**MAU's & MEJ's**

There are a few designers on 'the grid' that deserve our attention, for the items they make are, undoubtedly, extraordinary and beautiful. Some are builders of extraordinary talent, some are clothing designers with an eye for those things that make us all grab for our wallets, and some make skins of unparalleled beauty. There are even those that dabble, with both hands and every other digit, in a multitude of diversity, the most notable being Mej Shojo, Julia Hathor and Sunnivah Jiutai of **MAU’s & MEJ’s** emporium of utter delights.

Every item is crafted with great skill, and their landscape articles are utterly ravishing (check out their plants!), as well as unusual and cheap. In fact, cheap, quality for money, is what denotes this place of wonder, meaning that you get, to quote our American cousins, more 'bang for your buck' than many other places. In common with Bare Rose, **MAU's & MEJ's** is often overlooked, passed by or, simply not noticed amongst other gaudier presentations. Which is a damn shame...

I, for one, have always used this shop as somewhere to find the fantastical, particularly hair, and costumes, and the items have always proved to be versatile, with many layer options, as well as inventive and original. The other thing going for this sim is that it doesn't have the 'I'm-going-to-batter-people-to-death' lag common to some others. It’s a lovely place also, worth visiting simply for the tranquillity surrounding you as you wander, as well as providing much good shopping and bargains aplenty. So, my dears, I exhort you, plead on bended knee, scuffing my oh-so-carefully applied Crimbo prims, to take a stroll, and another long hard peek at one of Phil's Pad's overlooked treasures.

Stuffz:

• Outfit - **MAU’s & MEJ’s** Fashionset *Ice Birdy* L$149
• Jacket (part outfit) – SOLANGE! Kadin Blue/Silver L$750
• Skin – [Rockberry] POE free
• Hair – Calico Kitty POE free
• Shoes – 24 Shoo, part of a set of freebies available in store
• Jewellery – (Caroline’s) POE free
• Tattoo - **MAU’s & MEJ’s** TribalTattoo tintable L$5

Homage.

Here's my take on the Bare Rose challenge...

What can I say about June Dion except that she's an astonishing designer with a real eye for the exotic, amazing, and sometimes good old fashioned, bog-standard clothes, we all need. She's invariably cheap, and can be relied upon to produce great textures, and stuffz that you can always mix and match. She is deffo one of the best on the Grid, and I salute her. More power to your tablet, lady, says I...

Three cheers: Hip, hip, hooray, hip, hip, hooray, hip, hip, hooray!

In the pics I is wearing Night Magic, which comes in black, red, and blue, and Scorpio Lady. The shots were taken at: Solange Fashion and The Wastelands.

Winter is a-coming...

It is cold at the moment, and not just in RL, but on the grid too, with many sims reflecting the Season of HUMBUG that will be upon us all too soon. Now, I'm not a grinch, but I do find the constant references to said to be tiresome, particularly with the exhortations to buy, Buy, BUY! we have shoved down our necks. However, I found some nice things to cheer me up, and I thought you might like to take a looksie at 'em.

First up, some rather splendid shoes by a new store (to me, anyhoo) with the splendid name of Riddle. They come in many, many colours, and have several sole choices included in the pack for a measly L$150 - which is fooking cheap, folks. They're also very well made.

The outfit I have decided to pair my shoes with is the rather splendid Carlyle by a Piece of Candy, priced at L$250, which has millions of layers. I am particularly enamoured with the sweater and the cowl neck as they fit like a dream and look fabboo. It's also a reason to dress snugly and channel my inner hippy, but the less said about that the better, methinks. :)) There is also an ongoing hunt at the moment for Blue Diamonds containing skins that are based on the Nora stuffz that you can read about in one of my earlier posts. At a L$1 each, this is a great way to spice up your look if you're on a budget.

I'm also wearing an Aveda hair by ETD, which I snagged in the sale for L$50, and the Bad skin (black) by MinaJunk which was lots of moolah... L$1000, but for something so damn gorgeous I don't care.

Happy shopping, and remember to fight off the crowds with something sharp and shiny.

Just Some Skins

Now, I know that Eloh and her skins, and all permutations thereof, are old hat but, it must still be acknowledged by all that she revolutionised the availability of good skin when she gave out her files for NADA. I remember all too well being a noob, hankering after skins beyond my reckoning, drool leaching its way down the pixels of dreams... Ahh, sad times, my friends.

Anyhoo, while on my travels, I wandered to a sim called Maske, which is quite an industrialised sprawl, favouring Steampunk and Lolita odds 'n' sods. And found these little treasures all for the taking.

First up is {{Uncle Wiggily}}, who gives out all manner of cool stuffz for nothing. I'm particularly loving the wings and horns, as demonstrated by moi, but there's plenty of other things for the taking if they takes ya fancy. Leave a tip - I did.

On to the skin. Zero monies, they are an Eloh mod - quelle surprise - and a good one. They are called Another Mod - Full Perms Asian Skins, and are ably done by Chav Paderborn, the designer for The Steamstress and Burando. Again, lots of other free goodies, but you will need to look rather than beam in and out.

Fly Me to the Moon

I've become addicted to Koinup, which leads me to explore any number of amazing places and to wear stuff that I would never consider before. Having always been an SF nerd (we all have our addictions), I scooted off and bought some Steam Punk gear for the recent competition hosted by said photographic site and thought I would show it off. Having said that, what I really want you all to go and look at is 109 Prims, which specialises in all manner of groovy things, including costumes, and the cutest dollarbie kitty to wear on your head. The build is also, without a doubt, abso-fuckin-gorgeous! If you don't believe me, go and have a look... So, muchachos, without further ado, what the hell are you waiting for? Go. NOW!

Clobber I'm wearing:

• Skin - Minajunk exotic Red L$1000
• Outfit - DE Second Coming L$395
• Steampunk Wings (orgasmically good!) - Mochi Products L$100
• Tanker Helmet (with goggles) - Mochi Products L$150
• CyberArm Rusty Steampunk - PrimtroniCs L$269
• Hemp rope tech belt fem - PrimtroniCs L$290

Here be Pirates... Arrr!

My pirate name is:

Bloody Grace Bonney

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Antiquity Tortuga is an awesome sim, and everybody should go there just to get the true feel for what it's like to be a Pirate buckling yer swash on the seven seas. I loved it, and took some pretty good piccies while I was there too, then did some shopping for the basque and the cutlass you land-lubbers do see. So, folks, some shopping - not much - but pretty amazing tourist stuff. Go have an adventure. :D

Super Exploring & A Bit of Shopping Too!

Go to Cilix, because it has great stuff to buy and it is a bloody gorgeous build. There are any number of fantastically great bargains to be had and, as well as some of the better known designers - such as J of J's Shoes - there are some who are not well known but whose work is more than admirable. The dress I am sporting was a mere L$95 from SD Boutique, and is really lovely workmanship (that's the main SLurl, btw, cos I wants yas to take a look at the sim).

I have no idea who the brat in the picture with me is, he just appeared while I was trying to do my modeling thang and was looking for his 'mama' (???). So... if you're out there, 'mama', please can you come and collect the sprog. Thankee kindly.

Parting is such Sweet Sorrow

As anyone knows, if you follow the blogs, Nora has shut up shop and buggered off, which is a shame as I have always liked her work, even if this av doesn't wear much. However, she has left a gift that is incredibly generous and pretty fucking amazing... skins. Not just any old skins, but excellent, beautiful, and detailed and they are FREE! She is also offering the PSD files here.

I ain't gonna get the puppies out, even if they are just a collection of pixels, but suffice to say, you won't be disappointed. I'm not, and I count myself as a serious skin whore, being completely entranced by Minajunk to the extent I wear nothing else. But I will be wearing this - you can count on it.

So... come and get 'em while they're hot!

Summat to Say - at last!

Been away long time from the grid and the blog, but it's all because I rediscovered a previous passion i.e. writing. And not just some bollox about clothes, but stories, real fictioin with a SF bent. Now I ain't saying I'm good, but it does feel fine to be doing something with my head apart from working the live long day.

So what is the silly bird raving about, I hopefully hear at least a minute number say? Well, it's like this ya see, I was reading the blogs (like ya do) and I was suddenly stricken with the need for a shopping trip. Here are my finds:

QueenQueen outfits are so great, and while I like the pink number (ONE PIECE L$150), I have to say that the bodysuit, Psychedelic Number L$150, is just about my fave thing for ages. I had never heard of this designer, but the way the whole piece is put together is sexy. I'm wearing it with *aN* sweet pumpkin in black (sadly, this is no longer available as Anju Enoch doesn't seem to be making wigs now), minajunk skin Live Nolip01 L$1000, and Maitreya's Boot-alicious Suede Red L$250.

The other hair is from a great place called Little Heaven, and as soon as I saw this gorgeous pixie cut I had to have it. It was L$200, which for three sizes and all the wigs to fit male avs too, is pretty damn good. There are some camping chairs about too, which means this is a great sim to visit. I got me a free hair and backpack for my trouble, plus the sim itself is awesomely slummy and it is pissing down with rain. Go look, you will like it.

Oh yeah, plenty of poses for sale, and plenty of pose balls knocking about for all you budding would-be photographers.

Byeee...

New Kid in Town.

I've been kinda desperate for something to show on this here little bloglet of mine, as I haven't a snowflake's chance in hell of beating the big boys at their game, so imagine my delight at a notice that turned up from FashCon for a little place called /AXEL with a freebie top attached. It caught my somewhat jaded attention after wading through the shiteloads of spam that you get so I shrugged my shoulders and went to take a look. And I have to say it ain't half bad, kiddies...

This little number is a very nice outfit that has two types of skirt - a sculptie version (shown here) and a rather nice knee length flexi skirt that could be worn with plenty of other things. I'm afraid that sculptie skirt attachments are totally impractical, although they do look damn good in the piccies, which is a shame. Suinna Outfit L$175.

I bought another top - Argyl Cardigan (Blue) L$75 - from the shop as all the items are reasonably priced so there is no unexpected kidney extraction to pay for any of it. I hope when the "shop proper" opens (only a temporary outlet at the mo) that this will be maintained as being well-dressed in SL™ should be something we all strive for diligently! Skirt shown on the right is the flexi version from the first outfit.

The free top is rather niftily modeled - if I say so myself, and I do :P - below. I must say that it is a rather sweet little thing and well drawn, as are all the items, with good textures and maybe, if I'm being a picky bish, some very small seam issues.

Rest of the stuff I have on my bod are:

House of Heart Hair 1st May New release Pack- Free gift
TESLA shoes - Jane Leopard L$50
ETD shoes - T-strap Peep Wedges L$100
*MM Luxe* Jewellery - Quartz crystal Circle Bangle (scripted) L$95
*REDGRAVE* Pale Skin 02 - Emma *oldrose* L$990
[SG*] Tote Bag - L$0

The necklace I seem to have mislaid; something incredibly easy to do in the vast reaches of a scarily deepening inventory. Take heed, do not be afraid to trash stuff! LOL

Baby, I'm BACK...

So no blogging for some time, but then I ain't good at it, and oh my word, what terrible shennanigans there have been in the metaverse since my unscheduled absence. Minnu being depth-charged for plagiarism, and all that other bish-fest stuff... Wow. I'm just sad I managed to avoid it as there is nothing I like better than a bit of a brawl, provided I'm also on the winning team, that is. (Cowardice, you are my friend and I like living, so the maxim "live to fight another day" will NEVER apply to me. "Live to run" is more my style.) ;)

So what do I have for you to look at, then? Well, I like it, hence why it is here, so on with the descriptions and locations. Today I am mostly wearing:

A coat as a dress from a great little shop, AOI-YA, in JapaTown for the ridiculous price of L$40. The whole thing is adjustable, and the belt is a cute little thing attached to the skirt. Buttons are a separate prim attachment. This designer has got other things in the shop for sale that are cheap too, so browse as you may find something you like.
Tights are from *Sheer* and are L$100 for a "torn and lady-like" pack.
Free Tesla shoes, Shiny Felicity *Red* Slingback Stilettos, but these are probably not free anymore. Sowwy, folks.
Glasses from Nea-Ban for L$225 - Fujikat's Eyes.
Hair L$175 from House of Heart Design - the awesome Feral, which I HAD to have or I would've just curled up and died. You get five colours in the pack, so a real bargain plus this is a great group to join as there are regular freebies. Thanks, Sheltered Heart, from the bottom of my... er... heart. *coughs*
Free bag courtesy of (CS), and it is the lush, long-time-ago freebie, Hobo in Cherry Patent.
***REDGRAVE* skin, so NOT free, people, but beautiful and expensive, though not sooo bad that you need to sell a kidney, L$990 Pale Skin 02, Emma.
And last, my earrings are the lovely group gift from +plus *White Pearl Earring*. If you haven't been there, you must as the jewellery is utterly wicked.

Eat your heart out, George!

I haven't been about for a few days and have missed all the hunts, finds and general mayhem on the grid for well over a week, so needed to spend, spend spend, just to make myself feel better again. Anyhoo, that's my excuse even if it is pathetic and feeble :P and, I decided I wanted a "LOOK" to make sure I overcompensated properly. I wasn't certain what look, and it took me an age to scour the sims for something to take my fancy, so here, mes amis, for your delectation and delight, is my take on the 80's without scary shoulder pads!

The clobber what I is wearing is a frock from !tb (though it's marketed as a jumper???) and was a canny L$100, and the hair is from Hiccup (you gotta love that gal, Tilly Tokyo) for L$175 - Aint Born typical - in the platinum pack. I have to say that this is such a great short cut that I'll prolly never take it of me head...EVER!

Tights were a problemo, but I managed to find something that really took my fancy from a designer I have never seen before. They come in loads of colours, and are very well made indeed - lovely textures. Plenty of pretty undies in the shop too, so go and check it out. Oh yeah, be prepared for surprising lady stuff on display; it made me laugh like a drain. LISA MARIE'S Flower Grey Socks were L$90 and have a sussy belt in the pack too.

Shoes are, of course, Armidi, and are the delectable, delicious, delightful and desirous Dhali Bow Platforms in silver, L$325. Not cheap, but soooo lush and requiring of alliteration that I will have to snap my own fingers so I type no longer.

I got the hat from Periquita, who has LONG time been one of my favourite shoemakers and seems to be extending her not inconsiderable talents towards other areas including sunnies and jewellery. Take a look at Free*Style if ya don't believe me. I had to fiddle with it so it would sit on the back of my head but I think it looks ace. Big Bow Hat L$100.

+plus is another new designer for me and I was impressed with the cost of all of the lovely items in the shop. My gorgeous new bangle was a measly L$60 so I got one in copper as well, and I had to have the fabboo giant patent clutch in grey for L$120 or I would probably have carked it there and then. I ain't much of a bag gurl, but I do like the odd one or two and this works quite nicely with my AO, which can be a right PITA when they don't. ::Tuli:: supplied the necklace for a further L$100, with two in the pack so's ya can choose an attachment area. Useful, particularly when you wanna have something else on your chest like maybe a prim skirt? Or a man??? LOL

Skin was ROSEMAR creampuff in almond Group giftie - /me blows kisses at Rosemary.

Retro Trash Slut :P

BLAND is a new store and has some fine, fine things in there that I like muchly, sooo muchly that I bought a dress with a system skirt. Now considering the PITA that Wind-effing-Light is causing with system skirts I thought it was pretty bloody brave of me... And boy, am I pleased my hunch paid off.

It's a lovely dress, bright and cheery, and it is also styled with great flare. The only thing I'm sulky about is that there aren't many layers, and I do like 'em so cos you can mix and match the pieces every-which-way. Cost L$200 but I don't care as now I know everyone'll see me coming. LOL

I teamed it with the rather good Eloh another skin mod from Fancy Fairy called Marilyn, which comes with a nice shape that rather accurately portrays the sex icon to a "T" - available for L$100 (however, the Taille you see is all my own work). A damn fine price for some quality work, and it makes a gal look hotter than that tin roof - smokin'! There happen to be some other really fine pieces there too if you are into the fairy thing, and the scripted wings selling for L$200 are simply beautiful with hand painted textures. The bra peeking over the top of the dress is from Fancy Fairy too and is as free as a bird. Look for the Spring Lingerie set cos I know you won't be disappointed with its sheer loveliness.
Hair is from booN and is the great freebie that's still available in store, NMR32. I decided on blondie-locks to make certain I had that whole tartlet look down pat. Now, I think it works pretty damn good, but then I would. :D

Shoes and necklace both from *JetDoll*, and I blogged 'em previously so I hope you were paying attention to the cost ('cept I just remembered I couldn't find the shoes - meh) as I ain't repeating meself. Oh no...

Have fun and nighty, night all. xxx

Tree of Second Life™

Not so much a fashion exhortation as a "Go and take a look at this awesome place...!" Not only are there great clothes - not for the fainthearted as they are stylish, beautiful and fairly pricey - including shoes, and jewellery, but there is the most stunning build and lovely gardens to explore and wander about. This has to be one of the prettiest places I have been in SL™ and, believe me, I've travelled the metaverse a fair old bit.

I did take a couple of "fashion" piccies cos I thought it would be a waste of a great opportunity. I am wearing today [Random] new Bow Tunic in cream, L$125 and the L$1 Very Skinny Jeans from the GNUbie Store (the very top floor of the shop). Hair by (JUNWAVE), wolf_short Black, L$60, and my skin is a ::Tuli:: S5 group gift and looks perfect for this casual look.

A quick word about (JUNWAVE)... the hair is cheap, and very, very good. Go there immediately!

Necklace from *JetDoll* for L$60, and it is sooo cute. Mmmmhmmm, I do love her stuff.

Have fun, my lovelies. xxx

Sleazy Motels.

After a godawful day when the grid was as temperamental as an old 'ho, between crashes, no logins, and various other signs of borkdom, I finally managed to get on line to take a looksie at the new Starlust Motel and I was not disappointed. There are some great stores and the look of the place is just downright grimy - I LURVE it - there is even a corpse (or maybe one of THOSE dolls - ya know, the rubber sort? :X) in the pool, how cool is that? Some great freebies to be had, catering for a wide range of tastes, and I was well pleased to see another *Thimbles* store, as Melatonin Hax is fast becoming one of my fave designers.

I'm wearing the blue Awee Baby dress from (dress available at Starlust) *Thimbles*, which was a L$0, and on the desk there are a number of other items that cost zilch/nil/nada. Everything about this dress just shows what I love about *Thimbles*, from great textures, a sense of quirky styling and value for money. Even the full priced items are a bargain and very, very versatile coming in a number of layers making options pretty damn good.

I teamed it with the lush booN HNB27 L$220 in black, a gorgeous Fleur Vivant skin - Pin-up 3 Almond L$500 - Slink tied shirt in white, some silver leggings in a long-time-ago gift (Glam Rock dress) from *Punch Drunk* and the oh-so-lovely blue striped Anchors Away! heels from *JetDoll* and can't-recall-the-price-of-cos-I'm-a-twit, which I'll admit to drooling over. Kitty Pidgeon is also holding a 50% sale, so get a move on.

Necklace is from Tekeli-li!, who I had never heard of before (prolly cos it caters for fantasy) and it is the Sacred Heart piece at L$100. I think it is a complete bargain as the metal and gems are scripted to change colour so there are any number of outfits you can wear this with.

Cute bag is **Baby Monkey from her Great Big group gift and is the Grab Bag Peacock. Thanks Pixie, you're a real doll!

Enjoy the shoppin', muchachos! xxx

P.S. Windlight is a bish for lighting. Gah, experiments needed, I can see.

Too Lazy to Type.

Sometimes I hate Firefox, especially when the damn thing decides it is going to throw a wobbly and crashes so that the stuff you've just written is lost. So now I am in cranky old cow mode and need to type everything again. /me takes a good swipe at the stoopid bloody engine.

Two lots of goodies for you today. First is a little retro dress from *pop feel* that was L$160 and is brand new on the walls. This is a designer that I have seen before and started to take a looong look at; she has other things of loveliness there too and there is some really competitive pricing going on. I liked this frock cos you could use the collar separately as a piece of jewellery with other outfits, and the top is sweet on its own teamed with a pair of jeans. Hair is the long-time-ago freebie from RaC, and I'm wearing a Cupcakes skin (Mimi Coral is a goddess - fact) that was L$100 for 8 skins - Love Pearl Marilyn - a bargain in anyone's book. It is also gorgeous, and glowy, which I absolutely love. The little crystal bracelet is from *MM*, L$95 - Pearlie Pedro - who make exquisite pieces that are very reasonably priced and come scripted so the metal changes colour. The tights are the free set from G.L.A.M., which is situated in the same sim as *MM* - so great shopping to be had there.

The second of my little finds is from the Sleepy Hollow sim, and I went there to check out Grim Babies because the whole concept made me howl like a drain. Sorry, I have a fairly sick sense of humour... well, I'm not really sorry cos I am actually pretty perverse. :P

Anyhoo, a great gothy sim with ace clobber to be had and some fabbo doll stuff, like keys and special skins. The clothes are awesomeness too. This outfit is from Go Ask Alice (**GAA), and was L$150, which is not a bad price at all when you see how much work is there. I love it and wore it with an Eloh Another Shop mod skin (Bella Morte) - I cannot for the life of me recall where I got it, though - and L$1 hair from Diversity, Stephanie. Looks pretty damn fine to me. The boots are from !!!Miyu design*, and are the long old boots 06 L$250.

Oh, oh... before I forget, the outfit comes with a great tophat too, but it wouldn't fit on my big hair.

WRONGNESS!

Wow... on a roll here; two posts in two days. Anyhoo, I don't claim to have the greatest eye for fashion or stuff, but OMG, you have to ask yourself "WHY?" None of these looks is good, so don't go there, folks, please. The middle pic seems a tad ironic given where it was taken - a rather tasteful and highly popular emporium frequented by many a fashionista - so one can only hope that better boots were purchased. As for the sliders (bewbs on 100 are not good), hair, oil and general tackiness of it all, it's just too damn much. Sexy should be subtle, unless you really are trying for top whore?

Now I know style is an individual thing, and as such should be celebrated in all its variations, but I do despair of some looks that abound in SL. Ho hum... lemme know what ya think, if ya dare to.

No Eggscuse at all.

Well, I have really, cos I've been busy in RL doing Glastonbury stuff - no sky dancing, folks, too damn cold! - which is an amazing place and if you have even the slightest leaning towards spirituality you should go see for yourself. It also has great pubs. :P

So, I was away for 6 days and when I came back a lot had happened in SL. No shit, I hear you cry. I missed so much good free stuff, I was busy chewing the back of my chair in plain despair. Well, almost. However there is some truly greeeaaaat stuff about now that Oestre has departed us, so take a looksie at these little gems...

First up, a new store by the name of BLAND, which is anything but. I bought a couple of absolutely gorgeous items, but the freebie box is so damn worthwhile I implore all to go get it. There is a dress, some undies/'kini and a T-shirt all for the stellar price of L$0. They are good too. Really good, hand-drawn textures with lovely details. Fabbo, dahlings!

The next freebie was from another new store I have never heard of before - VOGART - situated at a sim by the name of TRILOGY (216, 205, 598). It's a great place to look round too, and as the weather is a bit wet take a brolly and some wellies. Or a snorkel... take your pick. LOL The freeb is a lovely red gingham cami, with a little prim skirt that is moddable. Sadly, I had to wear my skinny Taille to wear it but it still looks really cute with ROSEMAR's free jeans. The skin is also a freeb from ROSEMAR (I love those skins, dammit) as a group giftie. JOIN, I tell you; Rosemary is generosity itself. The last item on my list was a group gift from the awesome, original and totally gobsmackingly good *KUROTSUBAKI* for March. Beautiful textures, seams and design, plus the little yellow flower in the free Bewitched hair I'm wearing is KEWT! The only not free stuff I have on today are the new shoes from Adam n Eve - Clomps - which are being flogged for the cheap as chips price of L$100 for a limited time. Get your booties to that there sim, kiddos! Jewellery does not count. Hehehe. Be safe all. xxx