SHOWCASE- In My Humble Opinion
This page is about me raving, informing and sharing about SecondLife content that I think is really great,but overlooked or too new to be on trend...yet! Call it a review if you like. Its just my humble opinion. Here's to what I hope is the beginning of something good. I now present my very 1st IMHO Showcase!
CENTER STAGE:
MAYREAL BENTO MESH HEAD - JANET
MAYREAL BENTO MESH HEAD - JANET
"Come all the way thru gorgeous! FACE all day!"
My completed look showcasing the Mayreal Bento Mesh Head - JANET By, Arphaya
MAYREAL
Inworld Store SLURL
SL Marketplace
Completed Look Credits:
Bento Mesh Head : Mayreal - Janet
Body: Slink Physique
Shape: Original Mayreal Janet Shape (No sliders were used, slight posing with Facial AO Hud)
Skin: Lumae - Jewel - Pecan Bare
Eyes: Avi-Glam- Ardor Eyes - Brown
Lip gloss: Mayreal Lipstick applier ( Included in package. Tinted with customization HUD)
Blush: Mayreal Blush applier#2 ( Included in package. Tinted with customization HUD)
Eyeshadow: SlackGirl - Mafalda (Teleport Hub gift)
Collar: Swallow - Chic Collar (Dollarbie on Marketplace)
Hair: Sintiklia - Hair Angela - (Group Gift)
Romper: BouBouKi: Mia Romper Black (Dazzle Free for everyone gift March 2018 round)
MAYREAL
Inworld Store SLURL
SL Marketplace
Let's get into it shall we...first off , I am sceptical...cynical about many many things. I am also one to research stuff before I buy. Please know that I Demoed selections from allllll of the top selling heads in the SL market. And no,I won't name them. They get more than enough upfront pressure from people far more important than little ole me. In that vein, I also Demoed several Mayreal heads, I chose the JANET model to purchase. I will most definitely be going back to pick up the ARIA next. For these prices one can afford to indulge and be a repeat customer.
BTW: You can pick up the Demos in store or on the Marketplace. I'm sure you know this already but, always Demo, and don't rush. I used to rush and wind up with stuff I should have left alone. Little things, details, that you don't notice right away tend to pop up post purchase. They may not even be major just little things that irritate you or are off by a hair from your desired look. So Demo!
SO, upon opening the box the first thing I noticed was how much content was in the folder. The Creator was nothing if not thorough in anticipating what people would need. There are Brow shapers, skins and skin appliers, makeup appliers, gestures, facial animation HUD, a customization HUD, some extra very useful goodies and instructions. It was like WHOA! So if you get this head, be mentally prepared to be gobsmacked. But before you think that means its complicated, take a deep breath and realize that you have kinda just hit the motherlode! Get comfy, read the note cards and then have fun!
This is the Mayreal Janet Bento Mesh head right out of the box. This is your starting point; this skin, and shape as packaged. Lashes were applied for the photo.
Reasons why I LOVE the MAYREAL Bento Mesh Head:
THE PRICE!!!!!!! The regular price for the Mayreal Bento Mesh Heads is usually L$'s 1,995.
I paid the promo price, L$'s 1,795, for my Janet Head, I think that is approximately $8.00 USD. And I didn't mind at all as it was less than the equivalent of $20.00+ USD, which is closer to the price of the top selling ones in the SL market.
I can't lie, I side eyed the head at first simply because of the price. Then I reminded myself of my very first fitted mesh body, how much I loved it, and how insanely fair the price was next to others that were out at the time. For that reason I went to the inworld store to see if it was for real, and it was! I also looked at reviews on marketplace and saw dates that went back a few years for various items. After a little more sleuthing and the mentions and review I had already seen I felt safe to move forward. SO, I proceeded with ease, and I adore this head!
I am repeating the following point because the review I checked out about this Mesh head...made this sound almost negative, and in my opinion its a positive. SO I am hammering this home. K? Mmmkay! So, as I was saying, upon opening the box I found a lot of stuff! At first glance it can be a little overwhelming. However, once I started to take an inventory of what was in there I was impressed with the consideration and thought and effort that it must have taken to breakdown the content the way it has been broken down.
Lips and Lashes. The materials options for the lipstick make it so easy to get as much or as little shine as you want. There are two sets of Eyelashes in the box to get started with.
Why I appreciate the variety of versions of this head; with all the complexity issues with mesh in general, its no wonder well made Mesh Heads tend to be complexity heavy. To get the smoothest effect, which is the real plus of mesh body components, it tends to require more faces, and smoothing and some other technical Blender-esque magic. The more you manipulate a mesh model in this manner the prettier it gets. But the price you pay for that perfection is an object with way too many faces. If you have ever dabbled with mesh modeling you know that this is the core issue with complexity. Add textures, and layers with textures to the situation; you have a wearable object that works your viewer harder and draws more resource from the servers. SL is a 3D environment its all about what you see and how you process that information, your eyes and brain are a viewer or sorts unto themselves. Ever have eye strain? That's how I explain complexity in my own random half-assed way.
I see it as we all are swimming in a primordial soup of graphics to enjoy SL. And every component you wear to style your Avatar is more graphical data being processed by your viewer. When you have on very high complexity objects, you end up with really pretty stuff that makes your Avatar appear to most in world as a "Jellydoll". If you have the time, its worth getting informed about the technical side of things. A little knowledge really helps to understand why certain things happen , and how you can resolve or minimize negative impact ex. being the very Lag problem that you can't stand. Either way, these tech details are why I appreciate a clean sculpt that doesn't turn my Avatar into green blob or make me laggy. Things like this are tells of what's really good in my opinion. Its the same when I shop in RL, I don't buy a nice dress and pay a grip for it for the label...I'm checking the seams, the lining, the hem and hardware...if it looks like a cheap machine stitch that will fall apart the first time I send the garment out to the cleaners...I don't care whose name is on it, I will leave it there. And I know that as soon as I put it down, someone else will come pick it up and feel super special because of the price and label. Quality matters, and it makes a difference, period. I know my merch online and offline. And this is well made.
Back to my point. I don't know this to be a fact, but I get the impression that this Creator had complexity in mind while setting this package up, and offers several versions of the head so you have more control over your complexity. You can go with the most basic head that has no applier layers but will animate. That simple version will barely nudge your complexity level, which is a good thing especially in script and or complexity restricted areas. BUT here's the gag...the Creator offers versions that have some layers or all layers...so you have a nice selection, not just an all or nothing choice. Essentially if you don't want to be a "jellydoll" as soon as you put your mesh head on your Avatar, then you care about its complexity and will appreciate these options as much as I do. In addition, each one of the multi layered options has a correlating No ears version. Love it! For those of us that like to sport bewjeled mesh ears this is a plus. I like knowing that I can eliminate some faces from my mesh head with that option. Not for nothing, the ears look good.
Fact: Just because you alpha something doesn't mean the viewer isn't still seeing it. SO, the less mesh you have on, seen and unseen, the lower your complexity. THAT is why all that "stuff"...those options are super helpful. Some wearable content Creators have a really good grasp on that reality and it makes styling your Avatar a little easier and less frustrating...not to mention less laggy, at the least you are not contributing to lag for the sake of fashion.
Hairbases!!! For me, the foundation of styling ones Avatar from the top down.
Skinning this thing is painless! The head itself is a pretty clean sculpt and I assume the scripts are pretty clean as well. Therefore the layers are clean and very responsive to HUD commands. No losing layers when you apply makeup or change your skin. And the hairbase model/layer...which is a major thing for me, lines up naturally and beautifully on the head just as the UV map dictates it should. Creating a beautiful hairbase is not easy. I challenged myself to make one, and It took me 2 years off and on to finally 100% nail the mapping for a clean hairbase, no weird neck line or ear overlap. Hairbases are like the hardest thing to make. In fact its tedious! From what I have seen, a lot of the Mesh heads fall short with the type of alignment that allows for even the best hairbases out there to align correctly hence the receding hairline look. Funky hairline hairbases have always been one of my biggest pet peeves in SL. But its even more annoying on a mesh head. I'm sorry, paying all of that money just to look like someone snatched you by your edges and pulled your wig back a few inches...NOT CUTE!
Well as you can see above, the Mayreal head nails it! I tried out some hairbase appliers I was going to delete from my inventory, and they looked great! Extra bonus points for that! lol I will no longer have to default to a hairbase with heavy baby-hair to create a softer more naturalistic hairline for my Avatar. So this is a big plus in my humble opinion. Ya don't have to sacrifice a makeup layer or an eyebrow layer for a nice hairline. Yay!
Speaking of hairbases, there are some Pretty cool appliers included. As I mentioned above there's the tintable hairbase applier that comes with a cropped/shaved hair base option , which I LOVE!!!!! And a standard slicked back hairbase which is pretty good too.
Then you have your lipstick which is actually a lush selection of glosses, two sets of blushes, eyeshadow, eyebrows, two sets of eyelashes ( The lashes are EVERYTHING! And you can set them to mask in the HUD if the alpha scrambles your eyeshadow), tattoo layer beauty marks...its just a nice set up to get started. Everything is ready for you to tint, gloss etc. and create a pretty face.
The customization HUD in action, seen above is before and after of glossiness turned off for the Eyelashes.
Just like the top sellers, this head is materials enabled. LOVE IT! Great for photography if you really enjoy experimenting with your graphics settings and lighting. Not to mention customizing your makeups! I love a statement lip , matte or glossy. But I personally don't need shiny eyelashes or shiny eyeliner. So anything that has a spec map on that doesn't work for me, I turn it off on the HUD. But you can do what ya like. AND while talking about shiny stuff, a selling point for me with this head was that the lipstick layer is materials enabled for glossy effect. But there's a con for me; the included lipstick won't work for me as is, so I can't wear the pretty colors as is. I prefer to use a richer toned skin and there's an itsy bitsy bit of texture extra under the bottom lip that isn't as visible on lighter skins. Now this clearly was not a deal breaker for me, I just use another lipstick or wear the included glossy lip that comes in the box and tweak the tint till its passable. Its not a flaw per se, but more so a reality in SL with skins and alpha based layers on richer toned skins, they tend to have that weird waxy edge effect. Seriously not a new SL phenomenon, I know it well from buying tattoos back in the day that I could not put on my Avatar unless I went with a lighter skin tone, which isn't my thing unless to shoot a specific look. But that's a whole other blog. lol Moving on!
The customization HUD...at first glance, yes its a bit like WTF! BUT so are the ones by top sellers whether or not they have opted to consolidate their customization bits into one HUD. So Creators choosing to let each bit be a standalone, not really an issue for me. Its actually very understandable, HUDs can get very scripty and heavy on your experience. So I'll take a less fancy standalone UI/ HUD any day as long as it works! And this one gets the job done and again, it is fairly responsive in its result. Click the button get the effect, no hiccups.
The head also comes with a full on facial animation HUD!!!! I like it, cute animations,a means to customize and save moods, and set your static face, which works beautifully with working on your face shape. An issue I have had with Bento Mesh Heads, is getting things like the teeth to line up right after I mod the face. Well with this HUD you can kinda set the face up to a basic look that is in line with what you will do with Sliders in Edit mode so that it animates accordingly. Pretty much it assists you in not setting your Avatar to not look fish faced or like the Joker because you have to overwork the sliders.
As I don't own any of the top sellers, I don't know if they offer so much customization or not, all I know is this one does and I like the feature.
The Facial AO Animation HUD does a lot from emote to adjust facial attributes like outer eye angle, and mouth without having to go into Edit mode. Quick way to get going with your new Bento Mesh Head.
I don't know if I'm explaining the static face stuff correctly, I just got this head so I'm still learning her. I will just say this, whether you get what I'm saying or not, just know this, its a very helpful tool, as well as the note that says Undeform before you begin. For me it made a huge difference setting up my Avatars face. All in all its a comprehensive but not aggressive HUD. And if you take a few minutes to read the note cards, you'll be clicking left and right having a good time in no time!
The actual animations are pretty good! I love the eye blinks. And I am sooo glad that the tongue action is cute and not creepy. Quite frankly some of the tongue animations on the other heads I tried made me feel dirty and shamed just to look at them. LOL But hey if it makes you happy do you boo! Anyway, I am figuring that the Creator put some serious time into creating these animations or acquiring / commissioning them. And I appreciate it, I can work with these!
But wait there's more! You also get 2 pose stands, one with lights, a photography ready Mesh photography studio/ backdrop with a PERFECT lighting set up for nice clean glamour shoots. And the set is modifiable. I used the photo studio to shoot all the photos for this. Seriously there is actually much more in this package than I can list right now.
Preliminary Look:
Bento Mesh Head : Mayreal - Janet
Body: Slink Physique
Shape: Original Mayreal Janet Shape (No sliders were used, slight posing with Facial AO Hud)
Skin: Lumae "Jewel"-Pecan/ Bare Omega Applier (Freckles Drk. brow option)
Lip: [MJN] Stolen Crown Matte {Fatpack} Omega applier
Blush: Mayreal Blush applier#2 ( Included in package. Tinted with customization HUD)
Eyeshadow: SlackGirl - Mafalda (Teleport Hub gift)
Collar: Chic Collar by, Swallow (Free on Marketplace)
Hair: Mayreal Hairbase applier ( Included in package. Tinted with customization HUD)
Eyes: SL inventory - Daisy
Top: Vinyl- Applesauce Strappy Lingerie Vday Gift ROSE(Group Gift)
When all is said in done, this package is a BIG WIN!
NOTE: I did not modify or personalize the shape. As I am still working on some faces and body types for my own use, I figured it was best to leave well enough alone and show the head as it is advertised and sold. With that in mind I love how easily playing with skin and makeup created a whole different look, twice!
ALL OF THE GOODIES ARE IN ONE BOX FOR ONE PRICE!
So it is possible to give the people extras without charging them a super high price for it. This bundle debunks the whole attitude of its better than or the best because it has a Premium price tag. Price doesn't guarantee superiority, just like having lots of money is not mutually exclusive to having class or being a good person.
As for this package; to say you get all the bells and whistles...doesn't cover it! The goodies factor here is more like a whole entire college marching band at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! And this entry on my brand new blog is my way of saying:
CREATOR KUDOS & APPLAUSE!:
Thank You MAYREAL/ Arphaya for creating this beautiful head! I truly love being able to see familiar bits of women who look like me in RL , in Janet's mesh features in a way that is respectful, soft, true to form and genuinely ... gently familiar. I proudly add this darling to my budding collection. No matter what color I see this head in, she is just beautiful. And I am sure many others appreciate your work as much as I do. And THANK YOU for putting such a generous package out that makes it possible to have it all without having to sacrifice a tank of gas! I look forward to seeing what you do next. I have a feeling you will continue to fine tune, and move the needle in the market!
Final Thoughts:
Every brand has its pros and cons. Some have great faces but weak animations. Some have great animations but you don't like the teeth or the eyes or the mouth. Its all truly subjective in the end. And if having one of the top selling heads is truly about nothing more than a preference for how the head is modeled etc., then I'm with you, buy what makes you happy! Purchase with no trepidation and enjoy! Treat yourself, its your experience, your way. Always do what makes you happy. But if you are buying it because its all you see promoted by your favorite bloggers, or because you see more addon content available inworld... consider this:
1. Many of the top tier Bloggers get the heads, and a lot of merchandise, and have been for many years. Do with that what you will. Some people get jaded after a while...that's just a fact of human behavior. As much as it rubs me the wrong way as a consumer, I get it. All I know is someone who doesn't generally pay for stuff ,or exclusively leans towards premium items, even if out of pocket, and tends to only seam enthusiastic about certain brands ...I personally have little confidence that they are truly objective or even giving a product outside of their comfort zone a real chance. But hey, its just my read on things and my humble opinion.
2. If the head is Omega compatible... don't worry about who only makes makeups for certain heads. Trust me, you'll be just fine with appliers for makeup and hairbase etc. There are plenty to choose from out there. The point of this is, there are options. And the market is not stuck in one price range as it can easily appear to be. It's time to move the needle people!
Now, the downside of going on a mission to find the right head ...its just like dating, the whole kiss a few frogs type of thing. Are there some Bento Mesh heads that are basically Ruth based heads snatched off of creative commons bodies and uploaded right out of Blender, with NO work, skill, or effort put in to them? Yes...smh... avoid those things as best you can or make one yourself. There are tons of Tutorials on how to make stuff. If you can't find one, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction. But don't get taken!
All in all proceed with your eyes wide open and make your purchases for your own reasons. However, if you find your pixel self standing in front of a vendor and have to wonder if you have been led to do it, or if you arrived at the purchase because you reallllly like it, then you may need to take a beat before you give up those dollars. Great objective Bloggers and reviews are awesome, insightful, useful, helpful but the choice is yours , just know that you have lots of really good options, more than you may even know.
I hope this helps. Happy shopping n whatnot.
Buhbye,
Winter-Mia
BTW: You can pick up the Demos in store or on the Marketplace. I'm sure you know this already but, always Demo, and don't rush. I used to rush and wind up with stuff I should have left alone. Little things, details, that you don't notice right away tend to pop up post purchase. They may not even be major just little things that irritate you or are off by a hair from your desired look. So Demo!
SO, upon opening the box the first thing I noticed was how much content was in the folder. The Creator was nothing if not thorough in anticipating what people would need. There are Brow shapers, skins and skin appliers, makeup appliers, gestures, facial animation HUD, a customization HUD, some extra very useful goodies and instructions. It was like WHOA! So if you get this head, be mentally prepared to be gobsmacked. But before you think that means its complicated, take a deep breath and realize that you have kinda just hit the motherlode! Get comfy, read the note cards and then have fun!
Reasons why I LOVE the MAYREAL Bento Mesh Head:
THE PRICE!!!!!!! The regular price for the Mayreal Bento Mesh Heads is usually L$'s 1,995.
I paid the promo price, L$'s 1,795, for my Janet Head, I think that is approximately $8.00 USD. And I didn't mind at all as it was less than the equivalent of $20.00+ USD, which is closer to the price of the top selling ones in the SL market.
I can't lie, I side eyed the head at first simply because of the price. Then I reminded myself of my very first fitted mesh body, how much I loved it, and how insanely fair the price was next to others that were out at the time. For that reason I went to the inworld store to see if it was for real, and it was! I also looked at reviews on marketplace and saw dates that went back a few years for various items. After a little more sleuthing and the mentions and review I had already seen I felt safe to move forward. SO, I proceeded with ease, and I adore this head!
I am repeating the following point because the review I checked out about this Mesh head...made this sound almost negative, and in my opinion its a positive. SO I am hammering this home. K? Mmmkay! So, as I was saying, upon opening the box I found a lot of stuff! At first glance it can be a little overwhelming. However, once I started to take an inventory of what was in there I was impressed with the consideration and thought and effort that it must have taken to breakdown the content the way it has been broken down.
Why I appreciate the variety of versions of this head; with all the complexity issues with mesh in general, its no wonder well made Mesh Heads tend to be complexity heavy. To get the smoothest effect, which is the real plus of mesh body components, it tends to require more faces, and smoothing and some other technical Blender-esque magic. The more you manipulate a mesh model in this manner the prettier it gets. But the price you pay for that perfection is an object with way too many faces. If you have ever dabbled with mesh modeling you know that this is the core issue with complexity. Add textures, and layers with textures to the situation; you have a wearable object that works your viewer harder and draws more resource from the servers. SL is a 3D environment its all about what you see and how you process that information, your eyes and brain are a viewer or sorts unto themselves. Ever have eye strain? That's how I explain complexity in my own random half-assed way.
I see it as we all are swimming in a primordial soup of graphics to enjoy SL. And every component you wear to style your Avatar is more graphical data being processed by your viewer. When you have on very high complexity objects, you end up with really pretty stuff that makes your Avatar appear to most in world as a "Jellydoll". If you have the time, its worth getting informed about the technical side of things. A little knowledge really helps to understand why certain things happen , and how you can resolve or minimize negative impact ex. being the very Lag problem that you can't stand. Either way, these tech details are why I appreciate a clean sculpt that doesn't turn my Avatar into green blob or make me laggy. Things like this are tells of what's really good in my opinion. Its the same when I shop in RL, I don't buy a nice dress and pay a grip for it for the label...I'm checking the seams, the lining, the hem and hardware...if it looks like a cheap machine stitch that will fall apart the first time I send the garment out to the cleaners...I don't care whose name is on it, I will leave it there. And I know that as soon as I put it down, someone else will come pick it up and feel super special because of the price and label. Quality matters, and it makes a difference, period. I know my merch online and offline. And this is well made.
Back to my point. I don't know this to be a fact, but I get the impression that this Creator had complexity in mind while setting this package up, and offers several versions of the head so you have more control over your complexity. You can go with the most basic head that has no applier layers but will animate. That simple version will barely nudge your complexity level, which is a good thing especially in script and or complexity restricted areas. BUT here's the gag...the Creator offers versions that have some layers or all layers...so you have a nice selection, not just an all or nothing choice. Essentially if you don't want to be a "jellydoll" as soon as you put your mesh head on your Avatar, then you care about its complexity and will appreciate these options as much as I do. In addition, each one of the multi layered options has a correlating No ears version. Love it! For those of us that like to sport bewjeled mesh ears this is a plus. I like knowing that I can eliminate some faces from my mesh head with that option. Not for nothing, the ears look good.
Fact: Just because you alpha something doesn't mean the viewer isn't still seeing it. SO, the less mesh you have on, seen and unseen, the lower your complexity. THAT is why all that "stuff"...those options are super helpful. Some wearable content Creators have a really good grasp on that reality and it makes styling your Avatar a little easier and less frustrating...not to mention less laggy, at the least you are not contributing to lag for the sake of fashion.
Skinning this thing is painless! The head itself is a pretty clean sculpt and I assume the scripts are pretty clean as well. Therefore the layers are clean and very responsive to HUD commands. No losing layers when you apply makeup or change your skin. And the hairbase model/layer...which is a major thing for me, lines up naturally and beautifully on the head just as the UV map dictates it should. Creating a beautiful hairbase is not easy. I challenged myself to make one, and It took me 2 years off and on to finally 100% nail the mapping for a clean hairbase, no weird neck line or ear overlap. Hairbases are like the hardest thing to make. In fact its tedious! From what I have seen, a lot of the Mesh heads fall short with the type of alignment that allows for even the best hairbases out there to align correctly hence the receding hairline look. Funky hairline hairbases have always been one of my biggest pet peeves in SL. But its even more annoying on a mesh head. I'm sorry, paying all of that money just to look like someone snatched you by your edges and pulled your wig back a few inches...NOT CUTE!
Well as you can see above, the Mayreal head nails it! I tried out some hairbase appliers I was going to delete from my inventory, and they looked great! Extra bonus points for that! lol I will no longer have to default to a hairbase with heavy baby-hair to create a softer more naturalistic hairline for my Avatar. So this is a big plus in my humble opinion. Ya don't have to sacrifice a makeup layer or an eyebrow layer for a nice hairline. Yay!
Speaking of hairbases, there are some Pretty cool appliers included. As I mentioned above there's the tintable hairbase applier that comes with a cropped/shaved hair base option , which I LOVE!!!!! And a standard slicked back hairbase which is pretty good too.
Then you have your lipstick which is actually a lush selection of glosses, two sets of blushes, eyeshadow, eyebrows, two sets of eyelashes ( The lashes are EVERYTHING! And you can set them to mask in the HUD if the alpha scrambles your eyeshadow), tattoo layer beauty marks...its just a nice set up to get started. Everything is ready for you to tint, gloss etc. and create a pretty face.
Just like the top sellers, this head is materials enabled. LOVE IT! Great for photography if you really enjoy experimenting with your graphics settings and lighting. Not to mention customizing your makeups! I love a statement lip , matte or glossy. But I personally don't need shiny eyelashes or shiny eyeliner. So anything that has a spec map on that doesn't work for me, I turn it off on the HUD. But you can do what ya like. AND while talking about shiny stuff, a selling point for me with this head was that the lipstick layer is materials enabled for glossy effect. But there's a con for me; the included lipstick won't work for me as is, so I can't wear the pretty colors as is. I prefer to use a richer toned skin and there's an itsy bitsy bit of texture extra under the bottom lip that isn't as visible on lighter skins. Now this clearly was not a deal breaker for me, I just use another lipstick or wear the included glossy lip that comes in the box and tweak the tint till its passable. Its not a flaw per se, but more so a reality in SL with skins and alpha based layers on richer toned skins, they tend to have that weird waxy edge effect. Seriously not a new SL phenomenon, I know it well from buying tattoos back in the day that I could not put on my Avatar unless I went with a lighter skin tone, which isn't my thing unless to shoot a specific look. But that's a whole other blog. lol Moving on!
The customization HUD...at first glance, yes its a bit like WTF! BUT so are the ones by top sellers whether or not they have opted to consolidate their customization bits into one HUD. So Creators choosing to let each bit be a standalone, not really an issue for me. Its actually very understandable, HUDs can get very scripty and heavy on your experience. So I'll take a less fancy standalone UI/ HUD any day as long as it works! And this one gets the job done and again, it is fairly responsive in its result. Click the button get the effect, no hiccups.
The head also comes with a full on facial animation HUD!!!! I like it, cute animations,a means to customize and save moods, and set your static face, which works beautifully with working on your face shape. An issue I have had with Bento Mesh Heads, is getting things like the teeth to line up right after I mod the face. Well with this HUD you can kinda set the face up to a basic look that is in line with what you will do with Sliders in Edit mode so that it animates accordingly. Pretty much it assists you in not setting your Avatar to not look fish faced or like the Joker because you have to overwork the sliders.
As I don't own any of the top sellers, I don't know if they offer so much customization or not, all I know is this one does and I like the feature.
I don't know if I'm explaining the static face stuff correctly, I just got this head so I'm still learning her. I will just say this, whether you get what I'm saying or not, just know this, its a very helpful tool, as well as the note that says Undeform before you begin. For me it made a huge difference setting up my Avatars face. All in all its a comprehensive but not aggressive HUD. And if you take a few minutes to read the note cards, you'll be clicking left and right having a good time in no time!
The actual animations are pretty good! I love the eye blinks. And I am sooo glad that the tongue action is cute and not creepy. Quite frankly some of the tongue animations on the other heads I tried made me feel dirty and shamed just to look at them. LOL But hey if it makes you happy do you boo! Anyway, I am figuring that the Creator put some serious time into creating these animations or acquiring / commissioning them. And I appreciate it, I can work with these!
But wait there's more! You also get 2 pose stands, one with lights, a photography ready Mesh photography studio/ backdrop with a PERFECT lighting set up for nice clean glamour shoots. And the set is modifiable. I used the photo studio to shoot all the photos for this. Seriously there is actually much more in this package than I can list right now.
Bento Mesh Head : Mayreal - Janet
Body: Slink Physique
Shape: Original Mayreal Janet Shape (No sliders were used, slight posing with Facial AO Hud)
Skin: Lumae "Jewel"-Pecan/ Bare Omega Applier (Freckles Drk. brow option)
Lip: [MJN] Stolen Crown Matte {Fatpack} Omega applier
Blush: Mayreal Blush applier#2 ( Included in package. Tinted with customization HUD)
Eyeshadow: SlackGirl - Mafalda (Teleport Hub gift)
Collar: Chic Collar by, Swallow (Free on Marketplace)
Hair: Mayreal Hairbase applier ( Included in package. Tinted with customization HUD)
Eyes: SL inventory - Daisy
Top: Vinyl- Applesauce Strappy Lingerie Vday Gift ROSE(Group Gift)
When all is said in done, this package is a BIG WIN!
NOTE: I did not modify or personalize the shape. As I am still working on some faces and body types for my own use, I figured it was best to leave well enough alone and show the head as it is advertised and sold. With that in mind I love how easily playing with skin and makeup created a whole different look, twice!
ALL OF THE GOODIES ARE IN ONE BOX FOR ONE PRICE!
So it is possible to give the people extras without charging them a super high price for it. This bundle debunks the whole attitude of its better than or the best because it has a Premium price tag. Price doesn't guarantee superiority, just like having lots of money is not mutually exclusive to having class or being a good person.
As for this package; to say you get all the bells and whistles...doesn't cover it! The goodies factor here is more like a whole entire college marching band at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! And this entry on my brand new blog is my way of saying:
CREATOR KUDOS & APPLAUSE!:
Thank You MAYREAL/ Arphaya for creating this beautiful head! I truly love being able to see familiar bits of women who look like me in RL , in Janet's mesh features in a way that is respectful, soft, true to form and genuinely ... gently familiar. I proudly add this darling to my budding collection. No matter what color I see this head in, she is just beautiful. And I am sure many others appreciate your work as much as I do. And THANK YOU for putting such a generous package out that makes it possible to have it all without having to sacrifice a tank of gas! I look forward to seeing what you do next. I have a feeling you will continue to fine tune, and move the needle in the market!
Final Thoughts:
Every brand has its pros and cons. Some have great faces but weak animations. Some have great animations but you don't like the teeth or the eyes or the mouth. Its all truly subjective in the end. And if having one of the top selling heads is truly about nothing more than a preference for how the head is modeled etc., then I'm with you, buy what makes you happy! Purchase with no trepidation and enjoy! Treat yourself, its your experience, your way. Always do what makes you happy. But if you are buying it because its all you see promoted by your favorite bloggers, or because you see more addon content available inworld... consider this:
1. Many of the top tier Bloggers get the heads, and a lot of merchandise, and have been for many years. Do with that what you will. Some people get jaded after a while...that's just a fact of human behavior. As much as it rubs me the wrong way as a consumer, I get it. All I know is someone who doesn't generally pay for stuff ,or exclusively leans towards premium items, even if out of pocket, and tends to only seam enthusiastic about certain brands ...I personally have little confidence that they are truly objective or even giving a product outside of their comfort zone a real chance. But hey, its just my read on things and my humble opinion.
2. If the head is Omega compatible... don't worry about who only makes makeups for certain heads. Trust me, you'll be just fine with appliers for makeup and hairbase etc. There are plenty to choose from out there. The point of this is, there are options. And the market is not stuck in one price range as it can easily appear to be. It's time to move the needle people!
Now, the downside of going on a mission to find the right head ...its just like dating, the whole kiss a few frogs type of thing. Are there some Bento Mesh heads that are basically Ruth based heads snatched off of creative commons bodies and uploaded right out of Blender, with NO work, skill, or effort put in to them? Yes...smh... avoid those things as best you can or make one yourself. There are tons of Tutorials on how to make stuff. If you can't find one, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction. But don't get taken!
All in all proceed with your eyes wide open and make your purchases for your own reasons. However, if you find your pixel self standing in front of a vendor and have to wonder if you have been led to do it, or if you arrived at the purchase because you reallllly like it, then you may need to take a beat before you give up those dollars. Great objective Bloggers and reviews are awesome, insightful, useful, helpful but the choice is yours , just know that you have lots of really good options, more than you may even know.
I hope this helps. Happy shopping n whatnot.
Buhbye,
Winter-Mia
HONORABLE MENTION: ALTAMURA
"Yasssss! You did that for the holidays...TY!"
Ok, so this Bento Mesh Head isn't new or really overlooked. But it has a special place in my heart. And it will make appearances here and there in my photo experiments as I shot with it a lot to get my feet wet with this SL photography thing.
When I "reincarnated" back into SecondLife , I got lucky, it was Christmas Season and Creators were feeling very generous. With that said, I give a Shout out to Altamura for putting FREE Omega applier capable Mesh Heads into the SL atmosphere! They also made a Free promo version of their Jenny Full mesh body available as a hunt gift. Although the full body wasn't workable for me past my first week back ,due to hue limitations, it was a serious can do for many other appreciative Residents. The free "Maya" Mesh head at The Chapter Four monthly event was cute. But the "Giselle" Bento Mesh head at the Christmas round of EBento monthly event was PERFECT for me! I gladly paid $L 40's for Altamura's in-world group membership to get that head. It was a major BONUS! And I LOVE this head and she's not going anywhere!
The best gift ever! Photo features: Altamura: "GISELLE" Christmas 2017 Bento Head Gift
Complete Look Credits:
Head: Altamura: "GISELLE" Christmas 2017 Bento Head Gift
Body: Slink Physique (Body/Hands/Feet bundle)
Skin: Lumae - Jewel in Pecan
Lips: [MJN] Stolen Crown Matte {Fatpack}
Eyeshadow: SlackGirl - A EveryDay Shadow ( Group Gift)
Eyes: Avi-Glam - AG. Twinkle Eyes - Christmas Gift (instore Group Gift and $L 1. on marketplace)
Rings: -*AvaWay* NEVA_RING #7__S (The Chapter Four Gacha kiosk)
Rings: Slipper - Cadence Rings
Hair : -FABIA- Mesh Hair <Betty> Fat Pack ( Group Gift)
Face Piercings : .::Supernatural::. Balian
Necklace : B's 25! Potion Necklace "Dream" (The Wash cart sale Feb 2018)
Shoes: Loordes of London-Fallout Index-Peeptoe-#15
Dress: Loordes of London-The Metic Status-#11
Seat: Trompe Loeil - Josette Settee PG [mesh] ( Free gift @ STYD Event Feb 2018)
Thank you team Altamura for all that you do to level the playing field with your beautiful creations and generosity. And that "Valentina" Full Body Freebie...Yassss! Being a "newbie" never looked so good! lol
When I "reincarnated" back into SecondLife , I got lucky, it was Christmas Season and Creators were feeling very generous. With that said, I give a Shout out to Altamura for putting FREE Omega applier capable Mesh Heads into the SL atmosphere! They also made a Free promo version of their Jenny Full mesh body available as a hunt gift. Although the full body wasn't workable for me past my first week back ,due to hue limitations, it was a serious can do for many other appreciative Residents. The free "Maya" Mesh head at The Chapter Four monthly event was cute. But the "Giselle" Bento Mesh head at the Christmas round of EBento monthly event was PERFECT for me! I gladly paid $L 40's for Altamura's in-world group membership to get that head. It was a major BONUS! And I LOVE this head and she's not going anywhere!
Complete Look Credits:
Head: Altamura: "GISELLE" Christmas 2017 Bento Head Gift
Body: Slink Physique (Body/Hands/Feet bundle)
Skin: Lumae - Jewel in Pecan
Lips: [MJN] Stolen Crown Matte {Fatpack}
Eyeshadow: SlackGirl - A EveryDay Shadow ( Group Gift)
Eyes: Avi-Glam - AG. Twinkle Eyes - Christmas Gift (instore Group Gift and $L 1. on marketplace)
Rings: -*AvaWay* NEVA_RING #7__S (The Chapter Four Gacha kiosk)
Rings: Slipper - Cadence Rings
Hair : -FABIA- Mesh Hair <Betty> Fat Pack ( Group Gift)
Face Piercings : .::Supernatural::. Balian
Necklace : B's 25! Potion Necklace "Dream" (The Wash cart sale Feb 2018)
Shoes: Loordes of London-Fallout Index-Peeptoe-#15
Dress: Loordes of London-The Metic Status-#11
Seat: Trompe Loeil - Josette Settee PG [mesh] ( Free gift @ STYD Event Feb 2018)
Thank you team Altamura for all that you do to level the playing field with your beautiful creations and generosity. And that "Valentina" Full Body Freebie...Yassss! Being a "newbie" never looked so good! lol
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