question about buying skins

Hi,
Although I've poked around the freebie bins, I've not found any skin that doesn't make me look like I've been dipped in latex paint.
While clubbing, I've seen some really wonderful colors and definition and would be prepared to spend a little to get something a bit more realistic than beige or pink.

However, it seems to me that that, in many cases, the artwork displayed on the advertisements aren't all that indicative of what's actually in the package. I therefore hesitate to spend a lot on skins or clothes - who knows what I'll end up with!

Is there a way to find out for sure how a new skin will look before putting down the money? Are there some recommendable shops that display quality images of their product? Looking for female.

most good shops will have demo skins. THey will be the exact skin, with something ugly stamped over parts of it.. those are the best way to figure out how it looks for real

Hi Brann,

Skin stores sell demos of their skins that you can try out. Look for signs with "DEMO" or "buy a demo here" the skin your interested in. Sometimes they'll charge 1L for them.
The demos will usually have some kind of printing on them to stop you from using them as your regular skins, but you'll still get a very good idea of what it looks like.

Hope that helps

So, one of the more pricey places is X2. Skins there go for about 4K and are very realistic. I have two types but to tell you the truth, I don't wear them as they are a bit to "over the top" for me (OK, I feel like a stripper in them, stop nagging me about why not already..lol). But it will give you an idea of what is out there and allow you to purchase a demo and see for yourself.

JulieAnne

Oh and for recommendations about where to shop for skins check this thread:

/327/93/218103/1.html

a lot of recommendations in there

Be sure to look at the demo long and carefully, Brann. Nearly all of the expensive skins you can buy are better than the freebies, and it's easy to be dazzled at first. Some of the expensive ones out there skimp on the details, like feet, fingernails, etc. After you live in it for a while, you may find yourself disappointed that you didn't look more carefully.

Actually that is really good advice! Check yourself from all angles as well, not just your face. Shading and highlights on your back for instance are also very important, if like me you occasionally wear a ballgown with a lowish-cut back.

I also took pictures of every demo skin I tried to compare them side by side, as opposed to trying to remember what I like about which one.

And make sure you go to someplace where you can get nude and check out the demo thoroughly that way. I love my current skin...until I get nude and realize that this here *points* could have been done a little bit better or that THAT *points* seems to have a line.

Demo demo demo

That said, I have, on the beach behind my businesses, a free box of skins. Yes, some of them are the paint on kind, but there are also a couple in there that are pretty high quality for a freebie. You may want to try that before going to the expense.

The LM is under My Picks in my profile.

If you're under 30 days old, you can pick up some pretty nice free skins from Sin Skins.

And, since I'm unable to discuss skins without mentioning Celestial Studios...demo those! Right now!

Tete a Pied is probably my second choice, and they're quite a bit less expensive.

You might also want to consider looking at the demo skins at different times of day. Sometimes what looks great with the sun at sunset can look dreadful at other times. (did someone say that already? I'm sleepy)

Also, I don't know if you have the First Look Windlight client yet, but if I was about to spend a large amount of L$'s on a skin right now I would check it out in Windlight first. The new lighting effects are going to make some things, including skins, look quite different, and from what I've heard not always an improvement for the better.

OOOH! Very good point! My current skin isn´t looking so good in Windlight!

After the 90th (it seems) required Windlight download (required to keep using Windlight), i now look like a small toad. Well, not really, but I can't get myself or the area looking correct any longer, and so stopped using Windlight.

In Windlight I look like this:


In the regular viewer I look like this:

I've bought dozens of demos over the years-- I always look at them in sunrise or sunset light, since it's a given that noon light looks horrible on all of them. I still haven't found a Windlight setting that looks as flattering as the current sunrise light.

Naughty's Zoe skins are still my favorite, but I have to put in a plug for the skins from Another Shop, made by Eloh Eliot. There are four tones, each tone gives you a pack containing eyebrow options and several makeups with and without freckles, all for just L$100. They're well made, and a great deal for anyone on a budget or buying their first designer skin.

If you can, take someone with you when you go shopping for skins. It's a little humiliating standing there in the altogether with "demo" stamped all over you, but if you have a friend who will honestly tell you that you look like crap, then it's worth it. I did that with the last skin I bought and it really helped to have a second opinion. OTOH, I am really bad at picking stuff like skins and clothes, so maybe I just need the extra help. I need someone to go shopping with so I don't embarass myself more than normal.

Edit - I don't know how new you are, so forgive me if this is too basic, but you know you can cycle through the lighting for different times of day, right? just put on the demo, then change the lighting to sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight and you'll get an idea of how the skin will look under various light conditions.

I mentioned facelights in a different thread, as I found them to be one of the best tools available to make your avi look its best. Has anyone noticed how they interact with Windlight?

Mine don't make any significant difference.

I love the FaceFX light...you can adjust the intensity, radius, color, and 'softness' with just a few clicks.

I found that the facelight did not seem to work in Windlight. Maybe I was doing something wrong.

Gala skins, on the higher scale but sooo worth every L! Try out Sirena wigs, awesome wigs which have built in face lighting you can turn on or off and many many lovely styles at a most affordable price.

Many Blessings and best wishes

I could not see any difference in Windlight with my facelight. And all my skins look bad in Windlight.. I half a dozen skins from various creators, some of the top names, and none look good under Windlight.. I consider this one of the real showstoppers for Windlight.. I guess the men won't care that much, but I think most of the women are going to be like me and just hate the "new look"..

Pretty skies are nice, and so are water reflections, but that means nothing if now I look like some sort of creature!!! I did a quick test this last weekend, I have about 30 demo skins, a few from every top designer... Not a single one looked good under Windlight.. Not one!!! So I don't think there is much the skin creators are going to be able to do about it, even if we were all willing to buy new skins.

Even if we can tweak the settings in Windlight to let us look a little better, that will not matter, because I know everyone else will be using the default settings and see this "creature" not me.. I guess I will have to get a veil and just hide my face when it rolls live..

Same here

Agreed! I don't know if there's a JIRA issue related to that-- if there is, someone please post it!-- but it drives me nuts. That's the single biggest reason why I'd rather have Windlight remain an option, not a mandatory upgrade. The default sunrise and sunset light in Windlight is much too dark and orangey-- it's totally lost that lovely flattering light that I prefer for taking pictures. I keep trying presets for the sky, and none of them is very flattering. The ones that are close are usually too bright or too orange. Windlight is beautiful for landscapes, but I really wish someone would spend more time duplicating the current sunrise and sunset light!

Check Second Skin. Pretty high priced but are quite good in all lighting conditions. The feature I like the most on Second Skins is they "customizable". The customization is a little complicated when you read the notecard but in reality it's quite easy because the creator will contact you via IM wiithin a day for clarification and suggestions. When you buy the skin you get a really niice looking skin with very detailed shading in the correct places to make your avatar look as reaslistic as possible in SL. But you won't get some "bits" that many want for their skins (pubic hair, nail polish, etc), Each "customized" feature you add to your skin will cost you 100 lindens each (there is a minium charge of 300 lindens so you might as well go for more.......in fact the creator will suggest just that instead of merely taking your one choice and taking the full 300 lindens. Rather nice in my opinion). There is a pretty extensive list of "upgrades" with corresponding pictures and demos. All the upgrades are matched perfectly to whatever skin tone and style you happen to have bought. And they are also modifible so you can tweat your tone a little, even apply some realistic looking freckles if you please.

Expect to pay 3000 lindens for your basic skin plus 100 (remember the minium though) for any modification. But, if you are looking for a guinunely great skin I don't think you can do better anywhere in SL. Of course the above statement is entirely my personal opinion. But you would not be doing yourself a service if you did not at least check them out to see for yourself.

And another place that has absolutely great skins at a competitive price go look at Adam n Eve. Great skins at a reasonable price.

I recently went skin buying again and I went to a lot of stores. Almost all of them have demos. Be wary of ones that don't. Most demos are either free or L$1 so bring some change. Anyways I went off to an empty sim and started trying them all on. You really must try them completely naked. You are buying more than just the face. There were some skins that I immediately liked and some that made me cringe. For the ones I liked I took a picture so I could compare them side by side later on. I wouldn't use price to pick your skin... pick what you like.

If you want your avatar to look better in Windlight, go to
https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-3125 and vote. The battle still rages there, and there are only 29 votes in favor.