[#510] Seeing Red AGAIN!

So lay down, the threat is real,
When his sight goes red again.
Seeing red again,
Seeing red again

Chevelle, ♫The Red♫

For the longest time I’ve waited for just the right circumstances to do a scene with “The Red” by Chevelle as the soundtrack and that time is finally here. Most of the time some of the ideas I’ve come up with don’t see the page for quite a long time because all the pieces in my head didn’t connect. Last night though I finally set the scene and am super happy with the results.

This is likely my final post for coverage of the July round of Pose Fair so I hope that I am going out in style. The “Male Model Series 02 Collection” from West End Poses was clearly a good choice to end with as the pose that I picked from the set to feature definitely helped define the edginess of the scene that I was creating with the help of an Alt.Rock song that 16 years old but still holds up today (maybe even better than some of the current music out there but that’s just personal opinion).

West End Poses Male Model Series 02 Collection features:

• 5 male static bento enabled poses
• 4 mirrored alternates (poses 2, 3, 4 and 5)
• Available @ Pose Fair until July 31st (Ending soon so don’t wait!)

Stray Dog skins are probably in my top five when it comes to that genre on the grid but for a while there just hasn’t been a release that I felt worked for me but I was able to happily return to them with their “Kaike” release that is brand new for the Kinky event’s July/August round. Now this is an event I don’t really shop much at because it’s very much a female oriented and more of an “adult” event and I tend to shy away from that circle. Regardless of the type of event if there’s something I can use I will shop because that’s what I do (I feel like I am a pro at it sometimes).

I didn’t have to adjust my shape all that much which was the nice thing about this as well because I’m not the best at it when it comes down to it. A friend of mine recently helped put one together for me so that I felt more like “me” in a sense and that I wasn’t just bouncing around from shape to shape (and often times skin to skin). I tend to like having a specific look for one brand of head so that when I need to switch for whatever type of scene/look I’m going for that I’ll not have to work too hard to accomplish my goal.

Stray Dog Kaike Skin features:

• CATWA skin applier
• Brow and Browless version HUDs
• HUD includes freckle and kiss marks options
• Currently @ Kinky until August 19th!

Another major piece for my look are the “Sparkle #2” eyes from Go&See, and while this is not one of the most recent releases I have previously featured the first set of this series in one of my other posts and the fact that there was an iris color that fit exactly what I needed for the look was the reason why I had to go in the direction I did. When it comes to super unique eyes for fantasy type photos it is a must to give this brand a look because I can almost guarantee there will be something useful in their lineup and not just for eyes…there are tons of female products like makeups and lashes that can help boost a look. My only wish is that perhaps an omega applier for the eyes will be added in the future. Not everyone owns a CATWA head, fortunately I do (and several at that) but for those that do not they are missing out on a really great product.

Go&See Sparkle #2 features:

• CATWA applier HUD only
• 10 styles of iris to choose from
• Ready to buy at the Go&See Flagship store

There is also the little gem that is my backdrop that I’ve had tucked away in my inventory for some time that is a limited edition from FOXCITY, and sadly it is no longer available (as most of their limited items go before you can even blink so if you can even get a hold of them consider yourself lucky). The “Linear” backdrop along with using good lighting (via LUMIPro which has recently updated to its 2018 version) I was able to create a very intense red ambiance. The lights on the backdrop can be changed but with the red I didn’t have to look any further.

I did a bit of manscaping to my face and am in the process of regrowing the old whiskers so until then I am wearing the “Simple Stubble” by Modulus which as the name implies is a good little bit of bristles but not overly abundant. The package does include several versions (light and thick) and there is an Omega applier HUD to slap it on your face. It only comes in black but most people on the grid are either black or brown haired so this works well in that instance.

For a while I haven’t really found much that screams at me at Men Only Monthly and my wallet is likely happy but usually I do find things there but I hit a skid along the last month or so. The skid has ended in the form of the “Erick” hair from Vango and with the lighting and angles it doesn’t give the best representation of this long hair pulled back into a tail but I can offer up that it is a really nice style and for those of you who might have the past release at Men Only Monthly named Aaron (the long, neck length style) as it can be used in conjunction for when you want to wear your hair pulled back. It’s a great way to cross the products together style wise.

Vango Erick Hair Naturals features:

• Naturals HUD includes 6 different tones
• Two different variations of style included
• Available now @ Men Only Monthly until 08/15!

My final product to talk about is the “Tom Sweater” in black by Rekt. This grunge inspired sweater has little holes at the bottom of various sizes and I feel it helps as well to emphasize the grunge type look that I have going in this scene. Going from the last two posts that were more of a reflective mourning of sorts this dials it up and hits with some straight up aggression and anger. That’s one of the things about this blog is you never know what emotion is going to be presented from one post to the next.

The sweater is only for the Signature body and only comes in black which eliminates the need for me to go through features as I feel that all the bases have been covered on it. When there are more than at least two things to point out is when I will highlight those things to help those of you who are potential consumers make an informed choice as to whether you might like go take a closer look.

You can get this item at the most recent round of ULTRA until the 11th of August so plenty of time left to take the taxi down below in the style credits but why wait?

That’s all I have for this entry but there’s always more kicking around in my head so it shouldn’t be long before there’s a new blog post on these pages. Last post I spoke of the Vista Animation’s “Gerard” male head nearing its transition from beta to final and I can happily update you that it has now been released in full form and I’ll be working to getting a steady look for it to be able to give you my thoughts on it so check on back soon or follow the page on Twitter or Facebook to get the latest updates on when new blogs are posted!

Until the next time our paths cross, onto the next conversation…

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HAIR: Vango – Erick (Naturals) ✦ NEW @ Men Only Monthly (07/20 – 8/15)
HEAD: CATWA – Daniel ✦ Previously Blogged
EYES: Go&See (Store / MP) – Sparkle #2
FACE: Stray Dog – KAIKE – TONE 02 ✦ NEW @ Kinky (07/28 – 08/19)
BEARD: Modulus (Store / MP) – Simple Stubble ✦ NEW
BODY: Signature – Gianni v4.6 ✦ Previously Blogged

SWEATER: Rekt – Tom Sweater Black ✦ NEW @ Ultra (07/15 – 08/11)
PANTS: Mirage: NA – Saudade (FATPACK) ✦ Previously Blogged ✦ No Longer Available

BACKDROP: FOXCITY – Linear (Limited) ✦ No Longer Available

POSE: West End Poses – Male Model Series 02 Collection ✦ NEW @ Pose Fair (07/01 – 07/31)

[#468] Flying High Again

Mamma’s gonna worry
I’ve been a bad, bad boy
No use sayin’ sorry
It’s something that I enjoy

Ozzy Osbourne, ♫Flying High Again♫

Productivity when it comes to blogging has been on the rise for me lately and there are too many things that I couldn’t just pinpoint to one thing. Maybe it’s the excitement of trying new things in post production or trying different things like focusing on less products so that I can blog more and focus on them better. Whatever it might be I’m just happy that things are coming to me a bit easier.

This might be one of the first times that I’ve ever used a song by Ozzy Osbourne for a soundtrack for a blog but it certainly fit this one in a sense. I focused my energies on getting the best angles for the newest store release by Image Essentials, the “Parkour” pose set and prop. I’m very excited for its release because I proudly helped Kay adjust some of the poses in the near complete stages of creation and also was a part of the ad photo shoot which was really cool to say I was a part of so you’ll see me in the ad when you pick it up (and you should definitely pick it up)

One of the best features of this set is that there are 16 different poses that depict the art (I consider it art anyway) of Parkour. If you’re not familiar with it and I suspect you might but for those who don’t it is the “activity or sport of moving rapidly through an area, typically in an urban environment, negotiating obstacles by running, jumping, and climbing.” You’ve probably seen it in movies or shows but never realized it. One of the movies I enjoy watching a lot “Brick Mansions” features several parkour scenes and it is such a rush to watch it in action. Personally I wouldn’t do it myself because for one I have a fear of heights and you couldn’t get me to do it on a building because I’d likely be stuck on the pavement.

“Parkour’s” included pose prop is the top of an urban building which you are performing the moves on and it has bits of graffiti scattered about it which are very detailed and what I would call completely legit and make this a cool prop on top of the poses that come with it.

Head over to Image Essentials to take a look at this great new release, I know that it is going to be a big hit!

Finding a good outfit to go along with the pose felt like it could be a challenge. I wanted to make sure I was wearing something that was believable for the activity I was photographing. Shorts seemed like a great idea because then there wouldn’t be anything at the ankles to hinder the motion or keep from sticking a landing and ending up with a toe tag. For the top I figure maybe a hoodie would work well and I knew a place that had new items with both of these qualities.

My next stop was to the Man Cave where I encountered the “Drawstring Pod Shorts” by REPRESENT. These were absolutely perfect with the look I was building in my head but I didn’t think buying the full set of colors was necessary this time so I pressed myself to pick just one and I went with the navy color. Most of my clothing is monochromatic and I’m trying to wear other things that I might not normally choose.

As I was wandering through the event looking at everything just in case I might have missed something, just before I hit the exit I found the “Sweatshirt Hoodie” by ExalteD. This brand has really been impressing me lately with their releases at the different events they’ve been a part of and I’ve done my best to pick up what I could if it was within my style range. This design has several different graphics on it that I didn’t feel were appropriate for what I was aiming for so I chose the plain Gray option over the plain White because I just felt it might be too boring.

I rounded off my look with wearing the “SQUID ATTACK TRAINERS” from Vale Koer again. This time I used the HUD to give them a gray/blue color scheme and love how it looks. Wearing these is really fun because as I said in a previous post they remind me of something I own in the real world and they are really great with being able to change the colors to create so many varieties of shoe.

Most of my face is pretty much products I’ve blogged before (skin, body etc…) the only new thing that I certainly want to shine light on is the “Chris” hair by Modulus. This style is similar to the “Harvey” hair that I blogged previously but this happens to be a bit more shaggy and has more length to it and covers the eyes more. This product is one that you can grab at the Modulus store in-world and soon on the marketplace.

If you are familiar with the Alpha Hairs from the Modulus brand then you know that each hair has 25 different colors (distributed in 5 different color packs, but can also be purchased all in one fatpack, where you get all of the HUDs). Each color HUD has a color picker that you can tint the hair with additional color to create a look that suits you best.

When it comes to hair I will definitely go to bat for Modulus and the workmanship of each release; the detail of the hairs are just top notch. I recommend going to the store and seeing what the brand has to offer as well as their skins. You can also get links to the events they participate in so you won’t miss out on a release.

In the pic above I also gave another look at a different pose then the one in the main story photo as this set is just that awesome. I actually took this one first but chose the other one because it seemed more of an action shot than the one above. Though I think playing around with things it turned out maybe a little better but only by a small fraction. Hindsight is always 20/20 they say and it’s more often right then it isn’t.

Also you can see in the left panel of my closeup of the “Chris” hair, I’m not wearing the hoodie as I figure after a parkour workout I’d be a bit hot and sweaty so it came off and you are able to see some of the tattoo that I’ve been wearing but haven’t really credited because it’s been covered up by shirts and sleeves. The “Flame” tattoo by { Speakeasy } is really cool and has different elements which really caught my eye (the roses were one of them as well as the words on the right side of the ribs that is not viewable in that angle). It comes in two different ink opacities (fresh & worn) and has applier HUDs for Omega, Signature and TMP.

Now that I’ve been overly chatty (I get that way when I’m over the top excited about things), it is time for me to wrap this up and take a little breather before I begin planning my next scene and what I’m going to wear in it. Hope you all have a good rest of your weekend and enjoy yourselves until our paths cross again.

Onto the next conversation…

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HAIR: Modulus – Chris Hair (Browns)
HEAD: CATWA – Skell ✦ NEW @ Skin Fair 2018 ✦ Previously Blogged
EYEBROWS: [theSkinnery] Hallford Brows Style 1 ✦ Previously Blogged
FACE: LV Designs – Brennan Tone 2 ✦ Previously Blogged
BEARD: Nivaro – Rough ✦ Previously Blogged
BODY: Belleza – Jake ✦ Previously Blogged
TATTOO: { Speakeasy } Flame Tattoo ✦ NEW @ Kinky

HOODIE: ExalteD – Sweatshirt Hoodie {Grey} ✦ NEW @ Man Cave
SHORTS: REPRESENT – Drawstring Pods Short “Navy” ✦ NEW @ Man Cave
SHOES: [VALE KOER] SQUID ATTACK TRAINERS FATPACK

POSE: Image Essentials – Parkour ✦ NEW

[#376] Burn, Burn, Burn

“And my mother told me, “Son let it be”
Sold my soul to the calling
Sold my soul to a sweet melody
Now I’m gone, now I’m gone, now I’m gone“

“Fire” –  Barns Courtney  ♫Listen♫

After a small little break I’m back with some great new items from some of the designers and events that you gentleman all know and love. With that I’m going to get right into going over what went into this look so let’s get started shall we?

On the 20th of May a new fully stocked round of Men Only Monthly began and let me say it was a pretty good one for me personally. I feel like I went on a mad shopping spree when I went in there. There are several things from the event that went into this look which makes me happy because I don’t always get to post everything I buy at a certain event unless it’s a review copy or I have more alotted personal time so when I am able to feature the things I purchase it feels like a personal win.

The first item item for the look is the “Haunting” hair from Stealthic. This relatively new brand has had back to back hair items at the event and they have both been very well made from the textures used to the ability to style the hair in different ways which is starting to become a new trend on the grid and I certainly do not dislike it. There is also a hairbase that you can purchase in addition but other hairbases do work (as I used a different one in this look that is a part of the No. Nuel Skin)

Also from the event, FLI. released a canvas type skater shoe simply called “Canvas”. Of course by now you know that I have a soft spot for shoes like this and this pair is most certainly no exception. It is modeled after a very popular brand of shoe of which in the real world I own a pair of which is even cooler that I can also wear them virtually. The only downfall about this product is that it is only for standard sized avatars and does not include a shoe shape which normally would not help someone with a mesh body like myself. With a little bit of resizing, I managed to make this work perfectly with my Gianni body but I’m not sure how well it will work with others as I have not tested it. I do hope in the future that FLI. decides to step up a little further by making shoes for the different mesh bodies that are out there. I think that it would certainly take the brand to even further heights.

Kinky is back with another round and while normally this kind of event is not my style, there are items that do interest me that are not exactly part of the theme of the event. Stray Dog, one of my favorite skin designers (and a lot of other people as well) have the “Hunter” skin for sale. Coming in three different tones it is compatible with the Catwa family of heads. There are two seperate HUDs included, one of which is a browless version. Inside these HUDs are several different options. There is the regular skin, a version that makes you look angry, and also freckles. You can also add kiss marks to your face as well if you are out and about being lascivious. All in all, I think this is another great addition to the skin line. Also for those of you who may not know, you can get the new body appliers (right now strictly for Gianni) at the Stray Dog flagship store.

Representing The Men’s Department in this entry are the “Blake” jeans by PARKER. These rolled cuff jeans work well with the canvas shoes that I am wearing and also have that ripped look that I seem to employ quite often in some of my outfits. There are 6 different denim types you can choose from if you make a single purchase, however, for those those who buy the full pack there are two extra denim choices as an added bonus. These jeans come in sizes for Gianni, SLink Physique, and TMP mesh bodies.

The Gabriel “Zipped” Jacket was an item first featured at last months Uber event. It is one of those cases where I just was not able to put this look together (I didn’t have the shoes at the time) before the event ended. I really like how this item fits and seamlessly works with the jeans without any clipping. You get two versions with this product, one with a shirt and one without. The one thing I say this item lacks is the ability to change the shirt color and while white is very neutral and versatile, it is just nice to be able to have options in case you have a pair of jeans or pants of a certain color and you want to match them better. Overall this is a really great product and very highly recommended.

Lastly, Nivaro recently released a few new beard appliers in their store. I am wearing the “rugged” beard style which comes with three different HUDs (for Catwa, Omega, and Signature respectively). Within each of these are five different colors: White (which is tintable to whatever color you wish), Black, Bornw, Blonde, and Red. There is also a button that you can press if you want to remove it without having to go through any extra steps to take it off when you want to go clean shaven or want to wear a different style. One of the things I like best about this is it gelled well with the hairbase I am using, as it is one of my peeves when your hair and beard do not connect and leave a strange looking gap between them. Nivaro has caught my eye and I’ll definitely be returning there to look at other styles.

On that note I believe it is time to stop rambling and let you get to what you love most: shopping. Now that you’ve been given the skinny on what went into this look I will leave you all with the full style credits below including what I didn’t cover in-depth. As always, keep it stylsh fellas and we’ll see you next time out!

⊰HAIR⊱ Stealthic – Haunting ♯ ☆NEW☆ @ M.O.M
⊰HEAD⊱ CATWA – Daniel (Bento)
⊰EYES⊱ AG. Ardor Eyes
⊰FACE⊱ Stray Dog – Hunter (02) ☆NEW☆ @ Kinky
⊰BEARD⊱ Nivaro – Rough ♯ ☆NEW☆
⊰BODY⊱ [SIGNATURE] Gianni – Body – v3.5

⊰JACKET⊱ ::GB:: Zipped Jacket / Black
⊰JEANS⊱ :PARKER: BLAKE JEANS ♯ ☆NEW☆ @ TMD
⊰SHOES⊱ FLI. –  Canvas (Black) ♯ ☆NEW☆ @ M.O.M

Photo Taken @ The Mill

.::Nanika::.  Poses With Guitar (03)