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

Crayola Beauty

As soon as I heard Crayola were bringing out a beauty range, I thought that it was such a simple but amazing idea, and I would have to get my hands on some!

Makeup is all about colour and creativity, and Crayola is something you associate with both of those things, whether it is a child scribbling on a page, or an adult creating a wild festival look.

I am so glad they branded the products exactly the same as the crayons, as it brings out the inner child in all of us, and makes you instantly feel creative. Sold on ASOS, the range includes the crayons, mascaras, palettes, brushes and highlights. They really do stock every possible colour imaginable, so it caters to all skin tones too.

The prices are really reasonable too, so I can see it being incredibly easy to grow your collection quickly.

The highlighter crayon, £11, ASOS I got is in shade 'Desert Sand' as I wanted something a little warmer for the summer months when I use bronzer.

The formula has a really lovely shimmer and glides onto the skin really nicely.

It isn't the most blinding highlighter I've ever worn, but it looks really natural and pretty and melts into the skin.

Of course the real show stoppers are the Crayons,£9, ASOS themselves. I must admit I played it very safe when choosing my colours, but next time I'm willing to be a little bolder with my choices.

I had the intention of using the crayons as lipsticks so I went for Rose and Strawberry.

'Rose' is a really pretty pink that is wearable for day and night.

'Strawberry' is a punchy red with blue undertones. The collection does have a colour called 'Red' but that is a true red which may not suit all skin tones such as mine.

The design of the crayons means you can use the tip to get a perfect outline as liner around the lips, and then I used the crayon on its side to get a wider sweep of colour, and also to keep the vital tip pointed. 

They really do glide on are are really comfortable to wear, and also the smell of them is delicious. I don't know whether it was because I had pinkier shades, but they definitely had berry smells and tasted sweet too!

(I was an incredibly weird child who used to eat my wax crayons so I can confirm that these taste much better than the originals)

Using the crayons on the lips is the easiest way to wear your Crayolas, but why stop there?! Having red and pink shades, I have smudged a little over my cheeks to add a natural blush, and from following the Crayola Beauty instagram page, there is plenty of inspiration to get creative with your eyes too.

As someone who is a little inexperienced in eye makeup, the crayons are so blendable and require little to no tool, perfect for any novices or those just wanting to get stuck in.

The colours are so fun and bold, just a simple swipe of colour can make a huge impact, and I can't wait to blend two or more colours together to make a really cool look.

Glossier: Lash Slick Review

Since Glossier landed in the UK it is safe to say I have become a super fan. Apart from one product that I really did NOT get on with, Glossier have ticked every single box for me when it comes to their skincare and makeup.

As more of a skincare lover, I have tried less of the makeup but when I heard the latest product was a mascara I really wanted to give it a try.

Glossier's ethos is very much about enhancing natural beauty. None of the products are heavy or full coverage, and the new Lash Slick, £14,glossier.com promises to give you effortlessly luscious lashes.

At first, I wasn't fussed or excited at the news of the new mascara. I personally thought buying a mascara to make your lashes look natural was a waste of money as I usually like a mascara that adds a lot of va-va-voom and makes them look super long and thick. 

My interest only peaked when I saw on instastories that ELLE UK's beauty director Sophie Beresiner used the mascara on her morning commute series 'makeup on the move' and described it as 'like boy brow for your lashes'.

As a huge fan of boy brow, I finally realised that I had to give this mascara a try, as I would never ever revert back to any other kind of brow gel now after using boy brow.

Lash slick contains small one and two millimeter fibres that hook onto the lashes to add length. The comb of the wand has tiny plastics bristles that allow you to really catch the lashes and run the mascara from base to tip.

Although this mascara claims to enhance natural lashes, I really was surprised at just how much length it gave to my lashes. The formula is not clumpy at all, and a vegan biotin allows the mascara to strengthen and condition lashes over time.

Although this mascara doesn't add much thickness to my lashes, I actually really like the final result and can see exactly how this and boy brow compliment each other. I would go as far to say this is now my favourite mascara to use for everyday, as the long natural look adds a nice curl too my lashes and looks really pretty for day to day. It is also really long lasting and doesn't smudge or budge so really does last throughout the day.

Much like boy brow, I can see this becoming a non-mover in my makeup bag, and whilst the price point isn't quite high-street, it is still very affordable compared to high end luxury branded mascaras.

L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara Duo

The L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara, £11.99, Boots came out last year and was a product I really liked using last Summer. I included it in my August 2017 favourites and now they have brought out the L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara Primer, £11.99, Boots, a nourishing primer to go under the mascara to boost volume and lengthen lashes.

The packaging itself really compliments it's rose gold counterpart, and the white colour reminds me of coconut and its nourishing, hydrating properties.

Whilst it doesn't actually contain any coconut oil, it does contain Jojoba oil which moisturises and enhances hair follicles to allow eyelashes to grow longer and thicker. It also contains beeswax which is a natural protector and will help coat the lashes before mascara.

The primer is a white colour and will double up as a great frosty eyelash look if you're doing a Halloween or Elsa from Frozen look, so that is always a plus.

As you can see the primer adds lengths to the tips which and will protect the lashes for when the layers of mascara go on.

Below is a picture of my eyelashes with just the Extatic mascara only and nothing at all.

The image above is the mascara with the primer and you can see it has definitely thickened the look of my eyelashes and separated them more giving a more fanned out look. In terms of length, I don't think they look any longer than they would with mascara, however with prolonged use, the primer will help nourish my eyelashes and stop them falling out as easily which means the will get to grow longer and stronger!

To give a little side profile, I think my eyelashes definitely have a more defined curl and look much thicker. Obviously this is a very natural look and won't give you the look of false lashes, but for a drugstore product I really like the effect of these combining products.