My Top 10 Coffee Inspired Beauty Products.

Every year on the 1st October when International Coffee day comes around, I always think to myself that I wish I fore planned a really interesting post about coffee inspired beauty products as I have used a few over the last few years and always ended up loving them.

This year I have finally got myself organised and got a post I am really excited for you to see!

As far as drinking coffee I can confirm that I am a lover of coffee, however after cutting down from 6 grande Starbucks a day at uni, I can safely say I am now a one or two cup a day kind of girl!

So why do we love coffee so much?

Coffee has actually been thought to improve heart health (in moderation) and also prevent liver disease, although most people drink coffee to brighten them up and caffeinate them to tackle the day ahead. It is also a diuretic so it cleanses the digestive system, hence why people drink coffee after large meals.
These are the health benefits of coffee on the inside, but what can coffee do on the outside that sees it becoming more and more used in cosmetics?
Well pretty much the same to be honest. In skincare, coffee can cleanse and stimulate the skin, and for cosmetics, warm coffee colours are highly sought after around Autumn and Winter times.

I've chosen ten coffee inspired products which I think do coffee justice, all of which are affordable and from high street stores. So without further ado, here are my top 10 Coffee inspired Beauty products.

I featured this Cup O' Coffee Scrub, £7.25, Lush scrub on my Instagram the other day and it got a great reception from all of you saying you loved this product too. I also got a regram from the Australian Lush page so that was quite exciting for me! This exfoliating face and body scrub contains large chunks of coffee that stimulate the skin and sloughs away dead cells. It smells absolutely delicious and it leaves the skin feeling silky smooth and soft. The scrub is fairly abrasive so I use this maybe once a week when I want a really deep all over body exfoliate.



Whilst I use the Lush scrub once a week, I still like to gently exfoliate my face to avoid clogged pores when wearing makeup daily. I like to feel as though my face is always looking it's smoothest and the Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser, £15.50, Boots helps me do this on a daily basis but gently enough to not cause sensitivity. The main ingredients are GinZing and caffeine, so the range is really invigorating, brightening and radiance boosting. I have tried a few other products from the range which I absolutely loved so make sure you check out that post here.

Next I have a few coffee inspired nail polishes which I think are perfect for the next few months! Kicking of the coffee claws is Mavala nail polish in Espresso, £4.75, Boots which is a beautiful deep brown, perfect for someone who likes a dark polish but wants something warmer than black. I really like wearing this colour in Autumn and think it looks really sophisticated.

Alternatively, if you are someone who prefers a lighter, more natural looking nail, then Maybelline nail colour in Latte, £3.99, Boots may be the polish for you. It is a high gloss, barely there nude but it looks really beautiful on and adds a touch of polished, subtle, glamour to natural looking nails

Nails Inc Caffeine Hit Collection

Now if you are someone like me who likes to make a statement with your nails, then you should look no further than Rise and Grind, £11, Nails Inc which is actually from the 'Caffeine Hit' collection they brought out a short while ago. The collection itself is stunning and contains four coffee shades that actually dry smelling of coffee! If you ever liked the coffee flavour in ministerial chocolates (controversial, I know), then that is what the polish smells like when it is dry. 

Whilst the collection is beautiful, I think you can find other polishes on the market with similar colours for much less. For example, the Mavala Espresso polish is pretty much identical to Nails Inc's Espresso Martini and is a fraction of the price, but Rise and Grind is a beautiful blend of rose gold, orange and deep shimmers that I couldn't resist picking up!

 

The next coffee inspired beauty product is L'Oreal lip stick in Moka Chic, £6.99, Boots which I thought would actually be a little more brown due to it's name. However this shade is quite pink and is a beautiful natural nude. This is from the Colour Riche Matte Addiction range so it has a fairly matte formula. Unlike a lot of Matte's however, this formula is so creamy and doesn't dry the lips out at all. Whilst the lipstick is quite matte looking in the bullet, I don't think it gives a very matte finish. It is a really lovely colour so if you're looking for a affordable, beautiful pink nude then look no further than Moka Chic.

 

Next is an eye product and this is the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha, £5.50, Boots which can be used as an eyeliner and also an eye shadow stick. This subtle shimmery bronze/ gold is again, really pretty for the Autumn season. The pencil is really build-able on the lid and can be used to create a light every day look or something more sultry. On the look above, I used a light sweep of the shadow and grunged it up with black liner but using this product for the water line and inner corner will really open and brighten the eye.

 

Another pencil is the Rimmel 1000 Kisses lip liner in Cappuccino, £2.99, Boots which is a lovely deep brown to go with all the darker lip colours that we tend to wear more in the winter. This is a really durable lip liner and will keep lipsticks tightly inside the lip line.

Speaking of darker lips, this Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Mocha, £5.99, Boots is a fantastic long wearing dark nude lip. I tried this along with 'Latte To Go' from the collection but that was too light for me. After swatching them on my handing the shop, they did not budge all day and the same can be said for when they are on the lips. This is a very matte formula so once this dries down to matte it will not budge. I love using this with the Cappuccino lip liner to intensify the colour and it is a really gorgeous colour.

Wearing NYX Mocha eyes, Cappacino Lip Liner with Rimmel Stay Matte lip in Mocha

Finally is a body product which is the *Vita Liberata Body Blur in Latte, £29.50, Boots which is perfect for this time of year when you're looking for a faux glow. Vita Liberata is a very luxurious tanning company but their products are really gorgeous. I first saw this product on Victoria from In The Frow and remember how amazing her skin looked with this product on. The body blur is an instant tanner that lasts for 24 hours. It can be used all over the body and sparingly on the face as a makeup base or for a natural look. It dries so quickly so is perfect if you're in a rush and the finish really does blur any perfections leaving you with gorgeous bronzed, airbrushed looking skin.

So these are my favourite coffee infused or inspired beauty products. I really hoped you enjoyed the post as I spent a small fortune and ages researching individual products with coffee names to the point the staff in Boots thought I was a bit shifty! I also made my whole house stink of coffee from the beans in the cover photo so I hope you enjoyed and got some inspiration to add a little caffeine in your routine.

See you next time!

*sent as a PR Sample

Nails Inc Flock You Nail Duo and Neon Lip Paints

I am so incredibly excited to write this blog post because I think it is something you are all going to love!

The Nails Inc polish duos posts I have written are always popular on my blog, but this time you are in for a double treat because not only is this my favourite ever nail duo so far, but I have also included some exciting neon lip paints from inc.redible cosmetics range which you absolutely must have if you intend to enjoy your summer at all this year.

I'll start first with the nail polish duo as it is just so fabulous! 'Flock You' is the latest duo set to come out from Nails Inc and as always is the fantastic value price of £15. This duo is inspired by flamingos so think summer fun and lots of pink.

The pink colour is 'Glamingo' which is an AMAZING hot bubblegum colour and then the glittery shimmer colour is 'Birds Before Boys' which is a pinky gold bronze shimmer. I can't even begin to put these polishes into words so I am just going to pop the swatches down below because I am far too excited for these.

LOOK AT THE ACTUAL COLOUR OF THIS PINK!

I'm being serious this is the MOST amazing nail polish I have ever seen. 100% zoomed up into one of my favourites nail polishes of all time because.... just look at it! 'Glamingo'  is so vibrant, it makes your hands look instantly more tanned and I kid you not when I say I sat just waving my hands in front of my face lightly screaming when I put this on. You can ask my very disgruntled sister if you don't believe me.

Then we have 'Birds Before Boys' which on it's own is a super chic desert goddess kind of colour. It would look beautiful on any skin tone and it is a perfect rose gold colour if that is what you're into. As most of the shimmer polishes in the duo, it is a very fine formula which makes it extra reflective.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better I put the shimmer colour on top of the pink and well...

MORE. SCREAMING. HAPPENED.

I'm sorry that the English and grammar in this post isn't of top journalistic professionalism , but sometimes, just sometimes I have to just type how I feel and this nail duo makes me giddy.

The amount of people who have commented on my nails when wearing this combo is unreal. Everyone at work commented almost straight away as it is such an eye catching look. It is such a great combo and exactly what I think of when I think of Summer colours.

If the pink on it's own is a little too much for you, which I have to say may be a bit much for day to day work life, then this shimmer takes it down a notch and adds pure sophistication and glamour.

Ok so the nail polish duo is done, but we haven't even started because next we're going into the neon glow in the dark lip paints.

These are another fairly new addition to the Inc.redible cosmetics collection. On their own these lip paints are still very bright so wouldn't necessarily say you can get away with 'day to night' unless you work in an Ibiza bar.

The pinkier of the two is 'She's Arrived' which I think is slightly more wearable than the orange.

For these pictures, I went with zero makeup, just a lick of mascara, no brows and messy hair to let all the focus be on the lips. I feel like you could wear this in a beach club in Marbella or Ibiza so you'd wear minimal makeup and just rock a natural tan.

Here is 'She's arrived' in natural day light and then under a black light we get...

I am also wearing 'Glamingo' on it's own here to get a punchy pink look, and as you can see that glows under the black light too. Just think of the fun you could have in a club wearing this!

Next is 'I'm Hot RN' which is a highlighter orange colour

As I said above, this is probably the less wearable of the two for a day look as it is still super bright, but for darker skin tones this maybe more wearable.

I teamed this with the two 'Flock You' nail polishes to give it a more orange tone and think they look super cute together!

Above is 'I'm Hot RN' in natural daylight, and then under the black light below.

As you can see the nails dim down with the shimmer coat on top but I do think this lip paint is more vibrant under the black light.

Overall, I think for £10 each these lip paints are worth purchasing just for a bit of fun! Because of the neon effect glow, the formula of these are very thin so at least two coats are required for even coverage. They feel like a matte lip paint when they are on so slightly drying but still very wearable.

I did find them a little tingly to wear but the neon glow effect is guaranteed safe otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell them! When I had a drink the colour did transfer onto the glass but still stayed in tact on the lips but I would recommend taking out the tube with you just in case you need tops up!

As I said, this isn't the sort of lipstick you want to be long lasting and super durable, as it is purely for a bit of fun. I would say these are essential for any big nights out, fun festivals or beachy holidays.

Nails Inc Polish Duos

 

Nails Inc, in my opinion, are one of the best nail brands in the world. They have been around for a long time and set themselves up as one of London's best nail polishes. They are constantly creating new and exciting ideas, such as their expanded makeup range Inc.redible cosmetics, and last year they started making nail polish duos which have been massively successful. They are always on trend and ahead of the times, such as the Unicorn nail duo which you can read my review of here

Nails Inc recently had a sale on and I knew I wanted to try the next three duos they had come up with as I loved the Unicorn set so much. For only £15 each, these sets are such a bargain compared to the usual £11 bottles.

The 'Holler-Graphic' duo is a space aged theme, which is packed with intergalactic glitter. As the name would suggest, these are both holographic polishes which means they have that rainbow shimmer running through.

I have found a lot of polishes that claim to be holographic often just contain glitter, but both of these polishes really impressed me.

'Ghetto Galactic' is a fabulous pink holo polish and looks so amazing. None of the rainbow colours get lost within the pink and I think it is a really cute polish.

For a more classic silver holo, 'Rocket Fuel' really is a great colour. The holographic polishes are really fine and smooth making them the perfect polishes.

Next is the Self Made Mermaid duo which is arguably the most instagrammed of the sets. With all things mermaid being the trend of last summer, these polishes were seen everywhere and really made a splash.

'Mermaid Parade' is a pearlescent blue with hints of pale pink running through. It is a really cute colour and makes your hands look really tanned and ethereal. They really catch the eye.

The glitter polish in this set is 'Ocean Ever After' which really is stunning! I absolutely love this polish and think it is perfect for summer and the beach.

Finally is the most recent duo, which was brought out at Christmas 2017.

The Champagne Shine set celebrates all things party, hence why it came out at the most festive fun time of year.

Another pearlescent colour, 'Fizz-ical' is a yellow gold shimmer. This really is a true champagne colour, and although it is quite subtle, it adds a touch of glamour to a normal nude mani.

The party starter of this set is 'Straight To My Head' which again is one of NailsInc's winning holographic formulas. This gold glitter fleked with rainbow holo really is a show stopper.

I really love these Nails Inc duos, and also think the marketing, advertising and branding around each set is on point and really makes a statement. I do think their holographic polishes are the best ones I have tried. It is impossible to avoid these sets and I can't wait to see what else they have in store.

Only recently, they have annouced the launch of the new 'Future is Fairy' duo which looks like a Spring time dream.

I have also noticed Nail Inc's cosmetics line 'Inc.redible' have a glow in the dark lipstick and jelly highlighter, so I imagine I will be having a spend up on their site soon!

See you on the next one!