Health & Lifestyle: Fount Drinks review

If you struggle to drink enough water throughout the day, Fount Drinks could be the solution you've been looking for. Whether you simply don't like the taste of plain water or want a health boost to keep you going throughout the day, Fount Drinks has something for everyone.

We all know that we should be drinking more water for optimum health, but the reality is usually very different and it's not always easy when you're rushing around with a busy schedule.  

Fount understands that modern life can be exhausting at times, so they have developed a range of drinks to help improve how you feel. Bursting with carefully chosen botanicals, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, these all-natural drinks are free from added sugar, sweeteners, artificial flavours, colours, and preservatives. 

Developed and made in the UK, Fount encourages you to drink more water by viewing each glass as an opportunity to add beneficial ingredients to your daily diet in a simple and convenient way. In fact, the 50ml bottles are perfect for popping into your handbag or desk drawer so you can always have one with you to add to a glass or bottle of water, wherever you are.

How To Use

Simply shake the bottle and add 2ml (about three and a half pipette fulls) to 250ml of still, sparkling or hot water. You can add a little more or less to adjust to your own taste. Each 50ml bottle provides 25 servings.

What Do They Taste Like

Each drink has its own unique flavour, but on average, they taste very much like a diluted herbal or fruit tea to me.

There are currently four different drinks to try in the Fount range and I've been enjoying testing them out over the past month or so.

Fount Refresh & Revitalise Raspberry & Green Tea

This is the one to pick up if you need an energy boost! With extracts of Green Tea, Raspberry, Panax Ginseng, Manganese, Vitamin B Complex, and Vitamin C, this drink is ideal to consume first thing in the morning to give you the energy that you need to start your day off on the right foot. I've also found it useful to have a glass around 3pm to stave off that afternoon slump so you can get your to-do list done.

Fount Stress Relief Apple & Elderflower

Pretty self-explanatory as Stress Relief does what it says on the label. Featuring Granny Smith Apple, Elderflower, Ashwagandha, L-Theanine, Zinc, Vitamin B Complex and Vitamin C, this fruity drink helps to support the nervous system and reduces the symptoms of mild stress and anxiety. 

Fount Cleanse & Detox Ginger & Lemon

Always a popular choice in the New Year, you can't beat the natural cleansing properties of good old Ginger and Lemon. With added extracts of Dandelion, Selenium, Vitamin B Complex and Vitamin C, Cleanse & Detox is also brilliant as a digestive aid if you've overindulged at the weekend. 

Fount Heart Health Red Berries & Hibiscus

Looking after your heart may not be at the top of your health priorities when you're in your 20s or 30s, but it's never too early to start looking after the body's most important organ. This drink combines a blend of Hibiscus, Pomegranate, Red Currants, Raspberries, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Vitamin D3, Vitamin C and Vitamin B Complex, to support the healthy function of the heart, muscles and blood.

Fount Drinks (50ml, £12 each) are available from fountdrinks.com

Do you drink enough water?

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Health & Lifestyle: Weleda Birch Spring Cleanse 30 Day Challenge #TriedandTested

Regular readers will know that I've been a big fan of Weleda for a very long time, so when they asked me if I'd be interested in taking part in their Birch Spring Cleanse 30 Day Challenge, I had to say yes of course!

Weleda is one of those truly amazing natural/green beauty brands that always go above and beyond with their products and eco-friendly ethics. The brand has been at the forefront of sustainable and clean beauty since 1921 and still manages to perfectly balance innovation with traditional, organic and biodynamic farming methods to source their natural ingredients. There aren't many brands that I can think of that I have admired for such a long time and you'll find my countless reviews and features on their products here.

This year, Weleda launched their Birch Spring Cleanse 30 Day Challenge to help customers gently ease themselves into the new Spring season and get ready for the warmer, sunnier months ahead. I really liked this concept because I'm interested in Ayurveda which has many similar holistic approaches on allowing the mind and body to adapt to the natural changes in our environment, all in keeping with the transition of the seasons.

The Birch Spring Cleanse is based around products that feature ingredients from Silver Birch, a tree that grows throughout much of the Czech Republic (Weleda works with a small family business in South Bohemia who grows their certified Birch). Birch is highly revered for its natural detoxifying properties that are just as beneficial for the skin, as well as for your overall health.

Step One: Get Scrubbing! 

The first step is to incorporate a daily body scrub as a means to stimulate healthy circulation and to help flush out toxins and waste naturally, as it gets the lymph fluid moving around the body. For an easy and gentle scrub, you can use a Bath Scrunchy* (made from recyclable mesh and available in a range of colours, £3.50, link) in the shower or bath with your favourite body wash or body scrub. This method will exfoliate and clear away any dull, dead skin cells without feeling too harsh or causing any irritation, leaving your skin smoother afterwards. To enjoy the full benefits of this challenge, I'd recommend picking up a tube of Weleda Birch Body Scrub* (150ml, £9.95, link) to use with the scrunchy as it has small, natural, plastic-free granules in a skin-friendly pH base and it smells really citrusy and invigorating, so it's ideal to use first thing in the morning.

For ultra-glowing smooth skin, you can also try dry body-brushing which takes the challenge to the next level and makes you feel ready to take on the day! The Weleda Body Brush* (£4.95, link) is affordable, convenient and easy to handle. Made from the Asian tree Schima Superba, it features an organic cotton strap and synthetic bristles which allow you to get a nice and deep brushing action going on. As the name suggests, you use the brush on dry skin with no products and brush upwards towards your heart in long strokes for the best results.

Step Two: Massage 

Once you've scrubbed all over, treat your skin to the Birch Cellulite Oil* (100ml, £25.95, link). Specially formulated to tackle wobbly bits and 'orange peel' textured skin, cellulite can often indicate a build-up of toxins within the body which is stored in the fatty tissue layers known as adipose. The above step of dry-brushing will certainly help to remove this build-up, which can then be further assisted with a regular massage using a dedicated oil. 

The Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil is made from 100% natural ingredients including Apricot Kernel Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Wheatgerm Oil and the all-important Birch Extract, plus a blend of Rosemary, Cypress and Grapefruit Essential Oils give it a wonderfully refreshing and uplifting fragrance. I've been applying it daily to any area that has visible cellulite (so for me, this has been the thighs and bum!) and have noticed a visible difference within the 30 days as my skin is much firmer, smoother, looks more toned and any orange peel texture has vastly been reduced - success!

Step Three: Drink Your Juice

As I mentioned earlier, Weleda's holistic approach believes that what you put into your body is just as important as what you apply on the outside, so their Birch Juice* (200ml, £10.95, link) is a brilliant accompaniment to this challenge. This certified organic drink is made with two simple natural ingredients; 94% wild-grown Birch Leaf Extract and 6% biodynamic Lemon Juice, which completes the tonic effect. 

The taste is somewhat 'acquired' shall we say?! It's obviously much more concentrated than the trendy Birch Waters that you can find in Wholefoods, and has a far stronger flavour as a result. To try to put it into words, it's slightly sweet, slightly sour and slightly herbal/woody, all at the same time - you'll have to try it to know what I mean as it's a very unique taste! Luckily, you don't need to consume much of it to reap the rewards as just one tablespoonful (15ml which is 4.5 calories) a day is all you need, and it can be easily disguised in cold tea, juice or your morning smoothie/yoghurt. Benefits of drinking Birch Juice include improved skin elasticity and healthy blood circulation so it's a good food supplement to add to your breakfast.

Overall thoughts

I really enjoyed taking part in the Weleda Birch Spring Cleanse 30 Day Challenge and once I got into the swing of things, I found it very easy to incorporate the steps into my daily routine with minimal fuss. Dry-brushing has definitely helped my skin to feel softer and more rejuvenated overall, whilst the Birch Cellulite Oil has greatly reduced the appearance of my cellulite, which in turn has boosted my confidence ten-fold, especially with Summer holidays coming up! I'm not sure that I've noticed any significant changes to my skin through drinking the Birch Juice, though it has made me feel a lot 'healthier' in myself. I mainly feel that challenges like this are a fantastic way to get some important self-care steps into your busy lifestyle as it can be all too easy to forget to do them when you're running around doing everything else, so the mindful aspect has been great for my mental health alone - thanks Weleda!

Visit weleda.co.uk for more info and to shop the full range of products included in this feature

Would you like to try a gentle Spring Cleanse?

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Health & Lifestyle: Pukka Clean Me Green Wellbeing Kit review

Last month, I took part in a 14-day wellbeing programme which involved this handy kit from one of my favourite organic tea brands, Pukka. 

I've long been a fan of Pukka's delicious organic herbal teas (that Three Mint blend they do is amazing!), but I wasn't aware that they had a healthy lifestyle range of supplements and superfoods also available until this wellbeing kit arrived in the post.

Pukka's Clean Me Green Wellbeing Kit is aimed at people who would like to 'clean their body green' with natural, organic herbs through a range of teas and drinkable superfoods. The kit has been specially curated by Pukka's master herbsmith to help you feel like a new person in just 14 days. Unlike other tea 'detox' programmes, this one's different as you drink the teas alongside a healthy diet (it's not a weight loss programme!). It's really more about improving your overall wellbeing and re-balancing your body, as well as your mind.

 Inside the kit, I found:-

• 14 x Clean Greens Superblend sachets
• 14 x Clean Matcha Green teabags
• 14 x Detox teabags
• Information booklet including easy to follow tips and general advice for getting the most out of the wellbeing programme over the two weeks.

I was curious to try the wellbeing kit as I've been struggling with a lot of stress and anxiety in my life over the last few months, and I wanted to just press pause on everything and see if I could re-balance a few things. It's very easy to feel 'out-of-sorts' when you've got too much on your plate and your lifestyle just seems to get busier and busier, so I think following something like this for just 14 days is a good way to help you to refocus and reflect, without it disrupting your normal routine. Also, I've been slacking on the health-front which hasn't been helping, so I was looking forward to getting some goodness back inside me!

Following the programme was very easy as it consisted of just three main steps which you add to your everyday routine:-

The 3-Step Programme

1. Start everyday with a Clean Me Green Smoothie using the Clean Greens Superblend or drink this with just water, fruit juice or aloe vera juice.
2. Late morning, drink a cup of Clean Matcha Green tea.
3. Early afternoon, drink a cup of Detox tea.

That's it! In addition to the above, I also reduced my alcohol consumption and put myself on a coffee ban for the 14 days, and I practised some basic meditation and breathing techniques that I found on Youtube. It didn't take long until I started to feel more awake and clear-headed. The teas were all delicious, although it took some getting used to the taste of the Clean Greens Superblend!

 Step 1: Clean Greens Superblend

Every morning, I made a Clean Me Green Smoothie, following the recipe in the information booklet that came with the wellbeing kit. It basically consisted of a handful of Spinach leaves, handful of fresh Mint leaves, a squeeze of Lime or Lemon juice, half a ripe Avocado, 250ml water or Apple Juice and one sachet of Clean Greens Superblend.

The Clean Greens Superblend is a superfood powder made from 100% organic ingredients. It's a blend of 11 super-rich green foods which includes Wheat Grass, Nettle, Spirulina, Seaweed, Kale and Peppermint to name a few. Packed full of essential fatty acids, minerals, iodine and chlorophyll, it helps to boost skin health, makes you feel healthy overall, and ready to start the day.  

The taste of Wheat Grass is very strong in this, so I ended up using more Apple Juice than stated to make it more palatable. I stuck with it for the 14 days, but I think I would just take the Clean Greens capsules in the future!

 Step 2: Clean Matcha Green Tea

Although I've tried some of Pukka's tea blends, I hand't tried this Clean Matcha Green Tea before and I was plesantly surprised by how good it tastes. Comprised of Sencha Green Tea, Sweet Fennel Seed, Dandelion Root, Licorice Root, Nettle Leaf, Lemon, Tumeric, Lemom Myrtle Leaf, and Matcha powder, it's a lovely uplifting tea to enjoy late morning when you start to have a bit of an energy slump.

It's a great alternative to reaching for a sugary or carb-laden snack as it helps to keep you going until lunchtime and keeps your mind focused on your morning tasks. If you typically don't like green teas, give this one a go because it tastes so refreshing different with a more lemon than green tea flavour. 

Step 3: Detox Tea

For late afternoon, I enjoyed a mug of the Detox tea which I've used many times before in the past (in fact, I already had a box in my tea drawer when this kit arrived). Pukka's Detox is described as a 'clean infusion of organic Aniseed, Fennel and Cardamom', and it's an ideal tea to reach for to help aid digestion after lunch. It's strong on the aniseed, but the other flavours do come through when you're drinking it after it's been brewed for a full 5 minutes.

Overall thoughts?

I'm really happy that I took part in the 14 day wellbeing programme with Pukka's kit, as I do feel significantly healthier in myself and slightly less stressed than I was when I began it, which for me is a really big improvement! I'll definitely continue with drinking the Detox and Clean Matcha Green teas, and I'll be picking up some of Pukka's Clean Green capsules to incorportate into my supplements routine.

Pukka Clean Me Green Wellbeing Kit* is priced at £19.99 and is available from various stockists including pukkaherbs.com / For more information on the 14 wellbeing programme and to receive regular hints, tips and updates visit here.

Would you be interested in trying something like this?

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Winter Hair Saviours: Phyto 9 Daily Ultra Nourishing Cream & Phyto Clarifying Detox Shampoo review

Whether your hair needs some extra moisture or a thorough detox, these two Winter Hair Saviours from Phyto will sort out your unhappy locks within minutes.

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Review: Latest In Beauty Hip and Healthy Box

Latest In Beauty always bring out the most interesting themed boxes throughout the year.  To kick things off for 2014, they have released the Hip and Healthy Box in conjunction with Hip and Healthy magazine.

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The Detox Pamper

Sundays and pampering were made for each other, so I thought I'd share a couple of new products that I've been enjoying recently which would be perfect for a detox style pamper.

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Weekend Pampering: The New Year Detox

I treated myself to some lazy Sunday pampering earlier today, and as I always enjoy reading everyone's elses pampering posts, I thought I'd hop on the old bandwagon and do one myself.  I decided to go with a 'New Year detox' theme as my body has certainly not been my temple since the festive season ended, so it was in dire need of some TLC!

I started with a long hot bath and used a sample of Seagreens The Mineral Bath* which is basically like a giant teabag filled with 100% seaweed.  It's a completely new concept to me as I've only ever used bath oils or bombs before, so I was intrigued to give it a go.  Seaweed has many natural detoxing properties and is meant to do all sorts of things like promote good circulation and rehydrate the skin etc.  I can't really say I noticed much of a difference in those areas from just one bath, but I can say it felt very relaxing to use.  However, I wasn't that keen on the scent of the seaweed so I added a few drops of Geranium and Lavender Essential Oils to my bath to make it more pleasant.

When I got out, I treated my skin to Tisserand's Detox Massage Body Oil which took away any last traces of the seaweed scent and made my skin feel wonderfully soft.  Lastly, I did a quick 10 minute facial with Laidbare's For Richer For Porer Facial Masque* to draw out any impurities whilst also delivering a good exfoliation.  My face and body then said thank you!

Have you treated yourself to some pampering this weekend?

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Latest In Beauty: The Refresh & Recover Box

As there was no Joliebox for January, I decided to treat myself to a box from Latest In Beauty. LIB do these great 'themed' boxes every few months, and their main selling point is that you can see what you're going to get before you buy. These are perfect for people who want to try out beauty samples, but aren't fond of surprises, or perhaps have allergies to certain ingredients etc. The current themed box on sale at the moment is the one that I bought, and it's called 'The Refresh and Recover Box' which is £6.95 with free postage. As its your typical detox/new year theme, there is a mixture of beauty samples & supplements which reminded me a bit of the US Eco Emi boxes. Here's what was inside:-



Teapigs Tummy Tonic - one tea temple, is a pure peppermint tea which helps to settle overindulged tummies. I use Teapigs teas a lot because they are an ethical/eco brand and their teas are absolutely delicious. Cosmetofruit Chile Luxurious Hair & Nails, 30ml - I was most intrigued by this little bottle which calls itself a 'beauty drinkable elixir'. It has a 'PhytoNutr-A-Berries Complex' (fancy!) which helps to regenerate and strengthen cells for soft and healthy hair and nails. My only verdict on it so far is that it tastes like sour undiluted Ribena, but I'll no doubt finish off the bottle. ActMint Probiotic Supplement, x 3 - these little mints have probiotics to help aid healthy digestion, so I'll definitely try one of these out after dinner.



Onto the beauty samples, I received a 20ml Sun Shots SPF25 sun protection cream which I thought was a little strange but maybe aimed at those lucky people going away for some winter sun? Have popped it into my suitcase anyhow for the time being. There was also a Lavera Hand Cream, 20ml, which is a nice size to pop into handbags and smells good too. The little vintage inspired tin is a Figs & Rouge Sweet Geranium Balm which is 100% organic and multi-purpose. I always have some type of multi-purpose salve in my bag so I'm looking forward to trying out this one. Lastly, I got a Monu Soothing Touch Recovery Balm, 5ml, which is more like a cream than a balm, but feels very good on the skin.



In addition to the above, you can choose any two luxury samples at no extra cost, to add to your box. Last time I looked, there were brands like Cowshed, This Works, Burts Bees, Clarins etc to pick from so there was a good range. I chose the Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash, 55ml which smells lovely and the Balance Me Hydrating Rose Otto & Shea Butter Salve, full size 15ml to try out.

Summary: I'm pleased with this box and the contents. The customer service from Latest In Beauty was pretty good too when I had a card query, and the box itself arrived promptly. I think these are great little treats for when you want to try out a few things, but don't want to commit to a regular beauty box subscription. I also bought the special YOU box from LIB and will post a review of that when it arrives :)

Do you like this box? If you sub to a beauty box, would you prefer to know what contents you're getting or do you like the surprise?

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