Anubis

Alright! The Venetian Carnival Ball is over, and so I can now reveal the sweet, secret mask I wore to the world.

The Anubis Mask.




and I am completely honest when I say it is truly the best mask I have made yet. It is also my first Limited Edition mask. I did a quick survey amongst the Masqueraderie folk, and quite a majority said that it was worth a few extra Lindens to have people covet, but be unable to buy... This regal, magnificent God can be yours for 5000L, and will only be sold to TEN people. Only 9 other folk amongst 300,000 regular users on Second Life will be able to say that they are the Egyptian God of the dead. Or, be able to say it with conviction and something to back it up.

Within 30 seconds of my posting this mask in the Masqueraderie group notices, the first one was sold, and within 4 minutes the second one was gone. So that means that there are only eight left, and chances are they won't last. The mask is only available through IM to me personally, and if multiple people IM it will be judged by time stamp. First come first serve!

Edit: They're all sold out! Thank you and heavens bless the ten of you who are now the Gods of the Dead, and worry not those that aren't. I'm not done making awesomeness!

For other folk who are saddened by the high price tag, I'll just let you know that there is an absolutely enormous release coming soon (probably as many as seven or eight different masks). I'm cleaning inventory of a bunch of designs that have been put off ^.^

Along Came Polly

Polly Pavlova gets the "Encouraging a Fledgling Blogger" award, for merits I shall try to express. Dear Polly, when I made random comment in Linden Lifestyles saying her current release didn't seem formal, she IM'd me asking for my opinion and my advice! I'm happy to say I was able to give her some advice that she used in her fairy tale confection, "Fairy Tale Fantasy", and that was when I told her I was starting a blog. Well, when release day came around she sent me a review package, and so she's become the first designer ever to send me something specifically for review. Bless her little designer heart, she even sent me a black one.




As you can see, it's similar to wearing an enormous yummy cupcake. The dress comes in a variety of pastel colors as well as black such as in lavender (shown), mint, pink, and baby blue. While her other dress might not have felt formal to me, this one does despite the pastels, and I feel as if I am either going to a prom in the 1800's or I should be living in a white shining castle waiting for a man to come sweep me off my feet! Speaking of sweeping... I have to say, something I wasn't expecting from this dress was the best flexi movement I've ever seen. It definitely could be because the flexi starts lower and doesn't need to extend all the way from the hip (due to all the swags and bustles),but it gently swishes. I feel like I am gently dusting the floor as I walk, not drowning in an octopus or tripping over a jelly fish or even acting as a flagpole, which is what a lot of flexi dresses end up as. I wish I could capture it in a picture, but it's so subtle as to be just like a real dress... and aside from Marilyn Monroe, real dresses are very unlikely to be caught moving. The only thing that keeps it from being absolutely perfect, is that as I move I can see the flexi from the front trying to escape out the back, but a little tweaking of tension and gravity fixed that.

For the detailing... I have to admit it doesn't live up to my insanely high bar for hand drawn clothing, but I can say safely it does live up to many others' idea of well textured clothing. The texture on the bodice is crisp and high resolution, and while one of the seams is crooked on the side, it's very unnoticeable with the arm poof. In fact, to check I had to shuffle through my animations to find one where I had my arms over my head. But most ladies at Cinderella's Ball don't exactly put their hands in the air, and wave them like they just don't care. The prim work on the skirt and bow and poofs is precise, even and symmetrical. A lot of care was taken on making the prim pieces even and well made, and the same color as the bodice even if it's not the same texture (difficult). I wouldn't suggest wearing this dress to a very crowded formal, as it adds up to 128 prims!

But you know, this dress has been languishing for a while in my inventory. Why now did I decide to review it? Because Polly, in her infinite patience, quietly dropped another review package on me. And these... I had to blog. And NOW. This is the "Spring Fling" Collection from "Drifting Sands", Polly's jewelry store.



As you can see, it is QUITE springy and QUITE flingy and the most delightful and delicious thing to wear with a sundress! The colors and textures are lovely, with larger than life brilliant colors that are quite vibrant, rather than dulled down like most natural-themed jewelry. The set comes in 8 variations of color, and the whole set is only 175! Not 175 per piece, but 175 for the whole set! Polly definitely shows her strength in prim work, as these are meticulously made with many layers and details in the flowers, with easy to position root prims. The Spring Fling set has a hair ornament, a bracelet, necklace and an ankle ornament, as you can see, as well as two FREEBIES!! Yes, FREEBIES!




The Freebies are the same as the hair ornament, except they come in two colors, the "Evening Medley" (shown) which has quite vibrant rich yellow, purple and red flowers, and the "Morning Medley" which comes in a softer bunch of pastel blue, white and soft pink. Even if you don't fancy spending the money (I don't see how, but there are all sorts of folk out there), definitely swing by if just for these beautiful hair flowers!!

SLurl:"The Body Politik" (@ "By Max")

Fairy Tale Fantasy Dress - 750L

SLurl:"Drifting Sands" Jewelry

Spring Fling Set - 175L (Purple Sunrise and Blue Hope shown)
Spring Fling Freebie - 1L each (Evening Medley Shown)

Also worn: HCT "Belinda" Hair in Black, Kin "Lucy" hair in Black, Nicky Ree's "Spring Fling" gown top in Black, Lassitude and Ennui Signature Sandals in Black and Silver, Nomine's China White Skin, Starley's Vogue Skin in Pure

Illusions on Flickr

Since after the update, SL is messing up in a VERY large way (so what else is new?) I decided to try out something that's been on my to-do list for a while: Explore Flickr.

To those not in the know, Flickr is a site hosted by Yahoo that allows you to upload photos that you own or created into virtual albums, and enables people to network with friends, family or photographers and in general share pictures. Second Life has a rather large presence on Flickr, and so I decided it might be nice to show my work in a non-commercial setting, outside in the "first" virtual world. I feel I've made some absolutely beautiful creations with the medium that is SL, (in mask and in "photograph") and it was really fun to review and tag some pictures I have no excuses to look at anymore.

So now, if you have a Flickr account of your own, you can look me up as Siyu Suen, or even join the *~*Illusions*~* group! I started it in hopes that people might like to show their own personal style in how they decide to wear my humble offerings ^.^ Anyone may join, and you can reach it from my profile or from search. Just look for "*~*Illusions*~*" in group search :)

Also, if you hadn't noticed, there is now a Flickr feed from my collection to the right, and someday might be other folks' photos if we get enough :) Since I never update SLboutique or Slexchange because I am horribly neglectful, this might also give people a chance to see my wares without having to be logged in. I hope you guys enjoy :)

A Touch of the Exotic... or an Uppercut of it!

Please congratulate Analise Lameth and Talyn Barrett on their grand opening of a new store on the Talana sim! They have muuuch more room to spread out and truly spread their wings, and their reputation as being THE supplier of silks for those of the Gorean inclination, or just people who think that their avatars look too warm. I've never bought anything from them before, as sometimes color selection wasn't possible for certain sets, and I didn't really want scripted silks (they are scripted to be easily removed on touch... not something I really need), but I've always admired her work, and her FashCon notice lured me in with its siren song...

There are freebie outfits and a freebie box ONLY available today, the 24th of April. And yes, all of these silks and dresses come in a a beautiful variance of color, which you won't find here since I'm black's bitch.

Their new store is remarkable, with a definite Morocco meets Agrabah feeling, with middle eastern arches and gold edging everywhere, and of course fun filials. They've neatly organized their wares by free woman fashions, weddings, party wear and of course... Silks, what Analise makes their bread and butter on. And it shows, since the silks have been set in the place of honor in a palatial and refreshingly different store.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Meela Silks, because of course I am such a sucker for black and white/black and silver, and even though I didn't quite like the chains from the bodice part, I died for the skirt.



There are some little problems, like the flexi seems a little stiff (understandable, to hold a certain shape) and the bottom alpha has just a little bit of a rim, which is easily fixed since all outfits are Copy, Mod, No Transfer, my absolute favorite permissions ^.^ I am a very, very hard person to please when it comes to details and hand drawing on clothing, so even though the mesh stretches the texture at certain points on the bodice, I still can say it's by far the best you're going to get for those who adore exotic styles.


Something else Analise isn't as famous for, is its "Free Woman" styles, based off of the Gorean class of women who cover their bodies with luscious dresses and veils for modesty. And I have to say honestly, this dress is a dream come true for me:




Please say hello to the Radiance dress. I am ADORING this bodice, with it's graceful, swooping neckline which is all too rare on SL, and its modest yet flattering amount of cleavage. I'm a sucker for bell sleeves and full skirts, and really I have been dreaming of this dress. The hand detailing on this bodice is subtle, yet painstakingly worked over in delicate beadwork, and by far worthy of some of the much bigger names in formal wear, in fact, I'd say this dress was on a par with Last Call or even Pixeldolls as far as detail. Although, if I wanted to talk about detail, I should mention the Yvie dress and just say it needs to be seen to be believed.


Also what needs to be said, is that Talyn Barrett has officially created the BEST Princess Leia interpretation silks on Second Life. It's been needed by us Femme Star Wars fans, and it has been delivered. I sent her an IM congratulating her, and sent her home with a little present:



If you want to see them, you'll have to go!

"Meela" Silks - 600L
"Radiance Gown" - 500L
"Lucy" Hair by Kin Keiko - 100L
"Embraced" Shoes by Prim Seduction - 300L
"Suleika" Headdress by Yours Truly

SLurl:Analise

Isis: The Egyptian Collection

Please say hello to my first themed release. So far, it only has one thing in it, but my my... what an item:





I almost don't think I need to say anything, do I? Aside from this lucious set containing ten seperate pieces, and three different unique fits to try to cater to all shapes, this picture speaks for itself. Truly worthy of a goddess, it's simple and classic design is deceptive, because it contains over 700 prims. No matter if you like the picture, it doesn't change the fact that it has to be SEEN, so my good friend Mourna will be a beautiful sculpted model for all to see from about 10pm SLT to 4pm SLT. All together it's been more hours than I actually know, and this labor of love, my very first set of silks, is being sold in the Egyptian pavilion for 1200.

Why did I call this release a collection then? Well, aside from the various pieces of jewelry included with the set (and possibly sold seperately as well), I am working in my little corner on quite the Egyptian set, which will be Stargatalicious. I see in the future a Tutenkhamen headdress, and Anubis, Horus and Bastet masks. Time to start saving up lindens now ;)

Guide to Ordering a Custom Mask

So maybe there isn't a mask in my collection that calls to you. Maybe my designs aren't really your taste... Well that's alright then! ^.^ I accept suggestions and commissions :)

Do you have a particular vision you'd like to become a reality? Is there a creature I haven't created in mask form yet? It can be done. Either draw or find a picture (or pictures) of what your dream mask is, and I will do my best to render it in this, our lovely virtual world. Descriptions aren't ideal, but if you're eloquent enough or give enough suggestions I'll take those too.

I will not, however, accept a commission or suggestion where I do not have full artistic license. For my own protection I can not sell the masks or designs of another designer without their express permission. This means that if you are able to find written proof from the creator, or you are the creator of a design, I can not accept your commission. I have to have full artistic license to make changes as I wish, and not violate copyright laws. So if the design already exists, all I can take from it is inspiration. If you need the exact copy, please take your commission to someone with looser morals.

Suggestions don't cost anything, and sometimes I love the sound of it and I'll get right on it. However, sometimes I don't, so I won't. I have a very long to-do list, and I just have to follow where my inspiration takes me :)

With commissions, there's actually a certainty that it will be completed (if you bug me about it... otherwise I'll just put it off indefinitely). There's no way to estimate how much time or quite how many Lindens a custom mask will cost, but I normally say anywhere from 350-1000L, depending on complexity. I could try doing a complicated flow chart of numbers and Linden amounts and time etc, but frankly it really does change with every commission.

You have the option of ordering your custom mask as an Exclusive. Which is why, if you absolutely /must/ be unique, there is an additional surcharge of thrice the price. That means that you only want me and you to have it (and for me to not wear it). If the original price of the mask was 500, you'd have to pay 2000 for it to be yours, yours, YOOOUURS!

If you're interested in ordering anything that is full permissioned, for re-sale or otherwise, I'm afraid I must refuse. I believe that if I make it, it's my right to decide its fate!

As a warning, my time for commissions has gotten more limited recently. I've had a lot of work to do on my own designs, and so the waiting period has gone up to about one and a half to two weeks. If you're willing to wait that long, then by all means send me a note card.

-Siyu Suen

Delectable Madame Dumont

The amount of releases is very different from the amount of building I've been up to, and I'd like to offer you this delicious, absurdly feminine delight from my inventory and the inventory of one Candy Flanagan whom you can thank for commissioning it.



Not only can you thank her for it's existence, you can also thank her for being the first person to take advantage of an offer: I'm offering 30% off all custom masks for the Linden Lifestyles Venetian Masquerade Birthday Bash. That means if you commission a mask as a member of the group "Venetian Masquerade 2007" you only have to pay two thirds of the original price! I demand that people have the perfect masks for their outfits.

Speaking of, this mask was made to match (perfectly I might add) the Madame Dumont dress from Indyra Originals, an extremely fluffy, beautiful, ultra feminine rose bedecked confection whose only flaw was that it was no mod (an absolutely huge, monstrous, behemoth sized no-no for wearable "hip area" prim components). So now the above shown Candy Flanagan will be the belle of the ball, until someone else gets a specially commissioned mask at 30% for their outfit :)~


I'm also going to give you a preview of what I shall be selling soon (expect this weekend)... my very first set of silks (including jewelry). And based on the reactions of the few who have seen it, it won't be my last.


Check out my little Egyptology corner near the big willow tree right outside the store :) nothing is for sale yet, but you can look at the details shown in the picture a little bit closer :)

Madame Dumont Mask: 250L (Lady's Masks)
Madame Dumont Top Hat: 150L (Available only upon request... until I get my act together)
Isis Silks and Jewelry Set: 900-1200L (Haven't decided on a price yet, but again, available upon request until I get Photoshop)

I'm back on SL!

Unfortunately it wasn't Thursday, but it IS today! So custom masks and blog posts will once again come in abundance. Problem is, I won't be able to serve my photography customers yet since my dad neglected to bring all of our data with him, and I can't even express how happy that made me -.- That also goes for parties, since my DJ equipment and of course all of my music is on the other hard disk. Good news is, I'm downloading Photoshop right now :)

So now Siyu will be able to return in a literal blaze of glory thanks to Nicky Ree's new "Dynamic League " outfits!Needless to say, I LOVE THESE THINGS. It was a niche market that was just waiting so patiently for a good quality signature outfit. It has flawless layering, so you can have whatever colors you like, and even has the option of a pack of letters for your chest. I chose S for Super Siyu. And then I promptly made myself a Hero mask...

...because I'm a dork.Also comes in a suitably butch and bad-ass male version, and since I wasn't enamored of the boots, I used one of the aforementioned "bases" from Legend to give my nifty "sock" layer a boost. Each set is 980L, so having a fun-time-happy-comic-fan shopping spree hit my wallet pretty hard, but I'm having enough fun that I have no regrets. The detailing and hand drawn work has a soft, spandexy feel without looking painful and vinyly. I feel rather comfortable because it was obviously made to make Edna Mode happy, (and breath like egyptian cotton yet be completely bullet proof) and now I can run around and be... The MASK MAKER.



Nicky Ree's Dynamic League (female) set in black, white, and purple.
Kin- "Kaoru" Hair in black-and-purple

SLurl: "Nicky Ree Designs"

Happy Easter from Siyu!

Computer and Second Life access has been worked out for a temporary solution! So this morning I celebrated Easter weekend by making a delicious edible freebie for the holiday.

Easter to me means chocolate things and jelly beans, so here's a mask that's both. It's delicious milk chocolate and you can eat it after you're done with it, and best of all, it won't melt on your face! Someone just took a bite out of mine >.<

This mask has already been sent out to Fashion Consolidated and Masqueraderie, but if you're a reader and not in those groups, IM me and I'll send one your way.

Dead Computer Update

Well, the computer with internet access wish has been granted to our patient heroine, the computer with Second Life access has not. And I shall share with you that I am getting VERY antsy and I am absolutely sure at this point that I have a severe addiction. The Linden Lifestyles Venetian Masquerade Ball is a VERY VERY short 23 days away, and I know there must be at least 30 beautiful shopping obsessed fashionistas that simply must have perfectly coordinated masks to go with their painstakingly tasteful gowns and WHO ELSE ARE THEY GOING TO CALL!? I swear, my computer must have teamed up with Chimeric Designs or something to bring about my downfall. EEEEK. Well, because of my loyal following, the fact that my masks are still the best by far, and I'm the only one who makes custom masks, I am not worried. Just horrifically impatient, antsy, frustrated, and bouncing on my toes with my head full of designs, ideas, and creative frustration. I'm getting the creative equivalent of "blue balls", in fact, today I beat my personal best Scrabble score with 360 points for a game total. And I've been making sculptures out of Starbursts.

For an estimate on time... I'm going to say Tuesday, which is tragic considering that means most likely no party. ACK I'VE BEEN SL'LESS for TWO WEEKS.

Please... Second Life... come back to me soon. I need you. I admit it, I... I love you.

Siyu's Alive, but her Computer is Dead

Yes folks, I'm afraid that for the past week I've been nibbling at paper and biting my nails and fidgeting, and even, god forbid, eating well and working out as I wait impatiently and with baited breath for my computer to come out of the operating room. The prognosis is not good, and as it's getting surgery, let us please pray for it and it's ability to run Second Life to return to Siyu as quickly as possible.

This is one of those situations where I'm dreading logging back on when I finally get a computer back, because either I will have 5,000 IM's and feel overwhelmed, or have 3 and feel lonely, neglected and horribly unimportent. Hopefully I'll have the perfect amount, that makes me feel loved and needed yet not stressed ^.^

Expect Siyu to be crashing back online by Thursday, if not, no worries... except for poor Siyu's sanity... */me bites her nails*