NYCC 2018

NYCC has come and gone, like every year since 2013 when I first started attending. I attended again for a total of 4 days, but it feels like it happened in the blink of an eye.

I ended up deciding to redo old cosplays and it turned out refreshingly well. I really do enjoy cosplaying, but I don’t enjoy spending money on it anymore and putting together anything new. And I found there’s nothing wrong with rewearing my favorites since there are always new attendees, new crowds and well, I breathed some new life back into my old cosplays with my improved physique so the photos turned out pretty well. Unfortunately, I’m still waiting back on more photos from all the photographers I’ve worked with during that weekend so for right now, enjoy the quick preview edits by the ever lightning fast Jason Laboy and Boris Quezada. I’ll probably do another post of finished photos as soon as I get them all back and organized.

I still do enjoy cosplaying a lot. I love dressing up (duh) and being my favorite characters. I also found that in contrast to previous years where I stuck with a group, I did find it more freeing to enjoy the con on my own this year. It was easier to get through crowds and easier to dart through. I enjoyed both being on my own to shoot and look around and then meeting up with friends and family later on in the day to check out booths. It was a nice change of pace and I felt better not having anyone wait on me while I did my own thing photoshooting, which is what I spent a majority of the con doing since I still really do enjoy shooting, as well as cosplay.

The funny thing is I could tell you that you don’t need to be there all 4 days. That one day is all you need, but I could be both right and wrong about that. Yes, you can do the entire con in a day. But that all depends on what you’re there to do. If you’re just there to browse the booths and buy merchandise, you can probably do a lot if not all in a day. But some days feature some things more than others on certain days, and there are also different types of panels on different days. And if you’re there to check out cosplay, you’ll see a lot on any day you pick, but you won’t see everything. You might just miss a particular gem if you go a different day. But the other thing about NYCC is that it’s so big, you might still not see everything somehow. For example, I was there all 4 days, but some people still missed me somehow. And some people saw me there all 4 days. So there’s really no right or wrong answer if you were to ask me how many days or which days you should choose to attend. If you’re on a budget, I would say go on Thursday. Thursdays to me, are actually my favorite days. It’s the least crowded, the first day so you have first dibs on all the merchandise, albeit not the best sales since they leave that till the last day but you’re guaranteed to get the t shirt you want in your size. It’s also the cheapest day of the cons in terms of badge prices. And usually easiest to purchase badges. There’s always Thursday tickets still left while Fri-Sun sell out quickly. Don’t let that fool you though. It doesn’t mean Thursdays suck. The same booths are still there all 4 days. The quality of content you’ll experience is not relative to the price of the badge, nor the number of attendees.

I took some photos of the convention center and some cool stuff I saw at booths but honestly it’s not the same. You just have to attend and see for yourself. The figures, the big displays, the artwork, the beautifu wares you can buy that the vendors bring in, the experiences you can take away, the photos, the different content in all the booths. It’s a lot. In short though, I found I still love NYCC and can see myself coming back again next year. I had a lot of fun this year despite not seeing a lot of the con due to shoots. I want to say maybe I’ll choose 4 different old cosplays, but at the same time, I really did love the 4 I chose this year and would have no problem bringing them back again next year. I’m not concerned if I become a one trick pony - I’m totally okay with those being my signature cosplays.

I also attended the Bruno Mars concert on Thursday night after the convention and I’ll keep this segue short but Bruno is just amazing in concert. He gives it his all as a performer and puts on a great show. I would say he’s this generations’ Michael Jackson with how talented he is at song, dance, performing, everything. My only disappointment is that he didn’t sing Gorilla, which is my favorite song from him. But everything else was absolutely over the top. He had glitter, he had pyrotechnics, he had rainbow lights, he had lasers, he had it all. He’s definitely worth his concert price.

Friday night was a busy day and night for me as well. In the morning I stopped by the New York Magic Lab pop-up and in the evening I visited the New York Historical Society’s Harry Potter exhibit (that blog post is also soon to follow) before heading to my early birthday dinner celebration (aka birthday dinner #1 because I’m extra and need 5 outfits, 3 cakes and a holiday to celebrate).  This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend, simply spending time with my favorite people. It was just really nice. I’m walking into my 30s with all smiles. Life is good when you’re surrounded with the best things in life and the best people. And you’re looking and feeling your best finally.

Saturday was a nice slow day, in terms of no crazy plans having me run all over the city. I simply enjoyed the con and then went to dinner with my best friend and tried out a new restaurant and new ice cream shop. I was watching what I ate for the most part that weekend so I allowed myself little cheats here and there and it ended up being fine because when I returned home Sunday night and weighed myself, no progress was lost so score!

Sunday was the last day and another easy slow day. I went to dinner with my family afterwards and tried more new dessert shops with them before finally heading home. I still have yet to go through the pile of business cards in my bag from everyone who snapped a pic of me. Fingers crossed I can get some decent photos back. If you were one of the few who snapped a nice pic, please email them to me!

New York Magic Lab

New York Magic Lab is a new magic themed Instagrammable pop-up. Similar to most pop-ups, it has a ball pit, multiple backdrops, neon signs with a cute cheesy quote, and tons of props. There are a total of 12 different backdrops in 5 different rooms for you to take photos in. 

The space itself is actually very small compared to bigger named pop-ups like MOIC and Candytopia. It’s similar to the Egg House in terms of space and setup; there’s an open room upon entering the front door with multiple backdrops in the same room, with 2 rooms past a curtained wall, and a few more rooms downstairs. They make pretty efficient use of all the space in each area though to provide nice backdrops for all your Instagrammable needs. More space doesn't always mean better quality and experience as evidenced by Candytopia, which was spacious but a big letdown for what it was hyped up to be.

 I stopped by to check it out last Friday before NYCC, first thing in the morning, since weekdays are less crowded and best during opening hours for the best photos without having to be feel rushed because of other guests behind me. I found this to work very well since I always feel terribly strapped for time and end up annoyed when the photos don't come out to my liking at pop-ups. I might start doing this more as scheduling permits for future pop-ups. I just hate waking up early and traveling out from Long Island takes a while...but for the gram, hahaha!

The staff was so nice and so sweet as I took my time looking around and exploring. Checking in was easy and everyone was very patient with us, making us feel very welcome and free to take as much time as we needed. I appreciated this a lot, considering how many pop-ups I attended this year. Sometimes a smaller exhibit is better because similar to indie businesses, they are more attentive and concerned with customer service and your overall experience. They also take into account how they can improve your experience and work towards it.

I do have to note that the ticket price varies, like most pop-ups, whether you attend during a weekday vs weekend, as well as if you attend in the evening when a magician is present to perform. My sole purpose was simply for the gram so if you only need to take cute photos, I'd recommend a weekday during the day for cheaper admission as well as more space and time to take photos without feeling rushed or having to worry about people walking into your photos and having to awkwardly ask them to move. I didn't experience the magic show so I can't comment to report back on that if that's what you're looking for.

I would recommend this pop-up for families and kids. It’s open for another week and a half so if you’re looking for some cute magic themed backdrops, definitely stop by. This would probably be cute for some magic themed cosplays as well, like Zatanna. The Magic Lab is located at 344 W 14th St, alongside the Highline neighborhood so there’s plenty to see and do around here, as well as places to eat nearby after you’re done.

RuPaul's Dragcon NYC 2018

Last year I attended Rupaul’s Dragcon on a Sunday, it’s last day. This year I attended on it’s first day. Friday was the preview night and open from 4-8pm.

I got there early since I had lunch at Drunken Dumpling earlier. I’ve also been meaning to stop by and try their giant soup dumpling for some time and finally got around to it. In my opinion, I found their other dumplings much better than the giant soup dumpling but I still had to get it and try it for myself. It was delicious but I see now why you should enjoy things in its smaller, original forms. The proportions of the regular soup dumpling is evenly paired with the soup, pastry lining and meat inside. The giant soup dumpling ended up being too much and hard to eat. But it was fun to have and share and cute for photos. I would definitely go back for more dumplings as their pink shrimp dumplings were really good and their original sized soup dumplings are amazing too. I’m glad I went by their recommendations when ordering.

After lunch, we visited the Museum of Broken Windows exhibit. It’s a small and temporary exhibit only running this past week to showcase the ineffectiveness of broken window policing and how detrimental it has been, and how it has actually cost more lives than it was thought to have saved. It was really sad to view and read about all the things that happened to people. One part of the exhibit had names hanging from the ceiling of people who have been killed by the police due to these policies, basically a “snippet” of their profile/police report. This exhibit should honestly run for more than a week so that more people can come view it.

After that, we finally shantayed our way over the convention since opening time was at 4pm. We got there early, grabbed our wristbands and waited about 10 minutes in line before the rope drop and we ran right in.

First stop was the Sugarpill booth as I wanted to snatch up the new launches they released earlier this month. I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed pretty much everything. Sugarpill is an indie brand I discovered in college and I’ve loved them since. They were one of the few makeup companies that delivered on its products when it came to the brightness and accuracy of its swatches. The quality is there and they deliver. I’m also bias because its founder is a cute Vietnamese girl from California. She’s what I picture myself as if I had grown up on the West Coast and been allowed to follow my dreams and creative side more, instead of being a sensible East Coast Asian. Her achievements since beginning her brand have been remarkable. I’m so happy for the brand and I love seeing them each time they visit New York. This time, they brought so many of their recent new launches and I scooped basically all of them up. Their matte and sparkle liquid lipsticks are the best I’ve ever seen. The formula is so easy to apply and wear and sparkly. Barbara, the new limited edition color from the Oh Honey! Trixie Mattel collection is my new favorite. It’s the perfect Barbie hue with the right amount of sparkle. I really hope they make it permanent and sold separately from the kit.

My second must-do stop for the day was Elektra Cosmetics. I discovered them last year at Dragcon and I swear, I don’t know how I lived without them in my life before. If you follow me on my Instagram, you know I LIVE for the days off from work where I wear glitter like its my job. Casual glitter is a thing. What happened last year at Dragcon, was that I was walking about with my friends and saw this booth that caught my booth but didn’t want to stop because my friends were moving forward. When we split for a bit and did our own thing, I went back to the booth with my sister to see what the sparkly hubbub was about. There were jars and jars of glitter and a huge selfie ring light for taking gorgeous selfies. What I like about their product is how easy it is to apply on and that it stays in place and on all day. I’ve worn it literally day everywhere. On trips to Paris, in the Bahamas, to work, out with friends, everywhere. Well, I dabbed some on my cheeks that day and was sold. And I haven’t looked back. I started with two jars of their bolt balm originally. And then it grew from there over time as they came out with more colors and I decided I needed more in my life. Eventually I will probably own every single color in the collection. I can’t say enough about them either. They simply have the best customer service for an indie company and are really engaging with their customers, which I appreciate a lot from small companies. They take note of everything and they really take care of you. So naturally, I was really excited to see them again this year. And they did not disappoint. They brought ALL of their new colors and hooked me up! I even got a new microfine glitter to take home and try. I’ve never experimented with loose glitter before for eyeshadow for fear of getting in my eyes or making a mess because loose glitter, but they made it look so easy and even gave me the transformer glue so I could play around and work on it. I’m excited to see if I can master the art of loose microfine glitter as eyeshadow. Although this may be a dangerous path I’m walking down too. Anyways, I went home with many more jars of glitter than I’d like to admit to, to my evergrowing collection.

The rest of my day at Dragcon was browsing the rest of the booths and what they had to offer. There were so many things to see! Beautiful custom made wares - crowns, tiaras, unique sunglasses, latex clothing, plastic drippy pieces, art, fans, makeup, etc. I love the different booths here that I don’t see at a comic and pop culture convention.

Anastasia Beverly Hills even had their own booth giving out free makeovers and a HUGE beautiful photobooth that made you look like a literal queen as you stand on a pedestal and they take professional photos of you and email it to you immediately. This was also another one of my favorite experiences here.

I fell in love with a beret that I had saw @thedisneylandprincess wearing earlier in the year and lo and behold the vendor Sunshine by Hester was at Dragcon! You know I scooped that right up. It’s such a cute and perfect beret for Valentine’s as well as a cute piece to wear to Disney later this month. I can wear it with my Minnie Mouse outfit for my Epcot day since it would look so cute in France. I hope she re-releases the pink and the white berets too because those are super cute too. My sisters got cute berets that each matched their own personal styles too so I’m excited to wear them together next time my family goes on vacation together.

Another thing to note of the convention is the energy here. It’s a different energy I get from NYCC. It’s a lot of fun and very uplifting. Everyone is really nice and polite, but still sassy and funny. Even the bathroom atmosphere is really funny with the bathrooms being gender neutral. I was actually stuck in the bathroom for a while due to a hair incident from one of the booths (which I’ll keep quiet for now until resolved), but the people in the bathroom were really nice and polite while I had taken up an entire counter and some extra space to try and fix what had happened to my hair. I watched a guy accidentally walk into a stall that a girl was in and he was so upset about accidentally walking in on her, he basically started crying! He was like “I promise I didn’t see anything, I don’t want to look! TRUST ME HONEY THIS MORE SCARRING FOR ME THAN IT IS FOR YOU! I can’t with these bathrooms!” Hahaha! He was so embarassed but everyone else played it cool and was super nice.

After the convention, I grabbed dinner with my sisters real quick and headed down to the financial district to shoot with a friend for some quick photos before heading home. After eating and being in my Harley costume all day, I expected to look a little bloated and not up to par, especially since one of my food choices was dumplings. But I held back on getting ice cream with my sisters and for dinner, I got a healthy dish of grilled salmon instead of pasta so that helped because I still looked pretty good in my Harley suit in my photos. Jason Laboy isn’t heavy on the photoshop so my body isn’t altered at all in the photos he took, so I’m pretty proud that my body held up nicely after all I did all day. I’m really happy with how they came out and how my body looks in the Harley suit, finally doing Harley some justice in all her lean but curvy glory. You can also view the full set of photos here.

I’m really glad the gym and diet combo is working and my results are shining through after 4 weeks of not having ice cream, fries or any of my favorite foods. Update on my fall goals is that I’m currently at 108 lbs. I have 3 lbs left to lose before I leave for my vacation in another 4 weeks and I’m really hoping to crush it and get there sooner. I’m not progressing at the rate I would like to be at admittedly, but I forget how much of a waiting game this and that I have to be patient. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The results will come as long as you are consistent, dedicated and focused. I am worried about NYCC though. It’s going to be definitely hard to stay on track while in the city for 4 days so hopefully I don’t do too much damage. I made it this far though, right?

Anyways, in conclusion, Dragcon was a blast for even the few short hours I was there and the small mishap that occured. I would definitely try to go again next year and hopefully it gets even bigger with more vendors and more new wares to discover! Until then, I’ll sashay away until they come back next year.