Hello Blogger.. Can We Be Friends Again?

I've changed my room up a lot since my last posts! Interior posts coming soon!

Looking out over Skye a couple of weeks ago

Well.. I think this is the 3rd time I've wrote a comeback blog post..I promise I am going to get better at this again. My blog and I have had a bit of a dysfunctional relationship over the last couple years.. we try to commit but it never works out the way we want it to. But this time I want to be back for good. So I am going to start off fresh and have a new blog style and see how it goes from there. I want to post more lifestyle content as I find myself exploring a lot more these days and although I update my Instagram virtually every day it's just not the same as documenting a day out in a blog post. I want to get back into reviewing products too, I have a mental list of things I want to write about that I think you will enjoy as much as I am! I want to post some gaming reviews too which is something I wanted to do in the past but didn't think it would suit everyone's taste but I am now in the mind set of "this is my blog and I will post the things I enjoy" regardless if it only gets 5 views. Lets' see how this time pans out...

Natalie x

Taking Off The Day

Scrub Love "Mint Temptation" £12.95* & Clinique Anti-Blemish Clearing Treatment £18

Helloooo! I hope you have had a good week, I am so tired.. I can't even explain.. I've had a chest infection and pleurisy the past 2/3 weeks and it's still lingering in my lungs and making me so exhausted all the time. But on the plus side I ordered myself a shiny new mountain bike this week which I'm so excited to get out on when I'm 100% better, the area I live in has the most perfect, scenic trails to buzz (slowly) round in all weathers, wooo, expect some posts about that when it all arrives and I get back into the swing of things! 

Anyway, here's my favourite products to take off my makeup and start to wind down for the evening,

Step 1: Cleanse

Firstly I remove all my makeup using Simple eye makeup remover and Clean & Clear deep cleansing lotion on soft makeup pads, I've been using these 2 products since I was about 14, they are so good and take everything off with ease and leave my face feeling squeaky clean. 

Step 2:  Exfoliate

Next I move onto exfoliating, recently I have been trying out the new coffee scrub craze from the company Scrub Love*, all their scrubs are 100% natural and I can definitely say I now understand what the hype is all about because this stuff actually does work! The scrub I am currently using is the "Mint Temptation" one, here is what Scrub Love have to say about it "The perfect blend of organic ingredients with a mint kick will leave anyone tempted.. Tea tree mixed with amazing argan oil will cool and moisturise. While more than a hint of mint will stimulare circulation with this organic scrub - leaving you polished to perfection.." Firstly I wet my face with warm water and then apply a handful of lovely, SUPER fresh smelling mint flavoured coffee granules and rub it all over my face, focusing mostly on my cheeks, rubbing it all in, in small circular motions, I must admit it does look like I have a bit of a stubble going on when I am using it, but who cares! It really cools my face down and feels really nice on my skin, I've noticed it has completely got rid of the little bumps I've had on my cheeks for a while now! I leave it on for about 10 minutes or so and then rinse it all off with warm water then pat my skin dry with a towel. My skin feels so soft and nourished afterwards. I am really pleased with this product so far, it can be used all over your body, in the bath or in the shower which is great because I don't always have baths as I much prefer showers.

Step 3: Moisturise

Lastly I use Clinique anti-blemish solutions all-over clearing treatment which keeps my skin moisturised and totally clear of blemishes, I absolutely love this product, it works so well and my skin has never looked better since using it. I have been pretty lucky with my skin in general, however, I would tend to get the odd spot now and again but now I very very rarely get spots since using this cream. 

I hope you will try out some if not all of these products, they're all excellent! Thanks for reading! :) x

Life Update Again.. | One Awful Year Later...I'm Back

Hey! I am heeeeere! 

I'm going to give my blog some attention again, I feel like my head is slowly coming back around to "normal" and I feel like I can do this again. Blogging should not feel like a chore you should want to do it so that's why I'm back, I want to do this again! 

As some of you may know last year was the worst yet for me, I sadly lost my big cousin/best friend Kelly to skin cancer which became terminal last September and it has affected me really badly. I am still in shock and I can't believe it is coming up to a year since she passed away but I know she would want me to get back on here and back on track with my life and stop being so down. So I have lots of things, beauty and miscellaneous aside to review, I have loads of makeup ideas to upload and I am going to be travelling about a lot more so I will try and incorporate all that into my posts as much as I can! I can't wait to see what happens from here, I hope you guys are well. You can keep up to date with me if you fancy through Instagram which I use all the time @magickruby :) x

Here's my favourite picture of me and my beautiful cousin Kelly <3..

My Two Winter Lip Saviours ♥

Blistex Relief Cream - £1.28(usually £2.24) & Lush Lip Service - £5.75

It is SO cold here in Scotland at the moment, I love this weather because the air is so lovely and crisp and the skies are blue. However it does have a downside, my lips get sore! I have solved my problem though, these two beauties are something you all need to invest in this winter if you haven't already. 

Blistex is something I only ever use every now and again but I have been using it religiously recently to prevent my lips getting cracked. This is a medicated lip balm so it has a lovely cooling/tingly feeling, it also tastes a bit like mint which is really nice. If my lips are sore, I apply this and within about half an hour they are back to normal. This product can also be applied onto cold sores before they develop fully which is great if you get them due to stress or feeling run down.

I bought this Lush lip balm on a whim when I was at the Lush counter, I thought it was only about £1 so when it turned out to be £5.75 I was in shock but I can safely say now it is well worth the money. I have had this tin since July and it is still full. I love the fresh citrus smell of tangerine and mandarin oil from this lip balm. It is made up of beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter and apricot kernel oil to lock in moisture. If my lips are dry at all, one day of applying this every now and again they are back to normal. I also love applying this balm before I put on lipstick which helps keep them moisturised through the day.

Do you have any lip product recommendations? x

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara ♥

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara Blackest Black- £4.99
I have a problem with buying mascara, I buy about 2 new bottles a month which ends up with me having an entire drawer full of half used mascara's. Not ideal. However, I thought this was a mascara worth mentioning.
I don't usually use just one mascara on it's own when I do my makeup, so I have been enjoying using this mascara as a 'base', it separates and lengthens all of my eyelashes to a perfect length, top and bottom. I could get away with using it on its own for a basic look but because my eyelashes are long I like to use a bit more mascara to emphasise them even more on a day to day basis.
When used on its own it is a true dark black colour which I really like. It can be built up to make my eyelashes thicker. It dries really quickly and it doesn't flake off through the day either which is brilliant. This is an amazing budget mascara, I can't believe it is only £4.99, I highly recommend it to you all!

Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder ♥

Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder 28g - Escentual £17.00 RRP (Currently £11.33!)*

Hello! What do you think of my new blog name(click here to read about my new blog name) and design from Pipdig?! It's exciting, I'm so happy with it! let me know your thoughts in the comments (: 

I was recently sent this translucent loose powder to review from Escentual, it came to me at the perfect time as I have bought a lot of new powders recently, none of which quite match this one! I absolutely love it. The first time I used it, I applied it first thing in the morning at 7am, it lasted the whole day without going patchy or letting my face get oily, which is excellent. I have never had such a good result from a face powder before. It doesn't matter how much I rub my face or scratch my nose, it doesn't budge, it has a smudge and water/perspiration resistant finish for up to 16 hours. 

I apply it with the soft powder puff applicator which is included in the tub, I find this gives a lovely soft all over finish without removing any of my foundation underneath. I am really pleased with the size of the tub too, it has loads of powder in it, I only need a tiny amount of powder to do my face which means this tub will last me a long time. I can't recommend this enough to you all, especially if your face gets oily through the day. This is definitely one of my new staple makeup products!

Laquee Rette Gel Nail Polish ♥

Laquee Rette Gel Polish 091# - £2.49 eBay

I have an interview today for college, I have applied to study Fashion Design & Manufacture. I am pretty nervous as it is a video conference interview which seems a bit daunting!? I am sure it will be fine, I really hope I get a place, if not I will just try again next year! eek.

This seems to be the only gel nail polish I am wearing at the moment! I always receive lots of compliments on my nails when I wear it. I love it so much, there are lots of different coloured flakes running through the bluey purple colour which shimmer in the light. I would say this is the best gel polish I own and it lasts about 5/6 days without any chips or peeling. I had to wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive as it is from Hong Kong, however, it was worth the wait. The price for one of these large bottles of polish is amazing, most of my gel polishes are thin square bottles and cost a lot more, I love the fact this is a chunky round bottle with a lot more product inside. I will definitely be repurchasing from this seller, they have loads of colours to choose from!

Anna Sui Eyeshadow & Lip Colour Palettes ♥

  

Eyeshadow & Lip Colour Palette - RRP £28 (currently both £14) - Escentual*

I was recently sent these pretty palettes from Emma at Escentual. They have both got such beautiful packaging and a gorgeous range of highly pigmented colours.
The eye palette is so versatile, it can be used to create a soft natural look or a smoky, night out look. All of these bold shades are full of colour and are very pigmented.

What I Got For My Birthday & About My Day ♥

Yesterday, 4th August, was my 19th birthday.. wowee, I cant believe this is my last teen year, it feels so strange! I didn't do much yesterday, I opened my presents in the morning, my main present from my mum and dad were the beautiful floral Doc Martens in the picture above, my mum knows me SO well! I love them and I am so so happy I finally have a pair after craving them for years! The other presents that weren't from my mum and dad were from my family & friends, I'm so grateful for everything I got!

Elf Haul ♥

It's my birthday today! YAY, I'm 19 now.. I feel old :(.. I will put up a blog post during the week about about my day and the lovely things I have got, so keep your eyes peeled! <3
I recently took advantage of Elf's 50% off sale, I stocked up on old products that I have reviewed before on here such as their liquid eyeliner (review here) & a couple of other basics. Here are my favourites:

Life Recently ♥ | Kittens, Mountain Bikes, Sunny Days etc.

HEY! I hope you're doing well! I feel like I haven't talked to you all in so long.. I have been so busy recently, I have been hanging out with my best  friends, one of which has just left to live in Glasgow :( (so upset), I've been swimming in massive pools and rivers, having BBQ's, having DVD nights with my friends, travelling with my mum and of course working! I have managed to fit in a lot into my spare time which I am really pleased about, I have been getting out in the sunshine whenever I get the chance, so I haven't been posting as much (sorry). Here are a few pictures I would like to share with you all. I am going to take plenty blog post pictures today as I'm off (y a y) so I will be back on track very soon, I have loads of reviews and ideas that I can't wait to share with you all! I hope you like this little update post, let me know what you've been up to! x

Pictures in detail (from Left- Right, top to bottom):

1,2 &3 - My friend Jerez's kittens! SO cute!

4 - One of the rivers I explored recently with my brother and James

5 - The mountain bike world cup is held where I live every year, it is a good event, I love bikes and the atmosphere is always magic, it was amazing to see stunt planes this year too!

6 - There have been some beautiful, bright and vibrant sunsets recently, this one was amazing!

7 & 8 - I dyed my hair (please excuse my bogging mirror in the second picture)!! My hair was not meant to turn out this dark at all but I liked it at the time, I have now attempted to strip my hair 3 times, all of which haven't worked brilliantly and my hair has faded back dark each time! I am getting my hair done on the 6th August though so it will be totally different again, I can't wait!

9 & 10 - A new cafe opened in my high street, it is amazing and it does thee best brownies EVER.

11 & 12 - I have been here twice in the past 2 weeks, it is such a beautiful place to go swimming or just sit and chill at!

13 & 14 - Me and Leon (the one who moved to Glasgow) sitting in a park one day being weird and taking stupid selfies.. & me and my best bud Laura taking more stupid selfies!

Amazing Advertisers - June

Hey! Another month is over.. SO glad it is July now because I am going to London on the 26th, eeeek! I'm so excited! I hope you have had a good month, here are my lovely advertisers this month, I hope you enjoy looking through their blogs as much as I do :). 

Exclusive Advertiser

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook|Bloglovin'

"On a dark night last September, I was finally convinced to set up a blog. A long-term pal of mine had been saying for ages, 'ooooh Bean' you need to write about all these lovely/and not so lovely things you try.  You see I had quite a stash of products, it was more like a small shop, certainly not an every day makeup bag.  It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I'm documenting life, sharing products I love and don't love so much, meeting wonderful bloggers and enjoying the whole community spirit. Plus I'm hopefully looking a little better (after all that testing).

If you want to join my journey and 'full of Bean's' blog, please subscribe it would mean the world to this ditzy, fun-loving, blonde Bean."

Large Advertisers

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Bloglovin'

"Hey guys! My name is Alex and I have a blog named "Prettythoughtsx". I currently work as a Retail Apprentice at Next and hope to go into Visual Merchandising! I've not been blogging for very long, only a few months but I really do love it. It's mainly Beauty and Fashion related - however I do the odd post on fun things I do aka travelling! Come say Hi sometime :-)" 

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Bloglovin'

"Hi, my name is Sophiia (yes I spelt it right, don't judge!) and my little blog is Beauty By Sophiia. Its not a very original title, I know, but I'm heavily pregnant so blame it on the baby-brain. I blog about anything beauty related that catches my eye, and sometimes I like to dabble in a bit of fashion. I also post about my pregnancy and will be featuring more of my son in the coming months, so keep an eye out if you love photos of adorably dressed toddlers! I like to write honest reviews, so you'll never get a load of mindless twaddle from me - brownie promise. Speaking of which I'm also getting into posting recipes soon, once I've cracked my ultimate cupcake. So that's what I'm all about, take a look at my blog if you like the sounds of it, and comment too! I love reading and replying comments, I like new friends :) Much love, Sophiia x"

You can book advertising slots by following the instructions here 

Natalie x

Amazing Advertisers - May ♥

Hey! I hope you're having a good week! I would like to introduce you to my two lovely advertisers, they have been featured on my blog throughout May. Be sure to add them to your reading list, they have lovely blogs which are full of beauty and lifestyle posts. I will leave the rest to them to introduce themselves:)! 

Exclusive Advertiser

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Bloglovin'

"Hi, my name is Sophiia (yes I spelt it right, don't judge!) and my little blog is Beauty By Sophiia. Its not a very original title, I know, but I'm heavily pregnant so blame it on the baby-brain. I blog about anything beauty related that catches my eye, and sometimes I like to dabble in a bit of fashion. I also post about my pregnancy and will be featuring more of my son in the coming months, so keep an eye out if you love photos of adorably dressed toddlers! I like to write honest reviews, so you'll never get a load of mindless twaddle from me - brownie promise. Speaking of which I'm also getting into posting recipes soon, once I've cracked my ultimate cupcake. So that's what I'm all about, take a look at my blog if you like the sounds of it, and comment too! I love reading and replying comments, I like new friends :) Much love, Sophiia x

 Large Advertiser

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Bloglovin'

"Hey guys! My name is Alex and I have a blog named "Prettythoughtsx". I currently work as a Retail Apprentice at Next and hope to go into Visual Merchandising! I've not been blogging for very long, only a few months but I really do love it. It's mainly Beauty and Fashion related - however I do the odd post on fun things I do aka travelling! Come say Hi sometime :-)"

If you want to advertise on Shabby Chic and Tea, all the info you need is here, prices start from £3! Book your slot for June now! xo

Birchbox May 2014 - First Beauty box Impressions ♥

£10 per month + £2.95 postage

This is my first ever beauty box.. (such a terrible blogger). I have never been too sure on beauty boxes, just in case I didn't like the products one month, however I have always been tempted to try one and see how I feel, so I had a browse online to see which box seemed the most appealing to me for the month of May. I was fairly impressed with this Birchbox, the price was reasonable and the products looked interesting. When I received this box I was very pleased, you are guaranteed 4/5 products every month and it only costs £12.95 altogether!

Products:

Benefit They're Real Mascara RRP £19.50

I didn't really enjoy this mascara the first time I tried it last year. My experience wasn't too bad this time, however, I still wouldn't pay full price for it because I can find better mascaras on the high street for a fraction of the cost. I have a full review on this mascara here if you would like to read more about my experience.

Aromatherapy Associates RRP £39

I loooove the smell of this oil. I apply it to my arms, stomach and legs before I get into the shower. I thought it would just wash off my skin instantly but even after using my Radox shower gel, I could still smell the beautiful blend of 'pink grapefruit, rosemary and juniper berry' on my skin. When my skin has dried after my shower it feels refreshed, soft and smells wonderful!

Beauty Protector Shampoo & Conditioner £14 each

I also love the smell of these shampoo and conditioner's, however the shampoo didn't lather up as well as I had hoped, I ended up having to use my normal shampoo on top to get it nice and soapy. The conditioner went on okay, it smells gorgeous too, however, I don't think I would pay full price for both of these products.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish from £13.50

I always use the full size versions of this cleanse and polish so to have a travel size (and another muslin cloth) is great, I have a full review on this product here if you want to read a bit more about it (brilliant product!)

Soignè Nail Lacquer £11 (Full Size)
This is a full size product which comes in a nice little box with moulded foam around the bottle inside. I love the colour, it is so pretty, I didn't actually have a deep red colour in my nail polish collection?! It lasts a good few days without chipping and it has a gorgeous high shine finish!

What beauty boxes are you subscribed to? xo

Bourjois Dark Khol Mascara Review ♥

Bourjois Dark Khol Mascara - £7.99 Superdrug

Heeeeey! I hope you're having a good week, I have loads to get done at the moment and my room is a complete tip and I need to take blog pictures... so stressed! I thought you would like to read about this lovely mascara I have been using recently, let me know what you think. 

I absolutely love the applicator brush, it is such a unique, interesting shape. The spiked end is great for applying mascara onto my bottom eyelashes, it doesn't make them clumpy or stuck together! The hourglass shaped head is great for applying lots of mascara on my top eyelashes but also separating each individual lash. 

The formula in this mascara is great, it allows my eyelashes to flex, so they don't feel so solid and don't look fake. It is a very dark black colour which makes my eyelashes stand out even more. It doesn't break up through the day and fall onto my face either which is good. I don't know if it is just my bottle of mascara or what but to me the product itself smells of pollen? (I have really bad hayfever so don't worry it doesn't actually include pollen or I wouldn't be able to use it!) but it smells like it! If anyone else has noticed this please let me know in the comments so I don't seem so crazy! haha. Overall I love this mascara, so if you are looking for a new one then I recommend you try this out!