Every time I hear the name Esther, I think of the Bible story of the beautiful Hebrew queen that risked her life for her people. It always was one of my favorite Bible stories, probably because it was one of the few that featured a beautiful queen that was not wicked or evil and she was brave to boot! And there are just not enough women heroines in the Bible for me. I mean…after Eve ate the apple from the wicked serpent and THEN gave it to her sweet, innocent partner to eat, it was downhill all the way for us women.  UNTIL, of course Mary came along and somewhat redeemed us, but still we seem to be scarcely mentioned.

I have no idea what prompted Alice to name this hair “Esther” (wouldn’t you hate to have to come up with 2+ women’s names for hair each week…and a few men’s names too???) but I think that this hair would be fitting for a queen.  It is a ponytail, but as A&A is known for…it is a BIIIIIG ponytail…the kind you would see on your princess Barbie!  So it is perfect for this time of year when everyone is dressing up in lovely gowns and dresses for Christmas!

Speaking of gowns and dresses, this GORGEOUS dark blue gown is from ADiva Couture.  And just because it is GORGEOUS does NOT mean that it cannot be sexy!  No!  AnneJoy Paine does what she does best and combines the two elements to come up with this “liquid lace” gown.   The gown has a plunging neckline trimmed with a satin collar and cap satin sleeves with an almost birdlike wing on top.  In the back the neckline plunges down ALMOST as far as it can go and still be decent…leaving you wanting more!  And oh yeah, I forgot to mention, that the collar and sleeves, a SMALL portion covering the breast and the trim around the back neckline are satin.  The rest of this gown is some of the most delicate, REAL looking lace I have ever seen.  It comes with a detachable train, so if you are one that does not want to make TOO much of a statement you can detach it for a regular gown look or you can wear it to have one beautiful lace train trailing behind you as you enter the room and watch heads turn!  Anne is notorious for adding “accessories” to her outfits, whether it is bags, or necklaces or glasses, but this time she has included booties to match the dress!  They are quite stylish and could really spruce up any outfit you might have.  The outfit comes in at least 7 different colors, this beautiful blue, silver, teal, red, coal, purple and a taupe color, all with match And just in case you are not familiar with aDiva Couture, there are 2 different shops, one for casual clothes and one for gowns.  Be sure and take a look at both.  AnneJoy’s attention to detail makes her one of the very best at what she does!

This lovely skin can be yours absolutely free as a gift in SL’s “Peace on Earth 4 hunt”.  If you have not heard about it, over 200 creators are giving away AMAZING gifts in this hunt.  This lovely skin is from Rockberry and is perfect for the usually “elegant” outfits worn this time of year.  I LOVE the lipcolor.  The Hunt started December 1 and goes thru January 3, 2012.  So there is still time to do your hunting, but you better get with it if you plan on getting all 200+ gifts!  For more information on the hunt, look here .  This website can give you a boatload if information about the hunt, including a list of bloggers that show off the hunt items.  Thanks so much to Rockberry for donating this wonderful skin.

What Christmas outfit would not be complete without the perfect jewelry?  And when I think of glitz and glam I immediately think of Finesmith Designs.  As you can see, this featured set is “Rhonda”  and comes with a necklace, earrings, bracelet and a matching ring that is not shown in these pictures.  It has simple clean lines, while looking a little like a winter snowflake…GORGEOUS!

I have blogged them a few times before, but if you have missed my prior blogposts on WTG jewellers, then I MUST tell you once again that they have the finest nails on the grid!!  I have not seen such ornately bejeweled nails anywhere else.  This particular set is from their “Fragrance” set and it has matching earrings, bracelets, necklaces and another set of nails, if this one is not fancy enough for you!  Each set of nails comes in gold or silver and each set has a drop down menu allowing you to change the color of the gems and the nails.  Also included in each pair is a HUD that can be worn to return your nails to their normal state when an unexpected pose has caused them to dangle uselessly 2 inches from your hand!

As usual, the whole look has been topped off with Fashism eyes and Redgrave lashes.

I would be remiss if I left out Purple Poses and these awesome poses.  Audrey has once again outdone herself and come out with TWO new sets this week.  These poses are from her new Shannon set.

And last but not least, these pics were taken at Empyreal Dreams.  They have a lovely display called “The Raven” and these pictures were taken inside it.

Overall…it was a really fun time and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did.  Until the next time….

STYLING NOTES:

Gown and Shoes: aDiva couture – Liquid Lace Gown Top,Bottom, Shoes, Collar, Shoulder Pads, Skirt, and Train*
Nails: +:+WTG+:+ **Fragrance-S** nail*
Hair: A&A –  Esther Hair Platinum*
Eyelashes: *REDGRAVE* -20- DiamondDust
Jewelry: Finesmith Designs – Rhonda Bracelet, Earrings, Necklace*
Skin: [ROCKBERRY] Apple/POE4/Natural/CLV*
Eyes:  FASHISM – ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Cool Silver (L)*
Poses: Purple Poses – Shannon*
Location: Empyreal Dreams – The Art Anthology