Men like them. Women like them. Even crying hungry babies like them. What does everyone like? Second Base! It is estimated that every year, over 210,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and every year, 40,500 women die of the disease. And it's not just women, a small minority of men are capable of getting it as well as you men have mammary glands too! The CDC has a great website dedicated to all the most current information available on the disease, and has information for all of us about self breast exams, clinical breast exams, and mammograms. There are even groups such as Feel Your Boobies that promote the importance of self breast exams. Often health fairs will have things you can hang in your shower that show how to perform this important life-saving test as well, or you can get them from numerous websites. You can even download an iPhone app that will help you make an early detection plan. And while mammograms are usually reserved for women aged 50 or older, younger women too should start practicing this test minimum once a month. And don't think you have to go-it alone in testing ladies, you guys need to be touching something in your jock strap as well (perhaps make an intimate experience out of it lovers). Mom and I know several men and women in their twenties who have already been forced to battle breast and testicular cancers.
We at The Redneck Fashionista are no exception to wanting to save the girls (especially Dad and Belgold... course Mom's a nurse so that helps too), and it looks like we've found a definite partner in crime with Carrie Bridger and the ladies of Carrie's Lingerie. Ms. Bridger and company have teamed up to offer five women's lingerie sets and three men's boxer/t-shirt sets with all proceeds going to save the boobies... I mean Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and breast cancer research for the American Cancer Foundation. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a few pairs to feel around... I mean model.
All of the sets are available in her mainstore, with the proceeds of the sales going towards research, each will cost you between L$150 and L$400. Ms. Bridger sent out three women's sets and one men's set for us to try out. As usual, her texture-work is superb and highly refined. I've always loved her work, and these items are no exception. She always takes the time to craft a beautiful and sexy item, complete with all the lace detail. Everything has always matched up, has great lighting and shadows to it. As always, Ms. Bridger has taken the plain Second Life texture and turned it into something magical.
No matter what, they just make you feel soft, delicate, and sexy. Even the men's boxer set. I didn't want to wear it to be honest, I'm more of a leather and lace girl. Mom took the mouse from my hand, put my avatar in the set and we we both shocked at how sporty, smart, and sexy I looked in it. Amazing. I've never thought men's underwear as something that could be girly and sexy, but this is it. Thank you Ms. Bridger for not only caring about the knockers, but for making them look great in the process. A true 10/10 perfection as always!
After posting Sunday's review, I was contacted by Lauren Bentham, whose products were featured that day. Ms. Bentham asked me to take a look at a recommendation of another designer that she knew. Ms. Tamrielle Halderman is another up and coming designer who specializes in fantasy props for sims. At Ms. Bentham's request, we took a closer look at Ms. Halderman's "Roomie Shroomie Cottage," which was used in Ms. Bentham's skybox that we reviewed, a long with a couple of other props in the skybox. The cottage comes to 41 high quality sculpted prims and comes in two sizes: a full size cottage (approximately 10x10 meters) for L$499, and a small sized cottage for L$399 that works great for the petite avatars. It is available in seven different colors, all available in world at her store, Fae Fantasy Creations.
I really like Ms. Halderman's cottage, especially from a fae and fantasy perspective. While it is on the smaller side, it would work great on any smaller size plot, even a 512. Or even for a playhouse for your SL children. I know a lot of people are strapped for cash lately, and a lot of products that are blogged on for SL cost a fair amount of Linden. While this home is on the smaller size, the cost is right for anyone on a budget who wants a fae-inspired home. This would be even better for those of you who are using the petite fae avatars as well - I put on my own petite avatar and flew around in the full-sized home and it is huge.
The coloring of the cottage is very rich, and will fit in perfect with any fantasy landscaping; there are also many beautiful and whimsical products here that would fit the decor as well. The sculpts are also well-crafted and do not deteriorate at distance. Ms. Halderman took a lot of time in crafting her items, and has a great attention to detail. I absolutely love this little cottage, and think it would be a great addition to any fantasy-themed landscaping or home in SL.
Overall: 10/10
Pros: Great look, great detail
Cons: Can be a little small for very large avatars
You're invited to a tea party... a magical tea party in the wonderful land of your imagination!
In looking for our next photo shoot location for Jackie Graves, I happened to stumble across a rather spectacular duo of sims, and in the middle was a very small store. Mom and I went in, had a look, and I instantly knew that this was our next post; or duel post.
Meet Lauren Bentham, the young and upcoming lead designer for Bentham Manor, a high-end design store specializing in dark fantasy landscaping items, mesh avatars, and a new line of skyboxes that she has just released. Her items are available online or in world, and given her amazing quality and attention to detail, her prices are reasonable. Full mesh avatars average cost only L$349, and her most expensive product, her large 59x59 skybox, is a reasonable L$1,499.
We decided, seeing we were there, that we had to do a review of her large skybox for everyone to see. Two things immediately struck us: it seems larger than the designated 59x59 meters, and there is this amazing soundscape. In fact, it seems that Ms. Bentham almost specializes in these two effects.
I am sure that everyone has had an opportunity to see what 59x59x23 meters is in SL terms, however, I encourage you to find a sandbox or piece of land where you can rez out a cube this size. Look at in, especially with the default plywood texture courtesy of Linden Labs. It is stark, enclosed, and almost suffocates just on its own; but somehow Ms. Bentham has managed to evade these facts from her audience. The space is decorated with one of her mushroom homes, paths, graveyards, statues, and is bathed in an eery dark light. We toured it at midday windlight settings, and it was just right for our graphics and for us to see (sidenote: while we usually darken and create a haze for our photos, all photos shown here in this post today are photographed in the midday windlight setting and are not edited; we are showing our raw unadulterated photos).
The space seems large, even looming, and makes your avatar feel smaller than it really is. Though it is only 59x59, Ms. Bentham has managed to make the area feel so much bigger. That prim I made you rez? In comparison, your prim is now small. Ms. Bentham uses optical illusions to make the area seem so much bigger. And her ability to create an atmosphere is amazing. You are transported to the dark dreams of a childhood influenced by Tim Burton, early Pixar, and Victorian era children's tales. Everything has a slight cartoonish feel to it, which makes you feel both incredibly safe and yet taunted by a dark lurking danger. Her soundscape, a mix of familiar and unknown sounds, heightens the senses to the dark misty reality around you. You are safe, you are at home, but at the same time, able to control, explore, and defeat your darkest childhood nightmare. Have a look yourself (note: video has a blur effect added to enhance the dreamlike quality of the skybox).
Looking at Ms. Bentham's other products is amazing as well. She manages to take this amazing storyboard art concept and make it three-dimensional via sculpts (for landscaping) and mesh (for avatars). Her ability to control the experience and the scene is absolutely amazing, especially for someone who seems to be just starting her graphic arts career (as determined by the still small inventory in her store). Yet, despite her relatively small inventory, everything is needed to create her unique atmosphere. She is mature in the definition of her art and style, something seen more in very veteran content creators in SL.
Ms. Bentham's soundscapes are also amazing. Being a veteran gamer myself, something that is often lacking in sims in SL is a custom soundscape. Some sims have managed to get them going, but often, most designers disregard this element in favor of a radio station or silence, often using the excuse of the audience listening to other music, being on Skype, or just not having a headset or speakers available. How many times have you in SL been near a waterfall and heard the rush of... Nickelback. It doesn't work. The sound of a waterfall should not be an over-used rock band, it should be the sound of water rushing, storming, over ageless rocks that have been there longer than anything else on this earth.
Listening to the soundscape while walking through Ms. Bentham's sim that we will be photographing fully immerses you into her fantasy. It doesn't matter whether you are on the sim she designed, her store, her skybox, or anything with her influences. It is there, you are there, and what she has done is not done nearly enough in SL, and when it has been done, it has been tossed to the wayside. We loved Legacies 1891 because of how immersive it was. Mom loved the previous design at NeuroLabs because of the immersive soundscape. A successful experience in SL requires that soundscape, and Lauren Bentham has mastered that.
Ms. Bentham's products reflect her attention to detail, from her pre-war style radio that plays eight tunes and has been a constant companion on Mom's desk to her affinity for Alice avatars, her products are amazing. Yes, Alice avatars - we made a game while briefly scouting her sims of finding all of her different avatars. So far we have found three Alice avatars; two are up for sale in the Marketplace (traditional Alice and steampunk Alice), and others are scattered about. Try to find the third we found, and see if there are more. As for Alice, we paired Ms. Bentham's setting with our own Alice in Naughtyland from Danika Designs for L$399; the rabbit made and irresistible companion for this setting.
Overall: 10/10
Pros: Amazing detail, immersive experience, full soundscape.
Cons: May appear too dark with lower-end graphic cards.
"The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation,
the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy,
an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us"
-John Williams
In the spirit of the Olympics, we at TRF are proud to present Indyra Seigo's newest design, the i(heart)Unity Spirit Sets. This semi-mesh set is available at the Indyra Originals store in world for L$325, and each purchase will earn you L$50 if you are a member of her Indyra Originals store group. The set comes with one mesh tank top in five separate sizes, three matching thigh-high socks, a cute pair of leather shorts, and a color change headband. While shoes are not included, there are so many possible ways to style this outfit, that you can really wear almost any shoe. There are currently ten countries to choose from, and I am assuming that there is a good chance for more to come. But, you have to shop for this treat soon as it is a limited edition, available for this week only specifically for the Olympics.
This outfit is great for any sort of Olympics party or any gathering where you want to show off your international team spirit. The flag on the front is very stylized and is just gorgeous; the style of the flag for each country is definitely chic enough that you can wear the shirt for anything patriotic and still be in style. Sometimes flags can come off as gaudy, but with the chic modernized design of these, the flags will always work well for a patriotic look. The shorts are absolutely cute too, in a nice soft leather. The socks add a sporty touch and come with three colors around the thighs - always black and then two of the main colors of the country's flag. While shoes do not come with the outfit, I chose to pair it with a pair of color change trainers or a pair of black heels, depending on if I wore the socks or not. There is also a cute headband as well that has a color-changing bow.
While the shirt itself came in five separate sizes, as it is rigged mesh, I still had a little problem with it working with my AO. While the shirt fits well with more neutral poses, if you have an AO that moves more than normal, it may force parts of your shirt to to in your avatar. There is an included alpha layer for the shirt. I was able to easily wear my standard size shape and get the outfit to fit right. Mom tried the demo at the store and was able to get it to fit to a standard size shape as well and did not have a problem with her AO.
Overall this is a great little outfit for any Olympic or patriotic theme, but if you want it, you need to get it soon as she will only carry this outfit for the week. Everyone here at TRF absolutely loves Indyra Originals, and Mom is over there right now shopping again even. She has some of the great designs in SL for a good price, and she really is extremely high end - all of her fashions have great textures, designs, cuts, and fits. I would not hesitate to wear anything that Ms. Seigo designs and am looking to publishing this blog so I can go over and join Mom in the Indyra shopping spree.
Overall: 10/10
Pros: Great flag designs, versatile
Cons: The mesh may cut into your body depending on the pose
One of the fun things about working with technology is that sometimes, things can go very wrong. Lightning can strike (twice we discovered, wiping out several mother boards and LAN cards), power can go out, and this week... the blog can start to eat itself. We apologize for the late posting of this post; we had tried to post this when we first discovered it, then found out from the designer herself that it had never published, despite us spending a couple of days working on the post itself, and three witnesses to me hitting the "Publish" button at the top of the page and seeing it live. I guess it's like when Facebook decides to make a multipost of your embarrassing response, but in reverse.
Sidenote: If you're a designer who had requested for us to post something in the last couple of weeks and it is not up yet, please let us know. It looks like we've had a few other posts eaten as well.
As such, we are bringing you a relatively newer designer, Oursinette Bruun of OPOPOP Designs. She came to us through one of our blog groups and is trying to expand her shop. We took a look at some of her designs on the Marketplace and looked at a few of her new Mojiska Shirts. Ms. Bruun's style overall is veyr hip, young, and is a great overall style to wear out with friends, going to clubs, or shopping. It is a fun punk and hip style that is popular with teens and young twenty-somethings right now. The shirt itself is a single mesh shirt, available in nine separate colors (white, blue, yellow, purple, black, cyan, pink, green, and red), and each color comes with five sizes and an alpha layer. It is a bikini-strap style mini tank top with a mesh-like fabric draping underneath. Here, we paired it with our favorite Zaara jeans and a pair of heels from SimILar. It is available inworld or on the Marketplace for L$250 (her full Marketplace store can be found here as well).
While I happen to like the overall design, and believe that Ms. Bruun as a designer holds a lot of promise and potential, we noted a lot of good things, and things that can be improved. I mentioned in a previous post my own policy on a "bad" review - there is no "bad" review, just a review where I give the collective constructive criticism (eg - here's what we didn't like and here's how to change it) of the team; we aim to either teach or entertain with each of our posts. What did we like? I love the overall design of the shirt. It's youthful, it's fresh, and it has a ton of personality to it. Wear this and you can easily make a statement and look great at the same time. It's also very versatile. You can pair this with almost anything else and it will still look just as good, and it will work for any number of occasions you would like it to.
There are a few improvements, and much of them revolve around the mesh itself. While I like the overall design, the mesh shape itself needs some work. If you look at the pictures, there are areas where there are large gaps from the body where the shirt should be close, specifically, in the back and around the breasts. This can be fixed, I believe, by adapting to the Standard Sizing that is starting to be used by more and more designers (including Bitch Tails - thank you Tiff Renfold for making the switch!). Yes, the transparent portion under the bra is meant to be the shape it is - keep it that way. Just, the shirt would benefit a lot if the mesh is designed around the standard sizing shapes (which, the shapes themselves are easily available on the Marketplace for free - a great way to create a perfect standard sizing shape using your own shape's numbers to start). Another idea to "fix" the gaps in the bra portion of the mesh is to offer it as a partial mesh creation - have the shelf bra as a textured layer, and the actual transparent skirt portion of the shirt as the mesh. That way, you get a tight fit to the skin and are able to have a draped portion from the body that moves with the body well.
It is also of note that I believe that she does design her own mesh, which is also very commendable of her to take this on. Many designers that I can see who are using mesh are using premade mesh kits and only applying their textures to it. It is a truly innovative designer who will use her own meshes from scratch.
If you are going to purchase this as is, I am including some tips for getting it to fit a bit better. First, we had to go ahead and adapt my own shape to the standard sizing shapes linked above. The shapes are free, and are available for everyone. It's a good idea to get the standard sizing shapes anyway because ultimately, the everyday fashionista is going to have a need for them. Or, you can follow their guide, also on the link above, as to how to shape your own avatar shape (there's only eight points really you need to change for fit). Here, I sized my avatar to the Small standard sizing and then wore the small mesh size. I also noticed that to get the bra to fit better in the front, I had to dramatically decrease my torso length (to 0), and dramatically increase my breast buoyancy (up to 100). Once I changed these numbers on my own shape, it looked a lot closer to Ms. Bruun's shape in the official sales photo.
Overall, it's a great design from a great designer that really deserves some recognition for her hard work. She can only keep improving from here, and I look forward to reviewing more of her even better work in the future.
Overall: 8/10 because of the mesh, 9.5/10 for the texture
Pros: Great overall look, versatile, good construction
Cons: Mesh gaps in the wrong places, alpha needs some work.
It's a normal day for eighteen year old Kikieo as she ponders what she wants to do as she waits for her daddy to arrive home. Kikieo is a Daddy's Girl, her father spoils her and brings her gifts from his travels. As the day goes on, her father finally arrives home from his trip as she bounces and giggles with joy knowing that he has brought her something lovely as always. As her father reaches in a bag he pulls out a box and smiles, "Here Kikieo, a gift for daddy's girl. I hope you like it because it is a new fashion that has just been released."
As Kikieo squeals and giggles she says, "I'm sure I will Daddy as always." Kikieo runs to her room to open her gift from her daddy.
As she sets the box on her bed, she unwraps it with joy to find a beautiful outfit from the store of Danika Designs, her favorite store. As she slips on the outfit she smiles with glee; it's a lovely outfit with low cut pants, stockings and garter, and two shirts she can pick from. She looks at the two shirts and thinks, is she a mommy's girl or a daddy's girl? She tosses the matronly shirt aside and slips the Daddy's Girl shirt over the curves of her chest. Naturally, Kikieo is a daddy's girl if there ever was one. As she walks over to her mirror, she admires the lovely gift her daddy has brought to her. As she does so, her dad walks by her room on his way up and looks at his lovely daughter. He smiles happily knowing that she loves the new outfit he has brought her.
Late Sunday night, Dani Knelstrom of Danika Designs herself, contacted me with the request to review this outfit. Ironically, at the time, we were rushing to finish our post on Graves, which is why we couldn't get this up as fast as we normally would like. I love this outfit, just as much as I love any of her other outfits; we have a joke in our family that I love Danika as much as Mom loves Graves, and we even have a little competition going as to whom can get more. It is available only in-world for L$399 and comes with a mesh tank in 4 sizes with texture changing logo (Daddy's Girl and Mommy's Girl), a HUD for changing the text, very short cut-offs, arm sleeves, belted stockings, legwarmer covered sneakers, scripted sunglasses, and a "Barely Legal" tattoo for the lower back.
Ms. Knelstrom did a great job on this outfit. I like that the sunglasses are scripted so that you can flip them between being on the top of your head or bridge of the nose. The texture changing mesh shirt is also very nice; being able to switch between "Daddy's Girl" and "Mommy's Girl" is a very nice touch, especially for any sort of Lolita-style cosplay. The fit is great, especially for most standard sizes or the special Danika teen sizes.
Being in a family that grew up near the ocean, and by ocean I mean my father, and his father, and his father going back for generations, all were in the Navy. Being from such a seafaring family, you pick up a few things. Number one - you have a tendency to know how to ballroom dance. Number two - you have a tendency to know a lot of music about the ocean or the sea. Today's feature is a new release by Marika Smedley of Ley-Ly Fantasies, which upon its release will retail for only L$100 in the store and on the Marketplace. "Lady," as she has named it, is a long-flowing red evening gown with black jacket. Though we prefer it with the jacket, you can also wear it without; it has long sleeves underneath.
Ms. Smedley is an interesting designer. She doesn't have a full-sim store. She doesn't have a professional photographer toddling along behind her. She doesn't charge an arm and a leg. What she does have though is passion for her craft. All of the items in her store, as she says on her profile, run less than L$200. Earlier today even, Mom, while researching some extra information for this review, even bought two gorgeous gowns as well (Eve and Garbo), each for L$100. In fact, in talking with her today, she said that all of her gowns retail for that price. Mom even noticed that in her store, there were even more items for L$50 and L$25. But, do not let the low price fool you at all. These are gorgeous dresses!
I love this dress! Wearing it reminds me of all the great things about watching those seafaring movies, and listening to all the music from officer balls as a young girl. This dress is like the memory of your boyfriend's or father's favorite aftershave. It's like having him drape his suit jacket over you when the cool evening air chilled you, and him feeling those little goosebumps on your arm. So much evening wear right now features low-plunging necklines and revealing arms, hems, and everything else. This dress doesn't - but in being so conservative, this dress sets the trend and brings home memories of times gone by. Wearing this you could be anywhere, anytime. You feel as if you are the star of any great romance, or as if every great love song was written for you.
You could go to any other boutique in SL and easily pay a lot more for Ms. Smedley's dresses, in fact, I believe that she really could expand her brand in SL and be able to bring more to us, but I also fear that in doing so she may lose what makes her clothing special. The true definition of "Haute Couture" is high fashion made for only one person to wear. By having her boutique be so hidden away from the general SL populace, it really is like this is true haute couture, but it's also gorgeous and functional at the same time. Ms. Smedley really takes the best of SL fashion and makes it available to the masses at a very reasonable price. Folks, if you can't afford to look good wearing this, then you can't afford to be in SL period.
Another wonderful facet of Ms. Smedley's marketing is her blog. I've always tried to incorporate more than just a few pretty pictures into my blog posts, hence why I'm considered a reviewer more than a blogger. But by providing information, I like to think that my readers get more from TRF than they would from other bloggers. Ms. Smedley seems to take the same approach that I do. Her blog not only has the required pretty pictures, but she also goes a step further and educates the reader about her influences on each dress. Looking at her blog is like looking through a list of the top classic films of all time. It's informative, it's enlightening, and it's refreshing to have more than the traditional SL blog.
What I would like to see different though from the brand comes more from a marketing perspective, and I'm actually torn to include it here or not. I usually like to include my list of potential downsides of a product. This dress on its own has no down side. However, there is still a very good possibility that potential customers may try to judge the book by its cover here. I was first given a catalog of these designs from the creator herself, and I'm debating on whether or not to suggest expanding her brand by getting a photographer. I know that she has a great product that more people in SL need to see, it's a timeless product really. She needs her name out there more for more people to enjoy her artistry, and I think getting a photographer in to help will help that.
Happy Independence Day America!!! *shoots off a firework* It's great having the family here taking time from our normally busy schedules to be able to sit around and do stuff together. We've go the radio blaring, Dad's already setting up fireworks for tonight, Mom's marinating vegetables for the grill, and our neighbor is already sleeping off his hangover (thank you Mom for helping with the photos this time as our regular photographer is... long story but mom's still gloating after winning the bet). And now, two great outfits today from Vero Modero.
The first is a great little summer mesh dress which is one of the hunt items currently at VM. We love this dress (the hat was compliments of Paris Metro Couture - part of the Watercolor Beach Dress, available in red or blue). It is something you can wear to the beach or just out to a gathering with friends. For the dress to be mesh, it fits extremely well and there are no open spaces around the dress which is a great plus. Vero is another one of our fabulous designers that has got a great handle on working with mesh. While we have the standard sizing shapes, I was easily able to wear my normal shape for the dress to fit right. And for you ladies that have differently shaped avatars, the dress in the hunt comes in five different sizes.
Overall the dress is very well done and looks great with a few of my own accessories added to the outfit. With dresses like this, I love to wear hats and jewelry sometimes, but as we all know hats do not always agree with our hair. So, if you do use a hat you may need to edit your hair a bit (be sure to make a copy first - CatWa and Truth Hair both allow you to do this, and they not only look great but they don't cost a fortune either). Other than that, this is an outfit that you can slip into quickly and be off to the party or sit and watch fireworks at the pier.
Overall: 10/10
Pros: Good design, good texture
Cons: Could come with a hat or some accessories
If you are in more of a jeans and a t-shirt mood, Vero Modero has also released their special Fourth of July group gift, free to members of their group which is also free to join. There are men's and women's versions available. We would have shown you the men's, but our male models were unavailable at the time of photographing this post (and writing, and editing, and you get the picture - he's still asleep). This is a very, very nice outfit that VM has put out for everyone, free of charge. The skinny jeans are cute, and the top and jacket enhance the outfit even more. This is another outfit that VM has done a great job with as always.
I love this outfit, and even better, a lot of it is very versatile. As the flag detail in the jeans are softened, almost like a well-worn jean, you could even get away with wearing them at other times of the year too. The tank top is great - a perfect tank top really. The jacket adds to the look, but you don't even need to wear it. Overall the outfit is another great success for VM - great product.
Overall: 10/10
Pros: Great texture, versatile outfit, great design
Cons: Would love to see cuffs for the jeans. I've never been a fan of the skinny cuffs.
Now a word from Mom...
"Hello everyone and Happy Fourth of July!!! If you're anything like me, there's nothing better on the Fourth than ice cold beer, a grill, and fireworks - and the louder the better! I've been hunting through SL trying to find the best and I think I finally did. Damanios Thetan of Collection Damani has solved your SL fireworks problems. Mr. Thetan's Damani Fireworks DeLuxe are by far the best fireworks in Second Life. I got us a set of them for our sim and we've had them going solid now for a good day - no lag, and they look great (and if you are lagging, check your graphics settings - I keep my anistropic filtering and antialiasing off and particle effects minimal unless we're taking photos, course we also run very few scripts on our sim). I did have to turn up my particle effect a little bit though, and Mr. Thetan does recommend that you view these in midnight mode. These fireworks differ from the traditional SL fireworks, which makes them even better. In the past, you've had one single use prim that shot out particle effects, and after that, they were done forever. Not Damani. Damani uses a rezzer system to "fire" off a temporary prim that contains the firework in it. You get a beautiful particle effect that looks realistic with a gentle boom that actually won't hurt your ears. They look great and they sound great too. There are two versions on the Marketplace - the Original for L$695 and the Deluxe for L$895. Only thing I found to be difficult with them is getting the perfect picture. Overall: 10/10 Pros: Great fireworks, very realistic Cons: Can be hard to frame in SL unless you're in mouselook Back to the Pumpkin... I mean The Redneck Fashinista..."
Thanks Mom *blushes* Now, go get these from Vero Modero, go look great, feel great, and go own the night!
And now, Happy Independence Day to everyone, US or not. As such, please enjoy these simulated fireworks created by YouTube user Armadillo1991 in the program FWsim (free to try for 4 hours, US$32.95 after - plenty of vids on YouTube):
As she stands on her deck with the mountain breeze against her skin, she thinks of her love that is soon to be home. As she makes everything ready she slips into somethign soft and inviting for the man of her dreams. A little black number she call Sloth named from the Seven Deadly Sins. As thoughts of him run through her mind and she feels the silk and lace caress her body as she
slips to a lounger to wait for her love to return...
Well everyone, once again it's time for a Carrie's Lingerie review! Tonight's special treat is a gift from Carrie Bridger herself to The Redneck Fashionista. The Sloth Collection is based on the original Sloth outfit from The Seven Deadly Sins, available only in store. The collection however is available on the Marketplace or in store. The original is available for L$575, each individual collection piece retails for L$425, and the a fat pack (containing four colors) will set you back L$1,488. Much like her Vanity that we covered last month, Carrie's has branched from the original Sloth to make it in many lovely colors that is sure to please every woman's taste.
As always, Carrie's bats 100% with the absolutely gorgeous lingerie set. Ms. Bridger has wonderful textures mixed with a great design that is a winner every time. While the Vanity mini-collection featured only the texture pieces, which were not only lovely but a work of art, the Sloth mini-collection comes with a beautifully flowing flexi-prim skirt that really sets it apart from the rest. Part lingerie and part silks, this will definitely woo your man. Ladies we have a lot of thing in out arsenal to use to charm our men with, but this outfit is the icing on the cake. Any man that can resist this outfit, ladies, is not human.
Folks, I've been in SL a long time. I've seen a lot of lingerie over the years. But in this Fashionista opinion there is only one place to shop for lingerie and that is Carrie's Lingerie. Also, don't forget to check out the monthly special at Carrie's, which is up only for the month, after that they're gone, so don't miss out. Anything you purchase from this store is guaranteed by this Fashionista to be nothing short of superb.
The team over at Unique Megastore have come out with a new release, and asked the team here at The Redneck Fashionista to review their newest skin release, Artemis. We were allowed to select one fullpack to review for you. Artemis, in history, is one of the oldest Greek goddesses whose Roman contemporary is Diana. Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, forest, hills, and the moon. With this skin, not only do you feel like a goddess, but you look like one too... and not just this statue.
Artemis is available at any Unique Megastore. The full pack retails for L$3,499 with a single skin running L$1,499 and the shape for L$799. Unique is also having a sale with select makeup options at 80% off, Artemis included. The full pack contains four versions of twelve separate skins and a beautiful set of eyes made by Nany Merlin. Our pack also included the shape, made by Iarita Beck. Each skin itself comes with and without a hairbase and cleavage. There are also two skins that have an open mouth.
Normally I have a few favorite skin stores that are not mainstream. I've been to Unique in the past, along with several other of the big name, and while I liked their skins, I had usually stuck with my odd skin stores.
I have to say though, I like this skin. It's not as dark as I'm used to, and it doesn't have the sheen that I'm used to either. However, this is a very detailed skin, with the minor flaws that are normally photoshopped out still on the skin. This is a very realistic skin. Even better, the coloring of the dark pack works perfectly with any red hair, and will look just as good with a brown or black hair pack as well. The freckles on the skin are absolutely amazing too, and Unique's decision to keep them on was a big attraction for me. Though it may have been our connection to the SL servers while we were photographing the skins, not all of the skins appear to have as much freckling in the face. The eyes are very realistic as well, and are a true photograph of an eye. Though I prefer the Anara eyes I reviewed on Friday, mainly for the ability to customize them on the fly, these would be a close second and I would not hesitate to wear them if I needed to use a system eye, especially as they fit the coloring and complexion I am aiming for with my avatar.
The only thing I see with this skin that can be a detractor for some are the eyebrows. While I actually like the eyebrows, they remind me of the height of Cindy Crawford's modeling career, Mom had a little problem with them. She tried to pluck her computer screen! Mom tends to go for thinner eyebrows on her skin. If you are like her, and not a fan of the normal sized eyebrows in SL, then you will need to probably make a custom eyebrow shaper/hairbase for them. It is possible to make them look smaller this way, but it does stretch the forehead a bit and change the shape of your face. Also, we did not have a chance to test the skin with different eyebrow shapers or cosmetics. If you're a fan of different cosmetic looks, this skin comes only with the base skin option, cosmetics need to be purchased separately.
Actually, and this is a suggestion for Unique - would it be possible in the future to include separate cosmetic options? Either purchasable independently from the skins or have some in each skin pack? I have seen other skin creators do this using the tattoo layers, and it always makes it easier for me to mix and match with outfits, as well as making me want to go back and buy more from that creator. Knowing that I can have a makeup that will perfectly match my skin makes me feel better about purchasing a skin for this price.
Overall, you do need to check the demo of this skin as it is a great skin. All of Unique's skins are great, and our photographer even is trying to decide on one of the men's skins as well. Great job to the crew at Unique Megastore - wonderful work as always.
Overall: 10/10
Pros: Freckles, great detail, especially beautiful coloring for redheads (number 6 was our favorite for a perfect red lipstick).
We at The Redneck Fashionista are no exception to wanting to save the girls (especially Dad and Belgold... course Mom's a nurse so that helps too), and it looks like we've found a definite partner in crime with Carrie Bridger and the ladies of Carrie's Lingerie. Ms. Bridger and company have teamed up to offer five women's lingerie sets and three men's boxer/t-shirt sets with all proceeds going to save the boobies... I mean Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and breast cancer research for the American Cancer Foundation. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a few pairs to feel around... I mean model.
All of the sets are available in her mainstore, with the proceeds of the sales going towards research, each will cost you between L$150 and L$400. Ms. Bridger sent out three women's sets and one men's set for us to try out. As usual, her texture-work is superb and highly refined. I've always loved her work, and these items are no exception. She always takes the time to craft a beautiful and sexy item, complete with all the lace detail. Everything has always matched up, has great lighting and shadows to it. As always, Ms. Bridger has taken the plain Second Life texture and turned it into something magical. 
No matter what, they just make you feel soft, delicate, and sexy. Even the men's boxer set. I didn't want to wear it to be honest, I'm more of a leather and lace girl. Mom took the mouse from my hand, put my avatar in the set and we we both shocked at how sporty, smart, and sexy I looked in it. Amazing. I've never thought men's underwear as something that could be girly and sexy, but this is it. Thank you Ms. Bridger for not only caring about the knockers, but for making them look great in the process. A true 10/10 perfection as always!
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