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

The Runway Perfect Hunt 4 (TRPH 4) is in full swing. Each item is only 5L and, while the hunt is geared toward models, everyone can find something useful. The hunt is limited to only 50 stores, and that makes it a manageable hunt. Here is the link to TRPH 4 website where you can find the hints and SLURLS (https://therunwayperfecthunt.wordpress.com/hint-and-lm/). (I’m giving you the URL because I cannot get the program to make this a link even though it’s working below. Go figure.)

I’m showing a few of the items in these photos. In the credits you can learn which of these are from the hunt.

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Hat: Xen’s Hats—XH Autry Blue (Mesh) (TRPH 4)

Outfit: SVART—I Ren Shorts and Top (TRPH 4)

Sunglasses: SEQUOIA STYLE—Let It Shine Sunglasses (TRPH 4)

Shoes: Loordes of London—Burbleary Boots (Olive) (TRPH 4)

Skin: Izzie’s—Ginevra Skin (Sunkissed DB)

Hair: Vanity Hair—Easy (Nova Black)

Lipstick: [mock]—Mariellis Lip Shine Lip 1(Bubblegum Cabaret) (TRPH 4)

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Beaute Eyes (Smooth Coffee)

Eyelashes (Prim): Miamai—No Alpha Lashes No. 6

Eyelashes (Prim) (Yes, I wear two sets of prim lashes): CCD—RealLash Prim Lashes – #02 Normal (Black)

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] (black)

Fingernails: JA/Jamman Jewels & Accessories—Square Long Aqueos 3d (TRPH 4)

Poses: Ma Vie (TRPH 4)

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

I’ve found a great shoe designer whose work I found at The Dressing Room Fusion this month. (I showed that shoe in my last post.)  Just Design (JD) is new to me although you may be familiar with this shop. The designer, Dave Freeman, has the best hud for selecting skin color I’ve seen in SL. (Someone else might be using it, but I haven’t seen it before, and it’s great!)

Here is the shoe with no hud shown.

This is the first hud screen that shows all of the skin tones organized by skin maker (Base tones, Glam Affair, Belleza, League, Al Vulo, Laqroki). Don’t see something that is perfect? No problem, you can modify the color. You can also select nail color. In these photos I’m showing different skin tones and nail colors. I used only the preset tones, even with the skins from blackLiquid and Izzie’s, and had no trouble finding an easy match.

The second hud screen is especially useful if you purchase a fatpack like I did. It was fun to play around with the different options.

This final screen I like because of the ankle lock. I often wear a hud just to lock my ankles so they don’t go into an unnatural ankle position when I’m posing. This shoe allows me to skip that extra hud.

When I had a difficult time reading the first hud screen that lists the skins by designers—I just could not read the print because it’s small and the contrast between the grey of the print and the black of the hud is too low—the designer sent me a link that helped me read it a bit more easily. I appreciated his response.

I’m going to keep my eyes open for more shoes by this designer. I love the ease of working with the skin tones, and I appreciate that the cost of the fatpack was a good savings over buying each shoe color individually.

Here is a link to Just Designs.

I’m coming to terms with the fact that I will never catch up with anything—life is constantly ahead of me and always will be. Given that (sigh) here are some items I haven’t shown you…some are new and some are not, but they are all great.

This post goes from my hat to my shoes and a few things in between. To get it out today instead of a month from now, I’ll rely on photos and skip the text.

Xen’s Hat Edmond Beige (on sale for 55L for Meshie Monday)

Dura Hair Girl 46 and FineSmith Jewelry

Dura Hair Girl 45

Ricielli and PosESioN

JD Shoes (available at The Dressing Room Fusion)

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Hat: Xen’s Hats—Edmond (Beige)

Dress: Ricielli Mesh—Bangdage MInidress (Caramel)

Jewelry: FineSmith—Desire (Necklace, Earrings, Bracelet) (White Metal & Changeable Stones)

Shoes: JD (Just Design)—Cruel (Python) (name where purchased

Skin: Izzie’s—Ginevra Skin (fair LB)

Hair 1: Dura—Girl 46 (Black)

Hair 2: Dura—Girl 45(Black)

Lip Gloss: ROZEN—Sugar Gloss (Orange)

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Beaute Eyes (Smooth Coffee)

Eyelashes (Prim): Miamai—No Alpha Lashes No. 6

Eyelashes (Prim): CCD—RealLash Prim Lashes – #02 Normal (Black)

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] Bblack)

Fingernails: FineSmith—Acid Orange

Poses: PosESioN

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

Background: KaTink—Spotlight Pack

Very shortly after I joined SL with my original avi in 2007, I met a real life author, Nathan Lowell, who had his first books published in audio format—free audio format at Podiobooks. I have always liked to read and, I was interested to hear what his voice sounded like. So I listened to his first three books and, frankly, he has a voice I would listen to any old time. I liked his characters and enjoyed his stories. He has written more and I’ve read and/or listened to them all. I can hardly wait for his next book.

The character from his books that I have found myself styling over and over again is Beverly, a tough cookie. Above is my latest rendition of her in her street wear. Bev has a lovely dark skin, and she wears her hair very, very short. She has piercings and tattoos, and wears a lot of leather. A white shirt with an open collar would be quite appropriate, but I couldn’t find one that worked with the jacket. I chose this one because it does work with the jacket and shows off a bit of her tattoos. Although I really like mesh clothing (both the jacket and boots are mesh) I chose non-mesh jeans because they tuck into the boots so nicely.

I asked Nathan to come in and check her for accuracy. I made some changes as per his suggestions, and now have his approval. (Although we would both like that white shirt with the open collar—I’m going to keep searching.) I was happy that the author himself approved her look.

If you would like to hear his books, you can find them at podiobooks.com. I suggest you start The Solar Clipper Series at the beginning with Quarter Share. You can find ebook versions of many of his books at Amazon.com (that link is the Kindle version) as well as some print versions. If you want to learn more about Nathan Lowell himself, check in on this site at nathanlowell.com. (Here are the links for the Kindle editions of his first three books: Quarter Share, Half Share, and Full Share.)

I think I’ll listen again to his new series, Lammas Wood. I’d like to style Tanyth. She’s very different from Bev, but she’s every bit as interesting. In fact, maybe she’s more interesting.

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Jacket: V-Twins Biker Outfitters—Jacket *MESH*

Tank: My Precious—Agnes Ada Tank Top (Part of the Ada Jacket)

Jeans: LIZIAAH Boutique—Faddict black pants

Ear Piercings: .:ellabella:.—Mingle

Facial Piercings: .:ellabella:.—Spike Lea’s Baby F

Boots: LaRoo—Clyde Boots (Black)

Skin: blackLiquid Makeup—Yoko (Wallnut)

Tattoo: Garden of Ku Tattoo—Onamusha (Faded)

Hairbase: booN—Basic Shaved Hair Base (Black)

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Beaute Eyes (Dearest Mine) (M)

Eyelashes (Prim): Miamai—No Alpha Lashes No. 6

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] (black)

Fingernails: FineSmith—FineSmith Nails Solid (Black)

Poses: Manifeste

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

Background: KaTink

My time in SL is usually filled with designing, styling, photographing, blogging, teaching, modeling, and spending time with friends—not necessarily in that order. Because my time is so full, I don’t have time to do a lot of hunts, so I have to be selective about those I participate in. The FineSmith Valentine Hunt is one I have spent time on because I love her designs. This is not a free hunt, the items cost from 0-100L per box, and each one is worth more than its cost. I’m showing just a few of the items, as some of the items come in more than one color.

Here are five of the looks you can find. Each piece is up to Yula’s usual high level of design as you would expect from her. I think you’ll like them as much as I do.

Heartfelt (Comes in black, gold, and silver)

Darklove (Comes in black, gold, and silver)

LoveNugget 

Hotred

Touch of Love Rings (Six color combinations) and Lovespell Hairsticks (Three color combinations)

The first, middle, and last hairs are all by Dura. The second is from blackLiquid, and fourth is from Damselfly. All poses are from Manifeste.

What are you waiting for? Go, hunt! FineSmith Valentine Hunt

The new FineSmith Papiyon set, complete with wings, makes me feel like an angel…

…so I donned an angelic gown from My Precious…

…found some flying animations from an AO by BehaviorBody…

…completed the styling for what I thought an angel might look like…

…and almost convinced myself that I’m really an angel…that lasted only a few seconds before I came returned to reality.

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Jewelry: FineSmith—Papiyon (Necklace, Earrings, Wings, Bracelet & Ring)  (Silver)

Dress: My Precious—Luna Queen

Tights: Sheer—Tights A1 (White)

Shoes: G Field—Ribbon Slingback Shoes (White)

Skin: blackLiquid Makeup—Yoko (Paper)

Hair: Amacci—Pythia + Hairbase (White)

Lip Gloss: blackLiquid Makeup—African Dream Sheer Shimer (1)

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Beaute Eyes (Blythe Spirit, M)

Eye Shadow: Madrid Solo—Eyeshadow (Vixen 2)

Eyelashes (Prim): blackLiquid Makeup—Little Lashes

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] (black)

Fingernails: FineSmith—Solid White

Animations: BehaviorBody Animations—MODEL XXX AO V1

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

Background: KaTink—Skies Pack 3

I love to dress up in SL partially because I don’t have many clothing choices in RL, and those I do have are not nearly so elegant as my SL clothing.

Consider this gorgeous new mesh pencil skirt from Indyra Originals. I love the contrasting lines that make this skirt so interesting. It comes in several color-pack choices with several skirts in each pack. I dare you to make a decision quickly, unless it’s to buy them all. I paired the skirt with this cute, short mesh jacket from Color.Me.H.O.F. and one of my old staples, still useful in this day of mesh, a basic tank from Izzie’s.

No outfit would be complete without jewelry, so I chose this Ellendir Diamond Joy Necklace and Earrings from FineSmith. I love the texture change feature of this jewelry set that makes it so versatile. It comes with a tiara that didn’t seem to go with the more casual look I’m sporting today.

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Jewelry: FineSmith— Ellendir Diamond Joy Necklace & Earrings (Texture-change)

Skirt: Indyra Originals—Memoire’ Pencil Skirt (Pearl/Black)

Tank: Izzie’s—Basic Tank (Nude)

Jacket: Color.Me.H.O.F—ScarletBlazer (Black)

Shoes: CHoOoZ—Mafia:Reloaded (Black)

Skin: blackLiquid Makeup—Yoko (Paper)

Hair: Dura—Boys & Girls 39 (Mocha)

Lip Gloss: blackLiquid Makeup— Black Cherry Sheer Shimer

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Beaute Eyes (Smooth Coffee)

Eye Shadow: Lovely Mi—Au Nature (Green) 

Eyelashes (Prim): Miamai—No Alpha Lashes No. 6

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] (black)

Fingernails: FineSmith—Nails (French Nude)

Poses: Manifeste

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

I readily admit I usually cannot remember if I have gotten an item at a special event or not, but I do know that this dress came from the current Dressing Room Fusion event. When I saw this dress, I fell in love with the golden hue above all of the other color choices.

The white-on-black snowflake pattern reminded me of some of the snowflake jewelry that can be found at FineSmith. Here I’m wearing a bracelet on my left arm and a ring on my right hand. The unusual black color (unusual for a snowflake) fits beautifully with the sweater dress.

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Dress: BOOM—Oslo Baggy Sweater Dress (Kornor Canary)

Jewelry: FineSmith—Snowflake Bracelet & Ring (Black)

Tights: [Riddle]—Cozy Tights (Black)

Shoes: ::CHoOoZ::—Paige (Umber)

Skin: blackLiquid Makeup—Yoko (Flesh)

Hair: Dura—Boys & Girls34 (Barley Corn)

Lip Gloss: MONS—Lucious Lipgloss (Nectar)

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Beaute Eyes (Smooth Coffee)

Eye Shadow: blackLiquid Makeup—Glitter Shadow (Emerald Green)

Eyelashes (Prim): Miamai—No Alpha Lashes No. 6

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] (black)

Fingernails: FineSmith—Nails (Acid Red)

Poses: PosESioN

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

Background: A.S.S.—Blizzard Skybox

My first post to this blog was September 11, 2009. According to my blog’s dashboard, this is my 345th post to Xen’s Pen. Frankly, I can hardly believe it. I have started blogs many times on different topics important to my life outside of Second Life. I have always failed miserably to maintain them for one reason or another. I have no idea why I have been able to keep this one going for so long, but I’m glad because it gives me a feeling of accomplishment. My goal for next year is to post here more often. (I refuse to think of it as a resolution because that word has a negative connotation for me since I’ve failed to keep them so often. I gave up making New Year’s resolutions many years ago.)

Yula Finesmith has some limited edition pieces in the store right now that I absolutely adore. This one is a fun feather collar that I think I’ll wear often, although I have to say I love all of the pieces. I’ll show you more of them soon. If you like these pieces that are not only limited but are also set at an amazingly low price for limited editions, you should probably stop by soon. I’m thinking they may not last long.

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Jewelry: FineSmith—Feather Secret Collar (Red)

Jacket: Color.Me.H.O.F.—ScarletBlazer (Black)

Tank: fri.—Layering.Tank – V (White)

Jeans: *TuttiFrutti*—Forever (Red) – Mesh Skinny Jeans

Tights: [ Riddle ]—I Heart You Tights (Sheer Black – 1 1)

Boots: ::CHoOoZ::—Mafia:Reloaded (Black)

Skin: blackLiquid Makeup—Yoko (Flesh)

Hair: Wasabi Pills—Valerie2 Mesh Hair & Hairbase (Ash)

Lip Gloss: blackLiquid Makeup—black cherry sheer shimer

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Fae (Arctic Prince)

Eye Shadow: Mystique— 2.0 Tattoo layer Stunning 3 (green)

Eyelashes (Prim): Miamai—No Alpha Lashes No. 6

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] (black)

Fingernails: FineSmith—Acid Red Nails

Poses: Label Motion

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

Background: N30—Gen1 Winter 0038

chiaki Xue, the owner and designer of DURA, has done it again with a delightful, stylish new hairdo. This one is different from anything else she has done because this one has a forlock that fits beneath the top hair. (It can be worn with or without the forelock.) The forelock has two options, a dark one and a light one, and each of those can be clicked to bring up a menu that lets you resize it or change its color. Out of all of the options, I chose gray because it makes me feel a bit like real life where my hair is gray all over, besides it coordinates with the dress I have on.

So much black and gray prompted me to add a bright touch of color—my all-time-favorite—red. Fortunately, my inventory is filled with red choices, but these Play Cube earrings and ring from FineSmith are the perfect choice. I find that I go to these earrings often because the design can be worn with lots of different looks, they come in lots of color choices, and they can be resized easily.

I scoured my inventory for red tights, but even though I had several choices of tights and pantyhose, none was right. I made my first trip to Miss S. Tights and More where I found at least two choices, and since red really is my favorite color, I bought them both. (During my visit, I had help from a very nice store model who assisted me in finding just what I needed. I always appreciate having assistance when I’m trying to find something in a store that is new to me.) While the Glossy Wild Cherry isn’t a perfect match for the earrings, it coordinates just fine and I suspect I’ll get lots of use out of them not just because I love the color, but also because they come in a wide variety of waist heights.

What Xenobia Is Wearing and Other Credits

Dress: Evolve—Noir Beauty 3

Earrings: FineSmith—Play Cubes (Blood)

Ring: FineSmith—Play Cube (Blood)

Tights: Miss S.—High Waist Tights (Glossy Wild Cherry)

Shoes: G Field—Wedge Bootie “Beth” (Color-change)

Skin: blackLiquid Makeup—Yoko (Flesh)

Hair: Dura—Girl 42 & Forelock (Black with color-change dark forelock)

Lip Gloss: Izzie’s—Dailyn Lipstick (Dark Cherry)

Eyes: My Precious—Agnes Beaute Eyes (Smooth Coffee [M])

Eyelashes (Prim): Miamai—No Alpha Lashes No. 6

Eyelashes (Tattoo): [mock]—Priscilla Eyelashes [lash only] (black)

Fingernails: FineSmith—Nails (Acid Red)

Poses: Manifeste

Model & Photographer: Xenobia Foxclaw

Background: N30 Studios (Winter Backgrounds for v4.05+)