“Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”
― Dorothy Parker
Creating your appearance in SL can be a daunting task. You can use the default LL avis, “classics” [16 possible avis], “fantasy” [18 possible avis] or one of the “new” [8 possible avis]. The “New” line of default avis features four different kinds of theme, a male and a female for each theme. There is the 70s theme with a man that looks like a 70’s porn star and an African American woman with an afro. There is a grunge duo, the man carrying a guitar and the woman without accessories. The grey age woman in a gown and a man in a tuxedo holding a rose. The most popular is the duo I call the “dog” duo as each has a pet dog. The woman is smartly dressed in a pencil skirt and jacket thrown on her shoulders, her pooch in a purse. Unfortunately, her hair and hat are one piece. The man sports a man bun and carries a pet bulldog. The woman also carries a tablet, the man a well-worn briefcase. If you look at the default system avis, you see how the desires of the SL residents has changed over the years. Making that “look” that is your own signature appearance in SL, is for many both art and religion.
In a world where you can look as you wish, crafting an appearance is a task many take very seriously. The perfect body, the perfect hair, all of it is within your grasp. The only limits are money and time. There is a plethora of SL businesses for aiding those who want to work with their appearance. There are services where you pay a fee and they walk you through each step of the process. There are what I would call makeover “assists” groups where one or more avi attribute can be updating using the service. And there are also people in SL who will help you quite well if you only ask them. Using a service is helpful as you control the pace and the areas you work with on your avi.
Would you like to update your avi or perhaps you want to go back to the drawing board and create a completely new look? Do you have any ideas of what you hope to achieve with your avi? The second piece of advice I will share is it is a good idea to take some time to look at photos of avis on Pinterest, Flickr or the general internet. With time and a few photos, you will have a good experience with a makeover consultant. For this story I used a male and a female avi for partial updates. I created a new avi, Honey19966 aka “Abeille”, for a complete makeover from default to fitted Mesh, possibly Bento. Her pictures are featured with this article. My goal for Abeille, make her into all over Bento/Mesh, light/fair skin and curvy figure. The more you know about what you hope to achieve, the easier it is for the makeover staff to assist you.
Some of the areas you may consider are the obvious one such as making a classic avi into a mesh avi. Many SL residents do not know the difference between fitted Mesh and Bento. Bento was the big 2017 innovation for avis. Bento brings bones to the avis and many animations that weren’t possible before. Bento allows hands to be animated as well as new facial expressions beyond the built-in expressions. Fortunately, there are many demos available to see which form what you are wanting to wear. The makeover agency consultants are experts on the bits and the pieces of creating your avi. The makeover agencies also consult on style and clothing; one agency also consults on landscaping and furnishings. If you are happy with your avi’s “look” you may want to consult with one of these agencies for information on where to buy the items, you want to achieve the look you want your avi to become for you. I spent three weeks visiting the makeover business locations, spending time with consultants and updating avis.
I began with locations that offer only partial avi make over items such as hair, skin or other separate items. Edward Vintner, E & S Avatar Makeovers, has a workshop platform appealing to the self starter make over avi. His group isn’t there to assist, though he has some thoughtful comments, shapes and skins available. A very popular stop is Kira Rinkitink ‘s The Makeover Room. This is a group that offers monthly skins and avi accessories. For the person happy with their avi look who wants to stay on the cutting edge of fashion, The Makeover Room is a good choice. Visiting their building I was charmed to see lovely displays and reasonable pricing. It gives the member monthly items to review in an ever changing avi appearance arena. Though the Makeover Room doesn’t officially offer make over services, many in the group itself are knowledgeable and very helpful.
The all over makeover businesses I visited were Niki Cole Consulting, The Makeover Agency, Cam on Me and Munch-Skins-Appliers & Makeover for Maitreya. Munch is exclusively Maitreya and comprehensive. Pricing is similar, the agencies offer a base makeover package, an enhanced package and do other items on an ‘as requested’ basis. Cam on Me’s Piper has a lot of experience with Bento heads. I realize we all are very picky with our heads as central to our “look” in SL. If you do not have a mesh head because you do not want to alter your face, I learned two valuable pieces of information. First, fitted Mesh can create a look closer to the classic looks than Bento as Bento is more detailed. The second is, you can’t go mesh and keep the same exact face. You can get a very similar look and the Mesh face will be more detailed. Niki, of Niki Cole Consulting, is a fashionista with extensive experience in SL as a blogger, stylist and fashion editor. The Makeover Agency’s Sarabeths has been profiled by some of the most popular SL blogs; Wagner James’ New World Notes and Strawberry Singh’s ‘Virtual World Explorer”. Are there other makeover agencies? Yes, there are both agencies and individuals offering the service. I am highlighting these agencies as they have a reference. I advise checking into the agency you want to work with for others who have experienced their services.
There is no shortage of opinions on how best to do a makeover whether partial or all over. Munch-Skins-Appliers & Makeover’s Donna Rickena’s notecard includes very specific HUDs she recommends which also happen to be the most popular ones in world. Her makeover business extends to outfits as well as a social aspect. She had a beach club [adult] where friends and clients can meet to show off those great looking avis.
For the avi I created, Abeille, I worked with The Makeover Agency’s ever patient Loly for her body. We spent time on what kind of body I wanted and the options I hoped to have with the new mesh. Fitted Mesh and Bento bodies vary greatly in price these days. You may purchase a complete mesh body including head for under 3000L or you can pay over 5000L plus for the body and an additional 5000L plus for the head. Some creators offer free mesh heads or other important accessories. If you want to truly be satisfied with your end result, regardless of who assists you, have a good idea of what you are willing to spend. This budget can then be carved up for the various areas of spending. This is where I found makeover agency staff most helpful. The know the prices and can easily give you a very close estimate on the look you hope to achieve for your avi. Without exception, the fitted mesh or bento body is the high-ticket item. Before I began working with Loly, I changed up my avi’s clothing to the Boho look I wanted and purchased some of my favorite creator’s hair. I confess to a real weakness for hair with subtle animations such as a breeze or water droplets. That accomplished I met Loly to body shop. We spent time collecting demos and discussing features of each of the bodies. She was very knowledgeable in how creators set their prices. For example, a maitreya body is both popular and provides many options for clothing and appliers. Some of the less expensive bodies are more difficult to clothe or to use with appliers. In working with a consultant, I saved money I might have spent buying items that didn’t meet my goals.
Many of you probably recall when Mesh was introduced and the pre-Mesh world. It is not a place I can ever go back to know that I have seen and created mesh avis. The amount products available now is staggering. Fortunately, Loly had some ideas from the information I gave her on which bodies would most likely achieve the look I was interested in for Abeille. This process is much more time consuming that I realized before beginning the journey. The time is needed because the consultant can’t read your mind. Also, I revised my appearance goals as I moved along in the process.
How do you pick the agency for your needs? Gather a list of agencies from this article or from SL search as we all know things in SL change all the time. Visit their location and collect NCs. I highly recommend working with the agency you have the best feel or chemistry with when you initially chat. This process involves time you will spend with this person and can be fun or awkward. I have experienced both in my research. Make sure you can meet with your consultant [compare time zones] and that you speak the same language. One thing I found that all the consultants shared was a great deal of patience. The individuals providing this service enjoy what they are doing for you. Sit back, be honest about your money and your desires for your look and enjoy the ride.
Links:
E & S Avatar Makeovers
“We specialize in avatar makeovers to help you create a realistic and appealing look to enhance your SL experience. Contact Skye Gravois or Edward Vintner. Enjoy!”
The Makeover Room
“Entice, The Makeover Room, Shady Ladies ,Albino Peacock,The Guest List, Arte, DexterGG, Salty, Appletini,SLF&O, Firelight, Verve, Corrupted Gacha”
Niki Cole Consulting
“Need a hot body? A gorgeous face? Help with mesh and style? You're at the right place!
Makeover Mesh Body Head Fashion Beauty Male Female Catwa Lelutka Maitreya Gianni Signature Cosmectic Belleza Genus Style Slink Shopping Relooking”
Makeover Mesh Body Head Fashion Beauty Male Female Catwa Lelutka Maitreya Gianni Signature Cosmectic Belleza Genus Style Slink Shopping Relooking”
The Makeover Agency
“ is specialized in makeover, image consulting and interior designing. Follow this group to have weekly notices about all the hit trends {HOME} and {STYLE}”
Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/theagencysl/
Website : http://themakeoveragency.blogspot.com/
Website : http://themakeoveragency.blogspot.com/
Cam On Me
“Makeover Services, Bento shapes for Catwa, Lelutka, Genus, Laq, Vista, Maitreya, Hourglass. Asian shapes. Elf shapes. Be different, be pretty and classy.”
Munch-skins-appliers-&-Makeovers
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