If you’ve never been to ALB (AnaLee Balut) you should go, even if only to see the store. It’s a unique Arabian themed desert oasis. Walking through the store in places is reminiscent of a street bazaar. The main part of the store is several stories, so there’s plenty to explore. At ALB you’ll find mostly ladies clothing, though there is a random mens item here and there. The style at ALB is a little harder to pinpoint! Eclectic is a good word to start with. There is everything from shoes and accessories, to lingerie and ballgowns. You’ll also find fantasy inspired clothing, fashion inspired by history, and even some of what I would call Gorean clothing. As I mentioned, there’s a lot to be had!
Probably one of the most notable things about the ALB main store is the large camel statue in the center of the main floor. In this same area you’ll quickly be able to spot the ALB gift for Fabulously Free in SL group members. This gift is free and exclusive to Fabulously Free in SL group members, so don’t forget to wear your group tag! There are two additional group gifts on the same column as the Fab Free gift. Each requires a separate group tag.
As you browse through the vastness at ALB you’ll note that some items have floating text that may say “group gift” or simply “enjoy” among other things. These items are usually group gifts you can purchase for free while wearing your store group tag. The store group is LAMU and it has a one time join fee of 250 linden. Another unique aspect to shopping at ALB are their “wearable demos.” These items often have floating text as well that will say “demo” or something similar. These wearable demos are often free but sometimes cost between 0 and 10 linden. I spotted both group gifts and wearable demos throughout all the floors of the ALB store. The above photos are of a few but I am certain not all of these gift types just to give you an idea of the genuinely wide range of items. Happy shopping Fab Free, and have a wonderful weekend.
To pick up these group gifts, you will need to have your Fabulously Free in SL inworld group tag activated (It’s free to join!). To join the group, copy and past the following link into local chat in your SL viewer and click the link in local chat – secondlife:///app/group/020fa7af-444d-f54f-01e2-557ec06315fd/about
There are three ways to keep an eye on our growing list of free group gifts:
Click the Group Gifts Listing Button at the top right hand side of the blog.
He said we had a date, and I was all decked out. Dressed to the nines. Fit to kill. You know how it goes. You find just the gown at ALB that can’t be passed up, especially since it’s free. I opted out of the full skirt and kept it simple, going only for the slinky white part with the draping back and the low cut neckline and then I waited at the door but he never showed up. It’s a good thing the dress didn’t cost me anything… or I might have more in the way of revenge than just petty aggravation on my mind.
Of course if you have an upcoming date, you can get this dress too… and it comes in all the right sizes: fitmesh XS – XL as well as Maitreya, Slink, Belleza, and TMP.
Pairing things up.
I had a flair for dramatics. (So does he… I’m sure he’ll have some excuse.) So I added this jewelry from Lazuri to my dress. It’s the current group gift out. I’m showing you the necklace and cuff bracelets, but there were also rings and earrings too. They are even color change, with a choice of silver or gold metal and an ability to change the color of the pearls as well. Lazuri frequently sets out large sets of color change gifts, so though the group fee is 250L, it means a lot of jewelry for your group fee.
I wonder if he’ll show up late to pay the ticket for the bottle of wine I ordered…
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Astrid (Portia Swords) is wearing…
Body – Maitreya – Lara
Head – Catwa Head – Tumble
Head Applier – Glam Affair – Pia Applier
Eyes – IKON Hope Eyes – Wight
Hair – Truth – Guiliana
Jewelry – Lazuri – Prana Necklace and Prana Cuff Bracelets (Free Group gift/0L/Group is 250L to Join)
Dress & Shoes – ALB – Shani gown NYEve & heels (Free group gift/0L/Free to Join Group)
I cannot get over how many amazing gifts and hunt prizes and holiday goodies are available from all over Second Life this year. This has been one of the most festive holiday seasons I’ve experienced in my many years of being a Second Life resident. The designers have really outdone themselves, which makes this time of year that much more fun for all of us Fab Free’rs! hehehe
Speaking of great holiday gifts, Knockers recently released their December group gift and it’s a must-have! This holiday themed pea-coat is just too cute. I love the little details, and the contrasting lining. Check out the cute little gingerbread man in the pocket too! This is a FREE gift to all group members, and the Knockers group is a one time fee of 150 lindens to join, however there are exclusive monthly gifts.
To go with this great coat, I picked up these fun winter boots from ALB on the Marketplace. The boots are all decked out in pretty holiday fabric, and can be re-sized by clicking each individual boot. There are no “feet” required to wear the boots, and they also include a matching alpha layer. Not only are these boots really cute, they are completely FREE!
“A loss that can be repaired by money is not of such very great importance.” [The Arabian Nights]
There are always conflicting ideas about the finer things in life — and whether or not they are material wealth or riches in the form of things like health and family. The good news is, that if your wardrobe is drooping, it won’t cost you much more than a bit of patience for these striking Arabian Nights looks!
I discovered that ALB Fashion has out a gorgeous new tunic dress as a group gift called Sandy for FREE if you wear your group tag. It is a one time fee of 500L to join, but there are quite a few quality past group gifts out and more gifts in the future to come. The tunic dress came in two colors and in all the standard sizes for a great fit (I paired it with jeans and it made a stunning top).
My necklace, pictured above, is a FREEgift, but it’s going to take you some patience and persistence. It is a two part necklace (so you could wear just the short or just the long piece for added versatility) and called India and is a Mini Mania Board prize by Wicked. The board is 10 slaps and starts over every time it reaches 10, randomly giving out 1 prize to 1 person who has slapped the board. I was thrilled as this necklace with its great indigo color matched my new tunic just perfectly!
My Wicked Alex Sweater shown above is also FREEat Wicked, but like the India necklace will take a bit of patience and luck. Currently at Wicked, not only is there a Mini Mania Board out for shoppers to slap, but there are also two lucky letter chairs. I was super lucky as not only did I get the India necklace, but my letter came up for this gorgeous sweater as well! The sweater comes in all the standard mesh sizes and while the sweater part itself is one solid color, the bra part comes with a color change Hud for versatility making this a fabulous giftie! Woot!
If patience is not your thing, it’s still worth stopping by Wicked for the current group gift. Shown above is the FREEgroup gift offering – the Sally Blouse in Rouge. The group is FREEto join, making this gift completely FREE. Like all the other items, it comes in all the standard mesh sizes and is a great fit!
I paired my Sally Blouse with a lovely jewelry Gift from Chop Zuey that is in store currently. This stunning set called Dragon Heart Demi Parure is yours FREE with your group tag (and one time join fee of 350L but don’t worry — there are regular gifts to make it well worth it!). The choker and earrings are resizable and texture change and you can change the two gems on the earrings separately allowing for multiple combinations of colors! What a treat!
I’m just going to jump right in with this post, I love rompers. Even more, I love wearing them in Second Life because there’s none of that “now I have to get half undressed to use the restroom” issue that rompers often have in real life. Yes, I totally went there. Functionality aside, this FREE group gift romper from ALB is so darn cute, I really don’t want to take it off. I love the fun bright patterns, and the tassels and ties add some extra charm and style. As if the romper its self wasn’t gift enough, these pretty sandals are part of the gift as well. I think (not sure honestly) they are meant for system feet, but I had no issue at all moving them down a little to fit my Slink Flat feet. So, how do you get it? Head over to ALB and join the in world group. The group is called LAMU, and it’s free to join. Toward the back of the ALB store, there’s a wall of past and current group gifts, all for FREE.
Happy Friday Everyone!! I hope you’ve all had a good week and are making fun weekend plans. Speaking of the weekend, this super fun outfit would make great weekend attire for going out with friends. I usually pick out darker colors and patterns, but I just couldn’t help myself with this one! lol
Have you ever had the urge to throw on one of your significant other’s hats? I do all the time! Finally I got brave and have bought one or two of my own. This greenish-gold fedora reminded me of that. Fedoras are my favorite style of hat to wear, and sometimes having one a little over-sized is fun. This unisex hat is a current FREE gift at Fab Free Headquarters from Couture Chapeau, and it has a re-size script to fit just about any size. There’s no need to join a group, (though we’d love it if you did!) just head on over to FFHQ and pick it up.
Also at FFHQ is this pretty skin from Hankii Pankii. The bright fun make up is part of the skin, and this FREE gift includes several appliers including Slink and Maitreya, as well as a few more. Considering the colorful nature of the outfit, I knew this skin would be a perfect fit!
I’m not sure which part of this FREE group gift from ALB Dream Fashion I like best, the top or the shoes?! If forced to decide, I’d probably pick the shoes, but it would be difficult. I love the bright colorful patchwork pattern, it’s fun and summery. The top also allowed me to show off some skin, which for me really means showing off the tattoos I like so much! Not wanting to show quite so much skin? I think this loose-fitting crop top would look great with a solid colored tank under it as well.
Next, I adore this bumble bee manicure from Nail Me!. Talk about a fun manicure that is perfect for summer! This set comes with toenail appliers too, so your tootsies can be as cute as your fingertips. In addition there are appliers for Slink nails, and an Omega applier. This set is the Nail Me! contribution to the Birds and Bees Hunt. The BBH is a 1 linden hunt.
The cell phone I used with the pose from Velvet Poses is now a Marketplace dollarbie from No Cabide. Not only is this cell super cute, it comes with a texture change hud so you can match your phone to more of your stuff! Skyler showed this cute phone originally in one of her posts here. She also included a close-up of the texture change hud!
Like the “Selfie” pose from Velvet Poses? You can get a pack of 5 selfie poses (phone not included) for just 50 linens at the ToBeOutsider event. That’s just 10 lindens per pose!
Whew! That was a lot of stuff! Here are the details, Enjoy!
Hat – Couture Chapeau – CC UNISEX Essex Linen Fedora {CC Gold} – FREE Gift @FFHQ
Hair – little bones. Horrowshow – Past Group Gift (Still Available)/Group is 100 L to Join (Originally Shown Here)
Skin – Hankii Pankii – [HP] Spring (tea) Skin & Appliers – FREE Gift @FFHQ
Top & Shoes –ALB Dream Fashion – ALB AAYANA top + SARA pumps to slink high boho by AnaLee Balut – FREE Group Gift/Group is FREE to Join
I just love the Indian culture, especially the clothing! All the beautiful colours, with bold patterns. Heaven for a girl like me.
So how excited do you think I was when I saw a picture of the new group gift Saree from AnaLee Balut? The ALB PREMA saree mesh dress is absolutely gorgeous, and best of all, it’s free! You need to find the LAMU group joiner at the store first, and then once you join for free, you need to head HERE, as this group gift is in a different area. The dress is one piece mesh, and comes in the standard sizes. The lovely little forehead jewelry you see better in a picture below, is also part of this gift. What you can’t see are my shoes. There is a pair of shoes included, in a SLink flat version, and a standard SL av foot version too.
The lovely jewelry set I chose to go with, as no Indian outfit is complete without jewelry, just so happens to be in one of the FabFree 7th birthday cupcakes set out at FabFree HQ! This elegant necklace, earrings and bracelet set was generously donated by Chop Zuey, and I think it really goes nicely with my saree, it even has the same sort of look as the forehead jewelry. This gift, along with more than 50 others, is free, you just have to find it.
Now, I am sure you are wondering about the beautiful skin I am wearing. It is the current group gift from Pink Fuel, the group is L$250 to join, you just need to go into the notices to get it. The darker tone is Hazel, and the lighter tone is Peach. As Mochi Milena, the owner/creator of Pink Fuel, said in the notice this was sent out in, the makeup palette on these skins is a little bit different from her usual style. If you are familiar with Pink Fuel skins and makeups at all, you know that she likes to go with brighter and more youthful looking makeups. The lovely brown tone to this makeup is definitely a bit older looking, but don’t worry, older does not mean old 😛 In the pictures, the bigger picture is how I would wear this skin after a little magic (which I will show you below), with the 2 smaller pictures showing how the skin is, which is with slightly lighter than I prefer eyebrows. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining at all. I adore these skins 🙂
What is the magic I mentioned? Well, both Pru and I recently showed you a few of the group gifts that were sent out in the MOCK Cosmetics group a few days ago, but there were so many, that we barely made a dent in them. My magic is one of the other gifts that was sent out. It’s called [mock] Tintable Brow Out experiment secret menu item (so, just in case this is actually supposed to be secret, we’ll keep it just between us 😉 ) There are 2 versions, the one I am using, which starts out with a pale skin-tone colour, and a non-human version, which starts out white. This is a makeup layer, so, you add it from your inventory, and as you can see in the pictures, it will cover up the eyebrows on the skin you are wearing. You then have to edit that makeup layer to change the colour. While it can be a bit tricky, it is not impossible. If you look closely at the 3rd picture, it is not seamless, with so many skin designers out there, it would be impossible for it to be, but…it comes pretty dang close, looking like it is just shading on your face around the natural hills and valleys of your eyebrow area. Add your own makeup layer eyebrows, and voila…my eyebrows are now the ones I normally wear only on skins that come with a no-brow version. I think this is great for those of you who like wilder colours of hair. If you can find eyebrows that are the same colours, you can use any skin you want and still have them match. This one gift alone, for me, is well worth the L$250 join fee for this group.
OK lovelies, That is it for my Indian Inspiration post. This is why I love SL, there are so many people from all over the world in our little virtual world, so many cultures for you to experience that you might not otherwise have a chance to encounter. I hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did. Until next time, TTFN!
What is Calle showing you… Saree – ALB PREMA saree mesh dress (free group gift/free to join) Necklace, Earrings and Bracelet – Chop Zuey Amour Delicata Gld/D Set (free for the FabFree 7th Bday Hunt @ FabFree HQ) Skin – [PF] Group Gift <Hazel> – September 2014 (free group gift/L$250 to join) Brow-Out Makeup layer – [mock] Tintable Brow Out experiment secret menu item (free group gift/L$250 to join) Ring – :*:CPD:*: Necromantic Sugar Skull Ring (Blacklight) Hair – [elikatira] Claudine – Ravens Brows – Soiree – Sloane Brows #Ebony Eyes – IKON Promise Eyes – Silverleaf(right) & Fjord(left)
Hello Everyone, hope you’ve all been having a wonderful day! I’ve got a pretty awesome gift to show you, thanks to our very own Love. Normally I might not have picked up this Harem gift from ALB. However, Love pointed it out to me, and I am so glad she did! I have to admit, she’s right, I’ve had a lot of fun with this one. Not only is the gift very cute on, I got tons of compliments on it while wearing it around. In addition it comes complete with a top, pants, shoes, and matching jewelry! I felt like some modern Arabian princess while taking the photographs. Needless to say you really do not want to miss out on this one.
Here are the details, enjoy!
Also, like the Bindi I’m wearing? Me too! Guess what? You already own it! That’s right, this beautiful Bindi jewelry is in the Library section of your inventory. Love it!
Hair – ^;^CaTwA^;^ Mesh Selena Hair
Skin – Essences ~ Song *noisette
Outfit (including jewelry & shoes) – ALB HAREM outfit – FREE Group Gift / Group is Currently FREE to Join
Bindi – Female Bollywood Bindi – FREE – Look in Your Inventory Library!!
Guest Blog By Geoffrey Edwardstone – Group Gifts for Men at ALB Dream Fashion, originally blogged [HERE]
Although ALB Dream Fashion is well-known in fashion circles for it’s colorful boho-esque designs for women, the second floor of the store has a good collection of casual, fashionable menswear. There is a monthly group gift for men up there, and if you look carefully among the racks in the regular men’s clothing section you’ll see a number of additional group gifts where group members can get one or more of the colors of a regular item for free (it’s easier to spot these hidden gifts if you turn on hovertips in your viewer as you move your cursor across the clothing displays). A word to the wise – each group member is entitled to just one copy of each group gift- so if you accidentally trash something you won’t be ale to get yourself a replacement.
I took myself over to the breathtaking Two Moon Gardens to take some photos of two of these ALB hidden group gifts. My top is the GIL double vest and shirt. This is a single piece set of mesh garments which comes in several color schemes, though only the burgundy color is free to group members. The black leather back of the vest has an interesting pattern on it. My wife said she thought it looked like a horseshoe crab, but it looks to me like the rear end of a hog with a tail hanging down. Maybe it’s just a wearable Rorschach test. The pants I’m wearing are the NOAM black baggy jeans, one of a couple of colors that are free to group members. My shoes are unisex leather sneakers in white available at Duh! for just $10L. Altogether the perfect thing for a nice spring walk in the garden.
Geoffrey is wearing:
Top – ALB Dream Fashion – GIL double vest and shirt (mesh) – (free group gift, free to join)
Pants – ALB Dream Fashion – NOAM baggy jeans in black – (free group gift, free to join)
Shoes – Unisex Leather Sneakers in white – Duh! – $10L
Hair – Joe (Coffee) – A&A Hair – (free group gift, free to join)
