Weekend Read 8 May 2021

Weekend Read 8 May 2021

Peak excitement as I welcome you to the Weekend Read.  This is the Weekend Read where I include several new product launches, award-winning moments and the inevitable treats, which I so enjoy sharing with each of you.  But before I take you through it, may I just say a huge thank you for all the emails I received last weekend.  I know I wrote some pretty hard-hitting words, but there are times when I find myself so incensed by certain situations, I can’t help myself and I’ve never knowingly held back. I will always take it right to the edge.  Because it matters.  Rather a lot.  To each and every one of us.

So let us begin with the launch of a new Cloud.  And a very happy Japanese Cleansing Cloud he is.  Bringing a much-needed ray of sunshine into our lives, he is yellow in colour and he is loaded with Yuzu and Nashi Pear.  Paying tribute to the rituals of Japanese cleansing and bathing, you can use this Cloud anywhere on your body for softness and he can also be used as a non-drying face cleaner.  I honestly don’t know why I have decided he is male in gender, but never mind that, the blend of Nashi Pear and Yuzu releases a fruity sweet-sharp aroma, which I love.  Really love.  

As with the original green Japanese Cleansing Cloud, Mr Yellow Cloud is loaded with rice milk, Meadowfoam Seed Oil and nourishing Hemp Oil.  Rice Milk serves as a gentle exfoliator, which is packed with antioxidants and both of the oils are high in fatty acids to help keep skin supple and hydrated.  But there is more.  Each of the clouds are hand-made to the tipping point between a cleansing oil and a soft, yet solid, balm soap.  And that’s the thing really, they are hand-made and by virtue of that fact, they can only be made in small batches.

A few more words, if I may.  Bringing a product to market is notoriously difficult and it has always been that way.  To bring products to market in this current climate is even more difficult, but we endure because our passion overrides all else.  And that is especially true for niche brands, as the struggle for survival is very real.  And with that said, my respect to and for Jane Cunningham, the creator of the Japanese Cleansing Clouds.  We know the Clouds will sell out relatively quickly, we know we will have to wait several weeks for our stock to be replenished, but we endure with the love and belief that something very special is happening here.  With a smile.
Japanese Cleansing Cloud (Yuzu and Nashi Pear) £12 for 100 grams

On the subject of special happenings, Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Serum 1% Serum was recently featured by Sarah Jossel on This Morning.  The story behind this is that Alpha Arbutin went viral on TikTok after a user said that it helped clear up her hyper-pigmentation after approximately three months of using it daily.  At that time we honestly didn’t know where the sales were coming from, but with some investigation we discovered the source.  And actually the reason we didn’t know was because we do not (and will not) pay people to talk about our products.  I think you all know my views on that only too well.  

Anyway, being as it is, it is somewhat of a miracle that our site didn’t collapse within about five seconds of Sarah’s tribute.  I have put the link below, so you can watch it, but of course we now have a wait list.  And it is a massive wait list.  Since the programme aired, we have received two rather large consignments of Alpha Arbutin and more deliveries are on their way.  And somehow this humble little serum looks like it could well overtake the bestselling Vitamin C, which is quite something, albeit Vitamin C is actually recommended for hyperpigmentation alongside Alpha Arbutin.  Thank you Sarah.  So very much.   
Sarah Jossel on This Morning; Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum by Garden of Wisdom for VH £12 for 30 ml; Vitamin C Serum 23% + Ferulic Acid by Garden of Wisdom for VH £10 for 30 ml

I promise I will get onto health in a minute, but can I just say that it is only because I am having a very rare and, it has to be said, temporary soft-spot feeling for Shabir that I am not publishing his mobile number on here.  The soft-spot is because he formulated Alpha Arbutin and the reason I would have published his mobile number is because he didn’t order enough Crepey Skin Repair Treatment, and you can refer to the last Weekend Read to read my words on that.  So once again there is a wait list for this product, and I can only apologise.  I’m sure that in three paragraphs time, I won’t feel quite so sanguine, but for the moment, I find myself in this disposition.  Most odd.

Actually, on from that there is some more Derma E news that I need to share with you.  And it’s news of the famine variety.  Never mind that it’s one of our bestselling Derma E products, we just have been informed that the Vitamin C Bright Eyes Hydro Gel Patches will now be out of stock until at least August.  Well at least they have told us, which is more than some brands do.  As it is, we have quite good stock levels of the Gel Patches, so if you are besotted, you may wish to get some now.  Before they go.  And I think they will.   
Crepey Skin Repair Treatment by Derma E £20 for 180 grams; Vitamin C Bright Eyes Hydro Gel Patches £20 for 60 Gel Patches

And now we turn to health as we do Sage Complex, our bestselling product to help alleviate the symptoms of perimenopause, menopause and those who are post-menopausal and still experiencing symptoms.  This is, actually, very common, but even more common is the fact that our hormones are all over the place, which comes as no surprise to any of us given prevailing circumstances.  If you go onto the product page, you will see that Shabir has written five articles on Sage Complex, which include menopausal hair loss, vaginal dryness and why he believes that every woman over the age of 35 should be taking this supplement.

Additionally, Shabir has done a live with Trinny on the subject of menopause, which I will link below for ease.  On top of all of this, Sage Complex has been out of stock for the past few weeks, so now it is back, I will take the price of Sage Complex down from £25 to £20 across the weekend, ending tomorrow, Sunday 9 May at midnight BST.  The restricted availability of raw ingredients is still a major and ongoing concern, so I will say this, if you depend upon certain supplementation, it may be a good idea to stash one or two away if you can.  I’m all out of predictions.  It’s a jungle out there. 
Trinny & Shabir Live: Menopause; Sage Complex £20 for 90 Capsules

Load up the treats.  And here’s another one.  I can’t exactly remember when we launched Hibiscus Superfood Powder, but all I know is that it was several weeks ago and on from that it has become one of our bestselling superfoods.  I said at the time that I was very much into making Banana and Hibiscus smoothies, and I still am.  This is the superfood powder that is great for gut health and immunity.  It is also pretty useful for the health of our skin.  Further details on the product page, but across the weekend I am reducing the price from £13.99 to £11.  This offer will end at midnight BST tomorrow, Sunday 9 May.  Go pink.  Stylish. 
Hibiscus Superfood Powder by Aduna £11 for 275 grams

Three more launches to do.  And the first is from iS Clinical.  The immaculate iS Clinical. So as I launch LiProtect SPF 35, I will tell you that this product was formulated for the delicate skin of the lips offering powerful broad spectrum protection, while minimizing the visible effects of photo damage and pollutants.  This antioxidant-rich treatment is more than just a lip balm, but then I would expect no less from them.  It combines gentle all-physical transparent sunscreen actives with Vitamin E and Coconut Oil to help condition lips, while Elderberry Extract and Linoleic Acid help protect our lips from environmental aggressors with Extremozyme technology. 

So this botanically based formula will also help stimulate collagen production, it comes in a stick form and it sings to me.  Actually all iS Clinical products sing to me and they have done so for over twenty years.  Just one swipe across my lips and I knew.  I knew that this hydrating stick of magic had just become my new must-have product.  I know I have rather a lot of must-have products, which in truth is just about everything I have written about so far, but never mind that, these products stand out in the mass of mediocrity.  And I think they always will.
LiProtect SPF 35 by iS Clinical £20 for 5 grams

Are we a bubble away from glowing skin, ask Temple Spa.  Well just perhaps we are as I tell you about their newest launch, ‘Most Revealing’.  Most Revealing is a state-of-the-art oxygenating bubble peel containing AHA’s of Glycolic, Lactic and Mandelic acids.  The bubbling effect is created by an encapsulated ingredient in the formulation that has a chemical reaction on exposure to oxygen.  And the cocktail of acids is combined with botanical extracts of Apple, Kiwi and Chamomile to soothe, Vitamins A and E to help nourish the skin and the Mediterranean oils of Sweet Orange and Bergamot, that work together to help achieve brighter skin.  Hubble Bubble.  Temple Spa.
Most Revealing by Temple Spa £40 for 50 ml

The third and final launch.  It’s a health launch and it’s yet another new and innovative product from YourZooki.  Turmeric Zooki contains micellar curcumin, which is a highly absorbable form of Turmeric.  It is tangerine in flavour and each sachet contains 750 mg of active curcumin wrapped in ‘micelles’, made up of a single layer of essential phospholipids.  Being water-soluble for ultra-absorption, it is easily transported around the body for efficacy.  That’s all I need to say other than I’m dropping the price from £29.99 to £25 across the weekend and please be careful when you drink your shot because Turmeric stains.  Not a good look on a white T Shirt.  Actually.
Turmeric Zooki by YourZooki £25 for 14 x 15 ml Sachets (Offer ends Sunday 9 May at midnight BST)

I am going to keep this short and sweet because we are nearing the end of the product section.  I have referred you to Shabir’s archived article on tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion a couple of times over the recent past, but I do so again because we are receiving constant emails on this subject.  Of course it is completely understandable that our stress levels are as they are, but then there is adrenal stress, which is extraordinarily common, yet most people don’t even know they have it.  So I’ll let Shabir do the lowdown, as I throw the focus on Super Ubiquinol CoEnzyme Q10 by reducing the price from £20 to £17, whilst stock lasts.  Do I take it.  Yes I do.
VH Editorial: Understanding Tiredness, Fatigue and Exhaustion; Methyl B-12 by Jarrow Formulas £20 for 100 Lozenges; Super Ubiquinol CoEnzyme Q10 by Life Extension £17 for 30 Softgels (Offer ends Sunday 9 May at midnight BST)

I wrote about the Beauty Bible awards a couple of weeks and I am here to tell you that several of the products we love won awards.  Not least Temple Spa who scooped six awards, with ‘In The Beginning – Deep Cleansing Melt’ winning a much-coveted Gold award.  So it hereby becomes the Saturday only treat and with every order placed for £30 and above (excluding p&p) we will include a tube (7 grams) of ‘In The Beginning’.  Actually you can also use it as mask if you wish.  Big congratulations to Temple Spa, and with another Gold award winner in this section next week, start getting excited.  Like right now.

And with that we end this week’s product section, but of course I have a few more things to say.  The first is to tell you that we have a new member of the VH team.  His name is Ziggy Stardust Sinclair.  He was born on 9 March and he is a Cavapoo.  At the moment he is not allowed out, but once he has his vaccinations he will be visiting the office.  No doubt he will be sniffing around Shabir’s feet.  I’ll report back if he chews up Shabir’s trainers.  And if you happen to call the office at that time, please understand that Ziggy is quite vocal.  As you would expect.
Ziggy Stardust Sinclair

As we near the end of each Weekend Read, I start getting emotional.  And I start getting emotional because I know that everything has changed in most of our lives since the onset of the pandemic.  I also know that I always take your lead and my words so often reflect your own thoughts and feelings.  So I have chosen this week’s song, not necessarily for the words in the song, but for the title because of what and who we are together.    

In some ways so many of us have grown up together and no matter the brands we have launched and the products that are so often life-changing, nothing, but nothing can touch the depth of feelings we have shared over this past year or so.  If it was all to end now, this is the song that I would want us to be singing together.  The song is ‘Always Remember Us This Way’.  And with no words to add, let us sing.
Always Remember Us This Way by Lady Gaga

With love 

Gill x

 

 

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