The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at West Chester chapter.

It’s officially Scorpio season, which means by the end of November, I’ll no longer be a teenage girl. I’m not going to talk about just how devastating this is for me, because I’m focusing on how life doesn’t end when I turn 20. Turning 20 doesn’t mean turning into some lifeless version of the girl I am now. Change is good! In preparation of the death of 19 year old me (21 days left, but who’s counting), here’s twenty things every 19 year old girl should do before she blows out her twenty bright pink candles.

find your lippie combo

FIND YOUR LIPPIE COMBO! I cannot emphasize this one enough. I don’t think I actually understood what it meant to be a teenage girl until I bought my first ever lip liner. Maybelline’s divine wine will always hold a special place in my heart! While I can say with utmost certainty that it’s an actual addiction, it is one I welcome with open arms. My current go-to combo (and dare I say combo for life?) is Nyx Cold Brew Lip Liner and their Tiramisu Butter Gloss. It is genuinely life changing. The day I discovered it, I was reborn.

Buy a purse

Purse! Pocketbag! Bag! WHATEVER YOU CALL IT! You need a purse. I used to think purses were meant for women who didn’t throw coins into shimmering fountains, praying for an answer (little me was always wishing for webkinzs and now I’m wishing for an A on my next math exam). But that’s not true! I love my purse and she really is the best thing ever. Purses are cute! Hellooooo, they’re so cute! The Jane Birkinfication (tying pink ribbons and obnoxious keychains onto your purse) of bags is revolutionary and one of my favorite things ever. Go get a purse! One that can preferably hold a million coins and handle a giant hello kitty keychain.

buy a sweet treat

Buy a sweet treat. Buy a million sweet treats. I know sweet treats will still exist after I turn 20, but there’s something so special to me about being a 19 year old girl with her friends just getting something sweet to enjoy while gossiping about anything and everything. Anything and everything being pretty girls with curly hair in my case.

make a pinterest board

Make a Pinterest board. Label it 20, and manifest! Manifest love, happiness, success, whatever! My “twenty” board is filled with pictures of far away sunset beaches in Italy and gloomy and angst filled cliff sides in Ireland. If you couldn’t tell, I really want to travel this 20th year.

sit by a body of water

Sit by a body of water. Maybe this is just because I’m a water sign, but the way I feel about this is honestly a kind of religious devotion. October has been a really hard month for me, but every time I sit by my favorite fountain and pour everything into it (my feelings and coins) I walk away feeling like I can breathe. Water is healing, and I really mean that.

read a corny romance novel

Read a terrible, awful, unbelievably corny romance novel. I don’t care what anyone says, there is nothing more beautiful than discovering how scary and all encompassing but amazing your first big anything is. And I will never get tired of it. Also, what’s more teenage girl than a book about some girl falling in love for the very first time. It’s a different kind of magic. I can say without any shame, that I will still be reading about young love when I’m old and gray. Hopefully with the love of my life sat next to me. If you’re looking for a recommendation, my all time favorite is “Sixteenth Summer” by Michelle Dalton. It’s about a girl who lives in a tiny little beach town, where yes, some boy from New York visits just for the summer. They had no other option but to fall in love!

watch a coming of age movie

Coming of age movies! If you’ve made it to twenty and you haven’t seen classics like “10 Things I Hate About You” or “But I’m a Cheerleader!”, then honestly, I don’t know what to tell you. “But I’m a Cheerleader” changed the course of my entire life. Though if you’re reading this article, you probably still have time before the big day, so don’t worry! There’s a reason they’re called coming of age movies.

listen to 20 something

Listen to “20 something” by Sza. It’s no secret that every girl’s worst fear is saying goodbye to the “teen” at the end of a number. It’s scary. Growing up is so, so, so scary. And while I’m sure that it’s more like society forcing that thought down my throat, it’s still something that makes me cry. But I know, even if right now it makes me want to hide under my twin XL pink sheets in my college dorm room, I know my 20’s are going to be beautiful and amazing and so many things. Thank you Sza.

get a plant

Get a plant. Water it, and love it, and grow with it. I have a tiny succulent named Teacup, and she’s a big source of my happiness. I got her at the start of September, and the girl is still with me. Hopefully that doesn’t change anytime soon. Don’t forget about your plant, and don’t forget about yourself either.

buy a pair of hoops

HOOPS!!! Buy yourself a giant pair of hoops. I wear my hoops almost every single day, and I can promise you, I am a certified baddie on campus.

see your friends

Hang out with your friends. This may feel like a “duh!” one, but it’s so important. Crying over curly haired girls may make you feel like your life is ending, but your best friends will be there to remind you she’s actually not that cute. They’re lying, but it’s the principle! If you’re lucky, and I mean really lucky, you’ll be friends forever, and that’s something worth more than even the finest girl you’ve ever seen. I love you my sweet little honey buns!

buy yourself a present

Buy yourself a birthday gift. I don’t care how much it costs. Buy yourself something that’ll bring you an insatiable amount of joy. You deserve it mamas! Making it to 20 is a giant accomplishment. Go us! Personally, I’m getting a baby pink puffer.

call your sister

This one may not apply to everyone, but if you can, call your sister. There is nothing I love more in this world than my sister. There is nothing in this world like having a sister. Nothing will ever be greater or more pure or more all encompassing than my love for her. We were girls together, and we’re going to be women together too. In every single life of ours! Can you tell I’m crying while writing this? I love you sissy.

pierce something

Pierce something! It’s terrible I know, but you kinda have to. It’s a rule, I’m sorry papa! I literally evolved after getting my nose pierced. Belly button piercing coming soon….if my dad sees this, I’m just joking!

bake a cake

Bake a cake! And fill that cake with so much love, that every bite you take is sickeningly sweet. Self love really is the best love.

cut bangs

Now I promise I’m not trying to set anyone up for failure with this one…but get bangs. I know, I know, I knowww, please don’t throw any tomatoes! I think it’s just a rule that every girl has to experience bangs in her lifetime. Don’t be mad at me, be mad at the universe, okay. I took the risk two years ago and now I’m going to literally have bangs forever, so!

feel

Feel! I think one of the best things about being a teenage girl is that we feel so much. Sometimes it makes me want to explode, but I love being able to feel. I love looking up at the moon and feeling like I need to cry, or the insane amount of joy I get from a night out with my friends. Don’t be afraid to feel. As a November Scorpio, literally all I do is feel, but I think it’s my favorite thing about being alive.

go out

GO OUT! Grab a friend and have a crazy lit movie kind of night. This is not optional, you’re still a teenage girl, so put on something teeny tiny and enjoy being a 19 year old girl for a little bit more.

host a funeral

Hold a funeral for your 19 year old self. Cry your heart out as you lower her six feet under. Reflect on your teenage self and tell her you love her, because she probably really really…REALLY went through it. Oh, to be a teenage girl.

talk to the univerese

And finally, last on the list is something I’ve been doing ever since I was little. Talk to the universe. Tell her everything and anything. The universe really does listen, and she wants you to be happy too.

And thus, the end of the list! Happy early birthday to anyone who may be reading this, and god bless these twenty somethings!

20 Somethings