The realism in this skin amazes me! Gabriel is the latest male skin from Ispachi. He is set to be released tomorrow with loads of options to choose from. Please note that these pictures are minimally photoshopped. This is pretty much how these skins look inworld and damn I cannot stop staring at myself!

Here is some more information about these skins:

1. 8 skin tones to choose from (pale to chocolate)
2. 12 facial hair options
3. bald and hairbase options
4. with and without body hair options
5. the skin will come with a scripted penis to match your skin tone exactly

What a great idea it is to offer the penis with each skin for a perfect match. This in itself is a great selling point! I chose not to blog it though cuz I couldn’t stop giggling at myself when I had it on…so y’all will just have to go down and check it out for yourself. LOL

Check out Carthalis’ post on Gabriel to see all the skin tones and options!

I hope everyone’s having a great long weekend and Happy Labor Day! <3

Credits:
*Skin: ISPACHI Skin [ GABRIEL ] by Diarmuid Miklos (COMING SOON)
*Hair: First picture: .::MADesigns HAIR::. – Second picture: Exile (BOTH ARE FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Necklace: [AB]Male Bostonian Limited by Jori Watler
*Eyes: LeLutka
*Poses: Diesel Works

*Promotional copies

I am always amazed how the Second Life community can come together to support another community in need. This weekend brings you the opportunity not once, but twice to reach into your pockets and give for a greater cause. Not only will your avatar look fantastic, but the person behind the screen will also feel great about themselves. Project Donate and Hair Fair both officially open on September 4th.

First lets talk in detail about the project that is very near and dear to my heart. Project Donate is an endeavor started by everyone’s favorite hair stylist, Mr. Truth Hawks himself. Over 150 content creators have come together to make a difference. All items on the sim during this event will have from 50% to 100% of the proceeds going directly to the UNICEF Pakistan Flood Crisis. Project Donate will run from Sept 4th to 19th.

Hair Fair also starts tomorrow and runs from Sept 4th to 19th. The charity for Hair Fair is Wigs for Kids. Before hitting the fair, you might want to take the time to join the Hair Fair Demo group where all of the designers involved are sending their demos so you have the option to try on the hair in the comfort of your own lag-free homes before hitting up the fair.

A big thank you to all those who organized and contributed items to both these events, making it not only a fun-filled shopping weekend, but a fulfilling one as well!

Credits:
*Skin: :: DUTCH TOUCH ::AmbeR:: Ebony – Eagle by Iki Ikarus
*Hair: booN QPT129 hair by boo Nakamura (FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Dress: Prelude – Epine Bleue by Polaire Aeghin
*Tattoo: [HUZ TATS]-Henna Reborn by Hunain Bellic (FOR PROJECT DONATE)
Jewels: Sigma Jewels by Sofi Trenkins (FOR PROJECT DONATE)
*Pose: .:StoRin:. Something Cute by Annah Whitfield (FOR PROJECT DONATE)

*Promotional copies

Hair Fair begins in just a few days and the excitement is overwhelming. Unfortunately RL work has been kicking my ass so I haven’t had the time to really open all the boxes or even begin to sort. However, when I tried this flapper do on by Plurabelle Laszlo of Bliensen + MaiTai Hair, I was reminded of the roaring twenties. This is my quick tribute to the stylish, carefree and adventurous women of that era!

Credits:
*Skin: []::Tuli::[] Audrey (tone 1/br/fr) :: 02 by Tuli Asturias
*Hair: Bliensen + MaiTai Hair – Flashmans – Opium/DarkChocolate with Flapper Hair Corsage by Plurabelle Laszlo (FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Jewels: Dark Mouse by Mouse Mimistrobell
Dress: *Casa Del Shai* White Flamingo Fluff by Shai Delacroix
*Shoes: Maitreya Gold * Hana All Leathers by Onyx LeShelle
Cigarette: JCNY – Madame Couture, Cigarette and Holder ( Size – Long ) by JD Hansen
*Pose: Olive Juice by IsabellaGrace Baroque

*Promotional copies

“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see life with a clearer view again.”
Alex Tan

Credits:
Skin: (FFX Hibiscus) Isabella – what sarah said by London Dailey (House of London SOM gift, skin will be released August 27th)
Hair: !lamb. I’m a romantic – Honeycomb by Lamb Bellic
Necklace: (luc) Fashion Jewelry Heart Key Locket “Sweet Memories” by Lucas Lameth
Top: Kyoot – Beneath My Bones by Saeya Nyanda

Before I begin the tutorial, I’d like to add that the lovely printed lingerie (which is all hand drawn) is a little sneak peek. Zaara will be releasing this set in many different options and colors this weekend.

After

Please note that I have never received any sort of professional photoshop training. I am just sharing tips and tricks I have picked up along the way.

Before

As you can see from the above two shots, dodging and burning can add a lot of depth and personality to your image. Dodge and burn allow you to add light exposure to areas of your snapshot. Dodge is great for making certain areas of your image lighter, whereas burn will darken. Burn is great for making shadows. I often use it to create subtle shadows on different parts of the face and body.

These are the steps I took to achieve my end result that is visible in the first image in this post.

1. Snapped a high-res snapshot of my avatar.
2. Cleaned up the image using photoshop by utilizing the liquify filter and other adjustment tools.
3. Created a new layer above the last layer in the layers palette. If you do not see the layers palette on your screen, press F7 and it should appear. Once I created that new layer, I made sure it was selected.
4. In the Edit menu, I selected fill and then filled that layer with 50% gray.
5. At the top of the layers palette, I set that gray layer to overlay.
6. After selecting the dodge and burn tools in the sidebar, I made sure the range was set to mid-tones and the exposure was set to 20%. Then I increased and decreased the brush sizes, as I saw fit, while painting over my avatar to create shadows and highlights.
7. Using the dodge tool I highlighted the top areas of my avatar’s arms and body along with different areas of the background of this image. With the burn tool, I followed along the edge of my avatar’s body to create a shadow effect.

Here is a great video tutorial showing the procedure that I used: http://vimeo.com/6189101

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

» You can view all of my current tutorials on my tutorials page.

Credits for what I’m wearing in the picture:
Skin: -tres blah- {Dark} Jejune Cherry – Dark Winged Brows by Julliette Westerburg
*Hair: Maitreya Nimue – Caramel by Onyx LeShelle
*Necklace: [Whippet & Buck] Memory Collector Necklace (Unisex) by Dakota Buck
*Lingerie: Zaara : Sumana *crimson* by Zaara Kohime (releasing this weekend)
*Pose: oOo Studio by Olaenka Chesnokov

*Promotional Copies

For this week’s installment of Berry’s Favorite Things I’d like to bring you….Sofia. Glam Affair’s new skin in dark that I’m not planning to take off anytime soon. As soon as I tried the demo, I just went wow and bought my favorite makeup. Now I’m regretting it and wish I actually bought the fatpack…perhaps I’ll do that in a few days. :)

The poses I’m using are by Elikapeka Yokosuka who just opened a new pose store by the name of Honey and Vinegar. I found the poses to be very simple and stylish.

The clothing and jewels I am wearing in the post will be available at the ~ Etheria – When Jeweler’s Dream ~ event. It starts on June 13, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. slt and is a collaborative fashion event between the following stores:
~ Caroline’s & Ingenue
~ Dark Mouse & Lark
~ KessKreations & Moonshine Designs
~ Lolapop! & Blue Blood
~ MONKEE & Evie’s Closet

Have a great weekend! <3

Credits:
Skin: -Glam Affair - Sofia Dark – make up 3 by aida Ewing
Eyes: Poetic Color eyes -star -mercury by Lano Ling
Hair: W&Y MODEL HAIR 20 by yukitan Farrjones
*Dress: Ingenue :: Valdez :: Bodice :: Golden 2 by Betty Doyle (Available @ Etheria on June 13th)
*Jewels: Caroline’s Jewelry Diamond by Caroline Apollo (Available @ Etheria on June 13th)
*Poses: honey and vinegar by Elikapeka Yokosuka
Location: Svarga

*Promotional copies

Nardya Rousselot of NX NARDCOTIX is about to release the MANA Footwear Collection. This release will occur on Sunday, June 13 at 1pm SLT and there will be 7 different and stylish shoes to choose from. This is the first time NARDCOTIX is releasing a collection of this sort, with prim feet attached and I must say, each shoe is so pretty and well done.

To celebrate this collection, they are having a fun blogger challenge where 3 lucky winners will receive a MANA color pack of their choice. All you have to do is read the questions on their blog and then go to the list of blogs to find the answers hidden in the posts.

Now, onto the shoes, I have the pleasure of introducing the Chelo Wedges to you. These summer wedges are textured so well and look almost like real jute heels with their natural and tough fabric that you would find in real life. The hud is fast and simple to use and contains 10 different preset skintones to choose from and tint. The shoes are also scripted so you have the option to change them into 12 different colors, including everyone’s favorites: black, red, pink, brown, beige, ivory, and many more.

But the best and most unique part about the MANA footwear collection is the Nail Art. Each shoe comes with two nail packs, but you can actually purchase more nail packs that are so artistically done. I have never seen anything like it and I know you guys are going to have so much fun with that. So before you purchase your new MANA’s be sure to get a spa pedicure at the NARDCOTIX new mainstore.

Is it just me or is pot dude totally checking out my ass?

Good luck with the challenge, I hope you win! <3

Credits:
*Shoes: NX-Nardcotix MANA Chelo Wedge SLV.2 Color Pack by Nardya Rousselot
Skin: Tuli (Available at the Dressing Room for L$65)
*Hair: >TRUTH< BoHo - chocolate by Truth Hawks
Dress: *Sari’s* Belle Boheme Dress Browns by Sari Telling (Only L$75)
*Jewels: {Zaara} by Zaara Kohime
Seat + Pose: The Loft – Alex Pouf by Colleen Desmoulins
Pot Dude: The Loft – Pot Dude by Colleen Desmoulins (Summer Group Gift)

*Promotional copies

This weekend Evely Lane of Evana skins is launching her new store and skin line. This is a sneak peak at one of the goodies that will be in store. I am wearing the tan tone. The highlights on the face and body are very sexy and I am loving the lips. For more details, please contact Evely Lane.

The hair is also from a new store. It’s by Rynja Zephaniah of Priestkings Code which is located on a Gorean sim and carries a wide variety of items. This is her first time making hair and I think it’s a great start. Currently she has 3 styles available, this one is called Tegan.

Before I forget, the beauty-mark above my lip is not part of the skin’s features. It is a 2.0 face tattoo by Aphrodite Outlander of Perse.

On a side note, there has been a change in my review policy. I request all content creators to read it before dropping any further content on me. Thank you :)

Credits:
*Skin: Evana by Evely Lane (Opening this weekend!)
*Hair: Priestkings Code – Tegan by Rynja Zephaniah
*Eyes: Amacci Real Eyes by Carina Larsen
*Beauty-mark: Perse Beautymark Left Lip Brown by Aphrodite Outlander
*Earrings: Morantique by Mo Miasma

*Promotional copies

Brendon Papp, owner of !Imabee, dropped the Lucy skins on me earlier today. As soon as I put them on, I noticed the skin tones had this unnatural, otherworldly feel to them. They face is so soft and pretty but strong at the same time. I felt like a Deity. So of course I knew the best place to find the perfect attire to suit this skin would be Bare Rose. With the Artemis outfit, I was transformed into a Goddess. And with all the glowy particles on the dreamy Pixel Dreams sim, I felt right at home.

The skins are set to be released in about two weeks, this is just a sneak peak, but definitely something new and fresh to look forward to very soon.

Credits:
*Skin: !Imabee: Roots – Lucy by Brendon Papp (To be released in two weeks)
*Hair: >TRUTH< Marcelle - ivory by Truth Hawks
Outfit: ::: B@R ::: Artemis by June Dion
*Eyelashes: [ glow ] Hollywood lashes – Madame Mirage by Anemysk Karu
BellyButton Ring: Celestial Studios – Falling Star Belly Ring by Starley Thereian
Bracelets & Anklets: EarthStones by Abraxxa Anatine
*Poses: Long Awkward Pose by Dove Swanson
Location: Pixel Dreams

*Review items and/or gifts.

I first visited the Trilogy sim back in January of 2008. A good friend of mine told me about it and since then I have returned many times for photo opportunities. This “fashion alley in the rain” has a great array of shops to choose from. However, what I like most about it are the raindrops on the windows. The textures and colors are also all very exquisite. Male stylist and blogger, Galliano Boucher, has recently taken a lot of great pictures on the Trilogy sim. I’ve always wanted to include this sim in one of my blog posts, so I’m glad I finally got an opportunity to. I hope you take the time to visit if you haven’t been. You can see other pictures of the sim in the Trilogy flickr group.

Credits:
*Skin: &Bean – Hounds of love by Keiko Morigi (coming soon)
Eyes: Poetic Color eyes – quicksilver by Lano Ling
Hair: MIEL TUE HAIR – Group Gift Pack by Miel Nirvana
*Outfit: JE*REPUBLIC-Dear Girl-Red by Jungeun Vella
*Pose: [[ dollipops ]] by December Dollinger
Location: TRILOGY / Fashion alley

*Review copies and/or gifts.