Xen's Pen
Fashionable ramblings from Xenobia Foxclaw's virtual pen.

From January 14, 2011 to January 22, 2011 Finesmith Mainstore will be holding a hunt for everyone to enjoy, with great prizes and more.

The hunt started at 10am on the 14th.

In order to take part of the hunt you simply tp to the start point in the Finesmith Mainstore and from there on start looking all over the Finesmith parcel for the Forbidden Frui

An apple will be placed on each of the stores on the Finesmith mall and the rest will be located inside the Mainstore, no hints, no LM you will have to run around the sim to find them.

20 Apples total- (Jewelry, dresses and nails)

Each hunt item is set for sale at a price ranged between L$1 and L$150 – items inside are worth L$250-1000L each
so you will end up with some awesome deals and amazing jewelry from Finesmith.

Let the temptation take over!

**FineSmith Designs Limo**

This cute, girly shape and skin from Rozena Skins are in one of the prizes on the Fashion Freaks Hunt 2 (FFH2) that started today. The Summer Picnic dress from Snowpaw Fashions, also a FFH2 prize, is a perfect end-of-summer choice. Anyone for a picnic?

What you are looking for: The Fashion Freaks Logo in the picture–it may be any size.

Fashion Freaks Website

Style Sheet

Dress: Snowpaw Fashions Main Store – Summer Picnic (#65 Fashion Freaks Hunt 2)*

Skin: Rozena Skin – Morgan Skin (natural) (#61 Fashion Freaks Hunt 2)*

Body: Rozena Skin – Morgan Shape (#61 Fashion Freaks Hunt 2)*

Eyes: Avantgarda Creations – Avantgarda Eyes 2 – Blue

Hair: Hair Center – Angela Kids (Red 1 Large)

Pose: Maldita – Maldita 27-10

Model and Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

*All Fashion Freaks Hunt items were given to me by the designers.

The Hunt for a Hope hunt is on, but only until April 8, so please get started now. In the last post I showed you a few items from the eggs at Moxie Polanos Haute Couture. Here are two outfits from one of three eggs at Ema’s Secret. I loved the options in all them–not just one outfit, but fat packs! In this one there was a third version with the blouse a brighter white that I didn’t picture here. It was included because of a difference in how something is viewed between the old and new viewers. That was a thoughtful inclusion–thanks, Ema.

Remember that all of the money raised goes to the Relay for Life, so this is not a free hunt, but each item I have picked up has been worth many times what I paid for it–usually 10L. The price of an egg is not always 10L though, so if you are on a budget, keep your eyes on the prices.

Style Sheet

Outfits: Ema’s Secret–Vanny WB and Vanny WB (RFL Hope for a Hunt)

Hair: UwSt–Anji (cinnamon brown) (190L)

Skin: CUPCAKES–Seduction (Copper/Princess) (800L)

Eyes: Insight–Stars (75L)

Pose: PDA–poses no longer available

Model and Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

The SL Clothing Fair may be over for another year, but the RFL efforts continue. The Relay Raiders Team has organized a hunt for eggs, but this is a money-raising hunt, so the eggs are not free. Most of the eggs are 10L, but don’t make the mistake of assuming that every egg is 10L. In the first eight that I bought, there was at least one for 25L and one for 100L. Remember that 100% of what you pay goes to Relay for Life, so be generous, please. Just like the Clothing Fair, you have to pay the amount that comes up to get the egg, but you can always pay more. If you pay less, you will not get the egg. (Sorry, I neglected to record what each item cost–I’m learning the new viewer and there is just too much to learn for me to remember to do everything I normally would such as recording how much I paid for something.)

The first items I picked up came from Moxie Polanos Haute Styles. She put out 15 eggs. Some are very large and obvious, others are hidden. I only found 13 out of the 15 and bought a few of them more than once–okay, I need to pay more attention, but it’s not a lot of Lindens and it goes to such a great cause. Below are items from four eggs: the bikini, the belt, the hat, and the rabbit (one of three items in that egg, that includes a rabbit to set down and a set of bunny ears).

The hunt only lasts until April 7, so get out there and start hunting! Click on the hunt sign to get a notecard with all of the participating stores.

Style Sheet

Hat: Moxie Polanos Haute Styles–MP Bathing Suit for Kim (RFL Hunt for a Hope)

Bikini: Moxie Polanos Haute Styles–MP Hat Straw Raphaela Roses (RFL Hunt for a Hope)

Belt: Moxie Polanos Haute Styles–MP Light Snake Skin Belt (RFL Hunt for a Hope)

Bunny: Moxie Polanos Haute Styles–RFL Bunny (RFL Hunt for a Hope)

Hair: Find Ash–Fiendish Wolf (Sweet Brown) (260L)

Skin: CUPCAKES–Seduction (Copper/Princess) (800L)

Pose: PDA– poses no longer available

Model and Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

The 2010 Clothing Fair has opened. When you go, I know you’ll want to look your best. Here is my challenge to you–go to the Fair with an ARC of no more than 100 AND no more than one script. Here are some looks I put together for an ARC of 75 or under, and to be honest, if I’d leave off the hair, the ARC would be one for each outfit.

I will win no styling events with these looks, but I do not go to the fair to see others or to be seen by others.  I go to see the work of the designers I love and the work of designers I may not have discovered yet. I go the Fair to make purchases of the items the designers have so generously donated to the Relay for Life’s efforts to fund the very difficult task of finding a cure for cancer. I go to honor the memory of my grandmother, uncle, father, and younger sister who all died of cancer; to remind me of my friends who have survived cancer and their ordeals; and to honor the caregivers, among them my own mother.

You may have a powerful computer that allows you to be free of lag, but please remember that everyone who wants to go to the Clothing Fair does not have that luxury. Please help them by keeping your textures low so their computers don’t have to work so hard to render all of the textures you’re wearing. The easiest way to do this is to wear system clothing. In each instance above, I’ve selected pants and a shirt with no prims. I skipped the shoes and used hair that is low in prims–all but the middle hair–are available at Pocket Mirrors. The middle hair, by issa Gelber, is no longer available.

Please keep your scripts few in number also to help the regions running at their best and reduce lag. Except for the RFL vendors, all other vendors are unscripted. The builders and designers have done all they can to make this a pleasant fair easy for everyone enjoy. Please do your share too, it’s not a lot to ask.

Style Sheet

2010 Clothing Fair T-shirt: Part of the Treasure Hunt–sorry, you’ll have to find this one yourself–2010 Clothing Fair

Clothing: Style Starts Here

Center Hair: Designed by isaa Gelber (Hair no longer available)

Other Hair: Pocket Mirrors

Skin: CUPCAKES

Eyes: InSight Eyes

Poses: PDA (no longer available)

Model and Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

The other day I stopped by The Graceful Lily to see Talia Lefavre’s new shop. There were some free gifts and a small hunt going on–small enough to keep my attention. I found four of the five hidden lilies. I’m sorry to say the hunt items have been taken up, but I want to share them with you to show the quality and creativity of Ms. Lefavre’s work and because you can buy them even though you can no longer get them as hunt items.

The quality of the items is excellent and I had a great deal of fun trying everything on and taking photos. One of the great aspects of this designers’ outfits is that they usually come with options like two tops and two skirts or two tops and two pairs of pants. Then there are often collars, shawls, belts, and/or cuffs. Mix-and-match is the name of the game with her designs and that makes her outfits very flexible. Many pieces are adjustable via a menu and all pieces are copyable, so if you want to mix and match items and make folders of them, you can then mix and match them again and make a new folder with all the pieces copied into the new folder–what a time saver. Then there is the way the fabric in the skirts move. I was mesmerized watching the movement as I changed poses. I got a couple of shots that demonstrate the movement, but you can’t really get a feel for it until you see it in person.

The Opening Day Gift (5L): The Lily. This one is still out. I love the large, calla lily pattern on the black fabric and the belt in a different but complementary pattern. The upper part of the bodice and arms of the blouse are in a solid white, and the contrast is quite striking.

The Free Gift from The Graceful Lily (0L): Black Lace. This one is still out also. This short number with spaghetti straps that cross in the back and a short, lacy black skirt that moves beautifully makes me want to dance.

Hunt Prize One: This is the one I didn’t find.

Hunt Prize Two: Beaded Belle (300L). Ruffles like the ones in this short dress of peach beaded fabric with dark blue underneath always remind me of the rhumba, samba, and other sexy Latin dances. It doesn’t show a lot of bare skin, but every motion you make is repeated in the movement of the ruffles.

Hunt Prize Three: Subtle Sunshine (500L). The color combination and movement in this gown are downright mesmerizing. Shown are two combinations, but change the collars with the skirts, take off the collar, wear the skirts together. There are lots of possibilities here.

Hunt Prize Four: Gold Digger (550L). This is one outfit that came in lots of choices for combining the pieces. Solid black pants work well with the black-with-gold striped fabric as well as with the black-and-gold patterned fabric. Pieces that include two skirts, two blouses, pants, cuffs, and much more.

Hunt Prize Five: Soft Winter Greens (Set III) (370L). These pieces look so comfy and are so very well designed that I want to take a walk to look at the fall foliage or curl up with a good book or maybe go shopping. I like this one so well that I may just have to buy the Soft Winter Greens in Sets I and II. If you missed the hunt, just pick up the fat pack and save a bit of money.

I just had to buy one of the items on sale at a special price: Autumn Poplars (550L). The fabric is gorgeous, the two tops (one with spaghetti straps, the other strapless) and two skirts can be mixed and matched, and again the movement is amazing. I had to take two sets of shots on this one–a set with the short skirt and another with the long. This outfit is on special right now for only 200L. Grab it while you can.

By the way, there was one red lily set out for the hunt and the lucky finder received the Drop Dead Gorgeous set that has many pieces and normally sells for 1300L and the Liberty multi-set that is plastered all over the wall to the left as you walk into the store sells for 2000L. Great prize!

Outfits: The Graceful Lily (See each outfit description for price)

Hair: Cake–Afterglow (Blonde) (375/color)

Skin: Cupcakes–Seduction (Copper/Glimmer) (1000L/skin)

Eyes: InSight–Dark Brown Eyes (75L)

Shoes: Basevi Moda–Color-Change Stilettos (Color changed with the outfit) (345L/double pack or 445L/mega pack)

Poses: Striking Poses (50L/pose or 400L/set–usually 10 in a set)

In my last entry I shared with you my favorite item from the My Precious Hunt–the Xenobia gown. In this entry I’m going to share the other items in the My Precious Hunt. I enjoy treasure hunts, but I have a pretty short attention span, so it’s difficult for me to complete most hunts. Then there is the minor problem of an inventory of items I’ve never unpacked. That frustrates me when I think about because I know there are some great treasures that have yet to be opened, on the other hand, I’ve found some really great shops on hunts that I go back to again and again.

There are four things I really like about the My Precious Hunt. First, it’s small so I was able to complete it in a fairly short period of time and get everything unpacked. Second, the items are things I will keep. Third, there are some items for men and women. Fourth, every third day until October 14, Agnes hides 20 gift cards; she does it once in the morning and again in the evening to be fair to people around the world. If you are in her group, you receive a notice as soon as the cards are placed.

Below are pictures of the items from the hunt. The first is a dress from Agnes Finney called Kathy. I love the bright pink-and-white pattern. It would be great for dancing, shopping, or having a coffee klatch with your friends.

This next outfit is from Entre Mares. Pick up the landmark at the Entre Mares’ kiosk in the My Precious Main Store and pop up to Entre Mares to pick up this edgy outfit perfect for the dance floor.

This gown from Agnes Finney is called Farla Farla. The swirly black-and-white pattern is a real eye-catcher. The design is just a tiny bit daring with a low neckline, cut-cut away sides, and only a strap across the back. The long, swirling skirt is perfect for slow dancing with your significant other or a romantic evening in front of the fireplace.

I love InSight Eyes and these two pairs from the hunt are no exception. A lovely blue (Clear Blue Eyes) and a beautiful brown (Mountain Eyes) are great additions to your eye collection and can be used by men and women. The eyes come with a prim gleam. (I find most sparkly effects to be a problem, so I leave those off.)

This black sweater, from Kenneth Keng, is for the men, but as you can see, women can wear it also. It has a small white KK on the left side that is barely noticeable. If you don’t like it, you can always cover it with a scarf or other accessory. I’ve paired it with white pants from one of Agnes’ designs, Audrey, that is not part of the hunt.

I could not find a shirt in my inventory that would work with a tie, so I added it to the sweater so you could see it. The tie, like the sweater, is by Kenneth Keng.

If you are a fan of Alienbear Jewelry, you’ll want to be sure to pick up this double-strand pearl necklace with earrings. If you are unfamiliar with Alienbear, you’ll still want to pick this one up so you can see the quality. This set is one I’ll wear often. (Okay, I admit it, I picked up more than one because it’s not copyable, and I like to put all of the parts of an outfit together in a folder. Dressing is so much quicker when you can just drag a folder onto yourself and change clothes.)

Sunglasses are needed year round, so I was delighted to find a pair from B & G in the hunt. These are simple, classic glasses that you can wear any time you are out in the sun or, if you’re really cool, at night–assuming you let it get dark. I’m fond of the sun, so it’s almost always midday in my world.

That’s it–a nice manageable hunt with some must-have items. Take a half an hour or so and complete the hunt then unpack it all before you forget. Have fun!

I awoke the other day to find a new gown from Agnes Finney in my inventory. I could hardly wait to try it on. Just look at this lovely, full, orange-and-yellow gown with puffy sleeves and a skirt that is adjustable with a menu. With its classic neckline, it’s perfect for accessorizing with just the right necklace. I might wear this year-round, but look very closely at that pattern. Do you see what I see? Bright orange pumpkins with lighted grins staring back at you! It’s a Halloween gown without looking like a costume. I love it! What’s more, you can own it for free too because it’s one of the gifts in the My Precious Hunt. In my next entry, I’ll show you the other items are in the hunt, but I wanted to show you this one in a post all by itself. Rush off to My Precious and pick this one up. (I’ll give you a hint–I may be floating on a cloud today, but my feet are planted firmly on the ground.

• Gown: My Precious–Xenobia (0L)
• Skin: Cupcakes–Seduction (Copper/Glimmer) (1000L)
• Hair: ETD–Tyra (Black) (150L/color pack)
• Eyes: InSight–Dark Brown Eyes (75L)
• Shoes: Basevi Moda–Colorchange Stilettos (Orange) (345L/double pack or 445L/mega pack)
• Poses: Striking Poses (50L/pose or 400L/set–usually 10 in a set)
• Body: Xenobia’s own design