The Instant Goddess gets mean and lean!

Ouch! The credit card bill came through and there have been a few too many frivolous fashion items and laser hair removal going on – so this week it’s all about tightening the belt… not only because my purse strings are feeling the pinch but also my kilo creep has returned! So after my month long mystery stomach illness back in December, I became the skinniest I had been in years but now I’m back to full health and my full FAT self! So, this week it’s all about mean budget buys under 500HKD and a two-day diet! Read on to find out more….

SHOPPING

Forever 21, I don’t think so
So, in my quest for the best budget buys I thought I had to pay my first visit to Forever 21, which has recently opened in Causeway Bay. I had high hopes thinking that it would be akin to Topshop in the UK; alas, my hopes were dashed. First off, I walked through a load of grunge… Instant Goddess doesn’t do grunge! Then, when I did come across pops of colour, the quality was so poor and the material so cheap looking that I gave up. I checked in with a friend from the US and she explained that it’s really a student gig. So there you have it, I’m just too old for this shop!

Forever 21, Capitol Centre, 5-19 Jardine’s Crescent, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, 2890 4791

Onwards and upwards at H&M
Not to be deterred (no-one denies a Goddess on a mission!), I skipped along to H&M. My faith was instantly restored in cheap but chic. H&M has some great budget buy blazers in at the moment in a variety of fabrics and colours from smart to daytime casual, including these figure fit piqué fabric blazers (HKD$299).

This grey/silver blazer is great quality for the price with a good lining, or add a splash of colour with the orange version (HKD$199).

This leather imitation jacket fits the budget at HKD$399, whilst these orange slimfit stretch twill trousers are HKD$199, and available in other colours including black, bright blue, beige, navy.

The exposed zip on this simple stripe jersey top (HKD$149) is very Victoria Beckham; bird print is also huge at the moment thanks to Miu Miu, so get the look on the cheap with this crepe blouse (HKD$199).

Step out in these gold bangles (HKD$79.90; stack them high for extra effect) and these flarey jeans (HKD$299).

Also one for the diary… Marni for H&M is on its way, available in selected stores on March 8. Lush chunky jewellery and bold prints – that’s the Marni way! They also have designed a menswear range. Get ready for the queues… it’ll be handbags at dawn! Check out our style blogger Sabrina’s top picks from the collection, plus her tips on how to bag the goods on the big day, over on Sassy.

The Marni for H&M Collection will be in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Elements, Mong Kok and Sha Tin branches of H&M; see full locations here.

Esprit de corps
I always forget about Esprit, but it’s always worth a quick gander, and it didn’t disappoint with this lovely blouse (HKD$399). If orange is not your cup of tea, it’s also available in a mink colour that they call ‘powder’.

See all Esprit stores in Hong Kong here.

Tried and tested, good old M&S
I know I know I’ve already blogged about my favourite “superstretch” jeggings from Marks & Spencer, but they have new arrivals in bright blue, purple and hot pink (HKD$425) which I’m loving for Spring. I’m not brave enough for the bright pink (although they would look great with a black blazer on the right set of pins), but the bright blue are perfecto. Or you could take M&S’s advice and try teaming them with this leopard print tee (HKD$350).

See all Marks & Spencer locations in Hong Kong here.

BEAUTY

Oooh you make me blush…
This week’s top beauty tip from favourite make-up artist Jaime Smith of Smudge Make-Up Artistry is all about blush. Jaime says: ‘Blush can be tricky and always a huge question in our make-up regime. What colour, type, brand? Whatever you do, don’t skip it!’ Instant Goddess says ‘Uh oh..I always skip it!’

Jaime continues: ‘Adding colour into your cheeks helps make you look younger, fresher and adds a healthy glow. If you are always into pinks and browns, try choosing blush in the peach, apricot and the gold families, which will appear more natural on most skin types.’

‘For dryer or more mature skin, try a cream blush with light reflective properties – it won’t sit in the creases like a powder may, and helps create that youthful dewy look we all crave. If applying a powder blush, like NARS Orgasm (the perfect blend of peachy gold and my favourite colour on most women), smile and apply at the apples of the cheeks then blend into the hairline. Start with a small amount and layer colour as desired.’

There you have it: a younger, fresher, healthy glow… I’m there like a shot at the NARS counter!

NARS counter, Lane Crawford, Times Square, 1 Matheson Square, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, 2118 3638

FOOD

The two-day diet
I read about this diet in Good Housekeeping… yes I know, not uber glam but Good Housekeeping is one of my guilty pleasures, together with old episodes of Miss Marple… ok enough already, I hear you say!

This diet was originally devised as part of a medical plan to lower the risk of breast cancer and is based on milk, fruit and vegetables. For two consecutive days of the week, you have “milk days” where you consume the equivalent of two pints of semi-skimmed milk, four portions of vegetables, one portion of fruit, at least two pints of other low-cal drinks and a multi vitamin and mineral tablet.

On the other days, you are meant to eat sensibly, sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet with a daily intake of about 1800 calories (not far off a woman’s recommended daily calorie intake of 2000 calories) so this should be manageable. On the milk days, however, you are only consuming 650 calories… so me thinks this is where the weight loss comes in! But it is only for two days, after all. The milk gives you that protein burst and helps to keep you full.

On the ‘milk days’, you can only consume the following:

● 2 pints of semi-skimmed milk or the equivalent in yogurt or cottage cheese
● At least 2 pints of other low-calorie drinks such as tea, coffee, herb teas, sparkling water, flavoured sparkling water, sugar-free or no-added-sugar fruit squash, plus diet, sugar-free or no-added-sugar fizzy drinks
● 1 portion of fruit
● 4 portions of vegetables or salad
● 1 combined multi-vitamin and multi-mineral tablet

If you don’t like milk, you can substitute each third of a pint for:

● 1 x 200g pot Muller Light yogurt
● 2 x 120g pots diet yogurt
● 150g low-fat or 2% fat natural yogurt
● 100g whole milk natural or fruit yogurt
● 100g low-fat plain fromage frais
● 100g cottage cheese

You could do it on a Monday and a Tuesday, making it a lot easier to stick to than some other diets. In a study of one hundred women, those who followed the two-day diet (versus those who followed a calorie controlled diet of 1500 calories a day) lost just as much weight as those on the 1500 calorie intake. For recipe ideas and more information, see here.

Peas glorious peas… there’s nothing quite like them!
So, mean and lean all rolled into one this week with our mid-week meal inspiration. Mean because this is a budget blockbuster with its main ingredient being frozen peas! Lean because it’s relatively low-fat and what’s more, it’s fast too. We love a bit of low fat fast in our house!

This week’s recipe comes from the ultimate domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson, and the recipe is Pea & Pesto Soup. Domestic Goddess Nigella says: ‘Use fresh pesto’; Instant Goddess says: ‘Use pesto from a jar, it’s fine. Yes another blinkin’ jar!’ Read the full recipe here.

Yogi tea saying of the week: “Have patience, it will benefit you”.
Instant Goddess saying of the week: “Enjoy Milk”.

Until next week Goddesses!

Check out all of Katie’s Instant Goddess columns here.