April In Azul

Azul makes gorgeous gowns and gives away some tasty little cocktail dresses every few weeks as Group Gifts. Well worth joining up for.

#1002	#1003	#1004

Here, my avie sports a stunning free hair from Hairy Situation to show off the Azul dresses. Those shoes are borrowed from the Laqroki set highlighted in my previous post. Also shown here are a couple of freebie poses found at Exposeur, and one by Hanana Design. Freebie fashion isn't just about clothes, you know! :)

Of the three Group Gifts I've picked up at the Azul store, #1003 is easily my favourite. I really like the subtle patterning on the dress, the frothy little skirt, and that it comes with both a white and a black top.

Nice work, Azul, and Thank You!

Freebie Fashion Laqroki Style

Laqroki has a wall of freebies, mainly hair (and mainly for girls). But there's a guy hair and clothes set, so let's try them out and see what we think of the Laqroki freebie look.

For guys, there's a free hair: Everyday in Black (in Large and Medium). The shirt and pants are decent enough, but you'll have to provide your own shoes. Freebie menswear tends towards street and gangsta so it's a nice change to have some smart casual that my guy avie can wear just about anywhere and anytime.

Hmm, and I need to find some poses where I don't perforate myself :)

For girls, the clothes set include shoes and stockings. As a party dress, it's somewhat better made than the guy's shirt, but not as versatile in use.

Worth noting, however, is that when combined with the very nice freebie avatar located elsewhere in the store, you end up with a complete package: skin, shape, eyes, hair, clothes + shoes. All free!

And unlike the guys' freebies, the girls's freebies include different colours for the hairs, and different tones for the skin.

So Thank You, Laqroki!

Nothing For Something, and Something For Nothing

It goes without saying, or should, that nothing is completely free. Everything has a price, even freebies.

But that price may not be what you think.

Content creators give away freebies for many reasons: to promote themselves, to encourage and reward customer loyalty, to share. It costs time, effort, and money to create and upload items just to give them away. Content creators are under no obligation to provide freebies; but some do, and they produce great quality freebies, too.

And, unfortunately, they get abused for it.

So if, for whatever reason, you don't like the freebie, then delete it from your inventory. Easy fix. It was a freebie, remember? Sometimes, freebies are freebies because they're unsellable, or last season's leftovers, or just plain useless. No need to make a scene or bitch about it to the creator. Certainly don't complain because you don't like the colour or can't copy, mod or transfer. You got it for free. If you don't like it, dump it, and don't shop there again. Simple.

But if you happen to pick up a great freebie, why not DM the creator or drop them a note to say how much you love it? After all, it cost you nothing to buy, and it'll cost you nothing to say Thanks. But it will help the creator to know their efforts are appreciated. Goodwill generates goodwill. Better yet, shop at their store again, and spend big. That's the best thanks a creator can get.

Blue Mars: New Venice and Arcadia

New Venice by VSE is easily the most striking and beautiful of the demo cities currently available in Blue Mars Open Beta. Unfortunately, it's a work in progress. Still.

So I was surprised to find VSE have apparently built another city, Arcadia, in conjunction with EdGE@TERC.

Arcadia shows the same lovingly created builds and textures that has earned New Venice so much fame, but it is again another work in progress, albeit one with a launch date somewhere in May. Unlike New Venice, however, Arcadia also appears designed with "science games" in mind. Can't wait to pick up my pickaxe and go fossicking for some Martian fossils.

When you check out Arcadia for yourself, here's a tip: turn the sound off. It has an irritating gag SFX - your footfalls on the ground sound like a drum machine - which I imagine is supposed to deter you from exploring the world before it officially launches.

Shopping. In The Beach City Shop.

Shopping. In The Beach City Shop.

The clothes may be better built in Blue Mars, but the shopping experience leaves a lot to be desired.

No flying camera means you have to virtually physically stand in front of an item to inspect it.

On the upside, you can click on it to get a rotatable version. However, this appears on a transparent black overlay on your screen, so if the item is black, it's not very helpful.

Then we have the gender issue. Each clothing item is a seperate object, and it's gender-specific. So, as long as my avatar is female, she is only able to wear clothes built on the female body mesh. Very frustrating.

There is also currently the one shop in Beach City, manned by a very basic bot whom, frankly, you should just ignore.

Nothing in the way yet as far as attachments like sunglasses, hats or wings either. Ah, well.

Welcome To The Welcome Area

Finally got the chance to return to Blue Mars and check out the new updates.

First thing I noticed: my name no longer floats above my head, which means the setup from the BM MyPage worked. Hooray!

Lots of new people around, too. Good. Every significant update brings in a fresh new influx.

Off now to have a wander.

Putting It All Together: How To Create A "Look" From Your Freebie Wardrobe

Previously, I suggested matching everything as a dressing tip. Here's another: Dress To A Theme.

It's currently Spring in the northern hemisphere. So let's do something seasonal. The Lunar New Year was back in February, but the cherry blossoms are still falling elsewhere...

Rather than the obvious kimono, I opted instead for something more contemporary: an orient-inspired cherry-print top, set off by burgundy jeans and pretty pink shoes. This was worn with a skin called Ichigo, and a hair reminiscent of the topknots little Chinese girls wear. My hanami ensemble is then finished off with a simple jade pendant and a set of bangles in jade green and delicate gold ivory.

Funky, festive, and totally free :)

Want more info? Ok:

• Skin: Ichigo (Tone 4)- PixelDolls Group Gift
• Hair: Camellia (Black) - Laqroki freebie
• Shirt: Wrinkle Tank (Cherry Print) - PixelDolls Group Gift
• Pants: from Cimarron set (Burgundy) - PixelDolls Group Gift
• Shoes: Margeurite Pumps (Pink) - Sister Strawberry Lucky Letter Prize
• Pendant: (Jade) - PixelDolls freebie
• Bangles: (Green, Cream, and Gold) - Rhapsodie freebie

April Freebie Look: Black & White

From the anarchy of The Messy Painter to something a little more refined, a little more monochrome. And also a fun wardrobe tip: match everything!

This black-and-white Morea dress (with back detail) is matched with black-and-white shoes, black-and-white hairdo, and black-and-white bracelets.

Hair is Felicity by Gurl6, Zebra Pumps by Wilted Rose, and bracelets by Edge Grafica.

April Freebie Look: The Messy Painter

This month I'm starting off a bit messy - matching Painter's Canvas Shoes by Shiny Things with Painter's Jeans by Forseti. The striped top from Pirate Kitty adds to the student artist look, especially with Edge Grafica's Tartan Scarf. The skin is one of Eloh Eliot's basic sets - Se, (Sloth, with freckles), and the casual yet smart ponytail is by Laqroki.

Second Life Clothing Tip: Magic Gloves and Socks

Looks awful, doesn't it? As though your clothes were nothing more than mere extrusions of your skin, which they sort of are, actually, thanks to the way the Second Life avatar clothing mesh is designed.

Without Magic Socks	With Magic Socks

Don't want the insides of your sleeves and pants to look like they join onto your body? Here's an easy fix: just wear tintable gloves and socks. Robin Sojourner gives them away at her shop on Livingtree Island.

Ta-dah! Now you need never fear the flared sleeve or have to bury your jeans in chunky boots again.