Home for the Holidays

Good evening!
     I had to take a break from blogging for a while because of finals and the holidays, but I'm back! It's been a busy few weeks but I'm so happy to be back home.  I love coming home for the holidays because we're always seeing friends and family and preparing for various holiday parties and get-togethers.  Our house is always covered in lights and adorned with nutcrackers and snow globes, and my mom brings out this animated Santa Claus figure that has been around longer than I have.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
     Every year the city of San Jose sets up "Christmas in the Park," when downtown SJ gets a festive makeover from several local organizations and clubs .  This year we decided to drive by the park a few times instead of dealing with the hassle of finding parking.  The ice-skating rink was playing Christmas tunes and a tall, brightly decorated tree stood in the middle of the park .  The food stands sold the classic hot chocolate and warm, fresh churros that we get every year.  Going to "Christmas in the Park" is a tradition for my family and it's a nice way to spend the holidays. 

I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday! 

~Yessi~

Christmas in the Park in Downtown San Jose!

 

We had a gingerbread house decorating party!

Halloween 2015

     Halloween, the spooky and exciting Fall holiday, is one of my favorite days of the year.  I mean, who doesn't like the idea of dressing up as someone (or something) else for a day?  We can be whatever we want!  This year, my roommate and I opted for staying in, ordering Chinese food, and playing creepy playlists all day long.  That turned out to be more exciting than it sounds.
     In case you haven't noticed yet, I love doing my makeup, and have spent many years teaching myself how to do it well.  So instead of joining the rest of Manhattan in celebrating at the Halloween parade in the Village, I chose to do two makeup looks that I have been dying to do! 
     My first makeup look was one that turned out to be really popular this year: a half Día de Muertos sugar skull design.  Now, considering the fact that my house is in California and I only dorm in New York, the makeup I actually have with me is limited.  Despite that, I think the looks turned out pretty well with what I had.  

What I used: NARS Sheer Glow foundation in "Deauville", Kat Von D Ink Liner in "Trooper," Urban Decay eyeshadows, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil in "Manic," and Tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in "Unearthed."  

On the other side--What I used: Kat Von D Ink Liner in "Trooper," Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in "Santa Sangre," the same Tarte blush, and NARS "Laguna" bronzer.  

     This look took me about an hour and a half and though it was tedious, it was worth every second.  The entire process was fun and not without mistakes but, really, it wouldn't have been fun without making mistakes.  The next look is one I've wanted to do for years. 
Poison Ivy: 

What I used: Urban Decay Oz Palette: Theodora--the "Jealous" green eyeshadows, Kat Von D Ink Liner in "Trooper," NARS blush in "Exhibit A," Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Lip Liner in "69," and MAC's "Anthurium" lip glass from Disney's Maleficent collection.

     Unfortunately, this MAC product is no longer available, as it was from a limited edition collection, but all of these products can be purchased at Sephora or their respective brand websites.  This look took me about an hour and 45 minutes, much of which was dedicated to drawing the ivy and shading the leaves in with light and dark greens.  Urban Decay's shadows are extremely blendable and pigmented, which made them easy to work with to create this look.  I hope you all had a safe and exciting Halloween! 

~Yessi~

Formidable

     The French language and I do not get along.  I have tried to learn it but even living in Paris didn't help; I remember getting strange looks at my poor pronunciation of "bonjour" and "merci."  I might not be able to speak French, but I can speak music pretty well. 
     I discovered Stromae, a Belgian singer, last October just months before studying abroad in Paris (tip: music makes a great conversation starter in any country).  The first song I heard was "Tous les Mêmes," a commentary on how men and women are alike in behaviour, and I immediately fell in love with his theatrical and electronic style.  A few months later in a café in Paris, the song came on the radio  Cue the erratic fangirling that I didn't bother trying to control (I at least managed to look guilty when I saw my friend and I had startled the old man drinking an espresso in the corner).  Needless to say, Stromae is an artist that I greatly admire. 
     Last week, Stromae gave the performance of a lifetime at Madison Square Garden.  Everyone was dancing and singing along to the French that many of us couldn't even understand.  But really, who cares if we could?  He didn't.  Music is such a universal concept.  You don't need to know a language to listen to a song.  In fact, some artists even make up their own to create a unique style that is essentially inimitable (ex: Lisa Gerrard).  I think MSG really proved that idea when every single audience member continued to sing Stromae's song "Formidable" after he left the stage to change.
                                                Formidable, formidable
                                                Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable
                                                Nous étions formidables
     "Wonderful, wonderful.  You were wonderful, I was pathetic, we were wonderful together."  The atmosphere that these lyrics created in a venue as large a MSG is nearly indescribable.  The words were heard loud and clear.  I often think about how music brings people together; it creates this sort of unity that is so special and difficult to recreate without a cohesive factor as strong as music.  Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be screaming lyrics in French at the top of my lungs with such a passionate crowd in New York City.  It was an unforgettable moment. 

P.S. Yes, I am a responsible young adult.  Yes, I went to a concert with the understanding that I would have four and a half hours of class the next day.  Believe me, I had an extra shot of espresso in my Starbucks PSL, but I also have zero regrets.  The show was worth it. (So was spending two hours doing my makeup). 

                                                                      ~Yessi~

 

Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable
Nous étions formidablesTu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable
Nous étions formidablesTu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable
Nous étions formidablesTu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable
Nous étions formidablesTu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable
Nous étions formidables

Global Citizen Festival 2015

Hello!
     Seeing as this is my first post on this blog, I thought I should start off with a bang!  This past Saturday, I attended the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park! In a prospective crowd of 60,000 people, I was reminded of just how big this city is.  How could such a large number of people possibly be in one area at the same time?? What amazed me the most, once we were on our way to the park, was how many people managed to fit into the subway cars.  My roommate and I ran across the platform, passed several cars, before we finally squeezed ourselves into one.  Despite the intense heat within in the car, we could certainly feel the excitement when we arrived at the 72nd Street station.  There's something incredible to be said about a large group of people moving as one, creating a unity normally not found within this gigantic city.
     It took a few hours to finally get into the Great Lawn area, but we made it just seconds before Hugh Jackman and Stephen Colbert came out to introduce Coldplay.  Now, I could describe everything that happened on that stage in great detail, but that would take hours and as an English major taking a challenging Shakespeare class, I'm technically supposed to be reading the second and third acts of A Midsummer Night's Dream right now (what is sleep?). 
     However, here are some highlights:

• Ed Sheeran and Beyonce performed an acoustic version of "Drunk in Love" 
• Sting performed "Every Breath You Take" with Common
• Leonardo DiCaprio. Need I say more? 
• Vice President Joe Biden spoke about ending poverty (feat. an amusing introduction by Chris Martin)
• First Lady Michelle Obama made a physical appearance, and spoke about education for girls around the world (post a selfie and what you learned in school, with the hashtag #62MillionGirls)

     It was a truly inspiring and enjoyable day.  The festival served as a reminder of how special this city is, and how it has to be to have been graced with the presence of so many powerful people in a single day.  It was worth losing my voice for.  Anyway, I'll be in New York for the next three months, so stay tuned for my upcoming adventures!
                                                                     ~Yessi~