Hello, hello.  It’s Saturday once more and as we roll through August, I want to start prepping us for the months ahead and all that it may bring.  Life, as it is, can change in a moment of time, but I believe our overriding and fundamental core must be one of hope and optimism.  I know only too well the difficulties we are all facing, not least the emotional exhaustion so many are experiencing, but if we stand in our truth together, then I honestly believe we can overcome the many obstacles that may come before us.  And more often than not, these obstacles come in the shape of others who, in their innate cruelty, continue on their destructive path, without apology or remorse.

I will continue to write from experience and I do so for several different reasons, but mostly because I know that so many of you relate and it is so important to know that you are not alone.  It is also important to know that so much abuse is based upon lies, which in turn feeds greed and corruption.  And it will not surprise you to learn that nearly every single time I have been abused, it has come from within the health and beauty industry who, for the most part, look the other way because the truth may be exposed and that would devastate bottom line profits and reputations.  Fact.

I think it is really important to talk about this because it is so easy to become cynical and bitter, but truly that doesn’t serve anybody, least of all ourselves.  I am not under-estimating the pain, not for one moment, it runs deep and it can scar for life, but healing comes with transparency and sharing.  So yes, of course we have the products, some of which can help take the edge off the hurt, but if we are going to the very core of health and wellbeing, then we have to try and embrace our stance of positivity and strength, together with a pragmatic and philosophical understanding of life, if we can.  To be continued.  Soon.

Right, I’ve said what I needed to say, so now we will do the products.  And in accordance with everything I have ever written about living in the land of product Utopia, I will say once again that not every product will work for everybody and I have always been very vocal about that.  I am also very vocal about our bestselling products and they are bestsellers for a reason.  Result-driven supplementation is key and in this instance I want to talk about Hyaluronic Acid (HA).

I think we all know that HA helps to plump-up our skin, but equal to that it plays an extraordinarily important role in helping to cushion our joints and from experience I will tell you that my joints start to creak if I forget to take it for a few days.  And more often than not that would be because there is a HA famine, which I have been trying to avoid at all costs, given the ongoing raw ingredient issues.  Whenever I do a treat, which I’m just about to do, I have to weigh up the consequences of my actions, but for the most part I work on intuition, which would be about your needs, rather than Shabir’s reaction when it all goes wrong.  Which it often does.

So in the hope that this won’t go wrong, with every order placed across the weekend for Hyaluronic Acid High Strength Capsules, we will automatically include the complimentary size of the same which contains 15 capsules and has a value of £17.50, whilst stock lasts.  And then it’s over.  One more thing to add.  Shabir has written four articles on HA, which you will find on the product page.  If you get that far.
Hyaluronic Acid High Strength Capsules £35 for 30 Capsules + Hyaluronic Acid High Strength Capsules 15 Capsules (Offer ends at midnight BST Sunday 15 August)

There is no doubt in my mind that the increase in compromised skin conditions, such as eczema, is being triggered by the stresses we are constantly encountering.  I wrote last week about the epidemics that have arisen from the pandemic, and this is certainly one of them.  The common symptoms of eczema include redness of the skin, itching, inflammation, dryness, cracking, swelling and the oozing of skin.  Eczema is often mistaken for psoriasis, but there are several differences, the main one being that eczema invariably affects the flexible part of joints.

I have lifted those words from Shabir’s article on eczema, linked below, where he writes about the symptoms, treatment and prevention of eczema.  Of course there is no single magic bullet and I think that more than any other skin concern, treatment products for eczema are notoriously difficult.  However, Shabir is rather taken with Basix Skin Defence Cream and he goes so far as to say that he considers it to be one of the best natural eczema creams he has ever come across, so that’s a big endorsement from him.  And a treat from me, as I drop the price of Basix Skin Defence Cream from £16.99 to £13.99.  For a moment in time.
VH Editorial: How To Treat Eczema; Basix Skin Defence Cream £13.99 for 50 ml (Whilst stock lasts)

A quick interception here.  I know I did a special treat on Skin Restoring Ceramides a couple of weeks ago, but if we are talking about a supplement to help certain compromised skin concerns from within, such as eczema, this would be our recommendation.  The inevitable question will of course be does it clash with HA, and the answer to that is no it doesn’t, they stand alone in their own respective efficacy and work synergistically for the health and wellbeing of our skin.  I rarely repeat a treat within a couple of weeks, but I am just about to make an exception here as, once again, I take the price of Skin Restoring Ceramides down from £25 to £22.  Done.  And dusted. 
VH Editorial: Beauty Supplements To Boost Your Skin; Skin Restoring Ceramides by Life Extension £22 for 30 Liquid Capsules

I need to talk to you about Magnolia Rhodiola Complex.  As you know, I have been updating you on the wait list saga, and as I’m writing this I am being told, that all things being equal, it should now be back in stock, if it hasn’t been held up in customs, which tends to be the norm these days.  But that’s not all.  If only it was.  As the consignment left we were informed that the labels were creased.  Creased.  Oh send me to paradise, please do. 

If we refused delivery then I know we would have another long wait, and there is an overriding and urgent need to get our bestselling supplement for stress and anxiety back in stock.  So if you don’t mind, please excuse the creased label because it is after all the supplements we need to ingest, not the label.  You seriously couldn’t make this up.  I mean we could have our own reality show.  Because the truth is stranger than fiction.  In each and every moment. Trust me. 
VH Editorial: How To Combat Stress Effectively; Magnolia Rhodiola Complex £28 for 60 Capsule

On from that I don’t expect to receive a call from Netflix anytime soon, which is just as well, but on the subject of Netflix, I have recently watched The Parisian Agency and loved it.  There are only five episodes and it is utterly charming.  It leaves you wanting more, as all the best things in life do.  Right, back to the products after that slight diversion.  A worthwhile diversion, I feel.  I think you might too.

So here we go and it’s another product which was on a wait list, but is no longer.  So just to tell you that Derma E’s Vitamin C Concentrated Serum received a double whammy hit recently, which is the reason it went out of stock.  I wrote about it a few weeks ago and then Sali Hughes also wrote about it in The Guardian, giving it a great review, which you can read on our press section.  I particularly like the fact that she wrote that it was a comfortable ride under sunscreen, stating that no extra moisturiser was needed.  Why talk about two products when one will suffice.  In this instance.
Press; Vitamin C Concentrated Serum by Derma E £22 for 60 ml

Staying with beauty products, we have, over the past few weeks, been journeying with certain Garden of Wisdom products.  So I want to continue that exploration with one of the lesser known serums, PHA Plus Serum.  Polyhydroxy Acids (PHA’s) are the next generation of Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s) and although PHA’s are similar to AHA’s in that they perform the same role as chemical exfoliants, they are somewhat gentler on skin causing less irritation than many AHA’s.

It is a fact that AHA’s can cause itching, burning and tingling sensations and they may also cause the skin to dry out.  I am not condemning AHA’s out of hand, they are very widely used, but if you have sensitive skin, which is prone to inflammatory skin concerns such as rosacea, it is advised that you be careful with your use of AHA’s.  I will refer you to Shabir’s article on PHA’s, listed below, which he wrote within moments of the PHA patent expiry.  He has his moments and my moment is about to arrive as I drop the price of PHA Plus Serum from £14 to £11.  I like moments.  Rather a lot.
VH Editorial: What Are Polyhydroxy Acids; PHA Plus Serum by Garden of Wisdom for VH £11 for 30 ml (Offer ends at midnight BST Sunday 15 August)

In this week’s Health Notes, Sarah reports on a new Grief Works app by psychotherapist, Julia Samuels, to help people heal the pain of bereavement.  In Sarah’s words, ‘most of us have experienced the grief of family and friends, and I very much include animals, dying over the years.  Usually, that happens more as you get older, but over the pandemic the awareness of death has hit home to more and younger people, as I’ve found in my own family’.

I have always believed, and indeed as I have written at the top of this newsletter, that something very special happens when you are able to stand in your own experiences in order to help others.  And there are times when words just cannot convey the importance of using our platform to do this work.  So please allow me to add to Sarah’s article by saying that death has many different connotations, which would include the loss and death of a friendship or a business, which are just two examples.  As I have often written, we are living in an increasingly divisive world and we are so much poorer because of that.  I pray we all wake up.  Before it’s too late.  For that loss, I grieve.  With you.
How To Care For Grief by Sarah Stacey

Where do we go from there.  Into the shower perhaps.  With Breath of Life, a product I have written about before, but bearing in mind ongoing health issues, including respiratory problems, which I wrote about last week, I want to say a few words here.  Breath of Life is an inhalation essence loaded with Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lavender and Menthol.  It follows that it has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties to help ward off germs.  And whilst you can off course add a little to a tissue, or sniff it, it comes into its own when you put a few drops of the essence onto the floor of your shower and in a magical moment, you are steaming yourself with healing vapours.  Spa-at-home.
Breath of Life Aromatherapy Inhalation Essence by Temple Spa £12 for 10 ml

I absolutely know I shouldn’t really be doing this because I did a treat on Fulvic Face Cream a couple of weeks ago, but there are times when my emotions get the better of me, quite a lot of times actually.  And look, we have got this far down the newsletter and I haven’t mentioned Fulvic once.  So I shall correct that by saying that with every Fulvic Body Lotion bought, which I love and adore, I will throw in the 30 ml size of Fulvic Face Cream, which is worth £15.  The reviews on Fulvic Face Cream made me do it.  And talking of reviews, check out who loves Fulvic Acid Nail Cream (and Fulvic Acid Shampoo and Conditioner), as I drop the price of Fulvic Acid Nail Cream to £10 from £12.
Fulvic Body Lotion 200 ml + Fulvic Face Cream 30 ml £20; Fulvic Acid Nail Cream £10 (Offers end at midnight BST Monday 16 August)

In the midst of the pandemic, it was announced that studies were being carried out on Sambucol’s Liquid Original Formula.  We still await the outcome, but needless to say sales of this scientifically tested formulation went off the Richter scale.  Given our stance of helping to keep you safe, I just want to say that there are an awful lot of summer colds floating around, together with other infections.  We know that Elderberry extracts can help reduce the duration of flu symptoms, but Elderberry is also beneficial for non-flu viruses.  Powerful in its efficacy, it can also be taken daily to enhance your immunity.  Which would seem quite a good idea.  At this time.
Sambucol Liquid Original Formula £8.99 for 120 ml

Let’s talk about a few things and I want to begin by telling you that Shabir’s new formulation, Mankai Duckweed was one of our bestselling products last week.  I suppose it is always a big occasion when Shabir formulates a new product and running alongside that, it necessitates the need for another article from him.  No pressure at all, but I know there are more formulations coming, across health and beauty, but everything is getting delayed for obvious reasons.  It just goes with the territory.  Right now.
VH Editorial: Mankai Duckweed, The Smallest Vegetable Big On Vitamins; Mankai Duckweed (High Protein Superleaf Powder) £22 for 500 grams

The next thing I want to talk about is Color Wow’s Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer.  All I really want to say here is that the demand for this product is extraordinarily high and that would be because Color Wow’s research and development was rather immaculate given that this futuristic foam refuses to damage your hair, but blows up the volume.  Hair health is of paramount importance and I’m actually now on my second tube, mostly because Lara decided to raid my bathroom and stole my first tube.  She took it home and proceeded to talk about her big hair.  Nothing is sacred.  It could have been worse, at least it wasn’t Shabir pumping up the volume.  Imagine that.  Actually please don’t.
Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer by Color Wow £23 for 200 ml

Finally, if you are going to the beach, do remember to take Beach Powder with you as it makes sand disappear.  And you may wish to accompany that with the one and only Maui Babe.  That would be the original.  Not the numerous fakes that are floating around.  All over the place.
Beach Powder £9.99 for 100 grams; Beach Powder Shimmer £9.99 for 85 grams; Maui Babe Browning Lotion £22 for 236 ml    

So into the Saturday only treat we go and because I said at the beginning of this newsletter that I wanted to prep ourselves for the coming months, I am back on my Vitamin D kick once again, so with every order placed for £30 and over, excluding p&p, we will send you a Vitamin D Trial Pack from YourZooki.  There are five sachets in this pack and it is in the form of liposomal technology where 3000 IU of vegan Vitamin D3 is wrapped with Vitamin K2 in a liposome, which ensures safe delivery of the nutrients through the digestive system and into the bloodstream.  Full product link below for further information.
Vitamin D Zooki by YourZooki £23.99 for 14 x 15 ml Sachets

Some of the words in this week’s song reflect some of the words written in my first three paragraphs.  It is a song that recognises the hurt and the pain, but it is also a song that gives the hope of a better tomorrow.  I have often written that life is cyclical, it always has been, and as such there should be laughter after pain and there should be sunshine after rain.  As sung by Mark Knopfler. 
Why Worry by Mark Knopfler; The VH Playlist

With love.

Gill x

 

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