I recently visited Kawaii Secrets to try on an outfit, and to my delight, I stumbled upon a plethora of free gifts at the event. It turns out they are celebrating the event’s birthday! One of the aspects I especially appreciated was that each designer had attached a photo to every gift box, giving me a clear idea of what I was about to click on. I adhere to a personal rule: if I pick up a free gift, I must open it, try it on, and then decide if I want to keep it. Following this, I discovered a treasure trove of adorable items at this event!
Isn’t there something uniquely satisfying about snagging free items compared to purchasing them? I adore a good gift. For instance, the face stickers from Beauty Unleashed and Pixi are simply adorable. I also picked up a couple of free tintable blushes that add a lovely touch to my look. The highlight for me, however, has to be the free hair bows from Usagi Society. These beauties are modifiable, allowing me to tint them into a beautiful light green pastel color. I probably wouldn’t have used the hair bows if they weren’t tintable since the original colors provided by the HUD were kind of bold and I prefer softer colors. Now, I can’t wait to wear these hair bows all the time—they’re super cute and something I would have gladly purchased.
Speaking of cute freebies, Mewsery is giving away the Omfy Bear with a fantastic customizable HUD at the event, and it’s absolutely adorable. I also fell in love with a rainbow purse from Believe that I received as a gift.
While I typically don’t cover freebies—leaving that job to the excellent FabFree blog—I can definitely understand the thrill of discovering a great freebie that you simply have to share with the world.
Hi everyone! I was super excited to try on this Nicki hairstyle from Truth. I like all of Nicki Minaj’s experiments with bright hair colors. This Nicki hairstyle comes with some special hair colors not usually part of Truth’s colors. You can wear the hair with fun prints or turn the prints off with a HUD.
Today, I’m channeling a different music artist. Can you guess who? When I saw this bright red hair color, I immediately thought of Britney Spears in the “Toxic” music video.
Also, don’t miss out on Anthology this month. My adorable dress is the Lucie dress from Jack Spoon. This dress is PBR, giving it a bit of a nice sheen. I did notice my aerola on one side was visible through the low-cut top, so I added nipple covers. Thankfully, my body skin from The Skinnery includes them.
And since Halloween is just around the corner, I went with a red and black theme today. I’m also baking some sweets in my friend’s sweet retro kitchen! My baking accessories are the Chromaluxe Bakeware set from Waffle, which you can also find at this month’s Anthology event.
Even though I seem to buy a new skin every week, I just couldn’t resist getting another one. This is the Cheryl skin from Amara Beauty, available at Access. I’ve added a lot of makeup tattoo fixes to this skin; if you want a step-by-step guide on that in a future blog post, let me know in the comments!
Back in February, I blogged about the new LAQ Era2 Mesh Head and highlighted some of its exciting new features. One standout was the Supreme UHD skin, boasting a higher resolution that truly impressed. Recently, while browsing through Flickr, I stumbled upon a breathtaking ad from LAQ showcasing their new Elvae skin. The shine and texture of the skin looked absolutely amazing—I simply had to try it!
One thing I love about PBR (Physically Based Rendering) is the enhanced shine on skins in specific lighting conditions. It adds a level of realism that’s hard to beat. I’m hoping more skin designers will explore PBR and update their processes to offer us a wealth of lighting add-ons.
After tweaking my shape to match the Elvae skin and the LAQ Era2 Elle mesh head, I was blown away by the realism. It could easily be mistaken for one of those popular mesh people rezzed around Second Life or maybe even resemble characters from the upcoming inZOI game.
Are you on the hunt for more realistic, high-definition skins now that PBR is here? I’d love to hear from you! If you’ve discovered any must-try skins, drop a comment and let me know!
I went to the FLF Bday Bash primarily for the gifts but ended up walking away with a new skin! I got the demo, found it super cute, and after a bit of deliberation, I couldn’t resist since it was only L$50. If you’re like me and love free gifts, this event is a treasure trove with tons of them inside the lanterns in front of each shop. I have to admit, I have a bit of an addiction to collecting these gifts— sometimes I use them, sometimes I don’t. But who can resist a great deal?
Now, let’s talk about the skin! It’s from a brand I hadn’t worn before: Akeruka. They’re famous for their mesh heads, but did you know they also create skins? The fatpack is just L$350, but I decided to go for a single tone. I opted for the Lara skin in Porcelain tone because my usual go-to shade, Chantilly, seemed too tan this time around. Many brands produce skins for Velour tones, but Chantilly can vary widely across them. So, I chose a lighter tone and paired it with the Sorbet tone from The Skinnery for a perfect match.
I initially wanted to wear this Lara skin with lighter add-on brows, but the no-brows version wasn’t a good fit. The eyeshadow sits very high and, on the no-brows version, it ends abruptly instead of fading out. Despite this, I’m determined to make lighter brows work eventually because I love the look. For today, though, I decided to go brunette since the skin was too pretty to pass up.
I also rediscovered my love for KUNI hair recently. I went to their store during a hair sale and ended up purchasing four different styles. With Materials turned on, the hair looks incredibly realistic. There’s no AI at work here, only the magic of Second Life. I don’t remember KUNI hair textures looking this amazing pre-PBR, so the combination of PBR and Materials must be doing wonders.
I want to clarify that I don’t know the creator of Blueberry (Blueberryxx) personally. Everything I’m sharing here is based on public information and my own observations.
If you’ve been a resident of Second Life for a while, you’re probably familiar with the brand Blueberry. From my understanding, Blueberry is comprised of a team of creators and customer service representatives (CSRs) and has been consistently releasing content since 2012. This brand has been quite successful. In January 2023, it was announced that Blueberry raised $6 million in seed funding, which means they got investors. As you may know, when investors come on board, they take partial ownership in exchange for their capital.
A little over a year later, in April 2024, Blueberry informally announced the closure of the brand on Facebook. This news shocked their fans in Second Life, who refused to believe that the closure was permanent, thinking it might just be a break. The announcement remained inconsistent over several weeks, causing confusion about whether Blueberry was taking a break or closing for good. The CSRs in Second Life eventually announced that there were no staff members available, and they were effectively just volunteering while the brand was winding down.
Residents had several months to spend their store credit and come to terms with Blueberry’s closure. Then, in August, the creator of Blueberry announced a comeback under a new brand called “The Kiwi Co.” under a new avatar (Kiwi Blossom). Side note: did you know that a kiwi is also a type of berry?
Here’s what we know: Blueberry’s investors decided to close the portion of the business operating in Second Life. Blueberry the brand is still active on other platform, such as Roblox. While the Blueberry brand remains closed in Second Life, all of the products are still available on the Marketplace. The creator of Blueberry decided to reopen without the investors, taking her former Second Life team back with her and launching The Kiwi Co.
I’m not certain why the creator chose to return to Second Life under a new brand, but I do know that it’s a savvy business move to leave the old brand behind. With the introduction of Physically Based Rendering (PBR) and several new avatar bodies since Blueberry’s launch in 2012, why not rebrand and start fresh? Very few brands in Second Life tend to update old content with PBR or new bodies; they prefer to move forward and create new products. Supporting new products is simpler than managing a vast catalog of old ones.
So, if you loved the Blueberry aesthetic, you’ll be pleased with The Kiwi Co. The launch includes a dress and a pair of shoes as a gift to customers. Offering a generous free gift during a brand launch or re-launch is a smart strategy. The Grace Dress and shoes are both fatpacks, available in PBR and non-PBR versions.
Transferring Blueberry credit to The Kiwi Co
If you have Blueberry credit that you want to transfer to The Kiwi Co, please contact Blueberryxx resident in Second Life to facilitate the transfer.
I’ll show you the difference between the PBR (Physically Based Rendering) version of the dress and the non-PBR (Blinn–Phong) version. I photographed both with the same lighting in a PBR viewer. My EEP is optimized for PBR, which makes the non-PBR version appear a bit flat. Both versions look great, but if you know how to adjust your lighting, PBR will always stand out more. This dress features very subtle PBR effects, as it’s not a shiny fabric. I experimented with extra light sources to highlight the fabric, but most users probably won’t notice this while wearing it in-world.
I won’t endorse any specific PBR viewer, but if you’re still using a non-PBR viewer, consider upgrading (if possible). Second Life is evolving, and many brands might stop providing fallback textures, focusing solely on PBR optimization.
If you want to check out this dress, visit The Kiwi Co. in SL!
Summer is almost over! It’s the perfect time to take a final dip in the pool and soak up some sunshine. I recently discovered some cute items at Anthology, and I’m especially in love with the adorable Bloom Swimsuit from Red Blossom. The HUD from this brand is incredible, providing so many color options that you can really customize it to your liking.
Ives – Bibi Skin @ Anthology
Occasionally, I step out of my comfort zone and try on a new skin. This time, I chose the Bibi skin from Ives, which includes tintable brows—a feature I absolutely adore. The face has a sweet look, which I enhanced with some tattoo layers from Izzie’s. Overall, the skin texture and complexion are exceptional. One unique aspect of Ives skin is the nose shading options for both the left and right side. While I’m not a huge fan of baked-on nose shading, having the option is great, especially if you want the shading to complement your lighting.
If you’re interested in checking out my outfit and accessories, head over to Anthology!
I’m thrilled about inZOI, a new life simulation game developed by Krafton, Inc. This game offers a plethora of creative freedom, reminiscent of The Sims. You can design characters, craft the environment, and shape the world to your heart’s desire.
As I’m currently experimenting with the demo version of inZOI Character Studio on Steam, I must say I’m already very impressed. Creating characters is a breeze with an array of customizable options. You can alter your face and body, and choose to be male, female, a child, or an elderly person—anything you desire within human form. The selection of hair styles, clothing, and accessories is impressive, with some items even offering color customization.
I am eagerly anticipating the release of the full game to explore beyond character creation. While I’m not an avid gamer, I adore the thought of standing around, taking photos, and changing outfits. Unfortunately, it appears to be a single-player game, which is a bit of a letdown as I was hoping to enjoy it with friends.
One of my favorite features is the built-in photo studio, complete with facial expressions, body poses, and even a few dancing animations. I can see myself ‘playing’ this game for an extended period, focusing solely on creating daily outfits.
I have a thing for layers, and I’m not just referring to the countless tattoo makeup layers on my face. I’m talking about clothing layers—complex and intricate outfits, which, unfortunately, are somewhat rare in Second Life. Autumn is almost here, and I couldn’t be more excited to layer up and frolic around golden leaves and cozy landscapes.
Today, I’m wearing this adorable Peony dress by Cheezu, available at Kustom9. Deciding on a color was tough until I discovered that Cheezu offers the entire fatpack for just L$449! What a steal. This thoughtful pricing means they consistently get those slightly higher sales, rather than just L$300 for a single color. It’s a win-win—less decision-making for me and more value for them. More brands should adopt this smart pricing strategy.
To complete my layered look, I’ve paired the dress with an Off-shoulder cardigan from Tetra. Though this cardigan is an older release and hasn’t been updated to LaraX, it’s roomy enough to perfectly complement the LaraX dress I’m wearing. I’m thrilled I can still enjoy this piece.
Layers bring such joy and variety to fashion. Here’s to more cozy, layered adventures this autumn!
I love brands that offer a multitude of options for their clothing! Take, for example, this See Through Dress from Shifuku. It includes a top, a skirt, and a full dress, all in one set. You can mix and match these pieces to create different looks or wear them individually. What I really appreciate is that all these pieces are included for one price, rather than having to purchase each one separately. Plus, the top comes with a HUD that allows you to change colors and textures – how cool is that?
Also, hello from the beautiful City of Portofino! Initially, I planned to shoot these photos at Umi, but when I arrived, I discovered that the region had been parcelled and surrounded by ban lines. Apparently, you need to pay L$500 to join the group to access the rest of the region. I’m not willing to give up a precious group space or pay to access any region in SL. Would you? There are so many stunning free locations available for photography – why pay when you can explore these beautiful, complimentary spots?
A few days ago, my friend messaged me asking what I was up to. My response? “Fixing my nostrils.” She replied, “I’ve never looked that closely at my face.” I can’t imagine not doing so! I constantly scrutinize my face, and I’ve yet to find the perfect skin in Second Life. The ability to layer up to 60 items simultaneously has truly transformed my virtual beauty routine.
For several years now, I rarely wear a base skin without adding some modifications. I owe much of this to Izzie’s, a brand that seems to fix every flaw in any skin. I humorously call Izzie Button “Dr. Izzie” because whenever my skin needs a tweak, I turn to her creations. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the Nostril Changer BoM layer. While I wasn’t particularly displeased with my original nostrils, the upgrade has made a noticeable improvement. Sometimes, designers add excess shading, which can appear too dark for my taste, but this nostril set keeps it subtle.
The Nostril Changer offers various styles, primarily differing in shading size, but my favorite feature is the optional highlight. It makes such a difference! I’ve also been adding more shine to my face using Izzie’s Highlighter Set. I dislike skins with baked-in shine but love those that include a tattoo gloss or shine layer. Glam Affair used to include this in their skins, though they seem to have stopped for some reason. With the release of PBR lighting, I think the demand for face highlights and gloss will rise, as it provides a nicer glow that matches the environment. When applied subtly, it’s fantastic; too much shine, though, can make you look like you’re wrapped in plastic.
