Kavar has released another small set of highlighted hair for The Dressing Room Blue, so go find these special versions of Layne there.

Anyway, this post is about her. I would guess anyone who even remotely knows me or my store knows Brandy Rasmuson. She is my best friend, in both lives. I talk to her pretty much everyday whether we are in sl or not. We talk about everything, more often then not real life things, joking and laughing and just electronically hanging out. I spend most days working on things for Exile and its really nice to have someone to chat with while we are both off doing our own things.

I have a slight motive for writing this other then just the fact that Brandy is great. She has her own blog and someone has taken it upon themselves to leave anon comments about how she should disclose the fact that she “works” for me (due to her wearing my hair all the time I guess) along with a host of other nasty comments that are completely unwarranted. I was kind of surprised that someone who knows she is connected to me and Exile would not know we are real friends, and would actually say things like she was sucking up to me and other tasteless crap ( I sort of assume this person is just ignoring the evidence of our actual friendship so they can be a tool).

So I guess this is also a bit of a disclosure. In case the fact that her name is the one that appears on most the posts on this blog, the fact that I talk about her all the time, the fact that everyone who actually knows one of us is aware of the other…. we are friends. I don’t make her wear Exile hair and blog it as some kind of weird marketing scheme… and I’m pretty sure she would tell me to piss off if I ever asked lol. She blogs what she likes, and she always tells me if she didn’t like my hair she would tell me, and she wouldn’t wear it to spare my feelings(which I like to think helps me get better at making them). I also like to think part of it is a certain pride she shares with me. She and my partner have helped me more then I can say with Exile, and continue to help me keep it moving forward. Helping me literally with stuff in game and on the blog but also supporting me with feedback, inspiration and pep talks when I am having a rough time, filing a millionth dmca or looking at pictures of something I just released reworked a week later by another brand. What I’m getting at is.. she doesn’t work for me and my brand (as though its some kind of corporate arrangement lol), she supports me the same way most best friends support one another.

But Brandy isn’t the kind of person that attacks people.. she just deletes the comments and keeps on doing her thing. I on the other hand am more annoyed by them. They seem to focus around our connection so it kind of makes me think the person just doesn’t like me, which is fine, but grow a set and dial direct if you have something nasty to say.

So to the person commenting on Brandy’s blog: if you have issues with me, don’t attack people just because they are close to me just because you are a nameless, faceless coward who is probably ultimately forgettable in both lives.

And to Brandy when you read this: thanks for everything, in both lives, I don’t think either of them would be the same without you.

As for the rest of you reading, say something nice to someone today… and say it because you mean it.

Kavar

First place goes to Kynne Llewellyn for her gorgeous shot of Li. The background colors are a perfect complement to the hair and flowers, and the depth of the photo with the hand reaching out made this one to remember.

Dango Jewell wins 2nd place with her use of Breeze in a sexy angelic photo.

Aranel Ah and Achariya Maktoum share 3rd place with their photos that capture different sides of Exile. Aranel spotlights the rocker in all of us while Achariya showcases an alternate take on beauty.

We also ended up with 5 honorable mentions that I’ll show after the cut. Congratulations to Mongomery Mornington, Flower Ducatillon, Jo Heartsdale, Three Fall, and Eluysve Jewell. Each of them will be able to pick any Exile hair fatpack as a prize, and I’ll contact them with the details of how to do that.

For those of you sticking around past that announcement, I have some new Exile styles to show you. These are included in the sale too. Li was originally created for the RMB City Design Contest, and it’s a beautiful mix of traditional and modern elements. This is my personal favorite of the new styles, and I think it’s the asymmetrical fringe that really grabs me in addition to the texture-changing flowers.

Carrie is a girly, soft hair, and this is exactly the look I was after back in the days I was saving up money to pay for my spiral perms. Now I’ll just be happy that I can have this look whenever I want in SL. Thanks Kavar!

Alecia is one of those styles that highlights how Exile has made me fall in love with short hair. It’s so sexy with the way it falls across the right side of your face.

And if you’re crazy about Alecia like I am, then be sure to activate your Exile group tag in-world and stop by to pick up this month’s group gift.

1. Wear Exile hair. It can be one of the latest releases or an old favorite. The choice is yours. You can wear Exile clothing too of course, but the requirement for every photo is Exile hair on everyone shown.

2. You’re limited to 5 entries, and only the person entering the photo is eligible to win. You must be the photographer of every photo you enter.

3. In the description of each photo, state:
* your name
* the name(s) of any other models in the photo
* the names of all Exile hairstyles worn

4. To let us know that photos you’re adding to the group are contest entries, tag them “Exile 09″. If you find yourself with more than 5 great photos of Exile hair, then please go ahead and add them to the pool too, but just remember that your 5 contest entries should be tagged “Exile 09″.

5. All contest entries must be entered by 11:59 p.m. SLT on September 26.

6. The three winning photos will be announced on September 30.
* First prize – L$10,000
* Second prize – L$5,000
* Third prize – L$2,000

If you have any questions about the contest, feel free to IM me (Brandy Rasmuson) in world any time. Good luck!

The other Exile release for the guys at Swansong is this hair named Savage. This is one you really need to see in person, so make sure to try the free demos. It’s wild just like the name suggests, and it has a real sense of vitality and movement.

And of course Kavar didn’t forget the women. Even if he tried, I certainly wouldn’t let him! Moving on from earth and fire, he focused on water and air for us. He captured the image of splashing water and then somehow transformed it into an ethereal dress that looks as amazing on a runway model as it does on a water nymph. It’s sheer in all the right places while still allowing for a bit of mystery and modesty.

The Breeze hair is big natural hair tossed by the wind and floating around your face. I’ve found that it really adds life to any photo as I’ve been playing around with it.

All of these items are at the Black Swan sim until Aug. 17, so you still have time to go shopping. After you do a little buying there, don’t forget to make time for photos and submit them to the Swansong Elemental Competition. The contest is open until Aug. 20, and first prize is L$15,000 for even more shopping sprees!