Real Men Do Not Fear the Cute

Acid & Mala are offering a fat pack of fun and yes, cute, bi-color t-shirts. $60L for the SBS sale (and still up as of this morning.) Come on, you know you want to wear giraffes. Or kitties, or adorable robots. But if you can't face the cute - there's a plain tee as well and for $60L, how can you possible go wrong?

Multiple layers (Jacket, Shirt, underwear, pant) let you add your fun tee to any other set you have, prim sleeves provided in large and small (And modifiable -- thank you, A&M).

And if A&M's bi-colors aren't your thing, then you should duck over to Urban Republic Co., and grab their open shirt set in multiple colors.

Or you can grab the Urban Republic Co. MHOII-6 hunt gift and get the shirt and jeans, with the underlayer t-shirt in black or white.

Rolled sleeves, upright collor, jacket layer for the open shirt, underwear layer for the tank.

Come on. You know you want to.

Putting your best face forward

Faces Studio has been making all kinds of impressions lately and the new release of their skin, Justin, should only increase the interest and the discussion.

Overall I really like this skin; the detail is pretty amazing, both in musculature and body hair. The skin tone is amazingly detailed, with all the faint freckles and little flaws that give a skin character and add to the impression of Justin as being a man capable of handling just about anything he needs to. I'm especially happy about the eyes, and the faint folds beneath them that manages to pull Justin out of the too young and pretty into the just old enough and bold enough.

Justin is an elegantly muscled skin, with a face that is neither too handsome or too easily dismissed. There's curve to his lips that speaks of humor (or the sudden urge to flirt), eye spacing that allows the kind of straight forward gaze some skins lack and he looks good in jeans or in something a little more upscale.

There's some highly realistic skin folds at elbows and knees which get overlooked at times because let's face it they aren't the most interesting part of a body.

The skin I tried of the four samples I received was Justin Clean hair HairBody. And I really was impressed by the application of the body hair, not only to the chest but a light dust across the back as well as along the tops of thighs and the backs of the calves. It's a skin I could comfortably wear either every day or for those "oh my god, I have to look good!" moments that include first dates and time on the side of the pool.

Left: Standard SL Midday settings. Right: AnaLutetia Avatar Opt setting

That said, I did find a couple of -- not so much issues -- as areas of the skin that drew more attention than I think the designer really wanted. I checked it under a couple of different lighting scenarios but it persisted. The most obvious is a paler shading along the chin. When you look really closely at the jaw, you can see the overlays of shadows, from a few meters back you can't but what you do notice is the paleness of it from just below the lower lip to the chin. Paler skin tends the jaw look more pronounced which I'm not sure was the intent.

The other areas are on the hands and forearms, and nape of the neck. On the arms and hands, the shading provides a musculature in keeping with the rest of the body, but it doesn't seem as finely layered as what you see elsewhere on the chest, shoulders, back and legs, kind of a shadowing that looks fine in lower light, but seems too heavy in situations with more light. The arms are also slightly paler in comparison, making the artistry (and it is artistry, no matter my quibbles) stand out rather than blend into a seamless shift of skin tone. Having talked to skin designers before, many agree that getting the hands right is difficult; hands don't have the deep valleys and rise that larger muscle groups, have so trying to define that takes time and patience.

Some of the skins have a hair base, which I am a huge advocate for. The front hairline is realistically curved to frame the forehead, a hint of whispy hairs at the peak of the line. The back however seems to dip a bit low on the sides. Not really an issue if you are going to be wearing hair over the base, but if you like the shorn look, it does draw the eye to the back of the neck. (Obviously, if you don't use the hair base, this is a non-issue.)

These really are quibbles though -- and it's easy for me to stand over here and critique someone else's hard work. I am not the artist the designer at Faces Studio is, and skin making is an art and Justin is really an excellent example of that skill and well worth the asking price.

If you want a skin with some character, personality, and some amazing detail, you should check out Faces Studio's full line and spend some time with their demos. Faces Studio also offers some innovative add-ons for skins that allow a variety of changes to a skin without having to buy a new one which is a huge bonus for anyone that roleplays or who just likes to change up their look now and then. Want to enhance the skin tone? You can do it. Need a few bruises? You can get them. Add a little aging? you can do that too. Faces Studio has a lot of ways to make that face you are wearing, really yours.

While doing some hunts with a friend, we fell into Urban Republic Co. There was actually quite a lot we liked, but you know, hunt, gotta get to the next one, move along...and while I intended to go back, I got a reminder in the delivery of their latest release in a line of themed full outfits. Jeans, t-shirt and an open plaid shirt, back carrying a subtle graphic -- in this case the outfit is called Black Guns, staking that Urban territory with disarming country boy style.

Keep in mind that I love plaid and I love open shirts and so slipping this on really was the easiest thing in the world. Collar and cuff details on the plaid are nice, not clunky and settled in to fit on the first try. T-shirt has some nice stretch and shadow folds, making it look as a well worn t-shirt should. Jeans have a nice fabric grain and the side seams, pockets, and placard details are clean and sharp, not blurred or stretched.

A note from Aizen Arentire over at [Let's Get Dirty] had me popping over to check out his shop in the Gayborhood and I liked what I saw mostly because I do love me some tank tops and Aizen has a bunch from the funny to the ironic to the hot to the just plain comfortable. The fit and detail is really nice, no blurred shoulders, nice folds and a slightly lower underarm cut which I like given that my av runs to the larger size. I'm pretty sure they are unisex, although there's none of the heavier shading under the breast area you see in women's tanks. I went with the flowered tank, just because the colors caught my idea but for only $75L, I'm going back for more.

While checking out [Let's Get Dirty], I caught sight of Energy Menswear in the same shopping district. Energy has long been a favorite of mine, although they keep moving so I keep losing them but I've always enjoyed the designs and the kind of in your face style. But it was entirely by accident that I tripped over the freebie in the shop. Just in time for the 4th of July, a date of some significance (not to mention time off and an excellent time to catch up with friends and family and eat more food than is good for you) to those of us in the USA,

You get a well done patriotic t-shirt and matching jeans -- the perfect thing for that family picnic -- just for clicking. Now that's a reason to celebrate!

Another freebie I'm glad I didn't miss is the release of a pair of Vision eyes from Photos Nikolaidis at A:S:S. I don't change eyes often, I kind of like the ones I have, but I'm tempted here. The eyes are vibrant and slightly larger than usual without traipsing into anime territory. The set Photos is giving away is a blue to teal color, and there are both traditional eyes and prim lenses. The price for both individual sets of other colors or fat packs is also pretty reasonable -- which most stuff at A:S:S is. Even if you don't want to change eyes either, I encourage you to check out A:S:S if you haven't. There's a little something for everyone there.


Other Notes:
Hair - Lelutka Seth - Coal Mine

How I spent my weekend - La Venta Eventa

La Venta Eventa is a new(-ish) weekend shopping event making the rounds, where some of my favorite designers are participating as well as a few I didn't mind being introduced to. Eleven categories of offerings from Houses to Poses, all items for $100L or less, but only from Friday Midnight to Sunday Midnight.

Weekends have become the target for a lot of specialized sales, almost too many of them to keep track of, but this one has a limited number of designers, isn't as intensive as a hunt, and by and large I found the offerings for men to be interesting and fun.

22769 never stops impressing me and the Sportsjacket outfit they offer is no exception: Cool blue tones, lightweight jacket, well detailed jeans and a playful t-shirt. Paco Pooley has a flair for style and a touch of humor in almost everything he and his partner put out for their customers. And for the price, you can't beat the look.

Twisting a bit to the side [Virtual/Insanity] offers the guys a set of black nails for La Venta Eventa, suitably goth and oh so fun. Tintable base gloves let you match to your skin tone, and really, why should the gals have all the glam of decorated nails? The pose letting you see my manicure is from Luba, also for La Venta. This is actually a face set meant for jewelry or glasses or good face shots for the ladies. There is a pose pack for men as well, equally as appealing. (Note for the Luba poses - the shop is in The Euphoria shopping district, which houses some amazing designers for men and women. The district gives points you can redeem, so join the Subscriber (no group slot) before you buy. The tier limits seem high but you might be surprised how quickly they can add up for you. )

.:*December*:. is also in La Venta, and while the necklace on offer wasn't quite my style, they are also participating in the Black Butler hunt. I'm pretty sure the glasses with their catcher are meant for the ladies but they are way fun and funky set with my goth look for the day. Topping it off is Yellow Jester's Rosary, a piece I already had in my inventory but being offered up at a deal of a price for 60L Weekends. (Edit: Designer MandyMandy MacMillan of .:*December*:. offered up that the glasses I'm wearing are modeled after those worn by a character in the Black Butler manga & anime series and are entirely meant for the guys. I completely missed the connection, so my apologies to MandyMandy.)

Not to be last nor forgotten is Entropy's very appealing Skybox called The Recluse. Designed by La Venta organizer Nae, this is an amazingly detailed hideaway for the bookish among us, but not cramped with its high ceiling and factory style widows open to let the light in. There's also a chair pack, at the regular price, but altogether, still less than $400L for both for a seriously unique skybox. The pose here is from Luba's male pack for La Venta.

When not free is worth it.

Top
Hair: Emo-tions / AMELIE /black
Necklace: Pacific Coast Fundraiser Mia's Gems
Shirt: Rudy Fehr Hemp Shirt Mocha
Pants: Rudy Fehr Cargo Pants - Black

Middle
Shirt: Rudy Fehr Racerback Tank Aqua
Pants: Rudy Fehr Rudy Fehr Jeans- holy
Boots: Hoorenbeek Hustin boots Used Black

Bottom
Hat: Rudy Fehr Bogey
Scarf: Rudy Fehr black &white bandana
Coat: Rudy Fehr Tweed with suede elbow patches
Shirt: Rudy Fehr Hemp Shirt Mocha
Pants: Rudy Fehr Cargo Pants - Olive


Sim: Roche

All proceeds go to the Central Asia Institute.

For the ladies, try Boho Hobo next door, where 100% of all proceeds go to RAWA supporting Women in Afghanistan.

Heads up - yet another blog.

New (additional) blog over here: Weekend Salvage (link fixed) is my own line of furniture and home & garden accessories, but I'll be looking at the Home & Garden designs of other people as well.

Designers of clothes, skins, hair, and all those hunts will still be blogged here.

Merry Month of May

New for May, Pompeja Rossini of LaVie offers Gabriel and to entice you she's offered up two special version of the Gabriel Skin to her group members in all his pugilistic glory. Hair base, bruises, scrapes and the defiant set to his jaw are all part of the skin.

Left:
Gabriel Skin (light beard) - LaVie
Hakama Pants Blood with wrist bandages - The Trap (not free)

And if that wasn't enough Swaffette Firefly at SF Design is standing in the middle of her store in Penryn handing out this handsome leather black trench with a grin and a wink. Comes with both resizer and non-scripted parts so if you need a trench for RP or too look good on the dance floor you don't need to worry about causing lag.

Right:
Gabriel Skin (dark beard) - LaVie
Black Leather Trench - SF Design
Violence Jeans - SG Fashion

And while you are out and about, you might want to hit SG Fashion. The store is moving to DuoLife and Sasha Gopheller is offering her entire inventory for $10L. Jeans, shirts jackets, tanks, sweater, you name it. If you need to fill out your closet and not spend a lot of lindens, SG Fashions has you covered. Sale is for a limited time, though, so don't wait.

MenStuff Hunt - Clothes and all the rest

Yeah, it's all about the clothes -- except when it's about the skins or the shapes or the shoes or the hair or the occasional fun and fantastic non-wearable item, (like a shipwreck that comes complete with cuddles and a towel. Someone's been reading "A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" again.)

Not every item of clothing suits every guy, but with this many different shapes and skins, you know, you could totally be the guy who wears all of it and wouldn't that be a different way to look at it?

I'm covering separates first; we'll get to outfits later I hope, but the mix and match approach gives you a better idea of what you actually have.

Fear & Clothing and MiaMai are old favorites. They did not disappoint.

Upper Left:
Hair: #65 - U.December - Where We Are-Brown
Shirt: #38 -MiaMai Jeon Brown
Pants: #93 - Havana - Classic Pants & Belt Black
Shoes: #60 - Fear & Clothing - Franke Shoes-Paisley Gold


Upper Right:
Hat/Hair: #110 - Aa Production - Reverse Cap Shirt: #23 - Alphavillain - FitzWilliam Polo
Jeans: #39 - WOE - Gauge
Boots: #106 - Bedlam - Urban Boot
Bracelet: #64 - DK Designs - Lonestar


Left:
Hair: #135 -[Sekuella]
Skin: #79 - LaVie Echo for MENstuff Hunt 2011
Piercings: #49 - [-iPoke-] Hollows
#71 - ::MORTALITY:: MENstuff Face Piercings
#113 - MCD Gothic Cross Lip Piercing
Necklace: #94 - *MischievousCat*Krone
Shirt/Sweater: # 19 SB Menswear SB SX Long Sleeve Shirt Unbuttoned - White SB V-Neck Sweater - Blue
Pants: #34 - KOSH- MUC PANTS
Boots: #54 - !!Cattivo - Stomper Engineer Boot - Black
Shape: Kirby by KMadd (not in hunt/Not Free)

Right:
Hair: #1 - .::MADesigns HAIR::. ~ COLT ~ Exclusive SKUNK
Skin: #14 - EGOISME SAMMV2 - Medium Unbald - Body Hair - Chin Curtain
Shirt: #27 - Pig - Southwest Corner - Faded Blue
Pants: #37 - PEER- Leather Edge
Boots: #15 - [LeatherBound] Military Boot (L) - Brown Suede
Piercings: #49 - [-iPoke-] Hollows
#71 - ::MORTALITY:: MENstuff Face Piercings
#113 - MCD Gothic Cross Lip Piercing
#109 - =Razorblade Jacket=- Spiked Ear Piercing
Bracelets: #83 - (left) CONCRETE FLOWERS- TREBLE CLEF ARMBAND
(right) Bracelet: #64 - DK Designs - Lonestar
Pose Backdrop: #20 - Poise

Left:
Animation: #144 HelaMiyo Silly Step 2
Hat: #68 Hatter Is Mad - Barbed Nude Top Hat
Glasses: #85 K_gs [Kumaki] - H98 Glasses for MenStuff
Watch: #4 Culture Club - Bravado II
Jeans: #58 HCC - Jeans Dirty Blue
Sweater: #41 Coma - Cobain Sweater
Shoes: #25 Duh! - Tassled Loafer

Right:
Hair: #69 - *Birth* Shake Hair - Caramel Blonde
Skin: #111 - Style by Kira - Drake Skin
Glasses: #118 - Kalnins
Sunglasses - Aviator RWK
Necklace: #70 - Mustang Trading Post - Mens Luck & Faith beaded Necklace
Sweater: #28 - {MV} Maplewood Sweater
Pants: #50 - *Valiant* Ripped n Rolled Pants
Shoes: #7 - *FIR & MNA* MENstuff Loafers

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