Glam Affair has announced the new Ethereal Essence collection, a collaboration of face skins and body skins with Not Found. This release includes new 2k face skins and body skins. First impressions: the Glam Affair skins are breathtaking. The Not Found body skins are only available for Legacy and Reborn, so Maitreya LaraX wearers like myself will have to wait a while longer to try these.
In my previous post about 2k BoM skins, I truly noticed a difference between 1k and 2k when comparing the same skin. Even the tattoo cosmetics that are 1k benefited from baking with a 2k skin. However, that skin was not designed for 2k, but these skins are, resulting in a noticeable difference in quality.
Of the four new face skins released by Glam Affair, I liked the Siu face best. It’s very pretty, showcasing just enough realistic pores and shine. I am not wearing the brows with this skin, but here it is as-is, without any additional tattoo layers on top. Those who appreciate high-definition and close-up details will undoubtedly love 2k skins! Yes, you can see the pores more, but to me, there’s a balance where it can be done well if the brand doesn’t increase sharpness too much. I am excited about the future of Second Life skins!
It’s interesting to note that Glam Affair has removed Velour tones from their skin line up. Now the skins will come with 20 new Glam Affair tones, so you’ll have to demo all of them to find your new perfect shade. I settled on tone 005, and I found that it’s a good match with some Velour body skins and some The Skinnery body skins.
Will these popular bodies update their tones to support Glam’s new tones? I hope so!
Previously, I also mentioned that I thought skin brands should provide free updates to 2k, but I no longer feel that way. I think that 2k skins are so high definition that the previous methods of shading and texturing may no longer be the best way to showcase it. It is time to look ahead and move forward. I know I will only purchase 2k skins from now on. Does this render my entire skin collection obsolete? Probably! While the difference may not be drastic, it is certainly noticeable, and as you all know, I appreciate details.
What do you think about the new 2k Glam skins? Are you excited about the next chapter of Second Life? We will begin to see higher quality decor and clothing as well.
What I’m Wearing:
Glam Affair – Siu (L005)
Gawk – Zoe Turtleneck Pullover
Tres Blah – Micro Shorts
Wings – TF0201 hair
LeLutka – Billie Mesh Head
Honestly, I’m really disappointed and frustrated with this release. Sure, the new skins are gorgeous, but they don’t appear to be compatible with the current generation of Glam Affair tones. So either:
(1) I upgrade to one of the new head options too (no thanks; I don’t like any of them, and even if I did I just bought “Kaia” at TheFIFTY less than a week and a half ago just before the launch announcement); or
(2) I try to figure out compatibility via the eye test, and risk getting it wrong and my AV looking like she has some sort of social disease in certain lighting; or
(3) I ignore the release completely, and stick with my current-generation body and head skins.
This type of “to heck with compatibility” release is a rotten thing to do to customers, and it’s completely unnecessary and avoidable. And this isn’t the first time Glam Affair has done it: it happened the last time Glam Affair updated their body tones in 2021, and the time before that in 2019, too. I’m really getting tired of it; as much as I love Aida and her work, this makes me want to find another skin creator who’s not going to arbitrarily change all their tones every few years.
I was surprised they abandoned Velour tones, though I wasn’t a huge fan of those either, but at least they were widely suppported.
I had been wearing Glam Affair Ivory in the autumn and winter, and Glam Affair Beige in the spring and summer (to give my AV a little more of a sunkissed look). I don’t know what any of the new “light” tones correspond to, if anything.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the Velour tones either, but yeah, I was also surprised support was dropped.
Didn’t like the noses on any of these skins. not even the not found one. There’s no actual definition unless you had light from the side(s). It looks sort of like just eyes and lips in most every pbr eep and most older eeps. It just bothers me. It’s bothered me on the previous skins any creator has done too. I remember long ago ItGirl did the best noses on some skins but now it’s fairly difficult to find. Some even have nose blush or some odd shading built in with no way of removing it. Hopefully going forward someone starts making some nicely shaded skins that aren’t all done for avalon.