Make Female Avatar Second Life [Join now free]

Skin... get the free set from Tete a Pied (TaP) within 30 days of creating your avatar. They are usually on Level 1 in the SW corner of the store. [ Tete a Pied, Nouveau(219,148,30) ]

But choosing a skin and getting a shape you are comfortable with are important decisions. Look around. Experiment with some of the shapes at Colette's Body Shop. Try the $L1 demo skins for look in various lights before you buy. Expect to pay for a good skin. Try also Naughty Island. [ Colette's, Jouppi(142,98,151); Naughty(80,159,23) ]

Get many useful free items at any time from the many free items stores, such as The Free Dove. Pick up body shapes, skins, clothes and much else. Make sure you get the box labelled Penguin Studios on the Womens Shoe table. It has excellent colour adjustable high heels. [ The Free Dove, Galli(133,53,32) ]

You will need proper hair made from prims rather than the default newbie hair... try the stores at Hairspray, ETD or Calico Creations [ Hairspray(31,28,51); ETD Isle(212,216,26); Calico Kitty(124,97,38) ]

If you want recommendations for some nice clothes stores try Solange or the many stores on Naughty Island. [ Solange, Wall(217,174,98); Celestial City(98,2229,27) ]

Prim shoes are essential rather than the newbie avatar shoes. Some great free ones are available at The Free Dove, or good ones are at Lassitude & Ennui. [ Nouveau(61,61,30) ]

You want to walk properly and not wiggle around like a newbie. Get an "animation overridder" (AO). There are some good free ones, but great sets are available at Abranimations. Check out the poses in advance in the store before selecting the ones you like. Note that you will sometimes have to turn off the AO when sitting down, or using other animations. [ Abranimations, Isere(52,151,134) ]

Finally, spend some time looking round the stores and searching for items in the Search Tool to get your own look and style. The freebie and nearly free stores (often items cost just L$1) are also worth visiting (The Free Dove was already mentioned above). Try also The Shelter, Freebie Bazaar or Yadni's Junkyard. [ The Shelter, Isabel(42,228,86); Freebie Bazaar, Stillman(143,76,23); Yadni's Junkyard, Leda(210,28) ]