New: “Luke” male skins @ Adam n Eve
For several months now I’ve been following sachi Vixen’s line of skins for men at Adam n Eve.  This new design, named “Luke,” is her first tintable skin.  She explained in her forum announcement, “I thought it was time I made one to satisfy the customers who have asked me for it. Luke has a modifyable skintone, you can add freckles, you can be darker, lighter, red, blue or green.”  As you can see in this closeup, I’ve tweaked the appropriate slider to give myself a light scattering of freckles.  ”Luke” is available with blond (shown) or dark brow and facial hair options.  As sachi advised me (she knows my preferences so well), on the blond skin you can also adjust ruddiness and other skin tone values to work well for redheads.  I hadn’t realized how accustomed I was to seeing myself with dark eyebrows, even when I was wearing lighter colored hair.
As you can see, the torso is smooth, athletic and nicely defined, but not highly muscled.  The muscle proportions are well balanced and I think look good on my slim, not terribly pumped avatar. The abs aren’t a ripped six-pack but still show good tone and definition.  The nipples are well placed, and for a change not dime-sized–if you’re one of the many guys (and I’ve talked to you, I know you’re out there) who wonder why the nipples on men’s skins are always so small, this skin might be just what you’re looking for.
sachi’s line of skins for men showcases a wide variety of muscle tone and levels of definition, from lightly muscled as you see here to fully ripped. Â She explained, “I try to have a variety in the skins because some like very muscled, and some like a more natural, athletic look.” Â ”Luke” is a great alternative if you’re looking for a skin that’s less muscular but still healthy and fit.
“Luke” comes in two skin tones, one light and the other more tan. Â The skins are also moddable and therefore tintable across a wide range using the SL sliders. Â The skin shown here is the lighter tone, and for your reference I settled on a skin slider setting somewhere around 23. Â These skins have the same slightly matte finish I associate with tintable skins in general–not a bad thing at all, just different from the glossier finishes you’ll see on some non-tintable skins. Â I’m not a skin designer, but I suspect that this has to do with the transparency requirements for a skin to be tintable and the undesirability of having “baked-in” highlights on a tintable skin. Â I’d love to hear from any skin designers who can either confirm that I’m on the right track or point out that I’m way off base.
I myself don’t have a foot fetish (really, I swear), but sachi’s skins have always had some of the best foot detailing I’ve seen. Â We all know how clunky feet can look in SL–sachi is definitely making the most of what she’s got to work with.
“Luke” comes with five different facial hair options, including clean shaven as shown here. Â Priced at L$4000 for a pack of all facial hair options in the skin tone of your choice. Â Single skins are not available in the store, but you are invited to IM sachi for single skin prices. Â Demo packs, available for L$1, include all available facial hair options. Â One skin in the demo pack is moddable, so you can try out the tinting as well.
Available at at Adam n Eve (Genesis 192, 131, 35). Â Be sure to take a look around and check out the wide range of available skins while you’re there!
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I’ve seen this skin on a friend and have to say I don’t like it. The nostrils are poorly executed, and the eye sockets look odd. I’m really surprised you said nothing about the nostrils, Ryan. How will the artist know what to work on if you never criticize anything?
Thank you for your comments Joshua, Luke is one of 12 male skins in my store and I’m sorry to hear that you don’t like it. Often skin choice is about personal taste and we all have elements that we like and don’t like. I do hope that your friend is happier with the skin that he purchased than you are.
Hi sachi, thanks for your reply. No, he’s not happy with it, actually. Can the nostrils be modified? They really do look strange….like you forgot to make them look like holes or something. Likewise, the eyesockets look too shallow. I’m not trying to be difficult, really. It might be something that is easily fixed?
As a retailer, Joshua, I’m happy with the skin or I wouldn’t be selling it. I haven’t had any customers approach me in world with an issue with the skin. A demo is provided so that customers can try on the skin before they buy it. This is a way that they can be sure that they are happy with it before spending any lindens. I would hope that your friend tried the demo before his purchase. That might have even been a good time for him to message me with any questions about the skin.
I think the skins look nice! I don’t see anything wrong with the nostrils.
I held off responding here until I had a chance to wear and look over this skin one more time inworld. Although I can certainly see some differences between Luke’s facial features and those on other skins, I don’t see anything that I think is objectively bad. This is the reason I didn’t make any criticism of the facial features in my review. If I had had any concerns, as a courtesy I would have raised them with sachi before publishing a negative critique. This gives the designer a chance to respond or even revise the design before a final review is published. This does happen occasionally, and in general I have had good experiences with this kind of dialogue.
Of course this doesn’t mean that mine is the only valid opinion. I absolutely agree that there are features of any skin that won’t work for or be pleasing to everyone. I’ve refrained from this level of philosophizing in my more recent skin reviews, but if you look back at some of the earlier ones you’ll see where I’ve expressed (sometimes at length) my belief that our choices and preferences in skins are highly subjective and personal. I can’t possibly hope or expect that everyone will like a skin I like, or necessarily even admire the design choices that went into its creation. What I can do is point out things I like about a skin, and highlight design choices and quality work that I feel deserve attention and consideration. If anyone feels that this approach makes my skin reviews less than useful, I won’t be offended if you decide not to read them in the future. After all, they are just my opinion.
In the end, it’s up to the individual to decide what he or she likes and purchase accordingly. Demos are routinely if not always available for skins, and anyone considering a skin for purchase should absolutely try on the demo and make whatever evaluation is appropriate, to ensure satisfaction. I consider this a necessary step in the process of selecting a skin, especially as a skin is typically a major purchase and not returnable.
Keep in mind that comments posted during this “limbo” period as we make the transition to a new web host may not be here after the transition is complete, depending on just when the site snapshot is/was taken.
I think the nostrils are fine. I particularly like the freckles ^.^ Great work Sachi
Isn’t it great the way we can all have a civil discussion about our likes and dislikes on this site?
*group hug* he he he
Okay, I tried on the demo and did a careful examination of all the features, particularly the ones mentioned in Ryan’s review. I have one more comment and question, and it concerns the “well-placed” nipples. Oh dear. The nipples themselves are placed in the outside corners of the areola…is this intentional? It’s even obvious in the picture Ryan has in his review. I think nipples are generally located in the center of the areola, at least all the male nipples I’ve come in contact with…LOL. sachi?
Luke is a hybrid skin and the nipples on the skin were actually photo sourced from a real man on a royalty free images site so you’d have to ask him I’m afraid! I chose them because they were a nice size and had the look I wanted to go for on the skin.
With regard to second life, nipples have to be positioned in a certain area upon the SL avatar template (which is as default female) or they will become miss shaped and bleed. Positioning is particularly important on a modify skin because it is partially transparent so that you can modify it. I am not personally a huge fan of modify skins for several reasons relating to the default template of Sl underneath them but others do like them and ask for them. In our store we do our best to develop products that we are asked for such as a set of skins that people can modify.
As an after thought, if you have perfectly proportioned, symmetrical nipples/areola, Joshua, and would like to take a high resolution image and send it to me I’d be happy to use them on a future skin.
*As an after thought, if you have perfectly proportioned, symmetrical nipples/areola, Joshua, and would like to take a high resolution image and send it to me I’d be happy to use them on a future skin.*
roflmao!!! Come on Joshua, show us your nipples xD
Sachi said it, Ryan said it again and I will say that they said it (some say that repetition is the key to learning): always try the free/1L demo provided for you before purchase. Paying that nominal price to test out the product can save you a lot of frustration – particularly when there is a no refunds policy. Skins are a big commitment – psychologically/emotionally and financially within the context of SL. You want to make sure you end up with something that makes you feel good.
I, personally, will wear a skin demo for a long time – trying it with different hair and clothing, and asking friends what they think of it before making the plunge into purchasing. The same goes for hair.
Sometimes residents are shy or afraid to IM designers with questions about their products. Sachi doesn’t bite. She is very gracious to her (potential) customers and is open to feedback. Most in-world designers are very happy to speak to concerns about their products when they are addressed in a constructive way. Don’t hesitate to send a detailed IM or notecard and wait patiently for a reply.
So, Josh, send over those hi-res images to Miss Vixen. If you send them to Takeshi I’m afraid you may see them published in the next issue of The AvaStar.
Thanks, but no thanks. My nipples are pierced and would be useless as a photosource for a skin.
Yes, yes, I’ve been in SL for quite a while and understand the commitment of purchasing a skin. I also understand the concept of demos, and the very personal nature of a skin and the differing tastes involved in the purchase thereof.
I also think it’s reasonable to disagree with a review on a public website and hope such dissent is welcome and encouraged.
Cat: That’s what I do too with skins that I like but not too sure yet. I’d wear the demo, walk around, match with my favourite outfits for a while before buying the skin proper. Even if I looked a little silly with demo stamped all over my face.