Kristal Tricks & Pixel Hair

[StephaneL] | Guilia Shoes |

  Maxi Gossamer | Amelia Starry Night Necklace |

Vibing | -- Evie Earrings -- Gold |

Kibitz | Marisol's bracelet - gold |

~~ Ysoral ~~ | .:Luxe Set Rings Anelise :. |

Opulein | Feline Collection [lel EVO+EVO X] eyeshadow |

GOREGLAM | Second Date' Gloss Lipstick |

::Body::

Exile | Birdie Hair |

VELOUR | "BRITTANY" SKIN for EVO X (ROSE KISS) |

VELOUR | The "Ipanema Body" for Maitreya (ROSE KISS) |

Afro Creations | Mina shape For Lel Kaya 3.1 Evo X Head |

Avi Glam | Fine Eyes |

Scandalize | Cynthia Heels |

  Maxi Gossamer | Amelia Starry Night Necklace |

Vibing | -- Evie Earrings -- Gold |

Kibitz | Marisol's bracelet - gold |

~~ Ysoral ~~ | .:Luxe Set Rings Anelise :. |

alaskametro<3 |  "Space Unicorn" makeup set eyeshadow |

alaskametro<3 |  "Coral" makeup palette lipstick |

::Body::

 bonbon | - nori hair |

VELOUR | "BRITTANY" SKIN for EVO X (ROSE KISS) |

VELOUR | The "Ipanema Body" for Maitreya (ROSE KISS) |

Afro Creations | Mina shape For Lel Kaya 3.1 Evo X Head |

Izzie's | Winter Blush Gift |

Izzie's | Face Moles V2 & Neck Moles |

Izzie's | Freckles (LeLutka Evo X) |

Izzie's | Winter Blush Gift |

Izzie's | Face Moles V2 & Neck Moles |

Izzie's | Freckles (LeLutka Evo X) |

Izzie's | Winter Blush Gift |

Izzie's | Face Moles V2 & Neck Moles |

Izzie's | Freckles (LeLutka Evo X) |

. Doe . | Winterberry Flux Hair |

Izzie's | Winter Blush Gift |

Izzie's | Face Moles V2 & Neck Moles |

Izzie's | Freckles (LeLutka Evo X) |

 ::Story::

Recently, I found myself whiling away the hours in a favourite haunt, watching people, reading profiles, chatting randomly. This venue happens to be favourite for people whose sexual and fashion preferences extend to the 'non-vanilla', and is regualarly populated by some very gorgeous individuals who have honed their avatars and outfits to a level of sensual exquisitiness, so that one can feel oneself to be in an art gallery rather than a club.

As I scanned the room, one particular avatar caught and held my attention. Her look was beautifully executed - a good skin with a nice sheen under the lights, a tastefully skimpy and revealing clear latex dress, a good head with a tailored shape, nice tattoos, make-up and body markings (scratches, bruises and so on). But the body! The body! The body was typically sexy, curvy yet elegant, good proportions and nice detailing especially around the crotch. But let's not make any bones about it, it was the breasts that held my full attention. The phrase 'torpedo tits' was made for these breasts. Proud and full with just the right amout of cleavage, they floated into the room like a pair of tethered Zeppelins, and I could not take my eyes off them.

I had a short conversation / scene with the girl in question, and she was delightful, but I was about to leave. The SL etiquette around asking people about their look is always difficult to navigate. Some people get very offended by such questions (I don't, by the way, so fire away, if you see me). Anyway,  I confess, I right clicked on the body and got the information that way. I expected to see that it was an Inithium body, or a new Legacy, but to my great surprise, it was a Belleza Freya! 

Now, this isn't a body I hear about much these days. The aforementioned Inithium, Legacy and Maitreya hog most of the attention. But I hopped over to the Belleza Mainstore and was surprised by what I found. Belleza's three bodies (Freya, Venus and Isis) are available in a single package for $2,250L. I picked up the demo, tried out the Freya, and bought the full version pretty quickly after. To be honest, I haven't even tried the Venus or the Isis yet, I've been having so much fun with the Freya. Even with the $99L Omega relay, that's three full functioning Bento BOM enabled bodies for less than half the price of a new Inithium or Legacy. And it's $500L less than the Maitreya. 

To be fair, the Belleza HUD is not state of the art. Getting layers, alphas and BOMs to play nicely can require quite a lot of random clicking. The skin gloss is not as responsive as Maitreya's and there are no skin textures (sweat beads, tears etc.) built in, as far as I can see. You don't get all the lovely Glam Affair goodies (and associated compatiblility) that Maitreya has. The mesh nipples are limited compared to Lara. But the body mesh! It's beautiful, a work of art. I love my Maitreya, I love how easy it is to use, and how compatible it is. I love the updates and the seamless neck fit. But I don't love the shoulders. I really don't love Maitreya's shoulders. I don't love the arms, or the way the breasts fit. Freya has lovely shoulders. It has beautiful curves, fantastic breasts, beautiful hips and a wonderfully detailed crotch that I am beginning to think might be it's best feature.

Now, I'm late to the Freya party, I know! I'm also fortunate because I've been in SL for 14 years and I'm a hoarder, so I've got a big inventory of clothing and items that are rigged for Freya. But... I'm finding that a lot of the stuff I'm buying from newer designers omits Belleza rigging, which is a great shame. Don't get me wrong - a lot of major designer brands still make clothes rigged for Freya, but Kupra and Legacy bodies seem to be more en vogue just now. As we know, SL technology shifts rapidly, and sometimes seismically. I hope that Belleza does not get left behind. My Freya body contained an apology note (dated August 2021) from Tricky Boucher (Belleza's owner) about the lack of updates for the past couple of years, promising lots of exciting new developments. I don't know if the body I bought (in November 2021) contains those updates. I hope not, and there's more to come. With the correct updates, this body would be a world beater, considering how much Freya compatible clothing many SL'ers will have in their inventories. Sadly much of Belleza's online offering has cobwebs on it. Web links that lead to unhosted pages, blogs that have not been updated in a long time, and many products (skins, accessories) that are showing their age. 

I sincerely hope that the promised developments are coming in the near future. The best of Second Life is about the marriage of artistry and engineering. My Freya has solid engineering, but not the latest technology (from a user interface perspective, anyway). But, the artistry is something else, and I hope to see it alive and thriving for a long time yet.