Another wet weekend......

There's a saying here, "When its not foggy you can see it's raining" Kinda true, the rain is hammering off my windows but I'm curled up snuggly and warm.

I cannot believe it's only been a week since the MVW finals, it's weird as it seems much longer than that. So, I thought "get back to it Kim" and dug around in my inventory to make a look for today.

I love this Baiastice jacket and Fanatik skirt, but I wanted to soften the look a little as it is quite sharp. I'd just bought a really sweet outfit from Agnes Finney's shop (thanks Irina xxx) called "Agnes Midnight White". It comes with all kinds of things, but the blouse was just perfect for the look I wanted. It's a delicate white lace blouse with a high, frilled collar and so so feminine.

Keeping with the minimalist palette, I added the gloves from the Agnes Finney outfit, some sleek N-Core "Femme Noir Intense" heels, black hose from Bax Coen and proclaimed myself satisfied. Its a very sharp look, but with a very feminine touch too. Hope you like it xxx

Styling -

Jacket - Evange Black - Baiastice
Skirt - Pencil Skirt Leather Black - FANATIK
Blouse - From Agnes 3 White - Agnes Finney
Shoes - Femme Noir Intense - N-Core
Hair - Wherever Blonde 10 - Elikatira
Hose - Black S01 - Bax Coen
Jewellry - Omochi Black - Mandala
Lipstick - Dark Vibrant red - Izzie's
Glasses - Electra - Solar Eyewear
Gloves - Agnes Midnight Gloves - Agnes Finney 

Pose - Diesel 

Finals Day

Sat 15th December 2012....................a date that will live long in my memory. After 4 months of work, headaches, joy and laughter, the day finally arrived. Have you ever been so nervous that you're convinced someone has replaced your stomach with a washing machine on fast spin? Because that's what mine felt like hours before the contest even started.

I have to confess that is was a fear/happiness reaction I think, fear of what was to come and happiness in all that had happened in the previous 4 months.

10am.........the curtains rose on the finals of Miss Virtual World 2013. At the same time the curtains rose, so did my heart rise into my mouth.

Our first walk was to show our National gowns, the gowns that reflected and were inspired by our countries. As I actually am a Cypriot, the influences were many and subtle, but I was just delighted with how the gown looked. This is my National gown, brilliantly captured at the final show by Tillie Ariantho.

This work of living art was designed and made by such a talented lady, Bouquet Babii of Vero Modero. It was very deliberately designed as a Goddess style as my country has a long history, profoundly influenced by many cultures, but possibly most by Greece. Now SL being SL, I wasn't able to open my notecards - OK I was dumb, I should have written it on Word and cut and pasted, one thing learned! This was my inspiration, thanks Persia and Kay for covering live when I couldn't shout this to the audience :)

"My country has a long history and I drew upon this for the inspiration for my National Gown.

The golden headdress harks back to ancient times and pays homage to the ancient peoples who left our shores thousands of years ago, such as the Greeks and the Phoenicians. The vines on the headdress and belt remember the many thousands of years of agriculture and grape cultivation in the valleys of South Cyprus and , of course, the ancient tradition of wine-making. The wings on the headdress remind us of Apollo, the Sun God and his huge temple built on the south coast of my country two and a half thousand years ago.

The pale green of the gown represents the explosion of colour that carpets the Troodos Mountains in Spring as life awakens after the winter months. The white train reminds us of the beaches of my country, with their gentle surf and 350 days of sun.

The white, green and gold is to pay respect to the flag of my country with its golden land, white background and green laurel wreath.

My heartfelt thanks go to Bouquet Babii, Vero Modero's designer for creating this piece of art for me to represent my country."

That's what I MEANT to say at the final, for some reason SL refused to let me open anything, well it happens!!

My formal gown I was just thrilled with when Amutey DeCuir of Bliss sent it to me. An almost ethereal lacy creation with a slit skirt and reminded me so, so much of an impossibly glamorous film star. You might see it differently, but that's how it struck me !

This was captured again by Tillie Ariantho in the final stage we walked. i dared not even cam around for fear of crashing, so great job Tillie xxx

This was the inspiration for my formal gown :

"My Formal Gown evokes many aspects of Cyprus. The flowing wave-like skirt is inspired by the Cypriot beaches, with their gentle surf and 350 days of sun each year. The Troodos mountains are a big part of my country and the delicate pinks of the formal gown hark back to the mountain violets that carpet our mountains as Spring arrives. The single shoulder design from Bliss Couture again reminds us of the long history of my country, bringing back memories of the ancient peoples of old who have left their mark on Cyprus, such as the Greeks and Phoenicians who left our shoes many thousands of years ago."

The part I was dreading was waiting for the other ladies to walk, but I found myself being drawn to watching and listening to their inspirations and admiring such incredible haute couture designs from some of SLs very best.

Time really did fly by during the evening and after the top 12 were announced, I was disappointed not to be included, but that is a part of the contest. So, I had a cry, opened a bottle of wine and watched with huge interest the progress to the crowning of the new Miss Virtual World. The top 12 were :

1. Meimei Shiu ✦ MISS V♛ CHINA
2. Zaara123 ✦ MISS V♛ ICELAND
3. Natzuka Miliandrovic ✦ MISS V♛ ITALY
4. Shinobu Istmal ✦ MISS V♛ JAPAN
5. Starline Igeria ✦ MISS V♛ KENYA
6. Ananya Mai ✦ MISS V♛ MALASYA
7. Dana Yotov ✦ MISS V♛ PHILIPPINES
8. Celestial Lunasea ✦ MISS V♛ TAIWAN
9. Ashia Denimore ✦ MISS V♛ THAILAND
10. Nice Wildrose ✦ MISS V♛ TURKEY
11. Leah McCullough ✦ MISS V♛ URUGUAY
12. Imani Enzo ✦ MISS V♛ USA

I tried to pick a winner right there and then, even though there were still 12 ladies to go, but I couldn't. So I listened to their answers to the questions posed and was struck by how thoughful all the answers were.

The top 5 were soon announced and they were :

1. Meimei Shiu ✦ MISS V♛ CHINA
2. Zaara123 ✦ MISS V♛ ICELAND
3. Natzuka Miliandrovic ✦ MISS V♛ ITALY
4. Starline Igeria ✦ MISS V♛ KENYA
5. Leah McCullough ✦ MISS V♛ URUGUAY

Soon afterwards after much questioning, Starline Igeria, the adorable Miss Kenya was crowned as the new Miss Virtual World. As I've lived in Kenya in RL, I was so delighted for her!

I can say, hand on heart, that this was the most demanding 4 months of my entire Second Life, but you know what? I would not trade one second of these past months for anything, not even gold. I poured my heart and soul into the contest and I have learned so, so much, not just about the skills of modelling, but about myself. I was upset not to make it to the top 12, but now after a little time has passed, I can deal with it much better. On another day, things may have been totally different, but on this day, the best lady won, no arguments!!

To those of you reading, if you be an experienced model, a new model or maybe thinking about starting, don't think "OMG I could never do that". You can, trust me. I am no veteran, I only graduated from my first school just over a year ago, so see, you don't need to have years of experience. Just have the desire and the will to give it everything until you have nothing left. 

What did I learn during these months? Too much to write here and that's a fact. I'll now do things I wouldn't have dared to before this started. I can deal with the inevitable rejections that come a model's way with a lot more grace then maybe I used to and that is a vital lesson I learned. The ladies I shared this time with, all of them were winners to me, such style grace and generosity.

My final thanks go to my designers who want above and beyond the call of duty, to all of the MVW team who somehow managed to plan and pull off this massive undertaking seamlessly and without a hitch. To my friends who supported me, pushed me and cried with me, I love all of you xxxxx

Here's to a great 2013, my wishes for you and your loved ones is for a peaceful and joyous Christmas.

SPONSORS FOR MVW

National Gown - Bouquet Babii - Vero Modero

Formal Gown - Amutey DeCuir - Bliss Couture

Hair - Kreolita DeCosta - Element Hair

Jewellry - Sequoia Nightfire

Poses - Isoldel Resident - Isomotions

Last MVW Challenges...oh boy !!!

Well, the wild ride that was MVW 2013 is finally coming to an end. I have such conflicting feelings. One half of me wants to scream and hide from everything, the other half never, ever wants it all to end. I bet I am not the first or last to feel those weird emotions, but it's a fair reflection of the committment and passion that we have for this contest that all of us have these emotions, well I think so anyway !!

The last 2 challenges were quite different and challenging in their own way, so as usual, I dived in to see what I could come up with.

The Apocalytpic challenge asked us to style an outfit showing how the world would end if it were ending tomorrow. After many aborted attempts to get something that looked right, I thought about global warming, the melting ice-caps (yes they are, but lets not get into that now) and decided that the end of the world would be brought about by water.

Finding this style was not easy at all, but after buying the gorgeous "Laylak" gown from Vero Modero, the style started to crystallize in my head. I found the perfect skin over at Boudoir and just upstairs from the skin was the ideal hair. I had loads of mermaid things so I decided to add scales to the skin to give a more aquatic look and BAM, there it was. It was just one of those things that happened by happy accident. I accessorised with a few small pieces and was just thrilled with how it looked.

This AMAZING photo was taken again by my photography sponsor, October Bettencourt of October Studios. Each time I look at it, I see some new detail or something I'd missed, just a wonderful capture.

A week later after I had submitted it, I had to pick my jaw off the floor as this image was judged to be the winner. I checked to see noone had slipped anything into my coffee but it was real, eeeep!!!

After this, Skip Staheli reshot the photo as the bonus for winning this challenge was to appear on the front cover of the December edition of the Best of Second Life Magazine. Little me on the BOSL cover, excited didn't really cover how I felt. So, I met up with Skip and he made this great image that featured on the BOSL cover.

Our final challenge I found personally to be one of the most difficult. All beauty pageants have a swimsuit section (steady boys!) but ours was not just a bathing costume!

We had to style it after the legendary Sirens of Greek mythology, aquatic women who lured sailors to their death with their perfect singing voices and alluring beauty. I tried very hard for a day, but what I came up with looked more like a mermaid than a Siren, so I had to scrap that look and start again. I went with a very cute bathing costume from Purple Moon and added parts of 5 different mermaid costumes to create the final look. The skin (again from Boudoir) gave it just that perfect touch of unearthy beauty I was looking for.

October again captured the look perfectly, so much detail in the photograph and JUST what I wanted! So again, a big thank you to her !!

Butterflies in the tummy ........

I can't believe it is almost here. On Saturday, a new Miss Virtual World will be crowned. Where did the last 4 months go????? It seems like yesterday I was dumbfounded that I had been selected as an official candidate, representing my RL home country of Cyprus.

I went into the contest with my eyes wide open, having no idea what to expect or what would really be required.Well, I can safely say my styling skills have been stretched to the limit and beyond, I learned new things, modified old ones and generally really grew as a model and a person.

Before the contest, I had a small SL family. That family is now increased by 29 amazing, wonderful women who have become like sisters to me over the past 4 months. They could not have been friendlier, more gracious and giving of their time or supportive to me who was, quite honestly, scared out of my wits.

The contest made me think, question my skills, re-evaluate them and learn. It has been such an eyeopener to what is really possible with SL fashion and clothes. I do things now I would never have been able to do 4 months ago and if I am honest with myself, things I would not have DARED to do !

I want to give a huge shout-out to the wonderful, generous people who sponsored my journey, not just with their skill, but as a shoulder to cry on, an ear and a helping hand to hold when I needed one. They were :-

Photography - October Studios - October Bettencourt
Jewellry - Sequoiastyle - Sequoia Nightfire
Formal Gown - Bliss Couture - Amutey DeCuir
National Gown - Vero Modero - Bouquet Babii
Hair - Element Hair - Kreolita DeCosta
Poses - Isomotion - Isoldel
Makeup - Face Paint - Eve Express-Qarnac

Without them, I would never have been able to make it, so thank you to each and every one of you who so kindly photographed me, made jewellry for me and everything you did for me.

So, only two days to go until I learn if I was good enough to be considered for the title. Whoever does ultimately win will have my full support and love, but all of us are winners to me. Such generous, kind-hearted ladies, any one of them would carry the title with grace and poise.

Was it all worth it? Oh my god, yes.Would I do it again? Absolutely. Am I mad? Maybe !!!!

My heartfelt best wishes to all of my fellow contestants, it has been quite a ride xxxxx

"Noir" from EVOLVE

Anyone who knows me will know I have worked at EVOLVE for the better part of a year now. I am the model manager there for Reign Congrejo, EVOLVE's owner and designer.

Reign now makes some marvellous mesh and I thought I would share this one with you. It's part of a collection of dresses called "Noir Beauty" and comes in 10 different patterns.

This pattern is "Noir Beauty 10" from the collection and has a lovely, swirling abstract pattern in black and white. The sleeves are slashed from the shoulders to just above the wrists and the skirt, though quite short, is perfect for those occasions when you need something classy and elegant. 

It is supplied in 3 sizes, small, medium and large and with the alpha fits perfectly and at 300L, it's a steal! So pop over to EVOLVE and have a look, Reign has an amazing collection.

Styling:-

Dress - Noir Beauty 10 - EVOLVE

Hair - Lori Dark Blonde 4 - DeLa

Shoes - Extreme Platform Black - Skifija

Naisl - Female Medium - Mandala

Necklace - Maxi Boules Marble - LaGyo

Bangles - Divinity and Satine - +DIVINITY+

Lipstick - Dark Red Intense - Izzie's

Eyeshadow - Expressive makeups / Eyeshadow 08 - Ricielli

Pose - Glitterati

Taxi -  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/San20Javier/163/231/23

Always loved 1940's fashions

Ever watched a film and thought "I'd like a style like that"? Well after watching some old black and white film set in the 1940's I thought I would have a try. I'd just been to Baiastice and picked up their gorgeous "Evange" jacket and it seemed pretty ideal to base a style around. So, I had a root through my inventory to see what I had to compliment it. Here's what I came up with ......

The skirt came from a store I had not been to before called Fanatik. I'd been after a skirt like this for ages, so I was delighted to, quite literally, stumble across it. It's a pencil-style skirt, cut to just above the knee and fits like a glove. The texture reminds me of glove-leather and looks quite amazing. Baiastice make some super mesh and this jacket, the "Evange", is no exception. A luscious red in colour, it had the look I wanted, but it lent the outfit a lot more of an edge. I added the black "Stera" top from Glam Affair, black hose from Bax Coen and the perfect finishing touch, the lovely "Femme" shoes from N-Core. And suddenly there it was, the look I had been after !

Styling:-

Jacket - Evange Red - Baiastice
Skirt - Pencil Skirt Black Leather - Fanatik
Top - Stera Black - Glam Affair
Hair - Demi Seaspray - Truth
Shoes Femme "Noir Intense" - N-Core
Gloves - Leather Long black - Lightstar
Eyeshadow - Dark Shadows Black - Chelle
Eyeliner - Cat Eyeliner 2 - Izzie's
Lipstick - Dark Red Intense - Izzie's
Pantyhose - Soft Shine Pantyhose Black 50 - Bax Coen
Necklace and earrings - Folieole Onyx - Finesmith
lashes - NoAlpha Lashes 01 - Miamai
Pose - Glitterati

Meeting the Press !!!

As part of the MVW pageant, meeting the press is part-and-parcel of the whole thing. It is good practice, as whoever wins, will have to do a lot of this, interviews and the like so it was a good exercise for us.

We were all asked to meet with the press at the BOSL Country Club and we were asked to style a really sweet cocktail dress, the "Cosmic Sequin" dress from Mimikri. We were permitted to choose our favourite colour and then to style as we wished with jewellry, accessories and suchlike.

I like pink, so I was happy to find the dress in a lovely delicate pink shade, with gold and beige accents from the sequin overlay. It just struck me as it was a dress I would wear for a day at the races, so I styled it to look like that, a day having a glass of champagne and hoping one of my horses won!

I tried to find a background that made it look as if I was skipping away happily! Well, I'm not much of a photographer but I enjoy trying.

Anyway, the good stuff :-

Dress - Cosmic Doll Sequin - Mimikri
Shoes - SENSE 2 "Champagne" - N-Core
Hair - Veronica Mesh Hair - Golden - Wasabi Pills
Eyeshadow - LIQUID EYESHADOW -peach - KOSH
Eyeliner - Cat Eyeliner 2 - Izzie's
Lipstick - Lipstick raspberry - Izzie's
Hat - Flora Hairband - Pink - Bliss Couture
Nails - NAIL/female medium - [MANDALA]
Shoes - SENSE 2 "Champagne" - N-Core
Jewellry - Nirmala Collection - Chop Zuey
Clutch - Valentino Recoloured - KR Designs

Answering a question from the press in front of a big crowd with no preparation or idea what the question would be was quite daunting. But as I said before, excellent practice for the lucky lady who finally lifts the title. One more challenge to go :)

Fourth MVW Challenge - Valentino :)

Well, what a busy few days it's been for me. OK, maybe more than a few days, but who's counting:) In between shows, I've been trying to get some designing done, more of that later.

Our penultimate challenge was to create an outfit inspired by RL designer, Valentino Garavani. Frolic gave us a link to examine and it proved to be very inspiring indeed. Some of his designs quite simply take the breath away.

After spending a long time browsing the collections, I decided to try and recreate this gown, which debuted at the Fall 2012 shows. After much headscratching looking on the Marketplace, I decided to take a risk and make it all myself, even down to the clutch bag (did I regret making that bag , whew). It took the better part of a day to make all the textures and get them just how I wanted them. Here's how it came out :-

Strangely, the hardest part to get just right was the bolero jacket. I don't have the skill to actually make the meshes, Blender I find impenetrable and don't get me started on Maya. So I found a mesh bolero and went from there. The bag was very difficult to make just right as the maps supplied with the bag I found confusing, but that's nothing new:) 

Anyway, I hope you like it, I was happy how it came out.

Styling :-

Gown - "Valentino Inspired Champagne" - KR Designs
Bolero - "Valentino Inspired Champagne" - KR Designs
Clutch - Valentino Bag - KR Designs
Lipstick -Soft Kisses 11 - Madrid Solo-
Eyeshadow - LIQUID EYESHADOW -gold- KOSH- 
Shoes - HEZABEL'S CHOCOLATE DIAMOND STILETTO - Dinki-Di
Lashes - NoAlpha Lashes_N01 - Miamai
Hair - Romance-Blonde - Vanity Hair
Jewellry - Miss Mundo 2012 Hezabel Blackheart Collection - Zuri Rayna
Nails - Female Medium - Mandala

Thanks to Bodza Mubble who provided this lovely image :)

Bliss Couture Styling challenge for Miss Virtual World

Whew, what a weekend that was. I do not think I can remember being as busy as that for a long time, mind you it was tremendous fun! So, what was I up to that left me collapsed in a heap on the sofa.........read on !!

This last weekend saw the next in the series of challenges that make up a big part of the Miss Virtual World pageant for this year. After the first two, I knew I really had to pull something special out of the bag, this years' contestants are all amazingly skilled :)

Amutey DeCuir, the Bliss Couture designer sent all of us a box of things from her store to use to style a new Bliss outfit from. We could do whatever we liked to them, link, delink, torture them till they screamed, the one thing we could not do was to change the texture or colour. We were sent all sorts of things to play with, so I dived in with relish.

I selected the "Wynn" gown in red as, well, I like red. A long mesh gown, it fitted me like a glove so I had the basis of the style I wanted to create. I used the collar and sleeves from the "Strellanoche" fur top, messed about with the shape and then added the lace undershirt from the same Bliss piece. Poof, it just worked, so simple but I think I was lucky. It was still missing something at the neck, so I added the collar from the "Nahia" fur and resized it and repositioned it so it formed a fur collar at the top of the high neck of the lace shirt.

I had a look and the style suddenly hit me as looking very, very Russian. You know those old films that show Russians at the turn of the century. So, I went ahead with the Russian look, but it was still missing something, so I resized and copied the waist ruffles from the "Wynn" gown and used them to form a trim to the bottom of the skirt. Looked great till I tried to walk, just did not work at all, so I scrapped that!!

Added a sleek hair from LOQ, the "Kashiwaba Special Edition" jewellry set from Chop Zuey, the lovely "Anzhelina" hat from LeLutka and I was ready to face the day. I really loved the look, hope you might too :)

This challenge was tough, but a heck of a lot of fun to do. Here is what I used in the outfit I created......


Gown - Wynn Gown Red - Bliss Couture
Stomach decoration - Wynn Gown Ruffles - Bliss Couture
Collar - Nahla Fur Collar - Bliss Couture
Undershirt - Strellanoche Knit Top - Bliss Couture
Fur Wrap - Strellanoche Fur Collar - Bliss Couture
Sleeves - Strellanoche Fur Sleeves - Bliss Couture
Eyeshadow - CLASS eyeshadow 04 - Beauty Addict
Lipstick - Cherry - Izzie's
Lashes - Mo Alpha Lashes 06 - Miamai
Shoes - CHIC Bordeaux - NCore
Hair - Hair for Hats - LOQ
Hat - Anzhelina hat - Lelutka
Gloves - Sexy Lady Bug gloves - Bade
Jewellry - Kashiwaba Special Edition - Chop Zuey
Clutch - Clutch Bag Black - Coco


Huge congratulations to Rehana Seljan, Miss Hong Kong, who was the overall winner and also to Natzuka Miliandrovic (Miss Italy), Bodza Blackadder (Miss Hungary),  Shinobu Istmal (Miss Japan) and Diana Balhaus (Miss Venezuela) who made up the Top 5.


Thanks from me go to October Bettencourt-Karsvalt for this wonderful portrait and also to Amutey DeCuir for sponsoring the event and giving us such lovely items to use.

"Blake" - New from Diram

Urggggg ........... do yourself a favour, don't get flu. I've been laid in bed fro a week aching and sneezing. I've never actually had flu before and I confess I never thought it was nasty..........OK it is !!!

I had a wander this morning looking for things to get for my next MVW challenge when i came across this lovely little outfit, so I thought I'd share :)

I fell in love with this the second I saw it. Its made up of two different Diram designs, the "Blake" blazer and jumpsuit. I picked the pink-accented ones, hey, I like pink ! The jacket, the "Pink Floral" is a very very nice mesh item, so it comes in the usual range of sizes. I love the texturing, delicate blues and pinks, with the slightly puffed shoulders, its very versatile. The jumpsuit I chose in pink to complement the pink in the blazer, works pretty well I think. The whole ensemble fits like a glove, no sticky-out bits to worry about here

It looks so good, I didn't have to add a lot to it, but I did add the "Blake" clutch bag in blue, also from Diram. All in all, a perfect fall outfit, casual but with a definite touch of class.

Styling:-

lazer - Blake Blazer Pink Floral - **DIRAM**

Jumpsuit - Blake Pink - **DIRAM**

Hair - Veronica Golden - Wasabi Pills

Shoes - Venezia reds - Sim-I-Lar

Clutch - Blake Clutch Blue - **DIRAM**

Nails - Nailsology 2.0 - Beauty Addict by Abso Zlatkis

Earrings - Kaleidoscope Pink Pierced - +.+WTG+.+

Eyeshadow - Dark Shadows Blue - Chelle

Eyeliner - Needle Black Liner - blackliquid

Lipstick - Fuschia - Izzie's

MVW Challenge 2 - Meeting Anna Wintour - Gulp !

Hmm, my cold is worse than I thought, I totally missed a blog entry. I blame these cold remedies, not good when you're seeing things, I mean who calls a medication "Day Nurse" when all it does it make you sleepy and you miss things??

Anyway, our second challenge was to imagine we were having a first meeting with Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue.We needed to imagine we'd just been hired as her assistant, so what would we wear??

So many things to consider, the season, colours, palettes etc etc . What to wear????

After much gnashing of teeth, I decided on this look. It has an autumnal look, with the Fusion Chic Coat from Gizza, with its grey and red stripes matching with the Lolong grey pants from Celoe. The turtleneck from J.H. Couture kept in with the autumn theme, so I accessorised with subtle jewellry, gloves and a bag. After all, noone wants to overshadow the boss on your first day!!!

I was delighted with this look as I'm the first to admit casual clothing is not my best styling. 

This landed me in the top 12 for this styling challenge so I am absolutely over the moon!!

Thanks to October for the photography, Britt and everyone for shoving me in the right direction !!

Styling :-

Coat - Fusion C H I C Coat Grey - Gizza

Top - Lucia Turtleneck - J.H. Couture

Pants - Lolong Trousers - Celoe

Hair - Claire Golden - Wasabi Pills

Gloves - Grey Gloves Short - LightStar

Belt - Fikre Beaded Belt - Indyra Originals 

Necklace - Eva Maxi Boules Necklace marble - LaGyo

Earrings - Brillainte earclips - Je Suis

Shoes - Shark Xtreme Heel Black - N-Core

Bag - Zoar Clay - Tulip

Eyeshadow - Dark Textures Brown - cheLLe

Eyeliner - Needle Black Liner - Blackliquid

Lipstick - Juicy red 404 - Hush

  

MVW challenges can be a bit steamy ........:)

Well, there's a headline to grab your attention. After ransacking the grid for makeup, I was waiting to see what our next challenge would be. Oh boy.............

As all of you will know, it was Frolic's RL birthday a couple of days ago and in celebration of 5 years in SL of BOSL and his birthday, a huge Broadway show was held. This featured two artists who and I am not ashamed to say this, make me very emotional, their voices are just so evocative, Mankind Tracer and Tamra Sands. Music is balm for the soul as it is said................................

They sang a selection of songs from such Broadway shows as Cats and the Phantom of the Opera. Pyper Dollinger and the Dazzlers performed numerous amazing numbers, I lost track of the number of times that the set changed, from African plains to a really clever set incorporating a set of mirrors.

So, what's the connection with Frolic's birthday, BOSL and MVW? Well, our challenge was to be incorporated into the show as the finale. And boy, was it a finale................................................

We were asked to style very sexy lingerie with a dark twist, inspired by the Fergie Song "Be Italian". After watching the video a few times (and resisting the temptation to dance around the room like a loony) , I had an idea. Actually, I had hundreds, but I was a little limited by the bounds of decency...................enough said on that point ! Ahem...................

So, what I came up with was this little flirty number ......................

The lingerie was relatively easy to find , but it looked a little innocent for the challenge we had.. So, Madrid Solo very generously made this mask for me. It looks normal enough, but close up, it has really dramatic eye makeup that made me look a little like a maneater, quite evil actually !!! Perfect job, thanks SO much Madrid!!

The finale was so much fun with all of the lovely MVW finalists all on stage dancing with the Dazzlers, all of us not exactly wearing a lot. I think the guys probably videod this one !!!

So, what is all this stuff?

Styling :-

Garter and Stockings - Lust - NV Corsetry

Corset - Passionate Touch Red Laced Satin and Mesh Corset - Blacklace

Panties - Passionate Touch Red Laced Satin and Mesh Panties - Blacklace

Lace Jacket - Ava Capalini Custom

Shoes - Chic Bordeaux - N-Core

Hair - Pussy Galore Bombshell - Shag 

Necklace, earrings and bracelet - Kashiwaba Special Edition Set - Chop Zuey

Lipstick - Dark Vibrant Red - Izzie's

Eyeliner - Blacklace Beauty Jewel Lner Scarlet - Blacklace

Mask makeup - Custom Kim - Madrid Solo

Miss Virtual World Challenge Number 1

After the heady heights of the BOSL Retro show, we had a couple of days until the next challenge was issued. This one was unusual, in that is asked us to style not clothes as such, but a makeup style.

We were given a reference image and asked to use a palette to produce a look for a cosmetics company, based on the reference.This was going to take a bit of thought ........

After having a good look at the images, Latrelly came up with a photo pose that fitted what I was looking for perfectly, so all (ha ha !!!!) I had to do was to find the makeup that looked right and more importantly, matched the palettes and look I was after.

After ploughing through the marketplace, jumping all over the grid, I found exactly what I was after lurking at the very bottom of my inventory. How many times has that happened to people? Lots I would imagine !!

After much gnashing of teeth, this is what I came up with. I based the look on a purple-ish palette, with just a stroke of gold to add a little emphasis. 

Styling - 

Eyeshadow - Idol - Madrid Solo

Lipgloss - Cassiopeia Cosmetics lip Gloss 1 - Glam Affair

Blush - Cedar Classic Blush - Amacci

Hair - Adorable Updo - Tuty's

Lashes - 2011 lashes Long - LeLutka 

Retro Show for BOSL Fashion Week

As you'll all know, each year BOSL does a huge fashion week. This showcases all sorts of designs and designers. During the week was the Retro Show and doubly-nerve shredding as this was the first official appearance of the candidates for Miss Virtual World 2013.

If you didn't see the show, you missed one of the most amazing builds I think I have seen. A psychedelic extravaganza of colour, liberally splashed with icons of vintage culture.

The brief for the styling was pretty wide, so we all had a lot of latitude to plan and find a style. The range of time was the 1920's to the 1970's, not a lot to play with there then!!! One of my favourite films is "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and being blonde myself, I took the inspiration for my styling from that film. One of Marilyn's gowns from that film is the iconic pink one she wore, so I went for the same style, but in red. Keeping in mind the 1940's - 1950's look, I added a fur stole for a touch of glamour.

This amazing photo was taken by Latrelly Flux, an amazing photographer. Look her up when you get the chance!

The judges did have a look at us, so congratulations to the ladies who were chosen in the top 5:)

Styling:-

Gown - Marilyn Mesh Gown Red - Rebel Hope

Stole - Ribboned Fur Wrap Black/White - !Laville!

Hair - Veronica Mesh Golden - Wasabi Pills

Earrings - Spell Bound Elite 2 - Zuri Rayna

Clutch - Stella Clutch Noir {Silver} - House of Fox 

Necklace - Princess Necklace Silver - Zuri Rayna

Ring - Ice Queen - Chop Zuey

Gloves - Diana Black - Tres Beau

Eyeshadow - CLASS eyeshadow 04 - Abso Zlatkis

Lipstick - Dark Vibrant Red - Izzie's

So, it begins ......!!

Well, the journey starts here, I'm sure I remember that from a film somewhere. Can't for the life of me remember which one, nothing new there then :) Blonde moment ........OK, OK another blonde moment..........quiet at the back there :)

Saturday 8th September, a date that will be engraved into my memory, the day we all met for the first time, all of the MVW contestants for this year's pageant. I have to confess that despite the way I sounded to my friends, I was extremely nervous about meeting all these huge names. Many of them were household names in the modelling industry and I am not ashamed to admit, heroines of mine. Nothing wrong with taking inspiration from the best, in fact I think that's a good thing.

Meeting all of them, some for the first time, was an utter delight. Such charming ladies, all of them, welcoming and happy. I was happy to see some faces I knew, but after a while, I felt I had known them all for ages. Now that is a nice feeling.We'll be spending the next 4 months together and I have a feeling it will be a wonderful 4 months as well.

We were asked, not for any particular style, but to appear as a future Miss Virtual World should look. Hmm, didn't narrow it down much, so I had a dig in my pile of stuff that is laughingly called an inventory and went to style a classic, elegant but chic look. Here's what I came up with ..................

Simple, but classy I hoped. This is one of the new dresses from Kunglers, a brand I have always had a soft spot for. This is the "Gisele" dress, one of the new ones, this shade is "Gisele Red". I bought the Nude shade first, but this one really grabbed me due to the subtle contrasting green design stitched into the body and skirt. The clean, sharp lines and modest length fitted perfectly with the look I was trying to find. Anyway, here's what I used :

Styling:-

Dress - Gisele Red - Kunglers

Shoes - Coquette Dark Red - N-Core

Hair - Bria Seaspray Mesh - Truth

Jewellry - "The Blood of Babylon" Collection - Chop Zuey

Ring - LW The Great Healer Garnet - Chop Zuey

Pantyhose - Pantyhose Nude 20 Shiny - Bax Coen

Bag - Crocodile Handbag Green - Amarelo Manga

Eyeshadow - Class eyeshadow 07 - Beauty Addict by Abso Zlatkis

Lipstick - Dark Vibrant Red - Izzie's

Eyeliner - Cat Eyeliner 01 - Izzie's

Nails - Female Medium - Mandala

Well, that was Saturday, our first meeting. Lots of information, lots of things to remember and lots of laughter. 

Sunday, Frolic gave us a style he wanted to see. The style was that of a millionairess walking down 5th Avenue in the fall. So, time to get out the darker colours and come up with what a rich lady might have worn while buying up half of 5th Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. Rather than go for furs, bling  and stuff like that, I went for a slightly different look ...

The coat dress is one I bought last year, again coincidentally from Kunglers. I consciously tried for a look that a rich lady might be seen in and this dress when I wore it just screamed at me. Rather than going for pants or anything, I simply added some of the new pantyhose from Bax Coen, the "Casting" ankle boots from N-Core and to finish it off, a clutch from Orta and a throw-scarf/mini-poncho from Hatpins. Think it looks like a bored rich woman buying most of Tiffanys?

Styling:-

Dress - Victoria Coat Dress Golden - Kunglers

Ankle Boots - "Casting" Noir Intense - NCore

Hair - "Found" Warm Blonde 06 - Elikatira

Earrings - "Laci" Black Diamond and Citrine - Zuri Rayna

Ring - "Voyante Gemstone" - Je Suis

Pantyhose - Pantyhose Mocca 30 Shiny - Bax Coen

Bag - Stella Clutch in Charcoal (Gold) - Orta

Scarf - Silk Shoulder Scarf Pink ( Tinted) - Hatpins

Eyeshadow - Class Eyeshadow 03 - Beauty Addict by Abso Zlatkis

Lipstick - Gg lipstick Rust - [Gothica]

Gloves - Leather Gloves Black Long - Lightstar

Well, that's the first weekend I've ever spent styling as long as I did. Actually had a lot of fun to be honest, wore some things I havn't worn in a long, long time ! 

Weekend 1 of MVW, I am still sane, no more teethmarks in my desk and next doors cat now feels safe enough to come into my kitchen and steal things again.

OK, maybe dreams do come true

I have three letters to start this little post ........OMG!!!!!!! OK, why those particular three you might ask yourself, has Kim had too much coffee again?

A couple of days ago, I took part in the last audition for 2012 for the Miss Virtual World finals. I've been modelling for a little while now, but nothing prepared me for the sheer adrenalin rush when I set foot on the stage. Hands shaking, knees trembling, you know the drill! I managed not to fall off anything, pose in the right place and get off the stage in one piece, no mean feat, my hands were shaking like a leaf in a breeze.

When we were called back onto the stage for the finale, my heart was really pounding when I heard that the judges would announce the results LIVE, right there and then.Never in a billion years did I expect to hear my name amongst the finalists, all the models who auditioned were so elegant, graceful and perfect.

But here I am, proudly representing my home country of Cyprus as Miss Virtual World Cyprus 2013. I'm still a little bit in la-la land , but this is the start of a dream I thought may never come true.

Many people don;t actually know where Cyprus is! It's s small but beautiful island in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea just below the south coast of Turkey. Look it up on Google, its a fascinating place, full of history and culture. It is an honour to be able to represent my home country and I hope to do our little country proud in the upcoming weeks and months.

I thought I would share the two styles that I prepared, admittedly with more than the odd poke in the right direction from a few people, you know who you are :)

This was the casual chic look I came up with. This style of clothing I find one of the hardest to get right. After much head-scratching and banging my head on my desk, I plumped for this look. Its based around two items from Gizza, with a pair of gorgeous ankle boots I found at a store I had not been to before called Skifija.

Styling:-

Top - Tricot Set Champagne - Gizza

Pants - FUSION Chic Pants Black - Gizza

Ankle Boots - Full Speed TORNADO silver - Skifija

Bag - Monogram Bag Mink - Purple Moon

Hair - Claire Mesh Golden - Wasabi Pills

Nails - Prim Nails Size 10 - "Sexy Mamas"

Makeup - Soft Kisses 11 lipstick - Madrid Solo

                Spring Glace Makeover (Seasons) - Mock

Lashes - No Alpha Lashes 01 - Miamai

The formal look took a lot of trial and error. I love formal attire, but with this audition, I had to find something different. I'd just made the red gown I wore, but I needed something to really make a statement and bring the whole thing together. I found the "Diana" gown over at Tres Beau, so I added part of the cape just to add a 1940s glam touch to the whole affair. it just worked the second I saw it, thanks October :)

Styling:

Gown - MVW Cyprus Red - KR Designs
Shoulders and sleeves - "Diana" - Tres Beau
Gloves - Diana Black - Tres Beau
Shoes - Venezia Red - Sim-I-Lar
Hair - Rhythm Blonde 10 - Elikatira
Jewellry - Kashiwaba Set Special Edition - Chop Zuey
Ring - "The Great Healer" garnet - Chop Zuey
Makeup - Stormy Full Face - Face Paint
                Cat Eyeliner 2 - Izzie's
                Dark Red Vibrant Lipstick - Izzie's


So the adventure begins, I can;t wait to see what the next months bring. I know I will learn more than I thought possible, make new friends, cry, laugh and enjoy this unique opportunity. Wonder what will happen along the way :)

To all those who came to the auditions and screamed yourselves hoarse, thank you from the bottom of my heart. To everyone who sent good wishes, or IM'd me afterwards, it meant so much to know I have friends like that! I dedicate this success to my teachers who shared their time and expertise so selflessly, thank you to each and every one of you who taught me and got me to this point.

"Gisele" from Kunglers

Always liked Kunglers designs, right up my street style-wise. To be honest, I had not been to the store for a while, I corrected last weekend :) I found this gorgeous new dress, "Gisele" and I had to pick one up so I chose the Nude colour.

I think IMHO this is one of the nicest dresses I have seen in a while.mesh is a massive favourite of mine and this dress is a mesh item. A sleeveless classically styled dress, the slashed neck is followed down the length of the dress by some very clever stitching.It is embroidered on each hip with an abstract design in green and copper-coloured thread that encircles the hips and meets at the back and front. A matching bely brings the whole look together. I absolutely love it, come to think of it, I might have to get it n a few more colours !!!


Styling -

Dress - "Gisele" Nude Mesh - Kunglers
Hair - 2CUTE4YOU2 Blonde - Vanity
Shoes - Summer Pumps Golf Green - Amaralo Manga
Bag - Mesh Crocodile Green - Amarelo Manga
Sunglasses - Electra - Solar Eyewear
Earrings - Maggie - Artistry by ~E~
Bangles - Copper Bangles - Zuri Rayna
Makeup - Spring Glace Makeover - Mock Cosmetics

Taxi :)

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fashionate%20Island/143/150/24

"Betty" from JH Couture

It's no secret that I love the designs of JH Couture. Jada Humby has made some of my favourite casual clothes and I was looking for something warmer to wear. Yes, I am a big wuss with cold, then I found this cute little sweater dress.

"Betty" is a sweet, snuggly sweater dress, perfect for me now the evenings have a distinctly autumn like feel to them. Made from pure wool, this dress reaches to mid-thigh on me, so my bottom is warm as well:) It's cut to hang slightly off the left shoulder and ends in a flattering V-neck at the front.It's beautifully detailed, as all Jada's clothes and comes in a wide variety of colours. It's so versatile I think I'll be wearing a few of these now it's getting a bit cooler!


Styling -

Dress - "Betty" mesh Sweater Dress Azure - JH Couture
Hair - Studio Blonde 10 - Elikatira
Boots - Blue Suede - Bax Coen
Bag - Monogram Bag Mesh Mink - Purple Moon
Jewellry - Brilliante Collection - Je Suis
Eyeshadow - Beauty Addict Blue - Abso Zlatkis
Lipstick - Cassiopeia Cosmetics Lipgloss 01 - Glam Affair

Your ride :)

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nebo/65/104/24

Molichino Limited Edition - "Jaci"

I often pop into the Couturiers Docks when I'm wandering about, always something there to catch the eye.And boy, did this catch my eye. Created by  Aurelia Chaveau, the designer behind Molichino, this limited edition "Jaci" gown went straight into my closet. Good job too, there were not many left.

Cut from plum coloured silk, this classy gown sweeps gracefully along the floor, it moves so so well. The front of the gown is cut quite low and the back is also quite low-cut with a delicate lace insert at the bottom.A sheer overdress of chiffon, patterned to complement the gown itself is a really lovely touch. Again I would say a great gown for those upcoming Autumn events.

Styling :

Gown - "Jaci" Limited Edition - Molichino

Hair - Canteloupe Blonde - Vanity

Earrings, bracelet  and necklace - Camelia - Crystal Line

Ring - Nirmala - Chop Zuey

Eyeshadow - Metallic Purple - Kosh

Lipstick - Darl Blackberry - Izzie's

Shoes - Shark Extreme heel Galaxy - N-core

And, of course your taxi to the store :)

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cocoa%20Plum%20Cay/93/138/24