Meet Alexa

Taken at frog’s garden

I have to say that this is one of my favorite outfits at the moment. The Alexa dress from Kanou comes in a variety of floral prints, and I had a hard time deciding between the white dress and the blue one.  But it’s good to try different colors, right?

The fan was a nice touch I thought…you know how warm it can get at times, so it looks better if you fan yourself with something classy vs. a sheet of paper or something haha.

Enjoy…until next time!

Styling Credits

Dress: Kanou Alexa White
Skin: al vulo- Ramona* peacock dark brow sunkissed
Eyebrows: *Cupcakes – Eyebrow Shape 1 – red
Hair: Magika - Wait
Shoes: [Gos] Sophia Peeptoe – Gold Snake

Jewelry: Chop Zuey
Tiger Lilly Orange Opal Bracelet
Tiger Lilly Orange Opal Choker Necklace

Makeup:

[PF] <Latte> – Lip Lustre – Nude
[mock] Mock and Mole (Face/upper/lower)
[mock] Miss Vanity Eyeshadow with lashes [neutra]
Maitreya  - Mesh EyeLashes (old V.I.P. Group Gift)

Fan: Finesmith-Hermosa Espina Shena MVW Hand fan Red
Nails: Candy Nail #P088 Enishi White
Glasses: [Armidi Gisaci] Fi Umo Sunglasses – Dark Turtoise / Black Lens

Pose: Exposeur

A Sunny Colette

Group gift from Artistry by E – Gatsby’s “The Colette Dress”

Hey guys!  A couple of days ago Artistry by E’s group members got a special gift from Endra – a unreleased dress in a special exclusive color palette from Gatsby’s.  I thought the dress was a nice way to transition into summer, and great for wanting to look casual  yet chic at the same time.

Miamai – The Critters Society – Floatie Bear in blue

This has got to be one of my favorite items from The Arcade - my floatie bear ^^ The cushy paw makes a great pillow for relaxing while in the water, and I like how parts of my body dangles lazily in the water.

I think I’m going to take a nap – see you guys soon! ^^

Styling Credits

Dress: *Gatsby’s* The Colette Dress (LEMON)
Skin: al vulo- Ramona* peacock dark brow sunkissed
Feet: [Gos] Mesh Feet – Flat Foot
Hair: “”D!va“” Hair “Sayaka2″ (Type B)(Citrine)
Makeup:
[mock]  Peenk Secret Menu Lipcolor (Mock Lip)
blackLiquid MAKEUP -  just gloss
[mock] Golddigger Glam Eyeshadow {/eye/}
~Oceane~Bardot ES Noire

Jewelry: – Chop Zuey

Black Ice Bangles Bracelets
Black Ice Necklace

Late Night

Raspberry City…my kinda town

Where do you go when you’re all partied out, but not quite ready to go home?

Styling Credits

Skin: [7DS] Sloth B3a T2 DEF
Dress: Kanou - Monica (Raspberry)
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Lory Mesh Hair – (boobs)  Chocolate (available now at the June Arcade)
Shoes: N-core CAPRICE “Pourpre”

Jewelry:
-Chop Zuey-
Singing Heart Ring
Callicarpia Earrings
Callicarpia Necklace

Makeup:
~Oceane~Bardot ES Noire
blackLiquid MAKEUP -  just gloss
Miamai_Catwalk Lashes_Glitter 01

Pose: Exposeur

Desert Princess

Wandering around in the desert

Styling Credits

Dress: Countdown.Candance Gold Gown (group gift)
Lolas ::: Tango ::: Mesh Breasts
Skin: al vulo- Ramona* peacock dark brow sunkissed

Hair: Magika - Wait

Jewelry:

Chop Zuey items -
Samhain Earrings
Tabula Rasa Necklace
Fire & Brimstone Ring
Flower HeadBand

[Armidi Gisaci] Snakeskin Bangle – 24 carat gold

Shoes: N-core “GroupGift” SENSE XtremeHeel (old gift)

Makeup

[PF] <Latte> – Lip Lustre – Smoked Pink
[mock] Miss Vanity Eyeshadow with lashes [Lemony]

Nails: Candy Nail #P065 Japanese Soul Gold

Poses: Corpus & Exposuer

Carmen’s Escape

Carmen’s Escape – taken at The Rose Theatre and Art Gallery

Hey guys! Belle from Chop Zuey came out with a terrific group gift, so I wanted to share it with you all.  As some of you may know, recently Chop Zuey opened up their sky boutique at the Chop Zuey sim, with a nice variety of dresses. When I went to visit, my reaction was, “How does she do it?”  I won’t show you any photos of the build – you will just have to go see for yourselves

Carmen’s Escape in Ocean is the current group gift at Chop Zuey. I’m happy because blue is my favorite color, and how many stores do you know give out fabulous clothes AND matching jewelry? Carmen’s Escape comes with the dress, gloves, fascinator, jeweled belt, necklace, and earrings. The glove details are excellent – both jewels and feathers make up the gloves. The accessories would look great in a mix-and-match with other outfits.

Until next time – happy shopping!

Styling Credits

Outfit + jewels: Chop Zuey -  Carmen’s Escape Ocean
Skin: al vulo- Ramona* peacock dark brow sunkissed
Hair: Donna Flora – LIA hair brunette
Shoes: N-core SENSE 2 “Bleu”

Makeup:
[mock] Ethereal Eyeshadow
[PF]  Lip Lustre – Berry Bonbon
Miamai_Catwalk Lashes_Glitter 01

Pose: Corpus

My low-scripted outfit

Walking around @ The HUB

Hey guys! Today I want to talk about something that baffles me when it’s time for shopping events. Whenever event organizers place a limit on the number of scripts that visitors can have while on the sim, there is always a big uproar. “Why do I have to shop naked at the event?” “I guess they don’t need any sales…I’ve been trying to get in for hours!” I have personally seen people strip down to nothing but the hair (that has over 100+ scripts), and not know what is wrong. I try not to have on more than 50 scripts at any given time. It helps me have a better grid experience (and helps the grid as well). Someone once asked me how was that even possible (because everyone knows how much I love jewelry). So, let’s see if I can help you guys dress for success (so to speak).

See the outfit that I have in the photo? Only 9 scripts.

[12:23:47] #Firestorm LSL Bridge v2.3: ‘Monica Querrien’ [9/9] running scripts. 528Kb consumed for 0.026384ms of cpu time.

I know you are saying, “WHAAAAT! But you have on jewelry and hair and stuff…” – yes I do.  My shoes (which aren’t shown in the photo) have 2 scripts each, my AO has 2 scripts, and I assume my mesh hair has 3 scripts.

1. Always make sure you are wearing the most up-to-date items from the merchant. For instance, N-Core recently retired a bunch of shoes, and had a sale for them. I have some of the shoes that were being retired, and when I looked at the script count, I got something like 100+ extra scripts.  If your current pair of shoes have a lot of scripts, and there isn’t an option to delete them (after you’ve made a copy, of course)…please get rid of them. There are too many free/cheaply priced shoes that look great and don’t make you crash every time you try to tp somewhere. I would even go as far to say if your footwear have a ton of scripts, just ditch them, because today’s shoes don’t have a lot of scripts at all.

2. If you love your flexi hair, keep in mind that it can have a lot of scripts. So what you want to do is, make your adjustments so that it fits your head, make a copy,wear the copy and then delete the scripts from the copy.

3. Jewelry, jewelry, jewelry…has the potential to have a LOT of scripts, especially when you wear sets.  Some scripts can’t be deleted – for instance, the sparkly effect that some stones in rings and necklaces have (no, not the “bling”)? I doubt you can delete the scripts from those. Chop Zuey, for instance, has some nice statement rings that I love…but they run at 40 scripts. So, whenever I really want to wear the ring, I tone down on my other scripts. One time I bought some older items on sale from Earthstones, and I was over 200 scripts…after I followed the steps I mentioned in #2, I was good to go.

4. HUDs/AOs – if you are going to a high-traffic area, be conservative as to what you choose to wear. When I invited my friends to a fashion show, I helped them take off excessive scripts. One of my friends said she uses a HUD radar that worked better than what was currently being offered in the SL viewers, and it was like 50-60 scripts. Again, for everyday travels it’s not that bad, but hosts at fashion shows ask everyone to take off any unnecessary items that run scripts because it uses up the sim’s resources.

5. Clothing/clothing accessories that have scripted menus for adjusting can have many scripts. Again, make a copy of everything after you have adjusted it and delete the scripts from the items. If you can’t delete, it’s time to upgrade/update!

If you follow these tips, you should be set. Now you know my secret to looking fabulous, yet low scripted. Some people have mentioned ARC (avatar rendering cost), but that does not affect the sim, just the user who is trying to render the items on their computer.

Styling Credits

Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins - 1ld Anniversary Skin

Hair: Magika - Wait (only 150L until Sunday!)
Dress: U. one – candy dress silver

Gloves:  [sYs] TACCA – gloves
Shoes: [sYs] HUSSARDE – boots (not shown but if you look on Flickr you can see)
Hat: !*Bliss Couture*! Imani Hat – Black
Jewelry: Donna Flora -GIORGIA platinum set
Makeup:
[mock]Party all night/Indifference Blue Bell
Miamai_Catwalk Lashes_Glitter 01

Pose: MyAnimation

Why Do I Blog?

New meme started by Berry – Why Do I Blog? What’s my inspiration? Being a Second Life blogger is no easy task. Styling clothing, setting up and taking the photo, and presenting the information in a way that will be pleasing to both you and your audience are three separate skill sets. Those who are good at all three I would imagine will have a good amount of followers. That’s why I find it hilarious when …

1. People say bloggers are in it for the “free” items. To me, free is free – no strings attached, and no obligations to do anything for the creator in return. Bloggers who are in it for the free items only and do not plan to do right by the creators will find that they will get very few items, if any at all.

2. People compare blogging to making mesh items or other designing/building aspects in order to belittle the blogger and imply that their work is too easy to be valuable. I saw this conversation once and it made me feel disgust towards the creator who said it. Two totally different skill sets involved, and it goes to show how people take things like writing and photography for granted.

3. This one is sad actually…when people harass bloggers so much because they are jealous of their work that the bloggers stop blogging entirely.

 So, why do I blog despite the negativity that some people have towards bloggers?

1. How long have you been blogging? I’ve been blogging on my current blog since April 2011.

2. Why did you start blogging? I love to write; don’t really write as much as I used to, though. When I started Second Life, I was fascinated with the fashion and lifestyle blogs geared towards SL. Eventually I realized that I had a lot of things I wanted to say, and having a blog would be my way of expressing my thoughts and ideas.

3. How many times a week do you post an entry? I try to aim for at least once a week. That is what I promised myself for my goals for blogging this year. Sometimes I blog more; sometimes less depending on my time and how much creative juices I’ve got going at the time.

4. How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis? I love wordpress blogs because you can get a subscription of the blog, and every time a new post is made, the link gets delivered to your inbox. That comes in handy with SL blogs…I probably have at least a dozen blogs I follow that way. Then I bookmark various blogs that I like reading, geared towards living a healthy lifestyle through your diet and exercise. Some real life fashion stuff too. It’s hard to give an exact number lol.

5. Do you comment on other people’s blogs? Yes, if I feel I have something significant to say. I’m actually working with someone to start an initative to comment more on people’s blogs. It’s a great confidence boost, and it makes you feel that people care what you have to say on a certain topic.

6. Do you keep track of how many visitors you have? Yes – I like seeing the numbers go up, and try to gauge what topics people seem to like the most.

7. Did you ever regret a post that you wrote? No – I think about what I want to say before posting. Even if I have different feelings now from when I wrote a certain post, I don’t regret it because that was a snapshot of a single moment in time.

8. Do you think your readers have a true sense of who you are based on your blog? I would like to think so! That is why I try to talk in my posts instead of just snapping photos and calling it a day.

9. Do you blog under your real name? No, my blog is under my Second Life name. Even when I had a RL personal blog, I always used an alias. When I first started going online, someone I knew took my personal info and put it on a dating site without my knowledge. That single incident has had a major impact on how and who I choose to share my info with.

10. Are there topics that you would never blog about? Yeah, I would imagine so. Even though I feel my blog is a reflection of me, I feel you have to always consider your audience when writing. Some topics just aren’t meant to be put on a blog geared towards a general audience. What I may find to be acceptable, others may not. However, I am not afraid of controversy, so if I have something to say, I have no problems talking about it on my blog.

11. What is the theme/topic of your blog? Moni’s World in Second Life – heavily influenced by fashion (I am always looking for the next sale haha), with a dash of other aspects. For instance, I LOVE SL food, and I hear a food event is coming up this summer. Guess who will be looking to blog about it? This girl right here ^^

12. Do you have more than one blog? If so, why? No, I don’t have another blog at this time. I have been asked to maintain a couple of blogs, and I have talked with other people about collaborating on blogs. I have entertained the idea of doing a blog speficially geared towards fashion, but taking photos is so hard for me Then you have to blog it, etc etc…ain’t nobody got time for all of that lol.

13. What have you found to be the benefits of blogging? My biggest benefit is to see my growth as a blogger/stylist/photographer through my blogging, and to see the results in comments, hits, and subscribers. I enjoy meeting both designers and fellow bloggers in my ventures, and I like having a place to call my own.

14. So, why do you continue to blog? As long as I feel like I have something to say and share with others, I will continue to blog. Plus, it’s great having a record of what I do in Second Life. Even if SL suddenly went poof, and I lost all of my logs and inventory, I will still have my blog to capture some moments of my Second Life.

Styling Credits

Skin: al vulo- Ramona* peacock blonde brow sunkissed
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Alice Mesh Hair – Golden
Top:[Pretty Liar] – Princess Tee w/ Lolas
Pants: Que Bella – Curvy Jeans~Pinky
Feet: [Gos] Barefoot V2 – Flat (I got the feet! ^^)
Glasses: Izzie’s Oversized Mesh Sunglasses
Ring: Donna Flora - ICECREAM ring
Nails: [Bamboo] Nails – Nightsky Jailed
Makeup:
[mock]Party all night/Indifference Fawn
blackLiquid MAKEUP -  just gloss

Pose: Corpus

L.O.T.D – 04/15/13

Puerto Banus Beach

Hey guys! I’m still not 100% back into blogging mode, so that’s why you haven’t seen much from me lately. I was reading something about blogging tips, and the author said she liked to take vertical photos because they looked bigger. So I decided to make my photo vertical today

As some of you may know, I am not a huge fan of long skirts. Even though pencil skirts can be sexy, that is not something I would normally gravitate to unless I have something in mind for a look. Enter the Memoire Pencil Skirt by Indyra Originals.

Most people would say red and orange hues give off a feeling of warmth, and I was no exception. Luckily I had just bought a tank top from Tee*fy from 50L Friday that would go great with the pencil skirt. I’m still in my red Betty phase for hair, so of course I kept that look.

If you can, you should always have at least one pair of shoes in every major color. For me, that would be red, blue, yellow, purple, green, orange, pink, black, white, brown, silver, and gold. That way, you don’t have to worry about matching outfits. Many people would have probably went with a red pair of shoes – it’s a common color, and you still would good. But I chose to wear my mango stilettos to accentuate the nectarine color in the skirt. Add a nice bracelet that follows the general color scheme, and you are ready to go

I think I will explore this beach a bit more, so see you guys later!

Styling Credits

Top: Tee*fy Skyla Ruffle Sleeve Tank Chilli
Skirt: Indyra Originals Mesh: Memoire’ Pencil Skirt: Poppy/Nectarine

Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Betty Mesh Hair – Gingerbread
Skin: al vulo- Ramona* peacock dark brow sunkissed
Shoes: N-core TANGO II XtremeHeel II “Mango”
Jewelry: Artistry by E – The Lisana Bracelet
Nails: Bamboo Nails – natural french

Makeup:
[mock]Indigo Rochelle Venus Foxy Chili Choco (eye/lip)
blackLiquid MAKEUP -  just gloss
~Oceane~Bardot ES Noire
Al Vulo! Mesh Lashes

Pose: Di’s Opera – Black Seduction @ Limited Bazaar

 

10 SL Firsts Meme – Moni Style

Lionheart Pumbaa – Public Parking Garage

Hey guys! I haven’t been in the mood for blogging much lately I don’t have the focus needed to do it atm…hope I snap out of my funk soon. So I’ll make this one a meme AND a Look of the Day post ^^ Check credits for more info on the outfit!

1.    First SL Friend: This to me seems subjective. Is it literally the first person you friended in SL? Or is it the first real friend that you have had? I think I will answer it in the latter way: PaulieB Podless.

I remember when Lasher took me from a burlesque club (the first adult place I went to in SL after I found out I had to get verified) to an adult beach, Paulie was the first friend that I made. He became the DJ for the beach, and I would sit and listen to him talk at times about how he was going to make his own club. To me that was a big deal, because I had been to several clubs (Galaxy, Ambrosia) and I was thinking wow he wants to make a club…and I know him haha. I turned to him for his no-nonsense advice many times throughout the years.

The club part didn’t quite take off the way I thought it would, but he became a good DJ…most people who were into reggae at that time knew who he was. A Scottish guy playing reggae songs makes quite an impression! He left SL about 6 months ago, not sure why, but I hope he makes it back here someday.

2.    First SL Kiss: I’m pretty sure it was when I went out on a date with Mo Bing. He was one of the first guys I met in SL…I was at a club (think it was Ambrosia) and he messaged me. He took me different places, and never asked for more than a kiss. What happened to those guys, huh? Lol…

3.    First SLex time/place/partner: Oh…Bravo Daxter. Time? I know it was after I went to the adult beach, so maybe 4-6 weeks into my SL. Place? His place…they had spots on the beach where people could do…stuff…but I was too shy. The experience wasn’t that bad, and I had seen what people did with poseballs on the beach so I wasn’t a total rookie haha. The reason why I remember his name is the drama that happened after the SLex Geez…

4.    First SL Partner/Girlfriend/Boyfriend/Wife/Husband: Never had one…for about half the time I’ve been in SL I wasn’t even open to the concept cause I had seen too many partnerships go the way of lots of drama. I have been on the receiving end of watching friends change whenever they had a significant other and not value the friendship that we had. Now I am more receptive to one, so we will see what happens.

5.    First SL Job: In January 2011 I became a club manager as well as a store manager. So I went from not working at all to immersing myself in work.

6.    First SL Creation: I think it was a bathing suit…was really cute too.

7.     First Encounter with a Linden:  We had a griefer on the sim the store was on, so the owner contacted the sim owner, who then contacted LL. A Linden came by a half hour later or so to see what was going on.

8.    First Encounter with a SLebrity: This is a hard question…I feel like all of the people who would be considered SLebrities were at their height of their “careers” before I came to SL. So I would react to them differently than someone who was around in 2007-2008. That’s not to say that I don’t do a double take when I see content creators, bloggers, photographers, and people from Plurk inworld.

One time, my friend and I were at LISP Bazaar, and I saw Matteo Bettencourt and I think Angelik Lavecchia. I was telling my friend omg they look good even when shopping for furniture!!  They looked like someone literally pulled them from the runway and placed them into the store.

9.    First SL Sim you fell in love with: I liked Lionheart Ahadi (the sim where the store was located), because it felt like a neighborhood. We used to go driving when we weren’t working, and went to the adjourning sims, which were really nice. It felt suburban in a way. You could take the train or bus to different places as well.

10.    First SL Blog Post: http://monisworldsl.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/easter-sunday/

I always feel like I talk too much in these memes lol.

Styling Credits

Skin: al vulo- Ramona* solstice dark brow sunkissed (old TDR fusion item)
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Betty Mesh Hair – Gingerbread (this month @ Fameshed)
Top: ISON – oversized top – (black) (last month’s item @ C88)
Pants: Maitreya Zipper-Skinny Jeans * Dirty
Shoes: [Gos] Grace Sandal – Red Glitter (V-day group gift)
Jewelry: Artistry by E - The Bruna Set (group gift; item in stores soon with different color matches)
Makeup:
Pink Fuel – Classic Lipstick – Pin Up Red
~Oceane~Bardot ES Noire
blackLiquid MAKEUP -  just gloss
Al Vulo! Mesh Lashes

Pose: Di’s Opera – Black Seduction @ Limited Bazaar

Social Media Meme

Multitasking by the pool

New meme – all about social media! I have been multitasking today – blogging, working on a few projects, and will help a friend with a RL paper after I finish this post. Phew!

All of my answers are geared towards SL. I do have a Facebook, but it’s not SL based and I use it for gaming and keeping track of close rl friends (because they kept bugging me for my FB link! )

1. What was the first social network you joined using your SL Avatar?

Probably Flickr…I have pictures from 2010 that I can’t view because I’m not pro…pfft.

2. Which social networks are you currently on using your SL Avatar?

Flickr
Plurk
Google+
Pinterest
Second Life Profile
2ndHub

I have been meaning to get a Facebook page, but haven’t had the push for it yet. Maybe sometime soon.

3 & 4. Which network is your favorite/ least favorite?

Based on usage, Plurk / 2ndhub. It’s like day and night with the amount of activity.

5. Which network do you have the most amount of connections?

I think Plurk…

6. What are your favorite social networking apps? (if applicable)

I don’t have a smartphone

7. What do you like most about social networking sites?

The amount of information available and shared among people, and the community that forms as a result of it. I have seen a lot of good done in a short amount of time that  10-15 years ago would have taken a lot of time and money just to get the word out to people.

8. What do you like least about social networking sites?

Information spreads; misinformation spreads rapidly. So many people believe what they read without fact-checking for themselves that it is scary. You can really destroy someone’s reputation using social media, and I don’t think people should have that ability if it’s for catty reasons.

9. Do you feel social networks are a good way to promote you/your brand/your work?

Just like anything else, you get out what you put in. If you spend minimal time on the network, then you won’t get much back. But if your followers can identify with you because you share information that helps them get to know you, then absolutely.

10. What is your main reason for using Social Networks?

To stay informed as to what is happening in SL. Also to make friends, but I don’t think I have been that successful in that aspect. I know someone who devotes a lot of time on Flickr going to people’s profiles and commenting on pictures. Then when an unfortunate situation happened between her and a designer and she posted it on Flickr, the feedback was huge. She was even surprised that many people responded and put her picture in their favorites to spread the word.

What do I mean by successful? I guess for the most part, when you make a post to share information, you get feedback of some sort. When you make friends, you generally expect feedback within that group of people, and vice versa. When you don’t hear from them in a while, you check their profile to see if everything is okay, and ask other people about them.  I haven’t quite gotten there yet, and I won’t use this post to go into details. But you can always ask me if you want

By the way – a couple of the items that I have on are from the Pink Fusion hunt. Some items were tricky to find, so search carefully.

Have fun guys!

Styling Credits

Outfit: [AB] Heart Dress Pink (Pink Fusion Hunt)
Skin: al vulo- Aisha* Candy dark brow sunkissed
Hair: Amacci Hair Seth ~ Onyx
Nails: Candy Nail #FP006 Clear Glitter French Pink
Lolas ::: Tango ::: Mesh Breasts

Makeup:
[mock] Bonjour Matte Lipstick [Turkish Rose]
[mock]Party all night/Indifference Cherry Blossom
blackLiquid MAKEUP -  just gloss
Miamai_Catwalk Lashes_Glitter 01

Jewelry – Chop Zuey
Callicarpia Earrings & Necklace (Pink Fusion Hunt)
The Mystery of Owls Ring

Phone: [ Z U L U ] Phone 5 Black Mesh
Beach towel: Sway’s  (this is an old Costa Rica gift – idk if they have it for sale)
Chocolates & Wine: Creations Kitchen