Weekend Read 5 June 2021

Weekend Read 5 June 2021

Well, here we are.  In June.  And I’m not too sure how we got here because everything about this year has been as discombobulating as last year, to the extent that I rarely know what day of the week it is.  But I know that today is Saturday and as I welcome you to another Weekend Read, let’s take a walk through all the latest news and updates, with a few treats thrown in along the way.  And a podium moment at the end.

And we begin with Daily Energy.  Because we all need energy.  To get through.  This is of course the supplement that I asked Shabir to formulate right at the beginning of the pandemic because although none of us really knew, or understood, how life would unfold, I knew one thing, and that was that we would need strength to cope.  So not only does Daily Energy provide an energy boost, it also helps enhance mood.  Loaded with a herbal blend of adaptogens, including Ashwagandha, Maca, Siberian Ginseng and Suma, it works very hard to help prevent the mid-afternoon slump.  And it’s free from caffeine.  Essentially because too much caffeine can make us jittery.

There is no doubt in my mind who is about to become jittery, Shabir of course.  And that would be because I am taking down the price of Daily Energy from £20 to £16 across the weekend, ending tomorrow Sunday 6 June at midnight BST, or whilst stock lasts, which is always debatable.  The thing is that I made a promise a very long time ago that in full recognition of the extraordinary difficulties so many of us are experiencing, I would share whenever and wherever I could.  The pledge continues.  It has to if we are to uphold the stance of helping to make a positive difference.  With exceptional products.  And Daily Energy is exceptional.
Daily Energy £16 for 60 Capsules

And if we are talking about the exceptional, I just want to say that although we are of course all different, it is increasingly apparent that the brands and the products which are closest to my heart, are the brands I consider to be part of the VH DNA.  And they have become part of yours too.  So in some way, this Weekend Read is dedicated in part to those DNA products, their efficacy, their integrity and of course the passion, which underpins everything.  And if I am writing in this vein, then I have to begin with iS Clinical.  With a story.  To tell.

It's a Sheald Recovery Balm story.  And it’s a personal story.  Involving moles.  Which actually didn’t turn out to be moles in the end, but that’s a different matter.  The fact is that if anything changes on your skin, you should immediately go to see a Consultant Dermatologist, which I did.  Long cut short, it transpired that I had two very small cysts on my nose and, behold, a Basal Cell Carcinoma on the nasolabial fold.  These are really common, and although Mr Derm wasn’t at all concerned about the Basal Cell Carcinoma, he said it had to be taken out, which he duly did under local anaesthetic and I had a gash and three stitches.  I think you know what’s coming next.

I was advised to wash the three wounds each morning and to dress them with Vaseline.  Vaseline.  With all due respect to Vaseline and the Dermatologist, there was no way Vaseline was coming anywhere near my skin.  Expect to be scarred, he said.  I expect not to be, I said reaching into my bag and donating a tube of Sheald Recovery Balm to him.  That was three weeks ago.  I have a follow-up appointment very soon to assess the healing and scarring.  Except the wounds have healed.  And there is no scarring.  And the ‘moles’ were actually varying forms of skin tags, which got frozen off with Liquid Nitrogen (Cryotherapy).  God, did that hurt.  So I screamed.

Anyway, I honestly don’t believe that any product can touch Sheald Recovery Balm for wound healing.  And if you need to calm your skin after a facial procedure, it will help cut down inflammation and redness really quickly.  And then there’s the fact that it is used by surgeons all over the world, because it can be used on open wounds.  Some of the most profound and moving testimonials have come from women who having undergone mastectomies, expected to be deeply scarred for life.  And then they weren’t.  On varying levels.  Nothing more.  Needed.
Sheald Recovery Balm by iS Clinical £20 for 15 grams; Sheald Recovery Balm by iS Clinical £52 for 60 grams

Because I always write with my heart on my sleeve, it wouldn’t be too difficult to determine that the journey I am privileged to be on with Ross J. Barr goes right to the very core of my being.  I think it is abundantly clear that I am not here just to churn out products, because that would be soul destroying.  And I seriously couldn’t do that, and neither could Ross.  So it is hugely rewarding that the feedback on the Calm Patches continues across so many different issues, including helping to bring a sense of calm to those who are sitting exams and to those who are having to confront stressful situations.  And I think we all know about that.

So a bit more to say.  With many of you wishing to wear them throughout the day, you can in fact place a Calm Patch behind each ear.  It hits the same acupuncture points as the temples and are perhaps more discreet, says Ross who wears his in this way.  I often forget I have mine on and go out with them on my temples, which is one step better than when I forgot I had a face mask on.  Instead of dwelling on that, I told you last weekend that the Healing Patches were equal in acclaim.  And so with every packet of Calm Patches bought, I will include a single Healing Patch, whilst stock lasts, which I guess won’t be long.  Only one gift per customer.  For fairness.
Calm Patches by Ross J. Barr £15 for Ten Patches; Healing Patches by Ross J. Barr £15 for Five Patches

Back to supplementation and I want to throw the focus on Vitamin K.  I know that I wrote about this when the pandemic chaos was at its height, but I want to refer you once again to Shabir’s article on Vitamin K because of its numerous benefits.  We have, over the past year or so, mostly accepted the relevance and importance of Vitamin D3, but both Shabir and I believe the same should apply to Vitamin K.  I have campaigned about the importance of Vitamin D3 for over ten years, and if I have to do the same on Vitamin K, I will.  With that, I am lowering the price of Super K from £22 to £19 across the weekend.  Actually will I still be doing this in ten years.  Debatable.
VH Editoral: It Is Estimated That Nearly 99% Of Us Could Be Deficient In This Vital Nutrient; Super K by Life Extension £19 for 90 Softgels (Offer ends tomorrow, Sunday 6 June at midnight BST)

Let’s do skincare.  I have never, ever wanted to list hundreds of different skincare brands.  Anybody can do that and actually there has to be some discernment so that when the extraordinary does come along, it is recognised as such rather than getting lost in the crowd.  But I deviate because what I really want to say here is that we each have different skin needs and we each have different brand and products preferences.   So I am following through with two treats, from two different brands, each with their own unique attributes.

Willowberry, founded by Jenni Retourné, is a beautiful niche natural skincare brand, which has received an abundance of recognition.  So I invite you to try the Nutrient Boost Mini Skincare Gift Set.  It contains three of the Willowberry skincare products, the Willowberry Cleansing Balm (30 ml), the Willowberry Day Cream (30 ml) and the Willowberry Face Oil (10 ml).  Cruelty-free and luxurious, the Nutrient Boost Mini Skincare Gift Set is normally £39.99, but with limited availability, the price becomes £29.99.  All further details on the product page.  Skincare for grown-ups.  The Willowberry mission.  Applause.  Please.
Nutrient Boost Mini Skincare Gift Set by Willowberry £29.99

Another skincare treat.  An Aurelia Probiotic Skincare treat.  And it’s their Brightening Anti-Pollution Mask, which is a rich and whipped cream face mask.  It contains soothing Pink Clay, Oat extracts, Calendula, Meadowsweet and Chamomile, together with three essential oils, Jasmine, Neroli and Mandarin.  Helping to boost cell-turnover, it has been formulated to help hydrate and protect skin from environmental pollutants.  And whilst stock lasts, I am taking the price down from £58 to £24.  The twenty minute mask.  Is here.
Brightening Anti-Pollution Mask by Aurelia Probiotic Skincare £24 for 60 ml

Happy news.  About the Japanese Cleansing Clouds.  The original Cloud, in green, is now back in stock after a short absence.  As I have written before, the Clouds are hand-made and as such the stock levels are subject to limited availability.  So we rejoice together for several reasons.  The first is because they are stamped with the VH DNA, the second is because Ross J. Barr has proclaimed the Clouds as the best-ever shaving soaps and the third is because they make everybody smile.  The fourth, is a treat.  A Cloud treat.  So across the weekend, I am taking the price of the Clouds down from £12 to £10.  But more.  You can buy both as a set.  For £18.  Just because I feel like it.
The Japanese Cleansing Cloud (Original) £10; The Japanese Cleansing Cloud (Yuzi and Nashi Pear) £10; The Clouds (One of Each) £18 (Offer ends tomorrow, Sunday 6 June at midnight BST)

Time for some new products.  And the new products are from Aromatherapy Associates.  Central to these new launches is The Atomiser, which has been hailed as the future of essential oil diffusers.  It will transform your surroundings, filling your space with 100% natural therapeutic aromas.  The inspiration for The Atomiser comes from spa atomising technology as powerful air compression disperses a fine mist.  It is fully portable and as there is no water tank or heat, the integrity of the oils are preserved, which means you need to use only a small amount of oil.  It actually looks pretty neat and it has optimised run times and a soft halo of light emanates from it.

Accompanying The Atomiser, Aromatherapy Associates have released four new oils.  These are Deep Relax Pure Essential Oil, Breathe Pure Essential Oil, De-Stress Pure Essential Oil and Revive Pure Essential Oil.  We are of course each different, but I know which two I would choose, Deep Relax and De-Stress, which could become part of my writing the Weekend Read ritual.  I do so love a ritual.  Anyway, The Atomiser is £120, so it is a considered purchase and I’m actually hoping that not too many of you make this consideration so that I can take one from the shelf.  And then say to Shabir, look nobody wanted to buy one, so these are mine.  That will go down well.
The Atomiser by Aromatherapy Associates £120; Deep Relax Pure Essential Oil £25 for 10 ml; Breathe Pure Essential Oil £25 for 10 ml; De-Stress Pure Essential Oil £25 for 10 ml; Revive Pure Essential Oil £25 for 10 ml – All From Aromatherapy Associates

And on the subject of room mists, it is that time of year when Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Mosquito Repellent comes into its own.  This is the revolutionary formula that collapsed our site last year after it made an appearance on This Morning.  And the massive wait list that followed was far from cute, but we got there in the end.  So with stock levels replenished, this anti-mosquito repellent is DEET and chemical free, and the fresh Eau de Cologne fragrance not only renders you invisible to mosquitoes, ticks, wasps and bees, but we love using it as a room mist.  Maybe you could put it in The Atomiser.  Pumping it out.  And on.
Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Mosquito Repellent £20 for 250 ml

I am not sure how I got this far down the Weekend Read without mentioning the brilliance of the Peep Club products.  But it doesn’t lessen the impact each of these products have had with so many of you, not least the Heated Eye Wand, which we are desperately trying to keep in stock.  I am living in fear of a famine, but we are good for the moment, which is just as well as your feedback has been as unequivocal as that of our testers, with so much love being declared.  These include the customer who wrote and asked if Peep Club could develop a wand for the entire body and another who thought she was hallucinating after she saw an improvement after just one use

Over the years I have often declared that I consider certain brands to be mine, and with respect to Nicola and Natasha, I am doing the same here.  What a moment of excellence as we discover that each of the products play a role in comforting our eyes, most especially when using the Heated Eye Wand, the Instant Eye Relief Spray and the Soothing Coconut Eye Balm together.  I would like to think that there is not a dry eye in the house, the VH house.  The first because these awesome products tackle dry eye syndrome and the second because when products make such an incredible difference to each of us, I start weeping.  With joy and gratitude.  For their very existence.
Heated Eye Wand by Peep Club £60; Instant Eye Relief Spray by Peep Club £15 for 17 ml; Soothing Coconut Eye Balm by Peep Club £20 for 120 ml; Cleansing Lash Foam by Peep Club £20 for 50 ml; Reusable Velvet Bamboo Pads (Eight Pads + One Laundry Bag) by Peep Club £15 (Wait List)

A moment of note.  With this warmer weather and with blossom blossoming, Shabir now has full-blown Hay Fever.  Male Hay Fever.  Which, as I’ve written before is in a different league to all other forms.  So whichever form of Hay Fever you may have, a reminder about our bestselling supplement, Aller-DMG, which has been specifically formulated to help relieve Hay Fever and will also help alleviate respiratory and nasal discomfort.  This is of course the supplement that we recommend for all forms of allergies because it’s benefits are far-reaching.  My sharing gene is also far-reaching as I take the price of Aller-DMG down from £20 to £17 across the weekend.  Waving.
VH Editorial: Hay Fever Relief For The Family; Aller-DMG £17 for 60 Tablets (Offer ends tomorrow, Sunday 6 June at midnight BST)

Here comes the sun.  Here comes Maui Babe Browning Lotion.  This is not a stain or a self-tanner, it is the epic lotion that I have written about forever after discovering it on a beach in LA.   For the fastest, most beautiful tan of your life, proclaim Maui Babe and I proclaim the same.  This is the Hawaiian formulation that includes Aloe for natural skin protection.  And this is the product that always comes to the beach with me.  Now of course joined by Beach Powder, the product that makes sand disappear.  So Maui Babe and Beach Powder for my body.  And Extreme Protect 40 for my face.  Coming next.
Maui Babe Browning Lotion £22 for 236 ml; Maui Babe After Browning Lotion £22 for 236 ml; Beach Powder £9.99 for 100 grams; Beach Powder Shimmer £9.99 for 100 grams

So the update on Extreme Protect 40.  I wrote last week that a consignment was scheduled to arrive within days, except it didn’t arrive.  Perhaps I shouldn’t write these things because shipping is an absolute nightmare, together with ingredient shortages.  This has been ongoing since the beginning of the pandemic and if anything the situation is getting worse, not better.  Honestly, almost all freight carriers need to hang their heads in shame at the ridiculously high levies they have slapped onto shipments, with absolutely no recourse.  You either pay, or you don’t.  And if you don’t, your don’t receive your consignment.  Smart.

Anyway, rarely can I write without having a rant, so with that said, I do expect a delivery of Extreme Protect 40 really, really soon.  But it comes with a caveat and that caveat is that I know we will not have enough Extreme Protect 40 Translucent to cover all outstanding orders.  I am assured that within approximately two weeks the situation will rectify itself.  So please bear with.  There is one saving grace and that is because I told you that I was using Extreme Protect SPF 40 PerfectTint Bronze.  Many of you have joined me, so not too long to wait for Bronze.  And the update on LiProtect.  There is no update.  So the wait list grows.  Sorry.  From me.  And the boys.   
Extreme Protect SPF 40 Translucent by iS Clinical £66 for 100 grams; Extreme Protect SPF 40 PerfecTint Beige by iS Clinical £66 for 100 grams; Extreme Protect SPF40 PerfectTint Bronze by iS Clinical £66 for 100 grams; LiProtect SPF 35 by iS Clinical £20 for 5 grams (Wait List)

And into the Saturday only treat we go.  So with every order placed for £30 and above (excluding p&p) we will include another one of those much-loved botanical fiber (it’s American) face masks from Biobelle.  This time it is their Peachy Face Mask, which is loaded with Sweet Peach and Hyaluronic Acid to help replenish and hydrate your skin.  Chill.

As we come to the end of another Weekend Read, I would just like to have a podium moment.  In fact it is a podium moment of great importance.  Last week I wrote that I would continue to fight the fight against the perpetrators of abuse for and on behalf of all of us.  If I may, I would just like to follow through on that statement because I am not one to say things just for the sake of it.  And I meant every word I wrote when I said ‘for and on behalf of all of us’.  Furthermore, because I am not one to roll over, I have taken this right to the top.  And that means straight into the heart of Government, the Cabinet Office, via the Chair, Dame Teresa Graham, of the SME Advisory UK Finance Group.  Who are investigating.

This investigation, which is ongoing, is being taken extraordinarily seriously.  And although it is going to take some time, as these things do, the investigation will cover several different issues, including corporate and cyber bullying.  And on from that levels of corruption which are so beyond the pale, I’m not sure that I could ever write about them.  But perhaps one day I just might.  Because actually the evidence I have, both historic and recent, could bring about the change that is sorely needed for all small businesses and for each and every one of us who have been subjected to the trauma of abuse and bullying.  And the stats on that are rising.  Exponentially.

So this week’s song reflects all of the above.  And we sing it together for all who have been abused, for all who have been bullied, for all the small businesses that are struggling to survive and for all of us who have suffered immeasurably because somewhere, somehow, there are those that wish to destroy us.  It is in our strength that we come together and it is in that same strength that we know that the truth will be revealed in the end.  But before we reach that end, and the moment when the scales of justice are finally balanced, we acknowledge the pain, we acknowledge the hurt, we acknowledge that we are only human.  And we have to hold on.  We HAVE to hold on.
Everybody Hurts by R.E.M

My love and gratitude to each of you, for trusting and for believing.

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.