July 3rd, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

Today is Bandana Day. One day is set aside during every Hair Fair to show support for those suffering from hair loss, like the children receiving donations from Locks of Love. I know that we’re all quite attached to our hair, I’m no different from the rest, but you can show your support and still look good sporting one of the many bandanas available at the Hair Fair (SLURL).

Fantasy figures will be pleased to see the Serpent Bandana from The Stringer Mausoleum (SLURL; Bandana available at Hair Fair (SLURL)). My dryad certainly appreciated the extra moisture on her day trip to Tempura Island (SLURL). Her flock of tame butterflies (from Sanu (SLURL)) didn’t seem to mind the serpent, thankfully!

For the more technologically minded amongst you, The Stringer Mausoleum also offers the Cog Explosion Bandana. I’ve barely been able to change out of the Bella Desastre set from League (SLURL) since buying it, so it was natural that I’d wear it with this bandana. The goggles from AM Radio (SLURL) and the Gritty Kitty (SLURL) collar just make it that much better.

Check out the Hair Fair (SLURL) before it ends on Monday! (Now’s the best time to go anyway, the sims aren’t so full!)

July 1st, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

RC Cluster (SLURL) is having a sale! Nearly everything on the first floor at the mainstore is 50% off, but only through the end of today. If you haven’t been to RC Cluster before, get there fast! The store is full of quirky odds and ends. RC Cluster has household appliances, school supplies, a Thanksgiving feast, even crutches and a wheelchair. You’ll find a lot of things to make your SL more like your RL, right down to pubes and armpit hair. (Eww!)

There are also cute poses, like the “Voguey Friends” pose pictured above. The poses are not currently on sale, but quite reasonably priced. I got the skating rink at RC Cluster as well, a half-price sale was the perfect excuse to splurge on a fun, new build.

There’s so much cool stuff that Agnes and I had to duke it out over who gets to buy what. The RC Cluster pose “Sibling Rivalry” was the perfect way to express our petty frustrations. Of course, she’s on the wrong team – go Pink Tacos! If you haven’t chosen sides yet, you can get a roller derby uniform at Katat0nik (SLURL). Just don’t let me catch you in a Khorndog uniform or you’ll get what Aggie did! (No Aggies were harmed in the making of this post.)

March 27th, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

Hi, everybody! Welcome to the Sparkle Village Glitter Poof Show! Here’s an important announcement for all you crazy kids out there, so listen up!

Starlust (SLURL), beloved motel and home to many a cool cat, is getting a makeover! The Starlust Motel is being turned into a unicorn sex island, thanks to the hard work and dedication of two of Starlust’s most infamous residents: Apatia Hammerer and Allegory Malaprop. There’s even a new name in store, “Sparkle Village”! There are unicorns and glitter and many presents to be had, so get on over there and check it out!

That’s all the time we have for today! You know what that means, right, kids? That’s right – tune in next week for more from Glitter Poof and Candy Corn on the Sparkle Village Glitter Poof Show! Buh-bye!

March 23rd, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

I am still so in love with the seafoam shoes and scarf set from Leafy (SLURL) that I can’t wear anything else. When I saw the latest releases from Opium Everyday (SLURL), I nearly squealed. The Gwen cropped top in blue/lime is a fun layered shirt and the colors are oh-so-seafoam. The price tag of L$60 a pop doesn’t hurt either! A little accessorizing later and I had a new outfit, which I adore.

I wandered around Tableau (SLURL) looking for a place to take pictures. There’s a lovely little lounge tucked away in a moon, which I fell in love with immediately. While I was taking pictures, aAshley Daines, a very chipper lady, started chatting me up and she looked so great in her Paper Couture dress that I offered to take her picture. Check it out! I love meeting new people, so don’t be shy if you see me in-world!

March 20th, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

Kaethe Dyrssen of Leafy (SLURL) just released the cutest shoes and scarfs. They’re chunky and come in so many colors! When I tried on the seafoam set, I knew it would match something from Momo (SLURL) perfectly. I’ve had the Tiny Dancer fatpack from Momo for ages, but never really found a use for it – I think it looks adorable with the Leafy Shuuz & Scurfs, though! Violet Voltaire’s (SLURL) Harajuku Girls: Rainbow Necklace peeking out from beneath the scarf makes me very happy!

So, what are you waiting for? Bring more color to the Grid!

March 19th, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

In celebration of my second rezday, I treated myself to a fatpack of Curio’s (SLURL) new skins. The Vibrant line has six faces so far, each with unique makeups. I loved the idea of dimples on one face, but decided on a similar skin without dimples – the Breeze face. Picking a skintone was hard, because the Vibrant line is much redder in tone than the previously fairly yellow Curio skins. I am quite happy with the Petal skintone, though, and can choose between a light or a dark version if I feel like mixing it up. My only complaint might be the heavy shading in places, but even that is pretty – it just takes some getting used to!

There are some great events on the Grid right now. The Clothing Fair (SLURL) is always worth a visit and I love donating to a good cause. It’s not nearly as laggy as it was on the first day, either, so check it out! I am really impressed by the Armoire (SLURL) event, the jewelry on display is gorgeous and snagging limited edition items from some of my favorite designers is always a plus. The quest isn’t very difficult and is actually entertaining. I still have a few gems to collect, though, so you might see me wandering the labyrinth later!

Yes, I am adorable. I look good enough to eat, but don’t gobble me up – resist the urge! Fei Bourdeille helped me tweak my shape and WL settings, I love it all! :D

March 17th, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

March 11th, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

I joined Second Life at the end of February of 2007. Two months later, I joined Flickr and my blog followed soon after. I didn’t come to SL for fashion blogging, but it’s certainly one of the reasons I stuck around! Shopping and photography are my main hobbies in SL and I’ve learned so much doing both. I love exploring the Grid and am constantly amazed by what fellow Residents come up with.

2007 brought sculpties to SL and many designers won me over with their use of them, both old favorites and new discoveries. I moved on from Empyrean Emporium (now Curio), becoming obsessed with one skin maker after another, but Insolence stood out. Armidi burst onto the scene late in the year and I completely abandoned Naughty Designs hair for their work. The jack-of-all-trades RaC ( now known as Laqroki) caught my attention with their silky hair textures, even though I thought their skins were overpriced. I discovered the joy that is Japanese mall sims, snapping up as many bargains as I could get my hands on. In short, I shopped ’til I dropped and loved every minute of it.

From left to right: The first outfit is probably my all-time favorite. If I don’t know what else to wear, I dig out the folder labeled “Snuggly Black & Purple” and, voila, instant comfort and style. The outfit centers around clothing from Savvy? and Shop Seu, with accessories from Armidi, Illusions, Persenickety, PixelDolls, and Vertically Challenged. Savvy? shows up again in the next outfit, as well as Artilleri, Boing Fromage, Shiny Things, and Tres Blah. The bohemian look works well with clothing from Cubic Effect, Etch’D tattoos, shoes from G Field, and jewelry from Bare Rose and Shiny Things. The infamous Armidi supplied the jeans for the last look, and there’s also a tee from Gritty Kitty, shoes from Sculpties Up In Here, a Yummy bag, and an animated camera from LustyFen.

In the summer of 2007, I met Siyu Suen, the mastermind behind Illusions (SLURL). It all started with a request for a custom mask and ended in a lasting friendship. I also began greeting at Illusions and I really couldn’t ask for a better job. It’s a gorgeous environment, the customers are amazing, and just look what I get to wear to work!

From left to right: The angel is decked out in Dark Eden gear, and wings from Illusions. The centaur has faun legs from Titania’s Court, armor from Random Inspirations, and a mask from Illusions. My Harlequin outfit features pieces from Illusions, clothing from LF, and a Nomine skin. I snuck in the last avatar (or I got inattentive sorting through so many snapshots!), it’s a modified Catty avatar from Sense with Etch’D tattoos – I could certainly wear it to work with one of Siyu’s cat masks, though!

March 10th, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

I have always loved the creative aspect of Second Life. Whether it’s imaginative architecture, fantasy roleplaying or visiting virtual places you’d never get a chance to see in person, there’s nearly no limit to what can be done in SL – or what one can be. My avatar isn’t a representation of myself and I am always eager to try new things. The only thing I haven’t enjoyed is the response that some avatars seem to invite. I was very anxious in the past about sharing anything but my “known” avatar form, the freckly, snubnosed redhead most often seen on my blog. Thanks to bloggers like Achariya Maktoum (URL), Dakota Lubitsch (URL), and Mourna Biziou (URL), I have begun sharing more exotic avatars, as well. If these amazing bloggers don’t feel like they have to be anxious about being unique, neither do I!

I bought my very first Furry avatar in July of 2007, about half a year after I joined SL. (It’s the Kani avatar from Curious (SLURL).) I thought it was simply adorable and it was certainly a big step up from the Tiny bunny avatar I bought in my first month. I was aware of the negative reputation that Furries have in SL, so I didn’t show the new avatar to many people. Despite that, I loved everything about it and spent hours dressing up and exploring Furry sims. Since then, I have found new Furry avatars and added them to a growing collection of favorites. I’ve also made a number of friends in the Furry community and, let me tell you, they’re just like you and me!

I also kept this avatar under wraps for the most part. After reading an interview on Y Me, I asked shape maker Mellow Poppy to create a custom shape for me. I sent her a few pictures of myself, the user behind Candy, and she went to work, coming up with something I was ecstatic over. My enthusiasm dwindled a bit when I realized how even close friends reacted negatively to the change in my appearance. My normal avatar had very realistic proportions and tended towards the short and chubby side, so I never imagined the reactions I would receive by simply tweaking my avatar to be taller and curvier. I wanted to switch avatars, but those close to me were unsettled – some were even quite adamant about not liking the new look. In the end, I decided for myself that I would like to be something different in SL than I am in person. I didn’t base my decision on what my friends said, that’s just what SL is about for me – being anything and everything you can’t be anywhere else.

In the spirit of Pink Shirt Day and International Stand Up to Bullying Day, please respect your fellow Second Life Residents. In a world full of possibility, why should we bother with something as mundane as bullying?

March 9th, 2009 by Candy Flanagan

My rezday was at the end of February and that means I’ve been in Second Life for two years now! Sometimes it feels like ages, but I also can’t deny that time flies when you’re having fun. My website was down for most of February and I was on a sort of hiatus from SL as well, so I didn’t celebrate my two-year rezday. I’m back now, though, with a functioning blog! The archives got eaten, but I’ve put up backdated posts with snapshots and credits, thanks to Flickr. (I’ve also learned to make WordPress backups, maybe I’ll remember this time!)

I started a project before I even realized my rezday had come and gone. I’ve been going through my SL photography, sorting over fifty gigabytes of pictures from the last two years. Some shots never made it to Flickr or my blog, so it has been a fun to dust them off. I’ve uploaded a lot of snapshots to Flickr, backdated as well. If you really want to see them, you can start at the first public picture and browse forward.

Here are some of the very first outfits I put together and photographed, about a month after joining SL (I was fast!):

I doubt I can credit everything shown, since I don’t even own some of it anymore after so long. I was definitely wearing an early Curio skin (then under the name of Empyrean Emporium) and hair from Naughty Designs. My eyes were from E’s, I believe, which I had read about on Linden Lifestyles (URL). My shoes were nearly all from Shiny Things or Boing Fromage, but there’s a random pair of sneakers up there that I can’t identify anymore.

From left to right: The lingerie was from Artilleri, which was the first store that I fell in love with on SL! My first dress was from a store called Shine that seems to have disappeared from the Grid, but it was also one of my very favorites. The third outfit was a mash-up of pieces from both Boing Fromage and Rummage. The second dress was also from Boing Fromage. The top from the fourth outfit was once again from Rummage and the jeans were from Tres Blah. The adorable jeans pantsuit was from Nyte’N'Day.

I branched out fairly quickly, looking for interesting skins and trying out different hair colors. I was obsessed with Naughty Designs hair for the longest time, eventually owning every single style in my favorite shade of red.

From left to right: The skin from the first outfit was from Nylon Outfitters, the top was from Sassafras and the jeans were from Tres Blah. I especially loved the handdrawn look of all three stores. Artilleri supplied the second outfit and the third outfit was pictured above already – what can I say, I really like polka dots! The shoes from the third outfit were from Beckenbauer Productions, the jewelry from Miriel. The pale skin was also from Empyrean Emporium. I was quite proud of the Chic Boutique lingerie, fourth from the left, but I have completely forgotten who made that shamrock jewelry set – I’d guess H&M? Jewelry, dress, and shoes from the last outfit were all from Paper Couture. I am still completely and utterly infatuated with Paper Couture!

I make no guarantees that anything pictured is still available. In fact, I am quite sure that you can’t get your hands on a number of things, but I just wanted to share some fond memories of my first few months in SL!