puffins do it !

As far as I know, puffins do not wear hats, although they do make their feathers puffy for that little layer of insulated air to fend off the cold -  which is the same little bit of magic in wearing a puffy down-filled jacket.. last I checked, it's still winter, in fact its downright siberian around here- so this cozy jacket from Legal Insanity wins the day!  They currently have these wonderful group gift puffer jackets for him or her - which includes the hoodie under layer, in different colours and prints for each, version; seen here, I have the guys version as the colours worked better with my chosen accessories.

I'm happy its a free group as my group limit is always on the edge of its maximum. And, by the way,  I hear you guys grumbling all the time about not having equal opportunity shopping as the girls, but there are some very nice items and gifts for men, just not nearly as copious -I'm not sure if that is due to a supply and demand thing or simply a SL-ism.  However, Legal Insanity happens to have many items for men as wells as a wall full of past group gifts for sale at 1L - so there's a lot you can fill  your sock drawers with there, and once you're done with that you can head over to Gabriel's where there is also also an abundance of group gifts for men and women. (free group) I love the bright red suede unisex sneaker-boots I picked up there - they are non-rigged and easily adjustable to fit any size.

Notice the silly cow hat and reindeer hoof mittens?  They came from a past gacha by 8F8 - and can still be found at his shop 'Black Kite' which is in itself a fun place to visit for its uniquely whimsical ambiance, but beware, the gachas here are great quality and very appealing !

The slightly distressed jeans are from Allure - where you can find a trunkful of gifts - as they have chosen to make group gifts available for each of their items as opposed to demos - so you can try anything and everything without having to squint your eyes to imagine the non-demo version. Well worth the shopping trip - even on a lean budget.
 The hair strands are a gift from Lelutka - (previously blogged) and probably fit well with any hat or hoodie you could pair them with. I believe this gift is still available, luckily,  as its such a handy little piece, which comes in every possible colour.  The Scarf is a group gift from Ronsem (free group)- and it is also modifiable so can be resized or tinted easily to fit and suit your many looks.
   Another group gift I picked up recently is this fresh and detailed skin by Lara Hurley called Gervaise (free group) with some added light pink lipgloss from Esode- (part of a group gift with the Ashley skin.)  I also added several eyelash sets and some tintable eyeshadow - fun being able to customize your eye-shadow perfectly - group gift by Dead Apples to frame in some pretty new eyes I picked up at Poetic Colors which is a current subscriber gift.  They come in different sizes and brightness options as well as in mesh or standard texture style - so a vast set of options with these eyes - no detail left undone I believe !

Again I have used a pose by Attitude poses(no shop available currently ((  - and I went to Apple Fall's playground for the winter scenery.

Thanks all !  Do like the puffins and stay cozy warm !

today

there was some news today - oh my

it seemed to press its weight across the world

we hope for better - collective thoughts

and when the lights flicker off

a single hope sticks 

heaviest of all 

one of  

peace

skin - [PUMEC]  - .:IRINA GIFT:. - group gift - free group 

tattoo lashes - [PUMEC]  - included with the .:ANNA:. skin pack -  group gift

mesh lashes - Maxi Gossamer - Eyelashes - Party - Inverted Crown - black - nf

lipstick - *League* - (from a skin pack although individual lipstick is available - nf)

eyes - Az... Sky Black - 30L in the marketplace

hair base - part of the .ploom.  - Mystic V2 - Browns  - from gacha now in-store

hair - [BURLEY] - Bella - blacks - nf

jacket - Fierce Designs - Mesh Spring jacket - mocha (past gift)

leggings - Gabriel - MESH Leggings  pants - group gift - free group

boots - Gabriel - Shearling Short Boot (mesh unrigged) - group gift - free group

gloves -CandyDoll- Bow Gloves - mesh - limited time group gift - free group

head accessory - He La - gift headwear - group gift - free group

neck accessory - .Enfant Terrible - Vintage Girl scarf  red - 3 texture options - free gift

pose -Attitude - new store - photosharing for these poses on their flickr

recent reflections -

So as I finally start to get on top of my inventory messes - I managed to connect with one of my SL neighbours, who happens to be a truly wonderful photographer - she goes by the name of Xmara Lundquist - and here is her awesome flickr - happy coincidence plus, bonus!  she very kindly and patiently took some time to explain a few basics in SL photography, so I hope to get a bit better at this aspect here while I continue with blogging.
So looking into the new year, with my closet now ready for some new finds - I wanted to showcase the fabulous group gift skins from a shop called Pumec -  I'm not sure how new they are, but for me they are new - I was not only blown away by the quality and uniqueness of these skins, the generosity of there being 4 different gift skins - checking out the folders, it got better and better -  they come with modifiable shapes, eyelash tattoo layers, different brow options and also a very special 'mega' hud covering appliers for a huge range of avatar enhancements - totally convenient !  (hopefully they will add an applier for the new Maitreya mesh body - *wink-wink*) - regularly priced skins here are very affordable considering the depth of offerings for each of their products - super nice values at Pumec, tysm!  ;-)

I paired these skins with some of the Advent freebies from Olive Hair - last I checked these were still available - again - I love the generosity of this shop putting out so many awesome gifts - there were also some gifts exclusively for their group - as well as non 'advent' group gifts - well worth checking out...(the groups entrance fee is 200L) - these freebies come with a fun 'glitter' texture hud in several hair colours as well as 'streak' colour options.  I found a very nice little party dress; a gift from Zibska - no group needed - which comes with the fun shoulder pom option and a 6 colour-change hud as well - (mesh dress in 5 standard sizes)  

I picked black as it seemed to suit the dramatic look of the hair and skin combination - and matched up well with some group gift bracelets from  Maxi Gossamer (eyelashes also from here - party-inverted crown) - and  more bangles from DRD  gg too- they added a little bit of definition against the black dress sleeves - the necklace is no longer available from a set sold by Enfant Terrible -   Finally,  I put on these super cute black mules from N-Core  a former gift that will apply to their new mesh foot system (not free) - I love these feet - great quality- highly detailed and realistic look, plus they have skin texture appliers for many top skin brands (all for free, yay)!  If you already had a set of N-Core mesh feet - these upgraded feet are complimentary.  The feet come in flat, medium or extreme heel and last I checked there were a group gift pair of shoes for each of these versions. (group fee is 50L) 

Lately, I feel quite spoiled by all of the super high quality, intricate and option rich gifts to be found all around the second life grid - I can't wait to find the next most awesome deals - or amazing new shop or product - I can't wait to see what 2015 creators will have to offer us this year ! 

wishing you joy and peace

Hello world - one last quickie in 2014 to wish you a very happy new year - a had a little fun in photoshop for this one -I need photography class if you know of any, please pass the info my way! ;-)

very quick credits - the dress is a gift from snowpaws.. and I do hope they will have this available for sale in more colours.. its super cute and fun ribbon dress - the jewelry is from Maxi Gossamer who spoils her group with frequent gifts ! The skin was a gift from Wow skins for the POE hunt called Paola - and the hair is a Christmas gift from Olive hair.. comes with a fun glitter hair textures hud..

happy hunting - and all the best for 2015 !

hair today... time to take stock..

well - theres are loads of new hair gifts ready for the taking - I've got a sampling to share - I couldn't put them all in as I'd run out space or I'd pull out my real hair trying -  you might want to be quick in collecting some of these 'Christmas' gifts, whose existence could be short-lived as all good things do come to an end.

Firstly, check out this nice hair by Rumina - there is also an anniversary gift hair available with the group tag (free group) (Christmas gift hair is hiding in a giant teddy bear.)  There are several dos priced at 50L here - so on top of the three nice gifts there's some bargains to be had!

Lelutka certainly is spoiling us this year - there were plenty of gifts laid out for group members (free group as well) - including a beautiful Christmas tree and an amusing hat along with some wisps of hair in every possible colour - what I love about these wisps is that you could use them for those other hats or hoods you have difficulty putting a hair into - well here is a great solution for free !  All the gifts here came in fat packs so you can try out each colour in a number of different styles.  Thank you Lelutka !  ;-)

Analog Dog - has set about 6 different hairstyles at 0L for the holidays - the sim was pretty full for a few days there - but luckily the gifts were easy to spot from their bright green vendors.  These hairs also came in an extensive array of colours along with matching hair bases - Nice set of up-dos  - make sure to locate the free-ball over on the beach at the far end as there are some more goodies to be found there as well.

Exxess (now available from the marketplace) Clothing and Hair also has a very nice gift out - the head phones cannot be altered but there are two very extensive texture-change huds included for changing up the hair colour to any mood. (no group needed here)

Truth hair put out a gift hair via the subscriber group - there is a cute winter hat attached while the hair can be changed to any of their extensive range of colours - I like the way it looks slightly windswept adding a little motion to your poses.   (last I heard the subscriber system was not working for newly subscribed people to receive this gift, but hopefully that will be fixed very soon.)

Soonsiki Hair (formerly Milk) has a Christmas gift hairstyle as well - aptly named Santa Baby - this style is fun with its exaggerated large locks for an unexpected and dramatic look - joining the free group is necessary for acquiring this gift,  as well as an all-season group gift.

Here are some more shops with gift hairs I've come across recently, some require paying a fee to join the group, although most of them are for free - happy gift gathering ! - Exile - Alice Project - Little Bones - Mina - Red[Mint] - Dura - Emo-tions - Lamb - Argrace - Eaters Coma - LoQ'ue - Damselfly - Olive Hair  -  Moon Hair  -  !Soul  - Cheveux   -  Tableau Vivant   -  booN Hair  -  D!va  ~  who have I missed ?