Hello 2014

So another year has passed and 2013 has gone. 2014 is on it's way. Hopefully, 2014 is going to be my year. It's the year that I really want to start staying positive and being motivated to do so many things. New Year's resolutions should be positive and realistic. I know there will be many of you struggling to think of any. I want to share mine with you, maybe you can get some ideas?

1) Upload a video every Sunday and write a blog post every Saturday (minimum)- I want to commit to Youtube and Blogging, because I enjoy it a lot. I think that if I have an allotted day to upload/post it'll make me motivated and a lot more organised.

2) Say 'yes' to opportunities- Life's too short to pass opportunities and you'll only regret not doing it. I'd rather say: 'Wow, I can't believe I did that!' in comparison to 'I wish I'd done that.' I want to step out of my comfort zone more often, as I feel, this will help me branch out and have an amazing year.

3) Be more positive- I tend to get pulled down by simple little things that I can't avoid. I think I should just embrace the situation. Even something as simple as going to school. I'd like to think 'If I have to be here and have no choice, then I'm going to make sure it's the best it can possibly be.' If you don't want to do something, look for the positives and make sure you make it the best time you possibly can, otherwise it's another boring day wasted.

4) Save up for something- I want to save up for something significant. It doesn't have to be extremely expensive, just a little purchase that I wouldn't usually make, or just treating myself to a shopping trip, or new game, or even just saving up the whole year. When you buy something special, you feel great:)

5) Hit 500 subscribers- This one is more of a goal. I wanted to squeeze one in, because when you hit that goal, you feel AMAZING. Even if it's something small and easily reachable. If you hit it before the end of the year, you can keep extending it slightly too. I know 500 doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm currently on 32 and it would feel amazing. I'm so determined and not going to give up. I love every single person who follows or subscribes to me and I'll be bouncing off the ceiling if I hit that! (maybe not literally)

I hope this gave you some inspiration and I hope this year will be the best year of yours and my life:)

Question of the blog: What are your new year's resolutions?
Quote: I don't have regrets, there are only lessons. You learn from them, and you become a better person.

Stay Happy!

-Shona xo

Merry Christmas!

Just the quickest post EVER to wish you a Merry Christmas! If you'd like to get into the spirit check out my YouTube channel where I uploaded videos EVERY DAY for a week:) I hope you have an amazing time, eat loads of food and get what you want!

Love you guys and I'll see you after Christmas!

-Shona xo

Christmas 2013: Before

Hey guys!

Today I thought I'd do a cool post, where I just talk about Christmas and Christmas related things as it's only 4 days away! I wanted to name this 'before' because I also want to do an 'after' post to summarise my Christmas and share some cute photos:-) I'm also going to be doing a 'What I Got For Christmas'/'Christmas Haul' video, where I show you what I got so be sure to stay tuned to my YouTube channel for that:)

If you didn't know already, I've been doing a 'festive week' on my channel, where I upload a video every day from the 18th-25th of December, so I hope you're enjoying those!

This is the first year for ages, where I've felt excited for Christmas a week before. I'm usually excited the night before, or I get sudden urges in the middle of the night where I'm super excited, so I'm quite surprised this year.

I love Christmas so much and I'm so sad when it's over. Everything goes back to normal and you have another 364 days to wait for the next one, but it has to end sometime.

One of my favourite things to do is wrap presents. It's so fun and I'm quite good at it. I jump at the chance to make everything look pretty and festive. 

Here's a picture I snapped of our living room, how cute?:)
My dog's face makes me giggle on this, hehe:P

Also, Christmas=Food so what more could you want?! Christmas dinner, chocolate, sweets, party/buffet food... mmmmmmmm<3

I hope you enjoyed this mini rambly post and I can't wait for my next Christmas post which will (hopefully) be up on Boxing Day (26th.)

Question of the blog: What do you want for Christmas?
Quote: 'I don't care whether people like me or dislike me. I'm not on earth to win a popularity contest. I'm here to be the best human being I possibly can be.'

-Shona xo

#HolidayHowTo: Chocolate & Honeycomb Truffles!

Hey Guys!

Today I thought I'd share a delicious recipe with you. I'm going to show you how to make Chocolate & Honeycomb Truffles (mmmm!) These are surprisingly super easy to make and are one of the easiest things I've ever made. They taste soo good and you only need a few, easy to find, ingredients, so lets get started:)

You'll need:

A small amount of icing sugar

Cocoa Powder for rolling

100g of Milk chocolate

100g of Dark chocolate

40g of Almonds

150g worth of crunchie bars (Just under 4 bars)
2 tbsp of Single Cream

First, you want to put some boiling water in a pan and put a bowl in the pan, making sure it doesn't touch the water. Then turn on the heat so the water is simmering (about halfway).

Then I started to break up the chocolate into the bowl and I also added the single cream and left it until it was completely melted.

Meanwhile, I put some chopped/flakes of almond into a frying pan and put them on a high heat to toast them. These don't have to stay on the heat for long at all.

Whilst they are toasting, I began to crush up the crunchie bars with a rolling pin, so they were in small(ish) chunks.

My chocolate was melted by this time, so I combined the almond flakes and crunchie chunks with the chocolate and cream and mixed it all together well.

After the ingredients were combined, I sprinkled a worksurface and my hands with cocoa powder and began taking teaspoon sized chunks of the mixture. I then rolled it into a ball, using the cocoa to make sure it didn't stick. Please take care with this step, as the mixture will still be hot and don't want you to burn yourself! Then, place the balls of mixture onto a baking tray.

Afterwards, cover the tray/s with kitchen roll and place them in the fridge for 1 hour, until they are set and firm.

When they were out of the fridge, I placed them on a plate and sprinkled them with icing sugar. 

And now... They're ready to eat! These are super yummy and have an amazing texture, just like truffles. If you decide to make these, don't forget to use any social media site you have to send me a picture using #HolidayHowTo and I'll take a look:)

Question of the blog: Did you make these and enjoy them?
Quote: Christmas is not just a day, but a state of mind.

-Shona xo

Candles, Candles, Candles

If you haven't guessed already, today I'm going to be talking about candles! Specifically Yankee Candles.

Yesterday I was shopping and decided to have a look in Peter Jones, because they have Yankee Candles. I always love smelling and trying out new candles, so I spent a long time in there.

At home I have a Yankee Candle in the scent Christmas Eve. This is so warming and lovely and it smells just like what I'd associate with Christmas.

As you can see, it's one of the small jars with a strange twisty lid (easiest way to describe it haha)
I always love the picture on these candles too:-)

When I decided I wanted to purchase this candle, I was curious to what the others would be like so, of course, I had to smell them in the store. I literally went through every single candle they had and decided on my favourites. I have 2 Christmas and 3 non-Christmas favourites so here goes, in no particular order.




Christmas:

The first candle I loved in the Christmas section was:

Christmas Cookie. I'm a huge sucker for sweet scents and this smells so yummy! It's pretty much the same to Snowflake Cookie, so if you own one, I wouldn't recommend getting the other. I love this scent so much and I bought one of the mini candles.

This is more of a buttery, vanilla scent but it's not overpowering at all, I love this A LOT!

The next Christmas one I bought was Merry Marshmallow. This is another sweet scent but it is more refreshing and sugary than the other one. It's very fresh and not buttery, so It's a different type of sweet to the previous one.



Non-Christmas:

The 'non-Christmas' scents I liked, I didn't purchase, however nearer to the spring/summer I will definitely be getting these and maybe a couple more, because they smell AMAZING!

The first one is Pineapple Cilantro. This has to be one of my favourite candle scents of all time. It's tropical and a tad citrusy, which I love and it's the perfect scent for summer and maybe even spring. I saw it in one of Yankee Candle's tumblers which I think are sooooooo much nicer than the odd jars that they use. Does anyone know if these are new or if the jars are still being made for most of the candles, because I like the tumblers a lot better? I noticed that the tumblers were mostly on the regular candle scents that weren't specific to Christmas time. Anyway, back to the candle...
I adore this candle so much because it's just so lovely!





The next candle is Pink Dragon fruit, this is floral, fresh scent that's quite subtle but still really nice. It also looks super pretty!



My final favourite was Garden Sweet Pea. This, again, is quite subtle but super refreshing and nice!

I hope you enjoyed this post and it helps you to choose candle scents. I'm very picky about candle scents and these tick all the boxes for me! I also now have various candle scents stuck in my nose from smelling them so I could give an accurate scent description to you, haha!

Question of the blog: What's your favourite candle scent?
Quote: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift , which is why we call it the present.
-Shona xo

Christmas With Shona!

Hey Guys, how are you doing?:-)

Today I wanted to talk about the future of my Youtube channel in December. December can only mean one thing- CHRISTMAS! I've decided that I'm going to do a couple of random vlogs on my BRAND NEW second channel if I do anything interesting! I'm also going to be doing a Christmas TAG if one is popular this year. If not I might make my own (ooo) ;-) If I find some super yummy recipes I might share those with you too.

The main purpose of me making this blog post is to get your opinions on what videos I should do, but also I might do some special blog posts where I share something super Christmassy that I've been loving? Don't forget to let me know:-)

Sorry this was so short. I'm hoping to pay more attention to my blog in the future:-) I've come to the conclusion that's is quite difficult to type, sing and listen to music at the same time:S

Question of the blog: What would you like to see me do this December?
Quote: Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
- Shona xo

Cookie Clicker

Hey Guys! Today I'm talking about my new addiction to the 'Cookie Clicker'.
In this game you have to click a cookie to bake more and more. There are lots of things you can buy to make your cookies per second go up, until eventually, you don't have to click and your cookies still go up:-)
You can also purchase upgrades with cookies to make it even harder. There are also achievements you can earn.

Here is a snapshot of my game so far:





I'd definitely recommend you go check it out, but you may get addicted (YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED) ;-)
http://orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker/ <<< The Game

Sorry it was a short one guys!

Love you guys<3

Question of the blog: How are your cookies doing on the game?
Quote: I would rather be a little nobody, then to be a evil somebody.

-Shona xo

Little Mix Salute- Track by Track

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I would be a in-depth review of Little Mix's new album 'Salute'.
It came in the post on Thursday (yay!) and I've had it on repeat since then! I thought go through each track and tell you what I think of it.

Salute- This is very different and talks about girl power:-) It's a great opening track as it's so lively and fun.

Move- This was their first single from the album. It's so upbeat and lifting and I love the music video! It would be great in concert!

Little Me- This is one of my favourites from all of their songs. I have it on right now:) They sung a slightly more stripped on the Xtra Factor and I love it so much. They talk about advice they would've given themselves when they were teenagers.

Nothing Feels Like You- I love the chorus for this and I could imagine this being on Just Dance:)

Towers- This is slightly slower, but it's still a great track. It's a great classic track and great to sway along to.

Competition- I love this one (then again, I love them all.) It's so upbeat and I love the pre-chorus. Their vocals sound great and I always find myself dancing to it:)

These Four Walls- This is a really sad song. Little Mix themselves said it is one of the saddest songs that they've wrote/sung. They sung it on 'Surprise Surprise' and it was so nice.

About The Boy- This is amazing! I love the beat on the chorus and Perrie hits an AMAZING high note on the bridge.

Boy- This is another of my favourites. I LOVE the intro and Jesy sounds particularly amazing in this!

Good Enough- Another slow one with great vocals! I love the bride and would love to learn this on piano!

Mr Loverboy- This is upbeat but quite slow at the same time. It's very catchy and has a great piano riff at the end:-)

A Different Beat- This is slightly similar to Salute and is kind of military style at the beginning. I love the chorus a lot!

There is also a deluxe edition with four extra tracks on it which I also have:-)
See Me Now- This has a great backing beat and is quite a different style to the other tracks. I love Leigh-Anne's solo on this too:-)

They Just Know You- Jade opens this track with a great verse. I like the melody on this one. It's really catchy and really good:)

Stand Down- This has a great beginning and is really powerful. It would be sooo fun in a concert, especially on the repeated parts. I really can't wait to see if they're doing a Salute Tour!

Little Me (Unplugged)- This is the acoustic version to 'Little Me' and it's slightly different. The vocals are great and I just love it. No wonder it's one of my faves:D Want to learn this on piano so badly!

Listening to the second disc a lot, makes me like them even more!

Overall, this album is better than their last one (in my opinion) and I love it so much! I would definitely recommend you pick this up!
Question of the blog: Which Little Mix song is your fave?
Quote: You could be beautiful, wonderful, anything you want to be'

-Shona xo

Like Christmas Day Came Early

Hey! I decided to use a Little Mix pun in the title (if any of you get the reference!)

Anyway, I'm going to be talking about Christmas today, because I'm in a super Christmassy mood all of a sudden. I love everything about Christmas- the songs, decorations, dinner, and the atmosphere. I also really enjoy the John Lewis Christmas adverts every year. If each advert was as nice as those, I would love advert breaks! I found out a new one had been 'released' from Sprinkleofglitter (Louise), as she wrote a blog post about it!

I was wondering which types of videos you wanted me to do this Christmas? If I find a festive tag floating around I'll definitely give that whirl, but I wondered if you'd like to see any videos such as, winter essentials, baking videos related to Christmas or any other Christmas themed videos that you enjoy, please let me know!:-) (I wonder how many times I've said 'Christmas' in this blog post already, haha!)

Sorry this was so short, I just wanted some suggestions, so I know what to get cracking with!

Love you guys:-)

Question of the blog: What's your favourite thing about Christmas?
Quote: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

-Shona xo

Little Mix Salute!

Hey Guys! Today I wanted to share with you, my excitement for the new album 'Salute' by Little Mix. If you've read my blog for a while you'll know that I LOVE Little Mix and I was sooo excited to hear about the new album. (I pre-ordered my deluxe edition from Amazon for £9:99). It is released on the 11th November and I wondered if, when I got the CD, you wanted me to do a more in-depth talk about it and each track? Let me know if you do/don't! I'm so excited and after hearing a couple of the songs that they have let us hear, I know I'm going to love it! Also, I'd be super excited if they did a Salute Tour, I'd definitely go!

Sorry this was just a quickie guys! Also, before I go, i wondered if, when it came out, you wanted me to do Sims 4 reviews/lp's over on my Youtube channel? I've been pondering this for a while now, but I think it would be great for you to see my first impressions and I think it would be really fun!

Love you guys!

Question of the blog: What's your favourite band?
Quote: Pretty's just a pretty word.

-Shona xo

Alton Towers Scarefest 2013!

Hey guys! As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I'm going to talk about my trip to Alton Towers. I went for the scarefest which is where the park has Halloween-y events going on. I'll start off with talking about the rides. I love rides and Alton Towers is not disappointing with them! One of my favourites was Air. It was my first time going on it and it was amazing! You feel like your flying and going backwards is the best part! You start off by sitting in a seat and then you are tipped horizontally so you are facing the floor. It is actually really comfortable and feels really secure. I went on Air in the dark, so I couldn't see much, but it was my favourite ride EVER! It's so amazing:-) I also bought I cute pen from the gift shop. (Sorry the quality's bad)

I also love Th13teen, as it's amazing when you drop and go backwards. Also, in the dark you can't see a thing. It's so thrilling and I love the queue. I like to impersonate the voice (shhhh;-])

The only negative about the rides, is that they have a lot of technical issues and have to fix them, but I can live with that, because it's well worth it!

We went to a cute little chicken place next to The Smiler (in the X-sector section) and it was really nice. It was a little overpriced but 99.9% of things at theme parks are! I ordered a chicken burger and it was really good:-) Also, it only rained a couple of times, but seeing as you're queueing most of the time, it doesn't bother me so much.

Anyway, I have loads more to say about the AMAZING scare mazes so here goes! Firstly we went into the Terror of Towers which is based around two explorers who allegedly went on a journey and never returned. It explains that you have to embark on the same journey and try and complete it. Before you enter the maze it plays a introductory video as you enter and then you go in.

Inside was quite a blur to me, as it's so thrilling, but I remember you walking around a maze and lots of actors feature in it. They come up to you and scare you and say things to you. One in particular sang a nursery rhyme in my ear which freaked me out;-) At the end of all of this, there is quite a long section where you walk through a maze with strobe lighting. If you don't know what strobe lighting is, it's basically extremely fast flashing lights. These ones in particular were white and they create an illusion while moving. Because you can hardly see and the actors move so quickly, a face will often pop up beside you and disappear again. It's really weird but really cool! Also, it looks like everything is moving in pictures.

The next maze, and by far the best, was The Sanctuary. I have a bit more info on this one:-) The backstory behind this maze is that Dr Kelman has a hospital  (The Sanctuary). It was closed down after complaints about forceful treatment, but he explains that it was re-opened again. His motto is to smile always and there are various posters in the queue saying things like 'Don't do drugs a smile will have the same effect' or 'A smile a day keeps the doctor away'. These are linked to the new ride, The Smiler. You enter the hospital being told you are meeting your fellow patients. When you go in, you see physco patients that go crazy and say things to you like 'Don't go downstairs, they cut you'. Of course you still go downstairs, passing some sort of kitchen on your way. You also enter an all-white corridor where there is smoke rising from the floor and water rains on you whilst there are multi-coloured flashing lights.  When you go downstairs you are greeted by a vile smell and a woman is chopping a body up on a butcher-type table. When you exit the dark room, there are flashing lights and Dr Kelman's voice shouting things like 'They don't need to know what we really do here!' and 'smile.. SMILE!' and 'Time to get corrected!'. Basically, they try to make patients permanently smile, by sending them mentally crazy, or cutting their faces/mouth so the blood looks like a smile (Gross, I know.) Anyway, overall the maze is amazing! Awesome experience!

The video played during the queue.

The third maze was the Zombies Scare Zone! You were allowed to film in this one so look on Youtube and someone will've uploaded the footage. This was very short and not very scary, so I don't have much to say about this one!

The final maze, Carnival of Screams, I unfortunately couldn't go in, as it was closed when we went to it. However, here is the backstory/description which I thought was really cool and amazing!

I hope you enjoyed my post about the scarefest! Love you guys!

Question of the blog: How did you celebrate Halloween?
Quote: I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.
-Shona xo

Tanya's Cookies!

Hey! Yesterday I was really in the mood for baking and since I'd seen one of  Tanya's blog posts showing how she makes chocolate cookies, I decided to make them! While I was making them, I couldn't believe how much sugar was in them (300g!!) and there is also loads of cocoa powder (75g!!) but they taste absolutely delicious! I think I made mine a little too big, as they are huuggeeee! But taste good nonetheless. I used dark, milk and white (with vanilla) cooking chocolate and mixed it with sugar, butter, flour, egg and cocoa power. Go check out Tanya's post for exact measurements! I then added a tiny bit of milk and it created a dough-like consistency. I them made 10 blobs on 2 baking trays and baked for 11 minutes! They are perfect when they come out of the oven and, when cooled, taste delicious and moist and the chocolate has melted nicely. I'd definitely recommend making these, as they are super quick and simple!

Question of the blog: Did you make them and enjoy them?

Quote: You make a living by what you earn; you make a life by what you give.
-Shona xo

Songs of October

Hey! Last month I did a blog post called Songs of September. I decided that this would be a monthly thing, hence 'Songs of October!' Basically, I share with you the songs I've been loving for the past month, so sit down, get comfy and enjoy!

My first song is Nothing by Lewis Watson. (another one found through British youtubers :S) It's so lovely and I had it on everyday! 

My second song(s) are classics which I used to LOVE when I was a bit younger. I always remember listening to them and they made me really happy. They are: Harder To Breathe by Maroon 5, Left Outside Alone by Anastasia and of course, the one and only, Dragostei Din Tei by O-Zone. Even though It's Romanian, It brings back so many memories! 

My next song is Can We Dance by The Vamps. I'd heard this from British youtubers (:S) but also by friends and stuff:-) It's so upbeat and I love it. I didn't like it at first, but it's grown on me!

Finally, this will be surprising to people that know me, because I'm not a HUGE directioner (I have nothing against them, I'm just not the biggest fan, I still like their music and them as people.) But, It's Story Of My Life by One Direction. It's just really catchy and, generally a nice song!

I hope you enjoy listening to some of these songs and enjoy them as much as I do!

Question of the blog: What are your top tracks for October?

Quote: You're stronger than you think.

Love you guys!

-Shona xo

Random Life Update & Coming In The Future!

Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't posted much lately, I'll try and get back into the swing of things:-) I have a week off now (yay!) so it should be much easier. I thought I'd give you an insight to my life and what's coming in the future both on here and my YouTube channel!

Blog Posts:

Some blog posts I want to do in the future are:

October Songs- I did a 'Songs of September' blog post where I told you some of my favourite songs of the month. I figured I'd do one at the end of every month, as I'm always finding new songs which I love!

A general Halloween post- I want to a post where I just talk about Halloween and Halloween-y things I've done in general and also discussing some of my costumes from when I was little;-)

Alton Towers Scarefest 2013- I am heading off to the Alton Towers Scarefest soon and I thought, as well as vlogging it, I would do a blog post about it too!

Pumpkin Carving- I'm hoping to carve a pumpkin tomorrow and I'll talk you through the process!

Artwork- I'm going to show you my art work and film it too.

Little Mix Jesy Press-on nails review- Stay tuned, I'm putting these on on Monday!

Halloween Baking- Hoping to blog this as well as film.

My Pets- A brief explanation and insight on my pets lives;-)

Videos:

There's a lot of videos I'd like to do so get comfy;-)

Alton Towers Scarefest 2013 Vlog- As I mentioned above, I'm going to be vlogging my trip.

Halloween Baking-  I'm still pondering this, but I may do it some time this week if I find a good recipe. (leave me suggestions below if you have any)

Room Tour- One of you asked me to make a room tour so I thought that's be fun! My room's nothing special though, just to warn you!

What's in my school bag- One of you also wanted to see this!

Artwork- When I find my folder and get back into drawing, I'm hoping to show you that!

Slender Gameplay/Reaction- I'd love to do this! I love watching reaction videos and I'll probably wet my pants (metaphorically of course:S)

Things I don't like about school/the internet- To follow on from my mini series:-)

Wow! That's the future out of the way, let's talk about past and present:-)

I'm so glad schools over now and I can relax! I'm hoping to get my homework done tomorrow, so I don't have to worry! I've been extremely productive today! I did well on my piano pieces (Grade 1 Sailor's Song and a 'blues' piece we're doing in music lessons). I also started editing my intro for the Alton Towers video and I made an end card for my videos, which took me ageesss. I also wrote this blog post which feels super long! I have a feeling I'll be very busy this week, getting to work on the blog posts and videos mentioned above! Oh and btw, 60 sleeps until Christmas people!!

Haha, see you soon, love you guys!

Question of the blog: Which videos/blog posts would you like to see me do from above (or if you can think of more)?

Quote: Even angels have their wicked schemes.

-Shona xo

Nail Product Haul!

Just a very small haul to show you what nail products I've bought:-)

The first one is Barry M Base and Top Coat. I looovvveeeee Barry M so much, it's a great brand and I really needed a base/top coat, as they help to stop chipping and make your nails look more 'finished'. 

The next thing I got, was Barry M Glitter nail polish in Amethyst. It's such a gorgeous glittery nail polish. Every girl needs a glitter nail polish, especially at this time of year. I can't wait to try this out! (Review coming soon!) 

The final thing I got, was the Little Mix Press On Nails- Jesy. I've tried Jade's nail wraps before and have nothing negative to say about them. They were easy to apply, didn't chip once and were still perfect when I took them off. So, I decided to try the press on nails- Jesy, as they were the most Halloween-y themed nails. I got them for my trip to Alton Towers so I'll review them as soon as I've tried them. I love the design for Halloween too!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Love you guys:-)

Question of the blog: What are your favourite nail products?

Quote: 'Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go'

- Shona xo

Halloween Ramble!

Halloween is one of the best times of the year, you can dress up, have fun and eat sweets until you explode! I love Halloween so much. Scary music, costumes, games, parties... This year I'm going to Alton Towers Scarefest on all the rides when it's dark and in the scary mazes. I'm soooo excited and I can't wait:-)

Anyway, nothing can beat The Monster Mash for Halloween time, I always have a sneaky dance on Just Dance 2 (Shhh!) ;-) Sweet-wise I looooveeee screme eggs! It's a normal cadburys creme egg but the insides are green, eughh! Caramel cupcakes are the best thing ever though. Like seriously. 

Before I leave (but not really) I thought I'd mention a few of the blog posts that will/are likely to be going up soon:

Alton Towers related post

Pumpkin Carving

Halloween Baked Goods

My Pets ( if you want to see it)

Some of these might feature in a video too so don't forget to check out my channel! My YouTube Channel!

Also, leave any blog post or video requests, as they help me A LOT! :)

Question of the blog: What do you like/dislike about Halloween?

Quote: You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Quick Quotes

If you've read my other posts, you'll know that I post a quote at the bottom of each post. Today I thought 'd share some picture quotes I've been loving:-) 

Sorry this is a short post, but these quotes are so cute and inspirational. I love quotes so much, it's funny how a few words can change your mindset.

Question of the blog: What's your favourite quote?
Quote: All of the above:-)

-Shona xo

Fall In Love TAG!

Hey! I thought I'd do a TAG on here, as they are mostly done in videos, but I thought it would be nice to do one on here for all my lovely blog readers:-) If you would like to do this, feel free to say I tagged you!

1) What fall trend are you most excited for?

Probably wearing big, baggy, knitted jumpers! I think they're so cute and look great with leggings. They also keep you warm which is a bonus:-)

2) What is your favourite fall beauty product?

Definitely the Barry M Gelly nail effects, they add so much to an outfit in autumn. I know they're not specifically for fall, but they have some great colours that are fall appropriate.

3) What is your favourite fall drink?

I know this is a really boring answer, but I don't really have one... Sowwyyy:(

4) What is your favourite fall scent?

I know this is weird, but I really love the smell of the air in general during fall. Also, pretty much any fall scented candles.

5) Which fall trend do you hate?

Probably, riding boots. I know this is quite popular among people, but I used to ride and wearing them as everyday wear feels odd to me. Sorry:(

6) What is your Halloween costume this year?

I'll probably just do my hair and makeup for Halloween this year, I only dress up when I go to parties:-) I'll get creative with makeup though!

7) What is your favourite fall song?

Seeing as it's fall, my favourite song at the minute is Counting Stars by One Republic, love it<3

8) What is your favourite Halloween candy?

I'm torn between two. Either Screme Eggs or caramel cupcakes. They are both so scrummy! My mouth is watering just thinking about them:P

Hope you enjoyed this blog post, let me know if you'd like to see more TAG'S on here, or if you'd prefer them in a video.

Question of the blog: What are your answers?

Quote:  I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

-Shona xo

Youtube & Blogging

Hey! Today I wanted to discuss why I started YouTube/blogging and what it's like. I haven't been doing it for long, but I really enjoy it. That brings me to my first point. I blog and make videos because I ENJOY it and not for any other reason. If you have to force yourself to do videos or post regularly than, it's probably not the thing for you.

Anyway, I was inspired to start YouTube and blogging by some youtubers that I watch. I watch too many people and if I had a record to see how many videos I've watched in the last year, I think I'd want to crawl into a hole for a week. However, seeing their videos made me want to create my own. It looked like so much fun and I started filming clips on my laptop and editing them. I'd love seeing how it all came together and the final result. 

One Christmas I received a video editor, camera and tripod. I couldn't wait to start filming on it and editing and I was sooooo happy! It really helps to have a good/okay quality camera and make sure you be yourself! Don't come across as fake. if you find it hard at first, keep going. You'll become more and more comfortable around the camera. Another very important thing to remember is that it's not all about views. Sure, views and subscribers are great and every time someone subscribes/follows me or comments on something I do, I get so happy, however, don't try and force people to subscribe to you, it takes time and effort to earn an audience. If you want to subtly let people know about your channel, get social media, mention other accounts on the social media or tweet/post about it every so often.

Moving onto blogging. Blogging is extremely hard at first, I always get writers block. if this happens, don't post. If you have a good idea blog about. People would rather have good quality content than a average post every day. At first my posts were extremely short, however you get more used to it and they tend to become longer. Post about relatable interesting things and people will enjoy it. I think one of the best things about all this, is knowing that someone enjoys something that I have created:-)

Question of the blog: Do you blog/make videos?

Quote: Be proud of who you are and not ashamed of how someone else sees you.

-Shona xo

Thinking Positive

I come to you with a slightly deeper post today. If you haven't already seen Sprinkleofglitter's video 'Having Hope' watch it after reading this (link at the bottom) as it might help you further than what I can write. Today I'm going to talk about thinking positive and being happy with yourself. Too many people feel like their rubbish or worthless, but I promise you, you're not. No matter what life throws at you, stay strong and keep your chin up. If you reading this are feeling down about something I want you to do something. First, think about why you're sad. Thinking about it might help you realise that it's not that big of a problem. Don't distort or worsen issues.  If it is a big problem, think about the future. What I mean is, will it affect you in  few days, months or even years time? If something happened today, will it still be there tomorrow? Each day is a new day and some things don't have to be worried about to such an extent. However, if your problem won't go away or you feel depressed and down, remember that things get better. Nothing lasts forever and you are strong enough to pull through whatever is going on. No-one deserves to be unhappy and definitely if it caused by someone around you. I've heard the saying 'A problem shared is a problem halved' and, as untrue as it sounds, it really does work. Confiding in someone else helps you to lift a weight off your shoulders, you feel like you aren't alone. If you feel like you can't tell anyone, write it down. Write down the problem and rip it up. It's stupid and isn't worth your time. Now write down something good that has happened to you, big or small. Look at it and think about it.Think about the positives instead of losing yourself in the negatives. If you're on the internet all day or doing nothing, get up and do something, even if it's just taking a walk, you'll feel so much better. The last thing I want to say is, you can never dream too big. If you want to do something, do everything in your power to make it happen. If you want to write a blog, do it. If you want to do well on a test, make it happen. Make the right choices in life and it will pay you back. Don't be jealous of others, be inspired. In my last post, the quote of the day was: Live as if you'll die tomorrow, dream as if you'll live forever. Live by that quote and you will achieve anything you want to. 

I hope this post has helped you and remember, things WILL get better.

Question of the blog: Who/what inspires you?

Quote: A problem shared is a problem halved.

Shona xo

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer Review

I wanted to review a concealer for you today. I recently picked up the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer, as my old one (Avon Colourtrend Blemish Stick) was awful. The coverage was bad and it was all dried up even though I did nothing bad to it! I'd heard good things about this concealer so I decided to pick it up. I use the shade 010 Ivory, as this was the palest one and I have the palest skin ever! 

The applicator is a sponge tip, almost like a lip gloss and I really like that. It makes it easy to apply anywhere you want. It also feels really soft on the skin and blends nicely and doesn't feel cakey. This is best to use under the eyes, as it covers up really well. If you have spots this is a good concealer, but doesn't cover up everything, especially if your acne is bad, however it does help to reduce the redness! Also, just to add, you only need a tiny, tiny amount which is great. I made the mistake of putting too much on once and it takes FOREVER to blend, so be careful haha;-)

Question of the blog: What's your #1 concealer?

Quote: Live as if you'll die tomorrow, dream as if you'll live forever.

-Shona xo

Surviving High School!

Seeing as I'm in High School, I thought I would share with you some tips and advice for surviving high school, as I find a lot of people like to know about advice or things that might make them feel better, especially if you're just moving up to high school.

High school might seem daunting at first, older students, different teachers, different rules, but It's not as bad as you might think. Even though the routine might be very different, you manage to make loads of new friends and learn a lot more things. If you're finding it hard to make new friends, don't fret. Just be yourself and go up to someone and try to start a conversation. You're all in the same boat and it would make them feel a lot more comfortable too. If they are rude, then they are not worth being friends with. Just walk away and try talking to someone else.

A lot of people are bullied in High School which is really upsetting. If you are being bullied PLEASE tell someone! If you don't it will never go away. However you can also help it by not letting what they say affect you. If they know it's affecting you badly they will just carry on.

I know 99% of you will find school boring, but you still have to revise and do homework! Please do not leave it until the last minute you WILL regret it trust me. Get it done a few days before and you'll not have to worry. Also, set yourself a target to revise for a certain amount of time each day then reward yourself with leisure time (yay!).

If you're wondering what to carry around with you, I will list some of the things I carry. 

(My school bag is from Next, but I don't think it's available any more. It's a blue backpack with a tie dye type effect.)

I carry:

1) My house keys

2) My phone

3) Books/planner/school supplies (Pen, pencil, ruler, colours etc)

4) Deodorant

5) Spare hair bobbles/clips

6) Hand Sanitiser

7) Any extra make-up (If you need it)

(Sorry the layout has gone weird, I have no idea why):S

Those are the main things I carry, however if you feel like you need anything extra, put it in! You never know what might come handy at school!

If you're not sure how to wear your hair, I usually have mine in a simple ponytail. Sometimes I'll opt for a side plait/braid or even have it down, but I like to have a quick and easy hairstyle, especially on a morning.

Make sure you have fun at school (or the most fun possible) and don't worry:-)

Question of the day: What essentials do you carry around with you?

Quote: Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

-Shona xo

Songs of September

Today I'm going to share with you some of my favourite tracks from September!

My first (and most obvious) as I am a HUGE Little Mix fan, is their new single 'Move'. The more you listen to this song, the better it becomes and it's really catchy. Little Mix describe their music as quirk, old school, pop etc. This is just a feel good song that makes me happy:) 

My next song is 'Great Escape' by Mike Dignam. I found this song through the British Youtuber crew (yay!) and I loooveee it. If I'm feeling down this song makes me so happy every time I hear it and I would definitely recommend checking it out! 

Next I have 'Holy Grail' by Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z. I especially love Justin's part as it's just great! I don't really understand Jay-Z's part and it would be much better with just Justin, however I just go with it and I love it:-) 

Finally, 'Where Is The Love?' by the Black Eyed Peas. I know this song is not recent, but the lyrics are so powerful and have an amazing message in them. I also love it, because I like to rap and it has a great one:-) I had this on almost every day in September and I think I'll love it for a while!

I hope you enjoy the songs as much as I do!

Question of the day: What are your favourite songs for this September?
Quote: 'Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there's footprints on the moon'

-Shona xo