As we come together once again, I would just like to say a few words about new products, most especially because I have quite a few new products to write about this week.  The research and development of new products never ceases to amaze me.  Solution led, these are the products that help to address so many common concerns and, as such, they deserve to be acknowledged for all that they are and all that they do.

I think it’s a fine line, as it has always been, between the old and the new, so although new products always fascinate me, I won’t ever ignore the products that we have long-recommended because these are the products that continue to make such a positive difference to so many of us.  For sure, there are next-generation products, which do eclipse all that has gone before, but I will never forsake the efficacy or our trust and belief in the products I so often write about.  The balance has to remain, with a need to embrace both. 

And with those words, I need to tell you that I feel a strong need to bang my head against the wall, any wall, after I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I couldn’t foresee another famine for L-Ergothioneine, which is of course one of those rare cutting-edge next-generation products.  And now there is a famine.  Except it isn’t a famine as such, more that our shipment has been delayed and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.  I’m sorry if you are on the inevitable wait list, which I incorrectly predicted wouldn’t happen again.  Except it now has, and I said to Shabir that I felt like the village idiot.  He didn’t respond.  Perhaps there is a power in silence. 
VH Editorial: Is Ergothioneine The Next Longevity Nutrient; Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine by Life Extension £20 for 30 Capsules (Anticipated delivery today or Monday)

Rather than dwelling on that subject, and in order to maintain the balance I have just written about, I now want to say a few words about Alive Once Daily Multivitamin Ultra Potency.  A rather long name for a product, but it goes a long way in meeting the requisite efficacy that is so important when taking a multivitamin.  As a food-state multivitamin, Alive is loaded with 26 fruits and vegetables, green foods, mushrooms, enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.  In a nutshell, there is a world of difference between food-state and synthetic multivitamin supplementation, which so often leads to confusion.

We have recommended this multivitamin supplement for many years.  It’s quite simple really, we believe that it is best-in-class and to support this I have linked Shabir’s article on multivitamins below, which gives a further insight into my statement about synthetic, and semi-synthetic multivitamins.  So as we celebrate the integrity of products, old and new, together with their pioneering ingredients, I am taking the price down of Alive from £29 to £24 across the weekend. 
VH Editorial: Are All Multi-Vitamins The Same; Alive Once Daily Multi-Vitamin Ultra Potency by Nature’s Way £24 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 15 May)

Right, let’s head into new product territory and we do so with a serum which has been specifically formulated to treat ingrown hairs, bumps and irritated skin.  It is called Armpit Restore Serum and this soothing serum can be used anywhere you shave, pluck or wax.  Ingrown hairs are a big issue for so many of us and put to the test, this product works exceptionally well to help prevent ingrown hairs.  But that’s not all, it multi-tasks to help treat sore skin, and that would include the bikini line which can be ultra-sensitive, it can be used as a mild deodorant, or as a primer for your deodorant once the serum is fully absorbed into your skin.

Perhaps it would sing and dance too if we asked it to, but I am rather impressed with this product and it can also be used for pre and post-shaving, helping to eliminate razor rash.  But don’t only use it after hair removal, consider its use as an ongoing solution to each of the concerns mentioned above.  And that’s a wrap, save to say that we don’t name these products.  But as long as it performs its duty, I’m good with the name.  And there’s always the bathroom cabinet, if you feel the need to hide it.  Rather like Miracle Lotion really, but that’s another story.  And talking point.  Clue.  It’s the packaging.
Armpit Restore Serum by Elsa’s Organic Skin Food £28 for 30 grams; Miracle Lotion £16 for 237 ml

And as we are talking about impressive products, please allow me to introduce you to Peep Club’s Soothing Summer Eye Balm.  Before anything, I do need to say that this is a Limited Edition product and I’m not even sure that it will make it through the day, but I could be wrong on that.  Anyway, Peep Club have taken their Soothing Coconut Eye Balm and given it a summer makeover by infusing Blue Tansy into the formulation.  Blue Tansy is lauded for its healing, calming and soothing properties and it joins a base of the highest quality raw, organic Coconut Oil and Cureberry Extract, a potent antioxidant, together with Chamomile Extract.

This clever balm can be used as a leave-on treatment, or as a stand-alone eye area conditioner at night, which we recommend.  It can also be used to remove eye make-up and the key to successfully using the balm is to only use the tiniest amount, a pea-sized amount should be more than enough for both of your eyes.  I know it’s not yet Summer, but used correctly this balm will see you right the way through the Summer months, and, in all probability Autumn and Winter too. 

If you already have the Heated Eye Wand, which I love and adore, this balm works perfectly underneath to help give the wand ‘slip’, helping you to get maximum de-puffing benefits.  As a relaxation tool for your eyes, it’s quite brilliant, most especially if you spend hours in front of your computer screen, and I’ll testify to that.  I will also testify that this niche brand is dedicated to supporting the health and wellbeing of your eyes, over and above all else.  How refreshing.     
Soothing Summer Eye Balm by Peep Club £25 for 120 ml (Limited Edition); Heated Eye Wand by Peep Club £60

On Tuesday morning at 8 am, Shabir announced to me that hay fever had arrived.  His hay fever.  I absolutely know that it arrived for the vast majority of you before last Tuesday, so just a line or two here as I refer you, once again, to Shabir’s article on this subject.  I did say to him that I knew a pharmacist who could help him, but I think he may have had a sense of humour failure, as most men tend to do when they believe they may actually die from a mild dose of flu.  Sorry, my fingers flew across my keyboard at speed as I wrote that last bit, but I couldn’t help myself.  Incidentally, I think Shabir has stashed a few bottles of Triple Allergy Defense.  A company perk.  Maybe.
VH Editorial: Hay Fever Relief For The Family; Triple Allergy Defense by Dr Nenninger £25 for 55 ml; Eye Drops from A Vogel £13.50 for 10 ml

Before I do the next launch, there has been much research and many peer-reviewed articles written about Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD).  As the name suggests, this is a condition in which a patient’s memory, and/or learning, declines after surgery.  It is extraordinarily common and it is thought that one in three people will have POCD after surgery.  The incidences of POCD have been shown to increase with age, but nevertheless it is a worrying issue if you are not aware of POCD as this can last up to three months after surgery.

I thought I would write about this after one of my closest friends experienced a loss of memory after having two quite long operations within two or three months of each other.  Being unaware of POCD, as I believe most people are, he honestly thought he had onset dementia, but his mind was put at rest after he was sent an article explaining this concern.  Without any hesitation, I have put him on Neuro-Mag, but I made him consult with Shabir first because I am not a pharmacist.  I have total trust in Neuro-Mag, but because of the serious nature of this condition, if you are experiencing the same, please do go and talk to your medical advisor.  If you can.  And the article is linked below.  For awareness.
The Hidden Long-Term Risks Of Surgery: It Gives People’s Brains A Hard Time; Neuro-Mag by Life Extension £32 for 90 Capsules

And here is the next launch.  It comes from Ameliorate and there are five new products which all sit under the umbrella of their new Blemish range.  Specifically formulated to give visible results for calmer, clearer skin on your face and your body, these products target blemishes, breakouts, oily skin and blocked pores.  In their prevent and protect mode, these skincare products follow through on Ameliorate’s well-established and renowned products, which all began with the release of one single product, Transforming Body Lotion, formerly known as Skin Smoothing Body Lotion.  And what a launch that was.  Such fond memories of that time.

But life moves on, and that was then and this is now, so I think I had better focus on the five products just launched.  In no particular order they are, Clarifying Facial Cleanser, Balancing Facial Moisturiser, Overnight Clearing Therapy, Transforming Clarity Facial Serum and Clarifying Clay Body Wash.  As ever, when I do multiple products on one launch, I refer you to each of the product pages for further information and I’m doing the same here, purely for space reasons.  With just two things to add, I am dropping the prices of each individual product for launch and I think Overnight Clearing Therapy may well be the hero product.  Because it has just become £9.  For the interim.
Clarifying Facial Cleanser £12 for 200 ml (drops from £15); Balancing Facial Moisturiser £19 for 75 ml (drops from £22); Overnight Clearing Therapy £9 for 15 ml (drops from £12); Transforming Clarity Facial Serum £25 for 30 ml (drops from £28); Clarifying Clay Body Wash £9 for 200 ml (drops from £12)

It is around about this time of the year that I start writing about Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Mosquito Repellent, and this year is no exception.  If I was to list twenty iconic VH products, this would definitely be one of them.  Its claim to fame, many years ago, was that it was used on a Vogue shoot and although I am really careful when writing about the efficacy of products, this has been our bestselling anti-mosquito repellent to date.  It is DEET and chemical-free and it has a fresh and uplifting Eau de Cologne fragrance, which lingers on your body for several hours.  And if Shabir is allowed to have a company perk, so am I, and I use this as a room spray.  Liberally.
Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Mosquito Repellent £20 for 250 ml (Glass Bottle)

Having written that, I know I am going to be inundated with emails asking what my twenty iconic VH products are, and I am going to find that exceptionally difficult, but what I do know is that I would lump all the Fulvic products together as one as I don’t think it would be fair for them to dominate the list.  And the same goes for the Garden of Wisdom products.  The very moment I mention either of these two brands, you know that I’m about to write about a treat.  So here it comes.  In two parts.  And we’ll start with Fulvic.

When I first started to write about Fulvic Acid, which must be about fourteen years ago, I said at the time that I honestly believed that it would be the ingredient of the decade, such was its importance.  And in my opinion, that still holds true on some level.  Of course there are other exceptional products available, I write about them all the time, but Fulvic is my baby, as it were, and I seriously wouldn’t want to live without any of the Fulvic products, not least Fulvic Acid Elixir.  And because I believe it is the ultimate foundation product to enhance the absorption of all the other supplements that I take, including Hyaluronic Acid, my dream would be that we were all able to take it. 

I know that dream is totally unrealistic for so many reasons, but this is what I can do.  With any Fulvic product bought across the weekend, with the exception of Fulvic Nail Cream, I will automatically include the 240 ml size of Fulvic Acid Elixir, which is worth £15, whilst stock lasts, and I have to limit this to one gift per customer in order to share as widely as we can.  

I absolutely know that those of you who are as hooked as I am, will probably buy the full size Fulvic Acid Elixir in order to get the 240 ml bottle free, and that is absolutely fine.  And then there are those who swear by Fulvic Face Cream, but may not have tried the Elixir.  And if all else fails, just pour the entire bottle into a bath.  Skin healing is free.  As is decadence. 
VH Editorial: The Elixir of Life; Fulvic Acid Elixir £30 for 480 ml; Fulvic Face Cream £30 for 60 ml; All Fulvic Products (Whilst stock lasts); Hyaluronic Acid High Strength Capsules £35 for 30 Capsules

And now let’s do Garden of Wisdom.  And I’ll keep it very simple because at this point of the newsletter I really don’t want to do anything complex.  So in all its simplicity, we have the overfilled version of one of the bestselling Garden of Wisdom products.  It is Super Bakuchiol Serum, so you get 45 ml for the price of 30 ml, which is £15.  It contains the patented Bakuchiol material, Sytenol A, which is an important factor when considering a Bakuchiol product, most especially because the clinicals are based on the efficacy of Sytenol A.  All I need to add is that not all Bakuchiol products are created equally.  But three minutes of research sorts that one out.
VH Editorial: Bakuchiol, A Natural Alternative To Retinol; Super Bakuchiol Serum by Garden of Wisdom for VH £15 for 45 ml

After last week’s launch of Let’s Concentrate serum from Temple Spa, let’s now do a Temple Spa treat.  Sole Balm is a nourishing, fast-absorbing foot balm which really works well for cracked heels and dry skin.  Loaded with exfoliating fruit acids, peppermint oil and menthol, it is wonderfully soothing for dry, hot and overworked feet.  With that said, I am dropping the price of Sole Balm from £19 to £14 and if you are into home pedicures, do take a look at Temple Spa’s Mani-Pedi Cures.  I know that Sole Balm is included in this kit, but notwithstanding that, I love that tin.  More is more. 
Sole Balm by Temple Spa £14 for 100 ml; Mani-Pedi Cures by Temple Spa £30; Let’s Concentrate by Temple Spa £50 for 30 ml

One last thing, and it’s a bowel cleanser.  Super Cleanse For Colon has been formulated to help stimulate colon cleansing, and it is often used to help encourage sluggish colons, which is such a common concern.  The formulation contains a propriety blend of powerful cleansing and nutritive herbs and we would recommend this supplement over and above laxatives, as they tend to be quite harsh.  Anyway, you will find all further information on Super Cleanse on the product page, so all that is left for me to do is to reduce the price of Super Cleanse For Colon down from £20 to £17.  Across the weekend.
Super Cleanse For Colon by Nature’s Secret £17 for 100 Tablets (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 15 May)

A few weeks ago the Saturday only treat was a product from Lanolips, which so many of you loved, so I am going to do another Saturday only treat from Lanolips.  This time it is their Tinted Balm SPF30 Rhubarb (12.5 grams) and so with every order placed for £30 and above, excluding p&p, you will automatically receive this gift.  Aside from the fact that it is a great product, Rhubarb is now in season, and I love Rhubarb.  And Nigella’s Rhubarb and Custard Trifle, which I have linked below.  Good evening Nigella.  She is in Australia.  Sending love.  From here.
Nigella’s Rhubarb and Custard Trifle

And here, in London, the sun is shining as I write this, but unfortunately the sun appears to be going down on so many independent niche brands.  And as I watch this happening, I am so incredibly saddened at the loss of some truly innovative brands and products.  Although some of these brands have been swallowed up by the conglomerates, I know only too well what happens as so many of these brands and products become a shadow of their former-selves in a myriad of differing ways.

I really don’t want to dwell, so I won’t, but I do feel increasingly compelled to talk about these things for the sake of transparency, if nothing else.  Surely as consumers we deserve that, and in a world where yet more brands are being called out for paying for product reviews, I despair for several reasons.  Primarily because trust becomes eroded and it reflects on the industry as a whole.  And I don’t think that is fair.  But then what is actually fair.  With the award season in full swing, my mind goes back to 2014 when we won an unpaid award for being the ‘Best Health and Beauty’ website in the UK.  Can’t see that ever happening again.  Who cares, we have each other. 

Let’s stay close.

Gill x

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