Sunday, January 29, 2012

.XIV Brings Glory

Turn in Time

I don't normally do a look based (almost) entirely off of a hunt, but this photoshoot may have changed my mind. If you love Lolita, you need to do the Cafe hunt - simple as that. I'm keeping easily 50% of what I found, which by my usual hunt standards is impressive (I usually keep or like 10-20% of a hunt), and several items are going to show up in future photoshoots because the quality is simply that high. You can see it in the layering of the bow in the back of this dress - solid bow shape plus a froth of lace make this cafe-style dress from MiuMin really stand out, especially as something you can get for free. The shoulders and sleeves have multiple prim attachments to make it flow smoothly, and the neckline is all kimono - seamlessly blending with the Lolita of the dress, and the froth of skirt flows smoothly and slowly, perfect for catching the air of a turn inside of a still frame. The corset includes an invisible layer - though if your waist is narrow enough you can get away without it - and adds a very natural curve which really finishes the look. The outfit also includes the matching headband and soft white stockings, but not the shoes.

Night Light

The shoes, which have these adorable flower accents on top, are one of three made by .XIV, the same place where my pictures are taken. They're one of three tones, though all are fairly dark, and the quality level is as high as the decorative styling of the sim itself. These are actually the literal first prize of the hunt - so if you hunt these down, you will get started in style. The hair is from Ocello Sleep, and is an adorable froth of curls with a foodie twist. Yes, indeed, the toast is included in the look! The texture isn't my favorite - I have a tendency toward uber-realistic hair despite not being entirely uber-realistic myself - and I'm rarely a brunette, but I loved the accents of clips on the bangs. It's definitely built for a narrower head than mine (Deoridhe has a heart-shaped head), and you can't edit individual prims, but it is resizable and with a little work I made it work all right with my head (though it did make my head look all long!). I love the curls and toast, though, so I couldn't resist keeping it on for these pictures. The ears are from a store I actually know, ni.ju, and am growing more and more to love. They are adorably huge with comically oversized bows accented by strawberries. I may end up fluttering my eyelashes cutely at some skin makers to see if I can get matching skin, I like these so much. And they totally need a tail. And maybe a little strawberry in the mouth.

Am I getting a little demanding? Opps.

Even Look

The eyes and skin are also from this hunt - really, I got almost a full makeover from it, and that is impressive. The eyes are from Mariko Cafe, and though normally I'm not a fan of brown eyes, I completely fell in love with these. The lighting is translucent and clear, and the tone is a warm, rich brown which really makes me smile. The skin from Shiva is a warm almond with gorgeously undertoned shadows around the eyes and the cutest pink lip I've seen in a while. Any imperfections you can see are due to limitations of the shape, not the skin; from what I can see, it's really seamless. This close-up of this MiuMin dress shows some more of the details - the little ribbon, the tiny ruffles that are textured perfectly; have I mentioned how perfect this dress is? I'm also amazed at how much each item works together - considering they were from very different stores - the pinks and browns flow together beautifully for a truly stunning final look.

Today I had the fun, too, of being able to hunt with dear friends. It reminded me of the fun of chatting and bouncing between stores, sharing what we can find and just enjoying being with wonderful people - so thank you to my dear friends who make my Second Life worth living! You are true blessings.

Flights of Fancy

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Shiva, Maria 1 Skin - hunt
Eyes: Mariko Cafe, Coffe Eyes 02
Ears: ni.ju, Ichigo's Desert
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 05-A
Hair: Ocello Sleep, BRAKE ponpon
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: MiuMi, Cafe MiniKimono
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger Talisman
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring
Shoes: .XIV, Anna's Flats - black

Poses: Glitterati

Location: .XIV
Light Settings: Places Annamaria

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

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