What to Look for?

[PenumbraMoon]

Where should I look for high quality skins. shapes and hair? How can I tell if it's good quality or not?

Should I try custom? Where would I get that?

[Kelli May]

It's a very common question, and one you'll find a lot of opinions on in this very forum. I've tried to find a few threads on the subject for you...

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Your-Avatar/Recommendations-for-best-skin/m-p/1564785/highlight/true#M20206

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Your-Avatar/Nicest-Female-Skins-in-SL/m-p/1361275/highlight/true#M15113

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Wanted/nice-hair/m-p/1687491/highlight/true#M5546

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Your-Avatar/A-Matter-of-Proportion-A-Guide-to-Shape-Making-and-the/m-p/1027693/highlight/true#M8323

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Your-Avatar/Avatarus-Rex-OMG-Short-Arm-Syndrome/td-p/1490913

A good shape (or skin, or hair) is one you are happy with. It helps to have seen a few of the options before you decide, but any store worth its name will offer free demos of their product. Try them. Try lots. Then try some more. Shape, skin, and (to a lesser extent) hair all work together. Some won't look right together, so it's worth trying lots of combinations.

The basics, from my PoV:
The best shapes are realistically proportioned and sold mod/copy so you can personalise them. A common error (but not the only one!) is to have the arms too short & legs too long. Fewer places sell shapes and many people make their own using one of the Library shapes as a base.

Skins must be seamless and cleanly textured. The lips and other features should map accurately to the corresponding adjustable parts of the shape. Most other things are down to personal preference: freckles, make-up, tanlines, shading and highlights. It's nice to get a few options thrown in. These days, you can get tattoo layers that add a lot of these extra features.

Hair goes through phases as new features are added to SL... prim hair, then flexible, then sculpties, and most recently, mesh. Contrary to what some people will tell you, rigged mesh doesn't always look better than sculpted; I still think a good sculpted style with a few flexible strands for move movement can look superb.

There are many dozens of brands selling many hundreds of styles of skins and hair. So unless you are looking for something *very* specific, you don't need to worry about buying custom.

[solstyse]

The best way to tell is if you like soething when you see it in-world. If you see something on an avatar that impresses you, then IM the person. 90% of us will give you a polite answer Create a notecard in your inventory, and just keep copying and pasting the responses you get there. Most designers are fairly consistent with their quality, so if you get a couple people telling you they bought from the same person, then odds are after you check the marketplace or the in-world store for that designer, even if you find a style that you like better than what those who recommended them are wearing, you'll know it's good.