Happy Hub: Zoya Rikki, Eddie the Eagle, Zootopia, & More!

We made it through another month! It feels like March has dragged its feet. It's been stressful, even though spring break made up with a fourth of it, and things starting up again for spring quarter. Only three more months until summer! As we look to the future, we cannot forget to live in the present. What better way to do that than by reading this month's Happy Hub?!

Tunes:

I was caught off guard by Fifth Harmony's new single, mostly because I didn't know they were planning on releasing one. Upon checking the new releases section of Spotify, as one does, I saw Work From Home and I did not hesitate to hit play. I'm not going to say it's lyrical genius or anything, but it's pretty darn catchy. And I can't not love the first signs of a new Fifth Harmony album. I have plenty of problems with the music video, but they're all in regards to the safety hazards presented in the video. There is no way any of that is up to code.  

I try to get to at least one of my backed up albums every month and the more I like it, the less time I have to get to the rest of my list. That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. This month, I decided to listen to Rachel Platten's debut album, Wildfire. It was a good choice. There were some familiar favorites from her Fight Song EP, which was featured in last year's May Happy Hub, but also some great new ones. I loved how Andy Grammer just released his new single Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah) and he's also featured on Platten's Hey Hey Hallelujah. While that's not my favorite song on the album, I can't pass up a song featuring one of my favorites. I'm also rather fond of Astronauts, Speechless, and Better Place. Those are my top three of the album, I think in that order. It's all subject to change, but that's the general feel. 

Tous les Garcon et les Filles by Francoise Hardy is a song that I've heard all through my childhood and one day, I just could not get the tune out of my head. I have always loved this song and rather than trying to get it out of my head, I decided to listen to it on repeat to see if I could learn to hum more than just the chorus.

I was on such a Disney high this month, I couldn't help myself from listening to Disney soundtracks. Usually when this happens (which is pretty often ngl), there's nothing new so I don't bother including it in my Happy Hub. This time, however, I came across Jason Derulo's version of Can You Feel the Love Tonight while listening to a Disney playlist and I thought I would check the entire We Love Disney album out. Can You Feel the Love Tonight is hands down my favorite but I also love Ariana Grande's rendition of Zero to Hero, Gwen Stefani's take on Rainbow Connection, and of course, Tori Kelly's Colors of the Wind.

Films:

Eddie the Eagle (x)

If you've been keeping up with xo, Yvette or my Twitter or Tumblr or any of that, you will not be surprised to hear Eddie the Eagle is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Obviously there are Disney films and superhero movies that I am excited for but those are a given. My No. 1 reason for giving it such an honor is because with stars like Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman plus Matthew Vaughn as producer?! That's the dream team. I'd trust them with any movie. Add to the list the fact that this is a story set around the Olympics?! I'm all in. It's a feel-good movie and I was very happy with how good it made me feel. I don't want to say it was a surprise but I was very impressed with how well Taron portrayed Eddie. He really became the character with his mannerisms and the way he literally changed his face to look more like the real Eddie Edwards. It hit all the beats you would expect a sports movie to hit so it wasn't really anything new in terms of genre conventions but there was something almost magical about this movie. I honestly cannot wait for Eddie the Eagle to come out on DVD so I can watch it every single day. Slightly unrelated to the film, I had such a fun time with their press tour. There were a lot of great moments between Taron and Hugh but one of my favorite moments was when they played Catchphrase together on the Tonight Show. It was a really good game and they make a great team (it was also so much fun watching Jimmy and Higgins on the same team).

Zootopia (x)

Ever since the first inklings of what would become Zootopia started making its way onto the web, I was sold. Back then, I just thought the concept of having all types of animals live like humans in a cohesive society with different sectors catering to different habitats was really cool and unique. Who knew that it would end up being such a great movie tackling such a relevant issue in our society today?! The take on racial profiling was done in such a nice, palatable way for all and it makes it easy for children to understand without dumbing it down. The characters were lovable and super cute, especially Finnick. Who would've guessed?! Mr. Big was also hilarious, I know my dad will get a kick out of that when he sees it. This movie is so good not just for the entertainment value (which is very present) but for the lessons it teaches not only to children. There are adults that could benefit from seeing these messages. Walt Disney Animation Studios has made a winner. 

Miscellaneous:

Zoya Rikki (x)

This month carried St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and the start of spring. It only seems right that I choose a nail polish color that suits all these momentous occasions. It's easy to see how Zoya Rikki is the perfect color for March. We've got a shimmery pastel green that feels just right for each of these holidays. The wear has also been great and I'm glad all these things are bunched up in the second half of the month so I my manicure doesn't get too chipped. Can't really boast about your nails when you're all beat up and half gone, can you? This green almost looks like the color of Ariel's tail (maybe a little more yellow than her actual color) which inspired something pretty cool that I want to test out before sharing with the world. I'm not big on lighter colors but I can't say no to a pretty green. They're just too tempting.

(x)

You remember one thing and forget another. Last month I completely blanked on including January's nail color but in my excitement in remembering, my eos slipped my mind. It had been so long since I last switched out my eos, in part because I was hydrating more so my lips weren't easily chapped, and partially because the orange blossom scent was so delicious, I couldn't bear to use it all up. I was especially heartbroken when I finished it because it's a limited edition scent/flavor. I'll cherish it in my heart forever. Hopefully one day they'll bring it back and keep it out... *wink wink nudge nudge* It's far nicer than the medicated tangerine one they have out right now. Just saying... ;)

A couple months ago, Steph and I marathoned the original Star Wars trilogy in preparation for The Force Awakens but we didn't have time to get to the prequels. Having now seen them, I can confidently say we were not missing much. Despite their general terribleness, I really enjoyed tearing them apart with Steph. We hit up Trader Joe's and made a day out of it. I'm not sure how anybody watched this films in seriousness, but it was I personally had a great time ripping them to shreds. Thank goodness the new trilogy is off to a good start.

Every once in a while, I'd see gif sets of this cute animated ladybug girl and cat boy on my Tumblr dashboard and I thought they were adorable, but I didn't give it much thought. Then the fandom started picking up steam and I thought about giving it a go, but I was too swamped with my school work let alone my other shows to start a new one. It wasn't until Allison started raving about Miraculous Ladybug that I thought I'd find some time for it. I needed a new show to watch while I had lunch anyway because I was running out of 20 minute shows. This cartoon is so cute and so much fun. It's set in Paris and I watch them in French with English subtitles to preserve the ambiance (of an animated children's show...) and the crime fighting duo Ladybug and Chat Noir are middle schoolers with some sort of supernatural/magical friend that give them their powers?! There's also the best love square of all time since it only involves two people. There's a lot to love about this show and I've only seen about half the season so far because I'm trying to pace myself. I never want it to end!

Blogosphere:

This month has been so long, it feels like years since I wrote my Beauty and the Beast Recommendations but it was only a few weeks ago! I'd certainly been working on the post for much longer. I had a a good handful of books inspired by Beauty and the Beast, but not quite enough to make my usual list of five, so I had to find another one to read. Luckily, it turned out to be one of my favorites of the bunch! Hopefully you'll find something you'll like in this recommendations post because, while it's mostly fantasy, there is a pretty good range of subgenres and tones and mixes of other sources of inspiration in there as well. There's always a little something for everyone in a recommendations. 

Another big post from this past month was the #hairoftheweek Winter 2016 Recap! We have finished another season of #hairoftheweek and that is cause to celebrate. While that's pretty cool in itself, something even cooler happened in March, believe it or not. Drum roll please! We have officially surpassed our 100th blog post on xo, Yvette! That honor goes to the bonus #hairoftheweek for this season, the Boho Lace Tieback! I can't believe I've stuck with this long enough to be able to say I've written over 100 blog posts! That's crazy! 

Thank you for reading xo, Yvette. I know my blog posts can be kinda niche but I have a lot of fun writing them and it's a great way for me to keep track of the things I enjoy in life. The fact that there are any people in the world that can enjoy these things along with me brings me great joy. Let me know if I missed anything this month, I've had a pretty bad track record these last couple months so chances are I've left out there's something I've been loving. Did you have any favorites in common with me this month? I'd love to hear about the things you've been enjoying in the comments!

Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette