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 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!

Ciate

I first published this post in 2013 and since then, Ciate have really made their mark on not only the nail industry but also makeup. Unfortunately, I believe their 'wow kits' are now discontinued, however I think you can still find them in the depths of the internet!

As this is now discontinued, it feels a little silly bringing back this post, however I have fallen back in love with this nail kit so thought I'd show it off and hope they bring it back!

 The kit comes with a base colour, three sheets each of four different colour foil, glue, and a manicure wheel for you to practice on. I thought that was really good value for money, at £18.

I started with the base coat 'pepperminty', which in itself, is a really nice fresh colour.

After a couple of layers, I was ready for foiling! I practiced on the wheel first to get the right technique. You randomly dab the glue and wait a couple of minutes for it to go tacky, and then place the foil shiny side up, rub and whip of really quickly. I used the 'waxing strip' technique. After that, I kept on layering...

After gold I used blue

then red

and finally silver. I also did another layer of blue as I thought it was the most striking of the colours.

And Voila!

At the beginning, I was being quite careful, but after half an hour I was being quite rough with it and found that worked better! Altogether it took me about 1 hour to do all fingers in four foils. Personally, I thought it looked better with fewer colours, and I will probably use the 'less is more' approach in future. Its a really effortless look that looks really interesting. It also lasts really well! I've had my foil manicure on for a week now and haven't had any trouble. When using some heavy duty cleaning products some of the foil wiped of but otherwise its all in tact. When using the foils, I went right up to the edges of the sheets so still have loads of foil left over. A very good investment and interesting kit from Ciate. 

I have also done this with a darker colour underneath and got a lovely finish better for Autumn/ Winter

Halloween Nails 2017

Hello everyone!

Once again it is that spooky time of year when being a little bit outrageous is considered ok.

Whilst  I won't be doing any dressing up myself this year, you know I never miss an opportunity to get a bit creative with some nail art!

Here are four fun Halloween nail looks to try this year!

Vampire Fangs

I found a tutorial on this online and decided to do my own version, but they ended up being a nightmare on this occasion. Rule one is to stick to the instructions.

I used a black base then tried to do the teeth first but it turns out it is much easier doing the lips and finish with the fangs! Using a nail art pen, I defined each individual tooth to give these nails some bite!

Pumpkin Nails 

These nails are really easy to do as long as you have the right tools! I used a yellow base then ombred the yellow and orange together with a sponge. Once they dried, I used a nail art pen to add a spooky face to each nail to create a gang of Jack O'Lanterns.

Green Slime

Another really easy design to recreate. I used a black base again and used a matte top coat to make the slime look slimier when it went on. Then I used my toxic green nail varnish from Jessica and just randomly painted drips from the cuticle downwards.

Bat Nails

Lastly are some nails leftover from my pumpkin base. I didn't have the dexterity to do more pumpkins so went for some bat nails inspired by I Scream Nails (a very apt name for this time of year).

If you think you will try your hand at some Halloween nail art, let me know which designs are your fave!

Have a Happy Halloween!

My Top 5 Autumn/Winter Nail Colours

Autumn! Nail varnish! My two favourite things! So why not combine the two and see what my top 5 autumnal nail colours are?

First up is a metallic blue from Mavala. Metallics are very on trend this autumn, and 'Flashy Violet' has the most amazing purple blue tone to it. It is one of my favourite colours ever, not just for autumn, and I find it really elongates the nail as well, so great for shorter nails.

Berry tones around Autumn are an absolute must, and this year in particular I have been loving them a little bit more than usual. 'Raspberry' from Barry M is a deeper red compared to more orange toned summer reds, however I still think I haven't found the perfect autumnal red just yet. This will do for now though.

Of course coming up to colder Christmas months you have to start adding a little sparkle. Autumn is my favourite season because of all the orange you see, whether is be leaves on the ground or bright Halloween pumpkins. This Jessica polish, aptly named 'Pumpkin Delight' is an amazing duo toned pinky orange colour that is just so darn pretty.

A slightly more controversial colour I have in my collection is 'Mustard', again, from Barry M. This colour doesn't actually suit my skin tone very well, but I really love the warmth this colour has, and it looks amazing with a long snuggly jumper.

Finally, it is another Barry M Gelly shine polish, this time in 'Watermelon'. I really like dark colours this time of year and this deep green is a great alternative to something as harsh as black. It goes with pretty much everything, and the Hi shine finish means it always looks really slick and chic.

 Do you have any go to nail colours for this time of year?