Nosh Detox

Diets stink! Fact!

I have never enjoyed doing diets for the main reason that I love food! Whether it's eating socially, treating myself to a lovely lunch or snack, my levels of resistance when it comes to food are very low. I have a balanced diet and don't go crazy but the thought of cutting out my favourite food-stuffs fills me with dread.

I recently met up with my Mum who was looking ridiculously slim and had a wonderful glow to her skin. "What's going on?" I asked her..."Are you in love?"

"No darling" was her response. "I've been doing a detox and I feel AMAZING!!!" She then looked at me in the way that only a mother can and said "You really should try it!"

"What's that meant to mean?" I asked myself as I sipped on my hot chocolate whilst she indulged in a fresh mint tea.

Fast forward a fortnight and I have completed the very detox that my Mum did and my word do I feel good for it!!

The Facts:

My Mum and I did the Nosh Detox 6 day Juice Fast. Nosh Detox was founded by a wonderful woman called Geeta Sidhu Robb and has won loads of awards. The company offer a wide array of home delivery diets such as Anti-Cellulite, Gut-Healing, Healing-Thyroid and Fertile and Fabulous. The Juice-Fast (which I did) is perfect for re-training your eating habits and totally cleaning and detoxifying your system. One of the by-products of the detox is that you will lose around 6lb.

The Experience:

A Juice-Fast isn't easy and my Mum and I both found the first few days really tough. However, towards the end of the week things got much easier and the hunger and headaches disappeared. What makes Nosh wonderful is the constant support that you get during the six days. Each morning you get an inspirational email and there is always someone there to give you advice and help. In fact, I emailed for some advice and instantly got a reply from Geeta herself.

The juices themselves were varied, filling and delicious. They were also jam-packed with vitamins and nutrients.

Here is a list of the benefits of the detox as listed on the website:

• Helps maintain high energy levels since all the smoothies contain fruit pulp and fibre.
• Assists the body in attaining its natural balance by detoxifying and cleansing thoroughly.
• Increases the metabolic rate, thus helping in digesting food quickly and eliminating waste material regularly.
• The extra weight can be kept at bay for a longer time period than is possible in traditional diet method. The program retrains your body and improves your overall dietary patterns.

The thing that sets this detox apart is the support you get and the quality of the service. No wonder this company has won awards..you really feel that you are in safe hands and Geeta's obvious passion for food and health translates into everything that the company does.

For more information here's the website http://www.noshdetox.com/index.aspx

Bargain Beauty Buys

Is it just me or is everyone really money conscious at the moment?

This is the first Christmas when my family have decided to have a spending limit on presents. Usually we go a bit crazy but this year I think that it might be quite fun to see what we can get on a budget.

Anyway, in a world filled with ultra-expensive beauty products, sometimes the most effective products cost the least.

If you find yourself spending lots on hand-cream then why not follow the example of hand-model Gemma Howorth who keeps her hands looking fabulous with bottles of £1.50 almond oil!



Marilyn Monroe was famed for her flawless skin and her go-to moisturiser was good old olive-oil. Rub some onto your face before bed and reap the benefits! This can also be used as a great cleanser!

Marilyn was also said to rub vaseline onto her skin but I'm not so sure about this! Vaseline is great though for taming eye-brows and highlighting your cheek bones. You can also use it on your eye-lids and of course your lips.

If you suffer from dark cirles under your eyes then pop to your local chemist and buy some haemmorhoid cream. Apply lightly to the area of concern and your eyes will thank you for it. (Don't do this for an extended length of time as it is strong stuff).

Feel free to share any of your recession-proof beauty tips in the comment box below.

Nicola xx

Michael Buble

People often ask me how the hell I manage to get up at 2:20am every morning. My answer is that I absolutely love what I do. I have worked my ass off for ten years to get where I am and even though my show isn't in a prime-time slot I am incredibly proud of it. Without being cheesy, one of the most incredible things about being on the radio is the fact that people invite you into their lives....their homes, their cars, their workplaces. I sometimes even get messages from women who are in labour and tell me that the show is keeping them going!! Being on the radio is a total honour and I never take it for granted.

One thing I will say is that radio is MUCH less glamorous than people think. There have been times when I've been tempted to do my show in my PJs and to be honest I think I'd get away with it. Sometimes though, I do get invited to really special events and I really wanted to tell you about last night because it was so spectacular.

Heart held a special night with Michael Buble last night. Only 100 people won tickets and gathered in a stunning hotel bar near Trafalgar Square. Michael then appeared on the stage and totally mesmerised every woman (and most men) in the room. In what was a very entertaining Q and A session, Michael told us about his life, his loves and his music. He made a cocktail at the bar, regaled great stories and pretty much seduced everybody.

Here are some facts about Buble:

1. He LOVES Christmas
2. His favourite drink at Christmas time is Eggnog and whisky mixed
3. Unfortunately for us, he is besotted with his wife.
4. Last year his wife bought him stilts for Christmas. This year he wants socks.
5. He has a very nice bottom. (I know this because a very excited woman in the loo informed me that she had pinched it)


Anyway, you can hear Michael Buble in action on some very special shows on Heart with Emma Bunton (Who by the way wears amazing mascara. I'll ask her what it is and let you know in due course).

Sorry this isn't exactly beauty related but as Micheal's so beautiful I thought you'd forgive me :)

xx

Marvellous M.A.C

I once met a makeup artist who admitted that he often does brand-specific shoots for ads and make-over promotions where he is given an array of their products to use but that when the big bosses aren't looking he whips out his collection of M.A.C products and applies those instead. His argument is that you can't beat M.A.C for quality and ease of application and in his words "many other products are a load of shite". (He said it, not me)

Anyway, I have an ongoing love affair with M.A.C, mainly because you can really trust their products to do the job and they also have incredibly exciting ranges of colours and formulas.

I spent a good half hour browsing in M.A.C Covent Garden yesterday and came away with three products that I think should be a part of every makeup collection just because they make life simple and really work.

The first is the 217 brush. If you only have money for one brush then this is the one to get as it is wonderfully muli-functional. I recommend using it to apply under-eye concealer, to apply your eye-shadow base and also for great blending.

I also discovered M.A.C paints for the first time. These little beauties come in neutral tones and make the perfect base for your eye-shadow. They stop creasing and create a clean, flawless canvas to work on. I also think that they are great on their own worn as a lovely, natural eye-shadow. I bought "Bare Canvas" and have been applying it all over my eye-lid with my 217 brush.

For a lovely, light and moisturising under-eye concealer the NW Moisture-Cover Concealer is perfect. I have been using this for quite a while and it really does beat other under-eye concealers hands down. (and I have tried a LOT!!) To be honest, my biggest let down of recent months has been Laura Mercier Secret Concealer which I found surprisingly drying under the eyes. The great thing about the NW range is the colour, which is slightly yellowy and perfect for cancelling out blue tones in the skin.

That's all for now...I need my bed xx

Regents Street Christmas Lights and OK Beauty Tutorial

Morning!

I presented the Regents Street Xmas Lights last night with the gorgeous Jamie Theakston. It is at this point that I must say that a certain journalist wrote a ridiculous piece about him in the Daily Mail over the weekend. She sounded bitter and twisted and you heard it here that Jamie is a genuine and very good person. He is naturally inteligent and witty and a true family man so as far as I'm concerned that journalist can jolly well find someone else to bully with her lazy writing style.

Right....rant over!!

I am feeling very christmassy now and it was quite emotional when all the fireworks started going off as Regents Street sparkled! We may all be broke and in recession but whatever anyone says, Christmas is magical and I'm going to embrace every damn day of the party season.

Anyway, here's a link to this week's OK Magazine Beauty Watch. This week I'm joined by international makeup artist Martin Weiser who is brilliant. He tells us how to get the J-LO look

Enjoy xx


Beauty Watch - OK! on MUZU.TV

Some Great Beauty Products

I took a massive trip down memory lane over the weekend. My parents split up a few years ago and when they had sold the house we all gathered to sort through years of "stuff" for storage. This said stuff went all the way back to childhood and there was A LOT of it!

At the time I was feeling very unsettled and instead of giving things to charity and disposing of useless items, I found the whole thing far too emotional and stuffed everything into boxes, handed them over to my parents and forced the whole sorry affair out of my mind.

Last week I got a call from my Dad telling me that they had decided to sort through the storage items and I had to come and go through my boxes. I was instantly filled with dread. The time had come to face up to the fact that I couldn't hold onto everything and that I would in fact have to throw some of my precious memories away.

When I finally got round to it on Saturday, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I mean what was I thinking keeping an old bridesmaid dress that was about ten sizes too small for me, a weird long coat that I once thought was elegant and dramatic but that would look far better on Cruella De Ville and a strange collection of books that I don't even remember reading?

On the plus side, I found old love letters, an amazing painting by my Grandmother that now has pride of place in my hallway and photos...lots and lots of photos!! I spent hours pouring over these wonderful old pictures and I smiled as I reminisced about great family days out, odd ex-boyfriends and some of the happiest moments of my life.

I was also struck by how AWFUL my makeup was in my youth. What on earth was I thinking? From dark lip-liner mixed with light lipstick to blue eye-shadow to glitter all over my cheeks, I certainly liked trying out lots of looks. It's all part of growing up though and my relationship with makeup has certainly been fun so far.

Anyway, I like to think that now I'm in my 30's I have far better judgement and know what works and below are a few products that I've been sent/bought recently that I think are outstanding and that will hopefully stand the test of time when I look back at photos of myself in years to come.

So here ya go...

MAC Strobe Cream:

This stuff is great both on its own and under foundation. It's good for waking up tired looking skin and gives a fabulous glow and brightening effect. It's full of light reflecting particles and also contains a load of vitamins so is good for your skin too.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Beige:

I adore Bobbi Brown eyeshadows. They go on and blend like a dream and come in a fab range of colours. Their shimmer wash in Beige is one of those colours that will suit all skin tones and is a great base colour. I have been wearing it all over and then using a plum colour in the corners for a smoky effect. For me this is a classic beauty must-have that I will be using both for everyday and evenings. It is also great if you're not used to wearing eyeshadow as it's lovely and natural when worn alone.

Laura Mercier Eye Crease Brush:

Definitely one of the best makeup brushes that I have come across. This is the perfect blending brush if you like to wear colour across your eye-crease to create a smoky look. It makes a job that is often tricky, totally effortless.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Big and Bouncy XXL Volume:

This is guaranteed to give you big hair. I use it when I'm going on camera and it makes me look like I've had a professional blow-dry. Spray it into your roots, work it in with your fingers and voila!!

As Bonn Beauty is all about sharing tips, I'd love you to get in touch with any great new products that you've been using recently.

Nicola

xx