Wembley 7th June

Hi everyone! Hope you're all well and have been enjoying this delightful sunshine! On Friday 6th of June I ventured down to the glorious city of London with one of my best friends for a post-exam break and of course to see One Direction and 5 Seconds Of Summer.

Before going to the concert we decided to go to Westfield at White City for some window shopping and glorious food. Being a lover of halloumi and houmous the obvious choice was The Real Greek. We shared a platter and a chicken skewer and it's safe to say we were not disappointed! The meal was rounded off with a dessert that provides many memories of my World Challenge trip, BAKLAVA. Normally I don't like nuts but there is something about the honeyed sweetness of the baklava and the pastry that makes it so heavenly. I then went and bought some more at one of the stalls inside!!

Due to a lack of money the only thing I bought was a new lipstick for the end of year Summer Ball on the 28th June. After scouring for a nice pinky tone I discovered the Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate lipstick in shade 05. It applies smoothly and tastes delightful, perhaps a slightly cherry flavour. I wore it for the concert the next day and it stayed for at least 6 hours so I was very impressed. 

As Saturday loomed we spent the night in the bar of the hotel having a drink and listening to One Direction on repeat..well what else were we supposed to listen to?! We then went up to our room, supposedly to get an early night, instead it was spent dancing around our room to.....you guessed it more 1D and deciding on our outfits. Sleep did not come easily that night. 

Outfit choices! 

We woke on Saturday, had breakfast full of excitement and anticipation and headed to Westfield again, originally to see a film but in the end we decided to shop more, stopping at a chocolate cafe to have an iced chocolate and a free chocolate...heaven! I, regretfully, entered Urban Outfitters and wanted everything inside, the same happened with Topshop (they're on top form at the moment with their clothes) and eventually to my all time favourite bath and shower shop, Rituals. I made a little purchase of the T'ai Chi White Lotus and Green Tea foaming shower gel sensation. It smells heavenly, it had been almost a year since I purchased my last one so I felt it an essential purchase...honest. The way it lathers onto your skin is divine and the smell lingers all day. A quick stop to Nandos was of course vital before leaving. Again, I had halloumi in a chicken pitta with sweet potato mash which I loved and will definitely be having again. On the way out we stopped at HMV and I discovered One Direction tattoos so naturally I had to buy some for us to apply for the concert. 

Some of the tattoos! 

We headed back to the hotel to get ready and apply our tattoos, all whilst listening to One Direction and 5SOS. We arrived at Wembley at 4ish and queued and queued and queued. Inside we made quick necessary merchandise purchases and ran to our standing section which was already quite packed. Waiting seemed endless and crowded but the music kept us going. 5 Seconds of Summer came on around 6;30 (I think, I lost track of time!) and they were INCREDIBLE. I knew from the Take Me Home Tour they were good live but at Wembley they were on fire. So so talented and so so attractive! I felt quite proud of them, from small YouTube videos at home in Australia to Wembley Stadium in a few years is quite an achievement.

Merch!! 

5SOS

Then it was time for what I'd been waiting for for over a year. One Direction came on and I crumbled. The anticipation built as the introduction video played and as soon as I heard the intro to Midnight Memories I screamed louder and more 'girly' than I knew I could! Harry as always looked ridiculously attractive with his chiseled cheek bones, incredible dimples and general being. Liam and Harry were on point with their vocals and Niall was amazing at getting the crowd going and you could tell all 5 of them were loving every moment. Unfortunately my pictures are pretty bad quality but thanks to tumblr  I managed to find many HQ photos of the night. My videos, however, are actually quite good, although I'm yet to watch all of them. I know that the memories of the night will never fade! Twice my phone memory was full so i had to frantically delete numerous pictures and apps, fingers crossed I haven't deleted any important photos! We left the concert in considerable pain from standing continuously for 6 hours combined with jumping and dancing to the music. Being a naturally shy, anxious person I was worried I would let the crowd get the better of me and I wouldn't enjoy it as much but as soon as the music started I forgot there were 79,999 other people in the stadium! I actually spoke to quite a few people which for me is a real achievement!  

Hi Harry! 

Packed! 

Walking back from the concert I had a permanent smile on my face and kept reliving my favourite songs. I teared up a lot in Don't Forget Where You Belong, Moments, Little Things and You&I! I still relive it all now, over a week on! I cannot wait for the next time I see them live, it cements the fact that they are actually real people. That may sound quite strange but to see them 20m in front of you is quite something when you idolise them and dream about what it would be like to meet them. 

The days following the concert I had the boys blasting on full volume to get over the post-concert blues! Now I'm back at school and starting A2 level work which isn't great fun but it's lovely to be back with all my friends! 

I hope you enjoyed this post, apologise for the length again, I really enjoy writing this!! 

Much Love

Charlotte

xo

Now a few photos from the night! 

Nialllll

Cheekbones.....

<3

I loved what he was wearing! 

#Proud

Speechless 

End of the night :( 

Apologies

Hi Everyone! So after starting my blog off quite well I started back at school and I've been so so busy which has made writing difficult. I do have two new blogs planned, one on my One Direction concert (one of the best nights of my life) and on my weekend. If you have any recommendations as to what I should write please let me know!  

Thank you for reading and viewing my blog, it means so much to see the read count increasing! 

Much Love

Charlotte

xo

May Favourites!

Hello everybody! As we are now into June and supposedly summer (although the weather outside says differently) I thought I would share with you what my favourite things have been throughout the month of May!

Firstly, makeup favourites. I have been loving the RealTechniques Core Collection brushes. Obviously I'm quite late to the bandwagon on this but I adore the pointed foundation brush and the buffing brush. My previous foundation brush always left the foundation feeling thick and heavy on my skin but now with the RealTechniques brush application is a lot lighter.

 For my eyes I decided to try out Rimmel London Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves mascara. I've been in love with the standard Scandaleyes since it came out so I was excited to try the new version. The Rockin' Curves brush is different to the Scandaleyes brush as it is curved (as it's name suggests.....genius) and application is less clumpy and leaves my lashes long and defined with just the right amount of volume. It also works a treat on my bottom lashes, making them appear longer and thicker. I love the thinness of the wand at the tip too as it makes reaching the smaller lashes in the corner of my eyes so much easier without getting mascara all around! I think for my lashes the standard Scandaleyes provides more volume but the Rockin' Curves gives less clumps and considerably longer lashes. 

Rockin' Curves wand

Scandaleyes wand

My favourite nail colour at the moment is from the Barry M Gelly Shine collection in 'Green Berry'. When applied it comes out as a minty/turquoisey green. It is perfect for summer and makes me look slightly more tanned (anything that makes me seem less pale is always a favourite of mine!). Generally I use two coats to get even coverage but once on it really does shine, it is such a pretty, vibrant colour and is definitely my go-to shade for summer! 

Now onto my favourite part....food! I've been really trying to be healthy recently and so I've cut back on chocolate, cookies etc and turned to Jordans Frusli bars. My favourite is currently the apples & sultanas with a hint of cinnamon (I'm a sucker for anything with cinnamon) but I also love the Juicy Red Berries too! They're just the right size to leave me satisfied but with less guilt than a chocolate bar! 

I've eaten out multiple times at Pizza Express last month and each time I had the Pomodoro Pesto with added chicken. To start with I adore pizza but add pesto, chicken and additional Parmesan and it tastes like heaven in my mouth (I'm not even joking!). The Mozzarella and Tomato salad (with pesto) is also so so delicious, I highly recommend it.

 I also had a meal out for the Rowers Ball where I had Goats Cheese crostini which was delightful and followed that with a huge filo basket with beans and vegetables and a gorgeous salad. To finish was lemon cheesecake but it was a little too much and I couldn't finish it! 

The glorious crostini

Cheesecake!

Even though I said I was cutting back on unhealthy foods I did make my heavenly (if I do say so myself) white chocolate and raspberry brownies. They're always popular when I take them to rowing events so naturally I made them (four tins to be exact) for National Schools and they went down a treat. I may do a blog  post on how to make them (if I'm feeling kind and want to share my secrets). 

Don't they look delightful!

Music wise I recently discovered Fred V & Graphics- Major Happy and it has been my go-to song if I've been feeling down as it instantly lifts my mood (hence the name) and it's also perfect for when I workout. Another favourite of mine this month has been Take Me Home by Cash Cash ft Bebe Rexha, like Major Happy it really cheers me up and I have a feeling it will feature heavily on my summer playlist! I'm being 100% serious when I say I had it on repeat for three days solid. THREE DAYS. 

Sam Smith has been one of my favourite artists for a while now and I have fallen in love with 'Make It To Me'. His voice resembles what I can only imagine an heaven might sound like. And of course One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer have been in my top plays this month, not only because I love them both dearly but because I'm going to the Where We Are tour on Saturday (a blog post will definitely follow). 

Due to exams and revision I haven't had a chance to watch a great deal of TV but of course I've been watching Made in Chelsea on catch-up when I've had time. Tyger-Drew Honey's new series about teenage life has been so interesting as it's nice to see things from a male perspective. Often I feel I get wrapped up in how difficult it is being a teenage girl in today's society but I realise it is also challenging to be a boy too (although I think girls still have it harder... No bias there I promise!).

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I loved during May, I'd love to know what you've been loving this past month so let me know in the comments and feel follow me, would be much appreciated and I'll definitely follow back!

Much Love

Charlotte

xo

Life of a Rower

Hello lovely internet people! I hope you enjoyed my first post , I was so happy to see that people were actually reading it. I thought I would post it but no one would read it so if you did read it THANK YOU! Also, huge thank you to the lovely Charlotte (not me I promise) who helped my come up with the blog name and URL and is simply one of THE kindest people I know. 

For today's post I thought I would discuss rowing as it is such a big part of who I am. It all began when the rowing coach at school saw the length of my legs (or levers as they have since been called numerous times) and demanded I join the rowing club in year 9 (aged 13). Now, I've never been naturally good at sports. I had to try lacrosse, netball, hockey and athletics during school games lessons but I was always one of the worst. Instead I was more at home in the saddle, having ridden since I was 5 years old. 

My beautiful Daedalus

The first time I sat in a boat was extremely nerve-racking but I knew I just had to continue, there was something propelling me to learn more. What I didn't know was how challenging it was going to be. I was quite unfit and was always the slowest runner but I didn't give up. For our first race I was in the A quad and while we didn't win it was a memorable experience (perhaps not for racing but for one of my friends throwing up on the bus....delightful).  After that we continued to train and race at national events frequently. It felt nice to finally be good at something and to also meet some people who are now some of my closest friends.  

As I entered year 10 a problem occurred. My quadriceps had grown too quickly for my knees and I had developed Osgood Schlatter  (the name still makes me laugh, even now). Training on ergos (rowing machines) became increasingly painful along with squats and other activities. To this day I still get pain but I've learnt to overcome it now (almost). But my training was put on hold and as I watched teammates achieve a seat in the top 8 and I was left in a quad (four people, two blades). While I was happy to be in a boat it is extremely difficult watching people who were on par with you overtake you. But I didn't let this hold me back. I put everything into my training and at National Schools Regatta we reached the final of the J15 coxed quads. I had also wanted to be in the J15 four (four people, one blade) but due to an ICT GCSE I was unavailable. When I discovered this I started to cry and at first I couldn't understand why, surely it's just a race, right? Wrong. A sudden realisation hit me about how much rowing meant to me. It's difficult to put into words....not great if I'm trying to write a blog about it.....nice one Charlotte.

Anyway, I came back in year 11 with rested knees and my training improved. By November I had a seat in the top 8. We trained hard, gaining in confidence and came second at Schools Head of the River in Championship girls 8s. Motivated by this we trained solidly, mornings (getting up at 5:40) and evenings plus Saturday mornings. When it came to the day of National Schools the nerves were certainly making themselves noticed by giving me HUGE butterflies the whole morning (struggling to stomach breakfast is not good on race day). We qualified for the final and in the final we came second again but with a small margin between us and first. Our training had paid off. The feeling of seeing our name on the scoreboard is one I'll keep with me for the rest of my life, I think my face says it quite well......

After National Schools we went to Women's Henley and while it didn't go as well it was an experience I have definitely learnt from. 

Now to this year. We have a new coach and I've stepped up my training even more. During winter I managed to get personal bests on numerous ergos which provided me with a huge confidence boost (which was much needed as my self-confidence is very small). We tried to do the 8 again but something just didn't work. Instead, after seat trials in Seville (another blog post is needed for this I feel) and numerous ergo tests I was put into the top four. We raced at Wallingford Regatta (held at Eton Dorney, the location for the 2012 London Olympic s) and came 2nd. Then at National Schools we won the semi-final only to come 5th in the final. After that race I can safely say I don't think I've ever felt so disheartened. I felt that I had let so many people down but my coach told me this: 'The way you come back from this will define who you are as an athlete'. Those were exactly the words I needed to hear. I want to be the strongest athlete I can be so I refuse to let one race ruin my chances of that. 

Glorious Sevilla

Women's Henley is fast approaching and with all focus on that our training is as rigorous as ever. There is something about rowing that is difficult to explain unless you've experienced. If you asked me if I enjoyed rowing my response would be along the lines of 'urm....well.....yeah I guess....but...'. The pain that comes with rowing is tough, the burning in your lungs, legs and glutes feeling like they are on fire 100m into a 2km race. But yet something in you tells you to keep going and I'm yet to pinpoint exactly what it is that is telling me 'NO, DON'T STOP NOW. YOU'VE GOT THIS. YOU CAN DO THIS'. It could be my strive for success, my fear of failure, my desire to please, fear of letting people down and of embarrassment or it could be my competitive streak and the fact that I HATE being beaten! If I find out I'll let you know. I do, quite often, dislike rowing, but I love it one thousand times more. The feeling after a 50minute ergo, 2km test or a piece on the water when you know you couldn't have given anymore is incredibly pleasing. Watching yourself and your teammates improve and progress is so rewarding and knowing there are always people who know almost exactly how you are feeling is something I will be forever grateful for. We frequently stay away for events and nights can end up looking a lot like this....

9 in the bed...

So, where now? Well I've trialled for Wales and should (fingers crossed) be hearing if I've got in or not within the next few days. Obviously my big dream is to get into GB but I know I have a humongous amount of work to do before I am anywhere near close! Something else my coach told me (he's full of good advice) is: 

      'You never know what's impossible until you try'

I can safely say I'm not done trying yet.

I feel a little photo montage is necessary.....

But first..let me take a selfie

Who doesn't love a coxless quad!

One of the many trips out

Going to collect our medals!

Happy girls!

Yes that is my coach who is full of inspirational quotes....that's also me getting my 'Club Member of the Year Award' at the recent Rowers Ball....extremely surprised and thankful for it!

I apologise for such a long post (I told you I was obsessed!) I hope that you enjoyed it and if you'd care to comment below please feel free. On my tumblr  I frequently post lovely rowing pictures. Also the wonderful Amy has a delightful rowing blog so go and check her out if you have a chance! I hope this post may have inspired you to give something new a try, whether it be rowing, another sport or a new hobby. Try it, you never know how much you might enjoy it. 

               

Much love

Charlotte 

xo

Hello! Bonjour! Guten Tag! Aloha! Shalom! Namaste! Hola!

Hello! Firstly, let me introduce myself my name is Charlotte, I'm 17 years old, 6ft1 tall and currently studying for my A-levels at an all girls school. In one sense I'm a typical girly girl. I LOVE shopping, clothes, makeup, beauty, boys *harry styles* and spending time with my best friends. I have a major weakness for One Direction, I've seen them live twice and I'm seeing them at Wembley on the 7th June with one of my best friends!  However, I'm also obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED with rowing. Last year I won a silver medal at the National Schools Regatta in the championship girls 8. Since experiencing the exhilarating feeling of success I have been motivated to better myself in every aspect of life. That summer I also went on a month long World Challenge trip to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Hands down one of the most valuable experiences of my life (I may write a whole blog post on this in the future).  

On World Challege

Additionally to rowing, I'm really starting to enjoy running. I've got my first 5km run in August. I am also taking part in the Press Up Challenge (created by Olympic gold medalist Pete Reed). For each day of the year I have to do that amount of press-ups, today is day 153!  Recently I have started the Squat Challenge and Ab Challenge to add on to my core workout I do every night. Living at home it is quite difficult to eat as healthily and clean as I would like but with summer on it's way I'm hoping to get cooking more! 

Now onto the blog. I've wanted to start this for a while but I've never known what to say.... I still don't really! However, I've been inspired by the likes of Zoella, Louise (sprinkleofglitter), Tanya Burr and Pete Reed and I thought I would give it a go! I'm planning on posting fitness, lifestyle, photography, fashion and beauty (the little I know) and life in general. There will be ramblings of my time with some of the best people in the world and of my journey to university, advancing in rowing and the continual strive for happiness! 

As inspired by http://www.essena.com.au/  I am going to do a 'Currently':

Currently:
Saying cute. It is probably my most spoken word....so typically girly!
Eating houmous, carrots, breadsticks and HALLOUMI! so in love with that squeaky cheese!
Listening to One Direction 'Midnight Memories' album but also 5 Seconds of Summer... I like my boybands!
Watching Made in Chelsea and Hollyoaks are my go to shows but I watch more youtube videos... I love Alfie (pointlessblog), Zoella, Louise, Louis Cole (Fun for Louis), Marcus, Jim Chapman, Joe Sugg, Troye Sivan  and many others!  
Reading The Fault in Our Stars- John Green....the best book I've EVER read, preparing myself for the movie now!


 I hope you all enjoy! Feel free to follow my tumblr or my twitter! 
Suggestions for future post would be much appreciated! Please let me know in the comments below what you think of this post, I'll be eternally grateful!

Much love!

Charlotte

p.s. if you got this far THANK YOU.