How I Got On With The Forever Living Clean 9 Detox

A while back I decided I wanted to try a detox. I'd never tried one before so here's how I got with the Forever Living Clean 9 Detox. It might help you with what to expect if your thinking of giving it a go.

I started using the Forever Living Aloe Vera Gel a few months back, I heard it was very popular in Brazil and figured if it was good enough for those gorgeous Latina's then it was definitely good enough for me! After all I have taken quite the shine to their men! 

I couldn’t get over the results I was getting, I noticed it mostly in my nails which would be thin and weak and forever bending, peeling and breaking, after a few weeks they had grown longer than ever and were so much stronger, they would no longer bend or peel. In fact they stopped breaking altogether. So I decided to take it a step further and try the Clean 9 detox.

My reasons for trying the detox was that I really needed a kick start into a healthier lifestyle. I was practically living on sugar, biscuits, sweets, chocolate. I would have them for my breakfast dinner and tea, seriously if I had vegetables once a week it was an achievement and I don’t really eat meat so my diet was simple sugars and carbs. I was also drinking about 10 cups of coffee a day and my energy levels were at an all time low so I to make some drastic changes.

The program is a 9 day detox using Forever Living products. In the box you get 3 x 1 litre bottles of Aloe Vera Gel, 1 tub of Forever Lite Ultra with Aminotein which is basically a protein shake in vanilla or chocolate flavor, 70 forever Garcenia Plus softgels, 100 Forever Bee Pollen tablets, a shaker, a measuring tape and a measuring cup. 

On days 1 and 2 you don’t eat, you have one shake per day and take your Aloe Vera Gel and tablets as laid out in the plan. On the first day i was very lethargic, I actually took a nap in the afternoon and I was suffering from severe caffeine headaches and sugar cravings. Its very important to keep hydrated so i drank roughly 4 litres of water per day. By day 2 my energy levels were on the rise but the headaches were killing me so I took another afternoon nap. On the evening of the second day I cracked a little, I just wanted to chew something, I know that might sound weird but sticking to a purely liquid diet is really tough, I chewed my Pollen tablets instead of swallowing them whole and I also had a few sticks of celery purely to feel like I was eating something. 

From day 3 to 9 on the detox you have a 600 calorie meal in the evening, your Aloe Vera gel, tablets and shakes are still taken throughout the day. I was spending a lot of time at home over the detox and temptation was everywhere so I spread my 600 calories throughout the day. On day 3 my tiredness had gone and my energy levels were noticeably on the rise. By day 4 my caffeine headaches and sugar cravings were gone. I found the second part of the program relatively easy, for some reason on day 7 I was very hungry so I just kept myself busy, drank more water and went to bed very early. I found the whole program great. I got what I wanted out of it, I didn't drink coffee at all over the 9 days and most days now I only have one or 2 cups, my sugar cravings are practically gone and I eat real food now, lots of veg and protein so my eating habits have totally changed. My scales were broke so I cant tell you what weight I lost but I did loose an inch off my waist and hips and a half inch off my bust and thighs which was a welcome extra bonus!

Some people get put off by the 600 calorie restriction on the last 7 days of the detox, however you do have 2 shakes per day as well which is a total of roughly 1200 calories per day, which is pretty decent. You'd also be surprised how much you can eat for 600 calories. As I said I didn't have one meal I broke them up during the day to curb any temptation I was having. I was also finding it hard to deal with the caffeine and sugar withdrawal so I cut out caffeine altogether and got some natural vegan cacao treats to help with my sugar cravings. 

Drop back tomorrow and I'll share the products I found to help kick my sugar habit. I'll share my meal plans and recipes I used to get the most out of my 600 calories.

Comment below and let me know if you've tried this detox or any of the Forever Living products and how you got on with them.

Zee xx

I just want to thank Colette who introduced me to the Forever Living products and was a great support to me during the detox! She did it with me for moral support! You can visit her Facebook page here to contact her about the products and ask her any questions.

#BodyByZita

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2013... The Good, The Bad And The Absolutely Fabulous!!

2013 has been a tumultuous year for me. When it came to sailing from one end of the year to the other the journey was less cruise control, sit back and take in the sights and more seatbelt lights on, hold on tight, you will be experiencing extreme turbulence for prolonged periods and all emergency exits are closed! But, its okay, several bumpy landings later and its finally time to bid it farewell and take on 2014.

It wasn’t all bad, I did have some great times, good laughs, lots of friends weddings and fun times but the best thing to come out of 2013 was definitely my blog. I had been contemplating starting a blog for quite some time, it had crossed my mind over the last two or three years so on April 19th, after much deliberation over what to call it, ZeeRailed was live with my very first post, read it here. 

My blog has been the driving force behind some of the best moments of the last 12 months and when I say best I mean it! I was plodding along with my little blog trying to get to grips with Twitter and the ZeeRailed Blog Facebook page, which I have to say still baffles me at times, has the world stopped liking Facebook pages or is mine just that bad??... Things were going slow and steady with the blog and it was doing exactly what I wanted it to do, it was keeping me up to date with the fashion industry and keeping me busy, so I was absolutely delighted when it was nominated in three different categories in the Blog Awards, Best Newcomer, Best Fashion/Beauty Blog and Best Blog Post for two different posts “Colour Block Or Neon Flop” and “Resort... The Black And White Of It”. 

Maria Kelly, Sara, Me, Claire from JustifiedbyJemo and Ann Sheehy

In September Dublin Fashion Festival came along, I had heard of the festival in previous years but never bothered attending any of the events, this time though I had a purpose because i could blog about it. It turned out to be the most amazing experience because I won the Ilac Centre Stylathon!! You can read the whole post here, but basically I won the competition for being the most stylishly dressed over the three day festival. The prizes were amazing I won a €1000 shopping spree in the Ilac Centre, a weeks work experience with stylist Maria Kelly and a styling course in The LA Academy which I am to start at the end of this month! You can read about my other Fashion Festival adventures here and here, they are bound to give you a giggle!

Working with Maria for that week was great fun and I’ve worked with her on several projects since. I’ve worked on fashion shows with her, done shoots for Xposé on TV3 and worked on photoshoots for The Sunday World Magazine. You can read about some of these here.

Not long after winning the Stylathon I entered The Oasis Design Your Future competition on Ireland Am on TV3. The prize was a year working as a junior designer in Oasis head office in London. I got through the interview stages and was chosen as one of the 10 finalists out of hundreds of entries! It was an absolutely amazing whirlwind experience! Different challenges were filmed every week and aired on Ireland Am, unfortunately I was eliminated in the first round. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, it was an amazing opportunity, but having not designed a single garment since leaving college 4 years ago I must say I was very proud of myself for getting that far and it was a huge boost to my confidence in my ability as a designer. You can read the full post and see me on the telly here and here. 

 Filomena and I

 Susanne Jackson and I

Suzanne Jackson and I

Two days after filming my first and last challenge for Oasis Design Your Future I attended the launch for the So Sue Me Book. It was a great night and an absolute pleasure to meet Susanne Jackson. She is a true lady, so sweet and supportive and a great success story. You can read about the launch here and if you haven’t bought her book already do, its a great little read and a brilliant go to guide when you need a little inspiration. You can buy it on her site here. 

 Catherine Kelly and I

 Lisa Fitzpatrick and I

Clara, David, Catherine, Georgina and I

In November I attended the Oasis Design Your Future Launch in the Stephens Green store where I had a great night meeting up with the contestants again, chatting with judge and Designer Emma Manley and guest judge Lisa Fitzpatrick, both ladies are absolutely lovely, so down to earth and supportive not to mention gorgeous! It was great to get the opportunity to congratulate the winner Catherine Kelly in person too!

BeautyBaggage and Lisa from Lisadejong

Karen from BeautyandtheBlog and I

Marléne, Kassi from MakeupArtistas, Myself, Emma from TheOrdinaryGirlsGuide and Elisha from AlwaysTimeForTea

Filomena from BelleFBeauty, Nirina from KillerFashion, Myself and Christelle

Christelle and I

Finally the best thing about setting up the blog is all the new friends I’ve made. The Irish bloggers community is such a supportive network full of friendly, talented and very helpful ladies. I had the pleasure of meeting some of them in person when I attended two blogger meet-ups this year. The first organized by Samantha from All The Buzz and the second organized by Filomena from Belle F Beauty.

So thats my round up of all the good things ZeeRailed has brought me in 2013. I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings... hopefully some more likes on my Facebook page! So 2014 I greet you with excitement and great expectations, turbulence aside you have a lot to live up to and I intend to work you hard! Bring It On!!!

Photo's courtesy of Jerry McCarthy, Hazel Johnston and Ian Pelly 

Leg Snow And Lunch

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion Review


A few weeks ago I was invited to The Aveeno Winter Skin Lunch in the new venue House on Leeson Street. The venue was beautiful, the company was fabulous, a mix of editors, bloggers, stylists and our favorite Irish TV personalities, the food and drink was delicious and best of all the products were amazing!

The event was hosted by Elaine from Aveeno and Triona Mc Carthy, yes her off the telly with the red lips and hilarious beauty terminology, ya gotta love her! Both beauty guru’s shared some great tips for keeping your skin sexy in the winter months and we got lots of great Aveeno products to try... so... now that I’ve been using them for a few weeks I’m goin to start with a review a week and let you know what I think and which ones I’ll be recommending and purchasing in the future.

First up is Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion. Now I love body moisturisers. I love the smell. I love the silky feel. I’m addicted to buying them but not so addicted to using them. I have these great intentions that are foiled by the fact that it is virtually impossible to get dressed less than 20 minutes after applying them unless you enjoy getting your jeans stuck at your knees and waddling around like a penguin doing the charleston trying to pull them up the rest of the way, usually without much success or getting zebra stripe cream marks all over your tops and dresses. Well I enjoy neither. And i definitely don’t enjoy pacing the room in my undies and flapping around like some demented pigeon in a pointless effort to dry quicker. Its just inconvenient and a hassle neither of which I can be bothered with. This is where Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion comes in. 

I have seen it plenty of times before but never tried it, its formulated for dry and sensitive skin and therefore is fragrance free and you see i love a good smelling body lotion. This lotion has many redeeming qualities though and number one is the fact that it absorbs into the skin so quickly that you can get dressed practically immediately after applying it. This for me overrides the fact that there is no fragrance and it means that I can and actually have used it daily for the last two weeks! Not having a fragrance in your body lotion does have its benefits, Triona dispelled some of her knowledge on us and apparently moisturised skin holds fragrance for longer. So, applying Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion before your favorite perfume means you smell delicious all day long! Beautiful skin and a beautiful fragrance, you can’t go wrong!

It leaves your skin with that beautiful healthy silky satin feel. My legs love it! Its getting to the time of year now that our legs get a little neglected. The powers that be may be proposing that we ditch the tights and bare our legs  this A/W but with our beautiful Irish weather we’ll just have to see how long that lasts... If you are daring to bare this season Aveenos Daily Moisturising Lotion is perfect for straight after you shave your legs. It absorbs quickly replacing the moisture in your skin and eases any itchy or burning sensation you might be left with. I for one always suffer with an incessant itching on my legs after shaving that persists and tortures me for several hours, this lotion is the first one to immediately ease and illiminate this horrible sensation and that to me means its worth its weight in gold and just shows how well it really works. 

Even if your not daring to bare your legs this winter and are reaching for the tights as I type you will love the benefits of this lotion. Tights and tight fitting bottoms like leggings can help to seriously dehydrate your skin. They over heat the top layer of the dermis causing it to loose moisture, dehydrate and flake off. We have all experienced that leg snow when we take off our tights at the end of the day and a shower of dead skin is no winter wonderland... Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion moisturises and hydrates for 24 hours so using it every day will prevent your skin from dehydrating and put an end to snow like showers of dead skin in the evenings. 

So there you have it, review number one and its a huge thumbs up. I will definitely be buying this again and recommend that you give it a go. If you shop around your local pharmacy’s you’ll be sure to find the Aveeno range at special offer prices somewhere. A little goes a long way, I’ve been using it daily for over 2 weeks and theres still at least half of the bottle left so you should definitely get at least a month to six weeks out of it. 

Have any of you used this product? What do you think?

Happy Feet

Fabulous foot candy from everyone's favorite quick fix fashion giant.

Okay so this post isn’t just to show off my rad still life display skills, it does actually have another point. See i hate feet, even my own, they freak me out!! People with foot fetishes, well, frankly, you freak me out too.... How can one find anything attractive never even mind sexual about those boney, veiny, creepy little (or large) ugly things at the end of our ankles. I find my own extra repulsive as I’ve got little handicap baby toes at the end of each foot, trust me painting my baby toe nails is a mammoth task that proves next or near impossible! Okay, so I will hand it to you babies feet are pretty adorable, but whats not adorable when its smooth, soft and teensy? So when I found the most amazing shoes on my last two trips to Penneys, the holy grail for the fashionable but budget impaired, I thought I’d spare you all the montage of freaky feet photo’s and take some funky arty ones instead. Yes your all Very welcome.

We’ve all at some stage, or in my case on a weekly basis, succumb to the cheap thrill charm of Penneys. My quick fix addiction has repeatedly peaked to a point where I’ve had to have my purse confiscated upon entry. You see I’m quite the little magpie and when i sincerely can’t afford to, I always convince myself that €2 or €3 for some new jewelry won’t hurt even tho I have 3 jewelry boxes overflowing with the stuff and most of it from Penneys!! Over the last two weeks though my little Penneys problem has progressed to shoes, shoes and more shoes. See, like I said, I hate feet and the best way to cover up freaky feet is with pretty shoes, and these are some PRETTY shoes!! 

These shoes are pretty rocking, with inspiration drawn from Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik, you just can’t go wrong. No ones gonna believe you got them in Penneys. The fabric is beautiful with a definite designer edge, faux suedes and faux leathers in different shades and textures are combined seamlessly and to great effect. The finishings are excellent and very grown up. The cut out detail in the brown peep toe exudes granny chic in the best way possible and are definitely more Zara Basic than Atmosphere. The pointed toe on their other flats are perfect for Autumn/Winter’s image for a modern lady. The navy ones with contrasting texture panels are your perfect everyday go to, they come in nude too (they could be on next weeks bargain list...) and when a shoe is so chic and practical why not have it in 2 colours? The brown point toe flats are beautiful on, the contrasting textures and gold bead stud detailing really lift the whole look of the shoe and the western feel is subtle and feminine. 

The two strap sandal was summers essential classic go to for all occasions and this nude and deep coral version is a refreshing take on it. The break up of colour leaves if bright but not over-bearing and easily more adaptable than the than the royal blue or red solids that I’ve seen in the same style. Also, although it exposes more of the freakish foot including my poor handicap toes (I’m sorry if thats not terribly PC but they are MY toes and I’ll call them what I wish...) they are incredibly more comfortable than peep toe or closed toe heels, no cuts, blisters or swelling that is. You might need some gel insoles due to the harrowing, but notably more sophisticated, single sole and there you have it Bob’s your uncle and Annie’s your aunt your good for a day of pavement pounding and even some saturday night fever before you’ll want to take these little babies off!

The black boots with double gold buckle detailing, miniature gold bead studding on the toe and side and a perfect practical stacked heel are nothing short of phenomenal! The star of the show, they are part of Penneys Limited Edition range which was introduced last season and is back with a vengeance. The Limited Edition Collection is based primarily around accessories, statement necklaces, understated chic bags, elegantly embellished gloves and belts and SHOES, all of which stand out as exceptional. These boots are a sure fire winner, they are extremely versatile and i’ll wear them from now straight through the winter and into next summer. They have a far more up market aesthetic than Pennys usual boots and if I said they cost just short of €100 in another highstreet shop I’m sure you’d believe me any day of the week, but they were just over €20 and are my buy of the week!

All of these shoes are currently in Penneys so get on your bike before they’re gone! I’ve already burned a sizeable hole in my wallet curtesy of my favorite quick fix fashion empire but I’ve already spotted a few more pairs I think I’ll just need to get next week, after all, they aren’t just delectable foot candy, they double as multi-functional art installments that make my room and me seem much more cultured and sophisticated, or realistically maybe just outrageously pompous, the jury may still be out on that one...! But hey, at the end of the day a girl can never have too many shoes anyway. Right?!

All shoes photographed are from Penneys, black purse and cream purse with gold chain also Penneys.

Resort...

 

The Black and White of it.

Its that time of year again where my brain is on the threshold of a full fashion meltdown! I’ve spent the last month glued to style.com and vogue.com. First came the resort collections, then LCM, followed immediately by the rest of the mens collections and while they hadn’t even began to wind up we saw the beginning of the Haute Couture shows. My mind is overflowing with opinions, favorites, trend forecasts, must haves, ones to watch and even the odd ‘What were they smoking when they thought that sounded like a good idea??’... So now that my mental mainframe has had a chance to catch up with itself and the bi-hourly downloading of shows and lookbook releases has finally come to a halt, seriously, computer says no more... I decided its past time i started to share these thoughts before they’re lost somewhere between my desktop, my caffeinated state of confusion and my grey matter and surf away on yet another brainwave that failed to manifest into some semblance of productivity....

So lets start with Resort 2014. This may be a little on the delayed side but give a girl a break, my brain was hurting and the weathers been so so good... The resort collections are growing in size and influence year on year. This year saw 200 plus designers showing over 2 months and with these collections gracing our shop rails for the longest period of time they truly do set the tone for the trends to come. In otherwords invest in resort pieces and they’ll see you right through from November until the end of next summer, you may suffer slight frost bite in December and January, but thats what you call value for money!   

Before I get stuck into the nitty gritty of trends and favorite collections, believe me there are more than enough of both, lets take a look at the BIG picture. An overall colour palette for the whole of resort 2014 is immediately apparent, it has filtered down through almost every designers mood board and the verdict was unanimous.... there is no denying that black and white, be they combined in a monochromatic nature or going solo in a simplistic yet classic statement are what Resort 2014 is all about. So ladies relax and rejoice because to a certain extent, but with not too much of a stretch, the monochrome ensembles you’ve invested in this season will still be on trend this time next year. Hallelujah!! Fashion and practicality have teamed up for a recession busting 2014!! 

The allure of the simplistic colour negatives, so to speak, is understated and modern. The sultry seductive and sophisticated blacks contrast starkly with the refreshing confidence and graceful knowledgeable air of stylish blank whites. Its almost like a whole new master class on a classic colour palette taken for granted and seen as a ‘safe’ option for far too long. New interpretations of old classics are present throughout resort 2014 and its quite apparent that the right attitude and carriage are required to pull them off and theres no longer such a thing as a safe little number, after all the lady maketh the clothes and it takes a lot of personality to pull off a clean blank canvas. Don’t shy away tho or let yourself be intimidated by this new modern modesty, its not too modest with the return of the micro,  but find confidence in the simplicity and thats how you’ll let the clothes do the talking.

The above looks 1, 2 and 3 are from Damir Doma, 4, 5 and 6 are Balenciaga and 7 is Balmain. Below are some of my favorite black and white looks from Resort 2014...

First is Alberta Ferretti's body skimming cocoon with intricate cut out lace detailing. Valentino's subdued sex appeal in a complete cover-up black floor length dress. Anne Valerie Hash does sport luxe tailoring with sheer panels. Chado Ralph Rucci's over-sized over-cool vision. Chalayan expertly executes a full black waistcoat dress. Karl Lagerfeld presents relaxed cruising in a black and white print at Chanel. The next three 7, 8 and 9 are Chloe with a master class in simplicity. Number 10 is Elie Saab grown up youthfulness with an off white body grazing micro dress. The next two 11 and 12 are Elie Taharie layering in different textures and fabrics. Ellery with a beautiful silhouette and textured cropped pants. 14 and 15 are from the ever cool Maison Martin Margiela. Marni does sophisticated and womanly with a hint of a nunnery in 16 and 17. Rochas presents classic resort in brilliant white. Heidi Slimane nails the little black dress for Saint Laurent. In 20 and 21 Sportmax tackles suiting fabrics and assymetrical hems in white and black. Stella Mc Cartney does black and white in the hopeful, springtime femininity that only she can in 22 and 23. Next, 24 is a hint of granny chic from the Olsens at The Row. Finally 25 and 26 are from Zero + Maria Cornejo, prints and textures do the talking in the designers simple and timeless signature style.

So whats your take on black and white, are you getting tired of it already or are you dying to try it in a whole new way?? I am!!