Naughty Groupies that cannot stand any critical comment on their skin of choice... please skip this post. I've been taking a very close (ctrl 0) look at this skin and I can't help it, I see flaws.
Zoe is Naughty Designs latest skin. Released in spring 2007. I bought a bunch of them. But Phoebs.... you just said you found flaws on Zoe? Right, but you know... some skins have one or two features that "make up" for ever flaw or less gorgeous part you might discover. In Zoe’s case, it’s the face, the make up. I love the high cheekbone shading and if I were a guy... I would gladly die to kiss those lips. Yep, I admit, Zoe is a skin I spent a lot of money on just for the face.
Face: Zoe is moddable, you can adjust the skin tone to your preference. I opted for the lightest version on the Original skintone with the Smokey Rose make up. The eyebrows are not adjustable. They are extremely well groomed, and as stated in previous posts, I would love them to be a little more au naturel than the way ther are right now, but it fits the slick model/socialite make up, which gives you that bit of a languid been-there-done-that look.
One of the complaints you often hear about ND skins is that the shading is so strong that every avie that wears it looks like a ND clone. Personally I don’t think that is entirely true. If that would be the case, then why does ND’s Paris looks so awesome on some avs, but totally drag queen on my avie? Grins, side jump..... back to Zoe. The shading on the nose is good. No wonder that a lot of SL models use ND skins a lot, it makes your nose pretty perfect and as said... that mouth.... it’s the unique selling point of this skin.
Litterally for me I’m afraid. Although I hardly ever go out without hair, I hate to be forced to wear it. And with Zoe I do, because the scalp is like a quilt. Seams everywhere. And if that were the only visible seams, well.. too bad... wear a wig, but also on the rest of the body there are visible seams where the templates meet.
Torso: I do love the pronounced collar bones on Zoe, and the breasts are totally ok, even if they have a bit of a silicone look to me... they are just too round, too perky to be real. With the same shape, other skins I wear don’t have this effect on the boobs, so it must be the shading. Amby once wrote in a comment that the rib cage was inspired by her own one and although personally I like a bit fuller look to a skin, I can live with this because of the gorgeous face. Same goes for the kitty. I don’t think it’s attractive at all, but I’m not considering going to the nude beach with it, so other than for review’s sake, I won’t have to expose it, ever. Again, in a comment I read Ambyance said it was made this outspoken by popular demand, dunno.... but why is a designer pussy so popular in RL these days? To make it all neat and girly instead of, excusez le mot, a slit like this. Luckily it comes with a non shaven version too, the shaven one is too much for me.
/rant off. I do like the back of the torso, and especially the J-Lo like butt.
Arms & Legs: except from some minor seams issues, (yeah I know, I am being anal, but once I find a flaw in a skin that is considered among the best and most popular in SL, I can’t help myself to be extra critical. People spend a lot of money on these skins, and I think it would be good customer service to avoid flaws like this in the first place) the arms and legs are ok. There is not much detailing to them, but the knees are quite good, and the feet are not bad at all. A bit of shading indicates an elbow, but it is just the slightest hint. The nails look good, but a bit too white for my own taste.
Ermm.. so much criticism... and still I bought “a whole bunch of them”? You bet I did. As said, the make ups on Zoe are awesome, and they work very well on photos, which I take a lot. Besides, a little skin freak like me cannot do without a fair selection of skins from the main manufacturers in SL. After all, Naughty Designs did make the first really sophisticated photo sourced skin and that does give them a special place among the skin makers of SL. A single (shaven and unshaven) of Zoe sells at L$ 1400. A 4-pack is a better deal at L$3500.
Naughty Designs is located on Naughty Island .
1 comment:
The strong shading on Naughty skins is the number one reason why I will never buy one. It's personal preference but the face comes out looking too angular and too....something - snooty maybe, for my avi.
I also am not a fan of that almost sunken looking rib cage. I know there are a lot of us who want to have a slim avi. It's a fact that I have been advised to add a little more here and there on the sliders where "fat" is concerned. But that rib cage just eek. I also prefer a skin that looks good bald. We've all had it happen where we are inadvertently bald. It's no fun but it happens.
I also, I'm sorry, find anything over $1000L for a skin demands that the skin be extraordinary in my own opinion. I just, I know a lot of work goes into skin making and I would not even attempt it, but my budget is such that I have to be very careful over what I buy when something at this price range comes up.
good review.
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