Into Fantasy Skins?

If you are interested in trying out some unique makeups for role-play, you might want to check out CStar Skins.  The store specializes in offering limited-edition skins, an interesting concept if you want to keep your look truly unique.  Unfortunately, their dark tone in the fantasy skins like Bloody Mary, Inferno or GoreJus is still only a light brown (but it is genuinely brownish), while their tan will work for light-skinned girls.  The demos I tried  came with cleavage, hairbase and no-hairbase options which looked fine on the body, but I think some skin tone in the face may have been sacrificed to render the makeup colors--so the face didn't really match the body!  The store is busy right now because of a recent posting on a freebie blog announcing the Lucky Chair giveaways, but experimenting with skins there, and adding some adventurous choices to your inventory can be worthwhile and fun.  The most interesting thing I saw there was a shape and skin --inspired by the recent James Cameron film Avatar--called Neptune Savage, and though the Ocean Teal (blue) version that most closely resembles the Na'vi character played by Zoe Saldana is sold out, there are versions in Ruby (red), Emerald (green) and Poisoned (purple with some green highlights) that are a pretty cool way to totally transform your own avatar.  The Geisha skins come in Modern and Modern Stone versions; while the former comes in natural skin tones with dramatic and unusual but still pretty makeups, the latter offer a total transformation of your look for really challenging your imagination--the skin of your body is grey, like stone, but it is still quite pretty too.  Unico Solo's store is at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cstar/156/103/1661/

President Obama's Visiting UM

I'm so excited that President Obama is giving the commencement address at my Alma Mater, the University of Michigan, this Saturday, May 1!  I'd actually forgotten that it was that time of year already, since I'm so focused on getting my own students ready to graduate and counting down those last few days of class myself.  I don't have any really good reason to be there in person, but I plan to tune into the Big Ten Network to hear it all, and sit in my living room and cheer and applaud and reminisce about being in Ann Arbor.  It's funny how I can sit here and mostly remember good times and good friends and feel all warm and happy about it now, when at the time, most of the time I was wondering what in the world I was doing there!  It was a big transition for me, coming from New Orleans.  First I thought I was going to die of starvation because I couldn't get used to Midwestern cooking, and then I thought I was going to die of sun-deprivation and SAD, but I survived.  Now I just want to go to Zingerman's for lunch!  I guess I will have to settle for sharing the experience with Michigan people in SL, which is the next best thing to being there!

Shopping for Skins?

I was pleasantly surprised to find so many choices for representing women of African descent when I dropped in on the sale going on now at Pulse!  Lorac Farella has developed a great deal of skill with her designing, and has made a great effort to offer a range of darker-toned skins that are flattering and realistic.  If you like freckled looks, you should check out the Emotional skin in T4; if you are expecting a wedding proposal any time soon, you might want to purchase the one of three Tears versions, which have cleverly drawn smudgy eye makeup.  If your SL is more adventurous, you may need to add the Lessons, Chafed, Fight or Punished versions that include some strategically placed bruises, band-aids, cuts and scratches, or other marks.  I found the Valeries skin in Bistre to be a bit flat and gray rather than brown, but Valeries in Sienna or Sand will work if you are going for a mixed-chick/light-skinned girl look.  I really love the dramatic makeup too, really strong eye or lip colors, and the variety of brow colors; they will make your AV's face distinctive and memorable.  I feel like I'm looking at an albino version of my familiar digital self when I try on skins that are light; it took a few tries with the i skin before I found that Nos. 1--11 were all meant to be super-pale, so skip those.  Elegance 7 is a nice warm, honey brown, with makeups named for the months of the year that are subtle and natural, and ones for the seven deadly sins that are very dramatic--they will get LOTS of attention!  There is also a choice of makeups named for the virtues (are there seven of those too?), and they are really pretty and romantic.  I think the Life skins are my favorites, and Tones 8, 9, and 10 are all warm brown skins with 8 different makeups each.  They have just the right amount of shading and highlighting to make your AV look great, and you can get it clevage-enhanced too!  Almost all skins are marked down 50% right now, so check it out!

You Are Invited!

You are invited to the opening of an expanded new gallery at Sunrise Mansion!  Join Indea Vaher tomorrow 5pm SLT, for the opening of SRM GALLERY II,  featuring the artwork of Sistagrlo Wei, Miles Eleventhauer, JudyLynn India, Miles Barbasz, Aruba DeCuir, C.C. L. and Indea herself.  Guests will be entertained by world renowned singer TJ Oanomochi.   Indea hopes you can make it:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Diamond%20Serenity%20Caye/224/190/1201

Is This Really a Dark Skin?

My pet peeve about SL (besides lags and crashes) has always been skins.  Now I do recognize and appreciate the difficulty involved in making good skins.  I'm not a designer, but I have talked about the process with those who do have experience making them, and I do have faith in many of the creative types out there who have taken on the challenge of designing quality skins.  I also appreciate being able to go into a new skin store and being pleasantly surprised to find a range of choices for women of color (those of African descent as well as those who are not) to represent themselves.  The idea that there is only one variety of *darkness* is completely passe--besides simply being inaccurate!  There is not one single version of blackness any more than there is only one kind of pale whiteness, so if designers can make variations and degrees of *tan,* consumers ought to be able to see a full range of *dark* skins too.  Whether we are Asian, South Asian, Latina, African or African American (or some combination thereof), we want to be able to create avatars that look like *real* women!

Beautiful Bodies in SL

I'm playing with Picasa, since they've finally added a feature that lets me add my snapshots to my blog.  The varieties of female beauty in SL are mostly variations on the same Barbie-doll body, but I have to say, it can be quite fun to pretend to be a Victoria's Secret model!  The three bottom photos represent some shapes available for sale; the top one is me, at home in SL.  I'm not sure whether to be happy to see choices for women of color to be female and of color in SL, or to be upset about the still somewhat limited choices that are represented.  Are we really being recognized for our uniqueness, or are we being made into exotic objects?

New Happenings...

It's been a crazy busy semester in RL, so I haven't been playing in SL nearly as much as I would like. Now I'm playing a little catch-up, passing on some of the announcments of events that I've received recently:

1) chief Inglewood posted a call for participants in the Fresh Faces 30000L$ Photo Contest. There will be a two-way split of this generous prize: the First Place Winner gets 75 % & the Second Place Winner gets 25%, and the contest is sponsored by GCRadio, Talk of The Town Magazine, Marketing Brings Results, and MBR Records, with a portion of the proceeds going to the AMP-4-A-CURE CANCER GROUP. It costs 25L$ to enter or to vote. Go to the Eastmont Mall Upper Level http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eagles%20Summit/51/239/28/

2)Jayce Slade says: A 'IGHT Y'ALL, MAKE SURE Y'ALL TUNE INTO THE SISTER STATION OF WJAY 106.9,..... KRNB 97.7 *THE GROOVE* features neo-soul and R'n'B. WE WILL HAVE THE FIRST LIVE BROADCAST OF MELLOW MONDAY WITH THE ONE AND ONLY DJ TMB. Y'ALL ALREADY KNOW HOW HE GETS DOWN SO COME ON OUT OR TUNE IN AND RELAX TO MR. MELLOW HIMSELF. http://teal.neostreams.info:11452 LIVE ON KRNB 97.7 *THE GROOVE* 8-10AM DON'T MISS THIS !!!!

3)Maris Lane invites all budding entrepreneurs and experienced store owners to Come join us at ￡avish Mal; for their GRAND OPENING SPECIAL!!! PAY FOR 3 WEEKS (OR MORE) AND GET ONE WEEK FREE!!
♠ Three spacious store sizes and stalls available with excellent amount of prims per unit.
♠ These high quality shops and stalls are in a low lag sim, so please have a look around!
♠ Sleek, and classy look and can be modified to your request. [inside only]
♠ Affordable rent!
♠ Midnight Mania Boards offered for you store upon request, to help bring traffic to your location.
Prices are starting at.....
1.) Regular Shop - 130prims/ L$400 ...per week
2.) Large Shop - 375prims/ L$725 ...per week [limited only 4 of these units]
2.) One Stall - 25prims/ L$110 ...per week
Mall will be adverstised by us, but we also recommend you advertise your own shop also.
Please IM or send a Note Card to owners Tiyah Triellis or Maras Lane with rental questions.
**ONCE YOU HAVE RENTED A UNIT PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF US FOR A GROUP TAG SO YOU CAN REZ***Sorry, once units are rented there will be no refunds should you wish to end the term early.*Prims will also be monitored so please adhere to them or items may be returned.http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ilo%20/178/36/21/

4) DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT IS HIRING DANCERS TO WORK PRIVATE AND PUBLIC EVENTS AND PARTIES.
PLEASE CONTACT ENTYCE GOLDLUST FOR MORE INFORMATION
and an application. You can HAVE FUN AND MAKE MONEY TOO!
WILL TRAIN!!

5)(¨*•.¸´•. :: Chocolate Entertainment Inc. :: ¸.•´¸.•*¨)
♥ Got a party?♥ Need a proper bachelorette send off?♥ Your next rezz day party needs just a hint more sugar?
Naughty or nice, Chocolate Entertainment is here to fulfill your entertainment needs!
You can check out our office or contact Godiva Rugani or JaMarcus Jonstone for questions.
(¨*•.¸´•. :: WE ARE HIRING! :: ¸.•´¸.•*¨)

6) SRM Museum and Art Gallery celebrates Thanksgiving with a special film, The Thanksgiving Story, which depicts Native Americans teaching the pilgrims to survive. A lesser known story is the alliance of enslaved Africans and Native Americans, this week's film in the Media Room, as a special feature, we examine Black Indians, narrated by James Earl Jones. Next week will continue with our regular schedule. PLEASE VISIT THE GALLERY'S two new harvest paintings; At Harvest Time, and Harvest 1998. Shops are now available at SRM’S New Marketplace. These quaint little shops offer classic flavor and rustic charm. SRM has an eclectic and diverse visitor base from all over SL, and RL which is great exposure for your business. Shops are located near our Spa, new Café and Remembrance exhibit. Very reasonable. Contact Indea Vaher for more info. http://slurl.com/secondlife/ZoHa%20Islands%20/25/194/21/