MenStuff Hunt - Shapes

A really good skin can look really bad if the shape is off, and likewise, some shapes can come off looking unbalanced or out of proportion if the skin you have was meant to indicate a mature man and your shape is too boyish, or make you look ridiculous if you have youthful skin laid over a huge bear of a shape. Whether you want to look good, fit a certain type, build an RP character, model yourself after your favorite actor, or even try to approximate your RL self -- matching skin and shape can take a lot of trial an error and you can spend a lot of Lindens trying to get the look you want.

Fortunately for us, a good many designers in SL make really great shapes, and quite a few of them are giving you samples of their work in this hunt. The thing to remember about a good shape is to look at it from all angles. Front to back, profile to camming down from the top of your head to see if nose or ears (or the ever important package) are too large or too small, check arm length and if hips and shoulders are somewhat aligned. Profile especially -- you are in a 3-D world and you have a profile, shallow chins and noses or heavy brows can look fine straight on, but glance to the side and you may not recognize yourself.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the shapes below, save to note some unique features. All the shapes are available in this hunt and the skin in every shot is the LaVie Echo Special skin, also found in the hunt.

#88 ASKA Asian Shapes: Asian style, and youthful build.
#98 Sophistishapes -Mature features, obviously a man with a gym membership.

#56 Shape It Up: Walking the high steel or sipping a glass of wine; handsome features and a moderate build.
#84 Body by Venk: Venk is an artist at heart and it shows in his shapes. There's no classic run of the mill features here; there's character in the face, a man with some miles on him but still ready to go the distance; Roman General or romance writer - or both.

#81 Body Doubles: one of the first shapes I ever purchased came from here; they have a gift for mimicry but they also have an eye for proportion. Youthful strength and a little bit of an athlete. Well matched with the LaVie skin it was designed for.
#66 Adlerblick Shapes: Alric has an eye for realism in his shapes; good looking but not classic and perfect, shapes with character that still stand out in the crowd of emo punkers and moody brooding male beauties; this is the guy next door, the one you see and remember.


#59 Alecto's Shapes: Warrior or lover, mature face, impressive physique.
#62 CS Shapes: Young and quick, light on his feet and easy on the eye.

#16 NOVUS studios: Long and lean, perfect dance partner or to have your back in a fight. Classical style and time tested.
#5 Maverick Design: No one can say Ivy doesn't appreciate male beauty. This is the guy who stays quiet in the corner, but he's not shy, he's just watching you.

MenStuff Hunt - Skins

The MenStuff Hunt Started February 1, and like it's predecessor, some of the grids best men's designers dove into the spirit of it and went all out.
There's a contest being run, where participants build an av from the ground up -- and that means you need to find a really good skin -- luckily there are some amazing ones being offered here.

There's shapes too (see next post) and oh yes, clothes and shoes and hair and poses, and the occasional fun surprise. Urban, Modern, Fantasy or Historical -- you're going to find a bit of everything in this hunt.

Skins first: All the skins shown here but one are Kyr wearing his normal shape: a modded version of KMadd's Kirby shape. The shape itself is neither free nor in the hunt. (Click for larger images.)

Top Left is The Special Echo Skin from LaVie. I think the Echo line is some of Pompeja's best work to date and this skin is no exception. It's also one of the hardest of the hunt prizes to find but it's worth it -- don't skip out on it.

If you've already seen the Echo line, you'll see the difference here. There's a small face tattoo (or half healed cut near the left eye and a healing scar on the right. If you are into any kind of Roleplay (or just want that dashing, battered look, this is a skin well worth having in your inventory.

Top Right: Aimesi's skin offereing is a little more mature, classical feature and well defined musculature. The skin runs more golden than tan -- This would be a perfect skin for a gladiator, a prince, or, you know, the next SL Male Model.
Next in line is JeSyLiLo's male skin in 3 versions, fair-skinned, blond base on a husky build. Fair skinned and an interesting face. Not a brute but not likely to fade into the woodwork either with the wider set eyes and generous mouth.

&Bean brings you another skin that shows some wear and tear -- which the name of it, "Dear John - Can of Whoopass", kind of implies. Chest tattoos of a wolf and unicorn are part of the skin as are the blood and bruises. This is not a guy who gives up easily in a fight, whether he's losing or not.

Style by Kira offers another more mature skin. Drake has sharper facial features and a well defined chest and six pack, hint of a sardonic demeanor, but giving the impression he can be charming to those he knows well.

The last of the skin alone packs from the difficult to find, Egoisme, offering among a series of other gifts (tattoos and clothing -- a very generous hunt gift). SammV2, is a darker skin, well detailed body hair and a dark hair base. The skin could suit a variety of ethnicities based on the shape under neath, which makes it incredibly versatile.

On the bottom left is the only skin and shape set offered. (Although Body Doubles designed their shape to go with the LaVie Echo skin line). Essences offers you Diego 7, a tall, bronzed skin man, imposing but with that old world charm. Broad shouldered and narrow hipped, he's a taller than usual shape even by SL standard. The skin has a hint of a goatee and well trimmed moustache, and be he a bullfighter or a World Famous Actor, stevedore on the docks of New York or running a Linden coffee shop, he's a man you take note of.

Running Through January

I'm not sure I could have kept up with all the hunts even if I didn't have a day job.

That said, I want to mention Raven Pennyfeather's RP sales at Rfyre. For the last few weeks she's been offering outfits geared toward the Role-Playing set at some significant discounts. Some of them are older designs or revamped versions of them.

Today you can get her stunning Tessen (right) for $199L, including the boots and battle fans pictured. She also has the deep purple version of her chained leathers on sale for $69L for Humpday Happiness, but it's only today so don't expect them to be there after midnight.

One of the more interesting hunts has been The Next Big Thing hunt, (January 15th-February 12th) just for sheer imagination. Much of it is non-clothing and in clothing the men's pickings are fairly slim but it's still very fun and always interesting to see what ideas are crowding the brains of some of our favorite designers. In the case of 22769 (left), they went a little retro -- but I have no complaints because I think these are some of the best looking jeans I've seen in awhile. Stonewashed canvas denim, v-neck boater and a paisley over-shirt (not shown).

Southpaw took a step off the beaten path for her Next Big Thing offering (unless we're having a revival of Last of the Mohicans no one warned me about with a set of silks and male jewelry that's actually pretty well suited to her delight in all things elvish. Paired here with a striking De La Soul skin (in multiple shades), and boots from Tribal Soul (part of the Gorean Grid Wide hunt - Battle of the Sexes which was over the 22nd, but I'm still seeing some of the pink, blue, and green symbols in the shops), its just the thing to appeal to your primal soul.

If you are too overwhelmed or busy to hunt, I'd suggest taking a quick pop over to the Nomine sim, and see if you can't score something awesome easily by taking a chance for one of Munchflower Zaius' multiple offerings in her Gatcha. $20L could nab you a very cool Tribal hoodie, or other articles. The hair I mixed with this outfit is from Sonic Death Monkey - Onymphic - from the Inferno Hunt, (Feb 6-26th).




The last is not free (although the boots are an amazing bargain and as referred to up-post, you can get at least one set of Rfyre's chained leathers at an amazing price.) Lexi Vargas of Brocade Tiger released a whole line of new things to his shop last fall, including a set called simply "Gentleman" which is a full sleeved blouse and cravat, waistcoat and tight fitting riding pants in a complimentary subdued moss color (not shown).

Here I paired them with Raven's chained leathers in brown which I got for a discounted price when she released them. The riding boots are by Arundel Design and cost (as do all of Arundel's, boots, hats and full fledged Victorian outfits) a mere $50L. I actually first found these boots when I first rezzed in SL and loved them then. She's added some others and for historical RP they are awesome, being scriptless. (You can edit them the old fashioned way.) She has several shops around the grid, although I found these at her shop in Caledon Oxford Village.

==================

22769 Casual Couture
Arundel Designs
Brocade Tiger
De La Soul
House of Rfyre
Nomine
Sonic Death Monkey
Southpaw
Tribal Soul

Skins: Top to Bottom: Den Dou Ichiro, De La Soul - Dailan Violet Strip, Redgrave - Emil, Redgrave - King
Hair: MADesigns, Zeus, Shag, Sonic Death Monkey

Catch up - welcome to 2011

Video card issues made me miss both getting and posting on some of the fantastic gifts given out in December, so here's hoping 2011 will be a bit more productive.

A number of hunts started yesterday so I'll be tracking those.

But before throwing myself into them, I took a quick stroll over to the J Island set of sims to see what was new. J Island proper is the home of one my favorite designers [Mr. Poet]. Connected to it is a J Moon Island, home of the Fujiyama freebie mall.

Peppermint Blue has an outlet there along with several other small and mostly unknown designers. It's largely women's things but a little poking brought up some finds including a remarkably good skin from Heaven's Gate Neo.

Left is a full outfit from BEAT-RUSH, including belt and pendant. Beat-Rush is better known for their DJ equipment, and the outfit was done to promote that business; but tank, jeans, belt and necklace are a pretty good look for nothing at all. The clothing line runs under the name Vajira and you can find other selections including at the main shop, including a nice pair of short boots for $10L.

Speaking of Peppermint Blue, if you have not joined Alice's subscribo, you really should. She sends out gifts regularly and while much of her stuff is geared toward the younger j-pop set, she really does both create and assemble some nice stuff. Over the holidays she sent out several gifts including a couple of pairs of nicely done and detailed boots. The boots are still in the history of her subscibo as a January gift but they won't be there forever. They are sturdy looking and come with a resize menu that can be removed once you get a good fit (be sure to make a copy of them first.)

Heaven's Gate Neo offered up this skin, called Edgar. It comes with a shape as well, that is a little on the tall thin side for me, but nicely proportioned. (Not shown). but the overall detail on this skin, shading and definition is very nice. This skin is only available at the mall as near as I could tell, but if you want a more youthful skin, check out her main store.

The jeans are from the Peppermint Blue outlet at the same mall, and I like the double placard front on these jeans. I also like the detail and texture stretch on the sweater. The sweater is by Azul.K, and the only downside to it is that rolled sleeve prims are not modifiable, and so they didn't fit my arms at normal position (above the elbow,) shoving them up further solved most of my objections to them though.

The hair here is from -Lotus-, one of the men's group gifts, called Yuu, which is a hair I may be taking a closer look at in the future. Glasses are from HOC (not free), biker gloves are a group gift from +grasp+.

Advent Season - Day 2

Advent Day 2:

Left: Zacca's winter trees - Free at the shop on Swayland - 3 sets of various sizes.

Gabriel - long sleeved Black tee (group gift)

22769 - Black cords, Advent #2 (Really nice texture, prim cuffs)

Right: LaVie - Ringo Sweater with Touch Texture change collar.

Catch 'em quick!

Advent Season - Day 1

Tis the Season, and if you are clever and fast, you can catch some fantastic gifts from some of SL's best and brightest designers.

Advent Calendars in SL have been around as long as I have, longer, I'm sure. Sometimes the calendars are only for the members of a designers group, like La Vie's, but many of them are open to anyone who finds them. They are usually only available for a single 24 hour period, so you have to be quick and you may have to deal wit some wait and lag for the popular ones like Abraminations. Other designers, like Rfyre, will be offering special sales during the advent season.

Who does them every year changes, because any way you look at it, they are a lot of work for the designers and content creators even if they are giving away older designs done in new colors. Unlike a hunt, the designers have to come in every day and open a new gift and close down the previous one.

Abraminations has his up again this year and it's always fun: animation and toys, silly things to make you smile, and very cool gadgets. The December 1st gift is a trick skateboard (pictured above), wearable with a hud, that comes with 10 tricks and is controlled as easily as your avatar walking. It also comes with two pose prop boards for those perfect photo ops for every wannabe board jockey.

New on the advent field is 22769, our favorite edgy-fun creative team. Keeping with the spirit of the holidays, they offer their Holiday green shirt in two styles to match your mood. Are you feeling naughty (ripped tank) or nice (perfectly polite polo). It's a fun fun way to spice up your holidays.

(Left: La Vie''s Day 1 gift for the ladies: Oh, Dear Santa - Green Option. Right: Robbish's Christmas Voodoo shirt)

And don't forget the new MHOH is still going until the 20th of this month, with new stores getting added even now. The extra low jeans in the top left picture are your gift from >>Poison<<, Tres60 jeans - Xtra low. In the center, right, are BalAni's washed jeans w/loops.

Tis the season, for gifts and thanks, and for the next 24 days, we will have a lot to be thankful for.

Traveling the Silk Road

The Silk Road Hunt has been full of amazing things - beautiful, carefully made, wondrous things. Even if you have little interest in Asian influence, you might want to give this hunt some attention. at 100 participating stores, it's doable in a day, and while you won't come away with a whole new wardrobe, you may come away with a whole new lifestyle and some surprising aesthetic choices. Much of what is in the hunt is furniture, homes, sundries, landscaping pieces and garden structures and some brilliantly colored costume pieces, each of them carrying a little bit of history with them.

By and large the creators stayed in theme. Some names you may recognize, others not so much, but you may find yourself returning to them even after you've claimed you hunt prizes. (Click for larger views...)

Capallini's fine furnishings (left) may be familiar to you from the Steampunk hunts. Their usual focus is on the Victorian era, but for Silk Road, they offered up this beautifully detailed writing desk, complete with a touch set for writing and reading and multiple sits.

If you need some quiet time, time to recenter yourself, Prime (right) offers you this MeditaZen shrine and floor cushion. It comes with optional sound and burning incense and a floating lotus to help you focus.

Alma's Fantasy and Antiques (left) provides you with this amazing touch option kneeling desk, that allows you to work on your own calligraphy masterpiece at a touch. the rice paper can be made to appear in various state of completeness, and to save prims, you can clear it via menu with a touch.

The craftsmen at Haven (right) offer this pillar with banners and blue flame to help travelers along he silk road among other Asian themed gifts, and give you a mini hunt within the hunt as you follow the hints and gain a little history on the real Silk Road while looking for the multiple gifts offered by the merchants and citizens of Haven township.

From POST, (left) you can indulge in something a little more decadent when you pick up this authentic to the period Opium bed. It's a wide lounger with footstools, seats two, and is complete with a tray of opium paraphanelia and a seriously stunning worn silk brocade to cushion your weary body. This piece if furniture is a really amazing, full of surprising details (and not even frightening in the prim count.) I wouldn't mind having this in my own home (minus the drugs.) I freely admit I returned after the hunt and spent an insane amount of lindens at POST and redid and entire section of my land just to accommodate the amazing builds I found there.

From Dreamer Designs on the Bare Rose Sim, comes this low prim Asian bridge; baked textures, classic design with a separate invisible arch if you want to make it functional instead of decorative.

From Orquidea is this Silk lounger, with a zen sand garden base (not shown), the floral disaply in a traditional red vase and a separate attaching hand fan for those heated sultry days when the temperature rises and the only reasonable response is to be as quiet and still as possible.

Noctis offers a full bedroom set - Silk dreams, loaded with couples sleep animations, a carefully crafted duvet that can change from satin to silk, multiple color choice options for the pillows and linens on the bed. It comes complete with a changeable silk rug, two side tables with touch activated lamps, and a dressing screen. It also comes with (not pictured) a standing mirror and a double armed chaise lounge. (given that this is a complete set and a clever bit of craft --this set alone is worth the hunt.)

After all your travels, some sustenance is needed and Satu's Sushi, has a meal ready for you , complete with mackerel ngiri, a side of rice, dipping sauces and shareable chopsticks so you can split your meal with a friend.

I have more to share, but keep in mind that among the contributing creators are names that may be familiar to you: 22769, LNL, Yellow Jester, FallnAngel, and Robbish, to name a few.

Blatant Indulgent Vanity

Not much free here today, but maybe a couple of designers you might be willing to give some of your hard earned lindens too.

I've blogged before about the detail in the clothes from designer hiwinyu Fazuku of ::[ Mr.Poet]:: . The latest release of workshirts is no exception.

The look is layered and so are the sculpted necklines and cuffs, one on top of the other for the kind of look that makes the fabric look like you can reach out and touch it.

I am completely bowled over by the skill and artistry of hiwinyu's work. And given the level of detail, the cost is scarily reasonable.

::[ Mr.Poet ]::Work shirt Denim - $200L

Three shots here, just so you can see the details -- and even when you move (and I have a pretty constant movement AO) this shirt and jacket set holds together. Amazing.

Worn with this shirt are ripped jeans from Kobalt. Now jeans are generally not all that exciting. Let's face it, there's only so many pairs of jeans one avatar can wear in second life and if you are like me, you tend to find a pair and a designer you like and stick with them until you find another pair and another designer you like and so on. Well, I may have found that magic switch off.

I have to give a hat tip to Aida and M4ri1yn over at S.Luxury; who in addition to being one of SL's hottest couple, also have an amazing eye and taste for really good, new designers. Their latest fashion photo essay featured some of the works at Kobalt and I had to go check it out and was impressed with what I found.

$250L is about the top of what I will pay for a pair of jeans unless they come with multiple wear options. Kobalt managed to do that and gives you an unexpected but hot extra. Most of the jean I looked at came with two wear options, but the second wear is a blatantly sexy look, for the the hard core cruiser (and not a bad choice for an erotic dancer,) or for those nights when you want to give your partner an extra thrill.

To the left I have on Kobalt dirty tank top Moonlight ($110L), and Kobalt jean "2 styles- moonlight" ($250L). The basic style comes with cuffed pants and a well fitted prim bulge, but dig into the box a bit and you'll find and open version, complete with a well designed package for show and tell, and a hud to assist in matching your bonus package to your favorite skin. The look is sexy-hot, even if only for show (for more interactive genitals you will need to look elsewhere.)

To the right you'll get a hint of what kind of options you have with Kobalt's suki speedo blue ($200L) -the reveal here is a little less blatant but you get the idea. The speedo, like the jeans comes with 2 wear options -- in case you find yourself in more polite and less frisky company.

In case you need a little warm up before you strip down to the dirty and playful, you might want to stop by Brocade Tiger's new location and see what Lexi Vargas has been up to.

Lexi has been realigning his work to match his new logo "a style for every man," and you can find a wide array of options from street wear to the glam look of his newest offering, Dark Luster, in multiple color options. Luster is a neuvo-goth-glam look with a full coat, nice drape and movement to the coat skirt and adjustable chest chains. Clubbing or just dressing to impress and you can't go very wrong here, and he's currently running a sale. At $400L, Dark Luster is a pretty sweet deal.

He's also been working on some new lines so keep your eye on his Brocade Tiger blog.

Rounding out my latest indulgences is a gift from one of my favorite designers in SL, The Black Canary. Morrigan continues to impress and push his creativity. This fur trimmed cloak was a gift to his subscribo members and it's yet another example of what he's capable of. This comes with a hood option (not shown) and is unisex. It's a full double cloak, that moves amazingly well, the perfect outerwear for the cold night creeping up on us. Paired here with the pants from his Worthy Pearl set ($350L), it only reminds me I need to stop by his store and see what of his I don't yet have in my inventory.

And lest you think I've completely given up on free, I haven't, although most of what I am wearing is no longer free (That will teach you to miss those hunts, now won't it?) the skin is from LaVie, the Echo promo release with dragon tattoo that Pompeja offered before the full line release, and the Feather Necklace is from the MHOH4 hunt from Zenith. The hair is Army Crop from MADesigns (not free but not scary expensive either ), and the *Gemma* earrings are from Rozoregalia, from prior hunts.