Sakura- Con 2015 -- Day One!

I've given myself a little over a week to recouperate from the convention- and by off I mean  I was working mostly and then also laying around with my cats.

But here we are! A week (and some change) later and I'm here to deliver the first of three posts summarizing my exhilarating time at Sakura-con 2015!!


The weekend started off about how you would expect- I had opened the day previously (which meant I was up at 3:40 am) and then stayed up way too late preparing. So when the time came to wake up and begin preparations, I was already exhausted. Starting off strong- woo! Thankfully, I had already decided my look for the day which made getting ready a lot easier.

Here is Amanda's precious look for the day! The sweater and the bag are Mint Neko; a brand off of h.Naoto. The shorts are DVF, the shirt is an old Dir en grey shirt from their first US tour.

Make up look for Day one! Eyeshadows used are; Noise and Black Market by Urban Decay, Poison Plum by Sugar Pill, #70 by Napoleon. I also used Lorac gel eyeliner and Ink liner in Trooper by Kat Von D. The blush is Pale Pink by Bobbi Brown. Lipstick is Cruella by NARS. 

Day one look! The dress is h.Naoto 'Blood', the backpack is Mint Neko,  the shoes are BCBGeneration,  the tights are Forever 21.

We finished up getting ready and headed down walking towards the convention centre. As we neared the shopping district, we started to see more cosplayers about and that was our sign. Convention time was in full swing.  When we reached the Convention centre, we went immediately to get our passes. There was a little mix up on my end, but the staff was really amazing in helping us get things sorted out and in no time at all we were on our way. We definitely wanted to go to the opening ceremonies, so that was our first stop.

The opening ceremonies were beautiful! They opened up with this amazing drum performance (that I definitely thought I had pictures of... maybe they just went away for a while, I'll find them again and upload them later!) The host for the event was so funny and took his time introducing each guest really well so even the ones I didn't know I was feeling excited for. It started with the Consul-General Masahiro Omura coming out to welcome us and give us a challenge to learn more about Japan! He threw out Easter Eggs that had questions and people were to go to the booth and get the answer from them. I thought it was such a cool idea and a great way to get people involved.

And the costumes he came out in were amazing!

 Naoto-san was one of the first Japanese guests introduced and his english was really great. He let us know that he loved Seattle and he loved Starbucks-- can't argue with that logic, right?  He invited everyone out to see his show and let us know when it would be. He had a great look on already and his translator was wearing a Mint Neko t-shirt which I thought was really cool!

I didn't get pictures of all the other guests- my camera was acting up >.< - but the overwhelming sensation from all the guests was how excited they were to be in Seattle and how much they were looking forward to sharing with us whatever amazing thing they decided to bring with them. Whether it was voice acting or production or musicians, it was really great to hear the enthusiasm.

The ceremonies were closed out with this beautiful musical number played on shamisen. It was so amazing and they were so talented.  And they played/sang "Let it Go" in Japanese which I thought was just the very best. 

After opening ceremonies, we made it over to the h.Naoto booth so we could meet up with the booth employees, some of my favorite people to see. We only get to see them three days out of a year so it's nice to catch up. Not to mention I had to see all of h.Naoto's clothes. So we got up there and said hello and I dropped off the goody bags of instant coffee and tea that I had brought from work. It seemed like the only reasonable 'Thank You' for all the years of them taking care of us.  We were also going to be heading out to get some drinks, so I offered to pick some up for everyone at the booth and we headed out. 

As we were looking for the nearest Starbucks, so I could run through the rain in my white dress and heels, we ran into a few people down in the lobby that I just had to take pictures of. They were all so nice, which I think is one of the things that makes con so exciting. 

We found the Starbucks and rushed on over there, picked up some drinks and delivered them off much to Harry's delight. He even took a picture so somewhere out there is a picture of me show casing my incredible waitressing skills (four drinks in each hand yeaaaaah). As we were dropping the coffee off, Naoto-san peered around his merch table to see what was going on to which Brittany let him know it was coffee. His response was instant- "I know. Starbucks." Mission accomplished. 

I wasn't planning on buying anything the first day; generally, I like to wait until after the fashion show so I can see what big ticket items I'm interested in. But then I saw this absolutely exquisite asymmetrical, double breasted, high collared vest/dress. I wasn't going to try it on because I didn't want to fall in love buuuut Amanda made me. And oh man. It had to be mine. Amanda also found this really beautiful charm bracelet that was just made for her. "Steam" isn't really her line, she is a Mint Neko baby, but the charm bracelet was dainty and adorable and very whimsical which I think is just perfect for her.

Isn't it just the best?

We went out to lunch after that, collected all our information and made a plan of attack. Around that time, Yuki made it over! We got to meet up with her and also went (back) over to our friend's booth- Nike and Stephanie! They have this adorable brand called Sugar Star Candies (they are also on Facebook so definitely check them out) which has a ton of really great little accessories.  They're booth was basically constantly busy, but we still managed to bother them into letting us take some pictures.

Stephanie and Nike! I absolutely adored their outfits. I love the contrast and I just think they both look so amazing.

Yuki!  This is her 'casual' look but really it's more like majestically adorable.

We wondered around for a little while longer with Yuki, stopped off at a few other booths but a little before six o'clock we decided to head home for a little while and then come back for the dances that night.

But~ then Amanda made somen and we started watching a documentary about Robert Durst and eventually got too tired to stay alive. So we decided that we would call it an early night and make sure we were up bright and early and fresh for the next days festivities. Because Saturday would be the big day-- the Fashion show and karaoke!


So that was day one! And here were some of the amazing people we met!

 Ba! She was one of the workers at the h.Naoto booth. I really loved her look for day 1 (and I think I have outfit pictures for day 2 and 3 as well :D)

Brittany is one of the booth employees who we've met every year ! She is so fantastic and very sweet to us. She also knows what kinds of things from the merchandise we'll like. ^^

Vicky and Forrest LOVED both these looks  and they were both incredibly nice 

This INCREDIBLE GROUP was with Vicky and Forrest (pictured above) but I did't get any of their names ;~~; 

(I most definitely have these amazing ladies information. I just can't find it RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT BUT I WILL) They were incredibly friendly and had some amazing Dragon Age fan art that we just HAD to purchase.

Liz !! I loved her short hair with her hair accessories.  She looked so incredible and was really friendly. 

I'll see you next time for day 2!

Sakura-Con Survival Guide (sort of)

Sakura-con is TOMORROW. WOO-HOO.

And with everyone being busy busy busy in these short few hours before it all starts, I thought I'd write up a little "Survival Guide" of sorts with all of my favorite items to bring to Con and why I love them~! So let's go~~!

I've tried many an eyelash over the years and many glues to go along. For the longest time, I struggle bugged my way along with applying eyelashes. I couldn't get the glue to dry properly or the eyelashes would go on all wonky. I don't know why I struggled so hard but man did I. HOWEVER, then I tried these bad boys. The glue was what was really amazing for me. For an all day event- like Sakura-Con-  these will ALWAYS be my go to. The glue dries nicely and they stay on amazingly. I haven't had any problems with them at all and I've never had to worry about them lifting or moving. And when the glue dries, I don't have any problems with it showing up. Because the glue dries well and gets really tacky, I find the eyelashes go on a lot easier.

I also really like the look of them- there are so many different options including half lashes for both top ad bottom. Just to further sweeten the deal-- They're only $1.50 at your local Daiso Store!! 

I'm not usually a fan of make up brushes or sponges. Which sounds stupid. I just didn't want to spend the money because I'm cheap. And even though so many people told me to use one, I didn't. But then I was getting unhappy with the way my make up was going on so I went on down to Sephora and bought their brand of make up sponge. And I'm painfully in love with it. I don't even use any primer and it just looks so much nicer.  So for all my make up- and I mean heavy, heavy make up for something like con... like the heaviest of make ups- I like to use the sponge and then beat it with Almay powder to keep my face looking fresh and on point. 

(There was also supposed to be a picture of a compact here because if you have oily face like me, Neutrogena is the way to go. Seriously. It's the best thing I've ever experienced and when you're out all day with make up on for your cosplay or your fashion, you will waaaaannnnt)

SNAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKS.

(and also water)

I think one of the most import an things I've learned over the years is to always bring food! Wherever you're off to, especially at a convention, I think it's a great idea to have a quick and ready to go snack you can munch on while waiting in line or hanging out or whatever it is that's going on. It's also a great way to save money! You'll have food already on you and you won't be tempted to spend money on food at the convention center or at a coffee shop. 

My personal favorite right now is KIND bars. They're very simple, really delicious, and very easy to eat. They're also like... mildly nutritious which is nice. I mean.. as healthy as granola bars can be.  

Also, bring water! Stay hydrated! It makes the whole experience better!

I have a confession. I am a five year old. I'm terrible at waiting in lines. Just... absolutely horrible. I whine and complain and get severely impatient. 

So I need to entertain myself so my friends don't abandon me in a parking lot.  To do this, I tend to have on me my DS on me with a few games and DEFINITELY my charger. It's fun and portable and I don't have anything to really put away which means that when the line moves, I'm good to go.

Another trick I like is card games. Playing cards or otherwise.  It's nice because you can play with other people. It's actually how I've met a few of my friends in lines waiting for things.

To that point-- CHARGERS ARE GREAT TO HAVE. There will be plenty of places to charge your electronics and you will most certainly want to have it. Pictures! Communication! So many things! Bring a charger!

These a just a few of my favorite things for con. I have a million others. But I just picked a few of them that I really liked. 

SO THERE YOU GO AND YAY LETS HAVE FUN AT SAKURA-CON!!!!