Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Gifts from the Cosmopolitan Christmas Tree

IMPORTANT EDITORIAL/HOUSEKEEPING NOTE, PLEASE READ:

Many of my regular readers are probably wondering why I have written so much about Second Life this month, instead of all the other metaverse platforms I could cover.

First: My faculty union at the university where I work went through a five-week strike which ended in early December, and we are now in a rapidly worsening Omicron wave of the coronavirus pandemic. I am STRESSED and UTTERLY EXHAUSTED and I need to take a break. Second Life is my happy place, and my preferred way of dealing (or, perhaps more accurately, not dealing) with messy, painful, chaotic, dumpster-fire reality these days. I am therefore taking December as a vacation from this blog (with a few exceptions, such as this blogpost).

Second: As I have often said before, Second Life is the perfect example of a mature, fully-evolved metaverse, which the newer social VR platforms would be wise to study and emulate. Do not be so quick to dismiss Second Life as quaint and outdated! At a time when the concept of the metaverse is suddenly very popular again, you can learn many lessons from studying SL. For example, merchandizing avatar fashion (such as that profiled in this blogpost) is now a very hot topic in the blockchain/crypto/NFT space; Second Life content creators have been earning full or side incomes by creating and selling avatar fashion for over 18 years now!

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I do expect to return full-throttle to blogging about any and all aspects of social VR, virtual worlds and the metaverse in January 2022!

Every December, the Cosmopolitan shopping event (SLURL) has a large Christmas tree placed between the entrance doors, which is a sort of Advent calendar, but in a different form. Every day, more and more stockings are added to the tree as decorations, and each stocking is a free gift from a participating vendor. Join the !!Cosmopolitan Club & Lounge!! group for free to pick up these gifts.

However, because the stockings all look alike and are attached to all sides of a three-dimensional, cone-shaped object, and therefore it can be very hard to keep track of what you have already taken and what you haven’t! Here’s a useful tip, from a previous year’s blogpost, on how to tackle the tree:

If you insist on visiting every day, the layout of the stockings around the tree can be somewhat confusing compared to traditional Advent calendars, and you might land up collecting the same gifts multiple times. You might want to use this tip provided by SL blogger Chic Aeon: once you have clicked on a stocking and received its gift, right click on it, Select More from the pie menu, select More again, then select Derender, then Blacklist. You will no longer be able to see that stocking on return visits! (These are the instructions for the Firestorm viewer; I do not know what the equivalent is for the standard Second Life viewer.) This is a genius tip! Thanks, Chic!

Another tip: derender the Christmas tree first; then the stockings will appear to be floating in mid-air, and they are much easier to find and click on! 😉

Today my avatar Moesha Heartsong (the Naomi Campbell supermodel of Second Life!) models some of my favourite gifts from the Cosmopolitan stockings. I do apologize for using a pose stand for these images; I can work much faster this way, and therefore get this blogpost out to you more quickly! I do not know how long the Christmas tree will be up at the Cosmopolitan event, so don’t delay in picking up these fabulous freebies!

First up is the Mei jewelry set from Supernatural, a choker and two necklaces (three separate pieces which you can wear together as shown, or separately as you wish). The Mei set comes in gold and silver versions, and each version comes in four different colours: black, red, pink, and white.

From AVALE comes the Gorra party dress with a dark silver skirt and a colour-changeable top (the included HUD gives you 11 colours). Sizes: Maitreya, Legacy, Freya, Isis, Hourglass, and Kupra.

ZVI’s gift is this cropped top with a choice of 20 colours via a HUD (sizes: Maitreya Lara, Meshbody Legacy, INITHIUM Kupra, eBody Reborn, Kalhene Erika).

Blossom&Seeds offers you this Costa Rica dress in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara, Belleza Freya, and Meshbody Legacy bodies:

From Shybird comes the Mina party dress, which comes in a fatpack with a whopping 64 options (32 colours in silk and 32 colours in suede!). This dress comes in sizes to fit Maitreya, Legacy, Kupra, and eBody Reborn.

The Eliza outfit (in the stocking from Meva) consists of a red dress and a white jacket with a belt. The dress and jacket can be worn together as shown, or you can mix and match with other items from your avatar’s wardrobe.

Off-Line’s present is this Nali dress in salmon, which comes in opaque and sheer versions (sizes: Maitreya, Legacy, Freya, Hourglass, and Kupra).

The present from Amias is this delightful grey Deer Sweater! There are versions for both male and female avatars: Maitreya Lara & Petite and Legacy & Perky for the women; and Belleza Jake, Signature Gianni, and Legacy for the men.

Seniha very generously gives you a complete fatpack of the Rosse outfit, consisting of a bodysuit and boa/fur stole, each of which comes with a HUD with a dizzying array of colours and textures to choose from! You can tint the top, belt, and bottom of the bodysuit separately via the HUD, for even more options!

From Little Fox comes the Darling set of top and matching panties in cherry red (Maitreya, Legacy, Freya, Kupra sizes).

The gift from Masoom is this pink Minerva gown (which comes in both regular and windblown versions). The gown comes with a gems HUD and a separate package of tintable panties to wear underneath. The Minerva gown comes in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara, Belleza Freya, and Slink Hourglass mesh bodies.

The stocking from Poison Rouge contains this haute couture Alma de Rosa hat in coral pink:

This is the Makina pigtail hairstyle from Ayashi, which comes with the HUD as shown, with eight different anime colours and a tinting feature to make your hair any colour under the sun!

Petite Maison offers a lovely selection of home decor (seven separate objects):

And finally, for something completely different, we have this set of unisex Bakes on Mesh cosmetics from Poema, the Editorial makeup pack! You’re all set for your next Vogue fashion shoot!

Again, I don’t know how long the Christmas tree will be up, so go TODAY.

Happy freebie shopping!

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Advent Calendar Gifts for December 21st, 2020

Here’s my blogpost with links to four lists of Advent Calendars and 12 Days of Christmas Calendars, plus my “Top Ten” Calendars you should not miss in 2020!

I’m running a bit late today again, my apologies!

We’re getting down to crunch time in the last few days leading up to Christmas Day, and boy, do I ever have a haul of Christmas presents for you today! Today’s gift from Entice is this cute brown dress (the Entice group is free to join):

From the 7 Deadly S[k]ins Advent calendar comes the Hope skin in the darker, coconut skin tone, which come in Bakes an Mesh/system and Omega applier versions, plus a fatpack of the Gillian skins in five skin tones, also in BoM and Omega versions:

7 Deadly S[k]ins Hope skin in the coconut skin tone
7 Deadly S[k]ins Gillian skin in the oak skin tone

Remember that the 7 Deadly S[k]ins store group does cost L$1,000 to join during December, but it’s worth it. (Or, if you prefer, you can pick up all the previous days’ gifts for just L$25 each, using my daily Advent calendar blogposts as a guide.) Also, don’t forget that, unlike other store calendars, the 7 Deadly S[k]ins Advent calendar has gifts every single day, right up until New Year’s Day!

Here are two December 21st gifts from the Advent calendar at the eBENTO shopping event which I quite liked: the striking Zoey hoop earrings by Supernatural (which come in silver and gold versions, with two HUDs to change the gemstones to match any outfit!), and the eye-catching, crystal-adorned black plat pumps from Celestina’s Weddings. There is no cost to join the eBENTO group.

Below are two 12 Days of Christmas calendar gifts, worn together: the fur coat and hat are from the calendar at No Shot, and the thigh-high laced leather boots are today’s gift from the Baby Monkey calendar. You do not need to join any group to pick up these gits, and if you prefer, you can wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and pick up all the presents at one time! I just love it when Second Life stores do not force me to log in every day to pick up that day’s item. (I mean, it’s fun, but by this stage, it’s rather wearisome.)

The gift from the Advent calendar at Vagrant is this red top (the Vagrant group is free to join):

The gift from Justice is a relative rarity from an SL Advent calendar: a Christmas-themed item of apparel that is not bright red or green! This shoulder-baring Skye shirt with the tied sleeves comes in this muted Christmas ornament pattern, which I find a very refreshing change. The Justice group is free to join.

Today’s gift from the 12 Days of Christmas calendar at JUMO is this stunning Arden gown in red (the JUMO group is free to join):

Finally, these last two freebies are not Advent calendar gifts, but the free Christmas gifts from my friend Solas NaGealai of BlueMoon Enterprise are so wonderful that I had to add them to this post! You will have to join the Blue Moon group for free to pick up these group gifts.

The women’s present is this gorgeous red and gold ballgown, sure to turn heads at your next Christmas gala!

And the men’s gift is the red and gold Mouse King outfit, straight out of the classic E.T.A. Hoffmann tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which includes the crown, cape, and even the boots! You can wear this outfit with or without the optional mouse head.

Happy freebie shopping!

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Free Gifts from the FaMESHed December Round!

It’s Christmas time, and many of the vendors participating in the December round of the monthly FaMESHed shopping event have Christmas gifts for you! You do need to join the FaMESHed Update Group for free to pick up all these gifts.

Here’s a look at some of the fabulous fashion freebies for female avatars. This avatar is wearing three gifts together as one outfit:

  • the sweater is the gift from COCO Designs;
  • the skirt is the gift from Safira; and
  • the boots are by L&B SWEAR.

The detail on the boots are a little hard to see in the first picture, so here’s a closeup! These winter boots are by Lapointe & Bastchild SWEAR, and they come in Frost blue, Pine green, and Merry red, in sizes to fit most brands of female mesh feet. Truly beautiful craftsmanship by Lapointe & Bastchild!

The skirt from Safira comes in two versions, either with or without a large bow at the rear, along with a HUD to change the colour of the stripe on the red skirt and the included panties to one of 23 different colours (or, if you wish, to remove the panties entirely, but Auntie Ryan is not going to show you that! 😉 …it would shock the children!).

Here my avatar is wearing the SWEAR boots in Frost blue, with the same Safira skirt as above, plus the Christmas hoodie from Giz Seorn. She’s all set for a romp in the snow (well, okay, maybe if she swaps out that miniskirt for some snowpants!):

Next up we have this Unicorn pink bodysuit by Tori Toricelli:

The gif from Scandalize is the Lizzi dress with a separate belt, which comes in a fatpack of colours!

You can also pick up some nice shoes. The Mozambique heels from Essenz come in a three-colour HUD, plus the ability to change both the colour of the sole and the metal on the cheeky little safety pin!

From Gos Shoes, there are these lovely red sandals:

And there is a metric TON of jewelry at the December round of the FaMESHed event! Here are just a few examples. First up is the lovely ornate, antique Princess necklace from Junbug, with a delicate golden chain and a light blue gemstone. Isn’t it gorgeous? I will definitely be wearing this with a light blue ballgown at my next swanky soirée!

Kunglers offers the following Doriana necklace in two versions: gold pearl (as shown below), and silver teal:

The FaMESHed gift from Glitzz is the elegant gold Amira necklace, which comes with a HUD to change the colours of the gemstones:

Next up we have the Tressa necklace and earrings from Cae, which come with a HUD to allow you to select one of six different metals, and fifteen different gemstones!

The gift from EarthStones is the lovely Devorah necklace and earrings in bloodstone:

Finally, from Supernatural we have this chic, versatile choker, which comes in either white or black, in gold or silver, and with two HUDs to change the two sets of gemstones to 35 different colours, to match any outfit!

You can also find a few menswear and home decor gifts. This charming milk can, decorated with Christmas holly and branches with red berries, is the gift from Trompe L’Oeil, and the sweater this male avatar is wearing is the gift from ELEMEN’S (it comes in blue as shown or in red, in sizes to fit the Belleza Jake and Signature Gianni male mesh bodies).

Happy freebie shopping! This round of the FaMESHed shopping event runs from December 1st to December 27th , 2020, so you’ve got plenty of time to swoop down and vacuum up all the fabulous Christmas freebies! Here’s your taxi!

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Gifts from the Valentine’s Shop and Hop Event

(“We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming…”  If you are looking for my blogposts about the Wuhan coronavirus/2019-nCoV, please click here. I am taking a one-day mental-health break from covering the situation, but I expect to be back at it tomorrow.)


This evening I wandered through the four-sim shopping mall set up for the Second Life Valentine’s Day Shop and Hop event, which runs from today, February 6th, through to February 23rd. Every one of the 80 stores participating has a free gift for visitors, of which I will show you some of my favourites.

Bumblebee

Bumblebee gives you these heart-patterned leggings, plus a L$300 credit for their store if you join their store group for free.

Trompe L’Oeil

Trompe L’Oeil offers you this stylish suede chair, with a variety of sitting animations.

Supernatural

The gift from Supernatural is this lovely Kyary necklace, which comes in gold or silver with a HUD to change the colour of the heart to six different colours: red, purple, pink, blue, black and white.

Son!a Edge

There are two delightful gifts from Son!a Edge, this gorgeous full-length pink Cannes ballgown and the Fairytale braclets, which come with a HUD with many options to change the metals, the gemstones, etc. The gown comes with a matching pink fur stole to complete the look.

Lapointe & Bastchild Swear

The gift from L&B Swear is this unisex charm bracelet.

G&D

G&D’s gift is this pair of Tisha shoes in red with gold or silver accents.

Gabrielle Hamelin

This pretty Spring Bliss dress is the present from Gabrielle Hamelin.

Lassitude & Ennui

The sexy Date Night Dress by Lassitude & Ennui comes in pink and red.

Addams

Addams has two versions of this crochet top as presents: the bright pink one is a free gift, and the light pink one is a group gift (you can join the Addams group for free).

Baiastice

Baiastice offers up this Valentine’s headpiece with a six-option HUD.

Pixicat

Pixicat’s gift is this cute tied top and matching shorts.

spectacledchic

This Hailey top and matching skirt has a 1970s feel to it!

Silvan Moon

The gift from Silvan Moon is this Ain’t Misbehavin’ pink 1920s flapper-style dress with optional beads. This dress also comes with a headband.

Altair

Altair offers a much-needed anti-Valentine’s-Day sentiment with this black sweatshirt.

Neve

This is the soft pink knit Love dress, the beautifully designed gift from Neve.

Miss Chelsea

The Mira top from Miss Chelsea comes in a trio of shades.

Ingenue

Ingenue offers the Tavi leggings in two shades of pink.

Faida

Faida offers a second dose of anti-Valentine’s sentiment with this “It’s not me, it’s you” crop top!

Aluetia

The gift from Aleutia is this pretty Eileen dress.

UC (United Colors)

UC offers this daring red Cupid dress with a semi-transparent lace skirt!

HolliPocket

HolliPocket offers up the daring Spring Fling minidress in mint green.

Valentina E

Valentina E’s gift is the Andi bodysuit in two different patterns.

Candy Kitten

Finally, we have the Valentine Badass Babygirl boots by Candy Kitten, in three different colours.