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Halloween... ghouls, sugar overdoses and outfits that bridge the gap between looking hot and terrifying. Over the past couple of years, the UK has embraced Halloween more than ever and pumpkin carving is starting to become somewhat of an art-form. As a lover of all things Halloween, I have also embraced pumpkin carving over the years, all with varied results. However, this year I was determined to have awesome looking pumpkins that don't collapse the night before Halloween or look like a hacked up orange.

So, after browsing Pinterest for what seemed like hours (so. many. pins!) I formed a pumpkin carving plan to see me to success!

Step 1: Pick the right pumpkins!


I cannot stress this enough, take time picking your pumpkins! The fresher the better, so if you can go to a pumpkin patch then that's your best bet. However, they aren't that popular in the UK, so the easiest place to purchase a pumpkin is still your local supermarket. I picked up the two pumpkins from ASDA, 2 for £3! It took me an awfully long time to pick them though and I probably did look a bit mad, routing through the big box of pumpkins but it paid off! Whilst most of the other pumpkins looked like they were on their last legs, these have stood the test of time despite me buying them 5 days ago. The third one I purchased from a shop called Brown & Green, an organic supermarket in a shopping village in Staffordshire. It cost a £1 and is so cute! It's not really big enough for any elaborate design, but I still have a plan for it. My best advice when picking a pumpkin is to tap it on the outside. If it is soft and squidgy, put it back! Also, although this is increasingly difficult with shop bought ones, check the surface. My £1 was a little tarnished, but this came off with a damp cloth. However, if it is dented and marked, it's likely not to last as long as the bacteria that rots pumpkins will be well on their way inside to spoil your pumpkin dreams!

Step 2: Buy the best carving kit you can afford!



Now I've tried just using a knife, I've even tried making my own carving tool (pinterest hack fail!) and both times I ended up in a gooey, pumpkin mess. So this year, I caved (so that my pumpkins wouldn't!) and I marched to Asda to purchase their 'Deluxe' pumpkin carving kit for £4! They had simpler kits but what really caught my eye about this one was the spoon with ridged edge to help get out all that pumpkin gunk! The kit also came with two carving knives and 6 stencils, which I knew I probably wouldn't use but was a nice touch. The best thing about purchasing this set was that because it was a sharp object, ASDA use Challenge 25 for its sale. This meant I was ID'd! YES! The woman didn't think I looked 25! RESULT! It really is the little things post-25...

Step 3: Research your stencils!

All great artists study their subject before undertaking a great masterpiece. However, if you aren't blessed with an artistic flare and drawing freehand creates some sharpie massacre, then templates are your best friend. There are loads of free pumpkin carving templates online, you just have to look for them. If you're really committed, then their are sites where you can buy them, but I found two really good ones for free just by spending 10 minutes on Google. I found mine at:

Pumpkin Masters
Earthbound Trading

After seeing Spectre last night (great film, highly recommend it), I decided I wanted to theme one of my pumpkins around the Day of the Dead skeletons. For my second theme, I wanted a more traditional motif, hence the witch. Finally, for my third little pumpkin that was two small for a template, I decided it was the perfect pumpkin to try the 'drilling' technique... more on that later!

Step 4: It's pumpkin carving time!



So you've compared pumpkins, purchased the most high-tech carving kit and picked the perfect template that embodies everything you love about Halloween.. the time has come. Ready to tackle the art of pumpkin carving, I cleared my diary, lay out all my tools and stuck on a Harry Potter marathon. I was prepared! Firstly I cut a hole in the top on my pumpkin with the knife on a diagonal angle. Next I used the spoon from my 'deluxe' carving kit to scoop out all the pumpkin gunk into a bowl. Now you could use the pumpkin gunk to make soup or pie... but carving was enough for me this year. After gutting out the entire pumpkin, I sellotaped the template to my pumpkin and roughly outlined the design through the paper using the carving tools supplied in the kit. Once outlined, I removed the template and began fully carving my pumpkin design. My pumpkins coped really well with being carved and I could tell instantly that I'd chosen well this time. 



For my little pumpkin, I decided to do away with traditional carving and use a drill. Yes, a drill. I wanted to make a simple, pretty design that could cover all of the pumpkin. The drill was perfect for creating the little circles and was really quick to use! As long as you're careful, this is a great hack for quick carving.

When you've finished carving, using whatever method, make sure you cover all the exposed pumpkin flesh with vaseline. This will keep it fresher for longer!

Step 5: Light 'em up!

This is always my favorite part, the part where you get to see your masterpiece in all it's orangey, lit glory! Following the horrific accident involving Claudia Winkleman's daughter, whose Halloween costume caught fire from a tea light in pumpkin, this year I went for electric, fake candles. They cost a £1 for two from ASDA and are brilliant. They flicker like real candles and neither you, or anyone else, will get burnt from them.

So safety notice over, here are my finished carved pumpkins for Halloween 2015:






Not bad eh? I'm impressed with myself at least! 
How have you carved your pumpkins this year?
Let me know!

Happy Halloween everybody!




The Ivy. 

The name is synonymous with all things glamour, and with that also comes a reputation as one of the hardest restaurants to get a table at in London. It's understandable, everyone wants to experience the fabulous atmosphere and wonderful food, but unless you book far in advance it's unlikely you'll ever get that chance. At least this was the case 12 months ago before the Caprice Holdings restaurant group and it's owner Richard Caring decided it was time to spread The Ivy name across London and open new restaurants which claim to keep 40% of their tables free for walk-ins. Sounds brilliant right? So I thought it was about time that I tested out these restaurants for myself and see if they lived up to The Ivy name.

The Ivy Market Grill - Covent Garden





The Ivy Market Grill was the first leap into new restaurant offerings, taking prime place in the always vibrant, Covent Garden. The restaurant opened in November of last year and has been a hit ever since. Although it is apparently easier to get a walk-in table, I chickened out and pre-booked couple of days in advance as I wanted to visit during the busy Sunday lunch time. This was simple enough however as it can all be completed online. All booked up, myself, my sister and family friend arrived slightly before our allotted time. We were asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside, and opted for inside this time as the interior was so intriguing and welcoming. We were seated in a wooden booth, surrounded by art-deco inspired wallpaper and artwork. Drinks to start, we opted for non-alcoholic following our cocktail fueled night before, but there was a great selection of wines of offer. The menu was full and varied, from light bites to larger meals with everything on the side. There are different menus dependent on the time of your visit; brunch, cafe, all day, afternoon tea, and dessert. Our time slot fell in 'brunch' option, which as one would imagine, offered selections suited to both breakfast and lunch. As we had already had breakfast at our hotel hours before, we all opted for more 'lunch' inspired meals, Shepherds pie for my sister and friend, and Chargrilled Banham for myself. Both meals were beautifully presented and most importantly they tasted fantastic. The portions were just right as they left you satisfied but with a little room left to sample the all important desserts! Now this is where the meal becomes magical. Being the foodie I am, I had admittedly 'food stalked' the desserts prior to booking and was instantly taken by the 'chocolate bombe'. A dreamy dessert where I think I'll let the description do the talking:

Melting chocolate bombe with milk foam, vanilla ice cream and honeycomb centre with hot salted caramel sauce

Sounds good right? Wrong. It was amazing. Hands down, the best dessert I have ever experienced. I don't want to spoil the dessert any further because the pure concept of it is a show in itself which everyone should get to experience in reality. Very full and very satisfied, we finished out drinks and payed the very reasonable bill. Everything about the Ivy Market Grill met my expectations, I could give it no less than 5/5 in all aspects.






The Ivy Chelsea Garden - Kings Road, Chelsea


 Across the city, the next venture of the Ivy London take-over is The Ivy Chelsea Garden. Opened in April of this year, this restaurant is a little oasis in which you are taken away from the chaos of London and into tranquil surroundings dedicated to wining and dining. The restaurant has grown in popularity considering it's location and unique dining opportunities. As such, I'm not 100% sure on how easy it is to gain a walk-in table as even though I pre-booked (as advised by a friend), we still had to wait a little by the bar for our table to be freed up. This was probably due to requesting a garden table however. Still, I would advise you do pre-book and when you do, go for a garden table because my word is it worth it! We were seated next to a charming fountain on the sunniest of London days. It was pure bliss. Our drinks that we had ordered on arrival were brought outside to our table. We began with a refreshing Chelsea set cooler to quench our thirst after a walk in the beating sun up the Kings Road. It was just the ticket, and once re-hydrated we explored the menu. Like it's sister in theatreland, The Ivy Chelsea Garden offers a variety of menus dependent on the time of your visit: breakfast, brunch, all day, cafe, afternoon tea and the usual drinks/desserts. We chose from the 'all day' menu which offered a mix of light-bites, sandwiches and fuller meals. Following a busy morning exploring Buckingham Palace (a fabulous tour that I recommend to both tourists and home-birds of London alike), both myself and my mum decided we needed a quite hearty meal, and as such we selected the Chelsea Garden Burger and Chicken Milanese. As we awaited our food and bathed in the sun,  we were quite unable to believe we were still in the middle of London and not some secluded secret garden. The service was fantastic, as we were never left with empty glasses and our food arrived promptly, despite the evident popularity of the place. Our mains were plentiful in both taste and size, despite appearing 'simple' at first glance. Full, but with room for something sweet, we both ordered desserts. I could not pass up the opportunity to once again experience the chocolate bombe, and once again it did not disappoint. Washed down with a glass of champagne, we soaked in the last rays of sunshine before settling the rather reasonable bill considering the location, and left satisfied and already planning our next visit. The Ivy Chelsea Garden is truly a magical setting, that I can imagine offers a different dining experience every time you visit, therefore it is my intention to return over and over to experience all this place has to offer!




What's next?

With the success of the Icy Market Grill and Ivy Chelsea Garden, The Ivy is set to spread further with The Ivy Cafe set to open in Marylebone this November, and The Ivy Kensington Brasserie set to open in December. Both restaurants are set to keep 40% of tables walk-in to enable customers to just 'pop-in' and prices will be very similar to the two previous restaurants. Only popularity and time will tell if we really will be able to just 'pop-in' sans-booking, but either way I for one cannot wait to sample another taste of the Ivy magic!

Useful links:
The Ivy
The Ivy Market Grill
The Ivy Chelsea Garden









I have always loved photography and one of my favourite subjects to photograph is gardens! I think flowers especially make such fantastic images because you can capture them in so many different ways! In fact, my Instagram posts are almost always photos of flowers (and food, sorry I am one of 'those' Instagram-ers!). Anyway, the heatwave is still with us in fabulous England so I thought I'd head to local Italian Garden with my camera and see what happens! I was pretty happy with the shots I got so I thought I would share a few with you all :)









Photo Credit: http://diaryofawannabesomething.blogspot.com

A hope you enjoyed my photos. If you can take an hour out of your day I thoroughly recommend you have a walk through your local gardens, it is so lovely with the current weather situation us Brits have found ourselves in! I hope you are enjoying the Summer :)

Until next time...

Love

*Someone*

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Afternoon!

As I started this blog in the Spring, it's never had the opportunity to go through a 'Spring-Clean' so to speak. I basically had the idea for the blog and put it together in a night, so it's layout has always been a little slap-dash. So, as builders are currently rebuilding our garden fence meaning I am unable to sit outside in this glorious weather (Boo-hoo! :() I thought I'd give the blog a little sprucing up. It's nothing fancy, just a quick re-fresh! I will truly re-design the blog when the weather is awful again and I have hours to waste on Photoshop, but for now I thought this was a nice change and reflected a bit more of the 'diary' aspect of this lifestyle blog. 

So I hope you like the new look!

Now get back outside and enjoy that sun.. I know I'm going to!*

*Not in my own garden of course (damn builders!) but what better excuse for a good walk right?

Until next time..

Love,

*Someone*


You can now follow Diary of a wanna-be something on Bloglovin and Twitter! 
Just click the buttons below:

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Happy July everyone!

Can you believe we are half way through the year already? I know, it's insane!

Anyway, June was a pretty busy month for me. Not for any particular reason, I just found myself away from my computer, busy with 'life' and therefore unable to blog as much.

So, I thought, instead of listing my June Favourites (there's enough of those sorts of posts out there already!), I thought I would go through my photos and show you a summary of what I've been up to. Of course this will only include the things I managed to get a photo of, but never-the-less, it's nice to look back over the month, especially June because it kind of felt never ending to me, and see what I got up to!

So first off...


My month began with drinks with friends to celebrate passing a course we'd all been taking throughout the year. We went to a new club in town which had these cool, lit-up tables so in a flit of creativity (and probably a touch of 'tipsy-ness' too) I thought I would get all arty and take a photo of our drinks. Banksy eat your heart out right? 


Next up.. June for me was all about eating healthy, and where possible, eating clean. I'm a big fan of Blogger & YouTuber Cassey, a Pilates & Fitness instructor from LA who posts exercise routines and healthy eating alternatives on her blog and YouTube Channel. Above is my attempt at her Healthy Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, which is made from just Oats and Bananas. I also used strawberries in my version, and let me tell ya, it was sooo yummy!


May saw the opening of Alton Tower's new 14-looping roller-coaster: The Smiler. I didn't get chance to visit in May, so when two of my best friends (who I hadn't seen in forever) suggested we go to ride it, I was there in a heart-beat. Now, I am a bit of a roller-coaster fanatic, I love the rush of adrenaline! But even I was a little apprehensive of being flipped upside down 14 times! After a 2-hour queue, and managing to keep my breakfast down, I am happy to report that this roller-coaster is fantastic! I've never felt so dizzy after a roller-coaster, but this ride is so exhilarating you'll want to ride it again and again...once your stomach has settled that is!


If you've read my From Anxiety to Spontaneity... post you will already know about my last minute, totally spontaneous trip to see the 40th Anniversary Production of the Rocky Horror Show in June. Literally hours before the show I was sat at home, with no tickets booked, no transport arranged, sad that I couldn't go when there were still such cheap tickets available. Well, I'm still not sure how I did it, but I managed to see the show and arrive on time despite it being 90 minutes away. It was totally worth it. An amazing production with a fantastic cast, and the atmosphere was just electric. You can see my previous review on Rocky Horror (from my visit before this one) here!


June saw the release of the much anticipated sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. Yes, Revenge Wears Prada hit our shelves and I didn't waste any time before getting my copy. I hope to post a review soon!


I was feeling cultural and took a random trip to the museum during June. I could spend hours in museums if I had my way, so when I found a spare hour, that's exactly what I did. Above are my favourite pieces that were on display. I especially loved the Scotch Decanter (top-center) and plate of dog walkers (middle-right). The museum was so quiet, I practically had it to myself so it was lovely to explore at my own pace and it was such a relaxing afternoon!


Who doesn't love fresh flowers? This is a bunch of Sweet Williams that my lovely mother presented to me on a whim. How lovely is that? These are one my favourite flowers to display in the home because they grow in such dense clusters and have such a range a beautiful colours: mainly red, pink, white and purple. They also need very limited care and maintenance (a change of water every few days), and they last a very long time whilst still looking fresh. In fact, I still have these in my room!



Ever the green fingers, last year I successfully grew four chilli plants from a pack of 50p seeds I bought on a whim. A year on, the plants are still producing chilli's in abundance. These are what I picked just the other day!


Ever since my trip to Florida a few years back, I have been obsessed with frozen cocktails. However, whilst they seem to be on offer everywhere in the states, the same cannot be said on British soil. So imagine my delight when I found this little beauty lurking in the freezers of my local supermarket. Parrot Bay Frozen Cocktails come in three flavours: Pina Colada, Citrus Daiquiri and Berry Daiquiri.Now in just normal, non-frozen, cocktails, Berry Daiquiris are a favourite of mine so it's frozen counterpart was a natural choice for me. This was so easy to make, I literally froze it for a couple of hours, thawed it out and served. Simples! And it was so delicious, I will definitely be re-purchasing for the (hopefully) sunny months to come.



June has been a month of bipolar weather to say the least. However, it came through in the end as it treated us to a weekend of fabulous sun which I took full advantage of. After an afternoon of shopping, I ended the month with afternoon tea in the sunshine. What better way to round off a month than with a fruit scone, jam and fresh clotted cream? And yes, it was delicious. :)

So that's my June all rolled up into 10 photographs! I hoped you enjoyed seeing what I got up to!

Did you do anything exciting this month? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time...

Love,

*Someone*

Photo Credit: https://twitter.com/Glamkinis

Long gone have the days where picking out your new summer swim-suit involved choosing the sturdiest one to protect the assets from escaping when dive-bombing into the hotel pool. Oh no, this summers swimwear trend is more about what is happening on the poolside rather than in the water. The rise of the Glamkini has been seen in all the top summer hotspots this year from Ibiza to Marbella.


Photo Credit: https://twitter.com/Glamkinis


Glamkini's come in all shapes and sizes, and focus more on standing out from the crowd with their vibrant colours, bejeweled designs and so many feathers you have to wonder why the nations birds aren't flying around in their birthday suits.

At the center of this Glamkini universe is Lucy Nixon, a designer of 'Exclusively Handcrafted Holiday Wear' based in Essex. She has girls everywhere going crazy for her designs after they were shown at Essex Fashion Week 2013. With a range of designs on offer, they are the perfect outfit for Ibiza favourite, Zoo Project, or a way to flaunt what you have at day-time pool parties, like those seen at Ocean Club Marbella.

Photo Credit: https://twitter.com/Glamkinis





Whatever the venue, Lucy Nixon's Glamkinis are sure to get you noticed. 

You can see her designs on Twitter or Instagram (Just search: lucynixon_glamkinis). You can also contact Lucy directly at: glamkinis@hotmail.co.uk for queries and orders.

So get glammed up in your Glamkini's girls... the pool side is waiting for you!








Until next time,

Love,

*Someone*



Photo credit: http://diaryofawannabesomething.blogspot.co.uk/

When I was 15, I went through a 'phase' (as the doctors liked to call it) of extreme anxiety. Only, it wasn't a phase and still affects me even to this day. Luckily, unlike my 15-year old self, I have since found ways of dealing with my anxiety and live a 'normal' (if you can call it that) day-to-day life. However, at 15 it really was getting to the point where my life was suffering because I was being crippled with over-bearing anxiety at every turn. I didn't go to school, I didn't see my friends... I basically did nothing for fear that anything would trigger a panic attack. I felt so alone and I thought I was losing my mind because at the time it felt like no-one else had ever experienced this and I was flying solo. It wasn't until I went to university that I discovered that anxiety is a very common problem for many people who, like myself, struggle to carry on everyday life whilst copying with anxiety.

But I'm jumping ahead of myself, because how exactly did I go from absolutely, 'no way, José am I stepping a foot outside' to moving away from my family & friends to another city to attend university? Well I have one word for you.... 'Spontaneity'. Now at first, that sounds a bit odd. How can a girl scared of stepping outside become spontaneous? Well, honestly, it was boredom and anger at how I was wasting my life, scared in my room whilst my friends were out there having fun. Something snapped inside me one day. I was tired of hiding, tired of being scared, and tired of not living life to its absolute fullest! So after seeing my friends having fun at a theme park without me because I was too afraid to go, I thought 'this is the last straw' and I begged my parents to take me to the theme park to 'test out the waters' so to speak. So, ok, I wasn't climbing Mount Everest after a day, but I was determined to move on from being trapped within my own fears. So, I went to the theme park and I was... terrified. Absolutely terrified. Where would I go if I couldn't cope and had a panic attack? What if people stared and thought I was a freak? These were the thoughts racing through my mind as I went through the ticket gate. But then I looked around and reminded myself who I was with. I was with my family, I was safe. 

As it turned out, I had a fantastic day. It had been the first bit of fun I'd had in over 6-months and I felt like I'd been released from captivity. When I got home I told my friends all about my trip and they invited me along to their next trip. I said yes. I was still scared. I probably didn't sleep for the whole week before the trip, but I was prepared for where I was going and this became my first step to tackling my anxiety. From then on, with every opportunity that came along I steadily grew in confidence again. I found the best way was to just say ‘yes’, and then deal with it when it happened instead of 'in-case' it happened. I had a few wobbles along the way. I distinctly remembering hiding in the toilets when out with friends for near on an hour because I had a particularly bad panic attack and didn't want anybody to know. Now I'm older, I know I should have let someone know, I know they wouldn't have judged me and would have helped me. These experiences were awful... while they were happening, but afterwards they became a memory that I now learn and grow from.

My progress wasn't over night, it took time, but within a few months I'd found myself a boyfriend, made new friends at college and gone on a train, at night...all by myself! This was a huge achievement and I think really pushed me on in my aim to live life to fullest. To get on that train and go somewhere I'd never been before opened my eyes to the realisation that there is a whole other world out there, you just have to go and see it! Knowing I could do this by myself, and not have a complete melt down convinced me that I could pretty much do anything, I just had to believe that I could. I've since gone to tons of new cities by myself and have even been to America! (Something that would never have been possible 8-years ago).

Fast forward to 2013 and I am a completely different person from my 15-year old self. I love to travel, meet new people and I try to whenever possible grab new experiences full grasp. I will probably never be 100% over my anxiety, it does come back every so often to bite me in the bum when I'm particularly run-down or stressed out. However, through tackling this illness, it has opened so many doors and brought experiences into my life that I would never have imagined when I used to sit hiding in my room, scared of the big, bad world. I really did have to lose what I considered 'routine' and become spontaneous in life to find the true me again.

Now I will admit, being spontaneous in life does actually get a bit harder when you enter the 'adult-world'. Your free time and money becomes precious and a whole new list of priorities takes hold. I became a culprit of running into a routine once I left uni, and once again it sent me ga-ga. It isn't until recently, especially in the last week, that I've really sat down and thought over what I went through, only to realise I was heading the same way again. When I realised this, it scared me, because I had come so far and anyone who has suffered anxiety knows how hard a relapse is. So, what did I do? Yep, you guessed it. I went a little crazy and had a spontaneous trip. This time it wasn't a theme park, but it was quite the rollercoaster. Last Wednesday was the 40th Anniversary of The Rocky Horror Show (Stage version). Anyone who knows me, who has read my previous review on the show, knows I love this production. I guess, like many other fans, I love that for two hours you are taken away from the serious real world and thrown into one big massive, Time-Warping, suspender-extravaganza. The perfect escape.

Having already seen the show in May, and loving the new cast, I had made plans to see the show again possibly later on in the year. However, out of boredom I thought I would just nosey at the ticket prices for 40th Anniversary show, and to my surprise I saw tickets for just £16! Now the show was in Manchester... which isn't exactly on my door-step so I looked into travel and hotels and it all became a bit much so I gave up on the idea. That was until Wednesday came around and I saw yet again there were tickets still available! Well, what can I say, I went into full-on spontaneous mode and started to call round friends to see who was free and wanted to join me. Come 5pm (3 hours before the show started) I booked the tickets, we drove to the train station (30 minutes drive), ran for the train (which we barely caught) which took 50 minutes, and navigated our way around Manchester to the Palace Theatre. Do you know what...? We made it... with time to spare. We had a whole 30 minutes to sit and relish in what we had just achieved! And best of all, it was all done without a ‘why?’ or a ‘how?’... we just did it.

Ready and waiting for the show
Photo credit: http://diaryofawannabesomething.blogspot.co.uk/

It was completely worth it, not only was the show absolutely fantastic, I left buzzing thinking how great being spontaneous is and how great just doing something for the hell of it can make you feel. I felt like me again and ever since my approach to life is back to where it should be.

I'm sorry this post is soooo long, but I hope that by putting my story out there it will help anyone out there reading this and suffering with anxiety or something similar. I know it would have really helped me to hear about someone else’s experience, mainly to know that you can get through it and you are not alone. I hope if you are suffering that you can read this and know that if I can get through it then so can you. You just have to believe in yourself.

As a wider message, I guess I'm saying to everyone that you should always try to be a little spontaneous in life. Do something out of the ordinary, out of the blue, and live in the moment (unless it's actually dangerous, then I would say maybe give it a second thought). 

Life is too short to always be wondering 'what if'.

Live for now.

Until next time..

love,


*Someone*


*If you are suffering from anxiety, please don't suffer alone. Speak to someone you trust or contact a support line to get the support you need from people who truly understand. I recommend: Mind or Anxiety UK*


Read my review of The Rocky Horror Show here. 
The show is currently touring the UK, buy your tickets here!



Photo Source: http://www.vfestival.com/tickets/camping/hotel-bell-tent


Glamping.

Yes, that's a real word, I'm not making it up.

Camping is almost essential to British life. It is almost a right of passage to holiday in an empty field, argue over assembling the tent and perfect the art of not needing the toilet in the middle of night to avoid going out in the dark. This is apparently 'camping' and the makings of a great holiday! Sorry, no. Call me a wimp, I don't care, but I just cannot deal with camping no matter how British I am. I need life's little perks...such as running water, a pillow, and the wonder of electricity.

Now I'm older, I thought I could avoid these camping trips and vote for more comfortable retreats in hotels, apartments and villas. How wrong I was. Camping is now not only a holiday option, it is also the expected way to attend your favourite festival! V Festival, Glastonbury, Leeds & Reading, Creamfields.... you name it, you're probably going to be expected to camp if you want to attend (unless it's the saviour of the one-day festival).

But fear not for I have stumbled on the solution all us camping-phobics....

Glamping 

Yes! Finally festivals all over are jumping at the chance to offer the full 'glamping' experience, which can mean luxuries such as a bed, a toilet and sometimes even electricity! Here are some of the festivals currently supplying 'glamping' as an alternative to camping:

V-Festival: V Style Luxury Camping and Luxury Loos

Creamfields: Luxury Camping

Leeds: Pod Pads

Reading: Pod Pads


Now, admittedly the omission of a one-man tent and addition of luxuries such as electricity and a working toilet can become costly, so you really have to ask yourself... can I afford this? If you can't and you must take the noble challenge of camping at a festivals this summer... I have some solutions that may just make the experience slightly less horrific:

Portable Straighteners

These can be a wavy-hair savior. Brands vary, some you have to charge up before you leave and others work on gas cartridges. This pair from BaByliss are available from amazon for just £19.99. 

Tinted Moisturiser

Festivals aren't the place for heavy foundation so the best option is a good tinted moisturiser. Nivea offer a tinted moisturiser with SPF 8 which is great for protecting your skin under the summer sun (you never know, you might get lucky and it not rain at your chosen festival). You can buy it from Boots here for just £3.66!

Dry Shampoo

Rain and mud will take it's toll on your unwashed hair and unless you're brave enough to tackle the festival showers your new best friend will be dry shampoo. My favourite has to be Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume- Big and Bouncy. It leaves your hair refreshed and best of all it gives it a great boost of volume when your hair is looking limp and sorry for itself. You can buy it from Boots or Superdrug for around £3.99

Big Sunglasses

Festivals aren't the ideal place to get your beauty sleep and if you're over 18 you may also consume a couple of cheeky beverages. Either way, you're going to look tired, which is never a great look. The simple solution is to put on a pair of sunglasses, come rain or shine, and hide those tired eyes from view. Don't take your best pair of Ray-Ban's though because there's a great chance they'll either break or go for a walk and never return. Go for a cheap pair, Primark sell sunglasses for as low as £1, so no harm done if you lose them to a muddy puddle.

Whether you decide to Glamp or Camp this year, I hope you have a fantastic time and this post has provided some reassurance and guidance to show that camping doesn't have to be feared and you can go and see you're favourite acts this summer!

Until next time...

*Love*

Someone.

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