The VH Awards. It is that time of the year again where I invite you to join me for the ceremony that isn’t a ceremony.  Most of you are in bed anyway as I release this, so if you don’t mind I will sit here with a tiara plonked on my head as I dole out the accolades.  As ever, these awards are very tongue-in-cheek, they always have been because I like it that way.  This year, breaking with tradition, I invited Shabir to nominate one or two of the awards.  Trust me he is not wearing a tiara, but because of my sharing mantra, I thought it only fair, as long as he didn’t choose one of his own products.  I reserve that right and I make no apologies for the moments when I do.

A few things to say.  I am biased, of course I am, but only in as much as I am unbiased as to the products we list on our site.  I will fully own the fact that I am incredibly fussy about the brands and products I talk to you about and nobody can ‘buy me’ either.  I am of course referring here to ‘paid for’ awards, but if you don’t mind I will talk (actually rant) about that subject at the end of this missive.  Forgive me, it’s a rather long read this week.  I don’t want to wreck your Saturday morning (or evening, dependent on where you are in the world), but I have to do what I have to do and brevity is not one of my attributes.  Far from it actually.  I know, I know!    

There are a few rules going across this.  The first is that where there are offers attached to some of the awards, these offers will only last as long as stock is available.  I really don’t want to write this caveat throughout, so I’ve said it once and I won’t mention it again.  Where prices have been reduced, these will not show until the product has been added to your basket, so please be aware of that too.  Not everything on here is an award either, I have thrown in a few treats here and there, which will probably make Shabir’s eyes water, but that theme is ongoing and I do it with purpose and reason, whilst I can. Let us begin.  With a tra-la-la:

The Bestselling Supplement Of The Year Award 

Over the past two or three years, it has been a battle as to whether Ionicell or Hyaluronic High Strength Capsules would win the ever-so-close race to the top.  And by the slimmest of margins, it is HA this year.  You really don’t need any further words from me about this supplement other than to say I have taken it forever and most of you have joined me, that much is obvious.  So for today only, Saturday 12 December, with every order of Hyaluronic High Strength Capsules, we will automatically include the Travel Size HA (15 Capsules) which is worth £17.50.  Offer ends at midnight GMT, and there is only one gift per customer.
Hyaluronic High Strength Capsules £35 for 30 Capsules 

The Bestselling Beauty Product Of The Year Award 

In a wholly unexpected result, a product which we launched in February of this year has won this award.  It was always going to be a Vitamin C product, that’s the way it rolls, but C-Deep stands above all else.  This is of course the serum that penetrates deeper than most in its genre, Shabir formulated it, we all use it and I do so with a great big dollop of relief because, unlike so many Vitamin C products, this does not irritate my overly-sensitive-touchy-touchy skin.  The celebration.  I am reducing the price from £18 to £15 right across the weekend.  So this offer ends at midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 13 December.  Read all about it.  If you feel the need.
VH Editorial: Is Tetrahexydecyl Ascorbate The Best Vitamin C Serum; C-Deep Vitamin C Serum £15 for 30 ml

The Pioneering Brand Of The Year Award 

And the winner is YourZooki for their ongoing research and development of all things Liposomal.  With three ground-breaking Liposomal products launched this year, YourZooki deserves this accolade not only because they let us launch their products, but because they are fast becoming market leaders in their genre.  With more new launches coming next year, they may well win back-to-back awards.  If they behave themselves!

Seriously though, these are brilliant formulations and another celebration as I lower the price of Liposomal Vitamin C by £5 and Liposomal Collagen by £3.  I had a moment a couple of weeks ago when I reduced the price of Liposomal Glutathione by just over £10, so these all remain as they are now across the weekend, ending tomorrow at midnight GMT, Sunday 13 December.  To wrap Collagen into Liposomal technology is no mean feat.  That alone would win an award.  Actually.
Liposomal Vitamin C by YourZooki £34.99 for 30 x 15 ml Sachets; Liposomal Collagen by YourZooki £24.99 for 14 Sachets; Liposomal Glutathione by YourZooki £34.99 for 30 Servings

The First Treat

I said at the beginning of this that I would intersperse these awards with treats, so here comes the first one.  It is a seasonal treat and it is the Fabulous Cracker by Margaret Dabbs.  The Fabulous Cracker contains Margaret’s Repairing Nail and Cuticle Treatment Pen and is a powerful vegan-friendly nail serum.  That’s the description and now the treat.  The price of the Fabulous Cracker is £12, but I am reducing it by £4 for the duration, so it now becomes £8. 

And in case anybody needs to know, I have been landed with making Boxing Day lunch.  Nigella’s Rhubarb & Custard Trifle (love custard) will be on the table together with a whole pile of Fabulous Crackers.  If there are any left.  And just to say that Nigella has literally just added the recipe for the trifle onto her website.  Just for us perhaps.  You know where to go and it's linked below.     
Fabulous Cracker by Margaret Dabbs £8; nigella.com

The Most Talked About Supplement Of The Year Award 

There really is no competition here because Vitamin D3 wins this award hands-down.  On almost a daily basis this vitamin is written about across the media because of its role in helping to protect our immunity, which I commented upon again last week.  Not only have I kept D3 on nearly every Weekend Read I have written this year, but of course, together with Andy Thomas of Better You, it has been my privilege to have been campaigning about Vitamin D deficiencies for over ten years.  I will continue to do so. 

So take this award Andy, for your pioneering research and development from all those years ago.  You saw the zeitgeist way before anybody else.  And you let me hold your hand.  For that I thank you.  We dared to dream.
DLux 3000 Spray £7.95 for 15 ml; DLux 4000 Spray £9.95 for 15 ml; DLux+ Vitamin D + K2 Spray £9.95 for 12 ml by Better You 

The Newest Product Of The Year Award 

The Weekend Read would not be The Weekend Read if I didn’t launch at least one new product.  It goes with the territory, so I am about to tell you about a seriously brilliant product that wins an award by virtue of the fact that it is new.  Actually it could possibly win an award for its efficacy because this product encompasses advanced hypochlorous technology, which helps soothe and calm the skin, balancing redness and helping to promote rapid skin recovery with visible results.  The product is called Skin Purifier, the brand is Clinisoothe+ and it has been formulated to help those prone to eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea, acne and spots.

In brief, the discovery of the skin purifying technology that underpins Clinisoothe+ was first published in the British Medical Journal in 1915.  Since then the medical profession has been trying to perfect this natural, yet highly effective solution.  The hypochlorous has a unique oxidising method of action which cleanses and provides purifying antimicrobial protection without harming, irritating or sensitising the dermal layer, which is important.  It has a skin neutral pH, is non-toxic and it has been clinically formulated and dermatologically tested to guarantee its safety on even the most sensitive skin.

Further details are on the product page, but I will tell you that this is a revolutionary product and it works.  So if you do have any of the above listed compromised skin conditions, then I highly recommend you try this result-driven product.  I am incredibly impressed with this formulation and so is Shabir.  This is what professional skin health is all about.  No fuss, no games, no hype, just seven incredible benefits in one formulation, all of which are listed on the front of the product.  My thanks to Ross Walker of Clinisoothe+ for letting me walk with him.  And to his mother, Trixie, who effected the introduction.  She will, in all probability, now be crying.  She is one of us.  The VH ‘us’.  
Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier £14.95 for 100 ml; Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier £19.95 for 250 ml

The Brand Of The Year Award

I make no apology for self-awarding to Ful.Vic.Health.  I can honestly say that it’s not only the stats that tell a story, it is your acceptance and devotion to the incredible ingredient, Fulvic Acid, that underpins all that is needed to help make the remarkable difference these products do on so many levels.  And of course I’m going to dance on the Fulvic platform with sheer and utter joy and abandonment as I invite you to join me.

With a nod to the health/beauty crossover, if you buy either Fulvic Face Cream or Fulvic Body Lotion (or both), we will automatically include the 240 ml size of Fulvic Acid Elixir, which is worth £15.  There is only one gift per customer on each of the products and I think you all know the story.  I wanted a luxurious Face Cream, without a luxurious price tag, so Shabir formulated Fulvic Face Cream for me.  And then I nagged (NAGGED) him for a body lotion.   He included two new ground-breaking technologies into Fulvic Body Lotion and the rest, as they say, is history.  In the shortest time, it has become our bestselling body lotion. 

No more words needed, other than to say this is a limited edition offer and I will let it run over the weekend ending at midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 13 December, if we get that far.
Fulvic Face Cream £30 for 60 ml; Fulvic Body Lotion £20 for 200 ml

The Second Treat 

It comes from Aromatherapy Associates.  It is their Seasonal Saviours, which is a curated trio of Bath & Shower Oils.  These are Light Relax Bath & Shower Oil (9 ml), De-Stress Bath & Shower Oil (9 ml) and Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil (9 ml).  The retail price for Seasonal Saviours is £25, but I am reducing that down to £15 as a one-off limited edition treat.  How limited is limited, I don’t really know, but I’ll give it a few hours.  Perhaps.  Or perhaps not.
Seasonal Saviours by Aromatherapy Associates £15 

The Best Newcomer Of The Year Award 

And this goes to Ross J. Barr, who launched his own supplement range this year focussing on infertility and pregnancy.  But actually I bequeath this award upon him for his innovative Healing Patches, which have magnificently helped to heal all our aches and pains.  I get through rather a lot of these as I am forever slapping one on my forehead when something stresses me (don’t mention our new website) and because of this I am repeating my recent moment of madness when I reduced the price from £15 to £10.  You may have missed that offer, or you may want more, probably the latter actually.  So we’ll go again and this is a Saturday only offer and will end at midnight GMT tonight.
Healing Patches by Ross J. Barr £10 For Five Patches; Ross J. Barr Supplements 

The Beauty Tool Of The Year Award 

There are several contenders for this award, but there could only be one winner and I have chosen Eye Therapist by Temple Spa.  My decision was based on several factors.  It became an overnight success story when we launched it, it is by far our bestselling beauty tool and of course the price factor matters, Eye Therapist is £10.  If you missed the rush, Eye Therapist are a pair of eye massage tools that help reduce tension around the eye area and the entire face for that matter.  Well deserved Temple Spa.  Thank you.
Eye Therapist by Temple Spa £10 

The Excellence In Beauty Award 

And the winner is Dr Colette Haydon.  My Colette, who continues to shine so brightly with her formulations, not only for her own brand, LixirSkin, but for all the products she formulates for others too.  The list is long, but of course I will throw the focus on LixirSkin.  When we launched this capsule collection of products, we knew that only the very best products could be added to the line-up if we were to hold true to the founding concept. 

Peel Express, launched earlier this year, epitomises the strength and efficacy of concept by delivering a resurfacing and rehydrating face mask in one for that post-facial feeling.  And we shall share that feeling as I have a Saturday only moment where I reduce the price of Peel Express from £31 to £25.  But wait, that’s not all, I have rather limited volumes of the brand’s hero product, Vitamin C Paste and Universal Emulsion, both in miniature and we will throw either one of these in as well, whilst we can; it will not show on your order confirmation, our automated system will randomly pick them (therefore it is beyond my control) and this offer ends at midnight GMT tonight, Saturday 12 December.  Go.
Peel Express by LixirSkin £25 for 30 ml; Vitamin C Paste by LixirSkin £32 for 50 ml; Universal Emulsion by LixirSkin £29 for 50 ml 

The Third Treat 

At this stage I think Shabir’s nerves must be in shreds as he continues to watch me go a little bit wild on the sharing front.  This might well finish him off completely because I am about to declare a Neurophroline treat.  And as with Prickly Pear last weekend (which went bonkers mad), we have over-filled Neurophroline, which means you will receive 45 ml for the same price as the 30 ml version.  So in other words that is £18 for 45 ml.  It is of course one of our bestselling products because it has been clinically proven to take the stress out of our skin and I have used it religiously for nearly two years.  I dose it into Fulvic Face Cream.  You may wish to join me.  If you can.
VH Editorial: Stress Ages Our Skin; Neurophroline by GoW for VH £18 for 45 ml 

The Hero Product Of The Year Award 

I know that if I ever opened up the awards to a vote, this product would win.  It is one of our most-talked about products.  It began its life as a humble nail cream, with off-the-scale results for reincarnating trashed nails, mine included.  It helps eliminate fungal infections and in recent weeks it has been declared as a lip and spot cream too, all of which I have written reams about.  I can’t keep quiet about this product.  It is of course Fulvic Acid Nail Cream.  And self-award, or otherwise, for this weekend only I am reducing the price from £12 to £10 in celebration of its fabulousness.  This offer ends at midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 13 December, unless a famine occurs before that time.  And it could.  It really could.
Fulvic Acid Nail Cream £10 for 30 ml

The Gorgeous Product Of The Year Award

It is with the greatest joy that I bequeath this award upon the Japanese Cleansing Cloud.  To bring a product to market is daunting and brave for so many different reasons and I am talking here about niche brands and products.  The competition is fierce, but notwithstanding that if you truly, truly believe, then dreams do come true.  And so it was with Jane Cunningham’s Japanese Cleansing Cloud which delighted so many of us.  In a way, this is a bitter-sweet award, because although thousands of Clouds are now floating around, we have completely sold out and there are none left.

We always knew that we would come up against production problems, not least because of lockdown, so I think the best I can do here is to say thank you to all of you who supported and loved the Cloud.  There is no better feeling knowing that you have achieved something rather brilliant, so Jane, please take that feeling away with you with love, gratitude and respect.  The Cloud will be back next year and as I said last week, we are hoping it will be joined by a brother or sister Cloud.  Dedicated.

The Bestselling Stress Supplement Of The Year Award

What a year.  I think it is fair to say that there is a collective anxiety across so many differing aspects of life as it is.  Through all of this, the one constant is that we are walking together and we will continue to do so, that’s a given.  It is no surprise that Magnolia Rhodiola Complex continues to be our bestselling supplement for anxiety.  Its efficacy is unquestionable, although of course, as with all supplementation, you need to give it time to kick in. 

This time of year has always been difficult for so many of us, but in this particular year some of those difficulties will be compounded.  So for one day only, today, Saturday 12 December, I have taken the price of Magnolia Rhodiola Complex down from £28 to £20.  It’s a bit of a radical drop in price, but I have my reasons and I think all I want to say here is that I know and understand how it is.  That’s all.
VH Editorial: How To Combat Stress Effectively; Magnolia Rhodiola Complex £20 for 60 Capsules 

And that’s it.  We have reached the end of the VH Awards, and if you are still with me, I just want to say a few more things.  If this year has taught us anything, it has to be about the need to share, which allows us to stand together in our truth.  I have written much about VH being a sharing platform this year and it is only with transparency that we gain the understanding, which is sorely needed.  So if I may, a few words about awards. 

Almost without exception, awards are now big business.  Except it’s not a level playing field.  To win an award, you mostly need to pay to enter a brand or a product.  And then there are the add-ons, which could include supplying a high volume of a chosen product.  You are also often promised the sun, moon and stars if you actually win, but that’s a debatable subject, because there is no guarantee that you will achieve that, most especially if you don’t play the game of paying yet another fee to actually watch said awards, virtually or otherwise.

Forgive me, but this sucks.  Not only is it corrupt, in my humble opinion, but consumers are duped into thinking that said winning product is the best of the best.  Far from it.  So what happens to the small, niche brands.  Well, they are ignored because they cannot afford to enter that arena, so by virtue of this fact, the struggle to survive is very real for them. 

I have never entered any of our brands, or the brands we represent, for a ‘paid-for’ award.  And I never will.  If you have the money, you can buy almost anything in this world; I know I am having a major rant, but I feel so strongly about this and it needs to be said.  So I’ve said it. 

I really don’t care who reads this, because you cannot argue with the truth.  For balance, an example of an exception to the above would be the Beauty Bible awards.  You literally cannot buy a BB award, not that I’ve ever tried.  But then Sarah and Jo stand either side of each of us, because this platform belongs to them as well as all of us.  And surely that’s what this is all about. 

In the fullness of time, this will become more obvious across so many things that we want to do.  It will all play out over the coming months.  With a little help from my friends.  Actually rather a lot of help.  I give my thanks to them. 

All that remains is for me to thank you, each of you, together with Shabir, Lara and the VH team for your continued love, support and amazing emails.

Keep safe and warm.

With love

Gill x

 

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*Free gifts will only be granted if the items purchased are physical products and your total basket value exceeds the required amount noted.  Saturday only treats are subject to change should the specified gift run out prior to your purchase and are only included in orders placed between 7.45am (GMT) and Midnight (GMT) on the Saturday the Weekend Read is sent.  VH Addicts membership is a digital product and therefore will be excluded from the basket value.  Some gifts are blocked from international shipping due to local limitations imposed based on the country destination.  If this is the case, we will replace the gift with one that is able to be shipped to your destination.