MY FAVORITE DRESS...EVAR!

Marissa Bruun: OH
Marissa Bruun: MY
Marissa Bruun: GOSH
Marissa Bruun: This is your best dress to date!
Marissa Bruun: IT IS AMAZING!!!
Marissa Bruun: Perfection
Marissa Bruun: OMG
Marissa Bruun: OMG
Marissa Bruun: OMG
Marissa Bruun: LOL

This was my reaction when I received my FIRST REVIEW COPY!  Success!  I am now an OFFICIAL fashion blogger -- TOO LEGIT TO QUIT!

 I have followed Dashwood Muircastle's brand, House of Dashwood, for a very long time now.  It has been over a year since I first ventured into her store.  Our relationship quickly evolved from fan and designer, to us working together, and now, friends.  She has participated in several fashion events that I have coordinated, and I have had the pleasure of getting to know her, and watching her grow as a designer.

Anyways, enough with all the lovey dovey crap you all could care less about, let's move on to MY FAVORITE DRESS EVAR!  (PS:  I know it is misspelled.  It is for EMPHATIC EMPHASIS!)

 Dashwood's Alaina is currently in two colors/patterns.  She has the Burgundy/Leopard and the Turquoise/Zebra.  It begins with the strapless bejeweled bodice, then to the prim skirt, upper skirt, and lower skirt.  The shading is stunning, and the way the layers flow is just beautiful!  The combination of bold colors and animal print is striking and perfect for the summer.

Now, let's look at these jugs--I mean, jewels!

 The bodice is topped with sculpted prim jewels that add a bit of flair.  If you can pay attention to the jewels, I mean, with all that cleavage in your face.

To the burgundy dress I added FineSmith jewels with a White Widow tattoo and MIAMAI hair.  I was going for a dark and mysterious look, so I also wore it with makeup numero 06 from my Glam Affair Eva fat pack!  Then to the turquoise dress, I went with White Widow, CCD, and LoQ.  Now I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE this LoQ hair, and I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE ALL of their hairs!  However, this particular hair was NO MOD!  "What the effff?" I thought as I tried to adjust strands from my ears and make the hairline match with the base and and and...all for naught.  This was the best fit I could get with the resizer script (gag me!) and it isn't perfect.  I twitched a bit, and then got over it.  PS:  Glam Affair Eva 02 on the turquoise.

More boobs!  (and JEWELS!)

 If you can get past my elbows on the left pic (I have no idea...do they sell elbow cream in SL?) you will see the full FineSmith Roses For Your Love set, which I think was a gifty.  It comes with earrings, a necklace, and a ring (which is on the left, the right ring is part of my CCD Sky Nails in Pink!)  Then with the turquoise you have the lovely CCD Halley set, earrings, a necklace, two bracelets, and two rings (one horizontal and one vertical, I'm wearing the vertical).  I also put on some monotone basic prim nails from Candy Nail.

SHOES.  'Nuff said.

These yummy in my tummy stilettos are just yummy in my yummy!  With the burgundy, I paired a gifty, the Lady-T Jaguar shoes from Pixel Mode.  Tons of nail options, and it was pretty easy to match the skin.  The textures are delish.  SODALICOUS.  Then I found out I had no zebra shoes!  Like, OH MY GOSH, everyone NEEDS zebra shoes.  Plus, you can get 'em for 150L!  A bargaaaain!  From Dino's Bootique (how punny!) these shoes are easy to match, plus you can do any color you want on the nails!  Now, I had to modify (yes, these are modify) the nails, because they had a red nail texture on them.  I just put a simple blank texture, added a medium shine, and then used the HUD to customize the silver color to match my fingers.

 Finally, let's see that backside!  (As if you'd ever want to do anything in this dress besides gawk at yourself in it)...

 I'm bringing sexy back!  The back is low cut to show off yo shexy back!  The prim skirt just looks too cute on your booty, and the textures are brilliant!  You should see this gown move, like for real.  For real.  Seriously.  Mmmmhmm.

I'm not sure if it's on the rack yet, because these are BRAND SPANKING NEW, but you need to check out House of Dashwood SOON!  Also, be expecting this to come in more colors/patterns.  I have suggested Green/Snakeskin and Orange/Giraffe to Dashwood, and she seemed to like the idea!  ANOTHER THING (last thing, I swear!)  she is thinking about releasing leggings/tights in the animal prints to be worn with the short prim skirt only.  It looks so cute, I promise!  I tried it with some tights from another place, and it's ADORABLE!  In fact, I'm wearing it RIGHT NOW!

 I haven't taken this thing off since I got it, and neither will you!  Roll the credits!

CREDITS, SLURLs, etc. 
Artsy Fartsy Pic
          /Pose: Miyoko Magic - Force 1
Full Dress
          /Dress: Dashwood - Alaina Burgundy/Leopard Gown
          /Dress: Dashwood - Alaina Turquoise/Zebra Gown
          /Pose: Elisa - I Love Skirts 1
Bodice Jewels
          /Boobs:  LOL...JK :P 
Headshot
          /Hair: Miamai - Lia Bun Platinum_Brown
          /Hairbase: Miamai - Hairbase Brown
          /Hair: LoQ - Pure Beauty Fiery Red
          /Hairbase: LoQ - Hairbase Fiery Red
          /Skin: Glam Affair - Eva - MedTan 06
          /Skin: Glam Affair - Eva - MedTan 02
          /Tattoo: White~Widow - Moon White
          /Tattoo: White~Widow - Moon Blue
          /Lashes: je suis - Apparence Lashes 01
          /Pose: Luth - Humpday 10  
More Jewels
          /Jewelry: FineSmith - Roses For Your Love
          /Nails: CCD - Long Nails + Ring - Sky Pink
          /Jewelry: CCD - Halley
          /Nails: Candy Nail - #P000 Basic Prim Nails Monotone 
          /Pose:  Elisa - I Love Skirts 5
Shoes
          /Shoes: Pixel Mode - Group Gift - Lady T - Jaguar
          /Shoes: Dino's Bootique - Straps & Toes Zebra Print High Heels
Backside
          /Pose: Luth - Humpday 09
Chillin in my Chair
          /Tights: MYTH - Zebra Tights
          /Shoes: Mary Jane Shoes - Alluring Blue 

Which SKIN can I taaaaake?

It's Monday (Monday!) and I am trying to decide on a new skin, or if I should keep the one I got!  Help me out guyz and gals, por favor!

If you could go over to the poll on the right, and vote, that'd be super dee duper!

A. Current

B. Emma Fair

C. Emma Sunkissed

D. Elly Honey

E. Elly Chai

F. Orchid

G. Lavender

H. Gaia -- comment if you want this one!

I MUST HAVE A FIRST POST!

Okay, who agrees that first posts are most of the time cheesy, and a lot of the time boring?  *looks at all of the raised hands* (if anyone even reads this...)


If this is either of those things (unless it is cheesy in a good way -- like melted and smothered over tortilla chips), I apologize, and I will make sure my future posts are not like that!


First and foremost, I just want to say that I have read over a year's worth of [regularly updated] posts on Emerald Wynn's blog.  I read about three posts on her blog a day!  Therefore, I may say some things that sound like her, because naturally when I am on blogger, her "voice" is in my head.


I just want to say if I start to sound like Emerald Wynn in my posts, please shoot me!  (Just kidding! -- she is my blogging idol!)  Naw, but, it is not intentional, and when I edit the posts, I will make sure to Trademark Ms. Wynn when needed.


OH.  EM.  GEE.


I haven't even posted a single picture yet!  If I do not put a big ass picture of my face in the first line of my first post, there is no way that my blog will be first on anyone's blogroll!  (now I feel the need to say "first" again because Emerald Wynn (TM) does that!)


First.  First.  FIRST!  (I love ya, Em!)

So in case you didn't catch the pun in my title (which you won't until you know what the other half of the pun means), my first post is going to include a long, detailed, paragraph form of my biography... SIKE!


*cue Baby Got Back intro girl* (because...*scoff* like, Emerald...she...cues a lot of voices in her posts...*nods*) 


"That [a biography] would be like... soooooooo boring!" *scoff*


Anyway, I'm through trying to be just like my blogging idol!  Let's get to the punny part.  Haha.  Punny.


My first post is going to go over my MUST HAVES.  Things I would not want to be seen in public (or by myself) on Second Life without.

My shape!  So this shape was at Belleza near the skin pack I purchased, and it was created by Sophistishapes.  Well, I thought it was cute, so I decided to use it, and tweak it a bit.  A bit turned into some, and some became significantly, and then significantly (wow, imagine actually reading this aloud -- *cue Fran Drescher voice* significantly, significantly) ended up being a lot!  Like seriously, if I still had the original shape, I'd show ya the differences.  But I don't.  Oh well, it wasn't that cute anyways...


/me sets the scene...
A loud scream is heard from down the corridor, appearing to have come from Marissa's boudoir.  She must have just realized that she forgot to put on hair for her shape pictures...but AHA!  The next must have will solve that!

So my must have hair used to be this amazingly versatile and super chic updo-poof-thing from !lamb (is the exclamation point needed when saying the store name?  It kinda confuses me... like it gets you all pepped up with a piece of punctuation that makes everything exclamatory... then it "baaaahs" and it's like "Excitement!" *continue reading* -- *cue absolutely stale computer voice* "lamb." Or do you just say it like "lamb!" with excitement and that is just a cue?), called Witch.


Yeah, I'm rambling.  Summary:  hair must have used to be !lamb - Witch.

Then I received this uber cute updo-poof-thing as a group gift (you can still get it, just smack that subscribo) from LoQ!  Not only does it have a brunette tone and a red tone (the colors I have Witch in), but it also has black and blonde.  And if you know me, you know that I switch between red and black hair now.


Also the LoQ hair, Tiramisu, features bolder textures and is more sleek.


Bottom line:  !lamb - Witch and *FREE* LoQ Tiramisu are both MUST HAVES!

I absolutely freaking hate editing lashes that have two big prims.  Prims shaped like athletic cups do not necessarily fit handy dandy to one's eyes!  So, there are several places that have these handy dandy things called NO ALPHA LASHES!  I used to think these things looked weird, unnatural, sticking out on your face...then I realized...that's what Real Life eyelashes do...  (I didn't really realize this, just sorta said that here...)

MY NO ALPHA LASHES CHERRY WAS POPPED!
Talyia Tarber was the woman who turned me on (in more ways than one *big creepy winking face*) to the actual prim lashes.  She passed me a pair of her Butterfly lashes, and after I edited them, I realized how amazing these lashes are!  They don't eff with your bangs or hair wisps, it's like magic!  Someone really should have came up with these sooner...

Anywho, hers are really cute -- you can change the petal color by clicking it, and it also goes transparent.  These were her first edition, but the new ones in the store have color-changing tips, so it looks like you dipped your (yeah, it just looks like there is a space in between there) little faerie lashes in paint! XD

Her lashes are a bit too avant-garde for everyday use, so I also invested in the Apparence lashes from je suis, and recently purchased a pair from MIAMAI.


MUST HAVE:  NO ALPHA LASHES


Okay, everyone knows how freaking annoying stupid invisi-prims are.  Not only do they do away with your ability to wear pants cuffs, but they will not allow you to walk on ANYTHING that has transparency in it without fawking everything up!  Or they cut off your leg with certain animations, or glitch with the other shoe... the list goes on.


The remedy to this?  The wonderful Alpha Layer!  Every shoe designer (especially 2,000L per pair Stiletto Moody -- if they haven't already)* should implement this in their shoes.  Let's look at an example of how great this Alpha Layer is with a pair of delicious Mary Jane Shoes!

As you can clearly see, the shoes with invisi-prims look like a hot mess on the translucent floor (and on single-attachment Viewers you can't wear pant cuffs), and the ones with the alpha layer do not have anything wrong with them, at all.  This is really good for models if the runway has some sort of transparency on it.


I gotta have the ALPHA LAYER!

My final must have for this post (because it is getting really freaking long) is something that has revolutionized the fashion industry, namely the skin industry.  Women who absolutely love a certain skin, but who have made freckles their trademark thing, do not have to sacrifice one for the other.  They can sacrifice a virgin to the lag volcano instead!  (Just kidding - sorta, that may actually get rid of lag! *starts the incantations*)  To add some specks to their face, they can throw on a tattoo.  Are you a blonde, but your skin only has a brunette hairbase?  Slap on a tattoo.  Sick and tired of editing lashes (even the super cool no alpha)?  No problem, all you have to do is put on a pair of tattoo layer lashes!

Everyone needs to have TATTOOS!


Thank you for reading my first post, I hope that my blog becomes a must-read for you!  :)


~Rissita (Marissa Bruun)

CREDITS, SLURLs, etc.
Face Shot (that is photoshopped, express caution -- try demos!)
          /Skin:  Glam Affair - MedTan - Eva - Smog  (I think this was some type of sale or special)
          /Hair:  Truth - Bebe - Jupiter  (just in case Truth Hawks wants to give me free hair - I like Gingers and Black/Whites! *creepy winking face*)
          /Lashes:  je suis - Apparence - 001
          /Tattoo:  Stellar - Everyday Lashes
          /Eyes:  *YS&YS* RealEyes - DeepBlue

Shape (completely reedited shape at Belleza)
          /Swimwear:  Aoharu - Spangle Simple Swimsuit - White
          /Skin:  Glam Affair - MedTan - Eva - Smog


!lamb
          /Hair:  !lamb - Witch - Sunset
          /Lashes:  combo of je suis and Stellar  (see 'Face Shot')


LoQ
          /Hair:  LoQ Hairs - Tiramisu - Auburn (comes in four colors and FREE!)
          /Lashes:  (above)
          /Tattoo:  LoQ Hairs - Hairbase - Auburn (included with hair and required to look like the picture)


Prim Lashes
          /Lashes:  Pacadi Body Shop - Shoot!


Lashes Comparison
         /Hair:  Truth - Roxana - Snow
         /Prim Lashes:  Pacadi Body Shop - Shoot!
         /No Alpha Lashes:  je suis - Apparence - 001
         /Tattoo:  Stellar - Everyday Lashes

Butterfly
          /Lashes:  Garded Secret - Butterfly Lashes Black w/ Petals  (petals color change)
        
No Alpha Lashes
          /Lashes A:  je suis - Apparence - 001
          /Lashes B:  MIAMAI - NoAlpha Lashes_N04
          /Tattoo:  Stellar - Everyday Lashes

Alpha Layer
          /Shoes:  Mary Jane Shoes - Alluring - Red

Freckles  (I am on Viewer 2.4 -- I can wear multiple layers)
         /Tattoo:  Stellar - Everyday Lashes
         /Tattoo:  Stellar - Freckle Face

Hairbases
          /Tattoo A:  LoQ Hairs - Hairbase - Platinum  (comes with Tiramisu from LoQ)
          /Tattoo B:  LoQ Hairs - Hairbase - Auburn

All photos by Marissa Bruun


My blogging idol AKA Emerald Wynn's blog


*I did not intend any negativity towards Stiletto Moody shoes -- I own several pairs.  Just noting that if you pay (whether it be 500L or four times that) for something that you wear everyday (shoes), it needs to use modern features that would make the shoe better.