Weekend Read 20 November 2021

Weekend Read 20 November 2021

Life rolls on.  So as I welcome you to the Weekend Read, I think I would like to go straight in with the feedback from last weekend, because there was rather a lot of it.  I will take this step by step, but a new phenomenon seems to have fallen upon us, whereby I find myself repeating offers and treats from previous weekends.  There is always a reason for doing this and I will explain as I go along, but essentially I am guided by your response, just adding that I think it is important to recognise that most of these products are dedicated to help make a positive difference to each of us.  And those closest to us.

I had a moment last Saturday.  In fact I had several moments, but I am going to start with this one.  And it was all about Spacemasks.  It came under the section I wrote about lack of sleep and the concept of going to bed between 10 and 11 pm.  Within that section I offered a single Spacemask as a gift with every box of five Spacemasks sold.  I went on to write that you could either keep the single mask, or spread the joy and share it.  And that’s the whole thing really.  Sharing.  So my thoughts on gifting, if I may, because I think that we need to talk about this.

I really don’t want to dwell too much, but I do want to say that the cost of any gift is pretty irrelevant, most especially given our current circumstances.  What is relevant is that you gift with love and intent.  And whilst I absolutely recognise that there are some who are more fortunate than others on many different levels, the financial burden of gifting is very real for so many of us.  And in and of itself, it can affect our mental health and wellbeing, most especially at a time when we are being bombarded with extravagant festive gift guides every which way we turn.  Once again, I write from experience.  I know the pain.  I understand the dynamic.  Only too well.

And so back to Spacemasks.  I was watching our ordering screens last Saturday and as I watched Spacemasks go out of stock, rectified now, I thought about that one single Spacemask.  And I thought about it because it symbolized so many different things to me.  The most profound gift is, I believe, when you give of yourself.  On from that, when you gift with the intent of helping to make another person’s life better, even momentarily, that thought touches the very core of our being.  And we all need those moments.  We are not immune to hurt and disappointment.  And it’s so often the smallest things in life that make the biggest difference to our state of mind.

With those words, I am going to repeat the Spacemasks offer.  And I’m going to repeat it because after reading the above, you may wish to gift somebody fifteen minutes of peaceful relaxation.  And you cannot put a price on that, because it is the thought, and warmth, that means everything here.  So once again, I will include a single Spacemask with each box of five sold.  One more thing.  You could split the box and gift six people with a mask each.  Touching souls.  Wherever we can.
Spacemasks £15 For Five Masks + One Free Mask (Offer ends midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 21 November)

Another moment from last Saturday.  It was just after 9 am and I hadn’t been watching the ordering screens at that time because I was answering emails; this generally happens every Saturday.  And then I read an email saying that the Aurelia offer I had written about was over.  And it was.  I actually think that is the earliest time an offer has ever run out, and although I had written that we had limited stock availability, I honestly thought it would last longer.  But it didn’t.  And I felt bad for all those who had overslept.  So I’m going to do a series of beauty treats now, with the hope that they each last longer than an hour or so.

It seems only right that I should begin with another limited edition treat from Aurelia.  It is their Conditioning Eye & Lash Cleanser, which is infused with Cucumber, Rose Otto Oil and Inca Maca.  This nourishing cleanser will gently remove all traces of make-up from the delicate eye area and Aurelia say that it helps promote hair growth, thereby promoting healthier-looking lashes, beautiful brows and refreshed eyes, all in the shake of a bottle.  I can’t comment any further on this because I haven’t tested it, basically because I can’t.  But what I will do is take the price down from £32 to £19 and pray that we manage to get past 9.15 am.  Not sure that we will.
Conditioning Eye & Lash Cleanser by Aurelia London £19 for 100 ml (Limited Offer)

I am almost convinced that this next treat will last across the weekend, but I’ve caveated it with the word ‘almost’ because I know the product I am about to write about has a huge following, but is frequently out of stock with the manufacturers for some unknown reason.  I am talking about Derma E’s Vitamin C Bright Eyes Hydro Gel Patches, and we all love these patches as they are the perfect antidote for tired, dull looking and puffy eyes.  I keep mine in the fridge, but you don’t have to.

Anyway, each patch is loaded with moisture-boosting antioxidants and phytonutrients and its ingredients include Allantoin for skin smoothness and moisture, Caffeine to help reduce inflammation and the dreaded puff and Vitamins C & B3 for brightening.  When these patches first launched, I took an entire tub of them and placed them all over my body for testing purposes.  I was thrilled, but not sure Shabir was as thrilled.  Regardless, you need to know what the treat is and so with every tub of the Vitamin C Bright Eyes Hydro Gel Patches, we will automatically include Derma E’s Brightening and Hydrating Trio. 

With a value of £20, the Brightening and Hydrating Trio contains Derma E’s Microdermabrasion Scrub (14 grams), Hydrating Day Cream (14 grams) and Vitamin C Intense Night Cream (14 grams).  If you are new to Derma E, I think you will really enjoy using these products, but I doubt that many of you are new to this brand because we have listed and supported Derma E since the very beginning of our existence.  No great big hype ever from Derma E, just solid and reliable skin products that are so often ahead of the crowd, without any drama attached.  Refreshing.
Vitamin C Bright Eyes Hydro Gel Patches by Derma E £20 for 60 Gel Patches (Limited Offer)

I really can’t do all these beauty treats without including a serum from Garden of Wisdom.  So I’m doing it right now.  And that serum is the oversized Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which means that you get 45 ml for the price of 30 ml.  This is of course one of our bestselling serums in the range, formulated by Shabir.  When formulating this serum, he ensured that he used a low molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid for increased hydration and because he didn’t want alcohol or silicones in this formulation, he didn’t include them.  Am thinking it’s about time he formulated another serum for this range.  No pressure.  Meanwhile, this is of course a limited edition offer.
Hyaluronic Acid Serum by Garden of Wisdom for VH £10 for 45 ml

I’m playing it pretty low key this year and for various reasons, some of which you will understand from my opening paragraphs, all I will say is that we do have a gift section on our site, but I think this is the one and only reference I will make to it.  The other reference I will make is that one of the products listed is a kit from Margaret Dabbs.  It is her Beautiful Hands kit, which contains four luxury hand products.  These products are Intensive Hand Lotion, Exfoliating Hand Scrub, Crystal Nail File and Pure Cuticle Oil.  Further descriptions on the product page, but whilst stocks last, I am taking down the price of Beautiful Hands from £48 to £38.  Whilst stock lasts.
Christmas Gifts; Beautiful Hands by Margaret Dabbs London £38 (Limited Offer)

Let’s do health.  And I would just like to add a bit of weight to the study I wrote about last week.  I still believe far more research is required, but it’s interesting to note that in a study carried out by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, the bedtime habits of more than 430,000 adults were assessed over a period of 6.5 years.  The results of this study are published in the journal Chronobiology International (2018), but the conclusion mostly mirrors the most recent study in that they too believe that going to bed at around 10 pm could be far more beneficial for our health and wellbeing.  And, from experience, I tend to agree.

And this in turn leads me to write about tinctures, because so many of these little gems are scattered throughout our health pages.  So I want to write about three or four powerful tinctures, but I cannot ignore the fact that we led the way last week with Passiflora Complex Drops, which are quite brilliant for supporting anxiety-related sleep disturbances.  I repeat these words from last week.  The effects of Passiflora are strengthened when blended with Avena Sativa, also present in this tincture, as it acts as a mild sedative in alleviating the symptoms of stress.  And such was the demand, I will now repeat the offer as I drop the price once again from £10.85 to £9. 
Passiflora Complex Drops by A. Vogel £9 for 50 ml (Offer ends midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 21 November)

Onwards with the next powerful tincture and once again it’s from A. Vogel.  Yarrow Complex Drops is a herbal digestive tonic containing bitter and aromatic herbs.  It has a wide spectrum of action and is often used for common gastrointestinal complaints to help stimulate digestion.  An anti-inflammatory, one of its key actions is its bitter substance used to stimulate certain taste buds in the mouth to increase salivary flow.  It helps relieve indigestion and acidity in the stomach, but it also helps with food intolerances, leaky gut syndrome, colic, wind and bloating.  Taking down the bloat.  Wonderful.  Let’s take the price down from £10.85 to £9.  Across the weekend.
Yarrow Complex Drops by A. Vogel £9 for 50 ml (Offer ends midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 21 November)

Might as well continue with more A. Vogel tinctures.  Two more powerful tinctures form part of Shabir’s Post Nasal-Drip Regimen (PND).  I write about this regimen at least once a year because it really, really works with the added benefit that Ivy Thyme Complex helps soothe the lining of the respiratory tract and bronchitic conditions, which are quite prevalent at this time of year.  I will refer you to Shabir’s short article on PND, but in line with the above, the two A. Vogel tinctures both drop in price to £9 from £10.85 in the case of Plantago, and from £11.15 for Ivy Thyme.  End of the tincture theme.
VH Editorial: Post-Nasal Drip Regimen; Marshmallow Capsules by Power Health £4.70 for 30 Capsules; Plantago Tincture by A. Vogel £9 for 50 ml; Ivy Thyme Complex by A. Vogel £9 for 50 ml (Offer ends midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 21 November)

Into some more health concerns we go and I will begin with Diverticular disease.  Diverticular disease is, in most cases, free from recognisable symptoms with the exception of chronic constipation.  The most common complaint is intermittent and unpredictable lower abdominal pain, which is often accompanied with a fever.  There are three medical terms for this disease, Diverticulosis, Diverticular disease and Diverticulitis, and it has to be said that the symptoms of Diverticular disease are very similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and are very difficult to distinguish.

As ever, I believe it is incredibly important to understand not only the health concern, but why we recommend certain products over others.  So do please read Shabir’s article, linked below, where he recommends Symprove for this condition.  Symprove has been the subject of several independent trials, including a trial at King’s College Hospital where it was shown to be effective in relieving the symptoms of IBS in 60% of sufferers within twelve weeks.  And that’s just one trial.  And you know what I’m about to do, I am taking the price of Symprove down from £75 to £65 across the weekend.  Two flavours.  Four bottles in each.
VH Editorial: What Is Diverticular Disease; Symprove Original (4 x 500 ml bottles) £65; Symprove Mango & Passionfruit (4 x 500 ml bottles) £65

I am going to follow through with a health concern that is not often written about.  I will leave Shabir to do the in-depth, but essentially clinically evaluated studies carried out over the last thirty years have confirmed that high levels of homocysteine can lead to cardiovascular concerns. It is thought that your homocysteine level is approximately 40% more accurate at predicting heart attacks than cholesterol levels.  Homocysteine is an amino acid by-product which is manufactured as a result of the metabolism of protein rich foods, such as meat and dairy products.  The rest I will leave to Shabir as I drop the price of H-Cysteine Supreme from £28 to £24.
VH Editorial: Reducing Homocysteine May Help Increase Longevity; H-Cysteine Supreme by Designs For Health £24 for 60 Capsules (Offer ends midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 21 November)

Time for a new product.  And it is Anchor Bath Soak from Annee de Mamiel.  A few weeks ago I wrote about Annee’s Sleep Series and Anchor Bath Soak is the latest addition to that range.  Formulated to provide a sense of stillness, Anchor Bath Soak will help calm and balance, helping to ease away stress and anxiety.  Soothing and meditative, it has been designed to ease you into a restful sleep.  Its ingredients include Patchouli, Rosa Damascena and Jasmine and in the words of Annee, it takes you to a place where dreams are made.  Let’s dream.
Anchor Bath Soak by de Mamiel £58 for 400 grams

Staying on the subject of stress and anxiety, I give thanks that Magnolia Rhodiola Complex is now back in stock.  I really don’t need to tell you that this is our bestselling supplement for stress and anxiety and my only issue with this is that we are taking delivery in several tranches because of the ongoing issues with raw ingredients.  I am so sorry to keep writing about these issues, but I would far rather tell it as it is than leave you wondering when on earth you will receive certain products.  Far from ideal I know, but then most things over the past two years have been very far from ideal.  We remain pragmatic.  And intrepid.  Together.
VH Editorial: How To Combat Stress Effectively; Magnolia Rhodiola Complex £28 for 60 Capsules

Nearly finished, but I have one more treat to share with you and it may as well be a fabulous treat.  Well, I know I’m biased, but I think it’s fabulous.  I really don’t need to write too many words about our Fulvic haircare range.  It was of course formulated by Shabir to target hair loss, thinning and shredding, but of course it can be used by each of us for optimum scalp and hair health.  I can’t, and won’t, live without it, so I invite you to join me as I take down the price of the Fulvic Travel Trio from £25 to £15. 

This will go across the weekend, or whilst stock lasts, and although we have called it the Travel Trio, it is also an opportunity for all those who haven’t used these products before to try them.  I’m going to add something to this and although I know I did an offer on Superior Hair not that long ago, I am taking the price down once again from £30 to £25 because the trauma of losing hair can never be under-estimated.  I am linking Shabir’s article on hair loss below, and although he refers to menopausal hair loss specifically, some of the information is relative to all forms of hair loss and health.  And that’s important.
VH Editorial: Menopausal Hair Loss; Fulvic Travel Trio £15 (includes Fulvic Acid Shampoo 60 ml; Fulvic Acid Conditioner 60 ml; Fulvic Acid Mist 60 ml); Superior Hair £25 for 90 Capsules Offers end midnight GMT tomorrow, Sunday 21 November)

Right, into the Saturday only treat we go and with every order placed for £30 and above, excluding p&p, we will include In The Beginning* (7 grams) from Temple Spa.  In The Beginning Deep Cleansing Melt is a vitamin-rich complex which is suitable for all skin types, but it works particularly well on dry skin.  You may also wish to use it as a weekly mask, which sounds rather wonderful to me.  As ever I am listing the full size product below so you can refer to it for further information.  And that’s nearly the end. 
In The Beginning Deep Cleansing Melt by Temple Spa £32 for 75 grams

The song I would like to share with you this week is a song I have always loved. There is a bit of preamble on the video and the music begins around 1.46.  I want to live.  I want to give.
Heart of Gold by Neil Young

With love

Gill x

 

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Prices and products advertised at times of sending and publishing are subject to change and availability. 

*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.