Alexandra's choice: 500 Linden Challenge

This post is not pleasant to me, Alexandra: My Real Life avatar-controller suddenly decided to play with another avatar. I do not know what to think - I am speechless. So I'll let my master speak for herself:
Sorry Alex, but I just wanted to try out another blog challenge: show how far you can get as an avatar with up to 500 linden dollars, and post your results on Flickr.
In order not to cheat, and also not to overwhelm poor Alexandra's inventory with a lot of freebies, I decided to start from scratch - and I was the evil master, not wanting to give the new creation even as much as one linden dollar. I have to admit, I had to give her an AO, I felt so embarrassed seeing her walk around like a duck, flaunting her noob-ness for all to see. So we gifted the new girl with a low cost AO (150 ld of cuteness) but the poses you see on the pictures are free.

The new girl made me see the world afresh: here she stands at the hair fair , proud of her first flowery free dress from Paris Metro, but feeling bad about her freebie animation and library hair. Then forgetting her embarrassment in awe of the lady with the breasts, the breasts !!!!
SL is full of surprises for the newcomer !
Starting out during the week of Hair Fair 2012 was a true bonanza. Imagine having so much good hair from day one!

Here, I'll present two looks that the new girl was quite proud of being able to present after just two days in SL

A
The woman in the grey dress:

What she's wearing: (cost is zero linden dollars, group gifts are from groups with free enrollment)

Dress::::WEG::: Comme des Fleurs , a hunt gift or a group gift from the World End Garden

Bangles:.: mE. ~ Awareness + Hope SL Bracelet ~ Silver , as far as I remember a hunt gift from same hunt as the dress, but I was in a freebie frenzy so my memory is not quite clear.

Hair: Leverocci - Sylvia_DarkestBlonde from Hair Fair 2012

Shoes: Maitreya Group Gift Pumps - Pearl (group gift)

Eyelashes: Maitreya V.I.P. Group Gift - Mesh EyeLashes(group gift)

Necklace: MIEL UVA NECKLACE (group gift)

Sunglasses: [Steinwerk] - Heart II, so cute and well made , I think I got it in Marketplace

Body Shape is a slightly changed version of the vampire female avatar in the library

Skin: al vulo- Julia * dating on the dark (group gift)

Eyes are a gift from Poetic Colors (Alexandra's favorite eye creator, too): pearl - caramel

B.
The BoHo lady:
The setting is Trill Zapatero's shop where the profit from everything she sells goes to an organization that helps women in Afghanistan. Trill is a wonderful artist as well as maker of this very interesting line of clothes.