SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Spring is my favourite season of the year! It has so many great things about it that I have just fallen in love with over the years, and if you too live in England, you'd be able to see why.

This is the time when all of the blossom starts to grow on trees, the daffodils appear and the sun shows its face (metaphorically, of course)

We know what this means though ... it is getting very close to those all important final exams!

I'll have three weeks off, although this will not feel like a holiday. I will be studying the whole time, but this time off also gives me some time to think more about how I can decorate my new bedroom :)

This also gives me more opportunities to do more fitness and fashion posts, seeing as I won't be stuck in school 24/7. 

Thank goodness!

BEING INTOLERANT CAN STILL BE JUST AS FUN

I love my food. I always have, and I feel so lucky that I am one of the lucky people in the world where food is not a major issue.

Although until recently, I discovered to find that I have a Gluten Intolerance. If you don't know what this is exactly, I'd suggest you look it up as it is quite embarrassing to say on here! But anyway, this means that I can't eat any foods with Wheat, Barley or Rye in it.

I know right, that is a lot of food out of the picture!

All the main fibres I used to be getting into my diet I can no longer have, such as:

• Bread
• Pasta
• Cereal
• Pizza!!

But wait, there is a solution! 

See in this day and age, as technology advances, so too does our brainy knowledge on how we can increase the joys in our day-to-day lives. Now if you are gluten-intolerant like me, there are ways around it.

I can still actually eat bread, pasta cereal and pizza.

Wait what?

Yes, by companies now using different types of flours in the foods, like rice flour, I can enjoy the same foods everyone else does, just from a different source.

But the best thing is, it is a lot more healthy for you too! The price is a bit more expensive- and this was a real shock to me at first when I wanted to buy a loaf of gluten-free bread that was nearly 4 POUNDS!!

But once you are used to it, you feel a lot more energised in the day, more awake and active, and less stodgy. 

Today, most stores will have a special Free From section, containing all of our wonderful treats that we can explore! Even my local petrol station now has a small gluten free area incase I'm on the run and need to grab something.

And if you thought not being able to eat pizza is bad, you'd be happy to hear I can still eat this. Dominoes do their very own gluten-free pizza! As well as many other Italian restaurants I have recently been to. Of course, you can see a big difference in this pizza, where the crunch of the base might be more evident then the oozing soft base. Yet it is food and it tastes great, so I'm just going to have to deal with it and learn to love it.

These gluten-free foods contain far more nutrients and less fat and sugars, so you might be spending more but wow you are not spending this on hundreds of calories.

Of course, food is a necessity, and calories shouldn't always be seen as a bad thing. We need them in our diet, as we wouldn't live without them. With a woman's daily intake being around 1600 calories, we just need to be aware of when we are going over this, and how we can tackle this.

EXERCISE!

As I always say, sweat is a sign of your fat crying. 

GIVE YOUR SKIN A BREATHER

One of the best things you can do for you skin is to simply let it breath.

By this, I mean don't wear any makeup. I find it great when you haven't got any make up on, as you don't have to worry about your eyeliner smudging, your lipstick being on your teeth or having foundation lines.

My skin is annoyingly getting a bit irritated at the moment, and I know this is because of makeup! We love the thing, but it can actually be our worst enemy.

The best thing I make sure I do is if I am wearing makeup, make sure I start with a clean base, and then ALWAYS take off my make up when I get home or before I go to bed.

To take it off, I like to:

• Take off eye make up with a cotton pad and 'Simple Eye Makeup Remover'. It's light on your face, with no heavy strong smell. It feels natural and it lets your make up easily glide off your face.
• Exfoliate (if I haven't in a couple of days). At the moment I'm using the 'Clean & Clear Face Scrub', which I love to use to get rid of excess dirt on my face and get into my pores.
• Cleanse my skin, with 'Simple Cleanser', using a cotton pad. Again this is light and gives you lovely soft skin.
• Tone my skin, with the 'L'Oreal Paris Toner'. It's pink so it looks great with my other products! It smells good and makes your skin feel tighter and look fresher. I find it minimises your blemishes quickly too.
• Moisturise. Going to sleep, I like to use Garnier matte moisturiser, to get rid of the shine on my face from having an oily complexion. Yet it still gives you the moisture you need!

And then.... SLEEP! Rest that beautiful skin of yours and catch your beauty sleep.

FIRST NIGHT OUT

Monday was my first ever night out! I can't believe I've been missing out on this for 18 years now.

Monday's are great due to the tonne of student nights around, so you can get a great cheap(ish) night out. That is off course if you don't put your money in your bra and lose it all on the dance floor from jumping up and down... Yep I know, not too clever.

That's what your first night is all about though, you learn the things you should and shouldn't do. For example, it's ok to drink before you go out, but keep it to a limit. You don't want to peak as soon as you get to the club, that will just ruin your night.

Here is the outfit I wore:


I got the crop top from Topshop and the body con skirt from H&M. Two great basics which you can pair up with many different outfits!

Here are some Do's and Don'ts which I learnt:

DO

• Bring a warm coat with a hoodie for before & after
• Put your money in a safe pocket and give your coat to the cloakroom
• Bring ID and make sure you are actually 18...
• Have a glass/bottle of water ready for you when you get home
• Have a great time!

DON'T

• Wear heels! That would just be painful...
• Put your money in your bra and lose it.
• Wear barely any clothes, make sure you can keep your dignity on the dance dancefloor
• Drink excessively, you'll have a great time whether you're drunk, tipsy or sober (but not paralytic)
• Push and shove people, you're clubbing but you should still have manners

I found out what my party trick was... doing the splits! It was so random, I just thought it'd be cool to tell people, and then I just did it. People thought I was crazy but at the same time awesome for being able to do them haha!

I think even if clubbing isn't your thing, you should at least give it a try once. Things are never how you expect them to be. I expected it to be a lot different, but was pleasantly surprised :)

LEARN TO LOVE YOUR SKIN

I know it's a Monday, but seeing as it is my first night out clubbing *woooooop* I want my skin to look as best as it can.

And what better way to do this than give it the pampering it deserves? I thought I'd give this yummy face mask a go, that I got for my birthday from the 'npw' brand, which I haven't really heard of before but am willing to give anything a try! I'm hoping this will soothe any blemishes I have and soften my skin.


 What I like to do when using a face mask is start off by exfoliating my skin. I use warm water and then use the Clean & Clear facial scrub, and gently work it in for 2 minutes or so.

Then I rinse this off with cold water and a face cloth, just so that it starts to close some pores straight away to stop dirt getting into them.

Now my skin is fresh, I apply this face mask all over my face and going down my neck.

What I loved about this face mask is that it didn't go hard and crack like others. You can still talk without sounding like you've lost your tongue! The smell is amazing and there is a lot of the product in this one pack so you can apply generously to the face for extra relaxing and smoothness.

I then chilled for 15 minutes, before gently washing off with cold water.

And Voila!! Clean smooth skin ready for tonight.

To finish this off, I then apply toner and a day moisturiser with SPF in it, and then my skin is all set for the day ahead.

Mmmm my skin feels so soft now :) just don't touch your skin too much or this can add dirt to your face and add those pesky spots which no one likes!

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

Today was surprisingly a good day! I thought I would be lying in bed on Facebook and watching movies all day and scoffing my face with thousands of calories. But boy, I was wrong!

I've come to learn that Valentines Day isn't just about sharing your love with your partner, it's especially important to share your love with your family and friends, and that is exactly what I did.

For most of the day I spent it with my mum, helping her shopping and also getting her started on her fitness journey. I taught her ways of helping her with her running technique, and eventually she'll feel confident enough to be able to do this herself. Running is a very tricky task to tackle by yourself mind, so I have every sympathy with her not wanting to run on her own.

That done, I then used my new Epilator on my legs.... OUCH!! It hurt a crazy amount, but hey I now have silky smooth legs, besides the large red dots on my skin...
I would seriously recommend buying an Epilator. I have the BRAUN 'Silk epil' type 5340, in a cute pink and white colour. It also came with a really handy electric face brush with round bristles which you can use to help exfoliate your skin with warm water.

What's great about the epilator is that it pulls the hairs straight from your legs, like what waxing does, however what waxing can't do is keep going over the same area to get each hair. This helped me get every hair and it even has a light to help you find those pesky hairs that don't want to be pulled out.
It is very scary at first but trust me you get used to the pain, and think how much money you're saving from all those annoying razors you are constantly buying! It's even better that the hairs grow back a lot slower and finer, meaning you have to do this less than you would shave you're legs anyway :)

Now onto the evening, I saw some of my buddies from my old school. It was so great seeing them, I literally can't be with them without having a smile on my face. One of my best friends gave me a belated birthday pressie which I am sooo lucky to have.

It's the Benefit Mascara, which I have heard some amazing reviews about and have always wanted to try it. I always get through mascaras so quickly as well, as I just love having long lashes if you haven't already noticed!

It came in this really sweet box too which is apparently from Christmas but I didn't care, it's so adorable!

As I said I would show you how I looked for Valentines Day, here are some quick shots.

Seeing as I wasn't going on a date today, I went for this casual but fun look.

If you haven't already noticed, I like to be quite different to other people. This blouse from boohoo.com helps me with this and it's perfect to wear when meeting up with friends.
It has two large holes in the sleeves which is very different and quirky, with really cool swirls and leaf designs. The material floats very well and the different texture of denim on the collar changes up this look even more.


For my makeup, I went for a natural glow with soft shades of light browns/gold shimmer shadows on my eye lids, along with liner and mascara.
I also used my love of lipgloss which I actually don't know where it came from, but I love to wear it by how it suits my skin tone and how long the colour last for.

My hair felt really glossy today which was perfect for styling with my GHD straighteners. However I make sure I use heat defence so that my hair doesn't get as damaged.


Hope you like this look, and I'll give a review soon about what I think of the benefit mascara!

BE MY VALENTINE

Tomorrow is Valentines Day.. I did have a date tonight for it, but that has now been postponed. I'm not a happy bunny.

Valentines Day can be such a drag for some people, especially me! I don't think there has been a single year where I have actually been in a relationship... Last year my boyfriend broke up with me roughly 3 days before the day. Yes, he treated me sooo well (note the sarcasm).

But do you know what? I'm going to enjoy tomorrow anyway! I'm going to throw on my glad rags and do my hair and make up and just help me feel good about my self. I'm then seeing my friends where we are all going to chill together and just be able to enjoy each others company.

Tomorrow I'll show you how I do my make up and hair, and I might possibly start my first vlog. Although this thought at the moment really scares me, so would love all the support and encouragement I can get.

Embrace being single on Valentines Day, soon you'll be married and will have to be with the same man on this same day every year. So spice it up! See your friends and enjoy the freedom you have for now :)

ISSUES WITH SKIN

So it comes to a bit of a shock to some people.. But I used to have moderate to severe acne.
It. Was. Horrible.

It made my confidence go down so much, I had boys making fun of the way I stood, as I crossed my arms but held one arm infront of my face pretending to bite the jumper to hide those nasty spots on my chin :(

I literally tried E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! I searched the web for solutions to help my skin, and I found the craziest things. I tried:

• Spraying perfume on them to dry out the spots
• Left toothpaste on them over night
• Tried tea tree oil in my skin regime
• Used a hair dryer on my face
• Just used water to lessen the impact of chemicals
• On the other hand, then used as many products on my face I could find
• Didn't touch the spots
• Didn't wear make up
• Got early nights sleep
• Ate healthily with a good amount of veg and fruit

But nothing worked!! Some things hurt sooo much too on the raw spots and I went through it because it was actually ruining my life. I was scared to go to school (mixed school at the time), where girls and boys were going to be judging me. I had a few comments where someone said "Katie go and do dot-to-dot on your face". I wanted to cry there and then, but I couldn't. Other people told me "You have crisps on your chin.. oh wait never mind," before laughing and looking at their friends. People would also ask me if I didn't ever clean my face... wow, how shallow some people can be.

I couldn't cope. I had to see the Doctor. Telling him about this straight away sent me out into tears, and even writing this bit is making me quite emotional, but I want to get this out.

He showed me some pictures in a book of different severities of acne, and I was then diagnosed with moderate-severe. My spots weren't massive, I just had a lot of them surrounding my mouth, on my chin and all over my forehead. Lucky for me I could use a fringe to cover up the forehead spots.

He could see how upset this was making me, and prescribed me with a drug which I think is called Lymecyline, which were antibiotics that I took twice a day, for a good 2 years or so. 

He also gave me a solution to put onto the spots which helped dry them out.

So starting this, I had to put on a brave face and head to school again, facing the harsh comments head on. I stopped wearing the paste of foundation I wore before to cover the spots. People thought I looked so strange, but I had got to the point where I was used to all the stares and remarks.

Eventually the spots began to fade, but there was a lot of scarring left behind for a long time.

So I thought "Hurray, I finally have clear skin!"

But I thought wrong... about half a year later after stopping the medication, these spots gradually began to worsen and worsen again, almost getting to the extent they were before, but I knew I had to see the Doctor before it got any worse again. He put me back onto the antibiotics, but this time the magic wasn't working. If it did help a bit too, coming off the antibiotics just took me right back to square one. I was helpless. I had to be referred to a Dermatologist.

After a close examination of my face and skin, it was clear to her there was only one other option; Roaccutane. I had heard of this before, and of all the great successes it has had, it has also had some very scary side effects. But I took the risk and went on it. 

Some side effects have before led people to suicidal thoughts and the risk of death, as well as other problems like liver disease.

My treatment was to last for 4 months, getting a monthly blood test to check everything was in order. That was probably the worst of the treatment! Everything else seemed to fly by. I had 3 different pills to take each day as well as 2 other ones, but to be honest with you I literally can't remember much of this as I have just tried blocking out any acne times from my memories.

I had some minor side effects like:

• VERY dry lips (vaseline was my best friend and has stuck by me through the process)
• Achey muscles, especially in my back
• Feeling faint after exercise
• Getting tired quicker
• Sad emotions
• Dry skin and scalp

...although nothing else that was potentially serious occurred. 

By the second month I was already so amazed, seeing the spots simply vanish off my skin. The third month the scarring was even fading, and spots just didn't want to choose my face as a home anymore. When the fourth month was over, words can't describe how happy I was. Finally, I could walk out the house with a brave face on. I didn't have to worry about if people were looking at my spots and judging me as a disgusting person. People treated me with more respect- which is so very sad, but my spots just seemed to scare people I guess.

Finally I felt like a normal human being.

I can honestly say if it wasn't for Roaccutane, I would probably still be hiding my face away from the world.

I can even wear my hair without bangs, and for me that is a huge deal! I don't have to cover my face, and now embrace my skin.

I seriously recommend going to a Dermatologist if you have issues with your skin. Even if you're worried about stories you have heard, they will give you the insight and let you know what can help. 

I am sooo happy now, and can even risk walking out the house without any make up on now.

I hope my story has let you truly see how I felt, and let you think twice before you judge someones skin. People can't help the skin they have, whether it is always red and blotchy, or spotty with scars. These are normal people like you and me, and would give anything to get rid of this. You shouldn't draw attention to this and make stupid remarks; just treat them like you would treat any other person.

The one great side of having acne lets you know who your true friends are and who will stick by you through thick and thin. There is nothing worse than people treating you a particular way by how you look.

CUTE LOOK FOR VALENTINES DAY

Whether you're single and ready to mingle, or have your perfect man to wine and dine with on February the 14th, this pretty look will help you feel special on the day and help you to enjoy being single or taken!


I am currently single, although I might possibly have a cute date lined up.... :) I'll let you know how my Valentines day plans go!

Here are two looks which you can easily achieve; one for a more formal evening, and the other for more a casual but fun day out.


On the left is the more casual look. I got the:

♥ Leggings from Primark

♥ Top from Topshop

♥  Blazer from New Look

On the right is the more formal date look. I got the: 

♥ Playsuit from Lipsy

What's great about this playsuit is it can be worn in Summer or Winter.

Pair these two outfits with shoes of your choice. Maybe you want to wear black wedges? Or maybe wear some cute black ballet pumps.

Here's a quick tutorial and how you can get you hair and make up to look how I have done it.

Starting with make up...

♥  I started by applying my moisturiser before using a foundation brush to apply foundation.
♥  Concealer... apply to your under eyes where you might have dark circles and then anywhere else you feel needs brightening or covering, such as blemishes. To make your nose appear thinner you can also apply down the bridge of your nose.
♥  Contouring... use a bronzer of your choice to apply to your cheek bones and sides of the forehead, and then use a small amount of pink blush on your cheeks.
♥  Eyebrows... get a colour of a eyebrow pencil or eyeshadow to match you hair and then lightly apply this and brush in to look natural!
♥  EYES!!... My favourite part! What I did here was apply a shimmer white eyeshadow first to the inner section of the eyes. Then to let my blue eyes pop, I used a gold eye shadow covering the lid. Then taking a light pink shadow I brushed this along the lash line and blending into the crease. To add more depth to the shape, I then lightly applied a coat of a darker brown and blended this out and into the crease
♥ Eye liner... I personally love using a liquid liner, and I got a present in a collection with a dark liquid black liner. Using a thin straight brush, I neatly drew this along. I think using a brush to apply liner makes life so much easier!
♥ Mascara... I love the Rimmel London 'SCANDALEYES' mascara, the brush is huuuge and it lasts a long time! It also doesn't add clumps on application and makes your eyelashes look thicker and fuller. To get your eyelashes to stand out more, use a eyelash curler beforehand and heat it with your hand a few seconds to make this have a more lasting effect.
♥  Lips... firstly use a pink lip line and trace around your lips. Simple right? Next I used a light pink lipstick on my lips, and then sealed this with a coat of pink lipgloss. Use a tissue and press your lips against it in the middle to stop the colour from staining your teeth. (It can be sooo embarrassing when you go to the toilet during the day, look in the mirror and find you have bright pink lipstick on your tooth!!)

Now Hair...

This doesn't take as long as it looks.
♥ Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner to get a clean silky feeling, as well as it smelling great!
♥ You can dry it with a hair dryer (and heat protection) or, as I like to do, let it dry naturally. I find this can make your hair feel smoother and it is less damaging.
♥ Before curling... You want to protect your hair! Split ends are far from pretty. Today I used this GHD heat defence. Just spray it on your hair and let it soak in for a couple of minutes. 
♥ Using these Philips curlers, I took the end strand of a section of hair, clip it in and then rolled this up. Hold this for 7-10 seconds depending on how big you want the curl and how thick/thin your hair is. Change the different sides that you curl the hair to add a more natural look.
♥ Finish by spraying hair spray to the curls.

I like to then shake my hair like crazy to let the curls blend together, and lightly run you fingers through the hair to help too.I hope this has been helpful to all of you out there! 
Then you're done! If you want to put the sides back like I have done in the day look, pull a section from both sides of your head back, and backcomb first if you want more volume. Use bobby pins your hair colour to not make these as visible.

Got any exciting Valentines Day plans? I would love to hear about what you are doing so let me know in the comments :) Have a great day and remember, even if you're single it doesn't mean you can't still go out with your friends and enjoy yourselves!

GET A GRIP

Are you looking for a fun exercise which doesn't take you a lot of time but tests your fitness and puts your body and mind to a great amount of work? If so then you'll love rock climbing!


This is a perfect sport to do if you are looking for a exciting adrenaline rush while doing it. It tests your bodies strengths as well as your mind, where you will need to be good at problem solving to get around tricky tasks which you might fall into.
You would think that you need very strong arms to be better at rock climbing, however the key tip to climbing is by actually using your legs and not so much your arms.
Your leg should be your first move on the wall, and these should push you up the wall instead of your arms pulling you up.

To make things even easier, try staying on the tips of your toes, as well as always keeping one leg stretched while the other is perched higher up the wall.

I would love to be able to have the proper equipment to help me progress to get even better, however these can be quite expensive, and I currently have to be saving lots of money right now (sneaky hint for later posts to follow!)

Therefore a great substitute for climbing shoes are converse. As funny as it might look, this slim shoe actually gives you the support which trainers might not give you, however I have found converse have less grip so at times you might find yourself slipping about the wall!




Although climbing is fun, there are also some safety measures which need to follow it. Having a well trained person to belay you should be used at all times on the wall. Having the right knots as well lets you be safe at all times.

I have loved climbing ever since I was a kid, and if you have never done it, you should seriously think about getting some experience of it!

Who knows what it might lead to, you could be climbing Mount Everest next... who knows...

TREAT YOUR BRUSHES LIKE YOUR HAIR

One thing you need to ensure that you do is clean your make up brushes! So many times you will forget or think you haven't used them very often, however the build up or dirt and bacteria really escalates and this poses as a huge threat for your skin. 

If you already have acne-prone skin, covering up your blemishes while using dirty brushes is not going to do you any good. And the worst thing is.. you can't see the dirt from a glimpse of the brushes!

Step 1.

Run the hot tap on each individual brush before you begin cleaning properly. Rub the hairs brushes between your fingers but make sure this is done lightly so no damage is made to the brush!

Then, using luke warm water, put your brushes in the sink to rinse, and leave them for a few minutes.


Step 2.

Once these are nice and warm, apply a small amount of shampoo into your hand and take a couple of brushes at a time and lightly squeeze and rub the shampoo into the brushes. Make sure the brush is coated to fully clean these.

Then put them back in the water for a further few minutes.
Ew look at all that dirt!

Step 3.

Now you want to rinse off all that excess dirt under the warm tap again, following the first step of rubbing the dirt out of the brush.
These should now be clean, and you can check by running it under the tap and the water is clear.


Now leave them on a place that allows the brushes to dry naturally. I used a towel on top of a radiator. These shouldn't take too long to dry. Leave them for 10 minutes and then lightly brush the bristles back and forth over the back of your hand to help the drying process and keeping the formation of the brush.

These shouldn't take any longer than 30 minutes to dry, and there you have it! 

A nice set of clean brushes.

I make sure to clean my brushes ideally once a month, depending on how often I have used these brushes. If you are lucky enough to have perfect skin then you might not see the point in doing this, but I have been one of the unlucky people to be effected by moderate-severe acne.
Looking at my face now you wouldn't think it, and I've had comments from people saying I have lied about having acne in the past (which I don't know what anyone would get out of this)... but having this acne made me a lot more aware of how I was treating my skin and ensuring I kept a good cleaning regime.

Although I still get the odd spot or two now, it was nothing compared to what my skin was like before. I tried everything... but I had to result to the only other option of taking Roaccutane.

I will be making a post discussing my experience of acne and Roaccutane, with the plus and down sides of being on it, so keep an eye out if this would interest you.
I would definitely recommend showing this to others who suffer from spotty skin, as it has really changed my life and I would love to share my experience about the process.

TODAY'S SOCIETY

In today's society, you are constantly kept well aware of this changing, new categoric community.
In my college life at the moment for example, you can identify the 3 main groups, or 'cliques' as some people like to say..

These groups in society will never change, as everyone is different and there are always going to be people in life who we just naturally don't get along with. But what can change is the views on society as a whole.
We are all human. We should all be equal. We might have different views on life, but this should not effect how we treat one another.
Life is beautiful, and this shouldn't be wasted on harsh injustice acts of life. We are all one, born and bred on the same Earth and we should all learn to love one another.

BE WITH THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU SMILE. 

LOVE AS LONG AS YOU LIVE. 

LAUGH OUT LOUD EVERYDAY.

AN 18TH TO REMEMBER

As 18th Birthdays go, this one was pretty good.

I had set an alarm just incase I slept over in the morning, although I knew my mum would actually probably come and wake me up with her "Good Morning" singing. Breakfast in bed: top notch!

Excuse the granny sheets.... they are temporary while my
room is being finished decorated.

Choosing what to wear was quite a struggle, it's still Winter but I want to look hot on my birthday! What is a girl to do?
I teamed up:

• a pretty floral playsuit
• a blue blazer
• a fur white scalf
• my new LINKS ear rings and necklace
• black tights and wedges

Along with of course a baby blue bikini for the spa! Wearing your bikini before you go saves you a lot of hassle for when you get there, as you can just strip and head straight to the pool.

Finding the spa ended up being a maze, we found the hotel okay but the spa itself... 

We were walking around looking like the right newbies of the hotel, and found ourselves in a room that was being refurbished, with a small man painting the ceiling purple before stopping and thinking to himself, "Why on Earth have these two ladies come to watch me paint?"

When we did find the spa, it turned out to be a right result! There was a long pool, along with sun loungers, and we were even given a cute pair of slippers along with a towel dressing gown.

The pool also featured a sauna and steam room, which has made my skin uber soft! 

There were 2 hot tubs, but to our disappointment they were out of order on the day, but I guess not everything is going to be perfect for your special day.

After a long couple of hours of lounging around doing nothing but swim and relax, we got into our dressing gowns and made our way down to collect our afternoon tea. 

On arrival to this, we were given a glass of sweet Proseco with a strawberry on top.

Unfortunately, I have recently come under the discovery of being intolerant to gluten, therefore we had to request if the sandwiches and cakes could have a small gluten-free section. Thankfully they whipped up some lovely food for us which tasted no different to normal food!

The amazing thing about being gluten free is that you can eat the same amount as you would with gluten, yet it is still a lot better for you. On the whole, foods without gluten can be a lot better for you.

Substituting my previous pasta and bread intake for example with new gluten-free foods have given me more energy along with a less bloated feeling after a big meal.

After this (and feeling slightly light headed after just one glass of alcohol), we had our massage treatments. My Mum chose to do the facial, as she believes as you get older, the care for you skin should be greater. Whereas I went for the luxurious(ly painful) back massage.

One minute I'm thinking "ooooh wow this feels so relaxing"

The next minute however I suddenly feel "OWW is it meant to be clicking that much? Is that a bone moving around that you keep pushing at or just a knot?"

As relaxing as it was, I thought there must be something extremely wrong with my back. At my request of firm pressure due to hopefully helping the condition of my back, she fully went at rubbing into my back with oil. Being a gymnast previously I now have a very stiff back, and I think this was definitely proven to the masseuse.

However as great as eating gluten free foods is, you can't miss out on the one thing every birthday should have... and that is the cake.

You can get gluten free cakes but lets face it no gluten free cake could have beaten this beauty!

One slice won't hurt right? 

After a day of relaxing, sipping prosecco, and opening many glorious presents consisting of fancy jewellery and booze, I now feel content and completely at peace of mind.

SAID NO ONE EVER...

Yeah... I have to disagree with this. Having my 18th birthday bash was one of the best parties I've had yet!
And what's even better about 18th birthday parties is that if it's not your own, you don't have to give any worries to the damage or excessive drinking that might take place... Roll on other people's 18th's..

FIRST POST

So starting from tomorrow, the 8th February 2015, I officially turn 18! You can imagine how I am feeling right now... sooo flipping excited!
However from tomorrow onwards, my life is about to change dramatically. As the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility," and heck have I got a lot of power coming my way.

There is a whole new world you are opened up to once you're 18. I will be able to:

• Drink (legally!)
• Go clubbing
• Go abroad on my own
• Get a tattoo (which I doubt I would ever do but the idea thrills me)
• Vote (need to start learning more about politics ... *yikes*)
• Buy a house
• Donate blood (ehh needles.... don't get me started)
• Skydive
• Bungee Jumping 
• Change my name (yes, I could change my name to simply Bob if I so wish)
• Get married... that is if I can actually find Mr Right.

.. and many, many, MANY more things! It's unbelievable what we are hidden from as kids and the amount of power we are actually given when we turn to this truly significant age.

And my adventure starts tomorrow.

What will I do on this first day of freedom to explore this new exciting world?

Go on a spa day... yes, not actually that adventurous. But it's a Sunday so what do you expect...

This blog is going to be kept up to date of my experience from childhood to adolescence, with the struggles you face as well as the new exciting challenges and experiences. It's going to be one hell of a ride!