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Harry Potter

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Last year, my mum and I packed up some clothing and toiletries, and crossed the ocean. We went to Ireland and England with a pretty clear goal: Harry Potter. The trip was originally so we could go to Leaky Con, mashed with the vow that I made to myself while finishing the Potter series; I will be in England when Harry brings his kids to King’s Cross. While not everything worked out to a t (I was still in Ireland as the Hogwarts express pulled out of Platform 9 3/4), we did get to see a lot of Potter stuff, including Leaky Con. I came back with some phenomenal items, but some of the most practical are the beauty and cleansing products I bought.

Who doesn’t get a rush of nostalgic joy overcome them whenever they see an old-school friendship bracelet? Not only do they remind us of the camp days we’d stack them on our arms, but they’ve also made a comeback as a go-to summer accessory in the past few years. (i.e.: Dior Resort ’18. Friendship bracelets can be as chic as they are fun!) Miriam Salzman, the artisan behind the Etsy shop Summer of String, is bringing that nostalgia with an adorably geeky twist.

Summer of String: Supergirl

About Summer of String

Summer of String may have just celebrated its 5th anniversary this month, but Miriam made friendship bracelets long before then. She started at just eight years old. As she got older and moved onto college, she missed the tradition of making bracelets at summer camps and decided it was something she wanted to continue doing. Two weeks after her college graduation, Summer of String was born.

Have you ever seen a makeup collection or palette that you’re not entirely sure you’ll ever use, but you just need to get your hands on it anyway? That’s exactly how I felt when I saw The Marauders, Mugwumps, and Muggles Collection. It’s a collection of Harry Potter-inspired eyeshadows and lip tints by Shiro Cosmetics. The collection in its entirety includes twenty shades of loose powder eyeshadows, three different lip tints, and two different “Chocolate Frog” face powders.

Photo by Sana Sadiq Photography

It’s 75F with about 80 percent humidity. I am sticky, sunburnt, every muscle hurts and my lungs threaten to picket in search of more airtime. My hand hurts from holding my broom and I have several bruises already forming. A finger on my other hand got squished in the battle for a bludger.

I hear cheers behind me, and thank goodness, we caught the snitch. This game is over and we’re victorious. I high five my teammates and after our discussion, race to the shade where I feel like melting into the blanket.

Welcome to Texas, where football may be #1, but quidditch rules in other circles.

That’s “quidditch”, with a small q, defined by Oxford Dictionary as a noun.

London has been a destination city for people from around the world for literally centuries, and it’s certainly no different today. The city is steeped in history, is a melting pot of culture, and is home to some of the most notable works of art and familiar architectural landmarks in the world. To us, it’s also home to many of our favourite shows and films, from Sherlock to Notting Hill and everything in between. Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up Harry Potter.

“What age should my son be before I show him to Doctor Who?”  “My daughter is 6, she’s ready for Harry Potter, right?”

I’ve attended and participated in numerous  “Introducing Kids to Fandom” & “Parenting Geeks” panels at conventions that have featured child psychologists, educators, religious figures, writers, and other stay-at-home parents. The one definitive thing I’ve learned is that everyone has an equally strong, but wildly varying opinion on these types of questions.