:. *PHOEBE *. RED by Mirja Mills

*Dress: ~EDD~ Long Sleeve Shift Dress Corduroy Chocolate by Emmalena Damour

*Shoes: Loordes of London-Rogue Boots-#9 by coleen Macarthur

*Accessoires: Snowpaws - Souffe Terra Jewelry Set by Carrie Snowpaw

*Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins -Sacha v2 Caramel by Izara Zuta (@ The Makeover Room)

*Body: Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V3.4 by Onyx LeShelle

*Appliers: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - Maitreya app - Caramel & 7DS - SLINK hands & feet HUD Caramel by Izara Zuta

*Eyes: .tsg. Snowfall Eyes - Dark Brown R by Eilfie Sugarplum

Trouble In Paradise

Fair Play is a monthly fantasy event inspired by games. This months game is "The Forgotten Game". Besides this awesome concept, the event also donates a part of its earnings to two different charities. The two dresses I'm wearing are both exclusives from Mistique which are available at Fair Play. Both of the dresses come with matching wings and hair accessoire. You can get this stunning set at Fair Play until the 27th of the month.

I remember watching this video about angel readings during the summer and all I thought was "poor Chris!", he is the only one who had a sense of negative energy in his reading. He is also one of my favorites at Buzzfeed. It's actually pretty interesting to not only hear the readings but also see the reaction of the Buzzfeed employees. It was all quite accurate and Michelle (who had doubt according to the angels) even freaked out a little. Almost unbelievable, right? Right. So what about you? Do you believe in angels?

Credits: 

*Hair: Moon. Hair - Atlas Hands - Blondes by Silent Acoustic

*Dress, Wings & Hair Accessoire (left): Mistique - Light Angel by Mahilwen Mistwalker

  (@ Fair Play)

*Dress, Wings & Hair Accessoire (right): Mistique - Dark Angel by Mahilwen Mistwalker

  (@ Fair Play)

*Mesh Head: CATWA HEAD Annie V4.4 by Catwa Clip

*Mesh Body: Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V3.4 by Onyx LeShelle

*Head Applier: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - Omega HEAD applier - October apricot v1

& 7 Deadly s{K}ins - Maitreya app - Apricot by Izara Zuta

Busted

All of us have at least once been caught doing something we're not supposed to. It's a part of being young and reckless. The adrenaline of mischief, getting caught or getting away with it, it gives some great memories. But you're never too old to have a young and reckless spirit and if you're going to do something you're not supposed to do, you might as well look cute doing it.

This dress from Entice was perfect for the look. In some way it kind of reminded me of Wednesday Addams and I love Wednesday Addams. She probably would've used the HUD to color the skirt black though. That's right, this outfit comes with a HUD which allows you to not only change the skirt color but also the color of the top, belt and hem (bottom of the skirt). If you're more into a colorful look, no worries. There are 3 other color packs available (including a pink one!) at the mainstore.

To add even more cuteness I added this adorable necklace from Sweet Thing. and and finished it off with some MOON hair. I'm also using these nails from The Little Bat to match with the striped suit I'll have to wear when I get caught, wink.

Finally I'd like to mention that my partner in crime, Danseilian/Christian, is my new male alt which I'll be using to do some male vlogs/blog posts. However, my real life friend will also be spending some time on that account as he is too lazy (cough loudly) to create his own account.

Credits: (Chloë)

*Hair: MOON - Hair - Laceration by Silent Acoustic

*Outfit: Entice - Be With You Dress - Grays by EnticeStore

*Necklace: . Sweet Thing. Blue Melty Moon Necklace (Starshine) by AyaShula

*Nails: ! The Little Bat - Striped Slink Nails by Drusilla Dethly

*Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - Ofelia apricot black RARE by Izara Zuta (@ OMGacha)

*Body: Slink Physique Mesh Body Hourglass V1.3 by Siddean Munro

*Appliers: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - SLINK total body HUD Apricot by Izara Zuta

*Eyes: .{PSYCHO:Byts}. Dog Eyes - Dark - Cute by psikotik Gothly

Credits: (Christian):

*Hair: *~*Damselfly*~*Jasper Non-Rig Mesh - Tuxedo by TOmmy Fairplay

*Coat: Daniel Grant - Aiden Coat w. Sweater GRAY by AidaLuvia

*Bottom: [HR] Mesh Mens Skinny Jeans BLACK by Littleharley

*Glasses: T.C. - Glasses Black (free!)

*Skin: .::Mother Goose's::. Jun_02 by milok Hermit

*Eyes: * Inkheart * - Candy Eyes - Dark Choco by Inkheart

The Dark Arts

After yesterdays post featuring the Cupcake Anonymous Hunt item from The Little Bat, I went back to the store and saw this sweet peplum top. It comes with a HUD which allows you to change the color of the tartan shirt. I matched it with leggings from Vinyl, which are available at Collabor88, and these new SHEY stilettos from the "No Way Out" series.

To finish the twisted prep look of this outfit, I added this gacha goodie from Alice Project. You can play this gacha for yourself at the mainstore.

Strong brows but sweet face, Grietje by 7 Deadly s{K}ins in a nutshell. This January release is available at SWANK which runs from January 7th until February 1st.

To finish this post off I'd like to share this humorous buzzfeed post to start off a great weekend.

Credits:

*Hair: Alice Project - Nancy - Mirror Teal/Black

*Top: ! The Little Bat - Natalie Top V1

*Bottom: Vinyl - Thea Leggings - Grey ( @ Collabor88 )

*Shoes: SHEY - Karditsa Stilettos (No Way Out)

*Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - Grietje caramel V2 ( @ SWANK )

*Appliers: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - SLINK hands & feet - Caramel

*Eyes: IKON - Sovereign Eyes - Storm

Bearly Winter

It's Thursday which means a new week of 55 Thursday deals at Entice, this week you can pick up these elegant high heels in a light and darks pack. Both these color packs come with a HUD which allows you to change different parts into three different colors depending on the color pack  you choose. The shoes also come with matching dresses which are also available for 55 Thursday at the mainstore. For more awesome deals, check out the Secret Wednesday Yard Sale featuring Entice, LaVian and many more great stores with great deals.

The Little Bat is participating in the fourth annual Cupcake Anonymous Hunt. Both the coat and earmuffs can be hunted for. This year the theme is "cozy winter lolita", so grab your most kawaii winterproof gear and start hunting. You can find images of the other items and hints on the Cupcake Anonymous Hunt blog.

7 Deadly s{K}ins has not finished the seasons of spoils just yet, and I doubt they ever will. This gorgeous new release Maryna is available at The Stuff Sales Room. Besides that there's also a huge clearance sale in the new outlet section at the mainstore. I suggest you go and check that out before those OG skins will be gone forever.

Besides skins, 7DS also provides (modifiable!) shapes including this one, Faith which I against all odds haven't modified at all. I recommend you keep a copy of the original shape if you do decide to modify her, this way you'll at least always have the original.

To finish this post off I would like to thank those who has been supportive ever since my last video and my January break announcement. I'm well aware of the fact that I take a lot of breaks and I don't have the most reliable uploading schedule but it's so lovely to see I still receive your support. At the moment I can't even a small vlog as I have lost my voice due to a terrible cold. Until I fully recover from that and also have some time to spare I will try to keep writing these blog entries.

Also it still hasn't snowed here where I live, so you could say that it is bearly winter here.

Yes I am lame.

Credits:

*Hair: Besom - Hannu

*Coat: ! The Little Bat - Beary Coat/S

*Shoes: Entice - Ex's & Oh's Heels - Darks

*Earmuffs: ! The Little Bat - Bow Earmuffs

*Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - Maryna cotton v1 ( @ The Stuff Sales Room )

*Shape: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - FAITH Shape

*Body: Absolut Creation - EVE - Slim-V8.4

*Appliers: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - EVE body applier Cotton

*Eyes: IKON - Triumph Eyes (left) - Midnight

*Poses: *PosESioN* - Corina Set - 1&4 ( @ SWANK )

location: Kalamata

Not Too Shabby

I never thought I would do one of these, a blog post. To be honest I was quite scared to do it too. "What if it's not good enough? What if I am not the same level as even the average blogger?", I thought. But then I just said screw it and asked myself, "do you have fun taking and editing pictures?" - "do you like second life fashion?" and "since when do you have to satisfy others to satisfy yourself?".

The last question is something I've asked myself a lot of times recently. I've noticed that sometimes I don't feel like vlogging because I feel as if my content won't satisfy the viewer or the designer, while in reality I should be satisfied with my work. Because how can anyone like what you do, if even you can't like it yourself? Some people see it the other way around but I try to not think like that, it'd keep me from doing the things I love and if I'd take it a step further, it would keep me from living the life I want to live. I shouldn't complain though. I get enough positive feedback to keep me motivated and kick myself right back up my vlogging feet when it's needed.

I've noticed that besides the situational demotivation and dissatisfactions, time is also my enemy. I'll tell you why with some numbers...
Preparing a vlog usually takes 1-2 hours (creating outfit, writing notes etc.)
Recording a vlog usually takes about 5-10 minutes more than the actual video for me, I tend to cut out some rambling.
Editing a vlog usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour or two depending on how long the video is. Afterwards I have to take pictures and edit those too which takes about an hour to an hour and a half for one picture or two hours for two pictures (event vlogs).
Publishing is the final step, this takes about 30 minutes. This process includes uploading the video to YouTube, wordpress, flickr etc. (also includes writing the description, blog post & looking for landmarks)
And finally I spend about 10-15 minutes on second life sending out notices and filling in blogger reports.

That is already several hours to a full day or spreading the work over a few days of vlogging. Trust me when I tell you that I don't think blogging is an easy and quick job either, it is not and I know that. But I feel like I do both jobs sometimes as I practically do everything a blogger has to do plus creating a video for each post. Anyway, let's not go there, let's not start comparing these two things as if they are so much alike because to me they are two different worlds, two worlds that can admire one another but can't be one another.

I even ramble on a blog, now that is impressive ain't it? Alright, let's start talking fashion.

N-Uno had originally brought out the Mila outfit with cut off sleeves and capri jeans for The Chapter Four event which opened from december 13th till the 21st. But don't you worry now. You can still get this shabby-cool (yep I made that up right on the spot) at the N-Uno marketplace store. I styled this "shabby-cool" look with a pair of wedges from Entice which are currently also available for 55L only during their extended 55L Thursday sale. They'll be on sale, together with a lot of other beautiful goodies, until Wednesday dec. 30th.


Finally I'd like to mention that 7 Deadly s{K}ins is having its last days of the advent calandar and also an apology that I haven't mentioned the advent earlier in my vlogs. If you missed out on this, you missed out big time. But no worries, you can still get the previous 27 skins, gifts and/or additional goodies for the good price of 75L each. Besides the (7) deadly gifts, we've also been spoilt with tons of new releases this month including this one, Ashley. Ashley comes in 3 different versions, of which I am currently using number 2. She's also available in 3 different tones; apricot (which I am using), pineapple and chestnut.




So that's it for this first blog post. I'll admit it was harder than it seemed, but also a lot more fun. I'll keep it shorter next time, if there is gonna be a next time, promise.

Credits:
*Hair: Besom - Hair Fair 2015
*Outfit: N-Uno - Mila Outfit
*Shoes: Entice - Lay Down Sally Wedges (Browns)
*Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins -Ashley v2 apricot
*Eyeliner: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - NOELLIA eyeliner 01 (advent gift)
*Eyes: IKON - Charm Eyes Industrial