Fantasy Avatar: The Demoness

September 11, 2020February 19, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Not all Second Life avatars have to be human. In fact, non human avatars are a common sight in Second Life. Today I’ll be showing you a beautiful demoness. The best part about making many fantasy humanoids is that they can build off the human base you may already be using!
Shoutout to hhhnnnnnggggggg for inspiring this post! The redditor commented on a post about Second Life Avatar Questions and mentioned he or she had purchased a set of bento demon wings. That in addition to a short conversation about fantasy avatars gave me the little push to start showing off some non human characters.

Get the Demoness Look

Since most players likely have the basics they enjoy using (such as a body, feet, hands, head) I haven’t included those in this section. I used mostly products that I already had, however a few new purchases were made. 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.

Wings and Tail- EVolved creatures

EVolved creatures creates bento fantasy enhancements for avatars. At the time of this posting the current selection is small, but each item is versatile, great quality, and beautiful. They currently offer the following products:

Free Dove Friday: February 17, 2017

January 25, 2021February 17, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Since discovering The Free Dove, I’ve decided to showcase one look a week with items from the store. Welcome to the second installment of Free Dove Friday!

This week showcases products by alaskametro and 1 Hundred.

Fast Facts On The Brands

alaskametro
- Clothes, shoes, makeup, nail polish, skins, you name it, alaskametro has it.
- Focused on products for women.
- Larger selection at the Marketplace Store.
1 Hundred.
- Offers a diverse collection of clothing for women.
- Has a group gift section.
- More to find at the Marketplace Store.

Shapes and Skins: Making You Unique

September 11, 2020February 12, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Note: While the images used are of products from 2017 when the post was originally written, the content has been reviewed to ensure it is relevant for 2020.

Shapes and Skins are a core part of your Second Life avatar. They determine your proportions and how your body looks to you and others. The skin compliments the shape and vice versa. Nowadays many skins come with shapes, but not all of them do! You can also buy shapes on their own. Keep reading to learn just how your shape and skin choices can make you look unique.

Shape Basics

Your shape controls the base shape of your avatar. When using a system avatar every single slider will alter a different part of your head, body, hands, or feet. With mesh avatars these can be altered as well, however some sliders may or may not have much of an impact on what you see. You can purchase shapes, create your own, or edit some that you’ve already obtained (as long as they have modify permissions).

I think of the shape as the foundation of my avatar. Every skin, every piece of clothing, and every accessory is used in conjunction with the shape. As shapes vary greatly it’s not uncommon for some clothing and accessories to require a little alteration to fit perfectly on a custom shape.

Free Dove Friday: February 10, 2017

January 25, 2021February 10, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Since discovering The Free Dove, I’ve decided to showcase one look a week with items from the store. Welcome to the first installment of Free Dove Friday!

This week showcases products by Duh!, Apple May Designs, and KingbalStores.

Fast Facts On The Brands

Duh!
- Shoes and accessories
- Main store has mostly women’s items,
- Marketplace store has more men’s items.
Apple May Designs
- Skins, shapes, clothing, shoes, and accessories
- Main store focuses on women
- Marketplace store has more options for men
KingbalStores
- Shoes and clothing
- Sells products for men and women
- Marketplace store has huge selection

Spotlight on Graffitiwear

January 25, 2021February 7, 2017 by Asia Ristow

If you’re anything like me you love finding diverse, high quality, and unique outfits for your avatar. After all, how you dress is a huge part of how others in Second Life see you. Thankfully Graffitiwear has a wonderful selection of products to make you stand out.

Shopping Graffitiwear

Founded in 2009 by Chalice Piers, Graffitiwear has been offering high quality clothes in world and on the Marketplace for longer than some players have even been around. Visiting the in world store has the added benefits of Lucky Letter Boards, Midnight Mania, Discount Roulette, and Gifts for group members as well as a Lucky Dip available to anyone. Whether you need cute casual wear, sexy lingerie, a dress for the night out, or makeup and accessories to finish your look, you’ll find it here.

Click for full view

Double Sweater Set

This double sweater set may very well be my favorite top right now. It comes in three themes: Dark Love, Playful Love, and Rose Love. The fatpack includes all the themes for a total of 12 tank tops and 9 sweaters to go over them. This makes 108 different tank and sweater combinations! If it’s too warm for the sweater you can totally rock the tank top itself. The value doesn’t stop at variety, check out the quality in the image to the left. I encourage you to view the full image so you can see just how much love and hard work went into the texture of these pieces.

Mix & Match: Clothing and Accessories

July 22, 2020February 5, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.

Your Second Life avatar is essentially you. It’s how others see you in world and for many it’s how they see themselves. Today we’ll be talking about how to mix & match clothing and accessories to make your avatar unique. If your avatar needs an entire makeover from the ground up, consider reading my series Making A New You for a guided path from start to final product.

Mix & Match Basics

Generally when making a look you want to have an idea, no matter how small, of what you’d like. Do you want to build your outfit around a certain color? Perhaps you are going to a themed party and need to dress with a topic in mind. Do you have one piece you really love and want to make something special using it? All of these are great starting points.

Whenever I make a new look, I always use what I have first. You’d be surprised how different you can appear with just a change of hair or a different top! Every time I shop I consider how versatile the items are. If I end up purchasing something I try to select a product that can be used in many outfits or even a fatpack that offers various colors and styles. This makes future mix & matching so much easier!

“Ooh la la Paris Love!” at Fashion Dazzle

January 25, 2021February 3, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Every month Fashion Dazzle runs a themed sales event. For February 2017 we get to shop with a flair for Paris! This month’s products range in price from 90L$ to 1500L$, though you can find two tops for 10L$ each! Read on for sneak peeks and a full list of participants.

Sneak Peeks

You’re here for the sneakin’, aren’t you? Well I won’t make you wait! As always, the images can be clicked for full view so you can check out the details on these beautiful outfits. Items available at the event are listed in bold.

The Free Dove’s February 2017 Mini Hunts!

January 25, 2021February 1, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Looking for a free makeover? Look no further! The Free Dove is hosting three mini hunts featuring the works of Cero Style, alaskametro, and Marquesse. Read on for more details!

February Hunts at The Free Dove

Each designer has a small section showing you the item you’re looking for in the store. Each section also shows at least one item you can get from the designer. The object you’re hunting for can be found to the left of the brand’s name. The designers’ products used in the photos will be listed under the images in each section. As always, full photo credits can be found at the bottom of the post and each image can be clicked for full view.

The Basics Of Second Life Hunts

September 11, 2020January 30, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.

Hunting in Second Life may conjure up the image of virtual big game shooting experiences. While that probably exists on grid, it’s not what we’re talking about today; we’re focusing on shopping events! Second Life hunts are a fun way to collect items for both your avatar and your home. Here are the very basics of hunting events in Second Life.

What Exactly Is A Second Life Hunt?

Imagine if a scavenger hunt, hide and seek, and some Second Life goodies were all shaken up together. The result? A Second Life hunt! You’re given a place to start looking and then you scour the area for the product. Usually the product is boxed in a themed shape such as a little coin, apple, or animal. Once you find the product you activate it (usually by touching or paying) to receive the gift and a hint about the next item to find. Most hunts only run for a set amount of time, so make sure to check the dates before you start!

Hunts can be free or they may have a charge. They may hide all the items in one sim or in locations all over the grid. Each and every hunt is different and appeals to different people. One person may enjoy a smaller hunt with items that aren’t too hard to find while another may prefer spending hours looking for many tricky items.

The Free Dove

September 11, 2020January 27, 2017 by Asia Ristow

Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.

Since 2005 The Free Dove has been helping players make their Second Life avatars absolutely gorgeous. The store is filled with clothes, shoes, hair, accessories, and more so everyone can look stylish. The cost? Absolutely nothing. That’s right, nearly everything at The Free Dove is completely free of charge.

Shopping At The Free Dove

Located in beautiful Gallii, The Free Dove caters to new players and veterans alike. The store itself has easy to see guides on everything from basic etiquette to unpacking your purchases. While the place is extremely newbie friendly, veteran players don’t want to pass up the chance to visit. Even though there is no cost for the majority of items at the store, the products at The Free Dove are generally good quality. The owner, Palomma Casanova, handpicks all the designers to ensure everything meets her standards. The second floor hosts a few Gacha machines and low cost vendors, though the majority of the products are on the free first floor. Whether you’re just starting your inventory or you’re rounding out your collection, The Free Dove has something for you.

You WILL need to join The Free Dove’s group to get any of the items.