Guest Post

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    Why Color Trends Matter

    Bysehra Fashion, Guest Post, Second Life, Uncategorized
    3 Comments

    Color Trends | Close

    Color choice is incredibly important. The right colored item can draw shopper’s eyes from across the room. It can make a person go from merely considering a purchase to pulling the trigger on the transaction. A shop can make the most beautiful mesh on the grid, but if the color selection isn’t on point, shoppers can overlook it.

    Every season experts from the Pantone Institute, whose expertise crosses an incredible breadth of fields, decide what the Pantone Color Forecast will be. This palette informs designers, from fashion to interiors to graphics, on what colors everyone will be embracing in the coming months and years. It is a trendsetter from which everyone can take new color queues.

    Color palettes may not seem that important, but they help to unify the color story of a season across all brands and media. If a store falls out of step with the color story, their items stop matching up with other brands. This can become problematic for shoppers. A shopper might find the perfect purple dress, but no matter where they go, they cannot find any accessories to match. Why? Well perhaps the dress designer is offering a greyed out purple while many other designers have embraced the more red based purple that is part of the new color story.  Unified color stories are why shoppers can go to many different stores and still manage to find items that work well together.

    Color Trends

    But, matching isn’t the only dilemma that can arise from failing to follow color trends. Sometimes picking colors from palettes several seasons ago can result in an outdated look, even if the mesh is spectacular. People unconsciously associate colors which have gone out of trend with dated looks. Missing a color trend change can make a collection less appealing.

    Why do we need our colors to change? Well, cycling through different variations of each color keeps our palettes fresh. If everyone has been using a very greyed out purple and all the sudden creators re-introduce a red based purple, shoppers will find the difference refreshing. This new purple is different from the purple of the past few years. It all the sudden has a freshness to it. Yes, that purple has always been in existence, but we have not seen it in a good while, so it has regained its appeal. This cross-industry rotation of colors is important in keeping colors fresh and exciting to our eyes.

    Following color trends is by no means an imperative, but it can really help the appeal of creator’s lines. It can keep designs looking fresh and current, and keep shoppers buzzing about them. I know I always get excited when I find an item in the perfect color that I didn’t even know I was longing for. Color trends are what keep us loving color, and keep us excited about what will come next.

    Color Trends | Full

    Curio – Penelope (Pearl)
    Pink Fuel – Harley Lipstick (Orange)
    Slink – Mesh Hands
    Ikon – Destiny Eyes (Cerulean)
    Magika – Shimmer
    CARGO – Hipster Glasses
    Pixicat – Wide Crop Top (Aztec)
    Tres Blah – Denim Mini Skirt (Dark Wash)
    REIGN – Moccasin Boots (Caramel)

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    Jetsetter

    Byaemeth Fashion, Guest Post, JuicyBomb, Uncategorized
    0 Comments

    Jetsetter

    At Lil’ NoNo’s, it’s always 11:59pm.  The cozy bar is set in a gutted warehouse build, overlooking a cityscape.  You’re either there because you’re lonely or looking for trouble–there are no other reasons.  Either way, there’s jazz, free drinks (and pay-for ones), cigarettes, and nooks and crannies to explore.  The music isn’t bad, either.

    Jetsetter

    Take the elevator next to the bar down to the cellar.  There’s a long hallway set up with posters and invites.  You know what they lead to–other virtual parcels, yet they’re mostly set up to not hinder your experience of what Lil’ NoNo’s imitates.  There’s locked doors you can’t enter, and ones that lead to a small coffee shop and a washateria.  They’re probably there for private conversations or a change of scenery for regulars, secrets and favorites for the patrons.  On the corner is a convenience store with lucky boards, souvenirs, and snacks, and a street scene where there’s either snow or rain, depending on the current season.  And behind the stage of the bar itself where you can’t see, a game room, looking out onto another lonely backdrop of large, ominous buildings.

    Places like these make visiting Second Life worthwhile, because of the thought and care put into building them.  Aside from some rl branding I spotted in the bar and a mesh figure from a video game, I love this place to death.  You can often catch me here nursing a drink.

    Do me a favor.  Buy me a gin on the rocks if you see me, and see if they have some Johnnie Taylor on the jukebox.  I’ll tell you a fun secret if you do that.

    What I’m Wearing
    Pink Fuel Skin
    Metatheodora – Swing 3003 Dress (Leather)
    Exile – Sober (tinted blue manually)

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    Normcore

    Byaemeth Fashion, Guest Post, Hair, Hot Tips, JuicyBomb, Minute Makeover, Second Life, Tech, Uncategorized
    16 Comments

    Normcore

    I was too cool. I knew it.

    I had on mesh clothing with the exception of some texture jeans from Mon Tissu, for layering purposes with my Fashionably Dead sweater. My Clawtooth hair hung just right around my shoulders, curling in at my neck, fresh from the C88 sim and looking good. But it wasn’t enough for me–it was all too new, too with it. And according to K-Hole and Tumblr, who had declared the new fashion movement of #normcore (Tumblr by accident, admittedly), I was too modern and needed to go back a few years to make myself more in-the-moment. I needed the blandness of instinctual color pairing, knowing what shades went together, the right structure of negative space versus content in a picture that would represent the meaningless of life.

    See, according to the fashion magazines and experimental blogs online, what’s actually cool is virtual reality. The two foremost mediums of that virtual reality gracing blogs and fashion mags right now is earlier versions of The Sims, and 2007-era pics of Second Life. Some people are unaware right now that their pictures are being yanked from Flickr and shared across blogs everywhere, not exactly parodied but halfway that, plus glorified for their alter-persona living their pop-culture-pixel dream against a computerized landscape. IMVU comes in third, with their retro-now-ness being the ‘it’ thing, but still coming in last for lameness and popularity.

    And the more aimless your Flickr picture is, the better. Is your alpha missing on a shoe from an old photo of you sporting a sculpty heel? That is so #normcore. Are you sporting a polo from a freebie sim? That’s #normcore. Got a texture pirate shirt you snagged from a marketplace store? That’s so #normcore it’s possibly #seinfeldcore. And the fact you’re dressing so retro as what people imagine Second Life avatars *should* be dressing like, is so meta and lame that it makes you cool.

    I’m telling you–indie is dead. Accidental lameness is what’s the now.

    So how do you get the #normcore look? What can you do to seem cool?

    Normcore

    Here are some tips to get that virtual-meta-core fashion without tipping the scales into trying-too-hard territory:

    1. Shop at freebie stores and buy texture clothing from your favorite shops. The older, the better. Seams are IN. Sport it without shame. You are the user who doesn’t live too much with their avatar, who flirts shamelessly with errors and a margin for the human element. Bonus if you find Chip Midnight’s clothing. Actually even his most recent stuff from Futurewave is still pretty #normcore, due to its self-awareness. Even his new mesh avatar is #normcore because it’s cyberpunk, and since we’re playing an online game, cyberpunk = webpunk. Actually, okay. All cyberpunk clothing is in. Ask Sian Pearl. She was actually in Novembre magazine recently (YOU NEED TO BUY THAT ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS SO NORMCORE IT IS TOO COOL FOR YOU AND SHE IS THE COOLEST AVATAR IN SECOND LIFE CURRENTLY. NO THIS IS NOT A JOKE.  THIS REALLY HAPPENED.).

    2. Ruth your hair. Yes, that’s right. Ruth it. Ruth it all day long. If you aren’t brave enough, just use old sculpt hair. Buy old hair from B@re Rose in a funky color, or old Nylon outfitters creations. Boom! #normcore at your front door. You are so cool without realizing it.

    3. Don’t flaunt it. Don’t go overboard. It’s okay to sport SOME mesh stuff, just don’t go completely there or else it’s like you’re doing too much. You want a little retro for your look or else hel-lo, 2now4us.

    4. Don’t wear an AO. AO’s are for people into their avatars. Are you into your avatar if you’re #normcore? No. You are not.

    Now you’ve been transformed, go into Edit mode and stay that way forever. Your arms held out like Moses parting the sea, you’ve opened a path into the future, a personal virtual sidewalk that paves the way into your #nowness forever. You are the dream of the forever online young adult searching for meaning in their life. Engage. Move foreward. Never look back, or you’ll turn into salt.

    #foreveronline,
    Cake.

    Normcore

    What I’m Wearing
    Random Freebie Store – Black PVC Jacket
    Pink Fuel Skin
    Hair by CM – Hanging Front Curls
    Mon Tissu – Denim – 1929 Cigarette (Gray)

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    Futurewave

    Byaemeth Fashion, Friends, Guest Post, Hair, JuicyBomb, Skins, Uncategorized
    4 Comments

    Futurewave

    Futurewave is here!  There’s a ton of cool stuff on sale right now by an amazing group of creators, so click here to see what you’ll find by visiting.  When I wear cyberpunk clothing, I like to mix it with casual fashion.  I don’t believe everyone in the future would simply walk around wearing skintight catsuits and nothing else–not for an informal outfit, anyway.

    And whoa, whoa, whoa!  I’m wearing texture jeans!  Yeah, I still wear them. In fact, lately I’m into ‘retro’ SL fashion, and will purposefully go out and buy old releases.  So, those texture jeans and shirts?  Break ’em out if you haven’t already and pair ’em up with your favorite mesh clothing.

    I need to blog Futurewave outfits paired up with C88 releases, because both themes are in sync with each other this month.  That makes for some great possibilities in pictures.

    Do you still wear texture clothing?  Do you like retro SL fashion?  Do you think it should be called retro, or vintage?  Or do you think all of it is tacky and you should wear mesh clothing only?  Let me know in the comments!

    Futurewave

    Also, I need to create more montages like the pic above because they’re insanely fun.

    What I’m Wearing:
    Pink Fuel – Sora (Alabaster, Special Edition)*
    Monso – My Baseball Jacket
    Mon Tissu – 1929 Cigarette Jeans
    Graves – Velocity Suit (Clear Latex)*
    Paper Moon – Holovisor*
    [ a.e.meth ] – Gynoid 9 Hair (Blue)*

    *Available at Futurewave.

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    Snow Queen

    Byaemeth Fashion, Guest Post, Hot Tips, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Uncategorized
    2 Comments

    Snow Queen

    “Really, Cake? You had to do a snow photoshoot?” Yes! And hasn’t it been kind of disgusting outside? Unless you’re in one of the lucky areas of the world where you aren’t dealing with white stuff piled outside your door, you know exactly why this winter needs to hurry up and leave–quickly.

    So if you’re someone dealing with a lot of snow outside, what have you been doing to keep warm? I’ve got something similar to this heating up my studio. It’s little more than a glorified blow dryer, but it keeps the room pretty toasty!

    Today I’m wearing Nylon Outfitters’ Sequin Mermaid gown, with MiaMai’s Sian headdress and Serenata shoulder-pieces.  All three of these items feature hand-drawn texturing–especially the headdress!  I recommend you buy that right away.  It’s a gorgeous piece of art that deserves to be ogled over and over.

    Do you have any favorite headdresses in SL?  Are you currently dealing with piles and piles of snow and polar vortex insanity?  Any tips for staying warm?  Let me know in the comments!

    Snow Queen

    What I’m Wearing:

     Pink Fuel Skin
    Dress: Nylon Outfitters – Sequin Mermaid Dress (White)
    Headdress: MIAMAI – Sian Headdress
    Shoulders: MIAMAI – Serenata (shoulderpads only)

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    The Internet Is Terrible

    Byaemeth Friends, Guest Post, JuicyBomb, Second Life
    2 Comments

    The Internet Is TerribleThis morning I tried to get into The Seasons Story to get Beetlebones’ new corgi pet, but it was so laggy I couldn’t walk around much!  I’m pretty disappointed about the shopping trip being a bust, so I’ll just show you this cool avatar from Water Horse instead.

    I’m the type of Second Life user who likes offbeat avatars.  I have a petite, all of the avatars from Nuville Horrors, and various tiny avatars I’ve collected over time.  If it’s weird, comes with an AO, and will make people stop and stare at it, then I’m wearing it.

    So when I saw someone wearing this deer avatar on a random sim, I had to have it!  It’s moddable and comes with a texture of the deer’s skin, so you can create your own and apply it to your avatar.  It also has an AO with some cool moves, speed control so you can either walk very slowly or run, plus a few dances and sounds.  Whether you’re roleplaying with this or just want to walk around freaking everyone out, it’s a great buy.

    As you can see, I colored mine pink, made the antlers blue, and stuck some glasses from Yummy on it.  I honestly can’t see myself wearing this avatar unless it’s some weird color that makes it stick out like a sore thumb on the grid.

    Then again, it is the internet.  Weirdness kind of lives here.

    The Internet Is Terrible

    Do you have any non-human avatars?  How many?  Do you wear them often?  Do you know of any I should try?  Let me know in the comments!

    Credits:
    Deer avatar: Water Horse – WhiteTail Deer Avatar (Greyscale)
    Glasses: Yummy – Karina Glasses (White)

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    Happy New Year!

    Byaemeth Fashion, Friends, Guest Post, JuicyBomb, Uncategorized
    2 Comments

    Happy New Year

    It’s 2014!

    You made it, time flies, year went by so fast, this one’ll be better, etc.  Did you have a good holiday?  Did you get anything?  My family exchanges presents, but we put a priority on wishing each other well and telling each other how much each person means to us.  For New Years’, I spent my time partying with my mates at an art studio.  There was general running around and prank-pulling that day.

    Since Christmas and New Years’ have passed, it’s time to talk about resolutions.  I originally said I wasn’t going to do any, but I actually could manage some.

    Happy New Year

    So, here they are:

    1. Do that secret project I said I was gonna do.
    2. FINISH MY PORTRAIT WORK.  I do portraits in Second Life but haven’t finished my projects due to stuff happening in rl and being sad for a bit.  Now that I’m back, I’m going to solve this problem by opening a Tinychat room and linking my friends to it.  People watching me work will ensure I finish.  Bam!  That resolution is totally happening.  I don’t know the time yet but it’ll probably be in the afternoon when I do this.
    3. Clean out my inventory.  I have tons of textures from old clothing, WIP skin work, makeup I never released, unfinished ideas, finished ones, and long forgotten stuff I did and didn’t keep at my store for very long.  For all of that, I’m at 30k in my inventory–which isn’t bad, but it needs to be lower.  I’m a hoarder so this is going to be a challenge.
    4. Paint stuff.  Make stuff.  Publish stuff.
    5. Be confident in my ability to be a living, breathing unicorn with a belly full of weird ideas and crazy talent.

    That’s my list.  Do you have one?  Are you someone who just believes in goals for every day, or do you like resolutions after New Years’?  Have you ever seen one through?  Let me know in the comments!

    Credits:

    • Sweater and dress:  Redgrave – Holly
    • Headband:  Tea.s – Happy 2014! Headband

     

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    Lonely Souls

    Byaemeth Fashion, Friends, Guest Post, JuicyBomb, Uncategorized
    10 Comments

    This holiday hasn’t been cheerful for everyone.  I have quite a few friends on the grid who have had their share of bad news, heartbreak, or just a bleak outlook with no sure answer on what next year will hold for them.  For many, it’s a struggle to manage anything from day to day.  Some can’t handle it.  Some lose their ability to cope and disappear from our lives forever.

    Depression is a devastating disease of the mind.  It ravages your self-image and confidence.  It depreciates your accomplishments, it makes you feel like you’re the tiniest person in the world.  If you aren’t careful, it can consume you entirely.  The scary thing is, someone close to you can be enduring this, putting on a front of a person who has absolutely nothing wrong, and you will be none the wiser.

    It isn’t an easy answer to “just be happy”, like what some people can tell you if you’re personally going through this.  It’s not like you can flip a switch, and medication isn’t always affordable (as of right now).  Even with the possibility of taking a pill, some argue it isn’t the best answer.  So how do you cure depression?  There are different methods, but the first step is to get help.

    Get help.  Do not go through this alone.  It can be embarrassing when your world feels like it’s falling apart, or even if you just have some nagging feeling despite your life being pretty great otherwise.  Reach out to someone you trust, just to get your feelings off of your chest.  If you don’t have anyone you feel you can talk to, you can always pick up the phone and talk to someone.

    Have you ever been depressed?  Did a friend in Second Life help you get through it?  If you’ve gotten over depression, what did you find helpful for accomplishing it?  Feel free to share your stories in the comments below.  If you’re currently depressed, remember–reaching out is the first step to getting better.

    • Dress:  MIAMAI – Elapse (the flower wings are a part of this set as well.)
    • Tights:  MIAMAI – Ardore (Black)
    • Wings:  Europa – Nyxus Wings
    • Hair:  Alice Project – Mary
    • Location: The Golden Thread Exhibit, MIAMAI
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    Juicy Gloss

    Bygogo cheLLe, Fashion, Guest Post, iheartslFeed, Uncategorized
    0 Comments

    Juicy Gloss

    Hi there! I’m Cake, contributing artist to the Chelle team. I’m dressed in bright colors today to talk to you about our latest lip gloss release.

    You may have noticed that instead of the usual six colors Chelle releases for lipstick, we’ve put out a full range of 18. Why? The reason why, is because you asked for it to happen!

    With our new range, however, some may be confused about what looks best on them. So, here’s a tip:

    Juicy Gloss I is for everybody. Just like with our Mean Reds lipstick collection, we created a range of colors where half of it looks more natural on you, while the other half is a bit dressier. Those who wear darker skins will find the darker and purple tones to be more suited for natural/casual wear, while the brighter pinks and reds are a bolder look for them. Those who wear lighter skins will find the exact opposite to be true.

    Juicy Gloss II is more favored for darker skins. You will find more tones in this collection to benefit you, if you have tan to deep brown skin tone. The darkest tone we tested for this collection, is Glam Affair’s Gitana 02. Here’s a before and after using our Goth shade:

    Juicy Gloss

    Juicy Gloss III is favored more for lighter skin tones. The colors are bright and blend in best on a fairer skin color. If you wear a tan skin tone, it will look good on you as well.

    Check out Aemy Says for the full post and credits!