My View On Christians and Liking Harry Potter

     I’ve been a huge fan of Harry Potter since age eight. I've been reading them since the first one was on the table of Best New Releases. Before the hype and the movies and the themepark-- I'm one of those annoying die-hard fans that will shoot down any self-proclaimed fan that hasn't even read all the books, let alone read them each over and over like I do. Harry Potter is MY thing. I'm one of those people that read the 7th book in a DAY. The day it came out is the day I finished it-- all 784 pages of it, done in 14 hours! And don't get my started on the people that call themselves fans who have only seen the movies. Ha!

    

 So, now that I'm a few months shy of 20 and attending a Christian university, I've heard lots of things about Harry Potter. Harry Potter promotes witchcraft. I've read an article claiming that Harry Potter books are designed to lure in people to the darkside (whoa, calm down Starwars).

“There shall not be found among you anyone who make his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord ….” (Deuteronomy 18:10)

     Here is my main argument on this scripture relating to Harry Potter.

READING A FICTION NOVEL IS NOT PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT.

     I feel that people who believe that by simply reading a book that involves magic you are trying to DO magic...have taken things to the extreme. Parents get scared because their kids are playing "witches and wizards" in their bedrooms with their friends. 

     So...God says sin is sin. It doesn't matter how big or small the crime, sin is sin. So magic is magic. Harry Potter is just as bad as Cinderella...because if you've forgotten, Cinderella has a MAGIC fairygodmother who MAGICALLY transforms her tattered dress into a beautiful gown, MAGICALLY makes a pumpkin into a carriage, and MAGICALLY makes the mice into humans.

    

      I don't know about other girls, but I definatly recreated fairy tales in games. I played "Cinderella" just as much as I played "witches and wizards". Just as I dreamed I could go to Hogwarts, I dreamed about being a beautiful princess like Cinderella. Parents fear Harry Potter for making their kids wish they were a part of something other-worldly...well, newflash, so does basically every kids movie out there.

    How about Peter Pan? Need I remind you of all the magic and "evil" in that story/movie? The kid can fly, for goodness sake. How about the curse in Sleeping Beauty? The Little Mermaid, who sells her voice to a sea-WITCH in return for legs? Think about this. How many Christians enjoy Star Wars? Star Wars is NOT that much different than Harry Potter. Actually, in Star Wars "the force" is the higher power, not God. At least in Harry Potter God is mentioned in Christmas carols and in passing.

     Even The Chronicles of Narnia contain magic. And they're written as biblical paralles.

     Now. I do believe, as a Christian, that you should sit down with a child and explain what is real and what is fake. Explain how God feels about magic in His world. In Harry Potter magic is real- so maybe explain that in a fantasy land magic is okay since it's fake, make-believe. But not in this world, therefore magic is not real. Explain that God has all the power we need, so we need to trust in Him to be with us in our day-to-day problems. Just like we don't have fariygodmothers, we don't go to school to learn magic.

     Not once did I ever take Harry Potter to be fact. When parents start freaking out, that is when kids start to think fantasy stories are more than just that--stories. Out of all the articles I've read, not one of the reviewers has actually READ Harry Potter. They've just heard from others. I've read ridiculous articles where people claim Harry Potter is teaching and instructing kids how to use magic. Those people don't have a clue. They haven't picked up a book. Now, some of them have seen movies...but let me make a point. Stories from the Bible that are recreated into movies...do they really capture the heart and soul and messages you'd get from reading it straight from the Bible? No. I know the Bible is very different from any other book (of course!) but it's a general rule: typically the book is waaaay better than the movie, no matter what book or movie it is. Reading The Notebook is much more impactful than watching the movie alone.

     Surprisingly enough...I actually find a lot of parallelism between Harry Potter and the Bible. I feel like Harry is a Jesus figure. Volemort is Satan. Voldemort, or Tom Riddle as he was called in his youth, use to be a prized student at Hogwarts, very smart and the pride of many teachers. Unpredicted by most teachers (except Dumbledore) and then, bam, he fell from that good pedistal and became the world's most evil wizard. Similar to how Satan fell as God's angel. Harry Potter [SPOILER] sacrifies himself, knowing he must die to save everyone. And then, an amazing thing happens, and he comes back to life. Similar to how Jesus sacrifices himself and resurrects. Throughout the books, Harry always values the human life above all. He is always going for the greater good, putting himself in danger before his friends. He's modest and hard working. In the third book Harry had a chance to murder the Wormtail, the man who lead Voldermort to kill his parents. But he chooses not to...and at the end of the story [spoiler again...] Wormtail spares Harry and is killed by Voldemort (his master) for doing so.

    

     The thing I take to heart the most from Harry Potter is the emphasis on love. The reason Harry didn't die when Voldemort tried to kill him as a child is because his mother died to protect him, putting a charm over Harry, the most powerful kind, which is one from love. Love is what saves Harry and drives the story. Harry doesn't discriminate--a friend is a friend, whether it's an outcast like Luna Lovegood or Neville Longbottom, or if it's a house elf like Dobby. And in the end, the love from all the characters in Harry's life save him. From reading Harry Potter I've adapted many of it's lessons into my life, and I wouldn't be the same without them.

Ten Steps to a Fresh Face

I recently read an article online about how underrated a natural look is, and it’s so true! I love the look and feel of a fresh face, with minimal make up on. Sure, it’s fun to play around with colorful makeup, but I find that keeping it real with minimal make up really brings out our honest God-given beauty.

I’m personally an avocet of makeup that leans more towards skin care and less of colors and gloss. There is a time and place for certain levels of makeup, not to mention wearing makeup at all is a very personal choice. I have many Christian friends that choose not to wear makeup, mostly because they don't want to draw attention to themselves for biblical reasons. I definatly respect that point of view, and my friends respect my point of view on the subject as well. That's important, not judging someone based on their personal choices, within reason, of course.

It varies from face to face, but personally my skin needs attention. Some women are born with natural flawless skin, but my oily/uneven face is not included in that bunch. And that’s okay! I thank God every day to even have skin on my face. Enough said.

Here are the steps (in order) I personally take to making my face look fresh and awake, yet natural.

                                              1. Moisterizer

Moisterizer is the most important one, I find. Moisterizer does, well, moisterize your skin! Over time moisterizer will help bring your skin to a more even texture. If you have dry skin, moisterizer is key. The summer AND winter months take a toll on your skin, drying it out. Moisterizer isn't really makeup, but more skin care, therefore you should apply moisterizer everyday, regardless of whether you wear makeup that day or not. There are lot of inexpensive options for moisterizer, and even some amazing ones that contain SPF in them. I personally use this Lancome one I've pictured here. I like it, but I think the next time I buy a moisterizer I'll go with one that is less expensive and contains SPF.

2. Primer

This step isn't really necessary, but I do use a primer. Primers basically help make your makeup last longer throughout the day. Primer gives your makeup something to stick to, making your makeup easier to apply, since it just glides on. I'm not one that likes to carry a makeup bag around with me, so anything that will make my makeup last longer is my best friend. Primers can also contain an SPF as well, like this Smashbox one. Smashbox is a pretty expensive brand, I've only bought a travel sized tube of this primer to try it out, and while it works great I'd like to spend less money, so I think next time I'll go for another brand.

3. Concealer

Concealer becomes more useful the older you get. Concealer is applied to under eye circles, and any other area you want to brighten up. Around your nose if you have redness, on your forehead, around your mouth, areas like this where the your skin could be uneven. Again, I use this Smashbox concealer, and while it is amazing quality, I don't have that many issues that requier concealer just yet, so next time I'm going to buy a more affordable brand.







4. Base

While moisterizer is the most important step, base (I find) is my lifesaver. Base is what evens out your skintone. It's tinted to match the color of your face, so it's important to find the right color for you. I personally love my Clinique base, they have so many colors, so I was able to get help from the lady at the counter who found my exactly color. Base is tricky since your skin changes color, so I'll probably need a new color in the winter months once my tan from summer has faded away. But yes, base is the best. There is liquid and powder forms, so it's definatly a makeup step to try different things with.

5. Powder

Power locks the makeup in. It gives a more matte finish to your face. If you take any makeup with you on the go, it would have to be your powder. Your face will most likely get shiney throughout the day, and perhaps you'll sweat off some of the makeup you applied earlier, so sweeping powder across your face is a quick fix. Like base, powder is colored to match your skin color. I use this Smashbox one, and unlike the other Smashbox products I use, I really don't see myself changing to another powder. For the money it's worth, it brings a lot of product and don't expire for, like, 6 years. I don't apply much makeup throughout the day, so this will last me forever. Plus, this particular tin is amazing since you twist the face of it (that silver area pictured) and it shaves off a little bit of the compacted powder. Such an awesome idea. The tiny travel brush it comes with...is terrible. All the little hairs just fall right out!

 6. Eyeshadow Primer

Okay! If you are going to use an eyeshadow, THIS IS AMAZING! It's a primer for eyeshadow. I have this issue where my lids are

 more deep-set in my face, so my eyelid folds in, and whenever I wear shadow it's a mess after a few hours, the shadow

melts, creases, whatever. Once I started using this eyeshadow primer I didn't have that problem anymore. My shadow lasted the whole day. Amazing!

                                        7. Natural Eyeshadow

I'm a big fan of natural eye colors. Of course, you don't have to wear eyecolor, but if you DO, shades of pale pink, cream, brown, gold, tan, honey, are all awesome amazing colors that are subtle at the same time, depending on how much of them you apply. I ADORE the Two Faced Natural Eye Pallet, pictured here on the left. My favorite shade is that middle one on the left, the shimmery pink. Usually I'll just put that pink on, add mascara, and be done with my eyes. Or I'll take that light cream color and dab it on the inner corners of my eyes to make me look more awake. This pallet also comes with handy little cards that give you ideas for how to wear the amazing colors it comes with. Definatly a keeper. Oh! Especially on brown eyes. 

8. Eyeliner

This one is give or take, since depending on how you apply it, eyeliner could look natural or make you look more glammed up. So, remember, in the case of a fresh face, less is more. If you wear shadows, a thin line of eyeliner in either brown or black is enough to look polished. If you want a cat eye kind of thing on your upper lid, maybe skip out on shadow and simply wear eyeliner! Sometimes I wear shadow and only apply eyeliner on my waterline (bottom half of my eye). There are different types of eyeliner (pencil, liquid, and gel) and the weird thing is I like to use gel eyeliner on my lid, but pencil on the bottom! It just holds up better that way! Ha.

9. Mascara

The finishing touch to eyes. Even if you don't wear eyeshadow that day, running a quick layer of mascara over your lashes really brightens up your eyes. Mascara is something you really never need to spend a lot of money on, drugstore mascaras are just as good as the high-end ones. I use this Maybelline one, and it works just fine.

10. Blush

Perfect finishing touch! Dap a fresh shade of rosey pink to give your cheeks a bit of color. Or if you're looking for more of a sunkissed look for summer, try a bronzer instead. I love these whipped cream-esque blushes from Maybelline! They have a bronzer type too, which is fun since it has little glitters in it! :)

Extra Credit: Lipgloss/Lipbalm

Add either a pale gloss or tinted lipbalm to help make your lips look less pale against all the natural makeup. I LOVE this Dr. Pepper flavored chapstick by Lipsmackers. It is subtle (since Lipsmackers is marketed toward young girls!) yet this flavor adds an amazing cherry tint! And I hate Dr. Pepper soda. But I love this chapstick/lipbalm. The watermelon flavor from Lipsmackers is awesome too :)

There are so many tutorial-style videos on YouTube from amazing makeup gurus that make learning about makeup simple. I love Michelle Phan-- look up her videos! She does several natural looks, along with many fun, more jazzed-up looks. So put your best fresh-face forward :)