Men’s Corner: Skins and hair

January 9th, 2008 at 12:26pm Ryan Darragh

In Second Life we have the opportunity to express ourselves, via our avatars, in ways that may not be easily accessible to us or even possible in real life.  Designer clothing may be daily wear for us in SL, while in real life it’s a luxury that may or may not be possible for us.  Changing our skins and hair, though, is a different story—neither quick nor easy in real life, but a matter of a few simple clicks in SL.  This issue’s theme is “The Body,” and in this column I want to share with you designs by a few of my favorite skin and hair designers–some new, some old favorites, some you might not have heard of, but I think all are doing great work.

One of my favorite skins in every aspect is “Antonio,” by Funk Schnook.  When checking out a skin, I find that I always look first at the face, and I love the way Antonio’s feature detailing (including all the facial hair choices, which are very well done) works on my avatar.  Two levels of muscle definition are available, and I remember Funk being a little surprised that he felt the skin worked well on my slim shape, as he had designed it with more “built” shapes in mind.  Here you see the less-defined in the Pale skin tone, with the Stubble with Soul Patch facial hair option.  L$1850 for a single skin, or L$4500 for a four-pack; demos available in the store.  Available in four tintable skin tones and a variety of facial hair and makeup options at FNKY! (FNKY Cake 136, 69, 24).

Tami McCoy is one of my favorite hair designers, and here I’m wearing her “Hawk II” style—a little less restrained than some of her men’s line, and a lot of fun.  A true Mohawk style (as opposed to this fauxhawk), called “Hawk,” is also available.  Tami’s hair textures are beautifully done, and this Wine color is rich and bright.  Another of my all-time favorite styles is Tami’s “Modern.”  Tami’s styles are priced at L$199 each (demos L$1) and are available in a variety of colors at Hair Styles by Tami McCoy (Dixie 89, 89, 23).

The “Jack” skin by Posy Trudeau is nicely detailed, but rather than being highly photorealistic it has a soft, almost velvety feel.  This in combination with its noticeable dimples gives it a wholesome “boy next door” quality.  In addition to clean-shaven and a variety of facial hair options, a selection of “novelty” skins is also available.  Here you see the “Fight” variation, which looks pretty well beat up, with a black eye, bloodied nose and various body abrasions.  I think “Jack” is a great skin, but at just L$500 for single skins, it’s also a great bargain (don’t tell Posy I said that).  You can pick up free demos in the shop.  Available in two skin tones (Pale and Tan) at Flesh Peddlers (Maggiore 159, 182, 601).

I’m also wearing the “Common” hair style by hiko Nino.  hiko has a relatively small collection of hair styles out at his shop, but they’re all fun casual styles, some with a more obvious anime influence, all with hair textures that walk the line between realism and stylization.  “Common” is one of hiko’s newer styles; another of my favorites is the tousled, boyish “Nekoge,” which has a very carefree, youthful feel.  L$100 for a single color, or L$300 for a pack of all colors; demos are L$1.  Available in a variety of colors at Happy Dispatch (HappyDispatch 154, 23, 25).

Similar in approach to ”Jack” but quite different in execution is the “Hunter” skin by Sezmra Svarog, part of her Entice for Men line.  Although both designers intentionally go for a soft look rather than detailed photorealism, I think that Posy’s “Jack” represents something of a realistic ideal, while I find Sezmra’s skins to be more stylized and glamorous.  This is the Espresso tone, for my money one of the most appealing darker skins around.  The Entice for Men line also includes “David,”  which has lighter torso musculature.  L$1000 for a single skin, or L$2200 for sets of three.  Available in a variety of tintable skin tones and facial variations (including facial hair, makeup and age lines) at Nora BodySkins & Fashions (Sonata 197, 63, 30).

The hair style I’m wearing is “Chad” by Aleri Darkes.  For some time now I’ve been a fan of Aleri’s hair designs, which run the gamut from dressy to casual to wild and back again.  In addition to introducing some new styles, she recently reworked her line with all-new colors and hair textures, so if you have an old favorite, it now has a fresh new look.  The color I’m wearing here is delightfully called “Snickers.”  L$175 for four-color packs, or L$1000 for the all-colors “Mega Pack”; demos are free.  Available at the new Diversity Hair store location (Addictive 99, 184, 22).  Diversity also offers free hair for new residents and a selection of L$1 “bargain” styles.

The new “Vivant” skin by CJ Carnot is a lightly muscled skin that I think works especially well for slim avatars.  The facial features are finely detailed, and the overall coloring is even and realistic rather than stylized, with subtle highlighting and shading.  I’m wearing it here in the Buff tone and Clean Cut, with no facial hair.  At just L$500 for single skins, this is another quality skin at a bargain price.  Demos are L$1 in the shop.  Available in a variety of skin tones and facial hair styles at the new Tete a Pied shop (Fleur 219, 215, 22).  Tete a Pied also offers a set of skins at no charge to new residents.  (Roslin Petion and CJ Carnot are interviewed in the current issue of Second Style Magazine [Issue #15]; the interview begins on page 80.)

Relatively although not brand-new to hair design is Truth Hawks, and I’m wearing his “Kensei” style here.  This is a gorgeous longer style, carefully controlled rather than casually shaggy, and realistically flexi at the tips.  Truth’s line of hair styles is expanding rapidly, with new designs pretty much every week.  L$100 for a single color, or L$1000 for a “Fat Pack” of all colors; demos are free.  Available at TRUTH (Sweet Sorrow 106, 121, 26).

For something a little less conventional, consider the “Uchi II” skin by Disembodied Hand.  This is a well detailed skin, with nicely defined musculature and strong features.  In addition to a variety of unusual facial hair options (including the “Chops” style shown here), the facial features and body detailing on the different skin tones are also unique.  Dis says, “The Asian [skin] has slight modification to the face and body, to fit more of the ethnic features.  The body isn’t as toned, because Asians don’t naturally tone the way white people do unless they train like Bruce Lee, or at least that’s what I heard from a friend who convinced me to do an Asian skin.  The dark skin also has a few broadened features, cheekbone difference, etc. I tried to avoid having all the skins look like white guys with different skin.”  Here I’m wearing the Tan skin tone with Chops facial hair and steampunk-cogs face tattoo.  All skins in the line include eyeliner makeup.  L$900 for single skins, or L$1500 for two-packs; demos are free.  Available in five skin tones at Steam Powered Industries (bel Drift 144, 231, 647).  (These skins are currently on sale at 50% off the regular price at the main SPI shop linked here, but this sale is of limited and indefinite duration–so shop now!)

The hair is “Sway” by Jesseaitui Petion.  I like Jesse’s styles a lot—they have a laid-back, casual vibe that’s completely in tune with the surfer-guy feel that characterizes much of Jesse’s clothing line.  I’m a sucker for Jesse’s reds, as I think the color and texture are fantastic, but here I’ve chosen Black with bleached highlight, to go better with the skin.  I’ve joked before how helpful it is that his head is about the same size as mine, which minimizes my fitting time.  L$175 for a single color; demos are L$1.  Jesse’s styles are available at Aitui (Aitui 170, 151, 23).

Yukimaru Koba’s “ML020″ skin is the first I ever bought for the face alone, and I think it was well worth the purchase, but the body detailing is also well done.  The facial features are identifiably Japanese, even on my usual shape, and the skin coloring and detailing are consistent with this intent.  Yukimaru’s skins come with scalp hair only, so you might want to try your favorite styles with the demo as some may not work well with this skin or may require adjustment.  The package also includes an eyebrow shape, which I am wearing, and a suggested body shape, which I am not.  L$500 for a single skin; demos are L$1.  Available in a variety of skin tones at Z#road Men’s Shop (Ikebukuro 184, 240, 21).  While you’re there, check out Yukimaru’s hair styles as well.

Here I’m wearing Aemilia Case’s new “Indy” hairstyle.  I think the dark-red Ruby color works well with this skin’s coloring, and the two-tone color layering gives it a look that in this context could be anime-inspired.  Aemilia has designed dozens of great styles for men and women alike and is regularly releasing new ones.  L$150 for single colors, or L$1200 for the “Shabang Pack” of all colors; demos are free.  Available at Philotic Energy (Imogen 53, 32, 54)–newly redesigned shop, same great location!

Unfortunately, it’s simply not possible to mention all the great skin and hair designers out there—I could go on for days.  In any case, these are such highly subjective and personal choices that what works well for me may well not work at all for you.  All I can do here is tell you about some designers who are doing what I think is great work.  Also, check through our past skin reviews and notices of new releases for other possibilities.  Now it’s up to you to go shopping (oh, the horror), try on some demos, and find the look that’s right for you!

This is an expanded version of the Men’s Corner column originally published in Second Style Magazine (Issue #15).

Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: Some | Friends List: Some

Notes: On Ryan: Vivid Natural Eyes by Miriel Enfield (Miriel). Jeans by Tsubasa Ferraris (Endeavor).

Entry Filed under: Aitui,Diversity Hair,FNKY!,Flesh Peddlers,Fleur / TaP,Hair,Happy Dispatch,Nora,Philotic Energy,Skins,Steam Powered Industries,TRUTH,Tami McCoy,Z#road,[Men's Corner]