Random Acts of Kindness

Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've been feeling kind of depressed lately so I gave myself some time to get into a better head space  and I think I'm back. Today I just wanted to talk about the little things that you can do to help people out. I have always believed in the saying 'kindness is free', maybe you can't buy somebody and iPhone for free but it really is the random acts of kindness that can brighten up somebody's day. Here are a few things that can make a big difference.

- Spam click YouTube/blog ads

I don't know about you but this is something I do a lot. I see an ad for one of my dear blogging/YouTube friends and I spam click it for a few minutes. This is a great example of giving somebody some money by donating your time. You can give somebody a hundred dollars without spending any of your money and only giving somebody a few minutes of your time. It's a win-win situation, you get a warm, fuzzy feeling and your friend gets money (don't worry about Google, they make thousands of dollars each minute).

- Genuine compliments

Whether it is a compliment that you gave to a stranger who was wearing a nice pair of earrings, your friend who has always been their for you or your Mum, a genuine compliment doesn't take long to give one to somebody but somebody's day can really be lightened up by you.

- Make somebody a happy jar
I was reading Elise's post (definitely check her blog, it amazing) and she mentioned her happy jar. Every time she looks in the mirror she tries to find something that she likes about her body, she then writes it down on a scrap of paper and puts it in her happy jar. As I was reading her post I thought of making these for my friends, you could go beyond the person's body and talk about their personality. This is an idea that takes a bit more time to do but it's really sweet. It's like a piece of you can be with your friend in hard times when you can't be.

I hope you enjoyed the post! I would love to hear your ideas for random acts of kindness in the comments section or even a post! Have a great day and I'll see you soon.

10 Subscribers - YouTube

Hey guys! Yesterday something really awesome happened, I reached 10 subscribers on YouTube! Now I know that 10 subscribers is nothing really but I'm really happy because I've only made two videos! Thank you so much to everybody that hit that subscribe button, to me 10 subscribers is a milestone and it has made me feel so much more confident about making videos, thank you guys!

I did have a personal goal for the amount of subscribers I would like to have by the end of 2016, it wasn't like I really, really wanted to get there, but I thought it would be really amazing if I had 10 subscribers by the end of my first year on YouTube. Instead of getting 10 subscribers in 52 weeks, I got that number in 2 weeks, there is only one word that can describe how this feels - bizarre. I think I set myself a not-so-high goal for YouTube because I had quite a slow start to blogging, I didn't know what the blogging community was and I had no idea what I was doing but with YouTube, my blogging community and blog readers have really got my back, thanks so much guys!

I'm really shocked that this has happened, thank you, thank you, thank you! I know I said that wasn't going to be able to post for a while but I have found some internet thankfully, I have some more posts up my sleeve now that I have internet! Thank you so much for subscribing to my YouTube channel and for reading! Have a great day!

xxx

Catherine

Video - Toxic Relationships

Hey guys! I'm really sorry that I couldn't get my latest video on this post, I have been searching for it but it just won't come up. You can click here to watch the video anyway. I have been in a friendship with a person that made me upset a lot of the time but I didn't know what to do. I'm not friends with this person now and I think I've sort of figured out what to do if you need to get out of a toxic relationship. I don't want any of you to feel trapped and upset the way I did so I shared my tips in the video.

I would love your honest opinion on the new template. I know that there are a few things that I need to touch up but I'm not sure what they are so it would be extremely helpful if you pointed them out. Thanks guys!

xxx

Catherine

Beauty - Essano Rosehip Oil Chat

(I have had a small break from blogging because I went camping for a few days without technology. It was fun just living at the beach and planning posts in my tent late at night. I will unfortunately be having another break from blogging because I'm going to my Nana's house for about a week and considering she doesn't have a computer of cellphone, I don't think she will have internet. I'm hoping that I can publish a cheeky post if I find internet.)

Hey guys! Today I felt like having a good old chat about Essano's Rosehip Oil, it's honestly my favourite beauty product. Yes, you did read that right, it's my favourite beauty product. I'm sure there are many more brands that sell rosehip oil but a friend just happened to recommend the brand Essano so I bought it. I don't if the particular brand is sold outside of New Zealand but I'm sure you can find a great brand outside of New Zealand. 

Essano do a whole range of rosehip beauty products, including the actual oil, micellar water, night cream, hand cream, body lotion, moisturiser, eye cream and so much more. At the moment I have the rosehip oil and the micellar cleansing water that also removes make-up. I love both of the products and I am planning on getting more of these products in the future.

Before bed I put one or two drops of rosehip oil into my hands and apply on my face. I have been doing this for about two weeks and I have already noticed a huge difference in my skin. My skin is firmer and it has more elasticity. My skin is so, so soft and my skin tone is even. I can't believe the results!

If you have oily skin you might be reluctant to try rosehip oil but don't worry, it's a dry oil. Your skin will absorb it very quickly and it won't leave you with an oily face. Rosehip oil will make an amazing difference in your skin even if you think you already have too much moisture on your face.

I was amazed at the way my skin felt after just a few days and I wanted to see what else rosehip oil can do so I did some research and discovered that Rosehip Oil is also beneficial fro your nails and hair. To strengthen your nails, massage rosehip oil on your nails in circular motions, you will need one to two drops of the oil for all of you nails. This works so well! My nails are so much stronger and they aren't tearing off all the time like they used to. You can give yourself a nice scalp massage with rosehip oil on your hands, it will get the blood flowing in your head meaning that your hair follicles will be fresh and ready to grow more hair and the rosehip oil will hydrate and nourish your scalp and hair follicles so that when your hair does grow, it will be soft and shiny. You could also work a drop or two of rosehip oil through the ends of your hair. Don't use more than one or two drops of the rosehip oil or your hair may be too oily and you might have to wash your hair. If you use the right amount of rosehip oil on your hair, it will be soft and shiny.

After reading about all the benefits of rosehip oil, you might be wondering about the price of it. 45ml of Essano's Rosehip Oil costs around 27 New Zealand Dollars full price. It is slightly pricey at a glance but when you think about all the benefits and how long it will last, it's a really good deal.

As you can probably tell by now, I love rosehip oil and I highly recommend it. I was just reading the post back and it sound like I'm being sponsored by Essano but I'm not. It's just the only rosehip oil I've ever used but I'll definitely tell you if I find another brand I love. 

Photography - Flowers & Plants - Part 2

Hey guys! You all seemed to like my last photography post so I decided to make a part 2 for you! I have more flowers and also some plants this time. All of the following photos are taken and edited by me. I hope you enjoy these photos!

I love this photo! This is plant that we take for granted but it is very beautiful. When I see this picture, I have a mental image of a little kid blowing on one and watching in awe as the wind takes it away.

I love the brightness of dandelions and I think this photo turned out pretty good.

The fern is distinctly New Zealand and I love it!

The pohutakawa is also a representative of New Zealand and I love all things New Zealand, it's my home.

I'm not sure what flower this is but I do know that it's beautiful!

I think I included this flower in my first photography post but it's so beautiful that I just had to include it again.

I love the way these flowers hang down, it makes you want to take a second look.

So that is it for today's post! I will have a new photography post out soon with a new subject. I hope you have a wonderful day and I will talk to you soon.

xxx

Catherine

My First Video - Welcome To Smiley Central

Hey guys! I posted my first video today! I hope you enjoy it!

xxx

Catherine

My 2016 Blogging Goals

Hey guys! Happy New Year! As I mentioned in this post last year, my new years resolution is to be a better blogger. I didn't really specify the areas that I wanted to improve in so that what I'm going to do today.  This year is going to be the year in which I step up from 2015 on this blog, I am so ready!

My first goal is to create quality content. I want to plan out every post, I've actually bought a 2016 planner for this purpose. I am going to plan when I will write posts and when I will publish them. I think this organisation will motivate me to get blogging! I would like to post quality content every few days but I will be more picky with what I post.

My next goal is to find the perfect blog template. Okay, this one won't exactly help my the quality my blog but it does make it much more appealing. I do like this blog template but the image tiles. I really like this blog template from the blog template shop Envye. I might actually buy it later on this year.

My final goal is to connect with my community and readers more often. I want to read more blogs and make more friends through blogging. I have had the time of my life since I have started this blog. I have made so many friends and I just want to continue this year.

Thanks for reading guys! I hope you liked this post. I am going to try very hard to make sure everything goes to plan! I'll talk to you soon!

xxx

Catherine