Festivities and Controversies

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Peace on Earth and all of that jazz.  I'm not sure how long this will be because I really wanted to just touch base and say Merry Christmas.  However, I've been reading a lot over the last few weeks that has made me wonder what it is we do as models in SL and who it really matters to.  As the year drew to a close I told you all that I was stepping out of my comfort zone/shell more and was entering more contests and castings---some of which I knew that it was slim to no chance that I would win a darn thing or make the cut.  Was it frustrating to not place or make it?  Well of course and it is just natural to look for reasons as to why it is but I know pretty well that it's truly look of the draw.  Whereas one person may love the way I style and look another will, and has, said that I'm not thin enough or tall enough or whatever enough.  Now I could change all of that and try again but that's not really being true to myself so the best thing to do is just accept the judgment of those doing the judging and keep moving forward with the people who appreciate what I do.

A model I've worked with quite a few times let her frustration out for the world to see.  Part of me was saying good for her but damn she just torpedoed her career and another part was saying hmmm maybe that should have been password protected for those you trust and them alone.  She was totally entitled to voice an opinion and people are equally entitled to react to that opinion.  The problem really is that we don't really have any explanation for not being the it girl and without it---especially if something starts to look "odd"---we just can have a crap ton of resentment begin to build up.  The few times I have found myself there I took a long break from contests and only cast for shows I was dying to be in and let the chips fall where they may.  It's impossible for someone to not have a reaction to being rejected but when that feeling starts to overwhelm us we gotta find something else to do. 

This is true right now as another chapter in the Miss Virtual World saga has come to an end.  I was able to watch it on metaverse tv without the crashing in Patch which was delightful.  However, as I watched I think that my radar for what anyone may be looking for is totally off.  Granted the final show is just a part of who makes it to the finals but I'll say I was partially stunned by who did and didn't make the cut.  Not as stunned by Serene winning but still hadn't pegged her for the eventual winner.  The uproar has cropped up afterward has made me think the same things I thought last year.  Not that it's necessary because the contest is what it is and people will continue to enter as it is such a great opportunity, but if there was slightly more transparency in what was happening then people wouldn't be as able to launch totally baseless attacks against the winners or finalists.  By that I mean, for the Miss America pageant and a few others, as different things occur the scores are tabulated and announced during each round when you get to the finalists.  Would it require a lot of effort to do so in SL?  Well I can imagine that yes it would as lag and crashes can make score reporting difficult.  Would some super anal person still say that someone was judged more leniently or more harshly?  Yes of course they would as we tend to champion our friends or the underdog or whatever but it could also show that someone has just been routinely better throughout the process.  I'm not sure what the answer is to the mountain of controversy that crops up after major contests and really I'm not sure anyone wants the answer either.  Controversy keeps us talking if nothing else and it gets at least a few new people interested for everyone one it turns off. 

It would be interesting for something like MVW to have actual pageants for each country but logistically that could be problematic.  Regardless, as others have said more eloquently than me---as models we are not forced to do anything really.  I haven't really done any nude work for example.  However, as long as contests have huge prizes attached and the opportunity for tons of exposure they will always be on the checklist of those aspiring to even just work more than they do now let alone be famous.  If we can't tolerate the losing/not being selected then maybe a break is necessary unless we want to work twice as hard and recreate ourselves a few dozen times until we are "model perfect" which most of us I believe aren't.  We have RLs and we have to attend to them and in this case SHOULD if our drive to win a title no one outside our fashion pixel community will care about is driving us over the edge.

All we can ultimately do as the big contests have wound themselves down for the year is going into the new year hopeful and appreciative for what we have now.  Thanks to all the designers who have allowed me to blog their new goodies.  Thank you the agencies who think my slightly shorter curvy shape is worth working their runways.  Thank you to all the models who have been helpful and funny and a place to vent before during and after a show.  And thank you to all of those who feel a need to be creative and give me something to think, blog and talk about.  Have a great holiday all.

The Great Rouge Caper

Sorry everyone.  I really don't have a good excuse for being MIA the last month.  Work has thankfully started to slow down in RL and I get an extended vacation in about a week.  During which time I will hopefully get my butt back to work on some more posts for this blog as well.  I've been doing most of fashion styling on the Maniera blog which is fun and still in full swing.  I have two cocktail dresses that I need to feature and I may split them up so that one is here and the other gets the Maniera love lol.  Project Rouge stalled primarily because I wasn't sure who to even begin to touch base with at this point.  I should probably get one done this month since it is the month I was born in RL and right before I was born in SL lol. 

Other than that, hmmm what's been up.  I've done a few more shows for JM which have been great and honestly felt like a huge pat on the back because it's a totally different experience.  We get plenty of time to style and then quick intense rehearsal and show.  It's great actually.  Plus who can get upset about being in a Azul or Donna Flora show?  It's been lots of fun working and blogging and well shopping.  It's Advent time for a lot stores so freebies abound at two of my favorite stores, Ivalde and Dark Mouse.  This weekend Miss Virtual World wraps up as well.  I kinda want to go but the lag is a killer and crashing is standard so I may skip it and wait for the lovely pictures at the end. 

If you're still around and didn't venture a guess at the Maniera blog about my styling choice there, here's an opportunity to get a free shirt from Ingenue.  The first person to identify the photographer from the 3rd Project Rouge shoot gets their choice of what I have left lol.  I will probably just be keeping them but if you feel like trying, just leave a comment and I'll let you know if you won ASAP.

Bye for now,
Rouge

baby it's cold outside

Really I have nothing good in the means of title so I just went with the reality of life right now.  It's been a busy month.  You know me, work in bursts girl, so I had lots of stuff going on about two weeks ago.  Thankfully I do well in most castings so I was lucky enough to do the JM Models show for Donna Flora as I got to play in my realm a bit.  Vintage is LOVELY.  Had to be a bit of body mod (mostly shrinkage of boobs) to make sure the outfits looked great but it was fun.

After that I got to walk in my very first superElite show since my graduation show.  It was part of Japan Fashion week which was a collaboration between SE and Agata.  It was fun and there were two shows a day for a week along with the opening and closing shows.  I was introduced to a lot of new designers and got to take part in a the finale show and the Honey and La Dulce Vita shows too.  That allowed me to meet a lot of new models as well and hey got paid and got presents depending on which of the four shows you ask me about.

Small shows always mean lots of outfit changes and if nothing else I get three or four new outfits styled to wear whenever I'm feeling super lazy and not wanting to piece together any of the things I grab off the feed.  I am a little behind on picture taking for Maniera which I hope to get over tonight.  Been feeling uber lazy the last few days because I'm super tired for some reason.  I have four outfits styled that I want to get up over the next few weeks and another outfit that I need to style.  Each outfit is a fun new look for me even if there are some standard vintage looks in the collective.  Still haven't gotten back on track for Project Rouge but I'm gonna get on that soon too. 

See ya soon
Rouge

Busy bee

This post probably won't be very long.  I have a few shows coming up over the next few weeks which I am kinda tickled about.  End of this week I'll be in the Donna Flora show with JM Models and the week after next I have two shows with superElite during their big fashion event.  This will be the first show I'm in for both agencies (not including the graduation shows I did with SE) so I really am overly thrilled. 

I am slacking with Project 2010.  I finally just thought of the perfect shot I want for this month but haven't even stated to find a photographer.  I know, silly me as I have been on top of these things before this month.  I just haven't had it in me the last few weeks to do much of anything that wasn't totally required of me.  Plus most of the people I'd want to use aren't taking new clients right now.  Sucks for sure but this is about expanding my photographer contacts so I gotta keep looking or shelve October and shoot for two in November.  Ehh if anyone has any suggestions let me know.  See ya soon

Rouge

She's Got the Look

I swear I will try to find a youtube link to the Prince jam U Got the Look before I finish this all up because that song just popped into my head as I was typing the title.  I don't really watch much reality tv as I find a large portion of it kinda vapid as hell.  So it is with no small measure of surprise for me that I pay enough attention to a show on TVLand to tune in every so often to catch it.  She's Got the Look is a modeling show for women over 35.  I am so not under the delusion that my impending 35th birthday would put me in the running but they have featured some amazing women of all shapes, sizes and complexions for the last three seasons and I have been impressed.  This year the final two episodes displayed women who could appropriately be labeled as underdogs coming out on top.  Were they stunning?  Absolutely, but--and there is always a but--they were both more on the tomboy spectrum and one was more curvy than all of her competitors.  The pre-finale episode showed those two women booking all the open castings jobs they went on (2 a piece for the 4 available jobs) and thus being the only ones safe for the finale while the other more naturally thin and stunning cast mates didn't have that security.  The finale would have probably been brain frying for me but all the girls did a good job, well most of them, and then the runway show started.  I have to say the ultimate winner rocked it even though they all looked amazing and there were only slight baubles for one of them on all of her runs.  As I usually don't watch shows like this, I am normally not emotional.  But this time I was.  I was pulling for Marilin and Julie because they each deserved a chance to do something beyond the show.  Not that Rachelle didn't but she'd probably be able to get work standing on her head half asleep.  Marilin won and it was amazing.  Read her thoughts here.  And tune in next season if there is one lol.

It was an honor to just be nominated

Well it would have been if I had actually been nominated for something.  The results of the MAD Agency casting were released today and while I made it to the end of the process I was not selected to join the agency this go round.  I wasn't particularly holding my breath on that one because there were some stellar models amongst the competition and really I'm just not that well known.  It was a good experience and I appreciate the multi-tiered application process as it did give us all a chance to be ourselves and shine in whatever way we could.  The risk didn't necessarily pay off but I really did enjoy myself and it was an utmost honor to have even made the initial cut.  I'll keep plugging along, you know I always do lol.

Shame on me for not sharing Skip's amazing pic earlier but I was trying not inundate you with blog posts.  With no further delay here is the photo that he gave me in my leather cutie pie set.

Let me just say again, Skip is freaking amazing.  None of this image was present when he snapped it.  Just me as kinky as a pair of pasty and a fishnet top would allow me to be.  It's just uber sexy and I have to thank him for that yet again. 

I didn't walk in the SE show but because I was in on rehearsals I did get to cue the girls for the show.  I hope I didn't screw that up too bad, no one out front seemed to notice so that's great.  And I'm casting for their next shows since a few will be at 6PM and I'm good and free at 6PM.  Not sure if I'll get picked but again this phase of life is all about taking the chance and hoping it works out.  I'm debating entering the next Betty Boop vintage contest on Flickr.  I love Donna Flora but blonde pinup isn't exactly my forte area lol.  If I woman up I'll let you know.  The one I did for the Betty lingerie is on my flickr page and probably rotating on the side over there to the right.  Okay that's enough for now. 

Catch ya soon,
Rouge

And the beat goes on

This will probably be a two pronged post so I'll do the less introspective piece first. Project2010 had a slight delay because our intrepid photographer needed a little break.  That's perfectly fine as the picture Barney delivered was fantastic and just what I asked for.  In case you were wondering what I asked for it was something quirky but appropriate given the outfit.  The picture is adorable and regardless of how it does with the contest I'm happy that I had a chance to work with Mr. Roundel and can say he does amazing things.  Not that he needs me blowing smoke up his butt.  Those of you that know his work know how great he is.  So without further adieu here's the photo in question.

The next wave of Project Rouge (Project 2010 whatever lol) was done by someone who has taken fantastic photos of me before.  Skip Staheli was given the task of doing completely different images.  I wanted one sexy vintage kind of shot and the other just edgy and not my typical kind of shot.  While the second shot isn't quite ready I couldn't hesitate to share the ones that are.  I think I look great and especially the 1st image just conveys something stunning to me.  I love what Skip does to photos and the two shots below are just beautiful.  Some of you will recognize the outfit from the shots that Ludwig Prinz did earlier this year.  This was not because I was dissatisfied with what Ludwig did at all.  My original thought was have all the photographers snap me in the same outfit but that wouldn't really work.  This was mostly because I couldn't totally style the way I wanted to for the Phoenix Rising contest as they only wanted jewelry from the brand or associated brands used.  What was available didn't really work with what I wanted to display so I scrapped the pearls you see here and honestly didn't find this hair until Hair Fair at boon. 

Now if you are still reading and not staring or trying to find Barney and Skip in world to set up a shoot(highly recommend doing that sooner as opposed to alter if you wanted to as they are both incredibly busy men) then you can stick around for the last part of my daily blurb.  I love what I do in SL.  I have made great friends and think I do good work when I'm in a show or have to style myself for a shoot.  What continues to intrigue and periodically frustrate me is how that is perceived by others.  Sometimes the works is roundly supported and appreciated which feels great.  I don't want to let anyone down or disappoint them of course but being acknowledged rocks.  However, and this is more often the case, there is no reaction at all which I guess could be better than being slammed and saying what I do sucks.  But without feedback of any kind how do you improve what you do?  Now I doubt the random lack of information is going to make me slow down at all.  I'm enjoying it as a I mentioned before but it would be helpful I think to hear something every now and then.  Thanks to everyone that have already commented on the photo that is up on Skip's stream, it's much appreciated. 

Oh and for those of you that stuck it out to this part lol.  I did get an interview with the MAD Agency so I'm into round three of selection.  I was a bit surprised I'll admit it but I'm thrilled at the same time.  Have another practice in a few hours for SE but it should be pretty easy.  Only one change and it wasn't too bad.  Well that's it for now.  I'll be back whenever lol ohhh and go read the Maniera blog.  Some of my vintage wear posts will be there from now on.  See ya later.

It pays to pay attention

I had a horrible day.  Well semi.  I'm doing this weird diet so I can do more testing and figure out what's going on with my tummy.  That finally calmed down and then I was able to do the runway practice for the superElite show.  I'm the backup model but I still need to know what I'm doing.  It was a good practice and the walk was fun.  After that I was doing my blog trolling and saw a mini contest that *BOOM* was running to award 250 to 5000L gift cards to loyal readers but it was ending in an hour.  I had featured a *BOOM* outfit a few months ago in a skin post and figured if nothing else it was something fun to do.  I got a 250L giftcard to go find these pants I was thinking about buying before.  Yippee.  *ICING* put out another adorable dress you should go check out.  And they put one in the Red Seal Hunt that gives you a fabulous dress for free if you can find it at the Rue D'antibes location.  Happy shopping ladies.

Auntie Rouge Wants You

You know I had to make the title kinda corny.  Uncle Sam wants you probably would have confused you just as much and hey it's a long weekend and I don't have to go to sleep early so WOOT.  I wanted to wait a few days after the show had actually happened and then work and crazy life got the best of me so here's the delayed photo spread from the MAD Agency Casting that I was invited to participate in.  I was very surprised to make the initial cut to be honest.  Taking more risk does not equal more confidence just so you know lol.  Each casting group was given a theme for their show and mine was Military Trend/Urban Cool without being costume like.  I can't say I nailed it and you know me I had to find a way to make it comfy and vintage like.  Still have interviews to go through before there is a final yes or no but the show was great and they are a very friendly crew which is much appreciated.  So without further ado the photo is below and of course I probably wouldn't have been near this bomber but it was a fun backdrop.  Oh and in addition to the blogging duties I have had at Maniera I'm going to start a weekly column focusing on vintage pieces.  First post should be up soon.  Enjoy.

I'm Wearing:

Hair: Maitreya Piper II
Jacket: *COCO* Flight Jacket
Shirt: *COCO* BowShirt (undershirt layer only)
Scarf: Haunted Zuzu Dulcet Flower Scarf
Pants: Muism High Waist Trousers
Boots: J's Long Boots Round
Skin: Laqroki Elena
Lashes: Cake Bedroom Lashes
Earrings: Eolande's Large Pearl Studs

I love a Good Sale and Roaming SL

And sometimes I just <3 anything I find amazingly cute.  The outfit I'm wearing is from L'abel and was part of Humpday Happiness this past Wednesday.  There was a white version as well but ehhh that was way girlier than I was willing to go that day.  I found the hair at the aforementioned fab-u-lous a few weeks ago and thought it would be a nice match with this outfit.  The earrings are from glow studio--soooo adore them, they make the most interesting things sometimes--and I'm wearing a bracelet I realize now that you can't see in the photo lol from Dark Mouse.  The shoes are from Kalnins and are totally customizable and do a damn good job of matching skin tone without a whole lot of effort.  Looking at the pictures these could use a tiny bit more tweaking but after very little effort that was a great match.  The skin as always is from Laqroki--well not always but usually lol.  And an unanticipated plus of reading the Fashion Critique page was that they linked to SL's destination guide.  I have been bouncing around on that page to different sites for good backdrops for the pictures I take in world and that was fun.  The backdrop I chose for these was Eostara and it's kinda gorgeous.  And just because I am trying to do better about posting this information the poses are all from LAP. 

Oh and I did the final photo shoot for the month and that will probably be up at the end of the week so yeah.  As soon as I narrow down some outfits I MIGHT have another person lined up for September or I might just push it back to October and then just leave myself with two months to finish Project 2010.  Still waiting to hear from MAD but we got an update that a decision should come to us by tomorrow evening so we'll see how that goes too.  See ya later everyone.  Enjoy the snaps.

My name is Rouge and I'm a feedaholic

I've been wondering for the last few days what's up with fashion feed and apparently it's just having some issues right now.  Which kinda sucks cause it gives me part of my shopping fix and lets me know about random sales and contests.  Not that I need to know where they are because really I have a booming inventory already.  Thankfully the shoe fair didn't break me but there are a pair of Kalnins I want to go pick up still so it will add to the limited pocket break I had.  I've hit a few stores over the last few 50L fridays and project themory events but I'm missing some of my favorite old stores that aren't on either list too often these days.  I am enjoying several of the new hair offerings from Bliss Couture Hair which have been very pleasantly surprising and if you haven't seen them go check them out.  Same thing for fab u lous and ICONIC which gave me a very funky mohawk a few weeks ago (shouldn't say gave lol but offered me the chance to buy).  I'm getting closer to having to break down and either use Emerald or the new viewer cause I really want the face tattoos that aren't available in the regular viewer oh and the new hairbase layers--want em lots. 

I applied for the MAD Agency casting.  Not sure if I'll make the cut but I feel like I need to be taking more risks right now so I'm going for it.  I did enter the last round for Miss Virtual World and I doubt the results will be any different lol but again the risk thing.  I have at least one photographer signed up for September's phase of Project 2010 but still have the final few months of the year to arrange as well.  We'll see how it keeps going but I'm excited as I have a shoot coming on the 22nd and then on the 11th of next month.  Okay that's it for now.

yeah i got nothing lol

You know, I had a good spiel built in my head last night about what I wanted to post but I went to sleep, spent more time than I would have thought talking to my mom this morning and put some steak in marinade for dinner later so yeah that's all gone.  In general things are going well.  Thanks in part to my weird schedule and my agencies taking a tiny summer break, I'm not super busy when I'm online these days.  I am doing some of the maintenance stuff I should always be doing but yeah don't always get around to.  I've had the updated Tillie's hud for months before I finally loaded it maybe two weeks ago.  And while I thought the old hud was full at 600 ish poses after loading the new one and all the poses I had purchased in the interim it was up to 1100 ish.  Sad I know but it helped loading them because then I was able to more fully prepare for a show I had because I didn't have to go hunting to see if I had a pose in inventory.

After talking to Miss Keeley about an agency and needing to get a portfolio together, it dawned on me that I hadn't touched my portfolio in over year.  So all the new amazing photos that I have had taken over the last year were not available anywhere but flickr.  That's great if folks want to go look at the page but if not then it's better to have the book handy.  I did update that yesterday so yippee and I was able to add the newest photos from Project 2010 from yzabelle Furhman.  I opted for her very reasonable 5 pack of photos that were just for fun as I liked the outfits and wanted them photographed.  One so I would quit wearing the outfit incessantly because I just loved it and the other because it was one I had prepped and never had snapped.  Part 2 for this month is coming up in a few weeks and those may or may not be contest shots sooooo when I figure it out I'll let you know.

Before I get to the photos, I have to say my same fair issues came up.  I went and wandered around all over.  The lag wasn't bad all things considered but there just wasn't a whole lot that I wanted to be honest and one store that I got excited in turned into a letdown.  I saw a pair of mary janes I adored but then realized they looked eerily familiar.  Yep they do because I bought them last year at the fair lol.  On the upside, the Kalnins I tried on were so hot that I had to buy them.  Along with a few other out of the way shops that I hadn't seen before.  It's for a good cause so please go check them out.

Okay so here are my two favorite shots because I don't want the post to get super long and I can't figure out how to make them rotate in a frame.  Please go to flickr and check out the rest of them when you get a chance.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty

Sorry folks.  Show tunes have been stuck in my head for the last few months and I have been singing them randomly.  I hope you enjoyed the last post as much as I did for those of you that looked at it.  If you didn't eh no biggie I understand everything I find funny won't amuse everyone else.  I have been busy bouncing around the grid and watching shows when I'm not in them.  Most have been great and surprisingly low on lag--not missing it cause lag is our bestest friend--but low.  I have been setting up photographers for August and will nail down September as soon as I can.  But July was taken and looks great.  So without further ado here's the two new additions to Project 2010 from Ludwig Prinz of Prinz Studios.  Make sure to drop a notecard on him and he will respond super quick.  Photos were totally reasonable and he's probably one of the most interactive photographers I've worked with so you are welcome to add input and look for the ideal look.

See ya later,
Rouge

Longer post later

But I had to share this link.  It may get some of us in trouble later as designers are inspired to create some of these things in world but at least I've never been on fire on the runway.

Fabulously Funny Fashion

Tiny Bit Frustrated

It's totally my fault because I waited into July to look for my July photographer for Project Rouge lol but almost all of the photographers I was looking into are all booked up for the month.  I have reached out to two of them for sometime in August and might need to go ahead and set up September while I'm at it.  Well one of the photographers I contacted MIGHT have some July openings but I hate scrambling.  I could always revisit one of the previous two photographers from Project 2010 but that defeats the purpose of me exploring the grid even though both ladies gave me absolute fantastic photos.  Ahh well, I'll beg in world and see what happens.

Speaking of photos, Miss Azul was also a no for the kid but it is what it is.  I crashed during my last walk today in the Fashion Police show which SUCKS but the show went well and I had fun with the Maniera crew as normal.  It doubly sucks cause I was LOVING that outfit.  Felt very edgy gogo dancer smexy kind of look.  It's nice to be with people who can joke and be silly and still pull off a great show.  I'm glad to be a part of Maniera and all the other agencies I call home now.  I'm only in a few but I can dedicate myself to them and work my butt off when I get an assignment.  Okay just wanted to give a brief update.


UPDATE: Woot thanks Model's Workshop photography lists.  I found someone to do photos next week so yippee.  Well I found lots of people but again some were busy others just aren't taking photos anymore for a variety of reasons and others ehh just didn't like.  We'll be adding to Project 2010 yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woot!

I'm on a roll these days.  I got all my outfits styled for the Maniera show this weekend in under two hours yesterday.  Had decent rehearsals---still need to nail that finale.  I got the blog posting up about the show on Maniera's blog this evening after practice.  And got a free police car from Sami to arrest the boyfriend with whenever I get bored of whatever else I'm harassing him with.  To top it all off I got a great head shot of myself when I got back to my place from Jewell Munro, owner of my newest agency JM Models.  Yippee I got in!  Photo is below and now it's bedtime.

The only thing constant in life is change

Even in SL that is most definitely the case.  Change is inevitable and is necessary to keep humans healthy and happy.  I wasn't sure I was going to post today or not but figured as I was sitting here watching silly things on tv I could tell you what was going on.  I have, quite unlike myself, been at least considering entering things and going out for more castings than normal.  Which isn't really good or bad just different for me.  I was allowed to cast for JM Models on Friday night and think it went well but am not sure how it went as I haven't heard anything quite yet but with the holiday and all could just be a timing issue.  In the wake of that I finally pulled the trigger on a few things I had been considering.  I have worked as a stylist and show coordinator with MPI for a while now but given some of the other things I want to do and my own show schedule I decided to step down from that position.  It was a good learning experience and I may want to pick that up with another agency in the future but right now kinda just want to focus on the modeling end of things.  I also left Miramar which was a bit harder to do as Miguel had been the greatest in welcoming me and letting me do a number of different things while I was there too.  However, the agency is rather dormant right now and I know myself well enough to know I'm not ready to help rebuild and keep doing the other things I want to try my hands at.  I wish both agencies the best and will continue to support from the sidelines.

Other than that Project 2010 is firmly underway.  I will post the pictures that Temperance Moonites took of me after I'm done babbling.  Please see her in world if you like the photos.  She was quick and very affordable.  Two of the photos will end up as part of my Miss Azul entry if I can get off my butt and finish working on it.  Doesn't matter which two but I have four great photos to add to the project now and am just trying to narrow down photographers and date for July's part of this process.  Oh and and in another that's totally not Rouge moment.  I actually left my place for something other than shopping, rehearsal or a show today lol.  Okay I do get out but not very much truth be told.  But Melonie invited us to watch fireworks outside of her shop today and I went over.  I'm glad I did because it was fun.  Not sure why I didn't consider fireworks in SL but it just hadn't crossed my mind.  It was a good time and I got to hang out in a totally not for work way.  Gotta do that more often.

That's it for now so see ya,
Rouge

Project Rouge 2010

Wow, two posts this month I'm sure you're shocked ha ha.  Well this post is going to cover one thing mostly.  I have decided to do a photo project for the rest of this year.  I often end up taking photos of myself at the last minute because I'm not sure which photographers I want to use or why I might want to use them.  For the next six months of the year I'm going to set up a shoot with at least one photographer a month for either contests, castings or just cause I want to because you know I don't really do a whole lot of contests.  Of course it adds to my portfolio so it's a win for me regardless but I also like to see what other people do with my image and their creativity because I can have a billion ideas but implementing them requires much more brain matter than I have to spare some days.  For anyone that visits my flikr page they would have already seen the first two photos in Project 2010.  They were done by Shae Sixpence for the AVENUE casting.  I didn't make the shortlist but I liked the photo so much I sent it in for the Miss Virtual World July casting.  Not holding my breath on that one but heck I was beautiful damn it lol.

The next few photos that will be added come from Temperance Moonites for the Miss Azul contest and two extra for my portfolio.  I couldn't decide which dress to choose so I had two outfits and the one that pops the most is off to the contest.  The other will just be new pretty pictures of me.  And will give me the chance to see what I look like in another photographers eyes.  For any photog that might read this, sorry if I get quiet during the shoot.  I try not to do too much to disturb my eye lock and just start drifting off in my brain to think of how fantabulous you are going to make me look.  So I need to set up the next few months of photographers and would love recommendations.  There is at least one old favorite I'll be revisiting but that takes one of six months.  And December might be overload since it's my RL birth month.

I swear I was gonna mention something else in this post but now I so don't remember what it is.  So instead I'll say what just popped into my head.  Congratulations to all the lovely Black female avatars for making the short list of AVENUE models and those that have been chosen to represent the country of their choice in the Miss Virtual World 2011.  There were way more than I expected and it gives me hope that working in darker skin isn't always an impediment.  And a special congratulations to a blog friend, EmeraldEyes Honi, who is on a fantastic role with being chosen to be a Modavia Supermodel, AVENUE shortlist and Miss UK in Miss Virtual World 2011.  She's a great inspiration and fantastic model.  Good luck to all of you ladies.

Ok it's way past dinner time let me go eat---Rouge

Duh remembered what it was lol.  Wrapped the longest show I've been in for a while this weekend and it was great lag battle.  And I found out that the theme I chose won an internal Maniera contest with two other models providing the accompanying statement.  Yippee for Keira Tyles and Imani Enzo for the joint win.  Can't wait for the shoot.  Bye for real this time

I'm Bionic

Okay well not really.  I'm digital at best but I have been listening to Christina's last cd since it dropped and there are definitely a few tracks on there that are bound to be long time favorites and one that I'm sure that daddys everywhere hope their daughters sing for a very long time (it's called I hate boys in case you were wondering).  Sorry for vanishing again.  Was dealing with some family stuff and it just got sorted which I'm glad about but it stinks that it comes up every year and hasn't gotten easier to deal with. 

I have done a show or two since the last time I blogged--maybe just one--and have another one coming up soon.  Still trying to finalize a graduation show and that is taking more time than it should really.  I'm applying for the AVENUE casting but with a billion other people applying we'll have to see how that goes.  I am thinking about the Miss Azul contest but as many Azul gowns as I have NONE of them looked contest worthy on me so I may have to go comb the store again and see if there is anything left that I don't own already.  Hmmm think that's it for now.  See ya later


Rouge

Drumroll please.....

Well not really a drum roll.  I did get the show I mentioned in my last post which is great, nothing beats active runway time.  Got a few new posts either up or in the works for the Maniera blog.  Still have to plan the show for MPI but that shouldn't be too difficult just lacking a lot of focus right now thanks to the antibiotics I was on that had the nifty side effect of vertigo and dizziness.  So hate meds sometimes cause they cause more problems than they fix.  And yesterday the results came up for the May casting for Miss Virtual World.  I think I mentioned that I submitted a photo and would just see how it went.  Well they only picked about thirteen folks and yours truly was not one of them lol.  But Veronica made it and that means another Mani girl is in the pool to take the crown.  So I've submitted to my major contest lashing for the year and no mas on the MVW pool.  I do wonder about other contests and why I avoid them in general but it is limiting my exposure I guess so maybe I should get over that and at least attempt one every now and then.  Ok off to explore the universe.

Yeah brain still tired

Brain is still tired a bit and I woke up this morning God awful dizzy with no real explanation for it.  So the middle of my day was full of nap.  Nap is goooooood.  Last night I did the shoot that had been a little delayed and I swear I love meeting new photographers because they all work a little differently and are interesting in their own rights.  This morning was another casting with JSE which I thought I did okay in but wasn't asked to stay out very long after the last pose so figured it wasn't in the cards for this show or the other one I put in for---as I hadn't gotten that one.  But after I woke up from my luscious nappy nap I was feeling better and will just be positive about the outcome because you never know what may happen.  I might make a tiny addendum to this one tomorrow when the results are posted.  Haven't done much shopping lately except random 50L or 69L shopping days.  Laqroki has put out some gorgeous new skins but the darkest tones were in the new tone--Mocha which is quite pretty but several shades lighter than your everyday Rouge.  The makeup on the newest one is AMAZING so if you aren't a normal LAQ shopper go check it out.  Ok back to watching my lasagna and whatever movie I can get into.

brain too tired for a title

Hey everyone.  Not a whole lot going on for the last few days.  The holiday and weekend threw off a lot of the plans that I had and I'm playing catch up after freezing in my office all day because they turned the heat off so they could make some repairs.  They do it at least once a year and almost always find the one day of the year where it's least desirable to not have at least a puff of heat coming in.  I have a few castings coming up that hopefully I'll get but you know me, I work in ebbs and flows lol.  I still need to pull together the graduation show for MPI but missing some info so that might get pushed back a week.  And missing it because I really wasn't on SL all that much this weekend.  And last week I found out that my retro song choice didn't win the cover but I was among the top 5 so I'm good with that too.  The picture is on my flikr page but I'll include it here too in a bit.  Other than that I'm a little sleepy for some reason.  I should probably go to bed early but knowing me I won't lol.  I'll check in soon.

Decisions, Decisions

Another wave of contests have begun again and I have to say I managed my angst about entering or not entering quite well.  I chose not to try out for the Modavia casting.  I had an outfit styled and probably could have gotten the picture done in time but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that level of exposure on one hand and critique on the other.  And not exactly sure I have the skill set to be scrutinized through the casting process.  Who knows but if I try it won't be before the fall.  I did submit to Miss Virtual World as I said I would after some encouragement.  If I make it great but I'm not sure I'll make it beyond that first screening which is okay too.  Oh and I actually pulled a cover contest together for Maniera for a change.  I can't say it was uber creative but it was a representation of the song that inspired it.  Still no word on that one so I'll be sure to update you in the future with what happens.

Also did another show with JSE, Awake to Sudan, which was a lot of fun but something else came of it.  It made me finally go update my model resume with shows I have done over the last few months and vendor ads and all that stuff.  I've seen a few model blogs that have their resumes posted there which seems like a good idea because people can access it when you're offline.  Not sure if I'm ever going to make a default page for that but at least it's updated.  Oh well back to the grid shopping I go.

See ya
Rouge

Feeding My Addiction: Skin Review

I realized that I demo a lot of skins and never really talk about them very much. I will harp on a new skin when I find it and like it on me but there are a lot of decent skin makers out there in the dark range that I don't personally choose to wear but still should be discussed.  So I'm going to share a few with you that I have either been gifted (thanks Rita) or stumbled across due to my rampant feed stalking.

First up is the Belleza skin Elle in Dark Mocha.  This, and most of the other skins I will talk about, are closer to the tone I was wearing when I first began using SL.  It's a basic dark tone that will of course look slightly different on everyone but in my usual inspection of the nooks and crannies didn't have anything that made me go oh no don't want to ever wear this again.  It didn't change my face in a significant way and was lacking shading issues for me.  What I noticed was that I was staring at was my stomach.  The Laqroki line tends to add great definition to the stomach area and that was missing for me here but the makeups were good, the face not overdone and had a variety of options in the way of hairbase and cleavage.  Well worth looking at if you haven't been inundated with skin posts already.

The next skin I want to show you is from Kira Ahn's [KA] Designs.  I have ventured in and out of her demos a lot and hadn't made a purchase until recently when I got a notice about a sale on soon to be retired skins.  I am almost positive I somehow skipped these skins because I think I would have bought them at the time but regardless it's another darker skin that I really liked when I sported it.  I grabbed the fatpack of Loona in Ebony and have to say I'm very impressed.  I am one of those lazy models that doesn't want to make a new shape for each skin I wear.  If a skin doesn't immediately strike me as looking great as is and may need minor tweaking I just won't buy it.  This is as close to my old skin tone and still the same facial features that I have been able to come in a very long time.  Great skin with good shading and makeups both with and without hairbase as well as three eyebrow shapes AND lashes.  Wooh, that was a mouthful but regardless good skin.  I'm showing you eyebrow option number one by the way in the following picture.  The only thing that would have made this better is that lovely glow I get with Laqroki.

Next up we have a skin Bare Skins from Rita Freese.  I love the dare to go bare part of the store tag by the way.  When I was in the Best of SL chat the other day we were having yet another skin discussion and I mentioned I happily blog good skins and I was quickly gifted with Naomi in Peacock, Citrus and Smoke.  Tone was a little darker than the first two but not dramatically so.  The lips are a bit fuller than the others but the makeup was done quite well.  I particularly loved the Peacock (one shown in the picture) as it successfully pulled off a very interesting palate on a darker skin that others seem to just overlook for fear of failing miserably.  It would be great for a show if for no other reason than it was good and dramatic.  The stomach was lacking a little definition but had a very adorable belly button and great shading around the body.  It's another keeper for those seeking out a dark skin.

And finally the last skin I will show you is the latest from Laqroki.  Elena was released a few weeks ago at this point and I was thrilled to have another dark option.  The tone is the same Ebony that she normally uses which is more a mid range chocolatey candy bar kind of complexion.  The makeup is more subtle to me than a few of the more recent ones but skillfully done and having another 10 makeups to play with, with and without hairbase, is always good if you are as focused on coordinating skin and clothing.  Laqroki always does a good job of trying to put out a dark tone and then experimenting with makeups.  It's one of the first places I always send friends and models but as I pointed out earlier I should pay attention to the fact that everyone doesn't want to be my shade of brown lmao.  It's another great release and my tummy looks fabulous ha!

And for those wondering what the outfit was about in the photos lol, I was in a casting for an African inspired/themed show and just hadn't changed when I decided to do this set of photos.  Full outfit details will be below the photo.  Please go check out the skin designers and have a fantastic weekend.

Outfit: Boom Rhapsody in Picnic (no sash skirt option)
Jewelry: Miel Cue Set (from 50L Friday)
Headwrap: CE Cubic Effect Bohemian Glow Red
Shoes: Maitreya Gold Shanti in Champagne
Skin: Laqroki Tasha 2 in Ebony
Poses: Reel Expression *Luth* Party Dress 4, 9
Background: Tuft Dreamy Field Photobox

I may be a Fair Hater but I'm a Theme Lover

I shared my lament with the pose fair (and skin fair and accessories fair and hair fair-I think, fairs in general) in my last post.  I again didn't spend much money there but it left with lindens to peruse 50L friday--didn't get to all of the shops this week but I did grab this adorable pillow I saw on the feeds made bye Annunziata Macchi of Molto Bene!  When I saw it I thought it would just be cute to have and would probably take good photos in the bedroom theme.  Then I thought oh crap, the photographer boyfriend is out of town and thus can't buy this today and since it was no transfer I couldn't buy one and send it to him.  So I contacted Annunziata and she was happy to both tell me about the fact that it would be on xstreet soon and sell me one for him while it was still 50L and on off the off chance he didn't get it to resend it when he logged back on.  Now let me say typically almost all content creators are great when I ask them a question but Annunziata was great, cheerful and quick so I had to give her a nice nod on the blog.  I grabbed some glasses and a great pair of boots and was done with my 50L Friday shopping.

That led me to The Dressing Room.  I didn't grab a lot there to be honest but love most of the designers that were featured so I had to join the subscribo and add just a snippet to the tip jar.  By all means head over and check it out because you'll be pleasantly surprised by the prices and selection.  My final theme shopping stop was The Fashion Circus.  I totally can't list everyone that is featured but I grabbed some new stuff from Opa's and Sonatta Morales and wandered around to the Hope for Haiti tent that is still on the sim and found a lovely dress there.  I had a good time roaming around and will be back there as well.  Good old subscribos.  Anyway I have theme love all around me.  Be sure to check them out before the next round of designers is inserted.

I think I'm a Fair Hater

How can you hate a fair you may ask?  Well I love the ones with turkey legs and funnel cake but so far in SL I find myself a little blah with fair offerings.  It took me forever to get over to the Pose Fair even though I was super exited when I heard about it, like I am with all fairs.  Granted real life was so kicking my pixelated booty the last few weeks but eh no excuse for a certified poser like myself.  I roamed the whole fair barefooted and missing as many prims as my vain self can tolerate.  I bought lindens when I started JUST because I didn't want to be broke by the end of my perusing.  It was nice to see new stores and I picked up something at This is a Fawn's shop and swear didn't know poses were among the offerings at the main store.  After that and another stop at another new store to me, don't freak out!, I swore no more than one purchase at each store.  At that point it was kinda not an issue.  I roamed all the stores and can't say I bought too much after that as I still had most of my lindens lol.  The problem with poses for me is no matter how well made they are there are only so many ways my body can pose to the left with my hand on my thigh.  And because I am a pose whore I tend to hit the bigger spots as the poses are released so there weren't a whole lot of new items in LAP, Behavior Body or the like that I hadn't seen already.  And the picture frames I had been so excited about from the feed seemed way too bright to be cute against my skin tone.  I did grab poses at LAP and found another cute luggage set at StoRin called globetrotter but I seem to never go broke at any fair even if I do luck upon a few new places to roam.  That's a good thing I guess lol more money for hair and pencil skirts.  And it did give me a chance to go to Veschi and pick up some truly funky things so all in all I guess my fair snobbery isn't a bad thing.

And because I wasn't distraught about my interview for Maniera which had wrapped up shortly before my perusal I guess I wasn't prone to impulse buys.  For those of you wondering what interview well I applied to be one of the agency bloggers and found out yesterday that I was selected so you'll get to see much more restrained input from me on the My Maniera blog that I'm hoping blogger quits trying to direct to a feed and lets the link go through.  If not the address for those that need it is http://manierainc.com

Toodles for now
Rouge

Take Another Trip with me to Opa's Boutique

Okay Topaz was busy over the last few days. In addition to my lovely dress, and the Veronica which came out the same time and another fantastic dress named Keira, she released Shanghai Surprise. Now please don't let me skip over the aforementioned dresses because really they are well made and much attention was paid the the right parts of each dress. The textures fit the time period the dress was inspired by, the skirts weren't god awful too small for any normal sized avatar lol and there were no quick prim attachments that as unskilled as I am would notice and be cranky about for eternity. Opa's Boutique puts out lovely high quality dresses and you should hurry down and check out what it has to offer. Back to the purpose of this post though ha!

Shanghai Surprise actually may come as a surprise to you. The texture is very much Asian inspired but it's more of a subtle touch than you might expect on the grid. The pattern is simple and light against the black fabric which gives it a great contrast against skin tone. The top provides another set of details that have to be fully examined as well. The plunging neckline is complimented wonderfully with the bare shoulders all leading to the black band covering the midriff and joining the top to the skirt. The prim attachment gives the dress more structure and pop all without losing the texture or becoming overwhelming. Gathered at the hips but not covering the front of the dress it reminds me of the Claire Huxtable dress I lusted after as a child loving the Cosby Show as it gives definition without making a trouble spot for most women even more obvious. The other thing I love about this dress, as well as Opa's Boutique in general, is that it can be dressed up or down or made vintage or contemporary all based on what you choose to pair with it. I wanted to go more Shanghai than vintage this time and with pieces I didn't have to search farther than my inventory for I think it came together well. Let me know what you think. And big thanks to the boyfriend for helping me get that icky prim box from around the shoes I was wearing.

Items Worn:

Dress: Shanghai Surprise from Opa's Boutique
Hair: Na Young in Ebony from Tukinowaguma
Jewelry: Ahi Set from Miel
Skin: Tasha2 in Ebony from Laqroki
Shoes: Shanti in Black from Maitreya Gold
Lashes: Cake Bedroom Lashes

What's in a Name part two...

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl....I won't kill your ears with my ummm tone transient singing.  I'll let Barry handle that himself when I'm all done showing you the original duo that had me going wooooo I wanna blog same name wardrobe.  As you all know I LOVE vintage shops and support them as much as I can.  The big ones probably don't need my gushing but some of the out of the way spots could potentially.  I was doing my normal notecard sorting when I saw a message from Vita Bella.  There is a great assortment of vintage dresses, swimsuits, lingerie and what not there but there hadn't been a new release in a while.  Until about a week ago when Lola hit the store.  Lola reminds me of a typical receptionist wardrobe in one of the higher end firms---kinda Mad Men esque.  I am showing you the Ruby Red/Sultry Black version but it's also available in Cream/Magenta which is equally lovely and the one that I didn't stop wearing for a few days originally.  The texture is wonderfully detailed, down to the crinkle that would likely form at the back of the skirt after a day of wear.  LOVE IT.  Also featured in this post is the Lola lingerie set from Seldom Blue in Sheer Nude.  I love the way the color looks on my skin and the fact that the fatpack version of Lola gives you about ninety million ways to mix and match the ensemble.  I'm wearing the bra, thong, suspenders/garters and the waist ruffle which was entirely too dainty not to wear.  There are also hip and bra frills as well as a body suit version that is tres sexy.  Check them both out here for the dress and here for the lingerie.  Featured in both posts are photo boxes from Tuft which I just stumbled upon yesterday thanks to fashion feed.  If you want a few they are all under 50L as well as having a midnight mania board with 3 up for grabs.  And I realize I haven't done a style card for either of the name posts.  If you see something you just have to have let me know and I'll gladly tell you where I got it.

No Comments? Ooops,,,,

It seems I had the wrong settings up for comments and hadn't realized it.  You should be able to comment to your hearts content now and I'll be getting the 2nd part of What's in a Name up later tonight

What's in a Name part one

Okay so I'm a bit of a literary nerd and was going to be super corny with the whole would a Rouge by any other name smell as sweet thing but figured that would be above and beyond with the silly. Anyway, I told you that during the Miss Fashion Pageant that Ginevra Lancaster was nice enough to name an outfit for me. Well a few days ago she sent me the absolute final version of the outfit that had some influences from my styling in the contest. The first picture is what I did for the contest in the initial version of Miss Rouge.  The second is a rough image of the final outfit.  I'm going to have a better shot taken and send it to her for the vendor to use if she wants--she said I could YIPPEE!  The last image that I took after perusing for a good locale is from Opa's Boutique (Topaz Joubert's shop which you should most definitely check out) also entitled Rouge.  I told her and will tell you that when I saw it I did a little dance in the bed for which I was roundly made fun of by my partner.  Good thing I think he's cute and the snoring isn't too bad at night lol.  Anyway it sent me on a vintage flutter and I had to take my time to piece it together with the right hair and jewelry.  And I didn't want to use my photo props so I had to go find a good in world location to snap a few that also didn't interfere with the skirt. Anyhoo there are two snaps of my lovely dress and thanks to Topaz and Ginevra for thinking of me.  Stay tuned for What's in a Name part two with designs from Vita Bella and Seldom Blue.

Really have no good excuse

I have been busy yes but I keep saying I need to take photos of all the outfits I've been in and post them but I'm not getting around to it so I should really just post the updates. The shows went well as a I told you last time. The next big thing was another MPI Graduation show which honestly went fantastic short of missing in action models. The designer was happy at the end of the day and the models who were there ROCKED their lag plagued butts off. This was going on at the same time as my participation in the Miss Fashion 2010 contest. My designer, Ginevra Lancaster of Ginevra Lancaster Designs, was amazing and gave me a very sexy burlesque inspired outfit--named after me no less--to wear during the festivities. I will admit I was sick as a dog and was fuzzy most of the time so I'm not sure if I was doing my best but for the first time in any competition I have entered I made it to the finals. Yeah me, go Rouge lol. That meant another quick design week for Ginevra but since she was just so fierce that she got two models into the finals she did a play off of each outfit. Alii wore a moon inspired outfit and I got to represent the sun. When it was all said and done and we actually made it to the show day, I was just hoping not to crash off the runway or embarrass Ginevra. I didn't expect to win as there were stunning outfits there but wow came in third and wasn't expecting that EITHER. I was disappointed for Ginevra because I think she did a stellar job with five days to whip up two original outfits for the contest. It was fun though and let me hang out with models I knew but hadn't worked together a lot with. Might have to brush up on Italian if I plan to enter again lol. I think that's it for now. See ya everyone and eventually I will get to the photos.

My Whirlwind Fashion Weekend is Over

Okay so the last show I'm in for the weekend is now in the books. All went well as far as the ones I was in. A bit of lag for Eden Freese but nothing out of the ordinary. I managed to get to the dress rehearsal for Tres Beau after finishing the script for the Bitch Tail Graduation show with MPI all before noon. The grad show as lag personified but big round of applause to the girls for keeping their heads and managing to finish the show. Sim was full a few times and the designer was happy so yeah for that. The Wicked show was oodles of fun and I was shocked honestly by some of the people that ended up there. It was minimal lag and everyone worked well together. A photo shoot is coming out of that too so yippee. Not to mention Alisa was very generous to us and gave us a great gift card to her store for our participation. Not sure what I am going to buy because she gave me a ton of cute outfits to prep for the show with but I'll do what I can hee hee. Also got to do a bit of shopping at Ora Trei and got some great outfits and jewelry before it went bye bye. I got some stuff from them for the Maniera shoot a while back but hadn't been back in a while and was surprised at some of the stuff I found.

The Fall Into Romance Tres Beau show went well too. Little bobbles here and there but nothing major and nothing that made me think of please just let me get through the next hour. Everyone worked well together and while it was definitely one of the most intricate walks I've seen lately that wasn't off putting either. JSE as a crew rocked this afternoon and made Valentine's day just as lovely for everyone that was there. I am debating logging back on to see take some pictures for the Finesmith contest but right now just not feeling it lol. If anything I'll work on the ones for Angel Dessous. Ahh well I'll let ya know when or if I figure it out lol.

See ya
Rouge

First Show Down

Okay so New York Fashion Week as sponsored by Maniera (yeah) and IMAGE has officially started today with the Eden Freese show of which yours truly was the first one out and the ONLY one to crash at the end of her first walk lol. I rebounded quickly and made it back before the model after me finished her walk. Short of lag no glitches to report after that. The runway was a bit different than the one we rehearsed on so that was slightly disjointing but nothing major. Some of my old Maniera and superElite classmates were there too and that was good. I am also featured on the IMAGE flikr page for the show which is nice as the photographer didn't seem to catch everyone. That happens a LOT during shows though, people aren't fully rezzed or don't stop moving long enough to get a good snap or your computer decides to throw a tantrum as you snap. I can't say that happened today but it was fun seeing myself.

The graduation show is still planned for Saturday at 1PM SL. We'll see how realistic that is after the final dress rehearsal tonight but I have to say the girls did well tonight and apparently did so for Keeley this afternoon so we'll just go with that for now and keep fingers crossed. Still need to finish the script and get the walk order together but those should come together quickly tomorrow. I have my other two shows after that one as well. I'll be in the Wicked Fashions show Saturday @ 6PM SL and the JSE Fall Into Romance Show at 1:30PM on Sunday. I think it's 1:30 it could be 1 exactly. I'll let ya know if I'm wrong. If you want to come just shoot me an IM when I'm online and I'll happily give you whatever landmark I have or invite I have.

I'll post pictures if I can figure out how to scroll them all instead of having 10 or so pics just splattered in a post. Talk to ya soon.

When it Rains it Pours

I go through slumps with modeling for lack of a better phrase. There are moments when I want to conquer the world and just show everyone what I'm made of. There are other moments when my brain hurts and I just want SL to be fun and entertaining. I haven't done much runway work lately. I think my last show was in December early or late November but I tend to veg out in December as it's my birthday and this year I got to spend time with the family so I just wasn't hard pressed to be working. Over the last few weeks, I've put my name and skills back into the pool to see what would come of it. As you know, I was selected for Miss Fashion several weeks back which is good and interesting and thus far has been very enjoyable. The designer I'm assigned to rocks. Since then, I was happy to get into one of the NY Fashion Week shows with Maniera (woot go Eden) and at the last minute decided to attend a casting at the Model's Workshop and got selected for the Wicked show and after submitting for the next JSE show (and honestly not thinking I had a chance in hell cause I rarely make castings these days) got picked for it too. I'm also trying to wrap up coordinating another graduation show for MPI which will be several hours before the Wicked show and the day before the JSE show. I went from having basically nothing to do on SL to having three shows and another to coordinate all of which will happen between Thursday and Sunday lol. I'll probably go back into turtle mode (hiding out but observing) again till I feel like I'm just the bees knees and want back into the fray. I need to take some pictures for Angel Dessous too and maybe will get back into the Royal Princess contest as well. I think I have a look that would work if I can just get it together ha. Gotta do it soon though. See ya boys and girls.

Rouge

The Great Disappearing Rougini

Okay if I said work had kept me super preoccupied it would be an understatement. I'm working on this before I have to go do something work related for about an hour or so well probably closer to two hours. Then I need to rush back home so I don't miss a very dear friend's wedding in world. Beyond that I was sent a nice blogger back to review some items from a new shop, at least I think it's new, called W3rd---west 3rd for those of you that were slightly confused for a second lol. I took the photos but hadn't posted them. I'm posting my two favorite items from the pack even though I can say the t-shirts were all very well made and cute. I'm going to show you the necklace called Kick Rocks and a page boy hat cause well I just like page boy hats. The necklace's structure is neat and unusual and unlikely to be on 20 million avatars so if you want something eye catching and probably just going to be all yours for a while this is a great piece. Finding hair that doesn't eat the hat entirely can be a tiny issue but it's cute. I'll try to catch you up on things later.

Hope Your Holidays were Festive and Light!

Not sure why I'm waiting until the final weekend of my vacation to write something up as I've been off forever lol but eh whatever. I'm rested now and actually have news so I guess that could be part of it too. I was feeling a little housewifey so this picture is from my kitchen. I love the fact that the colors can be changed whenever I want them to be different or to not clash with my outfit for example. It's been a good few weeks. I got to go visit family over the holidays which was great. My niece is adorable and I hadn't seen her in quite some time so that was a blast. Well except the 15 times I had to watch Wall-E but even that had a nice moment cause she basically used me as a chair most of the time and got cranky when I moved. She was exhausting though so I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna want to be more than Auntie Rouge. The trip down was kinda hectic and because of it I realized pretty quickly I wouldn't be able to do a fashion show that Sami was nice enough to invite me to do Sunday after the holiday. We got home super late on Sunday and then stayed up even later but it's been a quiet restful week with more good food and really just good times all around.

I've got my name in for a few other contests. Didn't place in My Precious Princess contest with Agnes Finney which was slightly disappointing because I thought the pictures Maddy took were fantastic but I did add to the portfolio/flikr and that is never a bad thing. And through some weird fluke there were only like 10 contestants in Angel Dessous for January and while I didn't place there either that meant I got an outfit again so yeah free stuff lol. I have entered Mon Amour's covergirl contest which seemed to just consist of submitting a picture but I'll have to check on that. I submitted pictures for the Face of Beningborough and was slightly shocked truth be told that I was selected but uber happy about it. Didn't know we got paid to be there too so perk lol. I'm still waiting to hear about Miss Fashion 2010 as to whether I've been selected as a model or not. If so yippee as it sounds like and interesting contest. If not eh, it's another chance to get my face out there. And there's a Maniera casting tomorrow so yeah for that too.

Anyhoo, I hope all of you really did have a great holiday and that things are as wonderful as you imagine in 2010.

Love ya
Rouge

In case you are wondering what I'm wearing

Hair: Flapper in Chocolate by ETD
Jewelry: '30s Art Deco Set by Dark Mouse
Shoes: Toe Cap heels in Terra Cotta by Maitreya
Skin: Jewel Skin in Ebony by Laqroki
Dress: Goodnight Sweetheart in Burgundy by Vita Bella
Furniture is by Blonde