UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: My Picks for the Best Gifts from the 2022 Valentine Shop and Hop

The Valentine Shop and Hop event starts tomorrow, February 2nd, and runs until February 15th, with over 200 merchants participating over 10 shopping sims! Each store has a free gift for you, and today Vanity Fair is modeling some of those gifts. And, as you can see from these pictures, not everything is red or Valentine’s-themed! Please note that all SLURLs provided here should take you directly to the gift.

Let’s start with the underwear today! Here Vanity is wearing a layered undershirt and matching panties, the Valentine’s Day present from the Neve booth (which comes with a HUD with four colour options for each; sizes: Lara and Petite, Legacy and Perky):

From Belle Epoque comes this cheerful heart-adorned Lacey top and matching panties (sizes: Lara and Petite, Legacy and Perky)

This black-and-pink bodysuit is the gift from ViSion (sizes: Lara and Petite, Legacy and Perky, Freya, Kupra), along with L$400 in free store credit if you join the ViSion Clothing Store group for L$18 (the credit must be used before Feb. 20th, 2022):

Next up are a wide variety of dresses! The Super Star dress is from TO.KISKI (Lara, Legacy, Freya, Hourglass sizes):

The gift from Pink Cream Pie is a fatpack of the Tori Crush dress (Lara and Petite, Legacy, Freya, and eBody Reborn sizes), which comes with a HUD with 24 different textures for every single part of the dress!

Another minidress is this Zoe dress with the cheeky little cut-out, from the FlowerDreams booth, which comes with a HUD with 12 different colours and textures! It comes in a wide variety of sizes, too: Lara and Petite; Freya and Isis; Hourglass; eBody Classic and Curvy; Tonic Curvy, Fine and Minimizer; Signature Alice; and Altamura.

If you’re in the mood for something red, Baiastice has you covered with this Hatas dress! It comes in the following sizes: Lara and Petite; Legacy and Perky; Freya; Hourglass; and Kupra.

Or if you prefer something with a bit more coverage (after all, it is still February!), how about this lovely damasque Valentine dress with its tied, flared sleeves? It’s the present from Poeme (fits Maitreya Lara; Belleza Freya, Isis, and Venus; Slink Physique and Hourglass; Tonic Curvy and Fine; Meshbody Classic/TMP; eBody; and five fitmesh sizes).

From The Annex come two free gifts! The Dreams nightshirt comes in a fatpack of eight colours (black, green, grey, navy, peach, pink, purple, and teal), and if you join The Annex store group for free, you can pick up the ribboned Rhoda dress, which comes in nine colours (aqua, black, blue, green, grey, peach, pink, purple and yellow). Both gifts come in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara, Belleza Freya, and Slink Hourglass mesh bodies.

Be sure to drop by the QE Designs booth and pick up their generous gift box; it’s stuffed with many gifts of womenswear, and even a couple of home decor items! Here Vanity is wearing three gifts for QE Designs: the Everly top, Camilla denim shorts, and Gretchen tip-toe sneakers. Top sizes: Lara; Freya, Isis, and Venus; Physique and Hourglass; Tonic Curvy and Fine; eBody. Shorts sizes: Lara; Freya, Isis, and Venus; Physique and Hourglass; Tonic Curvy and Fine. Shoes fit Maitreya, Belleza, and Slink feet.

And here’s another couple of gifts from QE Designs, the Anya romper paired with the Una heels (each of which comes with a four-colour HUD). The romper sizes: Lara; Freya, Isis and Venus; Physique and Hourglass, eBody; Tonic Curvy and Fine; and classic sizing. Shoes fit Maitreya, Belleza, and Slink feet.

There are some truly lovely ballgowns for you to snap up as well! First, we have this red Bekka beaded-bodice gown by Sascha’s Designs, shown with another Shop and Hop present from ALTER, this lovely red-and-gold Vianney jewelry set (necklace, earrings, and ring). The gown can be worn with or without the flexiprim skirt attachment. Gown sizes: Lara and Petite; Legacy and Perky; Freya; Physique and Hourglass; Tonic Curvy and Fine; eBody Reborn; Kupra; fitmesh Medium; and something called Cinnamon & Chai (which is a body I have never heard of before!).

Another option is this stunning vintage ballgown from Blue Moon Enterprise, the Lady Rose Heart gown, which comes in only the Maitreya Lara size:

Here’s a close-up of the earrings, the Valentine’s Day present from Beloved Jewelry, which come in two different sizes (small and large), with a complete fatpack of metal textures and stone colours to choose from, to match any outfit!


Our last ballgown gift is a show-stopper! Behold this stylish Sol gown in soft pink from SOFIA, which comes with an optional star brooch worn at the waist (not shown here). Sizes: Lara, Legacy, Freya, Hourglass, and Kupra.

Below, Vanity models two different presents: the red latex Ryud pants are the gift from MEMOIRE (sizes: Lara, Legacy, Freya, Kupra), and from Addams comes the Betina Valentine’s top (sizes: Lara and Petite; Legacy and Perky; Freya and Isis; Hourglass; Kupra; eBody Reborn), which comes with a HUD with five different patterns as shown:

From Entice we have the gift of this wine-coloured, full skirt, imaginatively called Only Exception. And you can pick up the matching Only Exception top (which comes in two patterns, with or without the heart) for only L$50 nearby! Sizes for both skirt and top: Lara, Legacy, Freya, Hourglass.

The sneakers Vanity is wearing in this final outfit are also a Shop and Hop gift, from Lapointe & Bastchild SWEAR (they also come in a men’s black version; both men’s and women’s sneakers come in a variety of sizes to fit most popular brands of mesh feet).

Valentina E‘s Shop and Hop present is this jaunty cherry red beret (resizable via menu), which might just be the perfect finishing touch for your outfit!

And finally, there are several offers of free store credit or gift cards available for you to pick up:

  • Poison Rouge – L$500 gift card
  • Monomania – L$250 store credit (pay L$1, automatically refunded)
  • Nuve – L$350 gift card
  • ViSion – as mentioned above, L$400 free store credit if you join their store group for L$18
  • Rosary – L$500 gift card
  • Bloom Furniture & Decor – L$300 gift card
  • Little Fox – L$400 gift card
  • LaGyo – L$300 gift card
  • Salesita’s Creations – L$300 gift card if you join the ! ~ *Salesita’s Creations* ~ ! group for free (also a free dress with an 8-colour HUD, no group needed)
  • TREND – L$600 store credit if you join the ~TREND V.I.P.~ store group for free (credit expires February 10th, 2022; there’s also a free dress, no group needed)
  • Tachinni Clothing – L$150 free store credit, plus L$250 in additional free store credit if you join the ~ Tachinni Clothing ~ group for L$15 (all credit expires Feb. 19th, 2022)

Don’t forget that you only have two weeks to pick up all these gifts, plus many more fabulous freebies, so don’t delay! Happy freebie shopping!

UPDATE Feb. 2nd, 2022: Naria Panthar was once again done a YouTube video in which she unpacks and tries on all the gifts from all ten sims of the 2022 Valentine Shop and Hop! I recommend you watch the video on double-speed playback to save time, and keep a pen and paper handy to note down the stores whose gifts you like. Then, use this handy alphabetical listing of stores participating in the Shop and Hop to go directly to each store to pick up just the presents you want!

And one more ballgown gift to share with you! This is the Irina gown from 2Love:

This beautiful red ballgown comes in the following sizes: Lara, Legacy, Freya, Hourglass, and Kupra.

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Free Gifts from the Christmas Round of the Avatar Fair

EDITORIAL NOTE: Yes, I know, I know—I have been blogging non-stop about Second Life lately! Please bear with me; I will return to writing more about the broader metaverse soon, I swear!!! This is just a phase I’m going through… 😉


Now that Hallowe’en is over, Second Life begins to get ready for the Christmas season! The Avatar Fair shopping event has many free gifts for female avatars, many of which are complete outfit fatpacks, including shoes or boots! All you have to do is join the Avatar Fair group for free to pick up all these early Christmas presents.

Look for the Avatar Fair booth with the orange backdrop (here’s the exact SLURL, but because the Avatar Fair has a central spawn point in front of the Sugar Dolls store, you need to save the SLURL to your inventory, right click on it and select “Show on Map”, then follow the red arrow to find the right booth).

Click on the Avatar Fair sign to join the group, and pick up five free gifts! One of these is a winter coat, hat and boots fatpack called Rose, from Ewa Boutique, which comes with a HUD to select from 10 coat and hat colours, and 6 different colours for the boots!

Another Christmas present from Ewa Boutique is this Noelly coat and boots outfit, which also comes with a HUD to choose 18 different colours for the coat, and 4 for the boots! Between these two gifts, you’re all set for any winter worlds you visit!

Another one of the five presents you can get at this booth is the Mysterious Bento AO, which is a carry-over gift from the Halloween round of the Avatar Fair (I wrote about it here; scroll to the Oct. 9th, 2021 update at the end). This is the perfect animation override to use with dresses, skirts, and full-skirted coats like Rose and Noelly!

Now, head over to the huge Christmas tree located right in the middle of the Avatar Fair, where there are another eight free gifts under the tree!

Here my avatar is modeling a few of these gifts. This is the fishnet-accented Agness dress by Ewa Boutique, which comes in a complete fatpack of colours (ultra-high platform shoes are included, not shown here). This outfit comes in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara; Meshbody Legacy; Belleza Freya and Isis; and Slink Physique and Hourglass mesh bodies.

This is the Tzuyu top and skirt, two separate pieces you can mix and match with other items in your wardrobe (sizes: Maitreya Lara and Petite; Meshbody Legacy and Perky; Belleza Freya and Isis; Slink Hourglass and Petite; INTHIUM Kupra; and a standard fitted size).

From Sugar Dolls comes this cute Amanda minidress fatpack (Maitreya Lara; Belleza Freya, Isis, and Venus; Slink Physique and Hourglass sizes):

Unleash your inner punk rocker with the Alex ripped dress and sneakers outfit, another gift from Sugar Dolls. The HUD allows you to select one of six textures for both the dress and the platform sneakers. This outfit comes in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara; Belleza Freya, Isis, and Venus; and Slink Physique and Hourglass mesh bodies.

This Katia outfit by Ewa Boutique has four colours each for the top and the miniskirt (there’s also a bag and some platform shoes, not shown here). The outfit comes in the following sizes: Maitreya Lara; Meshbody Legacy; Belleza Freya, Isis, and Venus; and Slink Hourglass and Physique.

You’re all set for your next Christmas party with this eye-catching Donna dress in black, with an optional white or black fur trim along the hemline (it comes in Maitreya, Legacy and Slink Hourglass sizes):

The Clara crop top with tie and miniskirt with straps lets your avatar embrace a retro Avril Lavigne look for free! You get 8 texture options for the top and the skirt, plus a mini tote bag and some ultra-high platform shoes (not shown here). Sizes: Maitreya Lara, Meshbody Legacy, and Slink Hourglass.

Happy freebie shopping!

UPDATE Nov. 16th, 2021: I just checked, and the Avatar Fair has gone and swapped out many of the old gifts that were under the Christmas tree, and added many new ones! I’m not sure if they are going to be swapping gifts in and out during the event at regular intervals, so you might want to revisit the Avatar Fair event every so often!

So here another one of my small army of Second Life alts is modeling a selection of these new gifts (mostly from Ewa Boutique). This is the sexy black Naomi minidress and shoes (there’s also a black purse with a hold pose):

This daring Margareth bodysuit and skirt are labelled as a “fatpack”, but there’s no sign of the HUD in the folder! So you just have the black colour shown, which is still nice…

However, there is a HUD included to change the colour of both the sweater and skirt parts of this more modest Isa outfit:

The Anneliz party dress, featuring a transparent overskirt) comes in eight different colours (and the shoes are included):

This Giselle outfit comes in ten different colours, and includes both the collar and the awesome boots!

The Lyly fur-trimmed coat from Sugar Dolls is extremely similar to the Noelly coat I mentioned up top, only you can change the colours of the coat and the fur trim individually on this version for 56 different combinations in total!

Finally, we have the aptly-named Claus minidress and Santa hat! HO HO HO!!!

Happy freebie shopping!

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Free Gifts from the Belle Epoque Sixth Anniversary Hunt!

Well-known Second Life womenswear retailer Belle Epoque (store SLURL) is celebrating its sixth anniversary with a free hunt! You are searching for birthday cakes hidden in various places around the store, containing 30 free items from Belle Epoque, as well as free items from a number of other retailers.

Here are my picks for the best of the hunt prizes! I hope that you don’t mind that I used a pose stand to show off these prizes—it’s just so much quicker to work this way, and I wanted to share my finds with you as quickly as possible! There are many lovely dresses and gowns from Belle Epoque as hunt prizes, all unique and one-of-a-kind designs, but they come in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara and Meshbody Legacy bodies only! All accessories such as headbands and hats are unrigged and resizable.

First up is a pair of hunt gifts, the oversize pink Maite rose headband (hunt prize #14) and the form-fitting Nailah ballgown (prize #9):

Candace dress (prize #2):

Circe asymmetrical tailored dress (#5):

Tyra dress (#6):

Gia dress (#7):

Christine dress (#10):

Natalia dress (#12):

Rose shirt dress (#13):

Jennifer top and skirt (one piece; #15):

Monica dress (#16):

Allegra gown (#30):

L’Amour Curtois historical straw bonnet with hair (#29):

The Free Spirit headpiece (#24):

Knit top dress (the hunt prize from c*C*c):

Tania minidress (the hunt prize from UNA):

The Belle Epoque 6th Anniversary Hunt ends November 30th, 2021, so hurry on down to the in-world store and snap up some fabulous free fashion for your avatar!

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Some Prizes from the Creepy Russian Village Hunt

You might be surprised to learn that there is a large and active Russian-language community in Second Life! Second Life – FREE is a little-known-about Russian-language group on Vkontakte, the Russian version of Facebook. It’s the largest VK community dedicated to free and inexpensive things in Second Life. (Use the Russian-to-English translator in your Chrome browser to read the posts in this Russian-language community. You do not need to set up an account on VKontakte; just click on the “Not Now!” link whenever a pop-up appears asking you to log in.)

This group is hosting the Creepy Russian Village Hunt in Second Life for Halloween, with prizes from a variety of vendors, ranging in price from free to L$25 each. The hunt object is the traditional Russian nesting doll!

I was particularly taken by the Russian/Slavic design elements of the womenswear prizes, so today Vanity Fair is modeling a few of my favourite prizes from this hunt. I won’t be telling you where to find these elusive dolls, but I will share with you my top six tips for successful hunting in Second Life.

Please note that in order to take clearer pictures of the hunt prizes, I changed the default sky settings of the sim to Nam’s Optimal Skin 1. You might want to leave the lighting at the default setting to really appreciate the atmosphere of the creepy village! (The pictures I took of the sim are stills from a promotional video for the hunt.)

This lovely Mavka peasant dress, the prize from Silk Road, costs only L$25 and comes in both white and black versions. The Mavka dress comes in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara; Meshbody Legacy and Legacy Perky; INTHIUM Kupra; eBody Reborn; and Kalhene Erika mesh bodies.

Here Vanity is showing you two different hunt prizes from ERSCH, the very Russian Laerta head ribbon (which comes in three pieces; you can detach the right and left bows), and the Alice dress, which comes in bloody and non-bloody versions (there’s also another hunt prize consisting of the same dress, but in black instead of white). The ERSCH prizes are only L$15 each. The Alice dress comes in the following sizes: Maitreya Lara and Petite; Belleza Freya; Meshbody Legacy and Perky; INTHIUM Kupra and Kups; and eBody Reborn.

This beautifully embroidered red, white, and black Adela gown is one of the hunt prizes from ANTAYA (Maitreya Lara size only; L$25):

Another prize from ANTAYA is the Hilda gown (Legacy and Maitreya sizes; L$25). I found the Maitreya Lara version of this garment includes an auto-hide which automatically alphas out your hands and feet, so you will need to reset that using your Maitreya alpha HUD (it’s a small bug, but one I’d have thought the creator would have caught while testing).

There are many other prizes in the hunt; you can see them all here. (Don’t forget to turn on the automatic translation in your Chrome web browser!)

You can teleport to the Creepy Russian Village hunt sim here. Good luck!

UPDATE Oct. 26th, 2021: A few more hunt prizes have been added to the Creepy Russian Village Hunt! This white dress with the embroidered hemline and the red bead necklace are two separate, free prizes from Dreamcatcher (sizes: Maitreya, Legacy and Kupra):

Наслаждайтесь охотой! (Enjoy the hunt!)