Things I've Learned on the Way to 20

Looking after yourself and getting some downtime.
The bottom left picture was taken by one of my friends while we were in South Africa, isn't it gorgeous?

So...I turn 20 two weeks tomorrow! Help. I feel like a certain responsibility comes with leaving the teens behind. I have realised that I need to start looking after myself, not because I don't shower or clean my face or anything, but I need to take responsibility for more of the choices that I make on a day to day basis.

Bottom line- I don't want to grow up, pass me some wax crayons.

But seriously there are little things that I've learned about life and myself that need to spring into action to make life that bit easier.

1. Find a skincare routine that actually suits your skin.
I'm a major offender of this one. My skin used to get oily during the day, so naturally I've spent years using oil combatting, oil removing, tough, rough skincare to keep a shiny face at bay. Right? Wrong! My efforts had been completely counterproductive! It was when I had my make-up done by someone else that I realised that I actually have dry skin. She slathered moisturiser onto my face and I was just sat there thinking 'Oh my god, how much is she using? I'm going to look like a chip pan by the end of the day'. But I didn't. In fact I wasn't oily at all. WHAT? *Cue light bulb moment* I HAVE DRY SKIN! My skin was just over-compensating because I was stripping so many natural oils from my skin.
Since then I've been using a whole facial range specifically designed for super sensitive dry skin and it's like I've been given a new face. Since switching to the dark side, adding moisture instead of taking it away, I can't use anything as tough as I used to, I never realised before just how harsh they were on my skin. Lesson 1: Find out your skin type!

2. Your face will not thank you for just using a face wipe at night.
Face wipes. I know, slap my wrists. People either hate them or completely swear by them. I used to be the latter. However now they are my arch enemy. You know how it is, it's late and you just don't want to go to the effort of completely cleansing your face- so you use a face wipe. I hold my hands up. Guilty as charged!
Whenever I take the lazy route I completely regret it in the morning. Cue breakout. It's been a lesson that I still haven't full learned, but it's getting there. If you're like me, using a wipe isn't enough when taking your make-up of and cleansing your face before you go to sleep. Fair enough use them to remove your make-up first (I use a micellar water on some cotton wool) but please cleanse afterwards. Lesson 2: Don't go to bed with a dirty face.

3. Only you can decide where you're going.
You can ask people until you are blue in the face to give you the answers to what you're supposed to be doing with your life. I am constantly turning to different people in the hope that they might just tell me what to do. Let's face it, it's just not going to happen. Unfortunately, you have to pave your own way, whatever that may be. Lesson 3: Just get on with it.

4. It's okay not to know where you're going.
Note: This does not apply to physical journeys. Refer back to no.3. So you're wracking your brain to figure out what to do with your life and you're coming out with no answers. THAT'S OKAY! I know how it feels to watch all of your friends start their second year of uni while you're still at home pondering what the hell you are going to do with yourself. And yes, it sucks. It sucks big time. But it's okay, don't pin yourself to other people's schedules, just because people the same age as you seem to be far ahead of you, doesn't mean that you're left behind. Lesson 4: Do it at your own speed.

5. Bread hates me.
I avoid bread like the plague. You know the film 'Big', where Tom Hanks wakes up one morning as a grown man and his mum goes a bit crazy? That's me with bread. I wake up and my tummy is so uncomfortably puffed up that I look like I'm about to pop. No Mum, I'm not pregnant, I just had bread yesterday. When I was young I used to rock up to school with my little sandwich bag: ham sandwich; yoghurt; orange and a little bar of chocolate. Ham or tuna sandwiches EVERYDAY and to no effect. Gone are those days! Ham sandwiches are just off the menu. Lesson 5: Bread definitely hates me.

6. You need to drink water.
You hear it all of the time: drink 8 glasses of water a day. Let's face it, how many of us actually do that? I'm not joking though, drinking the clear stuff (not vodka, although vodka is good) really does make a difference. Water makes everything better. Clearer skin, flatter less bloated tummy and so much more energy. Lesson 6: Drink water like it's going out of fashion.