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Skins Guide
Post One: Introduction


• • • • This guide provides a basic introduction to what skin items are and how they behave with other items.
This guide does not list all existing skins, nor does it show skin previews. (There are already other, good, guides on Gaia that do those things.)

Note: I'm still working on the information post for the Potions/Bases (post five). If you have used a potion and know any of the info I need, please PM me. :} (And images/screen shots for proof are always nice, if possible.)

June 2015 Edit This guide is missing some pictures, but it's mainly intact. The basics still hold true. However, most skins are now obtainable. The h2k4 zombie skin was released as an event item. The h2k5 zombie skins (all three!) are available in the Treehouse as potion items. The BOO/Overseer/Potatoverseer skin was released as an item. I'm pretty sure it was part of an event. Floating imp potions are available to craft through alchemy. I believe that the only unobtainable skin left is the Sentinal/SIN skin that's still soulbound to users.
This guide was written at a time when skins were very popular. Very. Everyone used them left and right. Sure, you still see the odd user using a skin or potion nowadays, but nothing like before. But this guide was also written when there were much fewer items. It was easy to name all existing skins and contacts off the top of your head (well at least off the top of mine). I'm not even going to attempt to browse through all of Gaia's existing skins to see how contacts work with them. Plus, the newer skins don't have as many quirks as the old items did. You don't really try on any new skins, wondering if your eyes will equip below the skin or not.
Anyway, I'd venture to say that most users don't use skins anymore because of body mods. Sure, there's the odd body mod released in the vampire, elven, etc. tones. And you can always throw on a mod that covers the skin completely (with gloves or other excuses to hide skin). However, most users use the default human base colors now in order to match the plentiful human arm and leg items.

§► Index
Post One: Introduction
Post Two: Skins and How they Work
Post Three: Types of Skins
Post Four: Choosing the right Potions, Skins or Items for You
Post Five: Potions
Post Six: Special Mentions A-H
Post Seven: Special Mentions I - P
Post Eight: Special Mentions Q - Z

Skins
Post Three: Types of Skins



• • • • Potions
The skins found in the [Skin Tyte] shop are special. These skins are one-time use and change your base skin. Potions change your avatar's species type (alien, vampire, elf, glompie, etc). You use the potion once and your avatar's base turns into that species.
You're not stuck with these skins forever. You can change into a different species by buying a different potion and using it.
There are two ways to return to your human form (this section does not pertain to grombies). You can buy a human potion or you can delete and recreate your avatar.

• Buy one of the Human Potions from Skin Tyte for 100g. Use it. With this option, your base hair and base eyes remain the same.
  
• You can also delete and recreate your avatar. This process is pretty much the same as the creation of your avatar when you joined. You choose from the starter options. For example, you choose from the starter hairstyles. If you've bought an expensive salon hairstyle, you'll have to buy it again after you recreate your avatar.
  The deletion option is found under the [Account Options Page]. The link to the deletion page is found under the Avatar Gender heading. "You can also make changes by deleting your avatar and then re-creating it. Note: You will lose any special skins or hair you have equipped; to regain special skins please visit Skin Tyte and purchase the appropriate potion. "

• • • • Item Skins
These skins equip over your avatar’s base to change what it looks like. These skins are poses found within items that you can own. Item Skins can be unequipped and reused as long as the item is in your inventory. These skins come from many different sources.
For example, the Superior Form and the Uncanny Form are monthly collectible items that give you many skins to choose from.
The Alien Armorskin is an item made from a zOMG! recipe.
The Imaginary Friend and the Padmavati’s Lotus are two Evolving Items that give you many skin poses to choose from.
The Siren Song and Pale Marionette are items that come out of RIG/CI boxes and have skin poses.
The Kachina Clown Body Paint is an item found in the gold shop called Barton Boutique.
The Body Dye items are made by exchanging ink and gold in Skin Tyte. (You have to trade 500 inks and about 20k for each one you make.)
The Easter 2k10 Gambino Egg and V-day 2k9 Chocolate are two items that were given out for free during Gaia Events. (Given out for free if you participate in the event.)
I can’t explain each term in this post since this guide is just about skins. If you were confused about any of the terms, such as Evolving Items or CIs, feel free to ask what they mean. But really, all you need to understand is that there are skins that act like items. You can equip and unequip them just as you would put on and take of a hat.


• • • • Unobtainable Skins
There are some skins that are no longer available for various reasons.
Halloween is usually the time when new skins (species) are introcuded. The admins and devs try to do something different each year. Sometimes skins are left as potions in Skin Tyte, sometimes they aren't. These ones aren't. If you're a fan of potions or new skins, make sure you participate in Gaia's Halloween events.

Level One Grombie, Level Two Grombie, Level Three Grombie

These skins are no longer available. The grombies you see around Gaia are people who have kept their grombie avatars ever since Halloween 2005 (H2k5).
This skin is not an item. This skin is their base. Grombies will forever be grombies until they use an item called the Vial of Unknown Liquid. If a grombie uses the Vial of Unknown Liquid, they will become human. The change is permanent. A grombie who uses the Vial of Unknown Liquid will forever be human. The Vial of Unknown Liquid has no effect on anyone who is not a grombie.
These skins were available during the H2k5 event. Gaia didn't run as smoothly as it does now. There was an immense amount of lag because everyone was on for the event. Gaia even crashed during the event. You had to wait like three minutes for the reply page to load, then another three to submit your post and then another three for the page to load. With each post you made, you hoped to collect more "grunnies." So.. all that waiting and hoping your screen would load, just to find out you didn't get another grunny. The event was pure hell and we have never had another event like it for that reason. Even most of the users had turned on each other and there were arguments that lasted months after the event ended. Most people didn't even get to finish the event. You had to collect an insane amount and the event lasted about two and a half days. It was near impossible to complete unless you started when the event began and lost a lot of sleep that Halloween weekend.
Back then, there were no Item Skins. There were no Potions. There had been special event skins, but you'd lose them if you ever resaved your avatar. This skin was a new and surprising concept. After the event was over, people were pleasantly surprised to find that they could keep their skin and change their clothing.

Overseer’s Gift, Potatoverseer, Sentinel’s Gift
These skins are no longer available. The Potatoverseer and the Sentinel's Gift are Item Skins obtained during Halloween 2009 (H2k9). The Potatoverseer and Sentinel's Gift items are stuck on those accounts whether the people want them or not. These item skins are soulbound. This means that the users who have these skins cannot sell or tade these items. Since these items can't be placed for sale, they can't be bought or donated.
No one has the Overseer's Gift item (BOO Skin) anymore. The Overseer's Gift turned into the Potatoverseer item. Those who still have this skin have not changed their avatar since H2k9 ended. It's a loophole. If someone had the BOO skin equipped before the event was over, their avatar still looks like it has the original skin. They don't have that item though. It changed. If they resave their avatars, they will lose that look forever.

Back in 2005, users complained that it was unfair that they couldn't be a grombie just because they weren't there for the event. So, after that event, the Halloween skins were left as potions in Skin Tyte. The people were given what they wanted, but complained still. The grombie skins showed "status" since they could only be obtained in 2005. The new skins held no status because anyone could buy them, even if they didn't participate in the event. Users wanted something exclusive. Users wanted to have a souveneir they could show off for participating in the Halloween event.
Enter H2k9. The concept was simple. There were two sides. Users had to choose which side to join and they could not switch teams. Users were granted a skin item as soon as they chose their side. User's who joined BOO obtained the Overseer's Gift. Users who joined SIN obtained the Sentinel's Gift. The catch: The skin item was soulbound. The second catch: Users were told that only the winning side got to keep their skin.
The users didn't know exactly what this meant, but they fought to keep their skins (participated in the Halloween event). SIN won the event and that team got to keep their skin. Since BOO lost, the Overseer's Skin changed into what the users dubbed to be the Potatoverseer skin. (Users said the new skin looked like a potato. Potato plus overseer equals Potatoverseer.)
You might still see some people with the original Overseer’s Gift skin (BOO Skin) still equipped. These people were wearing their skin when it changed. If they change their outfit, they’d lose their skins. So anyone you see wearing that skin has not changed their outfit since H2k9.

Floating Imps

These are rare sights. Floating Imps have feet that hover above the ground. This pose is no longer available. Anyone who has floating feet have not changed their avatars in a very very long time.
The Angel Imp and Devil Imp skins looked different when they were first released. The imp’s feet floated off the “ground.” Since the legs weren’t like the normal avatar base, people were limited as to what types of bottoms they could wear. People complained. The legs were straightened. Some people did not resave their avatars after it changed. If you look closely, some imps have feet that float off the ground. Those people haven’t changed their outfits in a verrry long time.

Special Mention: Zombie 2k4! - Easter 2k10 Gambino Egg (Gift)

The Easter 2k10 Gambino Egg gives users a re-release of the zombie skin from Halloween 2004 (H2k4). This skin is mentioned here because you'll find conflicting information about this item. If a guide says that the zombie 2k4 skin is gone, it is old.
The Halloween 2004 (H2k4) event was rather simple. Humans vs Zombies. There was tons of lag, but it was actually easier to be a zombie than be human during that event. Those who were bitten were changed into zombies. The admins meant this to be a fun, one day event. They didn't expect the users to keep their zombiness. After the event, everyone became human again. A user still looked like a zombie as long as they did not resave their avatars. Zombie users were cool... until they were wiped from existance.
There was a forced site-wide avatar resave in 2005. All avatars were resaved. All zombies became human because their bases were technically human. The zombie skin had been lost for years. This skin was re-released as an item during the Easter 2010 event. For Easter 2010, users hunted the forums and main landing pages for eggs. The event was simple and lasted for about a week. Users were granted a Easter 2k10 Gambino Egg after finding a total of 100 eggs. This item was only granted during the Easter 2010 event. The item is not soulbound, so you can buy it from other users in the marketplace.

Skins
Post Five: Special Mentions A - H



I apologize for this section. It's not formatted yet. I'm also not done with all the info. Any info written should still be right.
Oh, except for mouths. Gaia changed the buck teeth layering as I was writing this section. Grr. So I'm pretty sure anything I say about buck teeth is wrong.
I'll format this post when I can.

Potions
This section takes a deeper look into the world of the Potion bases.

This section is incomplete and slowly being filled in. If you know of any layering information or tricks concerning these bases, please PM me.



How to Obtain and Use Potions

1. Go to Skin Tyte.
2. Click the Potion you want to buy. Buy it.
3. Go to your inventory. Click the "Special" tab. http://www.gaiaonline.com/inventory/view/special#special
4. Click the Potion. Choose "Use Item." Your avatar will instantly change into that species. The potion will disappear from your inventory because you drank it up.
5. Enjoy. Repeat the process the next time you want to change your species again.

Potions and Item Skins
No matter what species you are, you can use Skin Items. While you're wearing that item, the skin is your new "base." You follow the rules of that base.
This is a good trick to keep in mind if you're tired of your own base. Tired of the vampire's skinny legs? Tired of the centaur's four hooves? Tired of the imp's wings? Find an Item Skin that looks like the shape of a human. While that Skin Item is equipped, you can wear clothing just like a regular Gaia human avatar. :}
Most skins are human-shaped. Not all skins are flesh toned though.
You can also use a human potion to become human. You'd have to buy another potion to turn back into the other species again when you're done.
BIG NOTE: Sometimes the combination of a Potion base plus and Item Skin will leave your avatar without eyes or hair on its head. This is considered to be a glitch. You are allowed to wear these eyeless and/or hairless combinations. However, you are NOT allowed to enter glitched avatars into the Avtar Arenas. Do not enter with a Potion plus Item Skin that makes your avatar bald. Do not enter with a Potion plus Item Skin that makes your avatar eyeless.
If you do not want to be eyeless or bald, equip wigs and/or contacts.

General Warning: Gaia items are made for human bases. As a different species, you'll run into some troubles.

Centaurs
The Centaurs first appeared in Gaia's storyline during the 2008 Rejected Olympics. The potions also appeared during that time.

How to become a Centaur: Drink one of the three Centaur Potions.
Centaur Bay Potion [10,00g in Skin Tyte]
Centaur Black Potion [10,00g in Skin Tyte]
Centaur Gray Potion [10,00g in Skin Tyte]
How to change to a different species: Drink a different potion or delete and recreate your avatar.

What to expect
You keep your human torso. You sprout pointy ears and the body of a horse in place of your human legs.
You also keep your base hair and your base eyes.

Item Layering
Contacts
Mouths
Wigs
Item Skins
Clothing

General Comments
I have not yet tested this skin. I've heard centaurs complain about not being able to wear pants and not having any items that have been made for their base.


Dark Elf
The elves were first introduced into the storyline during Gaia's 2008 Rejected Olympics. [Manga] No potions appeared during that time. The Rejected Olympics were held around July 2008. The Halloween 2008 event had four factions: Dark Elf, Human, Vampire and Zombie (glompie). After that event, the Dark Elf potion for the original blue skin was placed into the shops. The other two color options did not appear until later.
{Elf Images}
How to become an elf: Drink one of the three elf potions.
Dark Elf Potion (the original blue elf) [100g in Skin Tyte]
Dark Elf Potion (Purple) [100g in Skin Tyte]
Dark Elf Potion (Gray) [100g in Skin Tyte]
How to change species: Buy a different potion or delete and recreate your avatar.

What to expect:
You keep your base eyes and your base hair. For eyes, you can use any salon eye style or contact item. For hair, you can use any salon hairstyle or wig item.

Item Layering
Contacts: Contacts layer the same as if on a human base.
Mouths: The default avatar expressions show up. Mouth items work just fine.
Hair items: Wigs layer the same as if they would on a human base.
Skins: Item Skins equip just fine with the elf bases. Equipping Item Skins works the same as if your base were human. You will still have your base eyes and hair (as long as the Item skin does not come with eyes and hair).

General Comments:
This is a very easy base to work with. It works just like the human base. It just happens to be skinnier and have pointy ears.
You'll have to make careful clothing choices. The Gaia items are made to fit human bases, not elf bases. Some clothing will look much too large for this base and won't wrap around the avatar like it should.

Imp
The imps first appeared in Gaia during the 2008 Rejected Olympics. [Manga] The imp potions also appeared during that time.

How to become an Imp: Drink one of the imp potions
Angel Imp [24,000g in Skin Tyte]
Devil Imp [24,000g in Skin Tyte]
How to change species: Drink a different potion or delete and recreate your avatar.

What to expect
You avatar sprouts clawed feet and wings from its ears. This base is also slightly skinner than human bases. You keep your base eyes and base hair.


Item Layering
Contacts: You keep your base eyes. You may wear any salon eye style or contact items. Contacts layer the same as on human bases.
Mouths: Default avatar expressions appear. Mouth items work the same as on human bases.
Wigs: You keep your base hair. You may wear any salon hairstyle or wig.
Item Skins: You may wear any Item Skin. Since the imp base allows you to have your base eyes and hair, Skin Items work the same as if on human bases... except that you can't wear shoes.
Shoes: Say goodbye to your favorite shoes! (Don't sell them. Keep them for later.) If you see a pair of shoes, assume that you can't wear them. It's as if your legs swallow them up and they disappear. Some examples of shoes that will work are: Noel's Gift (Fancy Pant) and Gogh Reed (Desert Shoes), Gogh Reed (Rainbow Pump), Kelp O' Th' Loch (water horse legs), Fallen Wish Giant (Boots), Lyndexer's Leg, The Nightmare (Buer's Legs), Padmavati's Lotus (naga tails),
nutcracker legs, Rogue Narok legs, ... So shoes have a chance of working if they alter the legs. Some leg-altering-shoe-items might work with this base.

General Comments
Aside from shoes, this base is generally easy to work with. I tried on a few different hats. The wings don't get in the way and hats equip just fine. The wings stay intact. The foreground wing sits in front of hats and the background wing sits behind them.
Socks become your new friends. Since shoes won't layer, you can use socks to cover your feet. If you enjoy wearing shoes, this base in not for you.
Any time you get tired of your ears or feet, equip an Item Skin. Equip one that looks like a human base and you're set. However, you still will not be able to wear shoes normally. Your imp legs under the skin still swallow up those shoes.
I should mention that the Gimpi Evolving Item has an Item Skin called "Defected Potion." This Item Skin gives you the appearance of being half an angel imp and half a devil imp. The Gimpi EI is much more expensive than the imp potions found in Skin Tyte. It is another option if you want it. The Gimpi (Defected Potion) Item Skin behaves just like the Angel and Devil Imp bases.



Orc
The Orcs first appeared in the storyline during Gaia's 2008 Rejected Olympics. [Manga] Potions did not appear until July 2009.

How to become an Orc: Drink an Orc potion.
Orc Potion (Brown) [3,000g in Skin Tyte]
Orc Potion (Green) [3,000g in Skin Tyte]
Orc Potion (Stone) [3,000g in Skin Tyte]

What to expect

Item Layering
Contacts
Mouths
Wigs
Item Skins

General Comments



Vampire
Vampires first appeared in the storyline during H2k7. [Manga] The H2k7 event was Humans vs. vampires. Users clicked a links to move between vampire and human form. (The links weren't available during the first day of the event and it was hard to turn into and stay a vampire. Once the links appeared on the second day, it was easy to become and stay a vampire.) Users used this link to switch between vampire and human form until the potion was placed into Skin Tyte during the Rejected Olympics. (At least I'm pretty sure that's when the vampire potion appeared.)

How to become a Vampire: Drink a Vampire Potion [100g in Skin Tyte]
How to change species again: Use a different potion or delete and recreate your avatar.

What to expect:
As a vampire, you get a slender body, hypnotizing gray eyes and pointy fangs. You get to keep your salon hair.

Item Layering
Item Layering
Contacts
Mouths
Wigs
Item Skins

General Comments





Zombie 2k8 / Glompie
{ Images}
The Glompies first appeared in the storyline during Gaia's 2008 rejected Olympics. [Manga] The Gaia users coined the term "glompie" as a mix of the word "zombie" and "glomp" since all these guys wanted to to was hug people.
How to become a Glompie: Drink the Zombie 2k8 Potion [100g in Skin Tyte].
How to change species: Buy a different potion or delete and recreate your avatar.

What to expect
You keep your base hair. The glompies come with their own eyes and large eyebrow ridges.

Item Layering
Contacts: Contacts layer the same as if on a human base. However, the glompie eyes are drawn on and do not disappear from underneath. You can wear any contact you'd like. Be sure to choose a pair that melds okay with the glompie eyes underneath.
Mouths: The default avatar expressions show up. Mouth items work just fine.
Hair items: Wigs layer the same as if they would on a human base.
Skins: Item Skins equip just fine with the glompie bases. You keep your base hair. If the Item Skin does not come with eyes, you will have no eyes.

General Comments
This base is pretty easy to work with. The glompies are roughly the same shape as humans. Clothing will fit just fine.
The layering just gets iffy when you equip Item Skins. If the Item Skin you equip does not have eyes, you will not have eyes. You will need to equip contacts in that case.
Please note that an eyeless avatar is considered to be a glitch. You may use eyeless avatars but you cannot enter the Avatar Arenas with an eyeless avatar.




Zurg (Aliens)
Drink the Zurg Energy Drink can to become one of the Zurg.
first appeared in~ 06. zurg energy drink + red bino. (wasn't exp 105 = red bino?) exp 105 no longer has an effect.

Big giant head - hats will equip. but look weird. made for human head.
wigs equip but retain human head shape.
contacts equip, but layer over the alien eyes. weird effect.

mouths were hidden... must double check that.

Also have skinny bodies. - clothing made for humans. clothing looks better on elves and vamps than aliens.







Experiment 105
This item is left over from the Gaia Halloween 2006 event. There were two sides to this event: Human and Zurg. You could join any side you wanted and could switch sides with the drink of a potion. The Zurg Energy Drink turned you into a zurg. The Red Bino turned you human. At the time, we did not have human potions. After we got human potions, the Red Bino was renamed as Experiment 105.

What does this mean?
This item is pretty much useless. Do not buy it. It has no effect on you.

Why is it still here?
It does have one use. This item can only be used on people who have the grombie avatar bases from 2005.
There's no potion to turn avatars back into grombies. So a grombie would be stuck if they drank a human or any other potion. That's why the Experiment 105 is in the shops. A grombie can drink it to return their avatar to their original grombie base.

Experiment 105 will not turn you into a grombie.
If you did not become a grombie during H2k5, Experiment 105 will not work on your avatar.
If you were a grombie and use a vial of unknown liquid, that's it. You're stuck as a human. The Experiment 105 will not return you to grombie form.

[Announcement with Exp 105 Info]










centaurs and clothing. centaurs and skins.

imps plus hats

Skins
Post Seven: Special Mentions I - P


Please refer to this [Contacts Guide] to understand my contacts jargon.



• • • • Masterpieces (David)

[Marketplace Link to Masterpieces]
The Masterpieces Monthly Collectible comes with two skin poses. Both poses are the same skin, one just gives you a hair option. This is the option that has hair. Both skins come with eyes and a mouth. These eyes aren't just drawings on the base. The eyes can be treated just like contacts that are on the First Contacts layer.

The David skin is very useful. It's a much cheaper alternative to White Body Dye. The downside is that it comes with the large grey/white eyes. Certain contacts can equip over (and remove) those eyes. Your avatar will look like it's wearing White Body Dye at a much cheaper cost.

The David Skin can essentially be treated like a pair of First Contacts.
If you equip the David Skin and then equip a pair of First Contacts, the First Contacts will remove the David Skin.

Here's all you need to know:
Refer to the Contacts Guide. The David Skin comes with a built-in pair of First Contacts.
Layer Zero items equip under the skin. (Looks as if they aren't even equipped)
First Contacts unequip the skin. You cannot wear any of the First Contacts with the David Skin.
Everything from the Second Contacts, Third Contacts, Fourth Contacts and above will equip with the skin. The David eyes will be removed from underneath, leaving no shadows.

All you need to know about hair:
This version comes with built-in hair. Your default hair is hidden. You cannot equip any wigs with this skin. (If you'd like to choose your own hair, just use the hairless pose from the same item.)

All you need to know about mouths:
This item comes with a mouth. That little gray dash isn't just shading. You cannot equip mouth items with this avatar. You can equip mouth-like items that sit on a higher layer (Buck Teeth, Vampire's Fangs (Rawr) ).


• • • • Masterpieces (David W/ Out Hair)

[Marketplace Link to Masterpieces]
The Masterpieces Monthly Collectible comes with two skin poses. Both poses are the same skin, one just gives you a hair option. This is the hairless option. Both skins come with eyes and a mouth. These eyes aren't just drawings on the base. The eyes can be treated just like contacts that are on the First Contacts layer.

The David skin is very useful. It's a much cheaper alternative to White Body Dye. The downside is that it comes with the large grey/white eyes. Certain contacts can equip over (and remove) those eyes. Your avatar will look like it's wearing White Body Dye at a much cheaper cost.

The David Skin can essentially be treated like a pair of First Contacts.
If you equip the David Skin and then equip a pair of First Contacts, the First Contacts will remove the David Skin.

Here's all you need to know:
Refer to the lists in the Third Post. The David Skin comes with a built-in pair of First Contacts.
Layer Zero items equip under the skin. (Looks as if they aren't even equipped)
First Contacts unequip the skin. You cannot wear any of the First Contacts with the David Skin.
Everything from the Second Contacts, Third Contacts, Fourth Contacts and above will equip with the skin. The David eyes will be removed from underneath, leaving no shadows.


All you need to know about hair:
Your default hair is not hidden. You can wear wigs.

All you need to know about mouths:
This item comes with a mouth. That little gray dash isn't just shading. You cannot equip mouth items with this avatar. You can equip mouth-like items that sit on a higher layer (Buck Teeth, Vampire's Fangs (Rawr) ).