PERSONAL NOTE: I’ve been meaning to write this blogpost for a while, but my life has been rather hectic lately, and I simply haven’t had time. However, today I am off sick from work with various aches and pains, and my worn-out 60-year-old body is telling me that I need to rest, recharge, and heal a bit, so I decided that today is the day I will finally write this review (that, plus I learned yesterday about the sale!).
Since 2017, my main Second Life avatar, Vanity Fair, has kept the same standard components: a Catwa Kimberly mesh head, and a Maitreya Lara mesh body (with Daria skin from The Skinnery). Every so often—usually after tearing my hair out struggling with the complicated and non-intuitive Catwa HUDs—I would teleport into the LeLutka store, to have Vanity pick up and test drive various models of LeLutka EvoX heads, as a possible replacement. LeLutka’s savvy marketing (including giving away free male and female heads every December for the past four years!) has lead to EvoX becoming pretty much the new standard across the grid.
However, each time I decided to stick with my Catwa Kimberly head, which I had grown attached to (something which is a common occurrence among Second Life users). So for many years, this was how Vanity looked:
However, in February, I decided to purchase version 1.0 of the Elle Era2 Bento mesh head from LAQ, after picking up and playing around with the free demo. Here’s what Vanity Fair looked like, wearing one of the three free head skin gifts available at LAQ if you joined the store group for free, called Sophia:
There are actually three heads in the Era2 skin package: Standard, EvoX, and SupremeUHD. Standard works with standard SL head skins, and EvoX works with any LeLutka-EvoX-compatible head skins (which, as I mentioned earlier, have become the new de facto standard). But what really sold me were the SupremeUHD (Ultra High Definition) skins, which are new and, I believe, an exclusive LAQ innovation.
The level of detail on this head with the SupremeUHD skins and makeup is just INSANE! Here’s an extreme close-up of Vanity wearing the Sophia skin:
I was also impressed by the animations section of the HUD, which offered a wide variety of moods and animations. You can select multiple moods, and the head randomly switches between them at random time intervals.
Here’s a 30-second video (no sound) showing a couple of those moods (in this video Vanity is wearing the Susanna skin on the Elle Era2 SupremeUHD head, which I picked up as a gift at the recent Bellisseria 5th anniversary celebrations). I switched from the Sophia skin to the Susanna skin as the skin Vanity Fair wears every day, and I quite like it! I also like the many different smiling moods of the Era2 Elle head, everything ranging from a simple closed-mouth smile to a broad grin!
Over the past four months, I have experimented with various looks for Vanity Fair using the LAQ Era2 head, pairing it with another upgrade, the Maitreya LaraX body, and I have been very happy with it. Here’s a gallery of a few of those recent looks, to give you a better feel for this head (please click on each picture to view it in full size):
And, if this blogpost has interested you in the LAQ Era2 head, you’re in luck, because this week only, the male and female LAQ Era2 heads are on sale for 75% off their regular price! The sale price is only L$1,150. When asked on Flickr how long the sale price will last, LAQ owner Mallory Cowen responded, “From now until midsummer (next weekend)”, so you have a limited time to pick these heads up!
Just teleport into the LAQ store (SLURL), and you will see both the female and male Era2 head vendors, along with four free skins (three female, one male) for the Era2 heads, if you join the LAQ store group (there’s also a sign for you to join the group, which is free). Both heads have now been updated to version 1.2, which include more hairbase and makeup options, among many other improvements.
I love this head so much, that I took advantage of the one-week sale to pick up six more Era2 female heads to use with 6 of my female alts! Here’s one of those alts, Fire Bird, wearing the SupremeUHD Emma skin (another gift if you join the LAQ store group for free). Again, please click on each picture to see it in its full-size glory, and to admire the details on this head and face skin:
Remember, this 75%-off sale only runs until midsummer (i.e., this weekend). Unfortunately, I do not know the exact date and time that this sale ends, so if you’re interested, please don’t delay, because this is an exceptional bargain!
FREEBIE FASHIONISTA TIP: In these pictures, Fire Bird is wearing the LAQ Elle Era2 mesh head with the LucyBody Atenea mesh body. Looking for an inexpensive, Maitreya-Lara-compatible mesh body? Slap the Midnight Madness board at LucyBody, and wait until it hits 350 (usually within 2-3 days) to receive a free Atenea female mesh body, which is completely compatible with clothing designed for Maitreya Lara! The feet on the Atenea body are Slink-compatible, with three heel heights (flat, mid, and high), but the newest version of this body also includes a special foot setting compatible with Maitreya Lara high-heeled shoes. (You can pick up a Bakes on Mesh HUD to use with this body for only L$250, to be able to wear any BoM skin with it; see image below.)
UPDATE June 18th: This evening, I used the Sophia SupremeUHD skin gift on another female alt, Summer Fall, to produce the following blonde look, which I am quite happy with (and again, I just love the genuine smile animations on this head!):
Also, in addition to the two new SupremeUHD hairbase HUDs in version 1.2 of the Era2 head, you can pick up a third SupremeUHD hairbase HUD for only L$1 at the No Match hair store, to match the hairstyles sold there (exact SLURL; see picture below):
Please note that I will be updating this blogpost as I hear about other major Second Life mesh head, mesh body, and skin stores (or lists of SL stores in general) that are having Black Friday sales. I can’t promise that I will cover them all, though!
Black Friday comes up on the Friday after American Thanksgiving (which is always the fourth Thursday in November; we Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October, because by the time American version comes around, we are knee-deep in snow!). Black Friday never used to be a thing up here in Canada; we followed the British tradition of Boxing Day sales on the day after Christmas instead. However, over time, Black Friday weekend sales have crept north of the border, and now it seems as if every store throws a huge sale with significant discounts at this time of year.
The stores in the still-popular virtual world of Second Life, much like real life, also tend to throw Black Friday sales. In fact, some sales have already started!
For example, the wonderfully creative womenswear store Web Dew is already having a 50%-off sale in their store, running from Nov. 15th to Nov. 30th, 2023. You pay the full price of the item, and are automatically refunded 50%. I decided to splurge and treat my medieval/fantasy roleplay avatar, Scarborough Fair, to this beautifully detailed cyan Marquise dress for half price! Web Dew makes such wonderful historical costumes that I simply could not pass up this bargain.
Web Dew is throwing a half-price sale
Always check the official groups for the various brands of mesh heads, mesh bodies, avatar apparel, and accessories, for announcements of the dates and details of sales (and, of course, follow your favourite Second Life bloggers…like me 😉 ).
You should also monitor the following lists of Black Friday sales (please note that these lists are subject to update and change, so re-check them often):
TeleportHub.com is one of several groups and organizations compiling lists of Black Friday sales in Second LifeThe Fabulously Free in SL group (FabFree for short!) also maintains a listing of Black Friday sales
Mesh Bodies
Black Friday is also the time when most Bento mesh head and body creators have sales. If you’ve had your eye on that pricey mesh body, this is the time of year to buy! For example, the mesh body maker Inithium sent out the following notice to their group (the Inithium group is free to join):
Enjoy a 50% discount on Kupra, Kups, Khara, and Kario for a week! Seize this fantastic opportunity, available for a limited time only. Both at the main store and at The Inithium Event. The Inithium group tag is mandatory to get the discounted price.
Inithium is having a one-week, half-off sale on all their mesh bodies
With the 50% discount once you join the free store group, the prices for the various Inithium mesh bodies are as follows, for one week only:
Inithium Kupra: L$2,000
Inithium Kupra Kups (Kupra with smaller breasts): L$2,000
Inithium Khara: L$1,750
Inithium Kario (male body): L$2,000
Likewise, you can expect that Maitreya will be having a (usually unannounced) half-price sale on the ever-popular Maitreya Lara female mesh body, as they have in previous years. Usually, the Maitreya sale runs from the Friday through to the Monday of the Black Friday weekend (November 24th to 27th, 2023). Word gets around, and the Maitreya store is usually jam-packed that weekend, and next to impossible to get into, but keep trying!
Remember that all purchasers of the Maitreya Lara 5.3 body will receive a free upgrade to the hotly-anticipated LaraX mesh body (and there are some rumours flying around that Maitreya might even release the new LaraX mesh body in time for Black Friday!).
UPDATE Nov. 20th, 9:14 p.m.: Guess what? The rumours were true! Hit the redelivery button on your Lara HUD to get the new LaraX body, starting tonight! Also, you might want to unpack and look carefully at everything in the LaraX package before you go out and buy any Velour body skins (see section below).
UPDATE Nov. 23rd, 7:10 p.m.: It has now been confirmed that Maitreya will, as they have in previous years, have a 50%-off sale this year! Vendors will be set to the sale price, and you can use the 50% discount when gifting other avatars. The Black Friday sale will take place at the Maitreya mainstore, between Friday, November 24th and Monday, November 27th. The half-off price for the Maitreya Lara mesh body will be L$1,375, and the package will include both Lara 5.3, and the new LaraX body—that’s right, you’re getting two bodies for L$1,375! Now that’s what I call a bargain!
UPDATE Nov. 23rd, 2023:Meshbody has announced a 50%-off sale on their Legacy line of mesh bodies, running from Friday, November 24th to Monday, November 27th, 2023. These expensive male and female mesh bodies rarely go on sale, so now is the time to buy! The prices for the female Legacy, female Legacy Perky, male Legacy, and male Athletic bodies will be L$2,500 instead of their usual L$5,000.
Meshbody is throwing a 50%-off sale on their entire Legacy line of male and female mesh bodies (one of the few times of the year that they go on sale)
UPDATE Nov. 21st, 2023: Belleza has announced a Black Friday sale running from today, November 21st, to November 26th, with “up to” 50% off mesh bodies—but note that the popular Belleza Jake male mesh body has been “50% off” for a long, long time already, so at L$1,500 it’s not any cheaper than it was before the sale. However, it’s still the best bargain among the Big Three of male mesh bodies (Belleza Jake, Signature Gianni, and Meshbody Legacy). Other Black Friday sale prices are:
Belleza GenX Classic: Lite L$1,550, Regular L$1,750, Premium L$2,750
Belleza GenX Curvy: Lite L$1,550, Regular L$1,750, Premium L$2,750
Belleza Freya, Venus, and Isis: L$625 each (of the three, Freya was probably the most popular, but keep in mind that many designers have stopped creating for all three of these older bodies)
Skins, cosmetics and clothing seem to be 50% off throughout the Belleza store.
UPDATE Nov. 21st, 2023:eBody Reborn‘s Black Friday sale also started today, and it runs until November 28th; everything in the store is 30% off. The popular eBody Reborn female mesh body is on sale for L$2,400.
UPDATE Nov. 23rd, 2023:Signature is having a 50%-off sale on all their products, including the Gianni and Davis male bodies and the Alice female bodies. The sign in the Signature store is very confusing, because it states that the Black Friday sale runs from 10:00 a.m. Second LifeTime (SLT)/Pacific Time on Friday, November 24th to 12:00 p.m. (noon) SLT Tuesday, November 28th, BUT the prices on the mesh bodies appear to have already been set in the in-store vendor displays as follows:
Davis male body: L$2,500
Gianni male body: L$1,950 (one of the “Big Three” male mesh bodies I mentioned earlier)
Alice female body: L$1,745
Please note that not a lot of Second Life creators make apparel for the Davis and Alice mesh bodies, but the Signature Gianni body is popular and well-supported by creators. Signature also sells a line of male mesh heads, and male clothing for Davis and Gianni, all of which appear to have already been marked down 50% in-store as of this evening, when I paid a visit.
UPDATE Nov. 24th, 2023: The Kalhene Erika female mesh body is on sale for 50% off (L$1,495), running from Nov. 24th to 30th, 2023. This is quite a nice body, adjustable to create both slim and curvy looks, and more and more designers are creating clothing for it. Also, the Erika Mesh Body group is free to join, and you can pick up a number of group gifts, including a large breast add-on, for free!
The Erika Zero X body is a free, limited-feature version of the full-priced body, which you can pick up if you join the Erika Mesh Body group, which is free. It’s perfect for newbies, people who cannot afford a pricier female mesh body, or those of you who just want to test-drive it for a while before buying. More information here.
UPDATE Nov. 25th, 2023: The Anatomy unisex mesh body by Malediction is on sale for 60% off (L$1,800), along with everything else in the store. The Black Friday sale runs from Nov. 24th to Dec. 1st, 2023. The Anatomy mesh body can be used with male or female heads, and can be shaped in masculine or feminine ways, so you can express your gender however you please! You can read more about my drag queen adventures wearing this body here.
The Anatomy mesh body by Malediction is only L$1,800 during their Black Friday sale
UPDATE Nov. 23rd, 2023: The Prima female mesh body is on sale for 50% off, from November 22nd to 28th, 2023. Likewise, everything at the Star Mesh Body store is on sale for 50% off, running from November 20th to December 5th, 2023. Please note that relatively few creators are making and selling apparel for the Prima and Star Mesh bodies, compared to the Big Three of female mesh bodies (Maitreya Lara, Meshbody Legacy, and eBody Reborn), or perhaps we could make it a Big Four if you include Inithium Kupra, which a lot of designers also create clothes for.
We are slashing our prices by 50% on all our heads from November 22nd, 00:01 SLT till November 27th, 23:59 SLT. You don’t want to miss this, so go get your demos before the sale starts. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Like Maitreya, you can expect the LeLutka store region to be absolutely heaving with avatars, so plan accordingly! As they suggest, please pick up your demos before the sale starts, try them on at your home or another location, then come back to buy. The half-off sale price of LeLutka male and female mesh heads is L$1,995, which is quite the bargain!
UPDATE Nov. 19th, 2023:Akeruka is also having a 50%-off sale on all its EvoX-compatible Bento mesh heads. The sale runs from Nov. 19th to 28th, 2023.
UPDATE Nov. 20th, 2023:Genus has announced that they are having a Black Friday sale, running from today, Nov. 20th, to Nov. 27th, 2023, with women’s heads and skins 50% off, men’s heads and skins 30% off, and older female skins (version 1.0, the non-4K ones) selling for 75% off. Hurry on down!
UPDATE Nov. 24th, 2023:Catwa (which used to be the leading male and female mesh head maker until they were dethroned by LeLutka) has announced that they are throwing a half-off sale from Nov. 24th to 29th, 2023. The sale includes Catwa’s expensive HD PRO line of heads, and their first EvoX-compatible head, Reema.
UPDATE Nov. 24, 2023:LOGO is throwing a 50%-off sale on everything in their store, running from today until midnight on Monday, November 27th. All male and female heads are L$1,000 each, and three female heads are featured at the front of the LOGO store at only L$400 each! Note that LOGO is another one of those stores where you buy the HUD once, and it works for all LOGO heads.
Head and Body Skins
UPDATE Nov. 20th, 2023: Velour has just announced that they are having a 50%-off sale on everything in the store, except for their new line of Picasso skins, which are 30% off. Why is this important? Because so many head skin makers use Velour skin tones, and because Velour so rarely has their body skins on sale at all—let alone at half price! This is a major deal, folks.
I use the Venus body skin tones, to match with various free head skins I pick up throughout the year, and during Velour’s Black Week sale (running from Nov. 20th to Nov. 26th, 2023) they are only L$150 per skintone, L$400 each for the lighter skin tone fatpack and the darker skin tone fatpack, and L$650 for the super fatpack of all Velour skin tones! I can guarantee you that the Velour region will be absolutely jam packed with avatars once word gets out, so go go go!
UPDATE Nov. 23rd, 2023: Here are the details on a few more Black Friday skin store sales happening in Second Life (please accept my apologies if I have forgotten any):
Ives Beauty: 75% off sale at their main store, Nov. 20th-30th (L$200 per skin tone for women’s and men’s skins, L$60 for makeup)
Amara Beauty: 50% off sale, Nov. 20th-27th (and don’t forget that their body skins are free!)
The Skinnery: 40% off sale, Nov. 22nd-27th; no discount for store credit purchases
Nuve: 50% off sale, except for latest releases and new event releases; Nov. 23rd-30th (Nuve’s body skins are included with their head skins)
ALT3 Beauty‘s Black Friday sale runs from Nov. 20th-Dec. 4th. Details below:
ALT3 has TWO Black Friday deals going on – the first is exclusive Discord membership access to 75% off mainstore wide savings. Everything and anything is up for grabs using a promo code that starts today! The second deal is a universal user promo code that starts on the 24th, for 30% off. If you would like to get the best savings of the entire year – join the Discord and get the exclusive promo code! Join – discord.com/invite/sWxS99eNRz
WOW Skins is one of many Second Life skin stores throwing Black Friday sales
Clearance Sale on LAQ Mesh Heads and Skins
UPDATE Nov. 18th, 2023: Technically, it’s not a Black Friday sale (it’s more like a a clearance sale), but another Bento mesh head creator, LAQ, is having a 99%-off sale on everything in their store! All their mesh heads are now only L$15 each!
All Bento mesh heads at LAQ are only L$15 during November
Apparently they are clearing out in preparation for a new line of heads. In a note posted to their group, they state:
After 4 years in the making, Era2 is now about to take off – and we want to make a special celebration only for our group members. We invite you to a pre-party with the entire collection marked down 99% as we prepare for the new arrival!
The celebration will last for the rest of November, and the store is exclusively open for our group members. Your friends will need to be invited to the group in order to get into the store during this time.
Please note that you will first need to join the LAQ Updates group for free before you can teleport into the store. Also, please note that the heads on sale are not EvoX compatible (but apparently, the new Era2 line of heads will be). The heads all come with skin appliers (sold separately), and you can also use Bakes on Mesh skins with them if you get the free BoM relay in the store (see red arrow in picture below):
I do have the LAQ Vivien head for one alt, and I am quite happy with it! So I might take advantage of this 99%-off sale and pick up a few more heads and skins for my small army of alts… 😉
My Victorian steampunk older woman avatar, Rose Queen, wearing the LAQ Vivien Bento mesh head (which includes the head skin shown here—you can even adjust the level of wrinkles!)
You will need to buy the HUD once (also 99% off, now L$15), and it will work with any LAQ head. Matching body skins are available on the opposite wall, also on sale for L$15 for each fatpack (Maitreya, Belleza, Slink, Legacy, and Omega). LAQ also sells eyes, eyelashes, hairbases, makeup, and other related accessories (such as a cute motion capture, bubble gum blowing-and-popping animation, now on sale for only L$3!).
Here’s a look at the LAQ Zahra mesh head. Total cost for everything—the Zahra head, the Zahra head and body BoM skin 1.0 package, the HUD, the BoM relay, plus a set of version 2.0 tattoo-layer body skins for Maitreya Lara mesh bodies—came to only L$43!Now that’s what I call a real bargain.
The Zahra Bento mesh head from LAQ
And here’s that L$3 bubble gum popping animated attachment I mentioned earlier:
And One Last Black Friday Gift… (NEW Nov. 25th)
Semotion Libellune, the animation and animesh attachment store, is having a 50%-off sale on selected items in their store (SLURL), but to sweeten the deal, they are giving away a group gift if you join their store group for free: a rideable unicorn!
How many times have I told you not to ride your unicorn in the house? 😉
I mean, c’mon, how could you pass this up?!?? The unicorn comes with a HUD with three different sets of stand/walk/run animations. The Black Friday sale (and presumably, this wonderful gift) is on from now until November 27th only, so hurry down!
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Looking for the 2021 listing of Black Friday sales in Second Life? It is here.
Here is my first-ever attempt to summarize all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales taking place in Sinespace, Second Life, and Sansar. (Unfortunately, I was unable to get any news about sales from High Fidelity.)
Second Life
There are quite a few handy Black Friday sales listings which you can consult, each of which lists dozens of stores having sales:
SeraphimSL has what is probably the biggest list of Black Friday sales in Second Life here: Black Friday Sales List 2019
There’s also an extensive Flickr gallery of Black Friday 2019 sales, compiled by NadySapa, which is well worth a browse:
Also, I have been told that Stone’s Works Black Friday Sale is going on now. Select Vendors in the store are 25% off, and look for the Giant Red Display outdoors for deeper discounts starting at L$35. (Thank you!)
Sansar
You will notice that there’s not a lot of Black Friday sale news in Sansar, and there’s a good reason for that. One content creator told me:
If we had an option to adjust all prices in our stores with a percentage I would have set everything on sale. But since it is a click nightmare to adjust them one by one, I am not going to bother personally.
And I suspect that many Sansar sellers feel the same way.
Another one is FULLSpectrum (Medhue and Bagnaria’s store in Sansar), which is having a buy-one-get-one-free sale on their custom human avatars. Bagnaria tells me:
FULLSpectrum Black Friday Special (November 26 -November 29): TWO FOR ONE | Buy any FS avatar and get a second of the same value or less for free. You will automatically get your money back for the second avatar you buy. For obvious technical reasons you need to be friends with FULLSpectrum to get your money back. Contact Bagnaria for support.
Since most of FULLSpectrum’s custom avatars cost around 800 or 900 Sansar dollars each, this is a real bargain!
Sinespace
Trilo Byte sent me the following ad for the special Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales offered byTrilo Byte Design and BlakOpal Designs, saying:
I’m not sure how much you know about us, so I’ll give you a quick backgrounder. BlakOpal and I have been making art together in the real world since 2006, and in the virtual world since 2008 under the BlakOpal Designs brand. We’ve been making content in Sinespace since 2016, and as with Second Life the focus of our collaborations is clothing. Beyond BlakOpal Designs, I also make content on my own and release that under the Trilo Byte Design brand.
BlakOpal Designs Holiday Bundle
Includes Swank Holiday Tophat, Wooly Mittens & Knit Scarf
Only 500 Silver (SineSpace promotional currency, all users start with 30K Silver and can earn more in quests)
Available now through 25th December, 2019
BlakOpal Designs: Moto Jacket, Black with Rose available for Male or Female avatars
“Kick some serious bootie in this tough leather jacket! Heavily studded, embellished with embroidery and has a large graphic print on the back. Waist-length, and designed to look awesome with anything you wear, from basic jeans to thigh-high boots and short shorts. Features high quality model, advanced materials, and cloth physics (where available).”
‘High quality model’ is our plain language way of saying it uses SineSpace’s clothing LOD system. The way that works is we create 3 different versions of the jacket; a regular version, a lightweight version for low end systems, and a high quality version for more powerful machines or when there aren’t many users in the region. SineSpace automatically serves up the best version for that user and the region they’re visiting… maximum quality and minimum lag.
Regular Price 149 gold, on sale for only 49 gold through 2nd December, 2019
Trilo Byte Design: FairField 3 Bedroom Deluxe Home & Region
User adjustable time of day and day/night cycles
User adjustable lighting in each room
Swappable Materials Support – you can change the walls, moldings, exteriors and more!
Click to open/close doors and automatic garage door
Birds in the sky, deer and rabbits in the woods
Efficient filesize allows plenty of room for furniture & decor, even on SineSpace free plan
Regularly 999 gold, on sale for 499 gold through Monday, 2nd December, 2019
Did you know that you can help support my blog (as well as the upcoming Metaverse Newscast show), and get great rewards in return? Here’s how.
Junbug is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to celebrate, they are throwing a flash sale. Almost every single item in the store—gorgeous gowns and dresses from every historical period and style, from medieval to fantasy to Victorian to modern!—is for sale for only L$10 each! Here are just a few examples:
The Victoria gown in ivory is paired with the Dreamer’s necklace (both just L$10!):
The Day Flower Victorian gown was a gacha prize (all Junbug’s gachas are only L$10 a pull during the flash sale, too!) and the lovely white parasol is also L$10:
And here’s the stunning Meralyn gown in ruby (also L$10):
The flash sale was supposed to run for only 24 hours, but the sim has been so jam-packed that people can’t get in! So an update was posted to the Junbug group:
Due to demand, Junbug’s Birthday Bash is officially extended until 5pm today (Saturday the 8th). Everything in store is 10L, including gachas!
Any found idling will be ejected because it isn’t fair to those waiting.
Thank you <3
So head down to Junbug before 5:00 p.m. SLT, *TODAY ONLY*! Here’s your taxi! (The sim is extremely busy today, so you might have to use something like the Teleport Hammer to get in. Keep trying!)
P.S. One more thing… Junbug only designs for the Maitreya Lara female mesh body. If you have another type of mesh avatar body, these clothes might not fit properly, although I have found that clothing designed for the Maitreya Lara mesh avatar body tends to fit the Altamura female mesh bodies very well, with a minimum of fuss. In fact, the first three pictures in this blogpost show an avatar in an Altamura Jenny body.
