***Last blog post - NEW BLOG***

Hello,
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read my blog and my ramblings over the last three years.
Seeing the number of readers increase monthly has been amazing and really encouraged me to carry on writing.
So thanks a million.

This is my last blog post on this address but I have a sparkly new blog: www.jessicaloves.co.uk

Please come over and join me on my new site. I would love to see you there.

Thanks again, I look forward to chatting to fellow bloggers and blog lovers soon

Jess xx

The best hotel in Ibiza. Go now... if not sooner.

Anyone else completely forgotten what it feels like to spring out of bed with that excited feeling of a whole day lounging around in the sun?
Happy vibes, summer sunshine and outdoor fun feels like a long-lost memory. The winter months always seem to drag on that much longer than the fun-filled summer ones. Oh well, only another four to go.

In August I went to my favourite nearby holiday hot spot - Ibiza, to write a travel feature for Wedding Ideas Magazine on the perfect honeymoon destination.
As a recent honeymooner myself - for a short haul mini-moon - Ibiza has it all. Glamour, romance, fun and skinny dipping!

I would highly recommend staying at The Ushuaia Tower to anyone who wants to kick back and enjoy world-class food and high end romance.
As a chilled out newly wed you may prefer to stay away from notorious beaches where party-goers carry on dancing, in the sand, from the night before. Ushuaia Tower has it's own gorgeous, secluded sandy beach. It's the perfect hideaway for honeymooners in search of a fun as well as romance.

The private beach was amazing. Full of four-poster, cabana-style sun beds and a wooden walk-way from the beach restaurant all the way to the sea. The sand was scorching hot on your feet, so this was a God send.

From our hotel room balcony, which had a private hot tub on it (perfect for late night star gazing), we could over look the pool and also the palm tree lined beach.

Sunny days lounging around pool side. Where there is a cocktail/ champagne bar, as well as an oyster bar.

Lunch on the beach at Ushuaia beach bar and restaurant. Fresh lobster....my favourite!

One of the many hotel suites. They all come with a walk-in rain forest shower, a huge plasma TV, fully stocked cocktail bar and a hot tub on the balcony.

Six weeks in a caravan.... in autumn. Insane.

Over the years I have come to realise I am a spontaneous idealist. Not my words... the official name (according to personality tests) for people who love new adventures and grow bored when life repeats itself. 

This definitely sums up my husband and I, and explains why we thought moving out of our gorgeous two bed, garden flat in north London and into a 20 foot caravan, in the middle of nowhere, would be a good idea. At the time I thought, without hesitation, "Can't wait, I'm in."

However, reality hit us, about three weeks later when we were living in the middle of a field in Hertfordshire. Three miles from any food shops and surrounded by rivers, wildlife and bone-chilling wind. In hindsight we should have chosen June and not November to embark on a new life outside.

Anyway, we've been here for  six weeks now. The change of lifestyle is huge. Something, I naively wasn't at all prepared for. I assumed it would be an adventure, which of course it is. But we are surrounded by people who seemed to have checked out of normal life. Including a 50-something Australian chap who's sleeping in a one man tent, in -2 degrees with no cooker, no food, not even a camping chair or torch. Nutter. 

The buzz of London life is a distant memory. Our caravan sits adjacent to a river so every morning I wake up, look out at 32 acres of countryside and witness the morning ritual of ducks and swans paddling and washing themselves. Also a huge gaggle of geese walking around aimlessly, following each other in a neat line, squawking, accompanied by the occasional partridge and/or pheasant. 

I miss being able to pop to our local shop at 11pm, after deciding on a whim I want a bottle of wine, a packet of Monster Munch and a Curly Wurly. There’s no food spontaneity in the countryside. Late in the caravanning world is 8pm. Late on London’s clock can be anywhere between 11pm - 3am. I miss city life after dark.

Gone is my self-indulgent, five-door London wardrobe and in turn the constant moaning of my husband Jimmy for all my clothes hoarding. All girls know it’s not hoarding… that curiously pale, denim jumpsuit WILL come back into fashion one day, won’t it?

Now my wardrobe, if you can even call it that, holds exactly 25 hangers. However, I quickly realized you can double, even triple up. I have over 50 items neatly hanging, and three shelves full of jumpers, jeans and tops. I’m happy with that. I also have six pairs of shoes (not including wellies, trainers etc), which, given the size of our new home, feels quite decadent. The rest of my beloved shoe collection is neatly laid out in my old bedroom, at my parent’s home. Sigh.

I can’t lie, I really miss London nightlife and hobnobbing at showbiz parties - taking full advantage of the free champagne, canapés and of course the goodie bags.

But I won't moan, as our caravan has all the mod cons - central heating, hot shower, DVD player, built in radio and digital TV, so I can keep up to date with Eastenders, MIC and X Factor. Bizarrely, we now get faster Wi-Fi in the middle of a meadow, than we did forking out £60 a month for BT Infinity in London. 

Little things excite me now, like being able to pop to the campsite shop in the morning and get fresh eggs and bread.  Also seeing our cat stretched out, blissfully, in the sun-soaked spot she’s found by the caravan front window.  She’s been looking longingly and eagle-eyed at all the wildlife surrounding us. So will no doubt feel crestfallen when we attach her new collar and loud bell next week. 

In the nine years I've had her she's never worn a bell, but we’re sure the campsite owners wouldn’t approve of a bird, duck and swan massacre. Although Jimmy is praying she'll catch a pheasant so he can make a pie. As if. 

Last time my mum shot, plucked and cooked a pheasant she caught fleas from it. Talk about karma.  

Goodbye London... the beautiful Big Smoke.

Eight weeks ago I quit my job as a gossip columnist on a whim to find a new, rural life away from glitz, glamour and endless champagne knees-ups. 

There’s only so many times a girl can fly to the Oscars, the Cannes Film festival and attend glossy red carpet events without getting a bit bored of it all. I know, I know, I hate myself a little bit too. But that’s the truth.

So we (my husband and I) handed in the notice on our lovely north London flat, chucked our worldly possessions into boxes, dropped them off a self-storage unit and moved into a caravan in Hertfordshire. Stick with me…

We weren’t planning to completely check out of society - to shirk council tax, a TV license, gas, water and electricity bills and, er, reality. But we were a tad confused with what we wanted in life.

As the Dalai Lama believed: “The very purpose of our life is to seek happiness.”

Without wanting to get all philosophical we were a bit lost and weren’t sure what direction our lives were moving in. We seemed to be stuck on that flipping Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham. You know the road, the one off the M6 which gets millions of drivers frustrated and puzzled every day. It leads everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Well, that pretty much sums up our lives a few weeks ago. Baffled.

After a hectic and decadent six years in London, the thought of chilling out, kicking back with nature and seeing where the wind takes us was, to put it mildly, bloody exciting.

Anyone who lives in London knows all about the rental market burn. And the frustration of handing over nearly £1500 every month. Such a payday buzz kill.

We, like many Londoners, got caught up living a life of excess. We’d eat out most nights, in local pubs, quirky bars, restaurants in town. There’s no such thing as a ‘school night’ in the Big Smoke. Every night has the potential to accidentally turn into full-blown, drunken Saturday night stupidity.

A new restaurant would pop up and we’d “just have” to try it out. After all, London has it all, and in turn you feel compelled to try it all. As quickly as possible, before something new and even more intriguing comes along.

With this level of excess deeply denting our pockets and bank balance, we decided to spend a few months, or longer (eeeek) in a caravan. With a plan to seriously try and save some cash. And hopefully, one way or another,  try and figure out what the hell we want to do with our lives.

Moving House

I am in the middle of packing hell.
Totally forgot how stressful and relentless moving house was.

I'm on Day 6 of packing and feel completely overwhelmed by how much stuff I still have to either throw away, give to charity or find a box to pack it in. I tried to sell some stuff on Ebay, which was a total disaster. Ended up selling something that was about £65 for £2.20, as I didn't put a reserve price on. I'm a novice on Ebay and definitely won't be doing that again!

I will be back blogging as of Monday 28th October. In my new abode. Hopefully.

If not, I suppose I'll be carrying it around on the roof of my car, like these dudes.

Chocolate heaven - with Cadburys and Lily Vanilli

Mention the name Lily Vanilli to any foodies or East London hipsters and they’ll gush about her decadent, abstract and beautifully designed cakes.

The 29-year-old artisan baker owns a quirky cake shop just off London's infamous Columbia Road – after just five minutes in her kitsch space I felt like I'd walked into a cafe in uber-cool Williamsburg, New York.

Lily bakes for the likes of Elton John, Stella McCartney and the mistress of baking herself Nigella Lawson.
She’s a cool customer and has a great personality and style to boot.

A selection of Lily's cakes

I was invited to the Lily Vanilli bakery by Cadburys - who asked Lily to use her creative skills to make them a show-stopping dessert. After all, that’s what she does best.

Using vanilla floured Crispellos Lily created a chocolate tower masterpiece. Which, is not only a visual wow but is sure to taste amazing. Everyone loves the good ol' profiterole stack, or a croque-en-bouche for the more cultured amongst us, so Lily decided to re-create that.

Despite looking grand and extravagant the Crispellos Tower is actually really easy to make. So, if you fancy showing off in front of dinner guests in the run-up to Christmas this is desert to do it.

Lily explained to me: “It looks so impressive and tastes amazing, so it works on both levels. There’s no point in having a cake that looks sensational but tastes bland.

“A traditional French croque-en-bouche is made by stacking profiteroles in a cone-shaped mould and setting them in place with caramel.

“The Crispellos tower saves you having to faff around with hot caramel, which can burn your fingers.”

Lily and her chocolate masterpiece

Ingredients:

- Bags of Cadbury Crispelloa - the taller you want your masterpiece the more bags you’ll need
- 250g of milk or dark chocolate (depending on your taste preferences)
- Eye catching decorations – real fruit like raspberries, blueberries, cherries look great or edible decorations such as flowers, glitter and gold leaves. Use your imagination the wilder the better.

Method:

1. The first step is to melt the milk/ dark chocolate, this will be your glue to stick the Crispello’s together as you stack them on top of each other
2. The easiest way to do this is to break the chocolate into small chucks, put in a glass or metal dish and melt over a pan of boiling water.

3. Then you simply dip the base of each Crispello into the melted chocolate and stick on top of another piece to form a pyramid.

Lily melting her chocolate ready to start crafting her tower

4. Probably the easiest way is to start with a large square base, of say, 20-30 Crispellos and then add smaller and smaller layers until you reach a peak at the top.

5. Finally, when you are happy with your tower, it’s the fun part. Get experimental and creative adding lots of decorations.
6. Simply dip the bottom of each decoration into the melted chocolate and stick to the pyramid. Easy.

I’d be pretty impressed if someone made this party piece for me at a dinner soirée… beats soggy trifle any day.

A smaller version decorated with edible flowers and wafers

To make your own Cadbury Crispello Tower visit www.facebook.com/cadburyuk for the recipe and tips.

Good luck and shhhh... no-one needs to know how easy this amazing looking croque-en-bouche really is.

The Sunday hangover remedy

Like most people Sunday usually means the same thing:

a.) A big breakfast - always involving eggs

b.) The Sunday papers

c.) Roast dinner or something involving a chunk of meat

After buying an armful of Sunday papers, I make a pot of  tea (earl grey or if I have a chronic hangover PG) and spend the morning milling over the news.

Which usually turns into me gazing lovingly (and longingly) at the lifestyle supplement sections. I love the home and interior sections, also daydreaming over the recipes and travel pullouts.

Since doing a juice cleanse a few weeks ago (yep, I'm still banging out about that!), which I enjoyed and really benefited from, my Sundays now include juices.

And if you had a big Saturday night out, this is a perfect, painless and easy way to inject some goodness into your Sambucca and wine frazzled stomach.

The Sunday Sanctuary juice is delicate, green and frothy - packed with vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and folic acid. Perfect for soothing a boozy head and stomach.
The lime and mint adds a refreshing but sharp taste - good for a morning wake-up call.

The Sunday Sanctuary

 Ingredients:
1 apple
2 pears
1/2 lime (not peeled)
3 springs of mint
1 parsnip (not peeled)

This juice is so simple to make.
Just chuck all the ingredients into your juicer, exactly as they are.
No need to bother peeling or chopping into pieces.
To make sure you get the most out of the lime and mint - sandwich them between the
apple or pears as you fill your juicer.

Not sure why I poured mine into a chunky wine glass?
Must have still have Saturday night booze on the brain.
Anyway, just pour over some ice and drink while the froth's still soft on the top.
 

make-up free and hair unbrushed. Not a good morning look.

New bar - Trader Vics in the Hilton, Park Lane

Since quitting my job as a gossip girl, I can now go to parties and relax. Which, I can't lie, is bloody fantastic and very novel.
Tonight was the VIP re-launch of Polynesian themed bar Trader Vics in Mayfair. In the basement of the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane to be exact (originally opened in 1963).

We were all given Hawaiian flower garlands on the way in and Tiki cocktails were being handed out, made by bartenders in Hawaiian shirts.

The bar/ restaurant was ram-packed, with a sprinkling of celebs too - from Made In Chelsea, X Factor (Katie Waissel), TOWIE (Lydia Bright) and The Voice. However, I didn't have to worry about work, so just relaxed, had a good gossip with my friend Sam and tried a few cocktails. Perfect.




The cocktail list was impressive and each drink was served in different holders. Either a tall vase, coconut shell or quirky mug (see above).

COCKTAIL LIST:

Mai Tai - Trader Vics own world renowned creation (we tried it, it was amazing)

London Sour - Scotch Whisky, fresh orange, lemon and a whisper of almonds.

Gun Club Punch - Duck hunter special. A mixture of rum and fruit juices (potent, but very nice)

Samoan Fog Cutter - A legend says that this drink helped Samoan fisherman see through the fog

Bahua -  Snowy concotion of rums, coconut and pineapple

Honi Honi - Bourbon with the spice of the island (my favourite of the night)

Queen Charlotte Fruit Punch - A luscious combination of fruit juices

Wedding day tips...by Marvin Humes

Is it just me or do celebrities do everything these days? Years ago a rock 'n' roll star would go hell for leather at the age of 18, perfect their craft until late 40s, then retire and spend the rest of their days boozing and acting like a randy, bored teenage.
Nowadays to be a celebrity means you have to do everything - sing, dance, act, present a TV show, host a radio show, pen a novel, design a clothing range, create a perfume, release a cook book, star in a reality TV show... etc.

JLS star Marvin Humes is no longer just a boy band member, his CV expands everyday. He's now a pop star, dancer, model, TV presenter, radio presenter and club DJ.  He can even add a wedding planner string to his already over-clustered bow.

Despite doing a exclusive cover shoot and interview with Hello! magazine last year when he married Rochelle Wiseman (see it here), Marvin was happy to talk to me about his showbiz wedding and how he helped plan it.

So lads, if you're getting married or thinking about proposing, this could come in useful.
Marv explains how to deliver the perfect speech, what to plan, how to pick your groomsmen and dress them. But more importantly the secrets behind a happy marriage.

I wrote this feature for the October issue of Wedding Ideas magazine.

It's out in the shops to buy now.

Or you can check out the website here



Radio guest on BBC London

I'm always up for a chin wag on the radio.
So was more than happy to clamber out of my snug, warm bed at 7.30am on a Sunday to head to BBC London.

I was invited by Fiona Phillips to go on her brand new Sunday morning radio show to discuss the weekend's TV.

This included Strictly Come Dancing (how amazing was Abbey Clancy), the new X Factor boot camp twist (the horrible six chair line up, harsh!) and new sexy, gangster drama Peaky Blinders.
All squashed together with some general girlie-gossip.

To listen to our chat click below:


PS. If you haven't got round to checking out new BBC 2 show Peaky Blinders (Thursday 9pm), you are seriously missing out. It's fantastic. As I explain to Fiona. I'm a big fan!

The perfect hangover cure

If like me you've woken up this morning feeling a bit groggy (two bottles of prosecco, finished with a bottle of red, whooops) I have the perfect hangover remedy.

Forget Mc Donalds, or the obligatory hangover bacon sandwich, this will sort you right out.

Instead of a normal caffeine hit, espresso, cuppa tea, whatever, start with a simple but very effective 

spicy juice shot.

All you need is an apple and some ginger

Ingredients:

 1 apple

3 cm ginger root

Cut the apple in half, cut a slice of ginger and add both to your juicer.

Pour into a shot glass and down in one. 

Basic but with a bite. 

The ginger gives a sharp snap to the juice.

Apple and ginger shot

Next is the Booze Buster juice. 

This juice has all the vitamins, nutrients and minerals to stamp all 

over any hangover and give you an energy boost.

OK, it's not a Sausage & Egg McMuffin but believe me, it's the perfect hangover cure.

 

Ingredients:

1/4 pineapple (cut off all the rough skin)

15 sugar snap peas

1/2 lime (not peeled)

1/4 cucumber

1/2 courgette

1cm fennel

Simply add all the ingredients, one-by-one into your juicer. 

No need to mess around taking the skin off, apart from the pineapple.

Add ice for an extra crisp boost.

Booze Buster juice

The perfect start to the day
 

A cracking way to beat the hangover blues. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

 Trust me.

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Get Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley's hot body...

Ever looked in the mirror and thought, "Screw this, I want to look like Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley"?
You know that gorgeous supermodel with magna hot curves, hair even the glossy posse* are envious of and a face so perfect, it would be deemed immoral (or at the very least rude) for her to ever to work on radio.

Yeah, her.
Fancy looking more like her? Yes, thought you might. Well, good news, here's now you can...

An article I wrote for this month's Wedding Ideas magazine explains all:


For a step-by-step guide to get Rosie's banging body follow my plan below, good luck!




As featured in this month's Wedding Ideas magazine. Out now.



* The glossy posse includes Jennifer Anniston, Eva Longoria, Cheryl Cole, Nicole Scherzinger, should you be wondering.

The final review... juice cleanse, done and dusted.

DAY FOUR

MORNING:
FEELING: I felt the best I have all week this morning. Totally revived. I seem to have loads more energy, actually feel high on life. Not hungry this morning, or craving anything. Feeling bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
MOOD: Euphoric

I'm genuinely disappointed that today's the day I go back to a normal, every day eating routine.
Purifyne sent me an email this morning with a post-cleanse diet and guidelines, including a list of what I can and can't eat over the next four days (in a nutshell, I can't eat processed foods, deep fried food, dairy, foods high in sugar or yeast, eggs, fizzy drinks, coffee, alcohol and red meat/ processed meat for 2 weeks)
After reading it, I've decided to go to Marks & Spencers and get a fridge full of new food (I don't normally shop there, but thought I deserved the treat).
I am now fully stocked up on a week's worth of berries and other organic fruit, quinoa, couscous, water cress/ spinach/ rocket leaves, hummus, feta cheese, beetroot, tender stem broccoli and loads of avocados.

Who am I? What is happening to me?

Here's what I had for breakfast following the plan they gave me:

A juiced apple, nectarine, beetroot and ginger.

For lunch, again following the plan they gave me, I made a Quinoa and Edamame bean salad, with soy and ginger dressing. I also added some chopped up, mashed avocado on top.

And here's what I am currently having for dinner:

Vegetable broth - made with carrots, leeks, parsley, celery, barley, peas, red lentils and vegetable stock.

EVENING:
FEELING: Slightly perplexed about who I've become. Who is this health freak??
MOOD: Content and happy.

FINAL REVIEW: I would definitely do this juice cleanse again and would absolutely recommend to my friends.
Having the juices all ready to drink in the fridge, made it so easy. It didn’t interrupt my day and I still managed to get all work/ meetings done as usual.
The Purifyne team were brilliant throughout, constantly emailing and tweeting me encouragement and health tips of the day. Also ideas to stay healthy after the cleanse.
I enjoyed the taste of most of the juices, even the ones with ingredients I don’t usually like.
The whole programme is really well put together and very easy and enjoyable to follow. Everything has a simple, clear outline and is printed out and laminated for you to follow.
I lost 6 pounds by the end and have definitely adopted a more intelligent attitude towards healthy eating.
The day after I actually craved fruit for breakfast and a salad for lunch. I never expected to say that.
It has definitely kick started my enthusiasm to be more healthy. When you feel so energised, you’d be crazy not to carry on.
I really liked all the little touches that came with the 3 day cleanse - the purifying clay face mask, Epsom bath salts, beauty pills and body brush. They even give you coloured straws to drink though.
All in all a very positive and enjoying experience.
Looking forward to doing it again.

To see all the different cleanse plans Purifyne do check out their website www.purifynecleanse.co.uk
Or to book a cleanse call 0207-720-2131

Juice Cleanse. Day Three...the final hurdle

DAY THREE

MORNING:
FEELING: Woke up feeling better than I have in ages, alert, full of energy. Even looking forward to the day ahead drinking juices.
MOOD: Happy and positive

Getting out of bed this morning was easy, all the doom and gloom from last night had lifted. I genuinely feel great and slept brilliantly. I feel a tiny bit dehydrated, but very alert. My tummy is bubbling slightly and I feel a bit achy, like I've been to the gym.
Starting to believe a detoxing juice diet really does make a big difference. My stomach is getting flatter every day.
Also I got on the scales this morning and I've lost weight. Will do a proper weigh in tomorrow morning at the end. Shouldn't really have weighed myself today, but couldn't resist.


The final Morning Liver Bliss
I actually quite like it now!

So far I've not been feeling very hungry, but looking forward to seeing how today's juices go.
For breakfast today I had Morning Liver Bliss (carrot, apple, beetroot and ginger).
I've noticed already my skin is definitely clearer and my hair seems to be shinier (that could just be wishful thinking). However, my stomach is definitely flatter. No idea if that will last, but it would be perfect if you had a big night planned or needed to tone up for a particular dress or occasion (ie. for a wedding!).

Thrive juice, only two more left!

For lunch I had Thrive juice - carrot, apple and ginger.
Today I haven't got so much too do, I need to write up some ideas for a magazine, send a stack of emails, pop into Muswell Hill (my local village) to get a birthday present and go to an event this evening in Soho around 7pm.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed I won't be worn out and done in like I was last night.

PS. I'm still going to the toilet quite a lot more than usual, just in case you were wondering. Sorry if you're eating while reading this!

Protein Buster, only one more left!

I'm feeling good today, I've had loads of energy all morning and afternoon. I've noticed that my legs feel thinner, especially in between my thighs. I feel like I'm on a bit of a juice high. Alert and very active.
For my third juice I had Protein Buster - carrot, cucumber, spinach, kale, parsley, lemon and spirulina, I still don't feel hungry and I'm not craving anything. I thought I would really want a cup of tea, or a slice of bread. But no cravings today at all. Which is great.

As yesterday, I feel more tired as the day goes on. It's 7pm now and I'm pretty exhausted. I've cancelled my plans to go this evening, which is frustrating as it was the launch party for my friend's new PR company. Hate letting people down. But I literally can't face getting on a tube and going to a party where there'll be champagne and canapes everywhere.
Also tomorrow morning I have an important meeting and at the moment I feel like I want to cancel that too.

Bright Green - my final juice. Whoop!

For my final juice (I can't believe I've made it without cheating, not even a crumb of bread, or a nibble of cheese) I had Bright Green - apple, celery, spring green, spinach, lemon and ginger. I genuinely haven't struggled with any hunger, which was one of my main concerns at the start.
I didn't even finish my final juice as I was full. Or maybe just bored of juices, who knows?

One thing's for sure, I have a new found respect for celebrities who do these hardcore juice cleanses all the time. The cleanse is pretty tough. Mainly just in the evening. I noticed my mood/ tiredness change between 8-10pm the most. After 10pm I then perked up again and start to feel all the benefit all over again.

EVENING:
FEELING: Feel happy to have completed the detox. Feel slimmer, healthier, and definitely more switched on. Also as it was a challenge feeling a bit proud of myself.
MOOD: Smug.

Juice Cleanse. Day Two

DAY TWO

MORNING:
FEELING: Woke up feeling great, really energised, happy and had a good night sleep. I’m full of beans.
MOOD: Happy. Optimistic about the day ahead.
 
 

morning hot water and lemon

I started the day with hot water and lemon as instructed. Surprised I'm not craving my usual morning cup of tea, or caffeine. But I'm not, luckily.
Got a busy day ahead of me today. Need to write a 1000 word travel feature and reply to a load of emails I ignored yesterday. I also have an PR meeting this afternoon at 3.30pm, which I'm driving into the centre of London for. Driving in London is pretty horrendous, on the best of days, so hopefully I'll have the energy.

I had a really good sleep last night, totally zonked out and I woke up feeling really good and positive.

First juice of the day was... Morning Liver Bliss again.
Despite not liking it yesterday, and thinking the combination of carrot, apple, beetroot and ginger wasn't very nice, I liked it this morning.
Strange. But I'm going with it.
Also had all the pills, powders and shots I was suppose to.

I took my laptop outside into the garden to get some fresh air and do some work there. It was quite sunny, despite what the picture (below) shows.
Change of scenery, and all that.

For my second juice I had Very Berry - carrot (again), apple, celery, blueberry, blackberry and mint.
I really liked this one.
So far, I'm finding in the juice cleanse OK. I haven't been craving food and I'm feeling full most of the time. Also finding it pretty easy to concentrate on work and getting everything done I need to.


Cool Mint juice

I decided to take my third juice with me to the business meeting in town. That way I wouldn't be tempted to have coffee, or tea. Or any other snacks they had lying around. Media offices always seem to be full of cakes, sweets, doughnuts. My third juice was Cool Mint - pineapple, cucumber, mint and fennel. I also really enjoyed the taste of this one. (maybe just thankful for no more carrot!)

I did feel a bit daft pulling out a detox juice drink in front of a PR director I'd never met before. It was a good job I took it though, as there were trays of sandwiches and cakes just metres away from where we were sitting. It was a talking point if nothing else.
The meeting went really well, I had no problem concentrating or driving in the rush hour home (bloody insane London traffic).
I still don't feel hungry, so pretty pleased with how it's all going.

Dinner: Sweet Green juice

For my dinner juice I chose Sweet Green - pear, celery, broccoli and ginger. I liked the taste of this one too.

I should point out, I was now going to the toilet a lot more, watch out for that if you're a work! You'll need a toilet near by. I won't go into any more detail, it was fine, just a bit of a surprise at first. Not sure if the Colosan powder causes that or just a juice diet naturally?


I had my first negative experience around 8.30pm. I felt really tired, and a bit daunted that I had another whole day of literally, not eating anything. I was starting to dread the carrot juices!
My enthusiasm for the cleanse dropped. I wasn't hungry, but I was craving cheese on toast. And freshly, baked bread. In fact any bread. Just bread.

Luckily, my husband was working away all week, so I didn't have to cope with him cooking and eating nice looking food. But I was started to feel a bit defeated and lethargic - I needed some inspiration to keep going.
Luckily, a PR friend was doing a juice cleanse too, coincidentally, at the same time, which I found out over Twitter. We sent each other a few Tweets (well loads actually, sorry to anyone who read them and got completely bored with endless detox and juice chit-chat) to encouraged each other to keep going for the final day. It really helped.



A new drink, thank God.
Spicy Lemonade

I think doing a juice cleanse with someone else would really spur you on in those times of doom. Lauren told me she watched a motivation video on the internet, so that could be a good idea if you're flagging?
I decided to read some online posts about juice cleanses, and listened to some Ibiza chill out tunes on Spotify, both cheered me up and gave me some motivation to keep going tomorrow.
Also I had my first Spicy Lemonade (filtered water, lemon, agave, nectar) - which I'd totally forgotten about. It was nice to have something completely different, and it tasted good too.

If none of the above works, there's always the bath and face mask to look forward to before bed. Every cloud.



EVENING:
FEELING:  Today felt like a bit of a struggle incomparison to how easy yesterday was. Feeling slighted daunted that tomorrow will be worse, but trying to stay positive.
MOOD: Good (despite the above), my skin looks better and I feel slimmer.