Happy birthday to Truth Hawks! Without your presence in Second Life, we would all be a little less stylish, so naturally, your birthday should be celebrated grid-wide.
I went to The Arcade. I recently told you how burned I felt after the last round, but apparently, I don’t learn my lesson. I went again and found so many schoolgirl outfits, which is perfect for the back-to-school season. As if I don’t already have 100 schoolgirl outfits in my Second Lifetime, but I played, and I conquered.
My friend says I look like a bad schoolgirl, but whatever could she mean? Gogo is so sweet, definitely not a mean girl. The Seniha Back to School outfit is actually pretty reasonable for a gacha. You can easily put together a complete outfit with just a few plays.
I also love everything Movement makes, so I was happy to see their darling gacha offerings. If you love accessories, check out the Movement Zodiac Girl set. The set includes a planner, bag, and tablet.
It’s officially autumn in Second Life! The Bellisseria regions have changed seasons, and the best season has arrived. Bring on the cozy vibes and pixel sweaters.
A friend asked me recently, “Gogo, why do you ask so many questions about how much designers are making on Facebook?”
Yes, I ask a lot of questions on Facebook. I’m on pretty much all of the social media sites for Second Life, but people are especially chatty on Facebook, and I’m always trying to get a temperature check on the SL economy. Are people still making money? Are they making less than they used to? Is Second Life going to survive long enough for my Lifetime Premium Plus accounts to pay off, or will SL die before I’m profitable? So many questions.
I think about the SL economy probably more than the average resident does. Besides being an SL nerd, I’m also a bit of a finance enthusiast, and I love reading about the economy in RL and apparently analyzing the SL economy too. I think it’s smart to know when something is still worth your time and when it’s time to move on. If you’re no longer making the money you used to make here, there’s nothing wrong with finding somewhere else where your time and talent are worth more.
Another reason I ask these questions is because despite some designers doing very well in Second Life, I often see some saying they’re on the verge of being evicted or facing some other financial emergency nearly every week. There’s always a Second Life GoFundMe, and sometimes it’s from designers I would consider fairly successful from a distance. They’re talented, they have a recognizable brand, they have customers, so why are they still living paycheck to paycheck?
I’ve watched a lot of designers come and go over the years, for all kinds of reasons, and I actually think there’s something admirable about knowing when it’s time to leave. If you used to make good money in Second Life and you’re no longer making what you need, why cling to it until you’re completely broke? Find greener pastures. Maybe that means another virtual platform, maybe it means taking your skills and working for a company in real life, or maybe it means doing something completely different. At some point, if something is no longer working financially, you have to see the writing on the wall and bounce before you’re broke. There’s no prize for hanging on the longest.
Jian Pets announced last week that they’re leaving Second Life, and you can read their farewell message here. I think it’s smarter to move on and explore other opportunities than to cling to something that is no longer serving you. Second Life has been around for more than 20 years, but that doesn’t mean every successful SL business needs to stay here forever.
Speaking of being financially well, I went to the FLF Bday Bash and came home with a bunch of goodies for FREE! Gogo may be loaded in SL, but I still love freebies. I didn’t grab every single gift, but out of the ones I picked up, these are my favorite things:
Movement – Ladies Handbag
ALT3 – Afterparty FX Shine
Exile – Jordan Hair, Birthday Confetti Edition
Glam Affair – Manu Skin (Summer Special L005) – The rain on the face is awesome!
I’ll admit that I meant to clean my inventory over the Christmas holiday, but I didn’t do anything. My inventory is still a mess. I’ve also been quietly boycotting the weekend sales for months leading up to the end of the year, because I just couldn’t handle the frustration anymore. I’d see an outfit I loved, only to realize it was an “old item” that the brand never updated for LaraX, even though this body has been out for over two years. On top of that, I get overwhelmed when weekend event galleries turn into endless scrolling through hundreds of items. For my own sanity, I decided to just skip all of it.
That said, I did cave this past weekend when I spotted a skin at a weekend event for L$99 for the fatpack. Some temptations are just too hard to ignore. I’m wearing the Nika skin from Not Found. Normally, I don’t think much of Not Found skins, even though I’ve bought several over time. I usually pass them by because there’s often something that doesn’t work for me: too much shading, blurry shading, heavy pores, things like that. But when I tried on Nika, I saw real potential. I knew that if I layered enough tattoo fixes from Izzie’s, I could make it feel like mine. So here it is, with plenty of tattoo fixes doing their magic.
One thing I really wish skin creators would stop doing forever is baking eyelashes directly onto skins. If they absolutely must include them, they should at least provide a no-lash version, the way some brands already do. I do have a couple of eye layers that can fix it, but honestly, I’d rather just start with a clean skin.
It’s only a few days into 2026, and I already know I want to continue ignoring weekend sales for the rest of the year. I don’t want to overwhelm myself with piles of old, cheap stuff anymore. What are your New Year’s resolutions for Second Life?
Every year, right before Thanksgiving, Black Friday deals start rolling in, both in real life and in Second Life. I always think to myself that maybe I should’ve bought less throughout the year, because by the time the sales arrive, I already have everything I wanted.
This year, I made a deliberate choice to buy slowly and only buy things I’ll actually wear right away. If you’ve been in SL as long as I have, you’ve probably bought everything twice or maybe five times already. I found the sweetest holiday accessories just by searching my own inventory. Most of what I’m wearing today isn’t new. Some pieces I bought years ago and never wore or blogged.
With how the economy is going in real life, even if you’re personally unaffected, it feels smart to scale back a little and get more joy out of what you already have or pick up items you truly want when they’re on sale, not just because they’re on sale.
The thing with Black Friday in Second Life is that it’s not that exciting anymore. Everything’s already on sale all year. Brands also exclude newer releases from the sale, sometimes the last three months of items, so there’s not much of a deal for anyone who shops often like I do.
I’m trying to have the longest Christmas ever in Second Life, so as far as I’m concerned, it starts now. The holiday season’s here, and I’m fully ready for twinkling lights and vacation.
Aren’t these Gigi Balloons from Legna the best? I love that these numbers come with two really nice poses for each hand. Even though the balloons state they are no modify, it actually allowed me to modify one, and I tinted it a light shade of blue. You can also rez these numbers for any occasion.
This is meant to be an early Happy New Year post, but I also wanted to share my reflections on last year. Overall, I feel I had a good year in Second Life! I upgraded from Lifetime Premium to Lifetime Premium Plus, which cost a significant amount, and at first, I was genuinely excited. However, as the year progressed, I began to worry about the longevity of Second Life.
I was enthusiastic about the mobile app when I tried it early this year as part of the alpha program; however, I now think it’s completely hopeless. This Open Letter to Linden Lab clearly outlines why I don’t believe we will ever see a usable mobile app.
I had a lot of fun in the Aurelias region with my friend Sparkle. Still, I ultimately decided to pull the plug when I recognized that the economy and the state of Second Life might be uncertain in 2025. It was actually an easy decision; when faced with uncertainty, it is prudent to eliminate an unnecessary expense. As much as I enjoy having a whole region, I also appreciate the freedom that comes with not having to maintain one. I told Sparkle not to let me bring the region back next year, even if I have new ideas and want another one. 2025 is not the year for significant land projects.
What am I looking forward to in Second Life in 2025? I am looking forward to Philip Linden changing his outfit. Additionally, I am eager for the next Linden Home theme, although Linden Lab has gone silent on that topic! Will it ever come? Who knows. It has been so long since the next theme was chosen via a poll that I almost forgot we were promised Alpine and Tiki as the next two themes. I am also looking forward to cleaning my inventory; right now it stands at 77k, but I know I can reduce it to 50k if I put in some effort.
What are you looking forward to next year? Let me know in the comments!
I went to the Arcade to specifically play for the Movement Grab and Go set. I needed everything here cos I love holdables/wearables and anything that’s juicy (aka fruits). Do you think we should build a convenience store on Aurelias? Let me know in the comments if you think a store would be cute and we’ll make it happen!
Hello from Aurelias! We’re adding touches of Spring to the town square, and the centerpiece is this beautiful Blooming Grand Piano from Dust Bunny. Add your photos to the Aurelias Flickr group to be selected for the group cover. I love seeing the region through your eyes.
I’m wearing the new Ubon head from LeLutka. It’s slightly different than Kaya, but I think I’m ready to move on. I spent days modifying my shape to my liking; it’s a work in progress. I shared this raw screenshot on Twitter a few days ago. I love the HD brows so much, and this is the first time I’m undecided between the really thin HD brows or the one I normally wear, the less thin one. They both work so well for this head. I normally only like the bottom two, the rest are way too bushy and thick for me.
I’ve been attending the Concierge and Land User Group meetings and they’re so lively and interesting. I started going to be more informed about upcoming land changes and to give feedback. Wendi Linden & Vix Linden were such great hosts. Here’s the schedule for the meeting — see you at the next one!
I already know a lot about Second Life land, maybe too much. I’m obsessed with regions, Linden Homes, and mainland (even though mainland is my least favorite land product). Recently I learned that some residents don’t utilize the 10% group land bonus because they don’t understand it. I’m currently holding a piece of mainland, and with the group bonus, I can donate my extra tier to my friend. If every Premium member (who doesn’t own a Linden Home) deeds their tier to group, they would have a little extra to donate to a public project or acquire more land. If you own a big enough parcel of mainland, where the 10% bonus is 512sqm or more, you could use that extra to get a Linden Home.
If you find land stuff interesting, let me know in the comments. I’m happy to share some tips & tricks to maximize your land-owning experience without spending extra money.
What I’m Wearing: LeLutka – Ubon Mesh Head Exile – Elia MVT – Lady Fashionista bag (White) Tetra – Bella Dress Tetra – Off-Shoulder Cardigan Ingenue – Olivia Heels (Champagne) Yummy – Dainty Layered Necklace
