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Instant Goddess gets rugged up for autumn in Hong Kong, blinged up with ETSY and slimmed down with the 5:2 diet and L’Occitane

Style & BeautyPost Category - Style & BeautyStyle & Beauty

Surely summer can’t be over already?!

Although cooler weather may be far from your mind as you swelter in this August heat, Autumn/Winter 2013 is very much on the mind of Hong Kong’s high street brands. Last week, both Giordano Ladies and Massimo Dutti unveiled what they think we should be wearing this autumn.

Oft-forgotten, Giordano Ladies is always worth a shout for tailored wardrobe staples. These loungy, slouchy, comfy pants really caught my eye and would even work right now as they are made from lightweight material. Great for travel too with their comfy elastic waists!

Photo 1If you’re in the market for a leather jacket, this season Giordano Ladies have some good ones. In particular, the black and green biker jacket (first left below) with its exposed and very long-line zip on the sleeves, and the black leather jacket with the prominent pop of blue (below right) are favourites.

Photo 2

I didn’t see the printed tux below at the launch of the A/W collection but it’s looking good on screen and certainly worth checking out.

Photo 3

Meanwhile, Massimo Dutti came up with a delightful fashion story, with mini collections named after some of our favourite cities. Encapsulating what Massimo thinks these cities say about fashion, we took a chic stroll through Paris, Milan, London, and New York.

The colour palette is very neutral this season, with just a pop of red provided by London. Milan was all about elegant olive green and beautiful cream coats and jackets. Paris told a story of classic blues including the navy jacquard shorts below, while New York had some lovely blush tops, and had a Bohemian feel about it.

An equine theme certainly runs throughout the collection with snaffle fixings on dresses; leather riding boots and quilted gilets. Riding crops at the ready, Goddesses!

Massimo Collage 1

Left to right: 1. Coat with leather edging $1290; 2. Double sided shearling coat $10,990;
3. Brown leather jacket with fur collar: $4290.

Massimo Collage 2

Left to right: 1. Flocked top with bow $690 (also available in white) with slouchy trousers $890;
2. Navy dress with leather shoulders $650; and 3. Navy jacquard shorts $890.

This week’s ETSY crush 

Photo 1 EtsyHeartLogo

 

 

 

 

 

Now as you may know by now the Instant Goddess is a bit of an ETSY addict, so I nearly fell off my chair when I found these Shourouk-inspired pieces. I can definitely recommend anything from Emily Gao – her cool jewels are good quality and arrive in Hong Kong quickly.

Photo 2 ETSYCrush

Top left: Rainbow necklace by BubbleJewellery $500; Top right: Crystal cuff by BellaJewelry4u $145;
Bottom left: Shourouk inspired clutch by JACK and HAZEL $345 (there was only one when I checked so if sold out you could also try JShineJewellery and SmileQueenJewelry, which are also cheaper);
Bottom right: Luxury flower crystal statement necklace by Emily Gao Jewelry $430.

Fasting: The 5:2 Diet

The Fast Diet book

So last week it was the Detox and this week… wait for it!… I’m fasting! Another take-away from my recent UK trip is the 5:2 Diet, which Brits have gone nuts about. Move over Dukan, now it’s all about fasting for 2 non-consecutive days a week, then eating normally for the remaining 5. On a fast day, women can eat a mere 500 calories and men can have 600 calories. This is now my third week and it’s hard on the fast days but they say it gets easier the more you fast, and you’re supposed to lose approximately one pound per fast day. Once you’ve hit your target weight, you can maintain it by fasting for just a day each week. Although it’s hard, the great thing about it is that it’s only for one day at a time so you always have that light at the end of the tunnel feeling, (unlike, say, 3 or 9-day detoxes!)

But it’s not all about weight loss; apparently fasting has great health benefits as you’re giving your body a break from all that digesting and consuming so it has time to repair itself. Also – before you ask – you won’t go into starvation mode, as you’re not fasting for long enough. It’s only one day at a time and then another day later in the week. You don’t have to fast on the same days each week; you can chop and change to fit in with your lifestyle. I like Mondays and Wednesdays, so then you’re done for the rest of the week and can pretty much eat what you like, but if you want to be kind to your body and get the full benefits then eating healthily would be wise… five days of cream cakes do not a svelte Goddess make!

So, back to those health benefits… just take a look at the reviews that the bestselling“The Fast Diet” book by Dr Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer gets. It’s pretty powerful stuff. People are raving about how it’s changed their lives… with yo-yo dieters, people with high cholesterol and other “bad” blood markers seeing marked improvements. A friend of mine at 43 swears that it’s the only reason that she got pregnant, as she and her hubby did the fast diet over a period of 6 months (not only did she conceive but her hubby dropped 10kgs!); people also rave about how their skin starts to glow; and there’s even an extract in the book about a lady who fasted before chemotherapy treatment and found that when she fasted the side effects were less severe than when she didn’t fast. Of course this hasn’t been scientifically proven – which the book is always very upfront about – and it was just her personal experience, but very compelling nonetheless.

And what do you eat on a fast day? This article from the Daily Mail has some really good recipe ideas at the end. As I’m only at the beginning and don’t feel like I’ve really gotten in my stride yet, I will report back in a month’s time to let you know my progress!

For more details take a look at the Fast Diet website and definitely check out the book reviews on Amazon – they are really inspiring. Also, one of the reasons the UK went crayzeee for the Fast Diet in the first place was due to a BBC Horizon programme called: Eat, Fast and Live Longer by Dr Michael Mosley – see if you can catch this online.

Wonder fat-busting creams from L’Occitane!

Ok, so if fasting seems a little hardcore and you’re looking for a no-exercise, eat what you like approach, (and we at Sassy Mama can get on board with that!) then I wonder if L’Occitane’s wonder fat-busting creams have the answer?

Last week we had a Sassy blogger Sparty at the newly opened Spa L’Occitane on Star Street in Wanchai, where we were introduced to this lovely duo: Creme Allegee Shaping Delight and Courbes Exquises Beautiful Shape.

PicMonkey Collage

Left to right: Creme Allegee Shaping Delight $450 and Courbes Exquises Beautiful Shape $380, both L’Occitaine.

Apparently, if you slather this duo on twice a day for 28 days you can lose up to 2.6cm off your waist and up to 3.3cm off your thighs while ridding yourself of cellulite! (As you can imagine Team Sassy are all slathering like crazy, day and night.)

I’m loving The Courbes Exquises Beautiful Shape in particular, as when you apply it, you get that tingly sensation, similar to when you put a Deep Heat or menthol product on your skin… it makes me feel like the fat is literally being burnt off in the nicest, tingliest possible way!

You’re supposed to apply the creams in a circular, upwards motion. On your tummy, you apply in a circular clockwise motion to follow the direction of your digestive system.

Although spanking new Spa L’Occitane is well worth a visit, if you have no time, and want to conduct your own experiment at home to see whether what they say is true you can buy these wonder creams online.

Spa L’Occitane
Shop No.3, Star Crest, 9 Star Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (above 1/5 Nuevo entrance on the side street).
Tel: +(852) 2143 6288

Midweek Meal Inspiration

Given all this chat about fasting, gracing Instant Goddess’ plate this Wednesday is Tuna, Bean, and Garlic Salad, which comes in at a mere 255 calories!

Combine 140g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (108 calories), 120g canned tuna in spring water, drained (119 calories), 6 chopped cherry tomatoes (90g = 16 calories), and a generous handful of baby leaf spinach (30g = 8 calories) in a salad bowl. In a small bowl, combine 1 clove garlic, crushed (3 calories), the juice and grated zest of 1 lemon (1 calorie), ½ teaspoon olive oil (12 calories), and a splash of white wine vinegar. Drizzle over the salad and toss to mix well.

Yogi tea saying of the week: “Be great, feel great and act great”.

Instant Goddess saying of the week: “But I already am great…”

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

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