I created today’s avatar in celebration of the Fantasy Faire. Second Life has hundreds, if not thousands, of events but a few things make the Fantasy Faire stand out. First, it’s massive. You’ll find more than 200 designers spanning over a dozen themed sims. Don’t be intimidated though, there’s a handy shopping guide to help you out. Second, it’s extremely in depth. This isn’t just a sale, this is a full fledged Faire. There are live events going on throughout the entire duration of the Faire. Third, and most importantly, the Faire is participating in Relay For Life. As of this post, Second Life has raised over L$4,000,000 (nearly $16,000 USD) for the American Cancer Society.
This is a very important cause for me as my mom beat cancer last year.
7 Deadly s{K}ins
The base for this disturbing yet beautiful moth woman is the skin Opal from 7 Deadly s{K}ins. Opal is a paper white skin, however there are variations for purchase. Each eyebrow color comes in an Omega applier pack with three skin variants including both the face and body. You can choose from pink, blue, white (seen here), grey, or no eyebrows for $L499 each. The fatpack includes all 5 colors as well as black eyebrows for L$1,996.
The Opal shape is also on sale for $L299. The shape is designed for Catwa’s Catya head and Maitreya’s Lara body. The main images in this post don’t use the Opal shape, however you can see it on the promo image below.
Another huge perk of such a pale skin is the tint factor. If you use body parts that have tint options for the skin layer you can tint this white to any available color. It’s wonderful for fantasy avatars of all hues!
Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.
This post is currently in the process of being updated. Please bear in mind the info presented may be out of date. A more in depth version is coming soon!
While the standard system heads can look nice, many people opt for mesh heads instead. With mesh you have many options, not only based on creator and style, but also in what type of head to get. Both standard and bento mesh heads have their uses. Read on to learn which is more suited to your own personal needs.
Catwa: Vampire Annie (Standard Mesh)
Standard Mesh Heads
Standard mesh heads are a bit out of date now that bento has been out for a while. What you see is what you get in terms of shape. You can alter the appearance with different skins, but the base itself will not change. Think of using skins like painting a sculpture. The final product will look different depending on the colors and shapes you use but the sculpture itself remains unchanged under the paint. For more information about how much of an impact shapes and skins have on your look check out our informational post.
Standard doesn’t necessarily mean static. While some standard mesh heads don’t move at all, many have movement options. The movement ranges from basic blinking to more in depth expression HUDs allowing for smiling, sticking tongues out, and more. Standard mesh heads won’t move with bento AOs or poses, however. They’ll only move with whatever HUDs are made for that specific head.
Bento Heads
Catwa: Lona (Bento Mesh)
Bento mesh heads are a godsend for people who want to switch up their appearance on a regular basis. With bento mesh you can adjust your facial shape with the appearance sliders. This allows for an entirely different base shape as often as you’d like. Combined with the use of skins you can get many different looks with just one purchase. For more information about how much of an impact shapes and skins have on your look check out our informational post.
As with standard heads, bento heads do not have to remain static. Many have in depth animations so you can express your mood through your face. Different brands have different animations so make sure to look into them before purchasing. Now that bento has been out for a while, bento animations are widely available. Companies like Vista can animate your bento face as part of their AOs.
Last night Maitreya released Lara 4.0, the much anticipated bento update for the popular body. Most of my groups, even the ones not related to Maitreya, were filled with excited chatter about the new Maitreya bento hands. So many people tried to get to the store upon release that the sim had to be closed to the public for at least a few hours. The sim is open again, however it’s bustling with activity so you may have trouble getting in. No need to fear, if you already have Lara you don’t have to go to the sim to get your update!
Getting Your New Body
If you already own Lara you’ll most likely already have your update waiting for you when you log in. If this isn’t the case simply remove and reattach your current Lara body. This should trigger a redelivery. If this doesn’t work go to the Maitreya Store and use the redelivery terminal. Please bear in mind that this is a new update and things may be a little slow the first few days.
If you don’t own Lara you’ll have to purchase her. You can do this by visiting the store in world. Make sure to demo if you haven’t already, she’s a big and important purchase! At the time of this post she cost $L2750 and includes the body, classic and bento hands, feet, 5 shapes, and two bra/panty sets.
Maitreya Lara 4.0 Updates
Let’s start with the officially announced updates, shall we? Straight from Maitreya’s Update Card:
The hands are now rigged to the bento skeleton, allowing for finger movement. The classic hands are also still included in the package.
There are 14 hand poses added to the HUD (Skins & Options page), which can be used in combination with all your model poses and AOs.
There are 2 new nail shapes added: Stiletto nails and Almond nails, and the option for no nails (if you want to wear Maitreya compatible mesh nails made by other stores).
The skin textures have been adjusted to fit the new bento hands.
Digging Deeper
This update is primarily about the hands with small adjustments to the included skins and the HUD to further benefit the new Maitreya bento hands. As with the other bento hands the Maitreya hands are compatible with third party bento poses and AOs. Maitreya’s hands do not come with default idle animations.
Note: While the images are from 2017 products, the content has been reviewed and is up to date as of July 2020.
If you’re a regular to the blog you know I’m a firm proponent of demoing products before purchase. I’ve had people ask if and why demos in Second Life are really important. People have also told me that they don’t want to spend the extra time demoing a product they already know they’ll like. Demos are very important, even if you’re absolutely in love with the item! Today I’ll cover what to look for when demoing so you can learn why you should never skip the demo step if it’s available.
What’s A Demo?
Demos are inexpensive (usually free or 1 linden dollar) versions of products made for you to test out before making a final purchase. Think of demos as trying on new clothes or shoes before you buy them. You wouldn’t want to make a big purchase just to find that the jacket doesn’t fit and can’t be returned, would you? In addition to being inexpensive, demos also tend to have something missing or added so you don’t use it instead of the final product. This may be weird/missing textures, extra shapes, or even a timed product that can’t be used after a period of time passes. You wouldn’t want to wear a demo out to the party you’re heading to later. The entire point of the demo is to ensure the product is what you need before making the purchase.
In 2023, appliers are not as widely used as most folks use Bakes on Mesh (Commonly referred to as BOM). I’m keeping these pages available now since some may find them helpful, but if you’re new to SL or making a new avatar you may want to check out your BOM options instead!
Note: While the images are from 2017 products, the content has been reviewed and is up to date as of July 2020.
Appliers are one of the most commonly used items for mesh bodies. I see a lot of users asking questions about Second Life appliers or being confused as to what appliers can offer them. Today I’ll go over what they are, how to use them, and why you may want them.
Second Life Appliers: The Basics
Think of appliers like classic avatar clothing for mesh avatars (excluding BOM – more on that in this post). The applier itself is an object (usually a HUD) that applies a texture to mesh body parts. Some of the more common textures are skins, clothes, and makeup. Tattoos, beards, and scars are also textures that can be used via applier, as well as anything else you would want on your mesh body. To understand appliers you first must know about layers.
Layers
Layers allow multiple textures to be worn at once. Lower layers are hidden by higher layers. You’ll find the skin almost always applies automatically to the lowest layer. Most commonly you’ll have three other layers to select from when using non skin appliers.
Think of your real body and clothing for a moment. Your skin is one layer, any tattoos you may have are on a layer above it, your underwear is another layer above, and your regular clothing is the layer on top. Your tattoos hide what’s on the skin under them. Underwear hides any tattoos under it and your pants hide your underwear. It’s exactly the same on your avatar. Here is a breakdown of the most common layers:
Skin
Skin appliers almost always automatically apply to this layer.
As such layers usually aren’t even listed as an option for users.
Covers the body parts as the lowest layer.
Anything else applied will be seen on top of the skin.
Tattoo
This is applied directly over the skin, but under the Underwear and Clothing layers.
This means it’ll show on top of the skin but anything on the Underwear or Clothing layers will cover it up.
Popular for not only tattoos but also makeup, beards, scars, blood, bruises, and anything else that would be visible over the skin but covered by clothing.
Underwear
Applied over the Tattoo layer but under the Clothing layer.
Just like in real life this will cover your skin and anything that’s directly on your skin via the Tattoo layer.
This doesn’t only have to be used for bras, boxers, and panties.
Want to wear a long sleeved shirt under a crop top? Apply the long sleeved shirt on the Underwear layer and the crop top on the Clothing layer.
Clothing
The Clothing layer is the top layer.
As such it will cover anything on other layers since they are below it.
Want to get creative? Use Tattoos as decoration on clothes!
Instead of placing a Tattoo on the Tattoo layer, consider placing it on the Clothing layer with the shirt or pants on the Underwear layer.
This will show the Tattoo over the clothing and it may look like a neat design. Then again it may not. Play around!
With the basic knowledge of how layers work you’re able to experiment and play with different ideas. Give the tattoo on clothing and the layered shirts a shot!
While today is another fantasy avatar post, it’s actually doubling as a charity event awareness post. Read on for some super fun Dryad photos, information about the products used, and to learn how you can help a Second Life user in need.
Meet Elicio Ember
Elicio Ember has been playing Second Life since 2008. His location Cerridwen’s Cauldron has both beautifully scenic areas as well as a wonderful shopping selection. Last month tragedy struck his family causing him to put Second Life on hold, including pulling out of the Fantasy Faire. Below I have included excerpts from Elicio Ember’s Facebook. Please feel free to read his entire post and the update for more in depth information.
My father had a stroke yesterday…There is no clear prognosis yet but things are serious and some kind of neural damage is confirmed.
Public health security in Mexico is insufficient and often of very low quality. My father has no health protection whatsover. Its a russian rullete. People can be treated well and recover. People die waiting to be treated (or) die by malpractice. So we took him to a private hospital before risking a long wait.
I have 5 sisters, but not even between all of us we will be able to pay for the hospital charges without severly straining all our economies, not even considering all the expenses of rehab and care that will follow if…well. If he makes it. Which might be actually more terryifing than if he does not as its yet uncertain what the rehab possibilites are.
Elicio Ember
Continue reading to learn how to help Elicio and make your own Dryad
Known for their high quality mesh body parts, Slink has been respected for a long time by many players. Their mesh feet have dominated the market and spawned thousands of shoes created specifically for use with them by various brands. Today the highly anticipated Slink bento hands, known as Slink Dynamic Hands, hit the market. Read on to learn all about them and for a comparison to Vista’s Bento Prohands.
Not all Second Life avatars have to be human. You’ve seen The Demoness, the Elven Maiden, and the Vampire Queen. Get ready for the sexy adorable Neko Girl! Men can be Neko characters as well, all you need are ears and a tail! The cute outfit is just a bonus. Today’s look shows off items from Aii The Ugly & Beautiful, Catwa, and Caboodle.
Get The Neko Girl Look
Neko Girl (and Boy) style can really be anything. Some people prefer the sexy avatar, some prefer cutesy. I went sexy for this post since the outfit I wanted to share is a bit on the revealing side. The core parts of a neko are the ears and tail. Kitty eyes are a bonus but not required. I happened to already have all of these items, but neko products aren’t hard to find if you need to shop!
Aii The Ugly & Beautiful sells fantasy products of all types for all genders. You can find skins, body modifications (such as a centipede lower body), clothing, accessories, tattoos, and more at their lovely store. They also have tons of free gifts and group gifts as well as a large gacha room.
The ears and tail I’m wearing are both from the Neko Neko Gacha created for Fantasy Gacha Carnival February of 2017. Both are bento and have super adorable movements included. There is no HUD AO for these two items, they simply handle the cute little twitches and wiggles on their own.
Not all Second Life avatars have to be human. You’ve seen The Demoness and the Elven Maiden. Today I’ll be showing you the Vampire Queen, featuring a vampire mesh head from Catwa, gorgeous facial jewelry from Swallow, and a uniquely beautiful dress from Silvery K.
Get The Vampire Queen Look
You can likely do a vampire look with items you already have. I personally purchased only a new head for this look, however even that is not required. I’d been looking for an excuse to purchase Catwa’s Annie for while, so the opportunity was too good to pass up for this post. If you’d like to copy the style completely you can find full credits at the bottom of the post. Feel free to click any image for a larger version to check out the detail.
Swallow sells a variety of accessories, jewelry, ears, and skins. Their store offers gacha machines and even a L$99 room. For accessories that make you stand out Swallow is a store you don’t want to miss.
The facial gem is actually a group gift! The group, called ^^ Swallow ^^, costs L$40 to join. Membership gives you information on new releases, promotions, and access to new gifts every month. At the time of this post the group gift wall currently has 18 free items for group members. Many people will find group membership well worth the price.
Not all Second Life avatars have to be human. A few days ago you saw The Demoness. Today I’ll be showing you a gorgeous elven maiden featuring ears from Swallow and a beautiful dress from Arwen’s Creations.
Get The Elven Maiden Look
For this character I only needed to purchase the elf ears and dress. Of course not all elves need to be clothed in flowing dresses, but I wanted mine to have a style that I didn’t currently have in my inventory. If you’d like to copy the avatar completely you can find full credits at the bottom of the post. Feel free to click any image for a larger version to check out the detail.
Swallow sells not only various ears (for elves and humans) but also a variety of accessories, jewelry, and skins. Their store offers gacha machines and even a L$99 room. For accessories that make you stand out Swallow is a store you don’t want to miss.
These ears are a real treat. They come with an in depth HUD to ensure your ears are unlike any others. There are 27 preset skin tones, but if you can’t find your match there you can use the color picker or even an RGB input for the proper color match. You can also choose between 25 “shades” (ear tip colors/glow) and 31 tattoo options including two in the style of Lord of the Rings. Sizing the ears for a perfect fit is easily handled via the HUD. Depending on your skin, the ears may have a noticeable seam where your head stops and the ears stop. If you find this to be the case you can easily cover the seam with hair or accessories.
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7 Deadly s{K}ins
