25 Before 25 | A Quarter Life Bucketlist

As a person that loves to write lists, it's no surprise that I have only gone and wrote a list of all the things I want to do before I'm 25. Anyone else feel really satisfied after writing a big long list? I just feel like I have my sh*t together... for a few minutes. Then I drift back into my procrastinating self.

Something I hope I don't procrastinate with is this exciting list of goals which I'd like to achieve by the time I am 25. I know this is only 2 and a half years away (wtf), but I think it is great to have things to work towards and push myself to do. And hey, if I only manage half of them then it's better than none at all! I will revisit this list in future for an update, or a kick up the arse if I have been slacking.

So here we go... 25 things I would like to do or have achieved by 25. 

1. Run a half marathon 

Eventually I would love to run a full marathon... one step at a time!

2. Go to a festival for a full weekend

I actually went to Community festival a couple of weeks ago in London. Side note: if you have the chance to see Two Door Cinema Club - DO IT. They were bloody amazing! The thing is, this was only a day festival. I would like to go somewhere like Glastonbury to get the full festival experience. 

3. Travel outside of Europe

I have only ever travelled to Europe (France, Switzerland and Portugal). I desperately want to see more of the world.

4. Read 12 fiction books in a year

Some people might think this is piss easy... and I guess it is to an extent. But life gets busy, and as someone who isn't a natural bookworm it can be hard to dedicate myself to a book. You've heard it here first though, I will do it!

5. Visit Rome

I was debating putting Amsterdam here instead, but I do love Roman history and I think it would be a great romantic getaway. Hopefully I can tick this off my European cities bucketlist before I'm 25.

6. Go skiing 

I haven't been skiing since I was 10! I understand that not many people get the opportunity to go skiing even before they are 25. But I live less than an hour away from Aviemore (a big ski destination in Scotland). I have been keen to go again for ages now and I hope I can achieve this one. Who knows, maybe I will even go abroad this time? A girl can dream.

7. Move out

Technically I have already done this when moving to uni. But I have taken a step backwards and I'm back in my family home. Oh the joys... Hopefully it will be for good next year when I do a masters degree. I love you mum and dad, but I do need my own space!

8. Go to a protest or march

I was so close to booking to go down for the animal rights march in London this year. However, I am in London not long before that so money wise it wouldn't have been ideal. Hopefully next year.

9. Have a career plan

I don't know if this will ever be set in stone. Life changes like the weather. One minute I could want to do one thing and then another opportunity can come my way. What I want from this is just to be confident about my future and have a rough idea of where I am heading. 

10. Actually get good at surfing

I have only been surfing twice in my life, but I am adamant that one day I might be okay at it. For a beginner I don't think I was atrocious as I did manage to ride a few waves (it's the best feeling). This one might be a bit of a challenge but I will do my best!

11. Live in another country for a month

Pre-25 seems like the best time to accomplish this one. As I grow older, having a career and a family could hold me back. I am looking to travel Australia early next year so this one could be ticked off fairly soon!

12. Learn how to do climbing/bouldering

Having watched people use their amazing body strength on this years Ninja Warrior, I am determined to enhance my own physical strength. Plus something like climbing is a lot more fun than doing deadlifts in the gym!

13. Complete an assault course (e.g. tough mudder)

Similar to above, I want to test my strength and fitness. Completing something like this with friends and family would be such a great experience.

14. Do a masters degree/go back to university

As much as I try to fight against it at times, I am an academic at heart. Hopefully next time round I will be able to keep my mental health in check too. 

15. Attend a yoga class

I have done yoga at home but never been to a class. Worth seeing what all the hype is about!

16. Beat Curtis at chess

Curtis (my boyfriend) beats me at Connect 4 and chess all the bloody time. It's about time that changed haha.

17. Go a full week without social media

Everybody needs a digital detox every now and then. It's important to take in what the world has to offer around you, rather than via endless Instagram posts. 

18. Join a sports team

I seriously miss the days of playing netball and being in a cheerleading team. I loved challenging myself through sport. Unfortunately there isn't a lot up where I live now, but hopefully when I move for uni I can join a team again.

19. Have my emails organised 

Yup, I am that person with 2,730 unread emails. I will have it down to zero before I'm 25... maybe.

20. Learn how to combat stress and not take life too seriously

Hah, this one is a tough one. I am naturally a big ball of stress. So lets see if I can actually master the art of relaxing.

21. Watch the sunrise

I'm pretty sure I have done this one before, drunk at 4am, post night out. But I want to experience a sober sunrise when I'm not yawning wanting my bed.

22. Go to an escape room

Sounds like the perfect challenge for an absolute stress head. Why not?

23. Buy a car 

I have been umming and ahhing about buying a car for the past year. Where I live it's pretty much a necessity but I have got away with driving my parents car for now.

24. Be more conscious about the environment and use less plastic

It's about time we all did this really. Times are changing and plastic straws are now being banned, but I think we can all do our bit to really make a difference. I'm going to start by buying my own reusable straws and cutlery to throw in my handbag, as well as consciously using less single use plastic.

25. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef

Something completely out of my comfort zone but yolo n'that. 

Best Vegan Mascara's | Beauty

This is a new series of blog posts dedicated to finding some of the best vegan and cruelty free makeup products which are easy to find online or on the high street. I'm also on the hunt for a range of prices so you can find one that meets your budget. I hope that you enjoy this series and let me know if there are any other make up products you want me to do next. 

Today's post is all about mascaras... an essential part of any makeup bag! The main issue with mascara is that it tends to contain beeswax, therefore making it non-vegan. I am pleasantly surprised with the variety of vegan friendly mascaras I have found though, especially because all the ones I used prior to going vegan weren't vegan friendly. Personally, I use the more expensive Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced - I have already repurchased it once and I can't see myself changing it as I love it so much! It is on the pricey side, but I believe that there are two makeup products worth splurging more money on: mascara and foundation. I'm past the days of super clumpy mascara and foundation that tints your face orange...

Other vegan mascaras which I haven't mentioned but are worth checking out include the e.l.f. Eye Enhancing Mascara, Pacifica Aquarian Gaze (waterproof) and the Collection Lengthening Mascara. 

I hope this post has helped anyone struggling to find vegan mascaras. I want to try and make the transition to a vegan lifestyle as easy as possible for anyone who is interested. Please do let me know what your favourites are too as I am always up for trying new products!

Make sure to follow me on Instagram to get updates on new posts. The next part of this series will focus on vegan foundations, so stay tuned!

Best Vegan Food | SOUTHAMPTON

Hi everyone! Today I am starting a new series of blog posts compiling some of the best vegan hot spots all around the UK. I hope to eventually build up a big list which anyone can use if they are travelling. Today I am starting off with Southampton, a place which I have become very familiar with in the past year. As my boyfriend lives here, I have tested a lot of the vegan delights Southampton has to offer. Here are a list of my favourite vegan hot spots in Southampton...

Baffi Pizza

Baffi has one of - if not the best - vegan pizza I have ever tried. It's not often you get proper Italian pizzas topped with vegan cheese, usually you have to opt for a cheese-less one. Number 3 on the menu might be the only vegan option, but I do know that you can switch things up a bit depending on what you do and don't like. Luckily for me, I liked everything on it. Check out the deals they have on too, I'm pretty sure on Saturday's between 3-6pm they have £6 pizzas!

My rating: 8/10. Would be higher if service was a bit better. The staff do live up to the Naples stereotype and are quite serious, which is fine but a little different to British customer service.

Cafe Thrive

The holy grail of vegan food in Southampton is Cafe Thrive. It is an all vegan cafe with everything from burgers, to delicious sandwiches and a sweet section which will tempt you. My non-vegan boyfriend loves the donuts in here and claims he can't think of any donuts he has tried which are better! They are always experimenting with new food ideas which you can see on their specials board. Sometimes they do a vegan roast dinner too! What I love about this cafe is that it doesn't look like your average vegan cafe with odd chairs and poor lighting - it's full of light and has a bright interior with fab customer service. If you are a coffee lover like me then I highly recommend getting a latte with oat milk here - my favourite!

My rating: 10/10. Everything from the interior, to the service and the food is perfect here. Cannot fault!

Mango

This was the first place I ever came to in Southampton and it was a on a date with my - now - boyfriend. He did very good! Though I have a confession to make, I have only ever had the same curry and I haven't even tried the tapas yet. My go-to is the golden curry which I get with tofu. It has a sweet hint to it which is so delicious and I like to pair it with the jasmine rice. They do have lots of other dishes which they are able to make vegan and they aren't short on vegan desserts either.

My rating: 8/10. I would rate it higher but it is on the pricey side. Well worth it for a nice meal out though!

Rice Up Wholefoods

I couldn't end this post without mentioning the ALL vegan mini supermarket Rice Up Wholefoods. It has everything a vegan could need: chocolate, cheese, meat replacements, sauces and household products. They also have a selection of foods they make in store such as bread, pastries and cakes. It is only a few doors down from Cafe Thrive which is very handy, but my bank account does suffer a bit!


I hope you enjoyed reading this post and for any of you heading to Southampton in the future, be sure to save this somewhere so you can come back to it. Next on my list is the Scottish vegan capital, Glasgow.

Megan.