zaara

Birthday Wish

Posted on June 1, 2016 Updated on June 1, 2016

It’s my First Life birthday! Today I turn 25 … again (and again). Such a joy and a pleasure for time to kindly allow me to stay at this tender age for another year more. ♡

Speaking of time, I reached back into my youthful memories and thought about a game I used to play when I was younger: if I could have anything at all for my birthday, what would it be? My desires back then were generally superficial and simple: I wanted to be shorter, to have blonde hair, to look just like Becky Leigh (the petite, honey-haired heartbreaker who was the recipient of every boy’s “Do you like me? Circle YES or NO” missives). These days, I’m glad to say my desires are more esoteric and thoughtful, though no more achievable. Simply put: if I could have anything at all for my birthday, I would have more time.

Please click for full size.

“All the words are calling
Got time on my own
There’s no destination
Wondering whether I’ll feel it again …
Take some time, just hang around awhile
Like to sit this silent moment out
I don’t want to lose or let you down
Time’s just gonna change itself around …”

My picture was taken at the beautiful Follow Your Bliss region, a perfectly named and wonderfully picturesque place with many lovely scenes and sights to explore. I was particularly fond of the Gone to the Beach sign, as that pure expression of “I’m taking a day off just for me” is something that I haven’t done in a long, long while. Time has been an elusive and evasive entity of late, slip-sliding through my hands like sand through a sieve. And just as in the song’s lyrics, I don’t want to lose anything or let anyone down, but standing on the dawn of a new year in my life, I know that changes have to be made. After all, you know you have an issue with time management when you’re frustrated with yourself that you’re once more getting 7 – 8 hours of sleep a night, rather than the 4 hour naps you were subsisting on. I like to say that I can sleep when I’m dead, but I’d rather get to that point with a leisurely stroll, and not by face-desking after a 70 hour SL-and-Flickr bender. Although I’m sure there are worse ways to go. ;)

So my hope is that I can be gentle with myself and take a breather and a reminder that things can wait for a day; putting yourself first is self-care, not unkindly selfish. But if any of you does happen to have some pull with Father Time, would you sweet-talk him into sparing a few hours for me? ♡

Look

Body // Lara Mesh Body v3.5 by Maitreya
Head & Skin // Melissa by Genesis Lab
* Hair // Sharon (Dark Blondes HUD) by Murray
* Eyes // Ardent Eyes (Olive v2) by Avi-Glam

Style

Top // Ruhi Layered Blouse (Rust) by Zaara
* Skirt // Mini Skirt with Front Pleat (Maitreya Fatpack) by TETRA for Uber, through June 23rd
Shoes // Faith Sandals (in Cherry for Maitreya Flat) by Fri.

Poses, Destination & Inspiration

* Poses // Pose Collection HUD 1.2 – Model 6 & Model 16 by Lyrium
Location // Follow Your Bliss
Song Spark // Zero 7 – In Time

This entry was posted in 2nd Second Life, Second Life Fashion and tagged avi-glam, follow your bliss, fri., genesis lab, lyrium, maitreya, murray, second life, SL, TETRA, uber, zaara.

Boat in the Sand

Posted on May 2, 2016 Updated on May 3, 2016

I’ve always been somewhat shy about wearing very petite skirts in Second Life, so when I tried on the demo for Blueberry’s sensational Britain denim skirts and saw that they come with optional (and color-change!) mesh panties, I was immediately charmed and instantly sold. The exceptional designers behind Blueberry really do think of everything!

My top is the beautifully textured Ruhi Layered Blouse by Zaara, available at the current round of Colabor88. There were so many wonderful items to discover at C88, but as I only just returned, I had to sneak in for the final push. If only there were more hours in the day, and more days in the week!

Please click for full size.

Look

Body // Lara Mesh Body v3.5 by Maitreya
Head & Skin // Melissa by Genesis Lab
Hair // Crave You (Variety Pack) by Lamb
Eyes // Peaceful Eyes (Harmony) by Inkheart
Tattoo // Porsenna (Faded) by .Things.

Style

Jewelry // Karina Karina Daydreamer Earrings by Maxi Gossamer for Collabor88, through May 6th
Piercing // Antares Clip-On Septum (True Gold) by PUNCH
Top // Ruhi Layered Blouse (Rose) by Zaara for Collabor88, through May 6th
Skirt // Britain Denim Skirt by Blueberry
Shoes // Caty Wedges (Maitreya High) by KC Couture

Pose & Destination

Pose // Adrianne 005 by Signature Pose
Location // 4Play

You never quite know what you’ll find when you’re delightedly tripping about the grid’s regions in more-or-less alphabetical order, but when I spied the name 4Play, I had a feeling I might encounter some sauciness! While the sim certainly advertises adult services, it was very quiet when I visited, so I spent a lovely hour or more just enjoying the beachscaping and scenery. Isn’t it pretty? ♡

Please click for full size.

This entry was posted in 2nd Second Life, Second Life Destinations, Second Life Fashion and tagged blueberry, collabor88, genesis lab, inkheart, KC couture, lamb, maitreya, maxi gossamer, punch, second life, signature pose, SL, things, zaara.

Besom’body Unique at Hair Fair 2015!

Posted on July 10, 2015 Updated on July 11, 2015

Hair Fair 2015 kicks off in less than 24 hours, and have I got a tantalizing treat for you: a preview of five new, event-exclusive hairstyles from Besom!

Please do click the image above for full size so you can see these delicious hairs in all their glory! From left to right, I’m wearing Besom’s 001, 002, 003, 004, and 005 styles, all in shades from my absolute favorite Fade Dye HUD. I also want to mention that my poses are a fabulous Fifty Linden Fridays deal from Kirin, available today only at their mainstore at L$50 for the entire pack of 6 poses. Look for the SLURL below!

One thing I really love about Kattington’s hair designs is that they’re all quite unique, both from each-other and from other hair brands found on the grid. That versatility allows me to create a wonderfully diverse looks on a whim: like the modern Veronica Lake vibe of the sultry, sophisticated hair I wore in my Soul Surfer post, or the lush, beachy waves of my Fair Mermaiden hairstyle.

Hair Fair 2015 officially begins at/around 12:00am SLT on Saturday, July 11th, and it will be spread across four sims to allow for large crowds and a huge list of hair designers. At my count, there are 80 different brands in the line-up, and most – if not all – will be offering some form of free gift for visitors to enjoy. Awesome-sauce! And don’t forget that every purchase made at the Hair Fair will donate a portion of proceeds to Wigs For Kids, so the event provides a wonderful opportunity to donate to a very worthwhile cause as well. Lots of details are available on the official Hair Fair 2015 website, and it will surely be updated with the SLURLs as soon as the event is open to the public!

Hair Fair Tips

My lovely friend Anika and I were chatting back and forth in the comments on her blog, and she made the excellent suggestion that Hair Fair visitors may wish to make use of a full body alpha layer that will hide their avatar completely, which may in turn help to cut down on lag when visiting the fair. Whilst this event may seem like prime people-watching time, the lag will likely be fierce and mesh loading may be slow and spotty. Additionally, it will be greatly appreciated for visitors to not stay at the sims unless they’re actively browsing or purchasing, as the event will be cram-jammed for days, and there will be people trying to teleport in constantly. Be kind to your fellow hair fanatics! :)

To make use of the full body alpha, open up the Library folder in your inventory, and go to Body Parts > Alpha Masks > Invisible Avatar (or simply search for “Invisible Avatar” in the filter box of your inventory panel). You’ll need to remove all attachments, including hairstyles, accessories, shoes and mesh body parts, and then wear the Invisible Avatar alpha layer. This should cause your entire body disappear from view, rendering your avatar virtually script-free and very low lag.

Another excellent option to help you cut down on the stress of gaining entry to the event is to join the Hair Fair Demo group, where you can preview a huge selection of hair demos from participating brands within the comfort of your virtual home. To join, copy the following line and paste it into the Local Chat box of your viewer, then press Enter:

secondlife:///app/group/2e30d166-f3e5-e2de-ff72-b3da2d06ded2/about

Once you’ve joined the group, check the Notices tab to find all of the demo boxes that have been sent out so far. (Be prepared: there are a ton!) This way, you’ll be able to try on hairstyles to your heart’s content from your home or sandbox, and then only visit the Hair Fair sims to make pre-planned purchases. That will also free you up to visit one of the many other ongoing and upcoming fairs and festivals, with this weekend being a particularly busy one for highly-anticipated event launches. I made tweaks to my spreadsheet that will highlight events that are ending or beginning on the current day’s date, so you’ll know at a glance what’s new or ending soon. Be sure to check it out!

SL Fashion & Shopping Events Calendar

One final tip to make your event escapades more enjoyable is the Get Me In HUD, which is a gadget that you can use to help you gain entrance to particularly popular and crowded events. Once you load the HUD with your landmark of choice, it will attempt to teleport you there every 2.8 seconds until you successfully snag a spot. A HUD like this can be incredibly helpful, if not nearly necessary, when attending hotly-anticipated events on the day that they open. Definitely give it a look, and hope to see you there! ♥