Juice Cleanse is all the rage these days with the many juice companies sprouting up and beauty/lifestyle bloggers promoting the juices. Well, here is a food blogger/serial snacker's perspective on juicing. Granted I may not be the best normal person around to give you sound advice (yes I'm already skinny and I eat lots of veg and I exercise an average of 10h/wk) but you can bet on the tastiness of the juices if I tell you so right?

So the story went like this. A close gf of mine W was gonna get married and I thought that it was opportunity for bonding time if we do a juice cleanse together. Of course I kinda forced her into participating in my Ms Skinnyfat boot camp, which I paired the juicing with some hard core hot yoga in preparation for the big day (of course I don't believe in crash dieting duh). 

We looked at a couple of juice companies like Beauty Cleanse, Sana, Joob and decided on Hic'Juice because their glass bottles looked so pretty. Yes we're superficial like that and that's perfectly ok. :P

We did the 3 day intermediate cleanse aka Restore. Hic delivered all 18 bottles at 1 shot (6 bottles/day). If storage is an issue for you, you may want to find a company that delivers your juices daily. Thank god I have a spare fridge at home. And gosh the glass bottles are damn heavy. Probably not the choice of juice company if you're on the go the whole time. Also, the bottles are slippery when wet and W broke a bottle before we even started on our cleanse.

S only found out about the juice cleanse when it was delivered and complained about the ridiculous amount W and I are paying for the juices (it's $318++ for 3 days). Well but for the benefit of you guys and my curiosity in the taste, I guess it's ok? 

My only concern was the amount of fluids I had to ingest. 3l of juices a day?? Hello toilet bowl. My pea size bladder is certainly not gonna be able to hold much. 

HIC juice sent us our juicing guidebook to help ease us into the cleanse. It was advised that we eat more greens (preferably a raw diet) and sleeping early the day before the cleanse. Well none of that happened for me as i went for a tasting prior and then slept at 1am because I was writing. So day 1 started with me feeling like a train wreck. 

Day 1 39.5kg (my weighing machine makes me lighter so I'm probably 40kg). 

Got a reminder from S to start on my juices. BAH. Breakfast at 940am and I started on the Popeye Smoothie, a dense pulpy concoction of red dragonfruit, pineapple, banana, spinach and ionized water. I loved the color of this one and also the taste of the juice. Feeling good!

1140am

Juice 2 was Lemon n Spice. I read that many people can't take this juice because of the cayenne pepper but i like it! A hint of apple, mostly lemon and some spice. I did feel some burning sensation though but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. But I did feel some burning sensation. My toilet breaks are started to become more frequent due to the fluids. 

1225pm

Had to run errands at the shopping mall and all the snacks were tempting me! I was feeling pretty full from the juices actually but I'm just being greedy I guess.

1pm
The horrible S was happily tucking into his Yu Kee Duck rice. The zen master will not be tempted and so I worked on the blog instead. Productive distraction turned out to be useful.

155pm
Started on Juice 3. Green Lemonade is made from Apple, Cucumber, Kale, Celery, Romaine Lettuce, Parsley and Lemon. The taste was quite cool due to the high cucumber content. This tasted a bit like herbal tea but was quite drinkable. Thankfully celery is not a huge feature in this one. 

Juice 4

4carats is a carrot, celery, cucumber and apple mix. I used to hate raw carrots and cucumber but I've learned to enjoy more vegetables as I grow older. This drink had a cooling igh carrot content. This went down easy too.

5pm 

Went for a short run under the sun. Feeling energetic! The Coconut water was a nice cool relief at the end but it's probably the most expensive coconut water I've paid for and yes it's just regular  coconut water.

8pm
Ended the day on Juice 6 which is Nut Milk. It's made from Raw Cashews, Raw Almonds, Vanilla, Medjool Dates, Himalayan Salt, Cinnamon and Ionized Water. Everyone said that this is tasty but I found the high oil content to be rather disturbing after a day of clean juices. It had a bit of the unappealing oily taste. Good thing there's only 1 bottle of this.

Yay to the end of day 1. It was pretty easy but i was already missing my snacks! 

Stay tuned for day 2 and 3 coming up!

For more on Hic'Juice, here's their website link with pricing and all (click here).

Last post on the HIC'Juice restore level 2 cleanse! Was reminded of this because there's a recent pop up at Rockstar by Soon Lee and I went to grab some juices! :)

Was in a semi state of insomnia because my body was just bursting with energy. You would think that going on juice alone would make you lethargic and hungry but nope! That said, I really wanted to sleep but somehow the body thought otherwise. I also crazily believed that I can do a marathon at 1am in the morning. What did they put in my juice?!

640am. Weight: <39kg Mood: Energetic

Had my juice early (because I'm a rebel like that). Well I always skip the warm water with lemon thing because it's too much of a hassle. Drink 1 was the yummy 4 carats which I surprisingly took to even though there's celery in it. I shared some with the mummy and mama. Btw they both liked Heart Beet too! I took the obvious opportunity to get mummy to take the bottle of Kaleidoscope. Mission accomplished! I really couldn't stand that mix. Replaced that final drink with my coconut water from Day 2 since I didn't managed to drink it before I sleep. Well remember to just chill, there's no need to force yourself to go through the whole cleanse. Drink to your limits #yolo.

1030am Lemon n Spice
No kick for me. I'd take this drink over Kaleidoscope, which mummy has informed me that she only drank a little because it's spicy for her. So says the woman who grew up on chili. -Roll eyes-

1215pm
Yoga for lunch! Hot Patanjali at my regular studio to work out the arms. I had a hard time concentrating at the start because I'm so hungry!! Then I decided to cast away the need (yes food is a need) and to focus on my body. Felt terribly drained after the class though. Jelly but toned arms and a superbly flat tummy! Thankfully I'm not losing my abs. Had to use every ounce of willpower to walk away from marche and not lose myself to the freshly baked breads. God this sucks. Need to get back to my juice now!

Oh My Greens was waiting for me back in office. A slight energy booster with the mix of Celery, Apple, Pineapple and Broccoli. It's an ok drink like I mentioned before.

4pm. Green Lemonade was my tea break. Apple, Cucumber, Kale, Celery, Romaine Lettuce, Parsley and Lemon. The green juices do taste quite the same but this is a little cooler in terms of taste.

Ended the cleanse with Lemon N' Spice and Coconut Water.

Well, the cleanse was rather tough to get through for a serial snacker and rule breaker like me but I'm glad that I kinda stuck to it. If you want tastier juices, I'd recommend Level 1. The green juices, though good for your body, is quite nasty. I guess I just need to find a company that doesn't add too much celery in their juices.

So HIC Juice wasn't too bad but like I mentioned in my first post, the major con is the weight and fragility of the pretty bottles. I much preferred the lighter and smaller packs that they sell at their store on Boon Tat Street. They definitely need a store somewhere in town! For $8 a pop (250ml), it is certainly a good (and cheaper) way to initiate yourself into a cleanse.

Read about my entire HIC Juice Cleanse experience here! Day 1 and Day 2. Happy juicing people!

So you've read about Day 1 of my Hic'Juice Level 2 Restore Juice Cleanse Day 1 (read it here if you haven't) and here is the day 2 menu!

Woke up feeling flustered and a little constipated. Obviously not getting that diarrhea thing that comes with detox. Maybe my body is already very clean. Weight was 39kg.

Busy busy day! Meeting at 8am and I was running a little behind schedule. Damn these bottles are heavy. It's fine with S drives me around but it's totally not ok when rushing to catch public transport. I only brought 4 bottles out and the weight was already killing me. Plus I was worried that the bottles would break from all that clanging because the cooler box isn't very sturdy. And the strap of the box is kinda thin so it cuts into the shoulder because of the weight. BAH. Certainly a minus point!

7am

Had my first juice which is the Heart Beet. This fuchsia medley of Carrot, Apple, Beetroot, Lemon and Ginger promotes cardiovascular health, fights cancer and is a super tonic for the liver!

Had to gulp because I was rushing. Love the color of this one but I had to remove my aligners so that they wouldn't be stained red. The juice is tasty and quite similar to those $2.50 ABC juice at the fruit stall but it tasted smoother and richer (I'm hearing S' naggy voice in my head). Left half a bottle of that at home for mummy so that I don't have to carry it out. Yes I played cheat. Bite me. 

10am

Time for Oh My greens. Day 1 was child's play but not day 2 and 3. This had celery, apple, pineapple and broccoli. Oh my most hated celery!! And the celery taste was quite distinct! Eeeeks. My colleagues thought the taste was ok though. 

12pm

Another green juice. Cool as a... Celery Cucumber Apple Lemon. Celery AGAIN. Meh.. Thankfully the celery flavor wasn't as strong as juice 2 so it was still doable. Tasted rather similar to Oh My Greens though. Since I didn't have to eat, I spent lunch time shopping to distract myself from the food. Must say that it was very productive! ;)

310pm

I was looking forward to Lemon n Spice and W thought I'm crazy to like this one. Well the spice keeps me up during my boring afternoon meeting but I Can feel the burn again. 

517pm
Kaleidoscope. Oh hell this is the worst of lot. I swear all the green juices taste the same, mostly because they have celery in them. But this was just blearghh.

645pm 

Wednesday is running day with the group at Marina Bay. I'm damn amazed by these runners. The guys do like 3.5-4min/km. I'm at best 5.5. So we did 3 rounds of Benjamin Sheares Bridge and i even concluded it with a short sprint! Yay me! Obviously not one to follow the prescribed 'break a light sweat' option by Hic'juice. I felt surprisingly energetic!

Ended Day 2 with Coconut water which was yummy as usual. So winning this juice cleanse but the constipated feeling was still there. Well, I guess that's because everything was already out of the system on day 1 with my regular movements.

Dreading Day 3, mainly because of the yucky kaleidoscope. But I believe I can outsource the drinking to mummy. Heh. More on Day 3 soon!

People go on a juice cleanse for different reasons. 1. They believe that the combination of fruit and vegetable juices, rid the body of toxins while flooding it with nutrients, vitamins and minerals to boost the immune system. 2. They wanna give their digestive system a break from digesting solid food. 3. They wanna lose weight, get glowing skin, better digestion etc. After my first juicing experience (read it here), I was still a little skeptical about the benefits but decided to give it another shot, this time with Punch Detox.

Punch Detox is new to Singapore but it's well established in Hong Kong. Other than using organic fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts... they are the only one in Singapore that incorporates a “superfood” in every one of its juices e.g. Amazonian Acai berry, Himalayan Goji berry etc. which are well... SUPER. 

Norwalk hydraulic juicer, the Rolls Royce of juicers, is used by Punch (of course it's cold pressed duh). The juice retains significantly more vitamins and enzymes and is supposedly more tasty too.

There's the regular 3 day cleanse with two levels. Well I forgot and chose level 1, which proved to be waaaaay too easy for me since I already take a lot of veg and fruits. So go ahead, take the plunge and start with a deeper cleanse. What's the point when it's too easy right?

Punch also offers a “Build Your Own Cleanse” program and you can handpick your favorites from 10 nutritious juices. This works well for experienced “juice cleansers” or return customers.

Now back to my Level 1 cleanse. All 18 bottles were delivered on day 0 (the day before the cleanse). I was disappointed to see that the menu for each day is the same. BAH Boring. Differentiation would be good, well at least there's be something to look forward at each juice break. :( 

Some logistics first. The bottles are made of plastic and they're tall and slim. This made them much easier to transport since I didn't want them sent to the office. If you remembered, I hated how heavy the HICjuice bottles were. Also, Punch's cooler bag is sturdy with a sufficiently thick strap for easy carrying but the strap isn't long enough to be slung over the shoulders. 

The Punch Detox Juice Experience 

I started the juice cleanse thinking that I'd get through it easy this time since I've already done it before. Plus the fact that I'm only giving level 1 a shot (which is for the kiddy league tbh). Plus the fact that my appetite hadn't been that well in the days leading up to my cleanse, so I thought that should kinda help with the craving. Well, I was wrong about that craving. I obviously wiped out the memories of me obsessing about food the THE WHOLE TIME. RWARRR. So if you're like me, my advice for you would be to keep yourself busy so you wouldn't think about snacking.

This time, I tried to start my cleanse right, which meant starting my day with some warm lemon water. I hate drinking water but I've been conditioning myself to drink more ie. following the regular 8 x 8 rule. It got easier over the 3 days. So yea, do it!

So let's start with the flavors. There are only 6 flavors so here goes.

Juice 1- Citrus Punch

It has Lemon, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper, Agave Nectar and water. I thought it was honey lemon water because it was a little sweet and not as as sour or spicy as the HIC'Juice Lemon N Spice. W couldn't take the HIC one but I loved that so this is really mild. Certainly minimal afterburn.

Juice 2- Green Punch 

Celery, Cucumber, Kale, Bitter Melon, Parsley, Spirulina and Green Apple. I'm accustomed to this taste since I had plenty of green juices in my first cleanse. My conclusion is that green juices are all the same. This went down easy and made me crave for more veggie!

Juice 3- Red Punch

This is the expensive ABC made with beet, carrot, ginger, orange, goji berry and red apple. I like the lightly spicy cooling ginger taste. Due to the high fruit content, I found the juice to be on the sweet side and I much preferred Heart Beet by HIC. 

Juice 4 Fruit Punch

This was a terribly sweet juice that really tasted like a fruit punch (which I don't like). I know it's natural sugar and all but the ingredients could certainly be tweaked. Meh! I couldn't get through half a bottle and I didn't want to dilute it as well because that would mean more punch. So I threw it away. :P The next day I shared the drink with my friends and diluted mine from 1/3 to half a bottle so it became just about bearable. 

Juice 5 GazPUNCHo
Punch Detox is the only juice cleanse in Singapore to offer a savoury juice, the GazPUNCHo. After tasting the juice, I guess I know why they're the only one... The taste was simply eeeeeks. I've had many a Spanish gazpacho but this featured garlic, cilantro and cayenne heavily. I tried it as a cold drink and I could only finish half a bottle due to the pungent taste and viscous texture. I gave it a second shot as a soup after heating it up and again I could only stomach half a bottle. Another bottle was given away to S's daddy.

Juice 6 Nutmilk

I didn't like HIC's nutmilk at all because it had this really oily mouth feel and a stale oil taste. Punch Detox fared better and it was actually tasty if you like that Chinese almond taste. It tasted kinda like a Chinese almond pudding in liquid form. I'm pretty sure English almonds wouldn't yield that flavor. Anyway, it's a good neutralizing agent for the pungent Gazpacho.

After my second juice experience, I think I've kinda found a use for juicing. While I didn't lose much weight from this (I was a steady 39kg and it dipped below on the last day), it did help with some bloatedness and my tummy was exceptionally flat. I think it's quite a good way to kick start a weight loss/ work out regime as it shrinks your appetite. Since I saw some physical changes, I was slightly more determined to keep in shape too. Don't expect the weight to be kept off forever though. That only happens with a good diet and regular exercise. Also I noted that my skin was kinda clear and dewy during this period. Whee!

Punch Detox is available for order online at www.punchdetox.com.sg or you could email to info@punchdetox.com.sg Each three-day juice cleanse comes complete with 18 bottles and is priced at $330 nett, inclusive of delivery. Individual juices can be purchased at $20 nett per 500ml bottle, with a minimum order of 6 bottles.

Being on the go (as much as i can) doesn't bode well for my skin. After my recent Laos and Bali trip, i ended up with dry skin, uneven skin tone (no thanks for the crazy sunshine and heat), and pimples. Things that the traveler in transit has to live with.. So of course i immediately booked my facial appointments (yes i needed more than one) with the trusty DRx Medispa.

As one ages, your skin condition changes as well. I went from oily skin in my teenage years, to combination skin currently. With regular use of the Derma-RX products, my sebum level has been controlled. Well, here comes the next problem- dry skin and fine lines. I started noticing that there are laugh lines developing at the corners of my eyes. GASP. Well, together with the lack of sleep, i also developed dark eye circles and the eye bags were especially horrid in this bare-faced picture. 

In an desperate attempt, i gave the Cryotherapy treatment a try as it is supposed to treat dark eye circles and some hyperpigmentation skin conditions, plus it is supposed to help brighten my skin as well, with continuous treatment.

Micro-needles are first 'stamped' over your face to stimulate the cells. It was absolutely painless for me and merely felt like a prickly brush on the skin. Active ingredients, which have been specially formulated to aid in pigment lightening, hydration and skin repair, would then be applied on your face and infused through cold iontophoresis. 

The session was very quick and effective. I was in and out of the spa in 30 minutes flat. While the lines did not all go away (it's not Botox you know), they were slightly less noticeable. This treatment can be repeated over time to improve the conditions without thinning your skin. :)

Pair this with the Essential Facial (Plus) treatment for the perfect radiance. I'd recommend you do the Essential Facial a week before the Cryotherapy since all the junk can be extracted and your face cleansed before you infuse more goodness into your skin. 

For my readers, quote "Blogger Cheryl" to enjoy 40% off on your first trial for Cryotherapy and Essential Facial Plus at the DRx Medispa! 

Oh and for additional goodness, add some juice to that. Loving the convenient baby bottles of cold pressed juices by HIC and they are readily available at their first store, the Shop by Hic at Suntec City Mall. Be sure to check them out too yea!

The DRx Medispa Singapore

302 Orchard Road, #14-02/#16-02

Tong Building (next to Paragon Shopping Centre)

Singapore 238862

Tel: +65 6223 1555

Mon to Sat: 10am to 8pm

Sun: 10am to 6pm