Meet Elena, the newest face at Laqroki! This face is stunning with dark brows and full, luscious lips. I’ve been dying to try on Elena ever since I saw the teaser poster at the shop. It love the face so much, and I hope it comes in lighter brows in the future, and/or see these lips on other faces with lighter brows.
Laqroki – Elena (Fair)
I tried the lighter Fair tone with Blonde hair, and I think it works pretty well. Usually I try to match my brows and hair color, but I really wanted to see if I could get away with wearing Elena and Blonde hair (cos that’s the color I have for most of my hairstyles). Even though I think this works here, I think the face is more stunning when worn with dark hair.
Elena is available in 10 stunning makeups and hair base.
I stumbled upon the Wretched Hollow sim about a week ago (on KoinUp), when I was searching for a nice in-world location to photograph in. There's a gorgeous shop selling doll clothing & accessories called Wretched Dollies, which I haven't heard of before. I was so delighted to see so many different dresses available and they come in a range of colors & designs.
[ Wretched Dollies – Pistachio Floral Dress ]
[ Wretched Dollies – Rosemary Dress ]
[ Wretched Dollies – Pretty in Plaid Dress ]
And the skin I'm wearing is also from Wretched Dollies, it's very cute!
Tp to Wretched Dollies, be sure to explore the beautiful sim too! 🙂
“What failure? Where?” you ask, because the title of this post is certainly intriguing, isn’t it? There’s no failure in this picture. But ah, that’s where I’ve got you. It’s on my face. Look closer.
You probably recognize it–a style of skins I’ve attempted before. I released three in the past, plus one mesh head that didn’t sell too well. Would you like to know something else? There were seven more skin attempts I went through that never saw the light of day. I never showed anyone anything because I was afraid of people laughing at me.
I worked on this one after creating an amalgamation of my failure skins together, blending each face until a new one appeared from the combined Photoshop layers. I kept working on them, and then put them on several different mesh heads to see what spots on the face needed improvement and what didn’t. When I was done, I showed my friends. And many of them liked it! I was shocked because–all that failure. All that failure. What made the “no” finally turn into a “yes”?
Passing that threshold for a lot of people also means crossing a line of fear. You are not used to “yes”. You’re used to “no”, “stop”, “wait just a little longer”, which after a while you accept future notions of rejection and stop putting in so much effort. You accept yourself as less-than, you stop reaching so high. When a “yes” finally appears, it becomes you that is hesitant. What if you proceed only to find another “no” somewhere down the line? What if someone doesn’t like the idea of you doing well and tries to make that happen for you?
If you think I might be using the progress of creating a skin as a larger metaphor, you’re right. I might even be talking about another area of my life right now, a parallel story in rl that I may never tell you.
Life is full of secret skin failures. Each one held a lesson for me in what mistakes I made in the past. And I think it’s funny that by combining them, I created a skin that works. Maybe not everyone would like it, but certainly a lot more than in the past. And that’s a good enough starting point for me. I can build from there.
You can, too, with whatever you’re doing. Sort through those failures. Collate them and think about what lesson each one held. There’s a “yes” if you combine them. It’s all in the arrangement.
Recently, I came across a tweet about a photo taken at a Second Life event. The photographer had used AI to enhance the image, and the creator of the build featured in the photo was upset. That moment sparked a deeper question for me about how AI is affecting our community, both in Second Life and in the real world.
As a journalist and the owner of one of Second Life’s longest-running feeds, I believe this is an issue worth exploring. AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s here, shaping our virtual and creative spaces right now. So, I did what any curious person might: I asked a question.
I tweeted to Philip Rosedale, tagging him in a repost of the original tweet by the designer, and asked for his thoughts on designers banning paying customers from their stores simply for using AI to edit photos featuring their products.
Let’s be clear. This was a paying customer, not a sponsored blogger who received the item for free in exchange for promotional content.
I also asked the designer a few respectful follow-up questions to better understand the situation:
Was the anti-AI policy made clear before the purchase?
Was the person in question a store blogger or an event blogger?
Rather than engage in dialogue, the response was swift and hostile. The store owner became aggressive, and what followed was an organized harassment campaign: blocking, banning, public call-outs, and social media attacks from the designer and her circle. All of this over a question and a public repost.
Now, let’s talk about rights.
As a store owner, you absolutely have the right to decide who shops at your store. But does that extend to controlling how your customers use the items they’ve purchased, especially when they’re not violating any of Linden Lab’s platform rules?
Think about it: if you buy a designer dress in real life and enhance a photo of yourself in it using AI tools, can that designer dictate what tools you use? Should they?
That’s the heart of the issue.
We’re at a turning point. AI is a powerful tool, and it’s not going away. We need to find ways to integrate it thoughtfully and responsibly. Yes, AI raises valid concerns. Artists have every right to protect their work. But the real conflict is with the AI platforms and usage terms, not individual customers using generative tools for fun or creative expression.
What happened to open discussion?
Instead of resorting to harassment and public bans, we need honest conversations about how AI fits into our world. Shutting down discourse through bullying only creates more tension and alienates those who genuinely want to engage.
Second Life has always prided itself on freedom and creativity. Its slogan says it best: Your world, your imagination. That imagination now includes AI for many users, especially those who’ve found new joy and creative flow through it. If that’s discouraged or punished, we risk losing more of the vibrant community that keeps SL alive.
Let’s talk about it:
Should a customer be banned for using AI on a photo featuring a purchased item?
Should designers disclose AI-related policies before selling items?
What are reasonable boundaries for creators who don’t want their products used with AI?
These are real, evolving questions, and the answers deserve more than a block button.
I’ve included screenshots and a timeline below of the events that unfolded. At no point did I attack or harass anyone. I simply asked questions and engaged with the issue thoughtfully.
I understand people want to support their friends, but inflating a single tweet into a campaign of harassment doesn’t help anyone. If anything, it shows just how badly we need open conversations around these new challenges.
Because one thing is clear: if people aren’t allowed to express themselves or explore creatively, they won’t need to be banned. They’ll just log out and may not come back.
New Exile hair texture – Stefani (with roots) | Stefani (no roots)
OMIGOSH YOU GUYS! New Exile hair textures are so fantastic! As you know, my favorite Platinum Blonde from Exile was previously the Harlow color, but that color is gone from the new pack, and replaced with an even better, more vibrante Blonde color — Stefani!
I lifted this image from Kavar’s Flickr account to show you guys all the new colors and color packs available. I’m loving these!
Exile – Alyssa | Danika | Annalise
Exile – Opal | Caitrin | Lida
There are two male hair released as well, so there’s something for the boys but I don’t wear boy hair so you’ll have to go check it out yourself!
New Rockberry Skins! Heather Beebe has been one busy girl, wowing us from one skin line to the next. The latest Mia Skins have porcelain smooth skin and soft classic eye shadows. Six makeups are included in each skin tone pack, and only $800L per pack!
Smexxy new eyes worn here are from Scarlia Inc. Often overlooked, the right pair of eyes can really enhance your face. I’ve actually seen tons of people dressed head to toe in the most expensive brands while sporting default eye texture! @#$%!
Armidi – The Soho hair Alchemy – Fairytale dress (previous group gift)
A lot of people on my friends list have given me mod rights, maybe because they know I’m too lazy to go mess up their stuff? I like having mod rights to close pals, cos when you’re hanging out at their place (or they’re at yours) they don’t have to ask you to get them a chair, they can just drag one of yours over. Isn’t that the ultimate lazy hostess thing to do? hahah!
How do you feel about mod rights? Do you give it freely or guard it carefully?
Do you know what I want more than mod rights though? MAPPING RIGHTS! Let me see where you are, bishes!
I like the makeup on this one but I’m not fond of the dark brows since I am a blonde in SL. I think if it comes out with lighter brows, I might try it, but until then.. *passes*
this skin is lovely yes, though to me laq always look a bit like a carefully handpainted doll. The skin though looks almost identical to angelina jolie – sigh, along with the rest….i suppose a shape change could control the doppelganger effect.
mhmm i will give it a try it looks adorable…i wear Claudia all the time but I will try this one,)
The Blonde hair/dark brows are not terrible; it works. BUT i like the brown on brown much more, the look is Gorgeous! and the lips are so perfect! <3
I like the makeup on this one but I’m not fond of the dark brows since I am a blonde in SL. I think if it comes out with lighter brows, I might try it, but until then.. *passes*
Looks good on you though! 😀
this skin is lovely yes, though to me laq always look a bit like a carefully handpainted doll. The skin though looks almost identical to angelina jolie – sigh, along with the rest….i suppose a shape change could control the doppelganger effect.
of course…with the same skin I look completely different from the pix above
and A.Jolie has a mouth that does not look like this one at all OO
i love the dark hair, where is it from?