What do you want in a skin?

Since it was grid-down day in SL, the fashion blog Linden Lifestyles held a survey on SL skins. They get asked by designers what the customers want in a great skin so they decided to let the "customers" speak out. When I put in my comments there were already 56 others, so there are plenty of SL women who want to be heard on what their ideal skin would be. I hope that skin designers take the suggestion to heart and we start to see skins based on what consumer demands.

Below are the questions from the survey, the answers I chose are in bold.


I. Price / What You Get

1. Price Importance For me, price is:
a. The most important part of a skin purchase
b. An average consideration in a skin purchase
c. Not an issue if I like the skin

2. Prim ExtrasI prefer:
a. When skins come with little extras like prim lashes and/or prim nails
b. To buy extras separately from a skin purchase

3. Selection / RangeGenerally, I wear:
a. Many varieties of the skins I like and prefer lots of different options and selections
b. Only one or two skins - I don’t have use for a broad selection

4. PriceI expect to pay:
a. Under L$250 per skin
b. Between L$250 - L$500 per skin
c. Between L$500 - L1000 per skin
d. Between L$1000 - L$1500 per skin
e. More than L$1500 per skin

5. Variety PricingI expect to pay:
a. About the same price for each variation of the skin I buy
b. A larger base price for a skin, but then pay less for variations

6. Purchase HabitsI buy
a. Every single variation of a skin I like - I have to have them all
b. The majority of the variations of a skin I like
c. A few variations of a skin I like
d. One skin, one variation
e. One or few variations of the skin I prefer, but I’d buy more if price were less of an issue

7. LoyaltyWhich best describes you:
a. I am very loyal to a skin line
b. I have my preferences and wear a few different skin lines
c. I’m fickle and wear lots of different skin lines

II. The Face & Cosmetics

1. Face / Cosmetics ImportanceFor me, the face / cosmetics of a skin are:
a. The most important part of a skin purchase
b. An average consideration in a skin purchase
c. Not as important as other factors

2. Brows - ColorI prefer skins with:
a. Black brows
b. Brunette or auburn brows
c. Blond brows
d. Tintable brows
e. No preference / other

3. Brows - StyleI prefer skins with:
a. Natural, bushy brows
b. Natural, but sculpted brows
c. Penciled-on brows
d. No preference / other

4. Cosmetic Style I prefer skins with:
a. Natural or neutral cosmetics
b. Glamor or high fashion cosmetics
c. Goth, punk, or vamp cosmetics
d. No preference / other
e. I like it all

5. Cosmetic Colors I prefer skins with cosmetics:
a. That focus on neutral-base shades - browns, taupes, and nude gloss
b. That focus on red-base shades - reds, pinks, and corals
c. That focus on blue-base shades - blues, greens, and purples
d. Other
e. I like it all

6. Cosmetic ElementsI like skin cosmetics that include:
a. Heavy eyeliner / mascara
b. Subtle eyeliner / mascara
c. No eyeliner / mascara
aa. Dark lip-liner
bb. Subtle or no lip-liner
aaa. Glossy lips
bbb. Flat lips
aaaa. Heavy blush/rouge
bbbb. Subtle blush/rouge

7. Nails I prefer skins to come with:
a. A basic, neutral nail shade no matter the other cosmetics
b. A bold, red nail shade no matter the other cosmetics
c. Black nails no matter the other cosmetics.
d. The nail shade to match the lipstick and other cosmetics
e. I really don’t care about the nails

III. The Body & Bits

1. Body / Bits ImportanceFor me, the body / bits of a skin are:
a. The most important part of a skin purchase
b. An average consideration in a skin purchase
c. Not as important as other factors

2. Tone My ideal skin comes in the following tone/styles:
a. Pale
b. Medium tan
c. Dark tan
d. Ethnic toned
e. Freckled
f. Goth, horror, punk or vamp
g. Alien, animal, or other exotic
h. Tintable so I can pick my own tone

3. Shape
a. I like it when a skin designer includes an “ideal shape” so I know what settings the features look best on
b. I really don’t care if a designer includes an “ideal shape” - I’m not changing my shape for a skin

4. Definition My ideal skin:
a. Has a lot of detail and definition
b. Has subtle shading but not a lot of detail definition
c. Doesn’t really focus on definition

5. Photo Reality I prefer my skins to look:
a. As photo-realistic as possible
b. Like really good anime
d. Like a combination of anime and photo reality

6. Textured-On ElementsWhich of the below describes your feelings:
a. I prefer it when skins have textured-on elements like navel piercings and/or tan lines
b. I would never buy a skin with textured-on elements
c. As long as I can easily cover the textured-on elements, I don’t mind them

7. The Breasts - Detail/Shape/ShadingThe detail/shape/shading of the breasts on a skin are:
a. Make or break on a skin purchase
b. Important, but not vital
c. Not very important
d. Of no importance whatsoever

8. The Breasts - Areolas / NipsI prefer skins with:
a. Large areolas
b. Small areolas
c. Medium areolas
aa. Dark areolas
bb. Pale areolas
cc. Areolas shaded appropriate to skin tone
aaa. Textured / bumpy areolas
bbb. Neutral / smooth areolas
aaaa. Hard / pert nipples
bbbb. Relaxed / subtle nipples
xyz. I could really care less about the areolas / nipples

9. The Bum - Detail/Shape/ShadingThe detail/shape/shading of the bum on a skin is:
a. Make or break on a skin purchase
b. Important, but not vital
c. Not very important
d. Of no importance whatsoever

10. The Kitty - Detail/Shape/ShadingThe detail/shape/shading of the kitty on a skin is:
a. Make or break on a skin purchase
b. Important, but not vital
c. Not very important
d. Of no importance whatsoever

11. The Kitty - Style I prefer a skin with:
a. Different kitty style options
b. A bare kitty, no detail
c. A bare kitty, well defined details
d. A trimmed patch or strip kitty
e. A natural / fuzzy “kitty”
f. I could really care less about the kitty

12. Feet My general feelings on feet regarding the skins I buy are:
a. Feet are always screwed up - I settle for whatever I get
b. I know feet are challenging, but I appreciate the effort a designer puts into them
c. Skins have feet?