FRIGHTFULLY FABULOUS

P.S: This is our 700th post! 
"Under a full moon this Halloween do the doors of the dark side open to Dollies everywhere... but oh what to wear? Muahaha, never fear, fashionistas--- Tingeling Halloween Couture is back from the undead! Fashion is immortal!

Cast style spells in these ghoulishly gorgeous dresses, rumoured to be made with just a little black magic... Get them now--- they will disappear into thin air after the holiday!"

That's how Stardoll describe the newest release of Tingeling Halloween Couture on Stardoll, but is this all just a ploy to make us believe that Stardoll weren't just too lazy to make a new collection? Although the prices of Tingeling Halloween Couture in the starbazaar were extortionate, I still do not understand the reasoning behind Stardoll rereleasing old rare clothing. The graphic designers obviously realise that the older collections were better and therefore bring them back, but I would really love to see a new good collection, rather than an old reused one.

Other than this, the prices this time are understandably higher than what they were previously. With the Dark Floral Dress going for 65 stardollars... A lot for Starplaza standards, but a meagre price tag in comparison to the offerings available in the starbazaar.

What are your thoughts on this rerelease? 

PMR: FIERCE MAGAZINE

I continually find myself wondering whether the old and original magazines of Stardoll, such as Style, Eternity and Fierce, really were better than the few magazines that stand in the current day Stardoll. Today, magazines from the hey day of Stardoll will be put to the test to see if they really are that much better than the issues of today.

Fierce Magazine owned by Hunnigall, was a magazine that started in early 2009 under the name of Sprinkle. Over time the issues improved hugely and by the end of Fierce's reign Alice was arguably the top graphic designer on the entirety of Stardoll. Sadly, the final issue that was promised by Alice was never given, but at least we can still bask in the glory of the magazine issues released before it's slow demise. Today, their final S/S 2010 issue will be trialled and tested to see just how it fairs against the issues of current times.

Cover: ★★★★★★★★  8

There is no denying that that this cover is both very intriguing and well made. I truly love the huge inject of colour and I find the cover model highly  interesting. The graphic is well constructed, though I could imagine it leaving something to be desired in present day graphics. Less is more? For this cover the mass amount of texts works very well, but I can imagine it looking messy on others. 

Graphic Design: ★★★★★★★★  8

Graphic designing is evidently Fierce's strong point and every graphic in this issue combines the perfect amount of Stardoll and realism. Each one of this issues 11 graphics are very strong and show off Alice's then graphic skill impeccably, with the amount of work gone into them evident.

Fashion Editorial: ★★★★★★  6

Sadly, there is no full fashion editorial included in this issue of the magazine. There are numerous articles alongside some graphics and a set of trend graphics (which could be included as a fashion editorial) but no full fashion editorial in entirety.

Trends Shown: ★★★★★★★★★  9

For the time of release, this issue showed a massive set of trends including future fashion, military madness and cool as a cucumber graphics, complete with six makeup pages. As well as this, there is page on the involvement of maths and shapes in fashion, an article on the legendary Spanish architect Gaudi, Emilio Pucci and Camilla Skovgaard. 

Writing Style: ★★★★★ ★  6

The writing in this issue is somewhat rocky and could do with some work. Although the articles are all relatively short and therefore interesting, there are numerous errors that proof reading could have fixed included in the issue. 

How did this magazine score?

37 out of 50,  at 74% or B-

Numero Un - Chapter 1

Hello everyone. This is a fictional story I am writing. It deals with the test of friendship and how far one is willing to go in order to reach a desire. Please comment below your reviews, comments, etc!!! :-) Enjoy.

--

Where I live, Saumur is as French as you can get. It is a tiny little spec of a town buried in the west of France, often overlooked much like its people. I understand why though; the monotonous buildings incline towards the grey sky in a dreary sort of way. Saumur is no match against the swank and elegant movements of Paris. Despite gloomy townspeople peddling around milk cartons, history thrives through our very stone walls. At one point, this cheerless town acted as a backdrop for the French Revolution with a grand military background. If we are known for something it is our patriotism.

My name is Agate Accault, daughter of the town drunk - Augustin. My father has been drinking ever since my mother died days after birthing me; a burden that haunts me every day. She used to work as a laundrywomen in the charity hospital near us. When I turned 11 last month, I took her place. My father reminds me every day of the life I have bestowed upon him and the rest of our family; the timid and scruffy beings moving through our stone house. Never have I ever heard papa yell at me for his loss, but drinking out the depression alone is a subtle yet loud hint. My older siblings are the people I admire very much. 
If you are wondering, I have 2 brothers Elliot and Perou, 4 years older than me, along with Margette and Suze; twins and both 17. "All of us were born to protect each other" Suze told me frequently when I couldn't fall asleep. I would lay in her arms during windswept nights and be reminded of how blessed I am. How blessed I am for having such strong-willed, passionate, and loving siblings. Despite the hardships that block our lives from normality, these children maintain a statue like composure, showing no fear towards others.

Albeit being raised by a single father I have always felt close to Madame Devolle. Madame Devolle, or as she prefers-Mama Jeanne is always a second, if not, actual mother to me. She fills the maternal gap that a brusque and headstrong father cannot reach. Jeanne worked alongside my own mother, Elise, as a laundrywoman herself. I continuously hear stories of how my mother expected great things for me. These are the things people long to hear for: hope and faith. That hope isn't given directly from my mother’s chapped lips but instead passed on through Jeanne Devolle’s warm hazel eyes. She too has a daughter, the same age as I. They call her Gabrielle. Gabby is a free spirited beam of light, that is for sure. I love her as much as I love Suze, or Margette. We are two roughed up girls from the wrong side of town looking for a way out. Well, at least, that is what she always tells me. 

She prefers coco, says it makes her feel glamorous. Simple, and elegant, coco.

A LOOK INTO MSW #1

The biggest competition on Stardoll MSW is back for another year, and today I am going to be taking a look at some of the semi finalists of this years competition. Many were surprised this year when numerous non superstars and people who were not running made it into the competition, so let's take a look at some of the competitors and their questionable outfit choices.

*A note before anyone comments about how these users have not chosen to be featured in TTT: As a MSW competitor they are going to  be subject to not only some positive comments, but also some criticism as they are after all, all going for the title of Miss Stardoll World. These reviews are purely based on doll and suite and nothing more.*

COMPETITOR #1 - PUPPYMONEY

The first competitor is Puppymoney, a member from the United Kingdom who has been on Stardoll since September 2010. I'm immediately impressed with the outfit, it's somewhat simple and minimal yet I am immediately drawn to it. At first glance, the suite is reasonably well made, but after browsing through some more rooms, and checking out some more of her room styles it becomes obvious the user is no Stardoll architect, consistently favouring the simpler look (which is no bad thing!). All in all, the doll is undeniably pretty, but can I see them as Miss Stardoll World? Not so sure.

THE MSW O' METER

DOLL

★★★★★★★

SUITE

★★★½

OVERALL

★★★★½

COMPETITOR 2 - TOXIT

This second competitor, Toxit, is a girl from Turkey who clearly isn't afraid to show off her achievements! She's racked up 13 hottest hair designs and 6 hottest jewellery designs, as well as 5 times national covergirl. Although the page this user has chosen to load their suite onto is a room entirely of awards and 'VOTE ME' posters, the rest of their suite is actually very good, with many very interesting room designs. Not to mention their Stardesign hair doll, which is rather extraordinary considering the ordinary persons skills at SD hair design.

THE MSW O' METER

DOLL

★★★★★★★★

SUITE

★★★★★★★

OVERALL

★★★★★★★★

NELLY PICKS

*I will be away from the 4th until the 11th so there will most probably not be daily posts up until then. When I come back I will resume to post two posts daily to make up for the posts lost in the time that I am away. Here is hoping that our writers will post for you during this time*

As one of the only stores going for Stardoll, Nelly.com is always an exciting release. Full of current trends and designs hand picked straight from the Nelly website. This collection, consisting of two floors full of on trend logo sweaters, print and sequin dresses and chic shoes, most probably beats every collection that Stardoll has released in the past two years or so.  Below are my top five picks from the new release, what are your favourite items?

DESIGNS
★★★★★★★★★
QUALITY
★★★★★★★★
OVERALL
★★★★★★★★★

ITEMS: Tower Sweater (20sd), Bally Dress (25sd), Irish Shoes (9sd), Sports Deluxe Dress (24sd), Woburn Jacket (24sd), Marengo Jacket (24sd), Cuffed Shoes (12sd) and Snowled Dress (22sd)

KLAUS PAPER OUT NOW

Just here to inform you that Klaus Paper issue is out!

To read the issue click here

Street Chic: Stardoll Style, xXEwelina1996Xx

Who: xXEwelina1996Xx
What: Fashion forward outfits straight from the Chanel FW 13/14 runway
Wear: Houndstooth Suit, It Girls Pepita Jackets, Ninja skirt, Chanel Black Over Knee Chain Boots

*Want to get featured on Street Chic: Stardoll Style? Comment below.

IN DEPTH: OCTOBER HOT BUYS

The October Hot Buys have just been released on Stardoll and some are left disappointed, but what are this month's hot buys really like? If you're interested in hearing my opinion on these items, and finding out which real life designer they are inspired by then read on.

*P.S- Know any more real life versions? Let me know in the comments below!*

The first item of this month's collection is the Love Necklace, which is due for release on the 3rd of October at Epiphany. I'm a big fan of cute necklaces such as the one from Lanvin shown below, so I was really excited to see one on Stardoll. The red heart is a nice addition to the piece, but I question whether it will make it less wearable.

 The second item of this months collection is the Lace trim dress, which can be found at Bonjour Bizou on the 5th of October. I think this dress is very nice in both the black in real life and the white on Stardoll, and I'm glad Stardoll opted to stay minimal for this specific item. The dress is itself is very well made comparing to recent items released and I'm excited to try it on!

Next we have the box clutch, inspired by Jason Wu, which you can find at It Girls, available on the 29th of October. My first impressions of this clutch were good, but I feel as though we have already seen similar clutches to this in previous Hot Buys Weekly collections.  In saying this, the clutch is of very good quality and bares a very obvious and striking resemblance to the real life version by Jason Wu, which I'm sure makes the Stardoll fashion lovers more inclined to buy the piece.

The Hot Buys embossed jacket is due for release on 24th October by the store It Girls. I definitely prefer the real life version purely because the Stardoll version looks a lot more casual and I don't think it suits the severity of the look a like crocodile skin used for the piece. Whether I purchase this jacket or not will be based entirely on if it suits my doll well.

The final items of this post are the Snake Heels, available from Rio on the 10th of October. These are my preferred pair of shoes from this month's collections because of their trendy look. I think they would go well with many looks and I'm a big fan of the zippers that Stardoll decided to use for the 'snake' part of the heel. Do you like these shoes?

What are your thoughts on these items from this months collections? If you know any other of the real life items that these Hot Buys are inspired by then leave a comment below and I'll be sure to create another post on the second half of the items. 

A LIMITED EDITION REVIEW

Another season, another Limited Edition collection. Stardoll's October release of LE brought us heart print, plaid and awfully made graphics, but what was this fall collection really like?

Concept wise, this is easily one of the stronger collections of the latter LEs. It's become quite evident over the last few years that the Limited Edition that is released now is in no way the same brand as it once was. New era... Better LE? Sadly this is not the case as the graphics have continued to deteriorate further - with some items even looking like Fallen Angel rejects.

Sadly Stardoll's inability to shade a simple graphic have turned what was once the enjoyment of getting your hands onto the most glorious pieces of LE, into having to spend time deciding whether the piece in your shopping cart is good enough for all them stardollars you are parting with or not.

If Stardoll were to put more effort into their graphics then I am certain that LE could become as good as the brand that it once was. The concept is all there and many of the pieces could have looked amazing if they weren't so badly constructed.

My top (... and only) picks from this collection are the purple and burgundy tartan bags, cage dresses, black clunky sandals, cross body heart bag, lace kilt, Donatella black pants, chain necklace and pink jersey logo and tulle dresses. What were your favourite items from this collection?

CONCEPT
★★★★★★★
GRAPHICS
★★
OVERALL
★★★★

What are your thoughts on the 18th(!) collection of Limited Edition?
Would you like to see a LE showdown between all of the collections?

OCTOBER HOTBUYS

Monthly hot buys have officially made their return! After around eight months with proper hot buys absent from the website, Stardoll have made the decision to finally bring back the monthly collections. This month Stardoll opted for a mix and match of casual and dressier items with the collection featuring the likes of pretty pink peplum tops and sequin zipper skirts (which slightly resembles the Philip Lim zipper skirt from the first ever LE collection back in December 2008).

Sadly the graphic is very pixelated and the coloured background is somewhat distracting, but I am sure that for now we can be thankful that the monthly hot buys are returning again to Stardoll! What are your thoughts on this month's Hot Buys?