Blogging Days ♥

hey hey hey! I felt like having a chit chat about blogging and how I keep myself and my blog organised and how I get my motivation to blog! Please comment your blogging tips below!

Note keeping & being organised

I've had a mad obsession with stationery since I was about 5.. I don't know what it is about it but I just need about 100 notepads even if I don't write anything in them. If I see a cute notebook I will buy it, if I see a pretty pen I will buy it and if I see any reduced stationery at all I will buy it. Am I the only one? Surely not. But a key point to blogging is keeping notes and lists. Lists of blog post ideas, lists of your favourite products throughout the month for 'monthly favourites' and lists of products you have seen on other blogs and you are desperate to buy (this is usually my biggest, never ending list). I also recommend you type up lots of blog posts for the following week and schedule them for when you are at work/school. This is a good way of keeping your blog active.

Inspiration

I love reading beauty insider magazines from different companies such as Liz Earle which comes through the post every month, I love reading about new products and reading the descriptions of popular products. I am subscribed to Company magazine which at times I think could be a bloggers best friend. I absolutely love every aspect of this magazine, it has fashion, beauty, social media and of course blogging sections which are so interesting to read. Zoe from Zoella is going to be on next months front cover so keep an eye out for that one! Company also do an interactive weekly edit app which is only 69p, each issue, from the app store and is now available on iPad WOO! Tanya Burr is this weeks cover girl!

Social Media and Apps

I love using Twitter and Instagram as I feel like everyone is having a big chat with each other. If you don't have a twitter for your blog then I highly recommend you create one. I have found so many lovely bloggers from Twitter and I love the #bbloggers chats we have every Wednesday and Sunday at 8pm (uk time). It is a great way to get your blog out there and known, it has definitely helped me. 

Bloglovin, Polyvore, Tumblr and Pinterest are all great apps to have on your phone, ipad or tablet to help you get into the blogging mood. I use all of them regularly. Bloglovin is brilliant to have on the go to catch up with your favourite blogs. I use it every day and I find it so much easier than using the blogger home page! Polyvore is fab for making collages for Instagram, Twitter or even your blog. I created my Valentines Day Wishlist using Polyvore. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and I have given you an inspiring insight into how I blog and I hope you find some useful information from this post! xo

Sunday Catchup ♥

Happy Sunday! I hope you have had a good week! I haven't done very much this week, I have been working, been to the doctors about a pain in my leg I've had for 6 months, I got blood tests and I have an x-ray next Wednesday which will hopefully show what is making my leg so painful *grr*, I had the dentist on Friday and in my spare time I have been typing up blogposts. Ooh and my blog hit 200 followers this week woohooo! Thank you all for following me, it means a lot! Here are a few pictures from my week, some are from my Instagram @magickruby, you can follow me if you like (: xo

 1&2 - Magick having a little snooze on my tummy, cute! & My favourite Sheinside sweatshirt with my new TopShop leggings which I got for a tenner in the sale! BARGAIN!

 3&4 - I have been using this Limited Edition Cleanse and Polish all week, I can't get enough of it! & My gran and papa got me this cute desk tidy for my favourite nail polishes to fit into, I love it!

 5&6 Getting ready for work, sorry for the crazy selfie! & Instagramming what makeup was on my face the other day.

7&8 I finally got past level 56 on Candy Crush, it was driving me insane, I know there will be some crazy candy crush chicks (lol nice alliteration Natalie) looking at this picture and thinking 'she's only on level 56?!' But I am getting there! & in bed catching up on Vampire Diaries with a hot cup of tea P E R F E C T!

xo

Cath Kidston iPad case ♥

Cath Kidston iPad Case - RRP£30 (on sale for £20 here)

My iPad is my baby, I got it for my 18th birthday (4th August) from my mum and dad. My mum picked this beautiful Cath Kidston case to go with it and I love it. 

It has a padded memory foam material inside so my iPad is very safe and protected. The material on the outside is wipe clean oil cloth with the lovely floral print across it. I keep my iPad inside this case all the time when I am not using it. It is brilliant for travelling and keeping in my handbag if I am going anywhere. So if you are looking for a quality carry case for your iPad then I would highly recommend this one. 

I will do a 'Whats On My iPad' post soon too so keep a look out for that, I always like to see what other apps people have on their iPads/iPhones to see if there is any ones I haven't heard of, so hopefully you will enjoy it. Thanks for reading :) xo

My 18th Birthday! ♥

My cake! Ahh so amazing!

(Jewellery Left to Right) Ring from my Gran and Papa (it has tanzanite stones in it), 'N' necklace from my Auntie and earrings from my boyfriend James to match the necklace he got me for valentines (:

Dot Perfume from my uncle.. it smells so good

My iPad engraving (:

Hello everyone! I have been pretty busy recently and I have my driving test this week.. ah, wish me luck! Yesterday (Sunday 4th August) was my 18th birthday! Woo! I had a brilliant day with my family, my best friend, Lucy and my boyfriend, James.
 I knew I was getting an iPad for my birthday but it was still exciting. It is the iPad 4 with Retina Display which has an A6X Chip and 32GB of memory which is perfect! My mum and dad also chose for it to be engraved when they bought it from the Apple website with lyrics from my favourite song 'Gypsy' by Fleetwood Mac, it says" 'I have no fear, I have only love' 'Gypsy' - Fleetwood Mac". I am so so happy with it!
 My mum and dad also got a birthday cake made for me. My mum told the lady how she thought I would like it to look and I absolutely love it! I didn't want to cut into it and eat it because it just looks so pretty! It took me a few hours to give in and let everyone have a slice, it tastes so good!
 In the evening we all went out for dinner to a beautiful restaurant that I had never been to before, it was absolutely brilliant! I had a drink in there with Lucy and my mum after our dinner then we came home and cracked open some cans of cider haha!
 I had a wonderful birthday and I am so happy with all my presents and money I received from my friends and family. How are you all?(: xo

April Favourites

Hello everyone (:

I hope you have all had a good week so far, I have had a couple days off so I thought it would be a perfect time to catch up on some YouTube videos and write a couple blog posts, so here is my April Favourites!

I have a Superdrug haul coming up soon which includes a few of these products, so keep your eyes peeled for that! 

Cath Kidston Hand Cream: I have written about this hand cream here if you want to know more about it, I absolutely love it, I can definitely say it is my favourite hand cream, my hands have been pretty dry recently and this has been brilliant!

Tresemme Platinum Strength: I haven't had my hair cut in about a year now as I am growing it, so I was feeling like it needed a bit of a lift. I seen this new Tresemme shampoo and conditioner featured on Superdrug's website and then I realised it was 3 for £10 on selected products in this new range, so quickly added them to my basket, my hair definitely looks and feels softer after using this shampoo and conditioner.

MUA Undress Me Too palette: I have reviewed this palette here, it has been my go to palette for this month, I love all the colours and I can create so many different looks from it! The shimmer shadows are very very pigmented, the matt shadows aren't as vibrant but are buildable, I love it!

Rimmel 702 Marshmallow Heaven: I have been in quite a 'Spring' mood recently so I am loving pastel colours, this polish is very fast drying and long wearing which I can't seem to find in a few of my Essie polishes, which is annoying because I love their pastel colours!:(

Estee Lauder Trio: I have had this trio for quite a while now and as you can see I have hit pan on the bronzer, but I have been mixing the middle colour with what is left of the brown and it has been making a lovely shade for my cheeks.

Witch Anti Blemish Primer: This primer is amazing! I will definitely be reviewing it, it brightens up your face and definitely clears up any marks from spots and I haven't had a breakout since using it.

Cosmopolitan Beauty Blender: Finally, I bought the cheaper alternative to the much raved about Beauty Blender, I have to say I am amazed at how good it is! When I apply my foundation, it looks airbrushed and even all over my face, I cannot praise this sponge enough!

What are your favourites this month?:)

Cath Kidston Rose Hand Cream

Hello everyone:)!

I have just finished my first induction day in my new job, I think I am going to like working in Tesco, everyone in my store is so friendly so far which is good! I am home now and in my lounge bottoms and a hoodie feeling cosy! I hope you all have had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend!

I recently bought this hand cream from TK Maxx when me and my mum went shopping for the day, it was reduced from £8 to just £3! So I quickly chucked it in my mums shopping basket. My hands have been very dry recently and nothing has been working on them, even my trusty Soap and Glory Hand Food hasn't been doing the trick, so I was hoping this cream was going to save my hands and it has! I love the smell of it and it sinks into your hands quickly without them feeling oily, which is such a bonus and to top it all off it smells lovely, exactly like fresh cut roses! So if you are near a TK Maxx then go in and try and see if you can find it, bargain!

Have you tried any Cath Kidston hand creams? 

Week Summary

Hello everyone! I hope you have been having a good week, Friday tomorrow so I'm not complaining! I am currently listening to a dance radio station on Spotify, Deadmau5 - Ghosts 'n' Stuff (magic tune if you're into that kinda stuff! I have a major love for Deadmau5).

I thought I would share my week with you through my phone camera roll and instagram pictures, you can follow me on Instagram if you like. It's private but I accept basically everyone, apart from spam accounts haha! my username is in my description. I hope you like these pictures, they aren't superb photography but just a general summary :) I hope you all have a good weekend! xo

Strawberries! - Company Mag arrived! - Magick enjoying the sun - studying for theory test.. should have sat it by now, I'm so lazy!

Nails! (Essie - 'Lights') - watched Part 2 of Breaking Dawn, first film I've ever cried at! (I'm ashamed), the ending was just too cute, LOVE this cereal to munch on through a film - Bowling with friends - Cath Kidston Mag arrived.. want it all:(!

Home Inspiration ♥❀

Helloooo, todays post is something I was reserving for a day I couldn't physically take photos for a post.. I am in bed full of the cold and feeling sorry for myself so after reading blogs all day, watching YouTube on my PS3 with their new YouTube app(you pair your phone with your PS3 and your phone is the controller, I LOVE IT!), I decided it was time to blog! I hope you like this post!

I am obsessed country house style, my mum likes it too, which is good because we both can shop for the same kind of decor, anything floral, pretty and chic I love. So this post is just a few pretty and inspirational home decor pictures from Tumblr I hope you like them!

If you have Tumblr and like this kind of style too then check out mine, I update it all the time :) shabbychicandtea.tumblr.com

 NONE OF THESE PICTURES ARE MINE x

Wednesday Wishlist #1

1.TOPSHOP - GEEK t-shirt - £18

Love these tops, I know everyone has them but I really like them tucked into some disco pants!

2. Cath Kidston Bed Throw £120

Ah I love this blanket too much, looks so cosy and reversable!

3. Tartan Leggings - £32

These leggings would be lovely with a big oversized jumper, would use them constantly!

4. Yankee Candle - Pink Sands - £17

I had a smell of this today in one of my highstreet shops, I love it! Smells gorgeous.

5. Denim Skater Skirt - £20

This skirt goes with so much, I really want to add it to my wardrobe! I have seen a couple dupes in new look and on boohoo.com if anyone doesn't want to pay the TopShop price.

Real Techniques Starter Kit - £20.99

Obviously this set is in my wishlist, I love these brushes. I have seen how good they are on YouTube and I desperately want to buy them!

Sunday Summary Week 1

1. Out for a walk with Ruby after work

2. Throwing sticks in the remaining snow with Ruby

3. Night time reading and the new Cath Kidston handbook

4. Essie polishes arrived in the post! £1.99 each from fragrancedirect.co.uk

5. Late Lunch after work with my boyfriend James

6. Magick, couldn't resist not taking a picture!

Body Shop Brushes Review

I got quite a few Body Shop brushes for my Christmas from my boyfriends mum. I always use brushes for applying makeup. My mum got me a really good set of brushes for my Christmas a few years ago and I have realised since then that makeup application and the overall finished look is much better when you have more than one brush!

I had never tried any Body Shop brushes before and I have to say, these ones are really good, they are soft on your face which is the first thing I check with brushes because I dab and flick the brushes quite a lot and if the brush has thick and has hard bristles it hurts my eyes and cheeks.

Blusher Brush - £12

I use this brush for bronzing and contouring my face, I don't use blusher as much but it works well with blush too. I find the bristles soft and shiny which I love because then my bronzer slides on evenly, not thick and too dark. The brush is intended for sculpting, dusting and blending.

Eye Shadow Brush - £9

This is a thick brush and very precise, so it collects eye shadow perfectly and holds it in the bristles and applies it evenly across the whole eye, which is really good as I find a lot of brushes are very loose and don't pick up product very well and they leave you with a very dull eye when the shadow is applied.

Lipstick/Concealer Brush - £9

The hairs on this brush are very fine and tightly compacted together which is perfect for concealer or lipstick,  it is very precise and small so it is perfect for concealing imperfections and under your eyes. It holds the product well and is easy to clean as the bristles are thin and shiny.

Smudger - £9

I use this brush for taking away any marks that mascara or eyeliner may have left when applying my makeup and of course I use it for smudging, I never really like these kind of sponge brushes because I find the heads of them to always become loose and the foam rips easily but this sponge is very thick and feels like it is going to stay in place. I am very pleased with it so far!

Brow and Lash Brush/Comb

Finally the comb, I don't use this on my eyelashes but you could use the comb side to thin out mascara if it had been applied too clumpy and you wanted your lashes to be thinner. I use both the brush and comb side for shaping my eyebrows as they always decide to change shape! The brush feels strong and does a good job of separating hairs.

Overall I think they are really good and long lasting brushes! They feel like really good quality and apply makeup well!

Do you have any Body Shop brushes?

Tumblr anyone?

Do any of you have Tumblr? If you do then leave your URL in a comment and I will check it out, I am always looking for new pages to follow! I think Tumblr is such a good get away place, where you can get such inspiration. I think it has better pictures than typing a search into Google, I often find myself going onto Tumblr to find an Image for something instead of Google. I change my URL constantly but I think that having it the same as my blog will hopefully make me keep it this time! Here is a screenshot of my page if you are interested in having a browse through its pictures :). shabbychicandtea.tumblr.com

answer a question each day.

My mum picked this book for me as part of my Christmas, I didn't have a clue what it was going to be about.. I was a bit confused at first and thought it was a quiz book to pass the time on rainy days. But I was wrong, this book is a journal. Each day you are given a question to write about. You are given 4 lines for your answer and you write the last two numbers of the year at the start in the margin. Over the 5 year period you are supposed to use this journal, you can see how your life changes over time. I think this book is a brilliant idea and I would definitely recommend buying it!

'365 questions - 5 years - 1,825 answers'

Feb 9th  'How late did you sleep?'     Feb 10th 'If this day was an animal, which animal would it be?'

My December Favourites

Here is a few pictures of my favourite things throughout December, these are also featured on my Instagram  which you can request to follow, my username is in the description 

Lauren Conrad 'Beauty' is such a good book! I would 100% recommend this, I love reading it, it covers everything! makeup, nail art, skincare, hairstyles and more.

I got my nails done at work with Shellac gel nail polish, I thought that with it being the festive season I would get gold glitter on one of them to, Shellac nails is usually between £15-£30 depending on where you go for it and they last 3/4 weeks without chipping. I have been loving Soap and Glory's Hand Food, in the cold weather, it is brilliant and leaves my hands so smooth! In the background is a page from Company magazine, which is my all time favourite mag! It features blogs and blogging tips, makeup and nail art and more it has absolutely everything in it that a girl could want to read!

'Daisy' by Marc Jacobs is a summery scent but I think I can get away with wearing it all year round, unfortunately it has just finished so I need to buy a new one! :(

Pink and Blue fizzy bottles! I had looked all over my town for these sweets and nowhere seemed to sell them, I remember I used to get them every week from the ice cream van when I went to school and I could never find them anywhere else BUT I finally found them in one of the sweet shops in town when they got them back in stock so my boyfriend got me a huge bag full, safe to say they are all gone now!

This book is so lovely! I love all the Cath Kidston decor and this book basically tells you how to have a vintage home and how to create and decorate things, I would recommend buying this book if you too like the vintage, country house style!

What was your favourite things from december?