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Instant Goddess DETOXES to the hilt

Style & BeautyPost Category - Style & BeautyStyle & Beauty

Oh yes, my body is a temple…my body is a temple!  I’m sitting here with my cup of hot water and fresh lemon feeling rather pleased with myself for managing to complete the Punch Detox three-day cleanse. Three days, six bottles of juice a day, no food… I DID IT! High-five for the Instant Goddess! And I’m feeling good: healthier, my skin is brighter, less visible cellulite and I’m lighter (3kgs lighter in fact), but whether that will stay off is another matter! But one thing is for sure: it’s definitely a good way to kick-start a healthier lifestyle or get you into diet mode. After three days of abstaining from crunching and munching I feel like I don’t want to undo all the good work now.

My detox experience…

Day 1 was definitely the hardest for me. The most common side effects of a detox include headaches, lethargy, irritability, hunger, vomiting, runny nose, constipation or diarrhoea. By the end of day 1 I had a really bad headache behind my eye that just wouldn’t go away and during the afternoon I was hit by real lethargy, irritability and I would say hanger! Day 1 was not helped by the fact that I did an intense bootcamp in the morning (falling foul of Punch Detox’s advice not to exercise madly while detoxing) and delivery of a box of Ladurée macarons hand delivered from Paris, but I rose to the challenge and stayed strong not a single macaroon passed my lips, and just to rub salt into the wound the deliverer of the macaroons told me day 2 was often worse.  I thought what would day 2 hold perhaps a magnum of champagne also hand delivered from France?

Days 2 & 3 were actually fine in comparison to Day 1, no more macaroon or champagne deliveries for that matter, just the waft of chicken nuggets, sausages you know the usual fare of a 2 year old to contend with – that was tough, oh and not to mention the gathering of girlfriends on day 3 knocking back the vino and the most delicious looking of canapés, followed by the most amazing looking apple crumble with lashings of Haagen Dazs – but I stayed strong. I sat calmly and drank my Nut Punch, not a single sip of vino or taste of canapé or apple crumble for that matter passed my lips. I was not only strong I was victorious.

In fact, the macaroon deliverer was wrong, days 2 & 3 are easier because you’re already in the zone and you’ve already got day 1 under your belt, by lunchtime on day 2 you’re already halfway through and the winning line is in sight.

How it works…

In the words of Punch Detox: Toxins are all around us; and in our bodies too. Omitting all the bad food and filling your bodies with ONLY nutritional foods for 3 days will help you get rid of the toxins gently and naturally and you’ll feel refreshed and energized.

Punch Juice Cleanse nourishes you with almost 20 lbs worth of fruits and vegetables, in the form of around 3000ml of juices. The main goal of a cleanse is to reduce the build-up of toxins in the body. However, additional benefits include strengthened immune system; improved concentration and mental clarity; increased energy levels; weight loss (but only if you have excess weight to lose); clear and refreshed skin; reduced cellulite (seriously – a change in diet is one of the most effective ways to combat cellulite); diminished allergies; improved digestion; and reduced cravings for sugar and other stimulants.

Pre-cleanse

To get the most out of your cleanse, 2-3 days before the start, the girls at Punch Detox recommend that you eliminate caffeine, meat, dairy products, alcohol, nicotine, sodas, refined sugars, gluten, processed foods, fast foods and they say that the better you are during the pre-cleanse period, the less “pain” you will feel during the 3 days. They also advise to clear your schedule and keep the 3 days free of distracting activities (e.g. free flowing champagne events or wine tasting parties are no good apparently UNLESS of course you are an Instant Goddess with extreme willpower).

The cleanse

It’s very straightforward. You have 6 bottles of juice for each day. You drink the juices in the order that they are numbered. Drink a glass of water or herbal tea between each juice. Let your body rest for about an hour before starting the next juice. If you get hungry, you’re recommended to take a step back and wait it out, failing that you are given a few snack options (don’t get excited) we’re talking a few cucumber slices, a couple of celery sticks, a slice of watermelon with sea salt, a couple of spoons of avocado, miso or vegetable broth.

On the whole I thought the juices were pretty tasty. I was slightly concerned about the Green Punch which was very green and contained bitter gourd which I hate, but its bitterness is masked by the other ingredients. I lived for the Gazpuncho which was juice number 5 and was dinner and the most food-like (i.e. solid) out of all the juices even with little chunks in it! You’re also sent daily emails that pep you up and keep you going explaining what’s happening to your body and what the juices are doing.

Post cleanse

The idea is to break the cleanse as slowly with fruits, salads and steamed vegetables, adding rice and congee on the second day, and from there, you can begin to incorporate whatever else it is that you normally eat, leaving meat and dairy to last.

A three-day cleanse costs HK$1680, and you order online choosing a three-day slot that works for you. Punch Detox offers a weekday cleanse (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday) and a weekend cleanse (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). The juices are delivered to your door the day before your cleanse starts. For more information visit Punch Detox.Goddesses! I feel so good, I would definitely recommend it! Go on!

Top of the Shops…

So enough of the Detox… what about the shops this week? A friend of mine muttered the immortal words “Top Shop” this week and I thought to myself I haven’t seen what’s in store for AGES… so without further ado here are my favourite online picks. Free worldwide delivery on orders over 100 GBP (HK$1250 approx) so don’t be shy Goddesses!

Premium leather croc tote bag, HK$940 | Leopard print maxi, HK$690 | Pearl encrusted jacket, HK$1190


Annie Greenabelle…

I’m amazed at how much summery stuff is still available on the Top Shop website given that it’s a UK brand and the UK weather has seriously gone to pot…winter is definitely a-knocking there. But we’ve still got two more months of summer days, so it’s time to embrace the Top Shop summer dresses. There are some great independent clothing labels available on the Top Shop website.  Annie Greenabelle’s dresses in gorgeous floral prints are particularly noteworthy, together with Coco’s Fortune beaded numbers.

Tea Dress, HK$650 | Millie Dress, HK$625 | Carey Dress, HK$750


Coco’s Fortune…

Embellished skater dress, HK$739 | Embellished shift dress, HK$865 | Studded deco top, HK$360 


Love & Top Shop’s own label…

Tribal print dress by Love, HK$475 | Dasha dress by Goldie, HK$675 | Embroidered trellis Tee, HK$565


Oh My Love & Rare…

Sequin vest by Oh My Love, HK$350| Angel wing top by Oh My Love, HK$275 | Flower embellished top by Rare, HK$440

Studded peplum dress by Rare, HK$615 | Fringe bandeau dress by Rare, HK$565 | Co-ord Ombre Jacket by Top Shop, HK$940


Hair…

This week Andrea Clark, Creative Director, of The Mandarin Salon at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong  asks: Could You Be Pastel?

We saw Kelly Osbourne and Katy Perry introduce pastel tones to blonde hair earlier this year, keeping ‘Pastel Blonde’ in the spotlight, years after singer Pink first appeared with an array of pastel looks.

How can you achieve it? Easy! Well sort of… firstly you need to have your hair bleached pale blonde as you need to have a light base colour to create this effect. This takes time, but once done you have lightened the hair and you can then mix red, purple, blue or violet-based tint with conditioner and apply it to the hair. The less base colour, the softer, smokier or pastel the blonde will be.

Not that adventurous? Then there are other options. Clip-in hair or wigs. Jazz up any hair colour with our selection of clip-in pieces that can be prepared in a pastel tone for an instant splash of colour without the hours and hassle of bleaching your own hair. They are easy to put in and remove. It’s party season, so dare to be different.

Midweek Meal Inspiration

Given it’s the week of the DETOX it has to be a salad….no pastry, or FAT this week Goddesses.  So instead I give you Prawn and avocado quinoa salad, recipe available here. For those of you unfamiliar with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), it’s often thought of a grain but it’s actually a seed, a little bit like cous cous in texture, but unlike other grains it is a complete source of protein. It’s also high in magnesium good for cardiovascular health and provides antioxidant support, so you can see why it’s a favourite with the detox crew.

Yogi tea saying of the week: “Every ending includes a new beginning”.

Instant Goddess saying of the week: “Pass the mint tea”.

Until next week Goddesses and remember you are always, always worth it! XX

more sassy mama

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