SL Fashion Tips: 6 Tricks for Getting the Perfect Fit with Mesh (and Prim) Eyelashes

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Although I love a basic pair of tattoo lashes for day-to-day wear in SL, nothing beats the crispness and dramatic effect of a pair of mesh or prim eyelashes. Attachment-based eyelashes have been a staple of fashion in Second Life for more than 5 years now, if you can believe it, and the variety of lashes available has exploded. One thing hasn't changed at all, though. From plain prims to sculpties and now to mesh, eyelashes can a huge pain-in-the-ass to fit. 

Luckily I've got a few tips to share, whether you're a vamp-lashed veteran or a bare-lidded amateur. Starting with:

Prep your avatar

Take off your hair, glasses and anything else that might get in the way. Put on a skin with as little eye-makeup as possible, and wear an alpha layer that will hide your default lashes (if you don't have one, you can pick up this set of super versatile alphas on the marketplace for L$10.) If you're able to see where your lashes end and your skin begins, you can get a tighter fit.

Look from the Side

Put your lashes on and right click to edit them. Make sure your lashes aren't floating in front of your eyelids -- try to get them as close as possible. From the side, the alpha covering your default lashes may clip with the mesh, but don't worry too much about this glitch as it's usually unnoticeable from the front.

Edit Linked Parts

Select the "Edit Linked" checkbox in the Edit window, which will let you manipulate each piece individually. Most mesh (and prim) lashes are made up of four separate pieces (even though one or two piece lashes are possible) so that you can fit the upper and lower lashes easier by using Edit Linked.

Move and Rotate

Move each piece until it's more or less lined up with the edges of your eye, starting from the outer corner. If they're still a bit off, rotate them so the follow the shape of your eye as closely as possible. If your avatar's eyes are much larger or smaller than normal you may need to resize your lashes as well, but this isn't something I find myself needing to do very often.

Fine Tune

If you want fuller-looking lashes, wear a skin with eyelashes already on the texture, or a set of tattoo-layer eyelashes, to add more emphasis to your eyes. If you want a more natural lash-line, leave a narrow gap between the base of your lashes and the inside of the eye to imitate the waterline. If you're still self-conscious about the fit of your lashes, dark eyeliner can hide trouble spots and make the eyelash to eyelid transition look more blended and natural.

Find the Style that Suits You Best

If you're looking for a good starter set, I love Suetabulous Yootz's mesh lashes from Beetlebones (check them out on the Marketplace here.) I like more understated styles like these Dainty Eyelashes, but the set comes with quite a few ultra-dramatic pairs as well. I'm a huge fan of Sue's work with SL mesh (I even wrote about her latest creation last week), and while her lashes are an absolute must-have in my book, there are plenty of others available too. Shop around, test them out, and find the style that suits you best. Only then will your lashes truly be a perfect fit.

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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

[dandellion Kimban]

Oh yes! Glad to know that prim eye-lashes are still the essence of femininity in second life. :)

[Bertique]

Great tutorial, thanks for sharing!