Hints & Hunts Gifts

 Hiya everyone! Tonight's post is a look at several group gifts for the Hints & Hunts group, for their XOXO hunt which runs until the 20th of February. The hunt prizes are $10L - $25L and hiding in gold hearts with pink bows around them, while the group gifts I'm sharing are found in white square boxes with hot pink ribbons atop them. These are free and the group is also free to join :) You'll find links and pictures of the gifts and hunt keys on the website. They aren't all strictly Valentine themed, but many are at least a nod to this time of year. I know some people despise the holiday, others can't get enough of it, and then there's me in the middle who leans towards liking but not obsessed with it. I'm also a "whatever floats your boat" kind of person, so I respect all opinions on the subject and try to advise you what to expect anywhere I bring you this time of year. All I want is for people to be kind to each other no matter what the calendar says :)

We start out looking sexy in our .::DS::. XoXo 2026 Hunt Gift from Dark Salvation. This group goodie consists of the flirty dress and matching shoes in sizes for Lara X, Legacy, Reborn, and Waifu mesh bodies. The rear view is what I affectionately call peek-a-booty, meaning you'll see plenty of bum cleavage, and the dress itself is on the sheer side so your valentine or random hot date will certainly want to keep you close :)

As I often try to do, I paired two gifts here for one sassy look. The YUEBIN - XOXO Hunt GIFT is a playful top named Betula, and comes in male and female avatar body sizing - Belleza Jake, Lara X, Petite X, Legacy F, Legacy M, Perky, Reborn, V-Tech, and Waifu. It is cropped and has straps hanging down the front as well as pink ones on the sleeves. Wouldn't this be great to show off a back tattoo? It looks cute with our Metallic Jeans by LAP (Blue&Pink) group gift, baggy cuffed jeans with a low rise and a built in belt and lots of studs on the left front leg. There are original and PBR versions each in Gen X Classic, Gen X Curvy, Legacy, Maitreya, Lara X, and Reborn mesh body sizes. Both of these separates will look amazing with loads of items already in your inventory, I'm sure, so make fashion fun and make it yours by wearing them however suits you. 

I also grabbed the Nut & Squirrel Kathy group gift, which is a starry swimsuit and fluttery skirt to layer atop it :) These are each provided in sizing for Erika, Kupra, Legacy, Bombshell, Perky, Maitreya, Petite, Lara X, Petite X, Reborn, and Waifu mesh bodies. To make it even more special, we've got HUDs to customize things...the suit and skirt HUD each offer 20 solid colors and 20 patterns, then the metals HUD has 3 tones for the hoop in the front of the skirt's waistband. Once you get to a mature rated beach, you can slide out of the skirt and soak up the sun in your strappy swimsuit.

Next we see the sporty -MicRo- Hunt Gift. It immediately caught my eye as being terrific for any time of year and not overly girlie or cutesy. My first thought was something fun to explore anywhere in SL with friends or a romantic partner, as you could even hike a mountain trail if you add some boots or sneakers :) The tank top and shorts will each fit Lara X, Petite X, Legacy, Perky, Reborn, and Juicy mesh bodies. 

My final look should remind you that I love well polished nails, and I'm always eager to show off my newest SL finds with all of you :) The CHOU Touch of RainBow group gift does not seem to be the one pictured on their website, but I adore this set and am not the least disappointed by that. There are two versions enclosed, touch of rainbow and BOuns Of touch, with the second one being the one in the center/lower part of my image above. They are animated so they knocked my socks off! Both sets of mesh nails are provided in Belleza Old, Belleza Classic, Belleza Curvy, Kupra, Legacy, and Reborn mesh body sizes. I was always that kid who loved rainbows in any form, so they'd have a special place in my heart even without the Pride association adding an extra smile. 

Quick hair note: this weekend's Saturday Sale offering from Truth Hair is a collab with Truth's RL daughter, which makes me very happy to see that his talent is shared by the next generation. Also to be fair it is simply a fantastic style that I would have bought no matter who he'd designed it with! There are hair clips included but not shown that have hearts with different sayings for each color you choose from the HUD, very Valentine candy themed and a great nod to the holiday.

The weekend felt both fast and slow at the same time, always mysterious when that happens but I will say it was an enjoyable one here :) Houseguest, birthday celebration, wonderful company and I stayed indoors most of the weekend to avoid the bitter cold. Even my therapy session this evening went well, and finished over an hour before The Big Game started ;) That is not my sport of choice, so I was only interested in the commercials and the halftime show, and Puppy Bowl of course ♥. My guest is on their way home right now, so there's that little pang of missing them already, but it is never a goodbye but see you later. I'm watching figure skating right now while I type this, but it's tricky to focus on both and I've got other things to do so the skating will get paused (tivo) shortly. There's just something so elegant and graceful yet powerful about the skaters that I admire. I hope you're all having a beautiful day/evening, many magical magpie hugs to everyone!!

Credits:

All Group Gifts for Hints & Hunts XOXO Hunt:

Photo 1:

Outfit: Dark Salvation .::DS::. XoXo 2026 Hunt Gift $0L Group Gift

Photo 2:

Top: YUEBIN - XOXO Hunt GIFT $0L Group Gift

Pants: Metallic Jeans by LAP (Blue&Pink) $0L Group Gift

Photo 3:

Outfit: Nut & Squirrel Kathy $0L Group Gift

Photo 4:

Outfit: -MicRo- Hunt Gift $0L Group Gift

Photo 5:

Nails: CHOU Touch of RainBow $0L Group Gift

Head: LeLUTKA Fleur Head 4.0

Hair: TRUTH Collective / Cupid - Essential

Skin: .::WoW Skins::. .WS. ALMOND CLEO

Ring: {Carter} Wedding Zoe (Marketplace)

Body/Hands/Feet: [LEGACY] Meshbody (f) Special Edition (1.7.1)

Poses: Various Sets from [piXit] or Verocity

More Cupids Curse

 Hiya everyone! Tonight I've got more treats to share from the Cupids Curse Event, as well as an exclusive sales offer you can find there. The gifts are in anatomically correct hearts hanging next to each display, either for sale for $0L or they will distribute the gift when you give it a click. Some weren't ready just yet, but the event lasts until early March (the 8th) so we can always stop by again and check those :) This event brings a darker side to this time of year, broken hearts and goth styling for example, so it is a fun visit for those who are tired of the cute side of Valentine's Day or just seek variety.

Let's start the evening with an exclusive offer! The [Ari-Pari] Desirae Dress has been designed just for Cupids Curse, and is $150L. The beautiful dress has long sleeves and low cut neckline, with a pretty abstract pattern on the fabric in your choice of 20 colors via HUD. We receive sizes for Legacy, Perky, Maitreya, Lara X, and Reborn mesh bodies. I really like the way the skirt gently flares out so it isn't a fully bodycon style, and the wide waistband being a solid color adds visual interest.

[Ari-Pari] also has a terrific free gift at their display, the aptly named Dark Love Dress. I absolutely do love it, from the bows atop the straps all the way down to the ruffled hem. There are Gen X Classic, Gen X Curvy, Legacy, Perky, Maitreya, Petite, Lara X, Petite X, Reborn, and Waifu body sizes provided, along with a HUD to choose from 18 colors. Our background is always black, so those colors will appear on the straps, waist, ruffle, and the colored portions of the pattern on the fabric. I'm a fan of hearts all year long, so this is something I'll gladly wear whenever the mood strikes :)

I am so impressed with the fuayu Roman Aya(LaraX) gift :) It does come in the single size mentioned in the name, but I am guessing that with use of a different body's HUD and alpha sections you may be able to wear it with other mesh bodies. The red and fuchsia striped kimono has a wide belt (obi I believe is the name) attached with softer pink floral pattern, mint green trim, and extended long sleeves that I believe are traditional components of this garment. The short hem is probably a modern twist though, and SL is a great way to explore both types of styles :) I do find it intriguing to learn about different cultures' fashions from SL, since so many countries are represented among our many residents.

I wore this shirt at some point this weekend around Xan and asked him not to take it personally, LOL, and he was very good natured about it so please don't take this as a sign that I'm anti-love or not satisfied with my partner :) The {Monstarous} Cupid Rhymes With Stupid top is provided in Gen X Classic, Gen X Curvy, Legacy, Legacy Petite, Lara X, Petite X, and Reborn mesh body sizing, with the text on the front saying exactly what the name does. I've had my issues with Cupid over the years, and I've seen him make terrible mistakes with other people too, so I cannot argue this one. The note in my left hand is NOT a hint either, don't @ me with any funny ideas...it is the humorous BORDERLINE - One night stand gift, a card that comes in left hand and right hand versions that each have 2 different holding poses built in. The card reads "Not looking for a one night stand - 2 hours will be plenty", and my twisted sense of humor had me in giggle-fits ;) I think it goes well with the theme of the event, being very tongue-in-cheek and very much not looking for true love or anything more than a fleeting encounter.

For my final look of the evening, I simply had to show you this adorable CHOU - Mss. Randaf gift. Isn't she a hoot? She has the holding pose built in that you see here, and reminds me of a 3D gingerbread cookie because of the decoration on her wrists and ankles. What was very tricky to photograph is the fact that she has an animated texture mouth, so once that rezzes correctly she appears to be talking to you :) Her mouth is off to the right side of her face, and you'll see teeth as well. I'm also in love with her hairstyle! It looks so soft and pretty, making me want to go hair shopping again though which my linden balance would not appreciate.

Magpie drama here - weather related - so I was getting ready for my 5pm therapy session earlier, gathering my pen and notes and all, when I heard a BOOM and the power went out, and the housemate started hollering. As improbable as this sounds, two trees fell at the same time because of how wet the ground is out there (and how many dead trees my neighborhood has) so one fell in the street and knocked out the power, while the other did a 'Koolaid man' and burst through the living room wall. We have a whole house generator because we have the worst luck imaginable losing power here, so the electronics were working again almost immediately but now we've got a wall that's got 2 holes in it (one about 2 feet long but just a few inches wide, the other about the size and shape of an outlet cover) during 60mph winds and below freezing temps. I signed into my therapy video session and told him what happened, and fortunately he was sympathetic and quickly rescheduled me for Wednesday evening. Meanwhile the housemate taped layers of cardboard over the holes, and I cleaned up the debris (there were chunks of drywall and insulation throughout 3 different rooms, and a piece of PVC pipe downstairs!) after taking the pictures for the homeowner's insurance. As of right now it's been over 7 hours and the generator is still running, the power company has been notified and will get to us eventually. The insurance claim has been filed, and I basically had a horrible panic attack once it all sank in. I sat down in the seat I'd just cleared of debris (anyone sitting there, as I was supposed to be in 5 minutes, would have been injured) and shook like a leaf, nauseated and dizzy.

TL;DR: Trees fell from high winds, one took out electricity and the other damaged the house. Nobody injured, just upset, and all pertinent companies are notified. Now we wait for power, insurance, repairs, and the damn wind to calm down. TL;DR is a reddit thing I believe, meaning too long didn't read, so a summary.

Otherwise I am still in shock, because we always feel like these things happen to other people...but I am really grateful that I wasn't injured, nor my housemate who was standing in the living room and witnessed it all. Even when life is unkind, I think it's important to find the silver linings and try to persevere. That's why I'm here blogging tonight, I'd already had the photos and notes ready to go, so it felt like a comfortable familiarity to stick to my routine. If I need to take time off in the future because of it, I will deal with that as it occurs. I truly hope you are all safe and sound, enjoying your day/evening, many magical magpie hugs to everyone!!

Credits:

All Gifts/Offers from Cupids Curse Event:

Photo 1:

Dress: [Ari-Pari] Desirae Dress $150L Cupids Curse Exclusive

Photo 2:

Dress: [Ari-Pari] Dark Love Dress $0L Event Gift

Photo 3:

Dress: fuayu Roman Aya(LaraX) $0L Event Gift

Photo 4:

Top: {Monstarous} Cupid Rhymes With Stupid $0L Event Gift

Held: BORDERLINE - One night stand $0L Event Gift

Pants: Delizio - Jeans + Applier for Maitreya + Omega (shown in White) $0L Marketplace

Photo 5:

Held: CHOU - Mss. Randaf $0L Event Gift

Head: LeLUTKA Fleur Head 4.0

Hair: TRUTH Friday - Essential [FLF]

Skin: .::WoW Skins::. .WS. ALMOND LILLY

Ring: {Carter} Wedding Zoe (Marketplace)

Body/Hands/Feet: Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara X

All Poses: Verocity  (Various Sets)