Ophelia's Gaze: My Favorite Perfectly Imperfect SL Skins

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion

Last week I wrote about the gorgeous skins I grabbed at the Vanity Universe Skin Fair, but there's another skin-related subject that's been gnawing at me since this December post about Megan Fox's face. She's gorgeous but covered in little flaws that, as Hamlet said, "might imply she's a human being", and make her "unpublishable" without a ton of retouching. It's no surprise that in a world full of avatars trying to look more and more human these "flaws" are being embraced, and have even become a way for designers to show off the technical skill and the level of detail in their work. The vast majority of realistic skins being released tend to feature prominent pores on the face, for example, even though we might reach for the astringent if we had the same pores in reality. Pores have simply become a standard of realism in skin for many fashionistas, so what about some real imperfections?

Juliette Westerburg's skins from Tres Blah [SLurl] have a pretty perfect complexion, and a softly drawn style that makes them a favorite of artsy fashionistas. Reach for your airbrush though, photo editors, because Tres Blah skins are peppered from head to toe with various unique little moles. Though they may not be a big deal to some, others spend a lot of money covering up or removing their moles in RL. In SL, these little spots have real trend appeal.

Keep reading for more fabulously "flawed" SL skins!

Rhapzody Wilde, the designer behind Mynerva [SLurl], also has a reputation for skins with scattered moles. She's also done a lot of work with tattoo layers, including the Hundreds&Thousands freckle tattoos I'm wearing above. A lot of skinmakers now include lightly freckled versions of their skins, but Mynerva's tattoos have definitely cornered the freckle market.

Tattoo layers in general are an excellent way to add a little something special to any skin. Even the braces I'm wearing with the Tres Blah skin are a tattoo layer available at L.Fauna [SLurl].

It might seem like there are no obvious "flaws" in the Chiaki skin by Milok Hermit of Mother Goose's [SLurl], but in fact one of the signatures of Milok's work would be enough to send a celebrity diva reeling for a pair of cucumber slices and a power-nap. While baggy eyes might be an acquired taste, Mother Goose's are a great way to add a down-to-earth, natural quality to your avatar's face.

What's the ultimate aibrushable offence on celebrity skin? Without a doubt, the answer is age. Wrinkles are a Hollywood diva faux-pas, and this holds rather true in SL as well. That doesn't mean there aren't any striking skins available for mature fashionistas. My favourite aged looks are from The Wrigglesworths in Tableau [SLurl]. These skins are done in a beautifully painted style that makes the age marks stand out, without looking as harsh as more photorealistic alternatives.

There are many more "imperfect" skins out there, I've only scratched the surface. Though it can be difficult to separate the occasional mean-spirited parody item from the more serious creations, finding your own flawed face can be an incredibly rewarding experience– and will take your avatar to a whole new level of uniqueness.

 

Iris Ophelia (Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.

Comments

[Arcadian Vanalten]

Are the aged/imperfect skins available for male avvies as well?

[Iris Ophelia]

Yup, Wrigglesworths has options for the distinguished gentleman and lady alike!

[ColeMarie Soleil]

Tres blah is one of the best skin stores out there... on top of being ridiculously well priced

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

You've been noticing the return of the "Tableau Girls" and their hand drawn skins they favor, haven't you. :-)

"Tableau Girls is the term I use to describe those petite, big butted cutesy avatars that favor the kind of stuffs sold in Tableau. The spiritual descendents of Arbel, Elka, etc. as it were.

What I want is a skin that makes me look 40...but a "well kept" 40, a la Kristin Davis of SATC or Catherine Zeta Jones, or Laura Bennet of the 3rd season of Project Runway.

[Sileny]

MiaSnow makes some great older looking male skins, Arcadian, and they are fairly priced as well.

Also, Pulse recently released some "older woman" skins that are between the young and the Wrigglesworth in age, haha.

[Cajsa Lilliehook]

CronoCloud,

You might like these skins: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/DEMOs-Pulse-Skin-Alexia-Beige-50/1981516

Alexia - 50+ skins

[Iris Ophelia]

Return, did they ever go away? From Deimos to Tableau, I'd say they've been a pretty constant fashion force for at least as long as I've been in SL! Don't forget Paper Couture, and the Lovey's skin boom (even though she wasn't a Tableau-er herself).

And yeah I've been hoping for a nice middle-age skin for awhile, too. I'm hoping tattoo layers will be our saviour and someone will eventually release some subtle crows feat and/or nasolabial creases.

[Dirk Grantly]

Interesting to see this development. A while back, Avatar Island had a place that would take your own photo and turn it into a skin. I did this, photoshopped the colour ever so slightly (I always seem to show up much redder on 'film' than in RL)and wear it always as my default look. It is so close to how I look in RL it's uncanny. Sadly, I don't think that resource is there anymore.

Here's the thing though - in a world of male avis that are all tall dark and handsome, I would show up at a social sim and get a ton of attention because I looked unique and not like everyone else.

[Fogwoman Gray]

Went to the Pulse link myself. Have been looking for a non-cartoony mature avatar skin forever. A non-cartoon shape would be nice too - the slider is not good at subtle effects of gravity :)
That is a great skin, thanks for the hint.
The Elders skins all are a bit too over the top to be attractive elder lady material.

[big pogo]

can someone make skins using primbreasts too?

here is nice blog about..

http://bigboobiessl.wordpress.com/

[Lindsay]

I have a Mynerva skin, I take that back, I have 3 and a handful of her MOCK Makeup sets, they are VERY well done, Great post.