Is it weird that I'm doing my own challenge? :D I hope not.
I've chosen to make the BB-0 challenge the link between my old and new Second Life blogs. The Beauty Base Zero Challenge was one I issued nearly two years ago to the bloggers of SL and, gosh, so much has changed since then! Forget the number of ways my own avatar has improved; the larger picture is much more exciting! Two years ago, mesh was still pretty new and I was fighting tooth and nail to preserve the utility of system layers in my inventory. I still use them, by the way, but nowhere near as often. I might be a little obsessed with the mesh body but with a rack like this .... Ahem.
I've chosen to make the BB-0 challenge the link between my old and new Second Life blogs. The Beauty Base Zero Challenge was one I issued nearly two years ago to the bloggers of SL and, gosh, so much has changed since then! Forget the number of ways my own avatar has improved; the larger picture is much more exciting! Two years ago, mesh was still pretty new and I was fighting tooth and nail to preserve the utility of system layers in my inventory. I still use them, by the way, but nowhere near as often. I might be a little obsessed with the mesh body but with a rack like this .... Ahem.
It’s a little strange quoting myself but I’m going to do it anyway. This is what I wrote about the concept of a Beauty Base Zero all those months ago:
“… The first step for me is what I have named my BB-0 (Beauty Base Zero); it’s a term I’ve pillaged from book two of The Hunger Games trilogy because the concept was dead on. It’s where you start, imagining your nails are perfect, your hair is tied back and you’re staring into a mirror, or your closet, wondering what the heck you’re going to wear today.”
So, right. I’ve gone with a down-do for this picture out of sheer vanity and for one other important reason: no, it isn’t possible to see earrings with this hair but it’s more effective to adjust jewelry and other accessories once my avatar is posed and ready to be photographed. This is a CRUCIAL: if your avatar’s head is tilted, your earrings need to be adjusted to fall naturally! Same goes for any and all accessories so be mindful, yeah?
“… The first step for me is what I have named my BB-0 (Beauty Base Zero); it’s a term I’ve pillaged from book two of The Hunger Games trilogy because the concept was dead on. It’s where you start, imagining your nails are perfect, your hair is tied back and you’re staring into a mirror, or your closet, wondering what the heck you’re going to wear today.”
So, right. I’ve gone with a down-do for this picture out of sheer vanity and for one other important reason: no, it isn’t possible to see earrings with this hair but it’s more effective to adjust jewelry and other accessories once my avatar is posed and ready to be photographed. This is a CRUCIAL: if your avatar’s head is tilted, your earrings need to be adjusted to fall naturally! Same goes for any and all accessories so be mindful, yeah?
I’m going to write a small review and a few basic tips for using the Slink Physique Mesh Body in a later post but for now, and as it applies to this post, I want to say that this is one of the best investments I’ve made in Second Life. Period. It’s easy to talk about the ways in which the mesh body falls short but for those of you who -haven’t- tried one yet, please hear me out:
TRY IT! Walk around in a demo version of whatever body your skin creator supports. Take off your mesh and (if you’re feeling brave) just strut in the buff for a little while; dance and jump around! More and more designers are creating clothing appliers for mesh bodies and as you can see above, some of them are -really- lovely! I adore the way these layers hug the ‘Physique’s curves and once you get used to working with the Slink HUD (pictured below), the end result is almost always worth the effort. And gosh, the body is SO smooth - no more jagged elbows and knees! And, too, you can add (or remove, ahem) your underwear with a few clicks on the HUD .. which is MUCH faster than rifling through your inventory to find a pair of drawers when the pressure is on. Sorry, but it is.
TRY IT! Walk around in a demo version of whatever body your skin creator supports. Take off your mesh and (if you’re feeling brave) just strut in the buff for a little while; dance and jump around! More and more designers are creating clothing appliers for mesh bodies and as you can see above, some of them are -really- lovely! I adore the way these layers hug the ‘Physique’s curves and once you get used to working with the Slink HUD (pictured below), the end result is almost always worth the effort. And gosh, the body is SO smooth - no more jagged elbows and knees! And, too, you can add (or remove, ahem) your underwear with a few clicks on the HUD .. which is MUCH faster than rifling through your inventory to find a pair of drawers when the pressure is on. Sorry, but it is.
Rather than go into too much detail telling you how I take my pictures, I’m going to show you some of the settings I’ve learned to use in the last two years. Above and below, you can see what my basic SL User Interface looks like when I’m taking pictures. What you can’t see is the pose stand beneath my little platform but I promise it isn’t exciting (although the number of poses loaded into it is pretty embarassing). Everything else is pretty much here.
One extra tip I will give, however, is that hitting ctrl+0 is a helpful way to remove some of the SL Fishbowl Effect as well as zoom in closer than the default cameras allow (GREAT for fitting eyelashes when you’re on a pose stand). Ctrl+9 resets your camera to the default distance.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this short(ish) and sweet post and pleasepleasePLEASE come visit me at Mask and Mien whenever you can. <3
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this short(ish) and sweet post and pleasepleasePLEASE come visit me at Mask and Mien whenever you can. <3
Credits:
Skin: [PF] Harley <Porcelain> – Lid 02 – (ltbrow – A) ~ Mochi Milena
Eyes: IKON Promise Eyes – Quicksilver ~ Ikon Innovia
Lashes: *MC* “Falsies” Eyelashes ~ Freya Olivieri
Mesh Bod: Slink Physique Mesh Body V1.4 ~ Siddean Munro
Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Elegant1 ~ Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) – Flat ~ Siddean Munro
Nail Polish Applier: Hello Dave: Slink Avatar Enhancement- French Ombre ~ Maia Gasparini
Lingerie Applier: {Luxuria} Summer Crush – Bra *candy pink* ~ 5thAndOxford Monitor
Hair: Magika [Hair S] Wait ~ Sabina Gully
Ring: (Yummy) Modest Crown – Gold ~ Polyester Partridge
Pose: Le Poppycock *Die a Little* B – Mystery to Me ~ Olivia Lalonde
Skin: [PF] Harley <Porcelain> – Lid 02 – (ltbrow – A) ~ Mochi Milena
Eyes: IKON Promise Eyes – Quicksilver ~ Ikon Innovia
Lashes: *MC* “Falsies” Eyelashes ~ Freya Olivieri
Mesh Bod: Slink Physique Mesh Body V1.4 ~ Siddean Munro
Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Elegant1 ~ Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) – Flat ~ Siddean Munro
Nail Polish Applier: Hello Dave: Slink Avatar Enhancement- French Ombre ~ Maia Gasparini
Lingerie Applier: {Luxuria} Summer Crush – Bra *candy pink* ~ 5thAndOxford Monitor
Hair: Magika [Hair S] Wait ~ Sabina Gully
Ring: (Yummy) Modest Crown – Gold ~ Polyester Partridge
Pose: Le Poppycock *Die a Little* B – Mystery to Me ~ Olivia Lalonde