Hello from Stillwater Village! I needed a pretty place to show off my pretty new teacup from Sparkle Skye, so I found this gorgeous estate and decided it was the perfect backdrop for these photos. The trick to crashing an estate in Second Life is simple: act like you belong. Stand in front of houses or public buildings, but steer clear of homes where people are inside. I’ve never once been asked to leave. Most estates are surprisingly welcoming to bloggers and photographers.
A little bird told me that today is Truth Hawk’s birthday, so happy birthday to one of the most prolific hair creators in Second Life. Thank you for two decades of beautiful styles! One of my earliest memories is wandering into Truth’s shop in an urban region, back when he only sold clothing. Are you old enough in Second Life to remember that? It feels like things have come full circle now that Truth is releasing clothing again. This top might be a little nipply, but I don’t care. It’s cute, it’s still modest in its own way, and I love it.
I spent the entire month of August without shopping. I survived retail blackout and came out the other side.
Now I’m back just in time for autumn cozy vibes and everything the grid has to offer.
Let’s talk about the little details you can add to your skin to make your Second Life avatar feel more realistic. Back in the day, I couldn’t stand imperfections. Every skin I wore had to be flawless. No wrinkles, no freckles, nothing. I still don’t want freckles, but I’ve come around to appreciating a few imperfections. Right now, I’m obsessed with layering Izzie’s Body and Face Veins over my skin, along with her Feet Veins and Toe Creases. I didn’t go heavy on the face, just a few veins around the eyes. I also added Neck Creases, which I never liked before, but suddenly I’m into this week.
I also switched my Glam Affair skin two shades lighter, from L005 to L003. I wanted to stick with L005, but the face shading was way too dark, and there’s no way I’m layering dozens of Izzie’s fixes just to correct something that shouldn’t need fixing. L003 is lighter overall, and that means the shading is softer too, which works out much better.
Even though everything I wear is available to everyone and nothing is made just for me, I still feel one of a kind. No one else is going to make every single choice I make, and that’s what makes your avatar unique. It really does come down to the details if you want to stand out.
Are you counting down with me? Only four more days until Blackout August is over. Rejoice!
I left my platform and went to Alicia’s birthday party. In case you didn’t know, all the OG bloggers know each other. We go way back, decades really. If you cross one of us, you cross all of us… just kidding! It’s not like that, but we do keep in touch.
For a long time, most of my Second Life friends were either bloggers or creators, but I’ve since expanded my circle to include people I’ve met around Bellisseria.
I’m always open to meeting new people and making new friends. I accept random friend requests. If someone’s bold enough to send one, I figure I should say yes. I sometimes send random friend requests too, to people I’ve known forever on social media, though we often never end up talking or seeing each other in Second Life. I’ve always been notoriously bad at showing up in Second Life. Crowds and teleports used to make me anxious, but I’m slowly getting better at it.
Since I’m not shopping this month, I have lots of free time and I’m finally ready to accept teleports.
Are you tired of me starting every post with Blackout August? Well, it’s day 22. The original creator of this challenge, Imogen Aurelia, deleted her link on Flickr and kept part of it on Facebook. I’m not even sure she’s still doing the challenge herself, but I’m pushing through. I’m determined and almost at the finish line. What this challenge has shown me is that I’ve been selective for a long time, so while it started out kind of painful not being able to instantly grab that new hair I wanted, it also revealed that I don’t actually love everything made in SL, and I don’t need to have it right away.
For today’s look I dug deep into my inventory and remembered how much I used to love a brand called M.Birdie. I don’t think it’s open anymore, since the store’s Flickr is gone and the SLurl in the designer’s profile leads nowhere. I liked this store so much, but most of my items from them came through gacha events. Everything I have is made for Maitreya, but I managed to wear it with LaraX because this top is roomy and I used the alpha layers. If you still want this top, even though it’s at least seven years old, you can still find it on the Marketplace. If you know what happened to the M.Birdie store, let me know in the comments.
When my friends heard I was doing this challenge, they gave me tips on how to cope with not shopping. One of them said, “You could go spend store credit.” Which is true, I could, if I even remembered where I had store credit. The truth is I don’t want loopholes, I want to go without. I’m still blogging for a few brands and new items are hitting my inventory often, so I don’t feel completely deprived. I decided to sit out on promoting much of it this month, but that doesn’t mean I can’t promote it later. The great thing about Second Life is that when brands create items, they can keep selling them for years as long as the quality is good and people still want them. There’s this constant push to buy new and wear new, but I think that actually does brands a disservice. A dollar earned from a new item or an older one is still a dollar.
If you like the idea of Blackout August, you can start any time. Wearing items you already own shouldn’t ever feel like a betrayal, and it won’t make your favorite brands think less of you. They probably won’t even notice.
It’s day 15 of Blackout August and I finally left my platform. I went to the FLF Bday Bash for the free gifts and it was actually really fun to click through everything and feel that familiar rush of new items piling into my inventory. There are hundreds of gifts here, so if you enjoy opening boxes and trying things on, this event will keep you busy. After spending nothing, I teleported home and put together my outfit.
Even though I’m doing this no buy challenge, I have to admit FLF Bday Bash is a great event. Everything, even some fatpacks, is just L$50. If something still catches my eye in September, I will grab it then. For now, the freebies are more than enough.
I found some really cute clothing at the event, but I ended up wearing the Maret dress from Pixicat, which was free at June’s Shop & Hop. Honestly, I still have so many Shop & Hop items waiting to be sorted and blogged.
This photo was taken at Mirai Melody. I have visited before, but now it has a futuristic twist! I love all of the colors and chaos behind me.
What I have learned on day 15 of not spending is that changing my outfit in Second Life is just as fun with freebies as it is with paid items. The feeling is pretty much the same for me.
It’s day 10 of Blackout August and I still haven’t spent a single Linden. Gifts and freebies are fair game though, and yesterday I received an updated copy of the Snow Rabbit (S@R W01X) mesh head. I originally blogged this head over a year and a half ago, and it’s been updated several times since with great improvements to the HUD and features. This 3.0 update adds more volume to the eyelashes, so of course I had to try it.
When I put on my saved S@R outfit, something strange happened to the shape I made last year. Rather than troubleshoot, I decided to start fresh with a brand new shape and pair it with a new skin. The S@R head reminded me how much I love it, especially since it works with EvoX skins. If only the eyes were compatible with the EvoX HUD too, that would be perfect.
While creating the new shape, I noticed the nose is slightly crooked. Some Second Life residents would call that a charming feature, while others like me prefer a smoother profile. It does give the face personality if that’s your thing.
Today I’m wearing the Magnolia skin from Amara Beauty. It’s new at The Arcade, but I didn’t buy it. My friend gifted it to me. Gifts don’t count toward Blackout August, but I’m keeping paid items to a minimum this month and digging into my inventory instead. If you own any Amara Beauty skin, you could pair it with the S@R head and get a similar look.
One thing about the Magnolia skin that surprised me is that the no brows version is only available in the RARE. Annoying. I always wear no brows, so if my friend hadn’t sent me the RARE, I wouldn’t wear this skin at all.
If you’re still thinking about joining Blackout August, you can start anytime. Maybe you want to slow down your shopping, maybe you want to save money. Both are good reasons. I’ve seen people make rude assumptions about participants, as if we’re all struggling with some kind of shopping addiction. LOL. I buy what I want, and sometimes I buy too much, but I’m not running out of Lindens or spending money I don’t have. The only time I run low is when I decide to buy a region or go to an SL auction. For me, this is about showing that shopping isn’t the only thing to do in Second Life. You could be like Philip Linden, never change your clothes, and still enjoy this world.
It’s day 5 of Blackout August. I made it through the weekend without buying anything, which feels monumental. I usually do most of my Second Life shopping on weekends, so I’m starting to feel more confident that I can go the entire month without shopping.
If you’re quietly doing this challenge with me, maybe today you can try something new. Have you tried the Aperture Viewer? It’s the only viewer I’m using for Second Life right now. Today I made a bunch of photo presets in the Aperture Phototools Suite. It’s different from EEP settings because you can enhance colors, add depth of field, adjust glow, and so much more. If I figure out how to share presets, I will.
I shopped from my inventory today. I can’t even remember when I bought this sandwich, but the time stamp says June 22. The shocking part is realizing I have thousands of items I’ve never blogged or worn. Let’s see how many we can uncover this month.
It’s the second day of Blackout August and since I’m not shopping, I decided to revisit enhancing Second Life photos with Krea.ai. Lately, vendor ads in SL are full of unrealistic hair, faces, and clothing that don’t actually exist in-world. I don’t know what tools other people are using, but out of everything I’ve tried, Krea.ai has been one of the easiest and probably the most beginner-friendly.
Like most AI tools, the free version of Krea has some limitations. You won’t get full customization or the highest quality images unless you upgrade, but I’m using the free version for this.
To enhance your SL photo, make sure you use the Enhancer tool. If you use the Image tool, it tends to change things too much and doesn’t look like your original. Once I upload my photo into the Enhancer, I can adjust the sliders on the right to tweak the AI strength, resemblance, clarity, and more. The paid version gives you more range, but the free version is still workable.
Personally, I don’t love the full Krea output on its own, so I save the enhanced image and overlay it with my original SL photo in Photoshop. Then I blend them together. Sometimes I just blend the hair, or just the face, or whatever needs a boost. My final result looks really polished and still about 80 percent true to Second Life.
One note of caution—some brands will ban you for using AI editing in your photos. I think it’s a tool like any other, but use it with intention.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve been playing with AI editing and which apps are your go-to.
I stumbled across the Blackout August initiative created by Second Life resident Imogen Aurelia, and I’m honestly really into the idea.
BLACKOUT AUGUST A pause. A reset. A quiet rebellion against the noise.
We’re stepping back from constant shopping — not to punish creators, but to challenge a system that’s chewing up time, talent, and energy for less and less return.
Creators are burned out. Shoppers are overwhelmed. 💸 L$ are worth less. 🌀 The loop is unsustainable.
So we’re unplugging — for a month — to breathe, explore, connect, and remember what Second Life used to feel like before it became just another sales feed.
This isn’t a protest. It’s perspective. Not a ban — but a boundary. Not harm — but healing.
✨ Support sims. Tip artists. Host meetups. Style your inventory. Explore again. Let SL be about experience, not exhaustion.
Imogen Aurelia
Even though I love shopping in SL, I’m totally on board with taking a pause. A reset for 30 days to stop the constant cycle of buying, and just enjoy what I already have. Maybe even do something different in Second Life. What’s that something else? Hanging out with friends, exploring sims, playing a game. Just being present.
This isn’t about boycotting anyone. I love SL creators. I’ve been shopping and blogging for over 18 years. But even from the consumer side, I can feel the burnout. Creators are producing too much, too fast, and shoppers can’t keep up. I miss when a new release felt special for months, when we showed it off to friends and designers actually had time to enjoy the success of their work instead of rushing into the next release or discounting at a weekend sale.
If going 30 days without shopping feels impossible, you can still take part in a way that works for you. Maybe that means buying only the things you really love instead of grabbing everything just because it’s new or on sale. Personally, I’ve been buying less without even meaning to. My inventory is out of control — I’m at 93K now and trying hard not to hit 100K. I need this break just to organize and reset. That alone is a project.
Can you still enjoy SL without buying anything? Yes. Absolutely. Brands are always giving away gifts and store credit. Most of us have inventory full of unopened things. You can wear what you already have in a new color or styled differently. You can still support creators you love this month by wearing items that you already own.
Some people might say this kind of pause hurts the economy or puts creators at risk, but that’s a much bigger conversation. Most of us are just players. We’re not here to keep the grid economy afloat. I’ve spent years spending money in SL, and I’ll continue to support the creators I love, but I don’t believe it’s my responsibility to make sure everyone is earning. SL is a hobby for most of us. We engage with it how and when we want to.
So I’m trying out Blackout August. I might go the full 30 days, or maybe just a week here and there. But I’m doing it. You can too. Try it in a way that feels right for you. Let Second Life be fun again, not just a sales feed. Let’s breathe a little.
If you ever want to make an entrance in Second Life, you need a gown and a crown. The Rosalinda Crown from Sparkle Skye comes as a full double crown or two separate headbands. You can even get creative with the mix-and-match color options. I have no idea where I’m going in this look, but when the moment calls for it, I’ll be ready. You can find this crown at Midnight Order.
Just Because is one of my favorite spots for gowns. The price is fair and the HUD gives you tons of colors and options. I’m wearing the Magnolia gown from Just Because, and I love that you can toggle the flowers on or off if you want something a little simpler. It’s no secret that I love gowns and dressing like I’m a 19th century lady.
