BackBlog: The Stardoll Awards

Just today, the facebook page of The Stardoll Award released THIS video. It's been a while since I wrote one of my Back Blog posts, and the Stardoll Awards were more than worthy of being the next feature.

First hosted  Bianca Delevigne, at that point under the stardoll username Jodie55  - who was particularly infamous during her time writing reviews and interviews for Allure Magazine. Then, in 2015, she launched the now-renowned Stardoll Awards - an instant hit for dolls all across the world. The hosts may have changed - and I truly love the idea of having different dolls present the awards - so the party just keeps on!

Oh, and Nimka's face is all over the new promo banner. If you aren't excited to see more of that angel face and her glorious outfits, I don't want to live on your planet.

So, what are the stardoll awards?

The Stardoll Awards are voted on, by the public. They include sections such as best blog, fashion icon, best designer, and best outfit, and so on, as seen on influential dolls from across the community. These are then voted on, with the winners presented on the night.

Of course, the other important part of any Stardoll awards night is the outfits. There's a nomination party, a red carpet and, of course, an afterparty. Unlike many other hosted events, this one requires an invitation in order to post your outfit.  Typically in the form of graphics and PNGs, these have definitely improved and evolved over the years - though not without some bumps along the way.  You can check them all out on their Facebook page HERE.

Of course, there's plenty of drama to be had before the show - because there's always bound to be controversy over nominations and winners, and the usual beggers-of-votes are bound to stir up some trouble. And then there's the outfits themselves, the pre-existing rivalries and - perhaps most importantly - the outfit reviews. Just click below for a taste!

Stardoll Publishing's 2016 review.

Black Beauty 2016 Nomination Party Review
BeySashaFierce's 2016 Review

I definitely can't wait to see the nominees - and their outfits - this year.

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Back Blog: Stardoll's Most Wanted

I've been active on SMW for quite a while now and I wanted to look back at what I've won, been gifted, and just generally had a fun time doing.

But First, Some Cool People:

No, it isn't always about winning! One great part about SMW is that it gives everyone an opportunity to style, vote, and yes, win. I always love looking through the entries of other dolls, whether I participate or not, there's lots of inspiration to be found.

I picked out a few of my favourite winning outfits from the past few months of 2017:

There are also interior comps, and design comps. but my own skills are definitely nowhere near the level of....

But as for me....

Avrilkath13 Raffle:

I believe this was the very first comp or raffle I'd won.

And this choker is quite possibly one of my absolute, all time favourite designs still!

+
CP Floral

As entered on the left while wearing 2/3 of the above prize, you may have noticed I'm not usually wearing anything even half so feminine as this. Recently, I even wrote a post on less feminine ways to wear florals... So it was a neat surprise to win from doing something so very out of my comfort zone!

Think Pink Auction:

Back in 2016, there were all these cool things up for bid. I love the variety, and the theme - for pink ribbon month - as well as giving everyone a chance at getting something.

In case you hadn't already noticed, pink is not exactly "my" colour. More like, it's permanently somewhere near the deepest closet hole depths. So it was fun to get this bag out again and have a go at making it look a little cuter than usual.

OOTDs:

OOTDs made several comebacks and went through a number of changes, but it was a huge incentive for me to just get creative once every day - rather than keep wearing the same thing, for a week or more.

Other Things:

Other comps I'm just generally prooud of include:

• Subcouture Comp 2017 - Between tests and broken laptops, it was a nice surprise!
• Halloween 2016 - My first ever attempt at a Halloween suite!
• Raffles. So, so many raffles.

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Blocking: Rule Of Thirds

Fashion is, truly, an art form. And one technique you learn about in art class is how to "block out" your canvas.

It's a very useful technique for when you have a very clashing print or bulky bag, or if you just want to bring the focus to a specific item. 

There's several ways you can block out your doll, and for the post this week I've started with the Rule Of Thirds.

As Seen On Stardoll:

It was surprisingly easy to find several dolls who were already using this technique  -  whether they knew the rule or not, they still make it look great!

vasthan99 / Lorena-Rockes / KimAbeyta

What Is It?

The rule of thirds basically requires you to block out your doll into three sections, roughly the same size.  You can do this horizontally or vertically:

A Balancing Act:

To create a balanced look, each section should contain the same number of light and dark, features and neutrals. For example, this look contains one black and one white piece per third.

A Standout Piece:

If you want one item to be the main focus, have it in 1/3, with entirely neutral items in the other 2/3. 

For this outfit, I used horizontal AND vertical blocking - the dinosaur bag takes up 1/3, but so does the turtleneck. This can also be referred to as the Rule Of 6. Your featured items should not take up more than 2/3 in total.

Hope this helps!

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Under 35: Nature Revival

I've been so busy lately, I've slacked a bit on posting these! I really love doing them so of course I had to go back and have a go at making some more. For a theme I went with nature, in prints and colours since it's Spring here!

Again I used a total amount of under 35 sd, on a theme in the Starplaza - note than any USD bras, hair, and makeup used aren't included when I counted up the price.

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One Times Two : Rio Strap Heels

This was one of those rare occasions where my alt account actually owned the item first! So,  I went for a bit of a bazaar hunt and eventually was able to snap them up for Sunnysidessue.

What Sunny Wore

• It Girls HotBuys Pleat Midi Skirt
• Subcouture Cropped Plaid Top
• Nelly White Large Clutch
• Royalty Royalty Red Bow Obi
• Rio Strap Heels

What A.D. Wore:

• Trails Floral Print Midi Skirt
• Pretty N Love Whitney Port Shirt
• Pretty N Love Scarlet Ribbon Sash
• Starpoint Rewards Vintage Chain Glasses
• Rio Strap Heels

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Trend Dolls : Sheer

It wouldn't really be a trend without some of you wearing it!

AlexandraSD.  - this sheer lace look is super cute! It combines hotbuys and the latest Antidote.

lady_gaga8625 - she's gone all-black with this look, and combined not one but two sheer, net pieces, making the most of her dolls' flawlessness

Ashley34x - I can definitely see this look wandering the streets, the jersey tank top is subtle but just perfect to show off a little extra skin.

RobertaBarreto - for all the non-ss out there, this doll is wearing a sheer, starcoin bolero from Wild Candy, which is sheer.

midzilol - I don't normally do 5 looks, but this time the Subcouture jacket has a very unusual, sheer netting shape.

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Milestone Competition

We've hit well over 600 views now, which is so much better than I would have predicted in just over a month. I'd intended on doing this at 500 but had a bit of trouble with disqus - though it's up and running now!

 Anyway, I have a competition for everyone who's popped on here, whether a regular visitor or first-timer, you can join in.

The Competition:

Use my Stardoll Dress Up (OCT. 2016 version) and create an outfit for my doll. Maximum 3 outfits per person. Get started HERE or scroll down my suite on Sunnysidessue to see it on the right-hand side.

Entries can be submitted via the Facebok page pinned post, or the Disqus comments below. Don't forget to include your Stardoll username!

Entries close Oct 10 2016 at 10pm NZT (GMT+12).
  Use the clock on the sidebar for the current time - top flag is in NZT.

First Place:

Lanvin Paris Tribute Papillon Belt Piece / Subcouture Subcouture Glitter Collar Top / Wig by Moon. Mermaid

Second Place: 

Tingeling Halloween Couture Leather Skull Purse / Fendi Karlito Black Shawl

Third Place:

Basics Pink Mini Skirt / Faleln Angel Body Chains

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Trend Creation: Embroidery

Just me this time, because I couldn't find almost any stardoll members who were actually wearing this
trend!

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But in All Chaos, There is Calculation

I wanted to take a quick look at all the gladiator heels popping up all over the place on Stardoll. I've already posted about the lace-up trend but just couldn't help but look a little closer!




The title, in case you were wondering, is from this song by Lorde - which in case you haven't heard it, talks about, well, Gladiators!

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Trend Review: Embroidery

This is definitely a popular trend IRL! It can apply to just about any piece of clothing you can own, and is super versatile. I actually ended up going way overboard with the collage piece, because I found just so many super cool items I just had to include.

Stop thinking of that sweater your Grandma loves to wear - embroidery so doesn't have to look like that anymore!

I think one reason for it's popularity as a trend is the D.I.Y, personal aspect of it. It's not had at all to iron on a few patches or sew a couple of threads onto something that you already own. It's just such an easy wardrobe update, and it doesn't cost much to do.

Personally, I'm really into the whole denim and leather detailing, but the khaki dresses and jackets are beginning to really win me over. That's another great thing with this trend - you can put as much, or as little, as you like and onto whatever fabric or style of clothing you like, There's just so many options.

The only real downside is that you can't typically take off patches, and it's also pretty diffictult to remove stitching as well without leaving some kind of permanent damage, so if you're keen to try this DIY style, be sure you have you pieces where you want them before you make a mistake you may regret!

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OOTD : MSW

I'm not much of a girly-girl and I generally steer well away from gowns and dresses, but I came across this while making the Under 35 post, I found it was so super usable and multi-purpose so I snatched it up. I really had a fun time layering this as well, honestly anything I can stick more items with makes me happy, which is actually why I find it hard to work with dresses most of the time - they're just too difficult to layer.

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Under 35: Gorgeous Gowns

I decided on this theme since, after ll, it is Miss Stardoll World time again. And this year, the store has been horrendously expensive and the items just are not worth the big price tags. So, I came up with some much cheaper alternative looks! There will be no breaking the budget on my watch, that's for sure.

Again I used a total amount of under 35 sd, on a theme in the Starplaza - note than any USD bras used aren't included when I counted up the price.

I had issues this time because  lot of the items that I used needed either SS, Royalty, or Suites so there's no list of items unfortunately.

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OOTD: Mintly

It's SPRING in New Zealand so I was so excited to find this cute dress and shoes in the bazaar.

What I Wore

Pretty N' Love Valentina Dress

Fudge Bollywood Shorts *

Bonjour Dizou Pale Sea Wedges

Underneath Stardoll Strapless Top Bronze

Riviera Solid Gold Choker

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Trend Dolls: The Big Sleeve

The big sleeve trend has been taking over Stardoll for a while now, and it's my time to take a look at how we can wear it. Not only will I be styling it in the starplaza, but also it's called a "trend" so it really wouldn't make a lot of sense if only I was wearing it! So, I took a look around and found some great examples of other dolls from across the globe who really make this trend work.

How You Styled It:

From left to right / Just click on each username for a link to their suite.

lolaciccone 
I love just how much is going on in this, there's daisies, there's jewels, there's all kinds of colours as well but the all-black layer beneath it just helps the jacket be the star with this look.

100roro10This is a great tomboy look, it's minimalist, practical, there's a lot of neutral colours going on which really compliment the big green jacket on the top. It's totally classic and I could see this walking down the street just about anywhere.

hanonmizuiroThis one is so completely minimalist, in this case even with all the different shapes of clothing the brightly red bag is totally the boss here and I'm loving it.

Queen_37
This look is so 2016. There's fur, there's pleats, there's vinyl, there is a lot going on but ultimately it's still got a really laid-back vibe to it. The pastel pallet is just too perfect!

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NCG?!?!

Right before MSW started, I'd wanted to run for NCG. I'd never won before! But I had no time, no money, and the next thing I knew, it was that time of the year again.

I've had a bit of a bad weekend, so I was honestly so surprised and happy to see this when I logged in today! It was totally unexpected.

Thanks to anyone and everyone who voted!

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Under 35 : All That Glitter (Gold)

I'm doing Gold today, and Silver next week. I decided to use AshleighDana so that all of the outfits would have to be non-ss friendly!

Again I used a total amount of under 35 sd, on a theme in the Starplaza - note than any USD bras, hair, and makeup used aren't included when I counted up the price.

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OneTimesTwo : Vinyl Mock Neck A Line Dress

Sorry I've been a bit lacking on these posts lately, I've just had way too many other things to think about... anyway, these are going to be on Tuesdays now since Tuesday is the Second day of the week and I'm doing not one but two stylings of an item, on my different dolls. It just made sense.

I'm also starting from today on to make all starcoin items I use, to be listed with an asterisks (*).

This time on Sunnysidessue I ended up going for a very silver theme while AshleighDana has a more silver look.

Both have sheer panels and shoulder bags.

Sunnysidessue:

Vinyl Mock Neck A Line Dress*

Anna Sui Black Lace Skirt

Pretty N' Love Burgundy Purse*

Fallen Angel Chain Necklace*

Nelly High Heel Platform Boot

AshleighDana:

Vinyl Mock Neck A Line Dress*

Callie's Picks Black Tulle Purse*

Decades West Egg Blouse*

Rio Wild Sandals*

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Trend Creation: Capes And Starcoins

As I mentioned before, I was able to make three different outfits fitting the Capes & Shapes theme using only starcoin pieces. I think they turned out really well! Hair and makeup weren't included though.

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ootd : Callie for the Win

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Trend Creation: Tassels & Fringes

I did a Trend Review on Fringe over the weekend, so here's how I ended up styling it!

There were so many different items to choose from I was really impressed. I'm not sure if that was because this is just a popular trend, or maybe because it's one the comes and goes a lot, but it was so cool to have such a range of items to style.

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