Dark Arts Arrival At Universal Studios Hollywood

Beware! Dark Arts have arrived at The Wizarding World at Universal Studios Hollywood. In the form of the nighttime light show, that is. Taking place at the Hogwarts castle, evil creatures such as Dementors and Death Eaters descent upon the castle via projection. Accompanied by the music of John Williams, this version of the nighttime spectacle is ominous and sinister.

It has a very different vibe from the Christmas show or the original nighttime spectacular, since it’s about the Dark Arts. This time, the team at Universal Studios Hollywood uses mist, fog, and fire to set the tone, making the audience feel that something eerie is about to begin. The projection, just like in the previous shows, is state-of-the-art. As images of spiders, skulls, and dementors appear on Hogwarts castle, the music builds to its climax until Voldemort’s face materialize on one of towers. As you watch Hogwarts castle taken over by dark magic, Dumbledore’s voice reminds us “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light”. And like magic, Harry’s Patronus appears in the sky. The. Sky. This image is not a projection. The Patronus literally appears out of thin air, like magic. This is done with multiple drones, programmed to create a multi-dimensional image. I should mention that this isn’t a still image either. You’ll actually see the Stag move. I was completely blown away and left in awe. I have never seen anything like this before. Hats off to the creative team at Universal Studios Hollywood for making magic real.

If you have a deep connection with the Harry Potter fandom, this show will definitely tug on your heartstrings. I felt my eyes tear up at the sight of the Patronus light up in the sky. It’s an unbelievable sight and an indescribable feeling.
If you live in Southern California, or planning a trip to the LA area, you have to visit Universal Studios Hollywood and witness this in person. Photos and videos doesn’t do it justice.
You can catch Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios Hollywood nightly from June 22th ~ August 11th, 2019.

Visit www.universalstudioshollywood.com for details.

Lunar New Year Celebration At Universal Studios Hollywood

Lunar New Year is here and Universal Studios Hollywood is joining in on the celebration. From now through February 18th, you can see popular characters such as Hello Kitty dressed in her Lunar New Year attire, Megatron speaking in Mandarin, meet and greet with Po and Tigress, Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop serving up flavorful Asian fare, and much more.

Geek and Glitter got to check out the festivities and as we entered the ticketing area, we can already see red lanterns adorning the main gate. This really sets the tone for visitors and there’s even a special brochure listing food locations, entertainment, and exclusive merchandise.

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How To Crush It In 2019

Photo via Mochi Things

Each new year is like a fresh start for many of us. Coming off the holiday breaks, you're relaxed, feeling refreshed, and ready to take on the world in 2019! This is when many of us make New Year Resolutions or goals - better eating habits, work on our fitness, be better at balancing work/family, and so on. While many people stick to their resolutions, there are those of us who lose focus after a few months. This is quite common. I have made tons of New Year's resolution but didn't stick with it. I blamed things like not having enough time, too many distractions, blah blah blah.

Two years ago I changed my focus and my view on New Year resolutions. Instead of making a resolution, I focused on setting goals. I didn't restrict myself on how many goals I could set for myself, whether they were long term or short term. What mattered was that by setting goals, I had a clear vision of what to focus on. Since then, I try to set at least 2 long term goal and 3 short term goals at the beginning of the year to see how close I can get to them.

To avoid setting too many goals and losing focus, I used various journals and books to better guide me. Before we dive into these items, I want you to know that these are things that I came across that happen to work for me. This may or may not work for you but I want to share in case they do help. I'm also not sponsored by any of these productions I'm about to mention.

Read on...

Star Wars Celebration is just months away, hosted in Chicago this year. This event solely focus on all things Star Wars such as exhibits show floor, screenings, special guests, panels, major announcements, autographs sessions, exclusive merchandise, and so much more. Fans from all over the world will travel to Star Wars Celebration from April 11th through April 15th for an unforgettable experience of a lifetime.

Actress and founder of Her Universe, Ashley Eckstein is no stranger to Star Wars Celebration. Since lending her voice to Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars Clones Wars, Star Wars Rebels), she has become a household name. Her Universe have release countless Star Wars collection exclusively for Star Wars Celebration and this year is no different. In fact, Eckstein took to Instagram to give us a sneak peek at what’s to come.

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Mermaid For A Day

The mermaid trend is continuing strong in 2018 and we are seeing it everywhere! From Mermaid-inspired treats such as milkshakes and cupcakes to hair color, clothing and makeup looks, you can now make your fantasty into a reality! Thanks to L.A. Mermaid School, I was able to exchange my legs for a tail, no sea witch necessary! This 101 Mermaid course teaches you the basic of being a Mermaid and what it's like to swim with a tail. Real-life mermaid and dive expert Virginia Hankins was our instructor.

For the full post and a video of me swimming with a mermaid tail, visit Geek & Glitter here

DC Comics Activewear by Her Universe (exclusively for Kohl's)

Last year when Her Universe launched an exclusive collection of Marvel's Avengers inspired activewear, I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. This year, Her Universe released a DC Comics line featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman! 

The collection features various tanks, leggings, sport bras, warmup jackets, and more! Take a look at the items I picked up

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Unboxing: Marc Jacobs Beauty Coconut Dew Drops Gel Highlighter

*I received the product (mentioned in this blog) complimentary to test and review

Summer is approaching and I'm in the market for a new highlighter. Thank my lucky stars - and Influenster and Marc Jacobs Beauty, I received the Coconut Dew Drops Gel Highlighter to test and review.

I've tested Marc Jacobs beauty products in the past and have consistently been impressed with the quality. So the bar was set pretty high for this highlighter. The packaging is very much in line with the other Marc Jacobs products - sleek, sophisticated, and also heavy. It may not travel well since it's usually in a glass container but it looks great on the vanity.

It's in a pump instead of a dropper like I've seen with other liquid or drop-like highlighters, and I much prefer it in a pump because it's more sanitary and its easy to control how much products you want to apply without making a mess.

The highlighter is in a golden shade, and I feel this is a shade that can work for every skin tone. The formula is dense as you'd expect a gel highlighter to be. It's not watery so it doesn't run down the side of your face during application.

A warning for anyone who's doesn't like coconut scented products, this highlighter is infused with coconut water and it smells like coconut (heaven!).

I look forward to testing and reviewing this highlighter for the next couple of weeks! I've been wearing this for the past few days to work and I'm really liking how it looks so far.

Thank you to Influenster and Marc Jacobs Beauty for sending this to me! #CoconutGlow