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

Models Own 'One Night Stand' Mirror Manicure

Hello everyone and welcome to my post about a polish I have been SO excited about!

If truth be told, It was actually Ciate who first started advertising their mirror manicure a few months ago, and I was adamant that I would be first in line to get my hands on one. Whilst they kept teasing it on social media, release dates weren't being confirmed and I was getting really impatient.

Suddenly one day on instagram, Models Own annouced that they had formulated their own mirror manicure and it would be coming out on the following Friday! Perfect. I even wrote the date in my diary so I could snap it up as soon as it was released.

After purchasing the Models Own polish, a few minutes after the release, Ciate then dropped the bomb that THEIR mirror manicure would also be released the same day! Maybe some kind of embargo was droppped?

I would love to get the Ciate mirror manicure to see if they are similar or if one is better than the other, however the Ciate polish has sold out and they have not said when they will be getting it back in so for now, I will just show you the Models Own mirror manicure.

After that slight ramble, lets go through what I actually ordered.

The Mirror manicure called 'One Night Stand' is £14.99 and it comes as two parts. 

I haven't tried the metal polish without the 2 in 1 base and top coat so not sure if this step is vital to the final look, however it must have some kind of property to keep the metal coat in place. The base coat looks quite milky, but it does dry very fast. You have to wait for the base to be completely dry before you add the actual mirror polish which literally looks like melted silver. 

Putting on the metal coat is really easy and you get full coverage from one coat. It is best not to overlay the coats as you starts to get a slightly stripey look, but it looks so amazing as you put it on!

Once this layer is done, you are a little scared to put on the milky coat again as it looks so amazing straight away! The milky coat does dry clear so make sure you add it to make your mirror manicure last.

And the final look...

This just looks so amazing and it really does reflect like a mirror! Here it is in natural light which looks best and then with flash on in the image below.

So after just a couple of days wear, there are a couple of downsides already! 

Firstly, the top coat really does keep the shine to the nail so make sure you apply. It does state that after 6 hours the shine will fade, and I find it peels.

Whilst it is actually still pretty reflective, you can definitly see where the top coat has peeled.

The other down side is this polish does chip quite easily especially at the tips of the nails.

I did a quick black outline of the nails to combat this and think it looks pretty industrial.

Other than that, it is safe to say that this manicure looks amazing!

As a little free gift with the mirror polish, Models Own threw in a free metallic eyeshadow which I had a little play with over the weekend.

The eyeshaow is a paste consistency and you mix it in the dish with the primer to get a sort of liquid metal cream which you can apply with a brush.

I had a little play around with my baby sis and went for quite a dramatic cut crease and this was the final look.

Find the link to the Models Own Mirror Manicure here

Sleek Makeup

3 for 2 deals at Boots really are a great way to nab some bargains. If you saw my Xmas 2014 post, you would have seen that the 'See You At Midnight Palette' was on my list, and for £10 it was an absolute steal! I also needed a new concealer, so thought why not try out Sleek's so then I can recieve a 'Matte Me' lip colour!? I am so glad I did because I have grown to really love these items, and they have become a staple to my makeup regime.

Firstly, the corrector and concealer pallette. This contains a light shade for dark circles, a more skin coloured tone to mask blemishes, and then finally a finishing powder to set it all and make sure it doesn't budge.

This colour is called 'Fandango Purple' and was a free gift when you bought two Sleek products. I am SO glad I picked this up because it is now probably my favourite thing from the three things I got. The matte finish means is does not move at all from your lips all day, and the colour is just so versatile. It's really nice and comfortable, and has a almost velvety finish. I have had a few compliments when wearing this, and I love this berry sort of colour.

Finally, the eyeshadow pallette. I bought this purely for the pomegranate colour because of a video I saw by Emma Pickles where she uses a reddy colour. She uses a strong pigment from a brand called 'Sigma', which can be quite pricey. I am not a confident makeup applier so having something more affordable means I can experiment with colours without wasting my money, plus the pigments are not so bold with this brand.

The video I liked the eye makeup in, is below, even though it is focused on black lipstick. (looks amazing but way out of my comfort zone for the moment)

The rest of the palette has versatile, shimmery nuetrals and a few bluer shades for when your feeling bolder.

For £10.00 this is a great starter palette for experimenting with bolder eye makeup looks, and the other products have made Sleek go way up in my estimations. For a high street brand, this is a great way to get your foot in the door with improving or expanding your makeup skills. 

Benefit Roller Lash

The newest addition to Benefit's makeup line is the "Roller Lash" mascara.

Designed to make your lashes look like you've had them in rollers overnight, it aims to add curl and volume.

'They're Real', is benefits number 1 mascara, being one of the most globally popular mascara. With that kind of reputation to uphold, will the 'Roller Lash' beat it on performance?

VS

Firstly, the wand is fairly similar to that of the 'They're Real' mascara. They both have harder plastic bristles as opposed to the bumble bee like wands, however the 'They're Real' bridtles are harder and not as flexible . They both have a curvature so you can get down the very root of the lashes, but I find the results are very different.

 Personally, I think 'Roller Lash' would be a mascara you'd wear everyday. It's light weight, doesn't feel like your wearing anything and gives a more natural look. I think 'Roller Lash' doesn't quite have the same dramatic effects. 

In my opinion though, 'They're Real' isn't a mascara you'd want to wear everyday. I find it creates a really dramatic look, but can feel slightly heavy and clumpy on the lashes. The picture below doesn't show of the effects very well, but the mascara does pick out every lash making them look longer and thicker.

I guess it comes down to the kind of look you want and how you want your eyelashes to feel. 

I find when I wear heavier mascara, I have a tendency to pick at my lashes resulting in them falling out, so 'Roller Lash' for an everyday would be better for me. They both retail at £24.00 so price shouldn't sway your choice.

Have you tried both mascaras? If so, do you think the same as me and if not, why? I'd love to hear your opinions