Less Is More & More Causes Cultural Shock

I decided I'm no longer using my stupid banner. It's pointless and you probably already know who I am.

op·u·lence [op-yuh-luhns]

noun

1.

wealth, riches, or affluence.

2.

abundance, as of resources or goods; plenty.

3.

the state of being opulent.

It seems that Stardoll has taken this term too literally, because their latest Starplaza decor store practically reeks of wealth and excess. So much so, that it ends up looking tacky and over the top.

Sure enough, there are some beautifully designed and tasteful (i.e. the Mini Marble Statue) items, but, primarily, Opulence is a big, fat mess. Which is very disappointing, of course, especially after the simple-yet-great additions to the Minimalism store.

I'm not going to lie, minimalism usually seems to me like a rather impersonal movement, seeing as it's more based on simplicity, symmetry and the trio of white, black and grey, and less on personal taste. However, the fact that something is colorful and all-over-the-place-looking, doesn't necessarily render it tasteful.

All in all, Opulence is characterized by mediocrity: the graphics are, for the most part, nearly flawless, but the designs are usually tacky. It's just a classier version of Kitsch, in my opinion.


Whatever you do, don't put more than one items from the Opulence store in the same room. Usually, less is more. 

Eyes On The Prize

For some reason, I feel like shouting "Eternal glory!", Dumbledore-style.

Obviously, that's not of the prizes for Stardoll's biggest competition of the year. But, I am certain that 1000 Stardollars, 2000 Starcoins, instant Royalty status and a bunch of other stuff I can't recall right now will suffice.

When I gave up on Stardoll in late 2009, Miss Stardoll World wasn't "established" yet. Even when I made my virtual "comeback", I had no idea whatsoever what that competition was. I read a post about the 2010 winner on PSG about how she was an insufferable bitch (basically) and that was it. In fact, I thought it was a one time thing. Of course, Stardoll wouldn't miss the chance to cash up on the thousands, if not millions, of hopefuls who will spend - or have spent - their precious moolah in order to kid themselves that they stand a chance.

Yesterday, I got a message from a fellow Greek, who stated that MSW was her biggest dream. She also mentioned, poor grammar and spelling and all, that she had spent a large amount of real money to decorate her suite and style her Medoll.

I admire determination. I really do. But, frankly, I don't go voting people that don't deserve it, just because it's their "biggest dream". Because, really, if I were to vote someone for a virtual competition, it would be a talented girl or boy, with a beautifully decorated suite and a lovely Medoll. Someone like Zenonas (-LimitedEdition), for example. Not someone who suddenly decides they want to be internet celebrities.

But, as I said, I'm not planning on voting anyone. Not because I find the "institution" ridiculous, but because of the fib and corruption that dominates it. I am pretty sure that there are plenty of desperate Stardoll users that have created dozens, perhaps hundreds of accounts just to vote themselves. It's not a new thing. We know many have done it to win Covergirl, a much less coveted spot compared to MSW. And, frankly, why the hell not? It's free, harmless and you don't risk becoming a virtual beggar and, thus, pissing people off.

Stardoll does nothing about it. As they do nothing about those sly brats that think that by giving a fancy prize to a lucky voter, they will emerge victorious.

Of course, the result of this viral contest will be thousands of miserable young girls and boys that bestowed their hopes upon grandiose expectations and will end up wondering why that wasn't enough.

Needless to say, I don't intend to be a part of this.

Mortal Kiss 2 (& Me Hyperventilating)

First, I am totally hyperventilating right now. Not because of Mortal Kiss 2. I just found out that my girl, Lady GaGa, won two VMAs and the Hunger Games teaser was revealed and I am shaking right now.

Anyway.

The skirt. I love it. Personally, I don't find it as great as the previous collection, but it's pretty solid. I am a bit disappointed, though, mainly because of the prices. Oh, well.

Really, there is nothing more to say about it. It's silver. It's shiny. It's cute and futuristic. Nothing really, truly great, but it doesn't suck.

I do find the original Mortal Kiss far more superior, though. I admit that purple seems a bit too emo-ish to me, but mixed with light violet, white and even pink it actually isn't half bad.

Okay. I feel like I have been posting way too much about Starplaza crap, so imma peace out and continue hyperventilating.

PS. Beyonce is pregnant. What a nice, original publicity stunt Queen B.

Another Month Of Fug, Brought To You By...

Take a wild guess.

What's with the dog? Please, please tell me it isn't a Hotbuy. (Actually, I just checked and it is.)

Frankly, these alleged Hotbuys are horrible.

 

Okay, perhaps with the exception of the "Roar Tee" and the emerald skirt. And that big, green, fierce bag. I suppose the are bolder than previous Hotbuys, but I am seriously underwhelmed, especially considering the shitload of moolah we will be expected to pay for them. Assuming we actually do purchase them.

In other odd but irrelevant news:

Wow. Someone is getting creative. Careful, Stardoll. You might choke on your own creativity.

[click to enlarge]

Oh, Stardoll! Now I am so tempted to spend 500 Stardollars. I mean, this is a shitty - but free - outfit we're talking about. Like, bingo! Plus, who doesn't just love zombies? Right, Stardoll?

Seriously, just bring Mortal Kiss 2 (and I mean the clothes, not Twilight's shitty spawn) and get it over with.

Imma peace out now.

Shaking & Crying! (OK, maybe I'm overreacting a little bit.)

First off, I gave the blog a mini-makeover, mainly because it was boring me. Not that it was a drastic change, but I kind of like it. It's different but simple. I also changed my banner into something much more minimalistic. And not so much of a banner, as a matter of fact.

Anyway, back to the point of this post, i.e. the cause of my shaking and crying. Not many Stardoll-related projects have really enticed me, let alone the more recent ones. Taking into consideration the plethora of magazines created by Stardoll users, the excellence of the graphics or the quality of the articles is hardly intriguing. One magazine, however, has managed to stand out, not only because it possesses the above mentioned qualities, but also because it's... fierce. Of course, I am talking about Fierce Magazine, one of the most popular and acclaimed user-created magazines. It's creator, Alice (Hunnigall), is probably one of the most renown graphic designers on Stardoll and, no shame in admitting it, I will forever exalt her fabulousness.

Despite the disappointing lack of recent issues, Alice herself promised that the magazine would return, back in January. And, boy, will it return!

Usually, I am very hard to impress, but the moment I laid eyes on this spoiler, I fell in unconditional and irrevocable love with it. So much so, that I am afraid I have lost my will to be a bitch.

Okay Helen, focus.

Fierce hits the virtual stands in Fall 2011. Here's something to look forward to.

New Banner & Other Stuff

Wow. It feels like a long time since the last time I wrote here. Not much has happened, to be honest. (Seriously. Stardoll is extremely boring as of late.)

Stardoll has also posted the first two chapters of Mortal Kiss 2 on the Starblog. (No interactive version, boo!) I haven't read the original Mortal Kiss - just the prologue - but I still gave its sequel (?) a shot. I regretted it. The prologue of the first one seemed well-written and, as contrived and overdone the concept is, it was quite intriguing. Fool's Silver, though seems generic and poorly written to me. I couldn't make past the first few lines. I should be familiar with less than stellar writing; I've read Twilight. But, frankly, Mortal Kiss resembles a fanfiction written by a 13 year-old. A bad one.

At least the clothes will be fabulous.

Wait. Did you hear that? It's the screams of thousands of tweeners.

Oh, what a glorious moment! Let's all raise our virtual glasses in honor of the Miss Stardoll World competition. I'll be frank, I briefly thought about entering the competition, but it'd be fruitless. I am not one for relentless spamming or relentless moolah-wasting. I'd rather be a simple observer, occasional critic, but mostly filled with witty, sarcastic comments. Perhaps I could launch a campaign boycotting it. That would be fun.

Let the spamming contest begin! It's going to be like the Hunger Games, only more intense, me thinks.

And that's what you missed on Glee Stardoll!

Minimalistically Fabulous!

I am pleasantly surprised right now.

According to Stardoll's official twitter, plenty of cool features are on their way to Dollywood. To name a few, Mortal Kiss 2 (Yay!) and a Minimalism store, with the later already available at the Suite Shop.

I have to say, I am beyond impressed. The items are fantastic. The prices are not exactly low, but, frankly, I am tempted to buy every single thing! The quality of the graphics is exquisite, almost LE-like.

Stardoll deserves major kudos for this one!

UPDATE: Apparently, Stardoll has also decided to bring back from the dead - AKA the Starbazaar hell - a few lovely, Starck inspired items. Aside from the fact that I spent 44 Stardollars on the Starck inspired sofa a few weeks prior to its re-release, I am pleased to find these stylish pieces of furniture at a reasonable price instead of the 500 Stardollars they cost at the Starbazaar.

Sweet Moses' nipple on a cracker!

Alright, this could be either false alarm, Stardoll being an idiot or a fucking miracle.

The Sea of Stars store is known for a lot of things. Such as, being completely weird and being overly expensive. But, I just spotted a few brand new items, namely a couple of pairs of Armadillos à la Godga that are surprisingly inexpensive. One costs... 6 Starcoins? Hmm. I won't buy them just yet; they're not that amazing, and, who knows, with Stardoll's history of fail, the price tag could be misleading.

UPDATE: Turns out, you can actually buy the Armadillos for 6 Starcoins. Perhaps Stardoll will change it, so you might as well hurry up.

UPDATE 2: Turns out, you can't anymore. The price has gone up to 10 Stardollars for the ones that previously cost a mere 6 Starcoins, and to 5 for the others. Same with a few other garments, which were previously available for non-Superstars as well. Oh well. No surprise here.

Surprise!

 (What is that, Stardoll? No notifying message? Oh well.)

Stardoll has become rather predictable as of late. I dread the moment when there will be no fashion houses/designers/fashion brands for it to blatantly plagiarize be inspired by.

Yup, you guessed it. Another tribute has made its way into our Dolly world. (Note to self: create a tribute tag. Or just put every tribute-related post under the fail category. Yeah, that works as well. )

So, what fabulous brand has Stardoll brought to our lovely virtual mall?

After the great, cool, hip and colorful Moschino tribute, this is a slight disappointment. Wait, didn't I say the exact same thing about that one? Well, I take it back, because, as I said wrote, it was a great, cool, hip and colorful tribute. Stardoll's newest moolah drainer seems rather bland and bo-aring in comparison. (Wait, I just spotted a lovely handbag for... 14 Stardollars? Nevermind.) The garments are a bit too vanilla, the colors are the opposite of eye-grabbing and the prices are predictably haute. The graphic designer did do a nice job, however, so I suppose one or two pieces wouldn't be a terrible waste of virtual money.

Stardoll, I am disappoint. This tribute is nothing to rave about; too Plain Jane-ish, if you ask me. Folks over at Stardoll HQ, either do something spectacular, or produce an(other) atrocity, just to relieve me from my complete boredom.

UPDATE: Sweet Moses' nipple on a cracker! I just... Wait... Oh, false alarm. Move along.

To the Starplaza!

What I Hate About Stardoll And Whatnot

When I originally created this blog, I intended to use it as an outlet of my relentless whining against the greed and general douchebaggery of Stardoll's owners and staff. There is a lot to complain about. Stardoll isn't one for discrimination; it equally treats Superstars and non-Superstars alike like shit.

But, honestly, I find this a bit tiring. Stardoll is a business, and while the have to start respecting the people who spend their precious moolah to make them filthy rich, maybe we, the mistreated, ought to understand that they operate like one. Of course, being the ones who provide Stardoll with its fuel (i.e. money), we should demand some respect. 

Stardoll should have realized the universal criticism towards it by now, considering that every popular blog has somewhere in its archive a rant against it. Except maybe US (Underneath Stardoll). The folks over there are probably too busy flaunting their interview with Callie.Stardoll and in general being the most popular user-created, Stardoll-related blog out there. Maybe they should post an extensive rant, since US seems to be Callie's fave virtual hangout. No offense to the uber successful blog, but a little originality never harmed anyone.

Anyways, in my humble opinion, Stardoll is a dick and us, the members, provide a very comfy... Nevermind. 

My Belated Two Cents

Over the past week, I've been doing an experiment. More specifically, my "hiatus" from Stardoll was the experiment. The results were astonishing. It turns out, I'm not a Stardoll addict. Really. Apparently, I can't live a day without my dose of celebrity gossip, but Stardoll, that I can survive without.

Still, a lot happened during my absence. Most importantly, Stardoll released a new tribute store. Shocking, huh? Alright, that happened a week ago, but I only regained access to my precious computer a mere half hour ago.

The store is alright, I suppose. Colorful and cutesy, but a slight disappointment compared to the Lanvin one. Overall, a nice effort.

I am certain a lot more has happened to Dollywood in the past 8 days or so, I'm just too exhausted to even bother to find out. Oh well. I still have a whole month before school starts to make up for the recent lack of posts.

PS. Fear not, I haven't stopped bitching about Stardoll. I'm just really, really tired.

UPDATE: Upon further reflection, I decided I fucking love this tribute. I swear, I haven't purchased so many items at once, like, ever! Bravo, Stardoll, bravo.

To the Starplaza!