Thoughts on turning 32

This week I turned 32. It was also the first year that I wasn't insisting on some sort of a hull-a-balloo around celebrations. Normally, I'm pro-birthdays. I want you to know its my birthday, that it's my day of fun and presents and I like receiving "Happy Birthday!" sentiments from all around me.

This year was a little different. I wasn't pushed on celebrating or marking the day in any way shape or form. By midday on May 19th, my mum had flown home to Ireland and the boy was still in work. I was on my own, in our lovely little flat and I was ok with that. My celebration of choice was to sit on our balcony and enjoy the sunshine that the city was basking in. I grabbed a book I head been meaning to finish and threw a pizza in the oven. And so, my 32nd birthday was marked by being quiet, listening to the chirping of the birds around me and the chatter of builders as they worked on another apartment near by. It was nice and it was still.

Later in the day, the boy brought home a Victoria sponge cake and I coaxed him into singing 'Happy Birthday' to me. He made me a cup of tea (a rare occurrence in our apartment) and presented me with a slice of cake. No candles to blow out, no cheers from anyone afterwards. It was simple, it was fine and it tasted good. Increasingly, I'm finding that as I get older I want less fuss, less chat even. Sometimes, I'm happiest just sitting in nice spaces or places and watching the world go by and more often than not I prefer my own company, answering to no one other than myself.

Perhaps this is what they mean when they say you get grumpier with age. Perhaps I'm moving in that direction? I'm still sociable of course, I still want to get to know other people I'm just more selective about who that is. It's a growing confidence that I certainly lacked in my forming years. I was concerned for many a time about the thoughts and opinions of others. How they viewed me was somehow important. Did they like me? Did I fit in with them?  Age has proved to me, thankfully, it's not in the slightest bit important and as Dr.Seuss has told us time and time again 'Those that matter, don't mind and those that mind, don't matter.'

At 32, I look back at being 22 and think "WTF were you thinking when you decided or thought X,Y,Z??". So many of my decisions were based on what I thought other people wanted or what I thought was the so called 'right' or 'sensible' thing to do. After my degree, I literally packed up my degree show and took up another summer job at home like I did every summer. I never once travelled during those summers, I never experienced a J1 or inter railing. It was all college, work, eat and sleep with no time for some travelling or fun in between. Shortly after, I remember applying and getting a position on a highly sought after Art teacher training course because it was the 'sensible thing' to do. I completed the course. 10 years on, I'm not an Art teacher. 

I wanted to travel to South Korea after teaching training with a friend I made on the course. I was offered the interview and didn't go, because I was told by another person it was "crazy to just leave and up sticks!". Looking back, they hadn't my best interests at heart. A nice, supportive person would have encouraged me to go. The friend on the other hand, she went, stayed for three years and I vicariously lived my life through her Facebook images. I still regret that decision. I regret that decision a lot. Instead, I got a job. I did the sensible thing. I worked and I got promoted a few times and got paid accordingly. But...but I was miserable. 

On turning 32, I look back and think I could have made a heap of better decisions if only I had that Dr.Seuss quote down to a T. Had I the ability to harness that confidence, perhaps things would have turned out differently and a different story could have been told and written. Inevitably it would have meant not meeting certain people currently in my life, the boy for one - but still, that one or two year long trip around South Korea would have been pretty amazeballs, no?

Here's to being 32. Here's to being alive, well and having enough money to pay the rent and bills but not necessarily enough to book a holiday or the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette I really want!

How do you feel about getting older?

....and P.S if you're 22, go travel!

Looking after your skin in your 30's

Folks, I'm in my early 30's (31 to be exact, if you're asking) and I'm not embarrassed to say that I'm often told I look younger. In fact, two weeks ago, on a busy Friday evening, I popped into a supermarket to buy a bottle of wine as a weekend treat, and low and behold, the whipper snapper behind the counter asked for ID. Oh yes, this gent thought I looked UNDER 18. Day, made. Instead of being annoyed for not being able to purchase said bottle of wine, I smiled and thanked him for the compliment and left the wine behind. I then skipped home believing I looked and still was 18 and popped into another supermarket. The other supermarket were more than happy to believe I was a fuddy duddy!

It did get me thinking about the reasons behind why some people think I appear younger. Make no mistake, I have been cleansing, toning and moisturizing with all sorts of brands since the age of 14. My mother told me it was important and it provided a good base when applying make up and so I kept this routine up. Cleansing, toning and moisturizing with rigour and then applying orange foundation topped with Rimmel Heather Shimmer lipstick. I was a babe.A total babe.

I also stay well out of the sun. I don't posses the ability to tan and so when I venture on sun holidays I stay firmly in the shade and in the past 5 / 6 years, I've ensured that  my moisturizer includes sun protection also. Even in winter and on cloudy days, I have that stuff smothered on my face.It's my religion.

On top of this, I remove my make up, without fail every night. I once read that you age an additional 8 days by not removing your make up at the end of the day and before bed. My fear of growing old, combined with this information, always ensures I have a supply of cotton wool and cleanser. Don't get me wrong, I have missed the odd evening, usually after a drunken night out way back in your early twenties. But, 99.9 percent of the time, I am a slave to this routine.

Genes also, must play a factor. I came across a photograph recently of my mum in her early 30's and close up, it was like looking at myself (except with shorter hair). It was a little scary actually as growing up I was always compared to my fathers side of the family and not my mums. Some days when applying make up, I feel like my mum is reflecting back to me in the mirror. The older I get, the more I am looking like her. However, this is a good revelation. She's 54 this year, and has excellent skin with very little lines or wrinkles. She hasn't evaded the aging process altogether, however compared to some women in their 50's who I know well, she's definitely come out on top. Go mum! Clearly she has been cleansing, toning and moisturizing too!

My skin naturally falls under the category of dry. When I pop out of the shower I immediately have to cleanse my skin, otherwise it feels tight and uncomfortable and I detest that feeling. The skin on and around my nose can especially suffer, often looking a little more red than desired and also proving difficult to cover when trying to find the perfect foundation. Personally, the best way to cover it up, is to allow time between shower, skincare routine and application of make up. If I rush this sequence I end up looking a tad worse for wear.

Water and a great, healthy diet is always connected to great, plump skin. Since January, I've been working hard to follow a Paleo diet / lifestyle (more on that in up and coming posts!) and I've noticed a fantastic change in my skin. Some tiny lines have plumped up, spots have disappeared and not returned and even the boyfriend commenting that my skin was looking amazing. (Not like him at all!). I'm not fantastic at drinking enough water (*reaches for bottle of water*), but I'm working on it. This makes me believe, even more that an awesome genetic make-up is a vital and lucky contribution to young skin.

So, to conclude - whether you're a skincare junkie or a soap and water kind of gal, it's important to have a good, clean routine especially now that we're all getting a little older, and if I could suggest one thing it would be, of course, to cleanse, tone and moisturise! Just stay away from the orange foundation.

*Oh and if you're in your early twenties and reading this, appreciate the gorgeous skin you have now, trust me, around age 28 you'll start to notice a few changes!*