For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere summer solstice is almost here and the first day of summer is tomorrow. Yesterday I spent most of the day outdoors soaking in the sun. Something about the hot sun on my skin relaxes me and gives me solace.

I’ve decided I want to teach myself something new in photoshop at least once or twice a week this summer. In the past whenever I wanted to make water drops on skin, I would always use a photoshop brush however this time I looked up a tutorial on youtube and kind of followed along with that. So even though the water drops do look a bit amateurish, it was great fun learning something new and trying it out. I am going to keep practicing and hopefully I’ll get better at it. I’ll try and share whatever I learn each week and link to whatever tutorial that taught me the most. I would love some guidance in this. If you feel you have a better tutorial for what I was trying to do, please do share it.

I’m gonna run out in the sun again now. Happy summer solstice! <3

EDIT: Forgot to mention that there is a 50% off sale at je suis until June 23rd because it’s their 2nd anniversary. Happy Anniversary je suis! <3

Credits:
*Skin: [:Mirror’s Enigma:] Socordia V2 Medium Skintone (Blush) by Ydreece Forster
Hair: [elikatira] Later – Brown 04 by Elikapeka Tiramisu
*Bikini: Whippet & Buck – Mind Like Water Bikini BLUE by Twiggy Whippet
Nails: Candy Nail #FP006 Clear Glitter French 3color change by Peche Bury
*Flower: je suis…hibiscus by Julia Merosi
*Necklace: je suis…nocturne necklace by Julia Merosi
Pose: Torridwear (no longer available)

Every Monday a Linden Lab employee changes the profile picture on the Second Life Facebook Page. This week they chose my picture to put up there. I noticed last week on the Facebook Page they had requested people to upload headshots that are clear and bright so they can use them as a profile pic. That’s why a few days ago I decided to upload mine. They choose the image from the pool of pictures you see at this link in the section below that says Photos and Videos of Second Life.

To get your image there, you just have to go back to the main area of the Second Life Facebook page and you will notice a little box that says “Post | Photo/Video” directly underneath the profile picture (which you can see in this image here). Once you upload your image, you should be able to see it in the “Recent Posts by Others on Second Life” box beside it. Those are links and images and comments people have left on the page. It’s a great place to share your content that you would like Linden Lab to notice. Everyone else can also see the content posted.

They have been very active on their facebook page recently, especially with their “Pic of the day” posts. Everyday they choose an image (from the Second Life Official flickr group) that they post on the Second Life Forums with the “pic of the day” tag. What I love most about this is, they ALWAYS put the artist’s full name and also link it back to their flickr page. Then after they post it up on their community forum there with all the info, they spread it around to their social networks. So you will see them post the “Pic of the day” on the Second Life Facebook Page, the Second Life Tumblr, the Second Life Google+ Page and also on the Second Life Plurk Page.

I hope you guys get a chance to participate and submit your pictures to the Second Life Facebook Page as well as the Second Life Official Flickr group. It would be great to see a wide variety of faces and avatars displayed.

Raw shot from SL while exploring the Brussels sim.

Earlier I was exploring the Brussels sim and I ran into this absolutely hilarious gentleman named Kake Broek. He was very sweet and funny. If you click on the picture you will see that I tagged him on my flickr. You can click through and explore his flickr a bit, he’s got the best collection of absolutely hilarious avatars I’ve ever seen! I was LOLing going through his pictures. He’s also got a great eye for pics, they are all very interesting.

I found the Brussels sim while exploring Koinup Places. These days I go straight there whenever I’m looking for a sim to explore and take pics at.

Credits:
*Skin: ‘le masque‘ dior – dark cocoa – red lips 2 dark red brows by Mesut Collins
*Hair: >TRUTH< Rhonda w/Roots - marmalade by Truth Hawks
*Jacket & Top: coldLogic combo – may.clementine (S) by ColdLogic (MESH)
*Skirt: E! Eclectic Apparel and Accessories Defiant Mini Skirt (Taupe) by Eclectic Wingtips (MESH)
Shoes: :Kookie: Demsi Liquor Black by Kookie Lemon (MESH)
Glasses: bitch & bastard. – MESH Smoovies/Clear Tortoiseshell by Mawell Graf (MESH)
Nails: Candy Nail #FP006 Clear Glitter French 3color change by Peche Bury
*Bag: je suis…coquet MESH BAG *brown* EXCLUSIVE FOR Culture Shock by Julia Merosi (MESH)
Earrings: [MANDALA]Omochi earrings/Sahara Brown (MESH) by Kikunosuke Eel
Necklace: [MANDALA]Omochi Necklace/sahara Brown (MESH) by Kikunosuke Eel
Ring: Red/Gold [MANDALA] Motsumame Ring (MESH) by Kikunosuke Eel
*Poses: oOo Studio by Olaenka Chesnokov
Location: Brussells

Before I get into the two pose huds and why you may need them, I just want to share a few things about what I’m wearing.

The poncho and jeans are both mesh. The poncho is from DECOmpose. There’s also a mens version of this poncho which you can see the sexy Carthalis wearing in his post here.

EDIT: Adding a quick note about the poncho because of Indigo Alecto’s comment below: I didn’t realize there was no demo to the poncho (which is unfortunate, all mesh clothing should have demos available), therefore here is a raw shot of the poncho and also these are the sizes it comes in: regular and large (no standard sizing availble). I am wearing the regular.

The jeans are from Maitreya and these particular ones in this color are only available to Maitreya VIP group members for 50% off. Details in this post and here’s a link to the Maitreya VIP group which is free to join.

Now on to the Pose HUDs.

Pose Anywhere 2.5
The first one I want to talk about is one I’ve blogged last year and use quite often. Pose Anywhere is one of my favorite pose huds that I use very often. You can check out my blog post about it last year, Pose Anywhere 2, which has a video tutorial and some more instructions. For this post I am going to focus on the upgrade for those who already own the 2.0, can go to the Pose Fair right now and get a FREE update to 2.5. You’ll find the updater there right now and after Pose Fair it will be available in the E2 Designs store by DavidThomas Scorbal.

Here’s what you can expect in the update: (totally stealing this off a notecard in the folder)
HUD now has an Organize button that leads to a convenient pose organization page where you can:
– Delete pose packs
– Rename pose packs
– Make backup copies of pose packs
– Delete individual poses from pose packs
The Pose Installer will allow either “install/replace” of an entire pose pack, OR an “Add” mode, where you can easily add poses to an existing pose pack already in the HUD.

It’s also easy to transfer all your current poses from your old hud into your new hud. Took me just a minute and I’m all setup with my new hud now.

If you don’t already own the hud from before, I suggest you pick it up from Pose Fair soon because it’s on special for L$549 at the fair, retail price is L$649.

Animare
The next hud I want to talk about is Animare. I don’t have much experience with Animare, but I did use it for this post and I have to tell you, it’s a lifesaver. Sometimes there are just some really fantastic poses I would love to use for my blog posts but I can’t because they don’t suit my body shape. Either my hand or another part of my body is misbehaving itself. This is where Animare comes in handy. You can use it to adjust any poses you have inworld, easily and within minutes. I got my hands out of my body in both these images very quickly and easily.

But that’s not all you can do with this hud, there’s so much more.
- Check out the Animare website for all the details.
- Buy the hud on marketplace
- and check out the detailed video

I hope you find both these HUDs as useful as I do. Don’t forget to check out Pose Fair soon. <3

Credits:
Skin: *League* Jen Dark Feline (Cleavage C) by Nena Janus
Face tattoo: -tres blah- Face Paint (Slash & Dot) by Julliette Westerburg
Hair: [Shag] – Pussy Galore (roots) – bittersweet by Sebastien Aries
*Top: DECOmpose – MESH Her Bandito Poncho by GutterBlood Spoonhammer (MESH)
*Jeans: Maitreya Zipper-Skinny Jeans * S Dirty by Onyx LeShelle (MESH)
*Necklace & Earrings: je suis africain by Julia Merosi
*1st Pose: flowey. by Flutter Memel (Available at Pose Fair)
*1st Pose Hud: Pose Anywhere 2.5 by DavidThomas Scorbal (Available at Pose Fair)
2nd Pose Hud: Animare Pose & Animation System by YT Recreant
Location: Pink Flamingo (Found on Koinup Places)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Linden Lab® to create an image with a music theme. I wasn’t sure exactly what to do. Then I remembered this adorable pose I had from Olive Juice and asked Mr. Prad Prathivi to come sit with me. I think this is one of my most favorite pictures that I have ever done, it means so much to me. That’s why I’m so happy that it’s on SecondLife.com today. (Remember to logout if you are logged in so you can see it)

Along with Mr. Prathivi and I, you will see Miaa Rebane, Faint Paulse, Harlow Heslop, Sixx Yangtz, Harper Beresford and Ivoni Miles. Just click on the arrows to see all of the images. Congrats to them all. <3

After submitting the above picture (which is pretty much a raw screen shot) I had played with the image more in photoshop and posted it on my flickr, so sharing it below. While processing the image, I was listening to "I love you forever” by the amazing Two Steps From Hell.

The couple’s pose in this image is by IsabellaGrace Baroque of Olive Juice. She will be giving this pose out for FREE at Pose Fair which will run from April 15th till May 5th. So remember to drop by the Olive Juice booth and pick up your free pose! <3

Credits:
What Mr. Prathivi is wearing:
Shirt: Aoharu – Silk Shirt (Black)
Jeans: Zaara – Classic Jeans (Ash)
Shoes: Kari – Kicks Shoes

What I’m wearing:
Skin: Aura
Hair: Shag
Shirt: Erratic
Jeans: Maitreya Mesh Jeans
Jewels: Je Suis and Erratic
Shoes: Soreal Sneakers

My apologies ahead of time because this post might be a bit picture heavy. I got my hands on this gorgeous new skin from PXL a few days ago and I have been having loads of fun snapping up pics in it. Kate has now been officially released and you can find it at the PXL mainstore. Check out the PXL blog for all the details on Kate and see pictures of the 6 tones it comes in. I’m wearing the dark tone in this post. For a raw shot of me wearing this skin, check out my plurk here.

The rest of the items I’m wearing are all mesh. I am so excited to be fully meshed out. Starting with my clothes, my tank is from coldlogic and my jeans are from Maitreya. These are two of my favorite shops for stylish mesh items at the moment.

My hair is from Discord Designs and I am so happy to see my most favorite braids are available in mesh now. There is more mesh goodness being released from Discord Designs, check out the flickr for pics.

The bag and shoes I have are also both mesh and both are exclusives at OGlam right now. Check out the OGlam blog for all the other details and exclusives.

The earrings I’m wearing are also mesh and are available at Aura. You will find many other gorgeous mesh items at Aura.

Finally, I am so totally loving these new poses from Diesel Works. They are named Colleen and they are just full of attitude!

I hope y’all have a wonderful Easter weekend. Happy shopping everyone! <3

Credits:
*Skin: [PXL] KATE DA NE DEB C1 by Hart Larrson
*Eyeliner: [PXL] KATE DA Cat Eyes (Tattoo) by Hart Larrson
*Eyes: [PXL] SOUL Eyes – Brown (S) by Hart Larrson
*Eyelashes: ::BeetleBones:: Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dollface black) by Suetabulous Yootz (MESH)
*Hair: -Discord Designs- Atlas (Brunette) by Kallisti Burns (MESH)
*Tank top: coldLogic top – lauren.peach (S) by coldlogic (MESH)
*Jeans: Maitreya Zipper-Skinny Jeans * M #2 by Onyx LeShelle (MESH)
*Shoes: NX-Nardcotix MANA Era Gator Peep Toe L Red by Nardya Rousselot (MESH) (Exclusively at OGlam Shopping)
*Bag: je suis… le printempts bag (l) by Julia Merosi (MESH) (Exclusively at OGlam Shopping)
Earrings: [Aura] Dia De Los Muertos – (Rust) by Tyr Rozenblum (MESH)
*Poses: Diesel Works – Colleen Female Poses by Rogan Diesel
Location: Milis Muirnin found on Koinup Places