Does my breath smell?

Before  I begin let me say that some people might see this as kinda snarky lol so I'm sorry but it's really just something that came up again this weekend as I was watching another competition.  You all know about my contest experiences and normally it's not something I invest heavily in because well much like in real life I don't like losing.  That isn't to say I MUST win but not winning isn't as much fun lol.  After MEI wrapped I was exhausted and this summer/fall was kinda dead as far as booking shows or that kind of thing for me.  Partially I was out of the loop and partially I think the show count was down for my available time zones.  No harm no foul because I was still teaching and it's still fun for me to do so.

Fast forward to Saturday when the Miss Essence of Ebony competition started.  You should remember, if you were reading then, I tried out twice didn't make it either time and after some reflection decided I needed a break from being evaluated for a while.  As a contestant you never know what the observer is looking for and that became apparent in several conversations I had offline about what is considered attractive, talent, inspirational or entertaining over the last several weeks.  From knock down drag outs about why I think Jay Z looks like Joe Camel to why Jennifer Hudson doesn't appeal to me to how someone else can sing a song I don't like by the original artist and I'm in love with it.  I was all over the place and subjectivity was all that kept running through the conversations in total.  The same kind of thing is present in the messiness of Agency Report when model A isn't selected but someone that is disliked by another group is.  Of course we want to support our friends and sometimes it does look like there is some favoritism going on from our vantage point but there's that whole subjectiveness thing again.  Their friends, and yes they have them no matter how much you don't like them, are  thrilled for them.  As I was on Saturday for my student. 

So I'm in the audience to support a student, see several models I know well that were fierce--as was my student~big congrats to Lieffie Ruby for doing a stellar job--and then the other thing that always happens when I'm at events like these happened.  Questionable styling, crazy poses, and just utter foolishness in some cases.  I'll admit that some of it could be caused by lag and it was definitely laggy--show had to be moved and started nearly 2 hours later because of the lag.  However, other stuff could not be attributed to lag and it made me wonder well dang what exactly did I do during casting that I didn't make the cut.  Don't get me wrong I'm not the styling diva extraordinaire that expects to be picked at all times but I thought I did a good job at the time.  And that reminded me about the subjective thing again as well as my dislike of losing lol.  If I enter something I'm doing it with the desire to do my best.  If you don't make it past step one then it's hard to do that.  Last year I was intent on putting myself out there more and I did but I realized why I can't just do the contest thing for the sake of doing it.  It's a lot of work and time commitment to apply, compete and really work as hard as you can to perform well.  From perpetual pose checks, prim checks, finding the just right shoes/skin/hair/nails/lashes, making a look work from disparate pieces, etc.  And even though I talk a lot with my job, I'm actually pretty shy and reserved unless we are pretty good friends.  All that to say that some of the other things that people find enjoyable about contests just tire me out for some reason lol.  It's good experience, it does test you and your adaptability, but all in all I am not sure where my curvy booty fits into the typical contest :-)

Ahh well this is not a gripe just some realizations I'm sharing.  Please go the to Essence of Ebony site and check out Ms. Ruby and the other standouts from Saturday's show.

See ya on the grid,
Rouge

Quick Post Before Bed

This is mostly just going to be pics.  These are the dresses that Kimmera Madison-Fall designed for me to compete in for Miss Ebony International.  Diana is on sale as of a few weeks ago so please go snatch it up if you just love it.  Thanks again to her and for one of my students for reminding me that I needed to post these lol.  Good night all.

Damn it's Hot

The weather here is making me stay inside more but it's also making me sleepy.  So when I'm not busy with scheduled activities in SL I've really not been on as much as I could have been.  The Miss Ebony International pageant is winding down and I have to say that regardless of what happens it has been an interesting experience that has pushed me to develop new traits and handle lag is new and exciting ways.  Next Sunday is the final competition (which will be held at the same stage as Mister Virtual World was) and I have to say being backstage at Patch was an interesting experience.  The backstage area is gorgeous by the way but it is mildly intimidating to know the caliber of models that have competed there but at the same time it felt totally natural to be there and the girls were great as normal.  I hope that I do Senegal proud in great outfits that Kimmera Madison designed for me and let me preview a few weeks ago.  Both make me look like a regal African princess and it will be an honor to rock our final challenge in them.

Normally I'm not super tardy with pictures but my brain was having styling block with the photos for the Argentine tango challenge that is due later today.  Thankfully my partner was willing to dance with me and take my photo so as soon as he can finish editing it I'll post it to flickr.  I have a few others to add from the other runway challenges and I'll upload one of each of those to this as well.  I'm afraid my sexy edgy military costume started to look like a campy futuristic airline stewardess but ehhh I liked playing with so it wasn't so uniform like.  And I went all burlesque for the music challenge since my original thought probably wouldn't have made much sense.  But for those of that remember the early 90s and George Michael he had a video that he wasn't in at all--which at the time was groundbreaking apparently--but it was populated with runway models ( Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and male models John Pearson, Mario Sorrenti, and Peter Formby).  It wasn't the first time music and fashion mixed but it always stayed in my mind.  Both my partner and good friend said it would be too random especially since the video wouldn't play along with it.  Regardless, love the song and I'm gonna include the video along with the photos.  Have a great weekend and for those that I'll see next Sunday good luck, thanks for your support and woot.

Oh and there is another surprise coming but until it's set just let me leave you with man it's so amazing.

Updates and all that

So I just got through eating dinner and trying to recover from a week of being on emergency call which always makes me more tired than I imagine even when I don't get calls.  I just went through week two of our challenges for Miss Ebony International as well.  Week one was a runway challenge taking our lovely Hucci asymmetric swimsuits but with a Lion King theme as the unifying thread.  So we had to choose a character from the story to portray.  For some reason my brain leaped to Scar and I did everything I could to pull it off.  I have pictures below so you can tell me how I did.  They haven't been touched up at all because I wanted to get these up before I came up with a reason not to do so.  Week two's challenge was a photo one in which we display our style and what we are comfortable wearing. I did a vintage look circa Amelia Earhart because I didn't to recycle anything in my vintage folders and also didn't want to stray too far away from who I really am as a model or SL resident.  You can see it on my flickr page if you want to check it out but I didn't snap any new ones specifically for the blog.  And great big shout out to Kimmera Madison and her totally kick ass store for 1) providing me the lovely furry type collar from a dress at her store and 2) agreeing to help me with the outfits for Miss Ebony International.  She's such a treat and friendly and for some reason we're on the same page with the design thoughts so yeah Kimmera and Tres Beau.

Let's see, what else do I need to tell you?  Maniera's academy is still great and I love being able to teach with them as it does keep pushing me to reach beyond my normal boundaries and be creative in how information is relayed.  And they are just a great group so it's easy to go to work.  I submitted again for Miss Essence of Ebony, I think I may have mentioned that last post, and was notified yesterday that I made the cut for the next casting and will be searching the grid for a look that screams this month's country.  Thankfully I get a few weeks to pull it together since the holiday will make me more likely to just forget about everything.  That weekend is the third challenge for MEI too so it will be busy busy.

Without further adieu, here are the photos and you guys have a great day. 

Swimsuit: hucci
Collar: Milea from Tres Beau
Boots: J's Long Boots
Jewelry: Miel
Hair: Iconic emkay
Face Tattoo: Coca and Wolf
Scarification: >>Adrenaline Rush<< heqet
Lashes: Glow Hollywood lashes Black Dahlia

So far, So pleased

I swear life is never ever quiet around here.  The last thing I think I updated you on was Miss Ebony International and that casting.  Still moving through that process now.  The finalists have all been chosen and I'm competing with 27 other gorgeous and well spoken, funny women.  Last weekend we had a quick photo shoot so the world could see all of us in designs from Sonj!a's.  I think I channeled my inner Beyonce and pinup as best as I could lol, I liked the looks overall. 

We had to pick our country to represent both in this contest and in Miss Virtual World if we win this whole thing.  After doing my standard nerd thing, I narrowed down my choices to Senegal, Mali and Swaziland.  All of the countries that I was really interested in were in West Africa and most had some French colonial tie to them which was unexpected for me.  Maybe my ancestors originated from that region, who knows?  I need to brush back up on my French but it's just part of a mix of languages spoken in the country I was given to represent, Senegal.  Much more interesting place than I think many may know if and it will be a pleasure to do my best to honor its cultures and traditions.  Tomorrow is the first big event for us as finalists and just because the week has been uber hectic I get to go home tonight and try to pull together something FIERCE!  But with all the random shopping I've been doing I'm sure there is something in there that will work. 

I entered and made it to the casting for Miss Essence of Ebony but did not get chosen as Miss Kenya.  And honestly I've been so busy since then I missed the last casting all together.  I resubmitted and will do my best if given another chance to audition but I have to be careful about overscheduling myself.  Second Life has to be fun or gotta turn it off and go have fun. 

We just had a rocking 80s graduation for a nice chunk of the class that I helped teach.  And in a blink of an eye we have started the next term.  I'm doing more classes and had a full class last night which was both challenging and fun at the same time.  I'm glad that I decided to go for this experience and more pleased that I got it.  I'm looking forward to what the next seven weeks has in store and just hope that I don't fall totally flat on my face as an instructor this go round. 

Honestly, I think that's it.  I need to get something up on the Maniera blog this weekend, I wrapped up classes with Asymetrique, and I need to do some work that I've been neglecting but you're all caught up.  See ya soon.

I got bubkiss so no title

There's plenty to say but really got nothing in the way of smart catchy title tonight.  Sorry for the gap in posting.  I was working on some posts for the Maniera blog and got super distracted then RL work kicked my cute little butt and let's just say if the people we interviewed don't take the job I'm gonna hunt them down and kill them for disrupting my life so much and making me have to do it again in the near future.  Anyhoo, SL has been interesting to say the least. 

I've been doing classes with Sabine at Asymetrique which have been very interesting, especially since it's mostly been one on one due to the schedule.  This last week we covered a ton of information and what she mentioned during the class was true.  It helps to teach someone else because you never know what tricks you might pick up from them and it helps you focus on what you do in a different way.  It's a good learning experience all around so that is becoming a very enriching experience. 

Classes at Maniera will be on hiatus for the Easter holiday but have been intriguing for the same reasons my own classes have been.  Remembering what it's like to be at the beginning of the career, trying to sort out your style and your skills as a model, being desperate to learn but not wanting to appear overeager.  The students I've had have been a great delight to work with and it still feels a little weird that I would be a go to person for information but at the same time I enjoy the sharing of knowledge so it's great.  And joy of joys I get paid to do it too.  It's another of those good experiences I hadn't planned on having. 

In my last post I mentioned Miss Ebony International, and the fact that I hadn't made the casting cut in my love Serafina gown from Purple Moon.  I though the next round was on the 24th but it was moved to today which in the middle of styling two outfits for my class seemed like an impossibility.  Due to some unforeseen things, class styling was delayed and that let me pull together not one or two but three different potential looks for this month's theme of Pop Star.  I'll admit that seemed a little nebulous to me so it took a while to pull a solid look together that I was enjoying because skin tight and super short is not something I pull off well--mostly because even in SL I made myself thicker than most prim shorts enjoy lol.  Instead I went to all my favorite edgy stores to look for something new and came up empty.  I hit the feeds and through a random stroke of luck found about 6 things that could work for different looks which started from my Dressing Room exploration (if you don't go there often you should).  Anyway, I created a boho hippie/Erykah Badu kind of look, a club hopping diva kinda of look and a chilled out dance queen pop star look just in case someone was in any of them that I could switch to something else.  Which turned out to be a good idea because there were a few people in the same general outfit which is just awkward because you're all shaped differently with a different sense of style all of which is reflected when you do your strut.  There were a ton of strong looks throughout the assembled women so I wasn't feeling super confident that I had done something that stood out from the rest.  I had a clean walk this time and took my time to show off what I had put together.  After that, it's just a waiting game.  I will say they don't make us wait very long and much to my surprise I made the cut.  All I can say is I think I was much more relaxed today and accepted all I could control was what I did on the runway.  Oh and thanks to Sabine I was able to find a few new walks, one of which I used today because it didn't distort my outfit when I walked.  I have a questionnaire that I need to complete but we have a week to fill it out and I want to take a few days to appreciate what has happened.  But because I normally do this for big castings, here's what I was wearing without editing because I'm on call and want to try to get some sleep before the random I am just having a moment phone call happens.

Top: Baiastice One Shoulder Sweater @ LeLook
Tights: Emery Roxe Slash #2
Shoes: Slink Mia Wedges
Hair: lamb DIY cut
Skin: LAQ Claudia in Ebony
Lashes: glow studio
Gloves: Emery

Spring Thaws & Out Pops Rouge

Sorry everyone.  I really have no good reason to have not blogged in nearly three months.  Especially when I was laughing at the ridiculous amounts of snow we got this winter and all the time I was getting off work as a result.  As is often the case, when one disappears for an extended period of time lol, there is lots of stuff to update on.  I've been doing my normal work in bursts thing but that again keeps me from burning out.  Thanks to JM's CEO Jewell for allowing me to to keep working in different ways.  I'm in the upcoming show with Bella Donna (and I've already started working on those six outfits I  promise) and should be in the next issue of Opulent Magazine as well so yippee.  It feels good to be thought of well and to keep working.

It wasn't a conscious New Year's resolution, but I decided again that I have to start taking more risks in all regards BUT you really only care about SL lol (not true I'm sure) so I'll tell you what pertains to that.  I have done lots of different things as a model but some only for a short term as agencies have had shift in focus or management changes or what not.  Maniera posted a notice several weeks ago that they were looking for new instructors and while I think I debated it longer than I probably should have I finally filled out the application in total and sent it in.  I didn't really think that it would go much further because there are TONS of great instructors out there and Maniera is a great agency/academy to work for.  Surprise on me because I got hired as one of the new runway instructors and it's helping me remember what it was like to be that nervous and remember how to do the basics in detail while showing them to someone else.  I'm excited about this new adventure more than you can believe.

And in a bit of a surprise for me much in the same reason that the Maniera gig was a surprise, I was invited to the first round of casting for Miss Ebony International.  We just had our walk today and lag bit me firmly in the ass but I worked my butt off in the styling and feel I couldn't have done that much better.  It was a challenge that I enjoyed in truth because I wanted something that was as close to flawless as I could get it in a glam context.  Tweaking that hair took absolutely FOREVER however when I was done I was pretty satisfied with the end result.  Gonna leave you photos of that in a second.   I shouldn't be MIA too much more this year and if so I'll at least try to pop in from time to time either in person or by proxy.  For now it's back to tennis.  Rafa vs Novak---yeah tennis and congrats Caroline and Marion you put on a stellar and slightly distracting during my walk match.

Dress: Exclusive Fashion for Life Purple Moon Serafina in Teal
Hair: La Madame from Vanity Hair (tinted)
Jewelry: Mix of sets from Dark Mouse and Phoenix Rising
Skin: Laqroki Susan in Ebony
Pose: Manifeste

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.

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.

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

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

Cha cha changes

So here were are and I should spank my hand again. It's been a few weeks since I've posted but please forgive me. I've been busy with RL work and shopping for Christmas and birthday and anniversary and baby gifts. Yeah there's a lot going on RL for me right now. It's just that time of year and for the people in my life I'm truly grateful. That includes all the nifty folks that I've met in SL too especially as I'm nearing my 2nd rez day which is not too long after my RL birthday. There are too many to properly thank but to the folks that have reinforced my love of fashion and friendships across the grid a special shout out to Maniera, Model's Workshop, Miramar, JCNY and my good friends who keep telling my pictures are cute and they love what I'm wearing and come to the shows to support me. As well as to Skip and Maddy for taking really great pictures of me lately that win or fail work with the strange ideas I've got in the way of styling or daydreaming.

For those of you that actually read and pay attention to the blog rolls on the right side of the page you'll notice a slight shuffle. I readded SL Fashion Critique because well I still read it and it's easy to get to when it's linked on the page and I do believe that someone has been causing unnecessary grief in their name on Agency Report. Whether you believe the recent post from the blogger using Fifth Avenue as a handle or not, it seems to make more sense than the whole disjointed thing did in the first place. I have removed from the blog, and myself from the agency groups, all links to ModelPages International. I apologize to the wonderful women who were chosen to participate in the Miss Refined International Pageant. The former staff/staff of MPI have not a clue where things stand with that or if it will be revived. You all did an amazing amount of work of which you should be proud. We were left in the dark with you so I can't provide any insight as to what has happened with the owner but if I hear anything substantial I'll be sure to at least attempt to post it.

And final updates before I sign off and try to take care of this monster headache. I didn't place in Blacklace's contest or Agnes Finney but I loved both shots so I can't be mad at myself or the photographers. Contests are highly subjective and what works for one person just doesn't pop for another. I've reentered Angel Dessous with the outfit I won and another outfit. Imagine me staring at myself wishing for something different and you'll get that shot. I'll also enter Agnes Finney again and hope for the best. I am debating CCD and HOB even though I have great pieces for both of those already put together. You never know with me ha ha. The plane still isn't ready but it looks like that might lead to pinups in a hanger for me and several other girls. Wouldn't that be cool? All right, I'm out of here.

See ya later
Rouge

Okay wow, bad Rouge

I kept meaning to come back and post but SL and RL have been kicking my butt. Not sure what you don't know so I will try to go over as much as I remember lol. Ok since the last time I posted a few things have happened. The issue of Maniera that I was lucky enough to do the photo shoot with Sami and Mikey has come out and I love the picture. Sent the issue to as many friends as I could lol and encouraged them to go ohhh and ahhh. Not really they all seemed to like it on their own so yeah Atomic, pic was lovely. Which made me wonder again about taking my own photos all the time. Depending on the contest and timing not really a choice with my schedule but I made the choice to look for a few photographers to try to catch new images of me for three contests I wanted to enter and then ultimately a fourth I did enter.

The very nice lingerie shot Skip Staheli did for Angel Dessous garnered me fourth place for their December Angel of the month. Congrats to the winners and as I moved from no place (my first entry lol) to 4th I can't be entirely upset about that. I've entered the Blacklace Model group contest as well with a photo done by Maddy Michalski. Think bombshell on a bomber, which for those that know me know I adore vintage wear and sometimes make things vintage when they aren't really lol, and you will know know what we ended up with. I love the shot and the guys that help run the airfield we were at were beyond helpful rezzing new planes for us to use. They were actually kinda thrilled we were there and have asked Maddy and I to find a shot to put on the side of a plane they are making. So while I would also love to win the Blacklace contest (or at least place) I get to be immortalized on the size of a bomber. Woot bombshell on a bomber. Oh and he's willing to give me a copy of the plane. Isn't that cool?

Maddy also did a shot of me for Phoenix Rising in a lovely purple dress and gave me sort of a somber end of the night Blues club shot. I love it, the tones on it are fantastic. I realize as I'm rambling that I'm not posting the pics but go to my flikr page or wait for the application on the side to change randomly. If you click it you can get to the stream too. Anyway, the contest is being delayed a bit but the picture is being held until they resume. Hopefully it registers for people the same way it did for me but even if it doesn't I love the picture really. I have two sets of shots for Agnes Finney so I can enter this month and next month too. Skip did lovely vintage shots in black and white and splash of color and Maddy did more of a princess feel in a great blue dress and big blue jewels. I know we can't always afford to pay for pictures to be taken but sometimes the ideas we have in our heads can't always be translated to visuals because heck I'm not a Photoshop wizard and don't always have access to the things I need to capture a certain look. It hasn't been an inexpensive endeavor but win or lose I have great new pictures of myself and have developed new relationships with great photographers who totally rock.

The Sensations Shows were great. I saw wonderful designs from some unknown to me before the show designers. Great looks that I was wanting to buy immediately. The lag on Sunday was out of control but Monday I got to wear the favorite of my outfits from my designer, Serina Lacava, and got a very nice shot from Brock Sabra for my trouble. I need to add that to my stream too so you can see it. After all that was done I could see the light at the end of my tunnel so to speak and just had the Fashion Showdown to take care of before I could go on a focus on my hiatus. It was chaotic due to some unforeseen complications and I had to actually miss the show due to scheduling conflicts. From all reports the show went relatively well after massive lag spike at the beginning. The issues that came later are just part of the learning curve that happens when you do shows like this for the first time. I'm sure they can be ironed out if phase two happens in and 6 months I'd be good and rested lol.

Other than that things are going fine. Just waiting on contest outcomes and casting calls and the like even though I will really enjoy the calm down if it happens over the next few weeks. Plus there are a few other contests I need to decide if I want to enter and what I want to do with photos and how I can just keep moving myself forward with this whole modeling thing. Be good everyone. Have a blessed Thanksgiving if you celebrate and just a good day overall even if you don't.

Love ya
Rouge

The World Keeps Spinning

So another week has come and gone and all is right in my SL world. Rehearsal is going well. I have a great partner to do my walks with and have already finished doing all the accessorizing for my outfits. I do need to work on poses and get used to timing each other to move as in sync as possible. Regardless, the show is coming along nicely and I'm enjoying the preparations. I have skipped a few castings as of late but it's mostly because I'm getting ready for my classes with Maniera which would conflict with a few tentative practice schedules not to mention the schedule of the show I'm already in. I should try to juggle them I'm sure but I'd rather be focused right now on one show instead of wearing myself thin and not really enjoying any of it.

I forgot to apply for the last week at JCNY so this will be my first month since I started applying not being involved in it at all. But a good friend made it back in and I can try to go support her depending on when the finale is scheduled for this month. I haven't really entered too many contests as of late. I did have a photo done for the Chanel BOSL contest and I'll try to post that before I end this entry but other than that I entered Miss Bliss Couture ages ago and I'm just waiting to see if I made the cut out of the 300 entries they received. Nothing much else is going on. And I'm a little sleepy so I'm gonna wrap this up. Have a good evening, morning and afternoon lol.

Rouge


Not that anyone would be wondering lol but the outfit in this shot is from Ivalde. It's in the L'abel section of the store upstairs and I bought it at least three months ago. The hat I stumbled across when I went looking for vintage hats. I tried the store that Ivalde mentions on several signs but they weren't the right era for what I was looking for. It's the Lady Emma hat from Hatpins. If you have never been there and are into vintage wear please check them out. I heart them.

well damn lol

Apparently I went on hiatus from everything. I've been much sicker this last year than ever before and I finally made myself stop this last week and try to get it taken care of but I swear I had little motivation to do anything else. I FINALLY worked on pictures I took a few weeks ago and added them to my flikr page. Then I went and took most of the pictures I needed to for a few more contests I wanted to enter. Still need to work on two others but as those are monthly contests I might hold off on those and let me brain recover from the sting of rejection lol. It's not that bad really a lot of nos in a row just don't feel good. Due to the slow down I was able to attend a last minute casting and as of right now I'm in the show. Need information on rehearsal times and all that jazz but hopefully it will go well. I'm also applying for another show but I think the deadline for that is a week or so out before I can expect to hear anything. I also got out and about and attended the Miss Virtual World castings and took some snaps of the women strutting their stuff. That's on my secondary flikr, I'll post those links in a bit. I haven't been shopping too much which is good lol. I'm still looking for new digs to rest my digital head. I want something sorta private, villa esque but everything I find is either too big or WAY too expensive. Shouldn't be so hard to find a nice quiet residential neighborhood. Other news is still pending but as soon as I know it's a lock on either one of them I will so let you know. Oh and doh I just got through with the Cinderella's Lost Slipper Hunt. Good God that was frustrating periodically. Teeny tiny shoes and hidden in bizzare place slippers. But I made it to the end. Now I just need a date to the ball. Any interested parties want to whisk me off my feet? Hee hee, just kidding my partner would kill me.

Keep it Curvy
Rouge

Casting Day One Casting Day Two
Hunt Information Hints for the Hunt