The only thing better than celebrating one New Year is the opportunity to celebrate two! I am excited to share the details of my recent trip to Las Vegas for Chinese New Year. If you’ve been following me on Insta, you know that I just spent the past few days in Las Vegas with The Shops at Crystals.
First off, I don’t why I had this idea that Vegas is always hot, maybe because it’s the desert, but as soon as I stepped off the plane in Vegas I was greeted by a breath of freezing cold air. It was my first time going to Vegas in the winter and I did not expect it to be this cold!
For Chinese New Year, The Shops at Crystals invited me and two other influencers to help host and participate in a few special events celebrating the Lunar New Year. We arrived in the afternoon, and after we checked into the Waldorf Astoria, I headed to Valentino for a fitting and selected a few dresses. Of course, it made sense to go with red since the color symbolizes joy & fortune, and no celebration is complete without some metallic sparkles.
My next stop was a mini makeover at Tom Ford, of course aside from amazing beauty products and scents I also played dress up with some amazing ensembles, after all, who doesn’t need a rose gold sequin pantsuit? It would be perfect for me to wear to my next Barry’s or SoulCycle class..hehe 😜
Dinner was at Mastro’s and just in case you were wondering, the seafood selection there is unreal and they are uber famous for their Butter Cake so I had to give it a taste and the reputation is well deserved.
Day two started with what I think was the highlight of the trip – participating in the largest noodle toss in America! My parents are both from Asia – my mom is from Taiwan and my dad is from Beijing but I had never even heard of this before. Our family usually celebrates by doing a large dinner with some close friends. This tradition of throwing noodles is referred to as the Prosperity Toss and it was a lot of fun and such an exciting experience. I never imagined myself throwing food while wearing Valentino but I guess I can check that off now! Haha
Just watch my stories highlights on Instagram or scroll through the pictures to see noodles flying everywhere! Apparently, one lady threw the noodles so high up it landed on someone else’s head, I hope the videographer got a clip of that. 😂🙈
Chinese New Year celebrations aren’t complete until the infamous dragon dance. The dragon is a symbol of China’s culture, and they are believed to bring good luck to people. Everyone gathered around as the lion dance started and the dragons stopped by each of the stores to collect either a red envelope or a cabbage. The lion chews up the cabbage and spits it out in front of the store, which symbolizes good fortune.
My photographer and I went back to the hotel for a little lunch break and snacks before heading back out to meet with a monk for a blessing. Later that evening, we continued celebrating the Year of the Pig over at Fendi with a mixology class, the most charming cupcakes, and a presentation of their latest handbag collection. I tried my turn at making a few cocktails and let me tell you, they turned out pretty well…maybe I’ll become a bartender… Lol jk
The Shops at Crystals did an amazing job at organizing the Chinese New Year celebrations and I am so grateful they invited me to participate in such a special set of traditional events. It was an honor to be there and I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous Lunar New Year! xx