Close-Up: Pearly Whites

About a year and a half ago, CJ and I started Tête à Pied for no other reason than my desire for more complex, nuanced makeup, red brows, which at the time were pretty much unheard of, and maybe even earn us enough money to help CJ out with tier and me with my shopping habit. It amazes me how much Second Life and Tête has changed since then. Content creators have come and gone, there is more than one brand that has been born and experienced huge growth in half the time that we've been around.

Normally, I tend to keep my blog posts rather dry, professional, impersonal. It's hard for me to speak from the heart in such a public way but I am so overwhelmed by the experience of this putting out our Vivant line that I'm compelled to bare just a little bit more of myself. I don't want to come across as someone acting the part of of the pretentious artist, but I think we have grown so slowly because we see Tête à Pied as a means of expression and personal creativity first, and a business second.

I can't help but feel it's time to really drive home what we are about: quality, craftsmanship, integrity. I am really proud to say that our skin stands up to the closest scrutiny. While no skin can be to everyone's personal taste nor work perfectly with every avatar shape, we believe that after hours of testing and comparison, Vivant matches up with the best Second Life has to offer. It exhibits hundreds of hours of hard work and years of skill. Vivant is the combination of CJ's years of experience with photo shop and my life-long love affair with makeup. Not so long ago, I worked in cosmetics and I've always been passionate about it. More than any other line we've done in the past, Vivant is about that love. I spent weeks researching & creating makeup looks and still more weeks with CJ discussing and implementing the technical execution of these looks. Each look is unique, many with features (like a specific kind of liner) that are specific to that makeup look alone.

We have had amazing feedback from bloggers, friends, customers, and other content creators. CJ and I would like to thank all of you for your recognition and compliments. We have had so much great coverage but there are a lot of details and subtle improvements that many might have not noticed so from time to time, I will highlight them here. Today it will be our teeth. For our Vivant line, we wanted to make sure that we didn't neglect a single feature and with photography loving fashionistas on the rise, we couldn't help but notice some not so picture perfect smiles. We were guilty of it ourselves, the first picture is our old teeth, the default Linden teeth. As you can tell in the old picture, the default teeth have a gray cast to them and the bottom of them is uneven. I didn't take a picture but the tongue is a bit too bright red to look natural. Our new tongue is a more natural shade and our teeth are brighter, whiter, straighter, and model perfect.




Now onto your sneak peek....

For those of you that were wondering, yes, we are continuing our Calendar Girl series but with the new Vivant skin range. Expect the release to come out in a day or two. For now, you will have to be content with a look at one of the 3 makeups we will release with our septembre outfit. This is septembre 1 in out buff skin tone. As it often happens, the outfit was designed first and the makeup was created to coordinate with it. Sometimes the makeup idea comes from a specific photograph or image but this month I just played around a bit until I found something that was pleasing to the eye. I wanted just a hint of a cat's eye to the liner to give a nod to hint of period influence in the outfit but I wanted to keep it fresh and contemporary. This is where the color comes in. Die-hard Tete fans might notice that the little tail on the cats eye is in a different spot than usual, it arises from the lower lid. I saw that style on a french blog when doing research for the line. If I ever manage to find the link again, I will gladly post it. She had a whole section on just cat's eyes and it was amazing the variety that is possible.

Vivant Release

Our new shop is finally open to the public and stocked with our new skin range. Vivant is a hybrid skin range that is available in 16 distinct makeup looks with 3 variations each. That's 16 looks, 48 makeups, 6 skin tones, 288 skins in all. Best of all, at just 500 for a single and 1200 for a 3 pack our skin is now affordable enough to change as often as you do your outfit. More than ever before, Tête à Pied is about the makeup. A few other important points, our brows our mod in appearance and we have created a range of free pre-made brows for your conveinance. They are located on the side wall. We have also created matching pubic hair in the form of panties. This allows us to have a variety of free pubic hairstyles and colors. The colors can be changed in appearance under underwear.I do plan on discussing a bit more about our journey and going a bit more in-depth in sharing our inspiration for different looks but for now I wanted to just briefly sum up the most important information.

Less than 24 Hours Left!

Just a quick note to those of you not in the Tete group, the sale ends sometime after 10 AM PDT and the shop will be closed to the general public until Monday when we will release our new line. This is your last chance to buy any of those skins as they will be removed FOREVER. The shop will be open on Sunday for an INVITE ONLY preview party extended just to the Tete group, personal friends, and bloggers. Group enrollment is by invite only until AFTER the party. Anyone who has received an invite and is not in the Tete group, please IM me for an invite or you will not be able to attend the party.

The Beginning of the End

It has been nearly a year since we came our with our current range of skins. As you may already know, CJ and I have been working on the new line for a few months now and the time to release them is drawing near. We will be removing the old range to make room for the new and have decided to offer the skins at a really low cost. Singles are just 200 and 4 packs, 500. I think it just may be the best deal going on the grid right now.
I would also like to take the time to thank everyone who has sent in notecards and shapes to help us prepare for the new line. We can't possibly make everyone happy and there is no way to make a skin that looks great on every shape and at the same time, doesn't make everyone look like a close but that said, I think we've made our most appealing skin to date. While working on Vivant, we have kept both the compliments and the criticisms in mind and we both hope that you all will be as happy with the results as we are.

Août is Out!

Our August addition to the Calendar Girl series is a sweet little suit in seersucker. I seriously adore seersucker, a fabric I find to be both elegant and casual, not to mention a great warm weather fabric. Each suit comes with a fitted cropped jacket, short pleated prim skirt, and trousers. The sets are available in four pastel shades of pink, yellow, green, and blue.

Now we also have some good and bad news in regards to the skin. There will be no skin in the Calendar Girl release but that's because we are busy with a brand new skin range and we decided against selling our soon to be retired skin with it. The good news is that those of you who are eager to see what the skins look like will get a peek since I am wearing it in our août ad.

A Little Update

For those of you wondering how things are progressing on our new skin line, I thought I would fill you in. We finally do have a name-Vivant. We haven't yet set a date for release. The plan is to create makeups until I cry uncle and drop from exhaustion and then it should take us a week or two after that to sort out vendors and pictures.

We would also like to take this time to thank everyone for submitting their suggestions and shapes, both have been very helpful to us. We haven't drawn a winner, we are going to wait until just before the release to do so. Anyone who has an idea for a makeup they would like to see, please drop a picture or link on a notecard titled, "Makeup Suggestion" and drop it on Roslin Petion. It needs to be a pretty close up shot, at least from neck up in order for me to get a clear idea of how the look was created. The bigger and clearer the image, the better chance you have of seeing it on a Tête skin.

In other news, July is almost over which means out with juillet and in with août. As usual, the skin will be gone forever but the clothing will stay. Seeing how search is borked, AGAIN, I thought I would include our slurl:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/nouveau/201/164/21/

Check Out SLShopper

I just thought I'd share this with you all, both shoppers and content creators alike.
I must admit that when Cristiano Midnight asked us to try out his new pet project, SLShopper , I balked. I am a bit of a flake when it comes to anything remotely technical but with some gentle coaxing and hand holding, he managed to convince me to give it a go and I'm so glad I did. Placing an ad is as easy as posting in the forums, just a few extra fields to fill. After placing a few ads, I timed myself and even when I take my time to provide a thorough description, the whole process only took me 3 minutes. What's really great about it, besides the ease of use, is that it lists slurls so you can go straight to that product in world. It also allows you comment to the creators and save ads.

Juillet Release

I'm madly in love with the Boho look. No, that is not so two seasons ago. Actually, the boho look is one that will never die. It's as old as the concept of the bohemian itself, just constantly recycled from season to season with less or more popularity. I could do a little citing for you all but I'm sick so you will have to conduct research on your own or just take my word for it. La longue vie le regard de Bohème! Or long live the bohemian look. I hope at least that's what I said. I did just barely pass my two semesters of French. I also am in love with Lucas Lameth's Boho jewelry. With Miriel Enfield and Jackal Ennui as sim mates, it takes a lot to impress this girl but he's managed to do it. When creating this look, we kept his jewelry in mind. You can see it in the ad picture.

Anyway, summer lends itself so well to that look, long flowing skirts, sandals, gauze shirts. At the same time, summer makes me also think of backyard bbq's with Susie homemakers in crisp cotton dresses. It's a bit of a dichotomy there, the wild bohemian and the perfect, prim housewife.... but isn't modern living about that? I think this month's release should please those complicated modern women on the grid. The Indian block print fabric, color palette, and neckline are earthy and free-spirited while the dress is so 50s- fitted bodice with full skirt. The outfit also comes with a 50s staple, the capri pant. Really, what more could every woman want? And of course, once again, CJ did a lovely job in executing the design. Nary a stray pixel. This man is amazing.

The makeup for Juillet adheres to the same spirit of the outfit. Barely there, nude lips with a bit of light gloss balanced by a more dramatic eye in earthy shades of red and brown. The touch of 50's comes from the rich chocolate brown cat's eye liner. The release can be found at our main store in Nouveau or our satelite shop at the Promenade.

Last Day to Enter Contest

Just a gentle reminder and something of an update. First of all, for those who have not discovered this yet, the skin shop is now empty, all of the skins have been moved over to the new white boutique. So no more confusion or needless walking. It's all in one spot.

Next up, a reminder to those who are interested, today, is the last day for submissions to enter to win a set of skins from the new range. For details, please refer to my last post. So far, the feedback has been really helpful, especially when people were very specific and careful to offer constructive criticism. Based on what we've read so far, we are confident that we are moving in the right direction. We do plan on keeping the current Tete line around, maybe even add some makeups to it from time to time. So for those of you hate change, you should be happy. I can't wait to share the new skins with everyone.

Want a Chance to Win a Full Range of Skins?

It's long overdue, a new range of Tete a Pied skins. It's been almost a year since we released our last complete range so we decided to have a contest to get feedback on our current line and also get access to shapes to try it out on. To enter the contest, all you have to do is drop off your shape on Tap Shepherd in a folder marked "Tete Skin Test" with a notecard that includes answers to the following:

Your Name:

Skins You Wear Most Often(including other brands):

Most Important Qualties for a Skin To Have:

What You Want Changed About Tete Skin:

What You DON'T Want Changed in Tete Skin:

Any praise or criticism on the following features in Tete skin:
1. eyebrows:
2. makeup:
3. lips:
4. nose:
5. skin tone
6. genitals
7. breasts

Additinal Options You Would Like Included (ex: free lashes, free nails, etc):

Any Other Comments:. You will be entered in a drawing to win to take place before the release of the new skins. Tell your friends that non-group members can enter too!

The shapes will not be used in any sort of promotion. It's for our own personal use, just to make sure the skins look good on a variety of people. The deadline is July 28. The drawing will be random. If you don't have the permissions on your shape, you can still enter but be sure to fill out the notecard.

Juin Calendar Girl In Stores

I'm about to go out into the big bad real world but I thought I would do a quick post to announce the new addition to the calendar girl series. I don't know why I didn't think of the obvious....June bride. I don't even know exactly where the inspiration came from but there it was....hey CJ, how about a dirndl? There is something sexy and feminine about them, especially our version. The lacing, the off the shoulder shirt, the flared little skirt, all a bit saucy but still kind of innocent. The makeup I created is a great example of how the change of hue can make the same exact makeup go from sweet to having a bit of edge. Anyway, as always, the skins are available for just this month. Both can be found in our new shop, the white boutique down the way from our greenhouse skin shop.

More Love

Sale is over but we do have a teeny tiny, itty bitty update. We made the Love All dress in two more colors, a sort of melon like pink and a nice deep blue. No pictures because I'm much to lazy :-P

Just Some Friendly Reminders

Our big 50% off sale is running for just 1 more hour, after that, vendors get set back to full price. So if you haven't had a chance to, check out the new store that we have opened down the way from our skin shop. It's a big tall white building, you can't miss it. All the new clothing on the left side of the shop, the shoes, and my new shapes on the floor above are all on sale.

And for those of you who have wondered what yours truly sounds like, now is your chance. I was a guest host on the newest episode of SecondCast. It was great fun and I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as I did recording it.

It's All About the Timing

If you haven't had a chance to visit the new shop in Nouveau, now is the perfect time. You can take advantage of our great sale on all our newest items. Our new clothing, shoes, and my brand spanking new shapes, are all 50% off. The sale ends Monday, 11pm SLT. In addition to the 6 new shapes, we've added two more colors to the disc sandals, citrus and blue.

I don't like to toot my horn too much but I am especially excited about my new shapes as I have spent the past few months making shapes for various development companies in SL and I feel that experience has really improved my skills. My shapes include brow base to get your brows looking just like the picture, as well as a dress shape to save you the trouble of having to make one. But the best part is, they are mod and copy so you can make any adjustments you may feel like you need to personalize your shape. Hope to see you all at the sale!

I'll Probably Be Late to My Own Wedding Too

So technically, our new line up was released over 24 hours ago but by the time we finished getting things going, I just didn't want to be bothered blogging. Grazia over at Second Style Fashionista has already posted about our new line. I could go into detail about the process, it took months, stolen moments between our regular skin updates and custom AV jobs. I could discuss the painful process, heated arguments, late nights, but I'll spare you all. And I'm not going to bother putting up ads you can see on the forums or some other blog. Nope, I am going to praise the beauty of the new store. Located just a few meters down from our main shop is our new department store. CJ outdid himself this time, I really believe it. He manages to keep things simple, elegant, but posh. I drowned him in pictures of the amazing Biba department store from the 60s and 70s and he managed to convey a lot of that lux, slightly bohemian spirit in our new shop. Anyway, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Feast your eyes on this.

Sail Into Mai

OK, so it is a little late but please forgive us, we've had one crazy month. Our custom AV work has kept us very busy bees but we haven't forgotten our Calendar Girls Series. This month's release is jam packed with goodies. Inspired by a big Spring 2007 trend, the nautical look, should be part of every self-respecting fashionista's wardrobe. Our outfit comprises of a saucy little navy blue mini dress with matching bathing suit options, all of them accented by a jaunty little ribbon and anchor charm.

Of course, as always our monthly release does include a limited release skin. Since the outfit just screamed classic pin-up girl, I thought I'd create a skin that compliments it, bright red lips and a classic cat's eye liner, total 50's glam.

A Plea to Hair Fair Visitors

I was really looking forward to checking out the hair fair, hopefully discover some new creators, mingle with old friends, make some new. But I can't because some people find it necessary to wear ball gowns and bling. After trying literally ALL day to get into the hair fair, I finally made it about an hour ago. I have a brand spanking new computer, upgraded fancy shmancy graphnics card, no other attachments except my 10 prim hair, no AOs, particles on naught, draw distance at 96, local lighting shiny and pretty much all the bells and whistles turned off or as low as possible. I couldn't move, at all. I know there were a lot of people but I've attended events frequented by a lot of people in the past and I know that if you are a responsible attendee, you can cut down on lag. There were people with super primmy hair, jewels, tails, ears, totally ridiculous number of prims. Maybe they have some insanely amazing computer, good for them. But really, it's a bit selfish to run around a busy sim like that as if it were an empty sim. So PLLEASSE, pretty please with cherries on top, people, help everyone to enjoy the experience better by sacrificing a little of your vanity for both the pleasure of the other hair fair visitors and your own.

Because of some big projects, CJ and I had to leave the Shopaholics RFL team but I still want to support them whenever I have a chance to. So guys, when you get bored of the insane lag over at the hair fair, check out the date auction. Some fabulous people are on the block!


On Saturday, April 7, 2007 at 12 PM SLT you can add the ultimate designer accessory to your ensemble: The Designer.

Join the Shopaholics Relay for Life teams in a spirit of good-natured frivolity on the beautiful island sim of Nuku Hiva (secondlife://Nuku%20Hiva/128/128/) in a landmark event where 10 or so of SL's high profile designers and content creators will be date auctioned to aid in raising funds for the American Cancer Society.

Dress in your best luau beachwear and bring your wallets to snag a a once-in-a-second lifetime opportunity to spend a few hours to get to know your favorite designer personally.

So far the following designers have confirmed their participation:

Aradia Dielli – Perfect Image
Blaze Columbia – Blaze Fashions
Canimal Zephyr – Canimal
Colleen Desmoulins - The Loft
Digit Darkes – X3D Apparel
Forseti Svarog – Figments
Lucas Lameth- Earthtones Boutique
Isabella Sampaio – L'Oréal Paris Spokesmodel
Pushbutton Skolnick – Pushbutton Industries
Shai Delacroix – Casa del Shai
Truth Hawks – TRUTH

... and we might have a couple of other surprises for you.

Our DJ Sean Clancy will be taking your requests for the hottest tunes and after the auction you are welcome to stay and dance til your feet hurt.

All proceeds to benefit the American Cancer Society. See http://www.slrfl.org/ for more information on Relay for Life in Second Life.

For more information please contact Grazia Horwitz or Ryan Darragh in world.

Celebrate Spring

The birds are chirping, the air is warming, flowers have begun to...well kind of flower, a little. It's SPRING and it's April, or to our French friends, avril. We've whipped up a flirty little number to celebrate avril, a graphic print short dress with matching cardigan. We kept this month's release a bit simple because we have a whole bunch of other projects that are requiring a lot of our time. The good thing is though, we can price it so reasonably since it's just a 3 piece outfit.





The outfit is available in peony and hyacinth and we've also created a limited release skin to coordinate with the dresses. Our avril skin is available in all 10 skin tones, including red brows with freckles. As always, the skin is in limited release, which means you have just a month to buy! I hope you all enjoy it.

Update and Randomness

Let me get this out first....

Woo hoo and yay. I consider these to be lady like long. Very classic, 40's-50's inspired length and shape. They were fashioned after the very lovely Dita Von Teese, a modern day burlesque queen. In three of the nail sets, I left the moon of the nail bare which I learned is a very old school style manicure from Dita. CJ and I have been kept very busy lately, averaging one custom AV a week for the past month or so. The experience has been very challenging and rewarding for the two of us. But as I've been spending so much time in the skin and shape of middle aged men, I've been CRAVING some glamor. I hope to get my hands on some of the good stuff soon.