After months of being closed, ETD has finally reopened! Two new hairstyles, and I think these are new textures! yay!
ETD – Chel (Platinum)
ETD – Torwen (Platinum)
What I'm Wearing:
MALT – After 5ive – Dahlia (Apple)
MALT – Alison Tunic (Blue Skies)
LeLutka – LondonRevolutionLight-makeup1
Collaborations — everyone’s doing them. And honestly, it makes sense. In Second Life, brand collabs are a smart way to cross-promote and combine strengths to create something really solid.
I’ve always thought Maximillion Grant of LOGO fame was an incredible animator. Long before LeLutka mesh heads came onto the scene, there was LOGO, and I still think the Chloe head was one of the cutest to ever hit the grid. It had such expressive animations, and for that reason alone, it’s always had a special place in my heart.
So when I saw the Truth x LOGO collab, I was genuinely excited. It’s something different. Animesh hair isn’t something you see every day in SL, and it’s refreshing to see some innovation happening. Of course it makes sense for Truth to be part of that. It’s an OG brand teaming up with another OG. Both have been around for years and really know what they’re doing.
I feel like such a ‘70s doll in this Mood hair paired with the Striped Jumpsuit from Shifuku. I’ve always had a soft spot for updos, especially when they come with a few wispy bangs to soften the look. If you’re looking for something comfortable but cute to lounge in this holiday weekend, you can grab the jumpsuit at Anthology.
There have been a lot of discussions on the do's and dont's for SL fashion bloggers lately. I've been blogging without a rule book for 2 years now and so far I think I'm doing OK. So here's MY own list of things you should keep in mind, not necessarily have to do, but it will be helpful:
Helpful hints for fashion bloggers:
1. Blog what you love
It's ok to blog just items that you love and gush about them. Even if your taste is not the same as everybody else, if YOU love it, it shows and somebody out there might have been looking for that exact item.
2. Be honest but not mean
Point out flaws but don't go out of your way to criticize. Whenever I see seams or other flaws, I will point them out. Now, if a designer was newer and their seams don't quite line up but the design is cute and was worth the $, I would let it slide! Does that make me a terrible blogger? I always consider the item overall, but there are some things that are unforgivable (like seams on a skin!).
3. Learn to take good pictures
A picture says a thousand words… bad lighting and a bad pose will
discourage others from buying the items you want to showcase. And you
do want people to buy it right? That's why you're blogging it in the
first place? So read tutorials, ask others for tips, and figure out how
to take nice photos! You don't have to be a Photoshop genius (I'm not),
I just take pictures in-world and crop them using Picnik (the online photo editing service).
4. Don't start a blog for the "free stuff"
Whatever you do, don't start a blog because you think it will get you
"free stuff", that won't happen. Designers have a sea of bloggers to
choose from, they will most likely send review copies to bloggers they
know will do a good job featuring their products, not just someone who
wants the "free stuff" and disappears in a month or two.
5. Consider a blogging budget
Even though bloggers are known to receive "review copies", we still have to purchase a lot of items. Many designers do not send out review copies at all, and if you love something and want to feature it, you have to buy it. Consider making a blogging budget (anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000 weekly) and stick to it! Don't feel pressured to buy all the latest, and also make use of good freebies if you want to blog daily but not go into debt! 😛
6. Be ready for criticism
People who don't blog themselves will tell you that you're not blogging right or how to blog. In most cases, I would say ignore them, but I think that anybody who publishes anything on the internet should be ready to accept both positive and negative feedback. Some of it might be valid, even if it's negative. I find that most of the comments on my website are positive but there are negative comments and I consider them without letting it ruin my day.
7. Blog for yourself
I can't think of anything else right now but I will end with this really important tip. When you blog for yourself, you'll be a lot happier than keeping up with all the latest trends or letting others dictate how you should blog.
That's all for now! These tips are just basic ones for newer bloggers but they're not set in stone or anything.
Alright guys, I have the final word from Minnu that these LeLutka Lola skins will be released on Wednesday of next week. That’s 4 days away — so it’s not too early to show you guys what to expect with these new Lola skins.
I’ve been a Minnu skins fan forever so I’m super excited when there’s a new face! Lola is a more youthful face with smaller but pouter lips, I think it will look nice on a variety of shapes. I wore Ife a lot and to me, that is a hard skin to top because it’s so beautiful, but have definitely fallen for Lola, and I’ll probably be wearing it a lot more than Ife. I love changing skins especially when it’s even better than before.
Here’s what you need to know about Lola:
LeLutka – Lola (Sunkissed) with Light Brows
If you’re not using an SL client that has tattoo layer enabled, you will *not* be able to wear these lipsticks. As you can see from the picture above, the Lola skins have gorgeous eye makeup but they’re all on nude/pinkish lip color, because all the lipsticks are on tattoo layer. This is an amazing new feature that I love because now, you can pair any lipstick with any eye shadow. For example, I’m a huge fan of the Deep Red lipstick, and now I can wear it on every single makeup.
All 11 lipsticks could have been sold separately but Minnu is so generous by including it in each skin.
LeLutka – Lola (Sunkissed) Base makeup & all lipsticks
LeLutka – Lola (Light) with Light Brows
I’m a Blondie so I have to show you guys Lola in Light skin tone, with Blonde hair. Light has an *extra* makeup included — so there are 9 makeups in the Light pack. I like that each tone has a different of eye-shadows cos not every color works on all tones but this is also one of the feature that frustrates me, cos I want eye-shadows that are not available in my tone. Luckily, my two favorite tones (Light & Sunkissed) have very nice makeups.
I think this pretty much covers everything you need to know about Lola. I wanted to show a the boobs & body pic but this hair I’m wearing today kinda covers it so I’ll have to show you guys some other time! Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing lots of Lola boobs in future blog entries 😛
Visit LeLutka
What I’m Wearing:
LeLutka – Lola skins
69 – MOA 02 (Light Mocha)
Katat0nik – Ice Cream Bikini (Pink/Teal)
Reek – Slides (White/Pink)
Do you love goodies? Head over to Elm for the Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt. Grab a basket and search around for eggs, then redeem them for prizes. The entire set is super cute for our springtime garden and comes complete with decor & food. You have until April 30th to complete the hunt.
Read More “Springtime Soiree”
In honor of Fantasy Faire, I typed in “wand” into my inventory and found this fabulous Unicorn Magic Wand from Insomnia Angel. I have no memory of ever getting this, so that means one of my friends probably gifted it to me because it was a gacha item.
And what does one wear with a wand? A crown, obviously. I pulled out Fairie Queen by Sparkle Skye, which has always been a favorite of mine. I should wear crowns like this all the time, because why not. I’m also wearing the Caroline Gown from Just Because, one of my recent favorite gown makers. The pricing is fair, it’s sold by body type, and this gown has a shiny PBR finish that really works here. You could style it futuristic or regal, the choice is yours. Back in the day, girls used to run all over the grid in full flexi ball gowns like it was casual attire. Shopping, dancing, standing around somewhere. We need to bring that back.
Now let’s talk about Fantasy Faire. I go every year, usually for Jail & Bail with Patch Linden or the Silent and Live Auction during the last few days of the event where I like to bid on Linden-sponsored items. Because of that, Fantasy Faire to me has always felt like a Linden-endorsed event.
That is why all this AI drama looks so bad. Last year, I watched a resident get bullied by Fantasy Faire designers and maybe others too for using AI to enhance photos. I’m not even sure they were an official blogger. They may have just been a regular resident who got piled on so badly they removed a lot of photos from Flickr. Fantasy Faire organizers said nothing discouraging the bullying. That was a bad look, especially for a charity event benefiting the American Cancer Society.
Previously, Fantasy Faire allowed AI use for designers in certain ways, while banning bloggers from using it. Designers could reportedly use it for marketing or decorations as long as it was not being sold. This year they changed the rules again and moved toward banning AI entirely, even for things not for sale.
Then came the DRD situation. According to DRD, they were privately given the green light by organizer Elizabeth Tinsley to use AI posters around their region build. Then later another staff member came through putting up red boxes to mark items for review or removal before opening. Things escalated, and DRD says they felt publicly shamed and harassed.
If that is true, then the problem is not AI. The problem is how this was handled. You cannot privately approve something, then publicly crack down on it later and expect no reaction. Any designer would be upset.
In my opinion, the aggressive anti-AI stance has no place in a charity event, and the selective enforcement looks even worse. AI is a tool. Whether people personally like it or hate it, using it is not against Linden Lab’s Terms of Service. Treating residents like they did something terrible over it is unnecessary.
Fantasy Faire should be about creativity, fundraising, shopping, and fun. Instead it keeps becoming drama over technology. They should release a public statement, explain what happened, and maybe apologize where needed. They also need one clear rule for everybody. Not one rule privately, another publicly, and something else depending on who you are.
They picked the wrong battle, and now it shows.
We had something special planned for Fantasy Faire this year: our return after 10 years, with a brand-new region and a follow-up story to San Mora.
What should have been an exciting return took a very different turn in the final days. What started as a discussion around AI use escalated **far beyond that**. We were transparent from the beginning and had shown what we were doing early on, with approval to move forward, but 2 days before opening the situation shifted, and how it was handled crossed a line for us.
It escalated into repeated public shaming using hundreds of red glowing prim markers pointing out anything and everything, it reached a point of bullying.
Eventually the entire build was covered in nearly a thousand Fantasy Faire posters. **There’s nothing left of what we created.**
We literally filled the region with Orwell quotes about censorship and authoritarian control and now we’re being silenced and erased in real time. The irony is not lost on us.
This was no longer about being anti-AI or pro-AI. Everyone is entitled to their own stance on that, and we respect differing opinions. What this became about was how poorly the situation was handled.
Things have really changed in 10 years.** It no longer felt like a Faire for charity… it became a protest against AI.**
__We weren’t even allowed to set up RFL vendors to sell our build__ , meaning we were not allowed to raise money for RFL.(?)
It no longer felt like something we wanted to be part of.
We donated the sim to FF to do with it what they wish and to remove the name Reservoir Zero, because that is NOT Reservoir Zero.
**We made the decision to step away completely**. We’re not going to compromise our work or vision just to fit in.
**So here’s what we’re doing instead:**
We’re moving the full, uncensored version of Reservoir Zero to our own sim.
This summer, it will become the **full apocalyptic experience** we originally planned… a proper continuation of the story.
For now, we’ve already started setting things up there together with a few amazing merchants, and we’ll be hosting our own Relay For Life charity event and party very soon.
We’re sorry for the sudden change and any disappointment. **This wasn’t how we wanted our return after all these years to go.**
But we’re looking forward to showing you the version of Reservoir Zero that actually reflects what we built.
Thank you to everyone who reached out and had our back, it meant a lot.
## See you soon in the real Reservoir Zero
— Jaimy & Eowyn
Other blogs covering this story:
Read More “The Fantasy Faire AI Drama Was So Predictable”