Strip Teas Teatox | Review

Embarking on a Teatox has always intrigued me. I feel like its the perfect place to start if you are a bit too lazy to start committing to juicing every day but want to kick start your health regime. For an avid across the board tea drinker this kind of detox is something I can get on board with. It is great for winter as you get a guaranteed 3 warm mugs of tea a day, and it also helps with your hydration, skin and metabolism.

The Strip Teas (great name) Teatox lasts for 14 days, and you get three very cute packages of tea for morning, day time and night. The bags are also ziplocked at the top which is very handy at keeping the contents fresh as well as featuring cute quotes on the back of each sachet. Each tea bag consists of loose leaf herbs housed in fully biodegradable pyramid bags, which look quite swanky and let the tea move about so it tastes better. It is worth noting that for the Daytime Teatox you can choose between Original, Berry Burst or Vanilla - I chose the latter.

Lets start with Morning Wake Up*. Normally I need a strong cup of Yorkshire Tea before I can even speak first thing in the morning and I was worried I would miss my caffeine hit by drinking a herbal tea, but I needn't have worried. The ingredients included in this tea are: Chinese White Tea, Yerba Mate, Lemongrass, Liquorice Root, Orange Peel, Ginseng, Ginkgo, Eucalyptus and Spearmint. I'm not a fan of liquorice normally but it didn't over power the tea, instead the flavours of spearmint, eucalyptus and lemongrass were most strong for me. It did a great job of waking me up and getting my metabolism going gently.

The second tea of the day is the Daytime Teatox*. You are meant to drink this shortly after your main lunch time meal - I like it mid afternoon around 3pm when I'm starting to feel sluggish after lunch and would normally reach for a coffee. The ingredients include: Chinese Oolong Tea, Fennel Seeds, Cinnamon, Pu-erh Black Tea, Schisandra Berries, Black Peppercorns, Calendula Petals, Sunflower Petals, Orange Blossom and Vanilla Flavour. The floral scents of this stand out for me and you get a smooth vanilla undertone. This tea is meant to aid digestion which is definitely does and also reduced bloating for me as well as aid fat burning by keeping your metabolism high.

The final bag is the Sleep Tight* tea. Obviously, you drink this before bed to help you relax and unwind for a good nights sleep. The ingredients include: Rooibos, Ginger, Ashwagandha Root, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Peppermint Leaves, Hawthorn, Vanilla Pieces, Lavender, Vanilla Flavour. Normally night time teas don't do much for me as I dislike Chamomile, but the flavours were balanced so it didn't put me off. It was nice to have something comforting which wasn't heavy or caffeinated after dinner.

With all these teas I would advise not to over brew - 3 minutes is plenty to get a well balanced and delicate taste that won't dry your mouth out. The best thing about these teas is that they aid an overall healthy lifestyle - there are no laxatives included, instead using natural ingredients to amp up your metabolism and supress appetite.

I've really enjoyed the process of this Teatox and would recommend you to try it if you're looking for something different to kick start your healthy regime.

If you would like to try it I have a discount code for 10% off: LILMISSLIFESTYLE10 which you can enter at the checkout. Remember to let me know what you think!

5 Top Tips to Survive The Winter + A Giveaway

With England's weather being ridiculously cold and wet over the last few weeks and no sign of getting better, I thought it would be nice to do a little post on how to survive it by sharing a few lifestyle and beauty tips.

1. Hydrate: from the outside and the inside. I'm pretty crap at drinking lots of water myself but since buying a really large cup its made it a lot easier to keep hydrated. Try it with lemon for an added immune boost - I like a hot mug of water and a slice of lemon in the mornings as well as herbal teas throughout the day and evening, which keep you warm, hydrated and they are good for you!

In terms of the outside, cold temperatures as well as central heating can really dry out skin and hair. I've previously done a post on my dehydrated skin saviours but a few of my favourites include: Origins Drink Up Intensive mask, Nuxe lip balm, Clarins facial oil, The Body Shop hemp hand cream and a rich body cream like The Righteous Butter from Soap and Glory. Your hair will also thank you for oils - my fave is this offering from Kerastase - and luxurious masks like the Macadamia oil one.

2. Vitamins: It's really tempting to make stodgy food the main part of your diet at this time of year, but try and get lots of fruits and veggies by making homemade soups (recipes to come), stews and smoothies/juices. That way you can help to stave off illnesses and not feel guilty when you do have some treats! You can also top up your defences with supplements such as Immunaid* by Bimuno which features Vitamin C and stimulates the good bacteria in your gut to maintain your immune health. Echinacea is also great for preventing a sniffle into a full blown cold.

3.  Exfoliate: In the winter skin can tend to get dull and lackluster but there is still the temptation to ignore it as what can't be seen is easily forgotten. Get out that rut and use a body brush before showering to stimulate blood flow, an effective body scrub to get rid of dead skin cells and toners rich in AHA acids to gently exfoliate dead skin cells to get that glow back (remember to use an SPF after use to prevent sun damage).

4. Pamper: Beat the blues with a pamper night. What better excuse for a lush-centric bath, beautiful candles and a film or reading session wrapped under blankets.

5. Last but not least, remember to smile! It releases seratonin, a neuro transmitter that boosts your mood and your immune system.

Simple Summer Smoothie

Hey guys, I haven't done a recipe post in ages so thought I would ease myself back with something healthy, easy and delicious. My favourite way to have my five a day is in smoothies as they are yummy and it means I can eat more fruit in one go that way - does anyone else find that? When it comes to smoothies I'm normally quite slap dash and throw in whatever, but this particular combination was delicious so I thought I'd share it with you. If you like sweet things this will be right up your street.

Ingredients

* 1 banana

* handful of ice

* handful of strawberries (5-6)

* 1 peach 

* 1 cup of almond milk

* chia seeds (optional)

Put the ice in the blender first followed by your chopped banana. Hull the strawberries and half them and remove the stone from the peach then quarter. Add all of them to the blender. Finally add a generous glug of almond milk. Blend it all thoroughly and add more almond milk if its a bit too thick. Pour into a glass and top with Chia seeds if you would like. 

      

      

See, I told you it was easy! Let me know if you try this out by tweeting me or commenting. What is your favourite summer drink? xxx