Let’s take it easy.  It’s a long weekend and perhaps we can take the time to reflect on the things that really matter to us, like reinforcing our core values.  We all have different coping mechanisms, and creative visualisation is a particular favourite of mine because it is in that space that I am able to change the outcome of any given scenario, if only for a moment of time, when I feel that my own core values are being attacked by the behaviour and actions of others.    

I am not going to be presumptuous and say this will work for all of us, but I think it is worthwhile, if you are able to.  There are no hard and fast rules around this, but I suppose it helps if you have a vivid imagination.  And you then let that imagination run riot.  Where the unbelievable becomes believable.  And the unacceptable becomes acceptable, as justice is played out.  In our minds.

And in my mind, I am the author and director of a full-length, evidence-based movie about the health and beauty industry and although the temptation to write about specific scenes from my movie is great, perhaps I’ll save those scenes for another time because I do need to write about the products that help support our health and wellbeing so I want to begin here by talking about supplementation and efficacy.  And I’m doing so after an influx of emails over the past few days on this subject matter.

I think most of you are aware of what happened to me when I stopped taking Hyaluronic Acid, my body ached all over and I wrote that I would never do that again.  Because I tend to push things to the limit in the name of research, I thought I would see what happened to me if I stopped taking Mega Probiotic, which, like HA, I have taken for more years than I care to remember.  And let me tell you, it was far from cute and the discomfort of the resultant ongoing stomach cramps sent me straight back onto Mega Probiotic after only a few days of abstinence.  It  took five days for my stomach to normalise.

And so to the received emails, where so many of you were saying that it was only when you started to take certain supplements again, after a period of abstinence, that the true power of said supplementation was fully recognised.  I understand this completely because it is so very easy to become complacent, yet the difference is quite phenomenal if we are talking about cutting-edge supplementation, where the therapeutic dosage is correctly administered in order to make that important difference.  And because I know that Mega Probiotic does make that difference, I am dropping the price from £22 to £18 across this long weekend.
Mega Probiotic ND £18 for 60 Capsules (Offer ends at midnight BST, Monday 18 April); Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength £35 for 30 Capsules

With the focus remaining on pioneering supplements, we are often asked about Turmeric supplementation.  The active ingredient in Turmeric is Curcumin, which is found in combination with numerous other beneficial compounds called Curcuminoids, each of which display potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  The health benefits of Turmeric are well documented and aside from the properties listed above, Turmeric is also a natural antiseptic, it can give relief from arthritis and it helps inhibit damage to the cells of our bodies. More than any other nutrient, Curcumin has the most evidence-based literature about its ability to protect these cells.

I think it is vitally important that we understand the difference in Turmeric supplementation, because not all supplementation is created equally, so with that said I am going to refer you to Shabir’s article on this subject, which I have linked below.  In his article Shabir recommends Curcumin Elite, for several different reasons, but more than that, he gives an in-depth as to the numerous health benefits in far more detail.  So we’ll let Shabir do the detail, and I will drop the price of Curcumin Elite from £29.50 to £25.  Also across this long weekend. 
VH Editorial: Turmeric – The Spice With Health Benefits; Curcumin Elite by Life Extension £25 for 60 Capsules (Offer ends at midnight BST, Monday 18 April)

Let’s clap our hands because I have a new product to tell you about from LixirSkin.  It is called Good Skin Shaker – Super Dew and it enhances your natural glow with the latest, skin-finishing and light-capturing technology.  It is literally dripping in hydrating Hyaluronans, which lock in moisture and help to boost skin radiance.  The result is a cooling sensation as oxygen is delivered into the skin via liquid gas carriers.  The light-capturing technology allows light to bounce off the skin, which is rather clever as it helps create a dewy, wet look and is good for all skin tones.  Combining all the benefits of Good Skin Shaker, it has been given an added boost of lustre, which can only be a good thing.

Super Dew has been formulated to use after moisturiser, and you can use it with or without make-up.  If you are using make-up then please apply it over your make-up.  So a new product is born and to make life a little happier, we will automatically include the 30 ml size of Vitamin C Paste with every bottle of Super Dew.  And I really don’t need to tell you that LixirSkin’s Vitamin C Paste remains the hero product of the brand, because I have written that several times.  But then it always has been.  From day one.  Full product details on the Paste below for your information.  Shake, Rattle and Roll.  Super Dew.
Good Skin Shaker – Super Dew by LixirSkin £36 for 15 ml + Vitamin C Paste 30 ml Free (Whilst stock lasts); Vitamin C Paste by LixirSkin £32 for 50 ml

Let’s stay on the subject of skincare because I want to talk about acne, actually most specifically acne scarring.  This is a big concern for so many, and with adult acne rising exponentially over the past few years, we do need to address this issue.  But as Shabir has written in his article, linked below, whilst there are numerous topical products aimed at treating scar tissue, it is important that we should try and prevent acne in the first place. 

We do this by supplementation, and it may be interesting for you to read that Shabir does not agree with some ‘experts’ on one of the causes of acne.  But then I have an entire theory on many of the ‘experts’ used in the media, and I doubt you need to use the power of creative visualisation to follow my thought pattern.  Anyway, back to it and we continue to recommend Clear Skin Complex, which over time will help achieve blemish-free skin.  We honestly don’t believe that anything comes close to the efficacy of Clear Skin Complex, and if you have an inflammatory skin concern, such as eczema and psoriasis, it will help those concerns too.

With that said, let’s turn to a topical treatment to help fade acne scars, and it is here that we recommend Azelaic Acid 10%.  Regular and committed use of Azelaic Acid will help enhance cell turnover, so that new skin is growing faster as dead skin cells are exfoliated away, as it helps to counter post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).  With a recommendation that Azelaic Acid should be used in the evening, we have a limited number of the overfilled Azelaic Acid, meaning you receive 45 ml for the price of 30 ml, which is £10.  Additionally, I am taking down the price of Clear Skin Complex from £25.70 to £22.  Subject over.
VH Editorial: How To Fade Acne Scars; Azelaic Acid 10% by Garden of Wisdom for VH £10 for 45 ml (Limited Edition); Clear Skin Complex by Viridian Nutrition £22 for 60 Capsules (Offer ends at midnight BST, Monday 18 April)

More new products to talk about and this time it’s four new Shower Bars from Weleda.  I like Weleda products and although these Solid Wash Bars are ideal for steamy showers, they are great to use in the bath too.  I have always had a thing about soap, it’s almost like a primal ritualistic need which rises within whenever I see a bar of soap.  And yes, I do have a soap collection, but onwards and there are four fragrances in this new range, which I’ve listed below and you can also read about each of them on the product pages. I honestly don’t know which will be the bestselling soap.  But what I do know is that I have taken the price of each bar down from £4.95 to £4.  For launch.
Geranium and Litsea Cubeba Shower Bar £4 for 75 grams; Ylang Ylang and Iris Shower Bar £4 for 75 grams; Ginger and Petitgrain Shower Bar £4 for 75 grams; Lavender and Vetiver Shower Bar £4 for 75 grams; All by Weleda

And another new product.  This time it’s from Lanolips and it’s their 101 Dry Skin Super Cream, which is a deeply hydrating and replenishing multi-purpose cream, with a rather interesting texture that grips the skin and creates a protective barrier.  When put to the test in a study, it was noted that after just one use of this cream, dry skin was 98% more hydrated.  Formulated with triple lanolin, which mimics human oils to hydrate and heal, sweet almond and shea butter are also included in the list of ingredients.  I think it’s stating the obvious, but if you have a lanolin allergy please don’t use this product.  And guess who also has a lanolin allergy.  Me.  Let’s launch at £8.99 instead of £10.99.  For the interim.
101 Dry Skin Super Cream by Lanolips £8.99 for 60 ml

Right, I have a news update to do, and it’s an update of significant importance.  If you have been following this newsletter over the past three weeks, you will know that Sarah Stacey and I have been campaigning for over ten years about the potentially dangerous side-effects of synthetic prostaglandin hormone compounds, which are used in many OTC eyelash and eyebrow growth products.  On the Weekend Read of 26 March, and in Sarah’s article, we cited two long-standing class actions in San Francisco alleging that a skincare company, Rodan + Fields, failed to disclose the risks associated with their eyelash growth product.

This product contained synthetic prostaglandin hormone compounds, most specifically isopropl cloprostenate, an active ingredient within the serum.  Lawyers for the class action claimants believed that isopropyl cloprostenate should be classed as a drug or a medical ingredient because of the potential side-effects.  This class action has literally been settled in the last few days and Rodan + Fields have offered $38 million to members of the class action to be split as credit vouchers or cash, about $175 each, without the need for proof of purchase.  This settlement allows the brand not to admit liability or go to court.  Which speaks volumes.

I just want to say here that I am still collecting data from so many of you regarding the eyelash and eyebrow serums containing synthetic prostaglandin hormone compounds which are, unbelievably, still available to buy in the UK.  And just for the record, these serums are not meant to change the colour of your eyelashes or your eyebrows, because we have received several emails with incidences of this too.  As I close this paragraph, my thanks to Jane Cunningham (aka British Beauty Blogger) who always keeps an eye on class actions against beauty brands, there are many, and to Sarah for writing with such articulation and passion about this ongoing scandal.
The Natural Eyelash Enhancer That’s Safe And Really Works by Sarah Stacey; Lash Serum by Natucain £59 for 3.9 ml; Brow Serum by Natucain £59 for 6.2 ml

Let’s lighten things up by doing a few beauty treats.  And the first comes from Temple Spa.  We are talking here about Life Defence SPF 30 Moisturiser.  This is an exceptionally light, hydrating moisturiser which provides an environmental skin filter for your face.  Loaded with a potent antioxidant complex of Rocket, Ginseng Root, Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid, they work hard to create a barrier against skin-damaging free radicals.  So with every Life Defence bought, we will automatically include Temple Spa’s Lovely Day Instant Bronzing Gel in your order.  This is worth £25 and once again it is loaded with Vitamin E, which is joined by pro-vitamin B5.  For glow.
Life Defence SPF 30 Moisturiser by Temple Spa £40 for 50 ml + Lovely Day Instant Bronzing Gel 30 ml Free (Whilst stock lasts)

Feet.  I love foot products, they fascinate me and I also love products that make a difference to our feet.  And this product does just that.  Basix Skin Defence Cream Foot Food has been specifically formulated for seriously dry feet.  Its ingredients include cooling Peppermint Oil and Urea, an ingredient which is proven to hydrate, protect and exfoliate dry hard skin.  So far so good, and it gets even better as I drop the price of this product from £12.99 to £9.99.  Staying on subject, a mention here for the best foot file I have ever used.  It’s simply called ‘Foot File’ and I think it’s pretty sensational, so I’ll drop the price on this too, from £11.95 to £10.  Limited stock on both.
Basix Skin Defence Cream Foot Food £9.99 for 50 ml; Foot File by Alida £10

Short and sweet.  Aurelia’s Revitalise & Glow Serum delivers potent botanicals, probiotics, peptides and antioxidants to help soothe and hydrate skin.  Fragranced with Jasmine, Plumeria, Tuberose and Mandarin, we have a limited number of the 15 ml size of Revitalise & Glow Serum.  The price should be £34, except it isn’t now because it has just become £19.  For a moment in time.
Revitalise & Glow Serum by Aurelia London £19 for 15 ml

Into the Saturday only treat we go, so with every order placed for £30 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include a tube of Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Pear (10 grams)*.  A specific lip treatment, the original 101 formulation has been given an extra dose of Vitamin E and is enriched with natural Pear extract.  I thought we may as well celebrate the new Lanolips product in style, so that’s what we’ve done and full product details are listed below.
Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Pear (10 grams)

As we come to the end of another Weekend Read, I will leave you with this song, and the following words:
Lighten up while you still can.  Don’t even try to understand.  Just find a place to make your stand.  And take it easy.
Take It Easy by The Eagles; The VH Playlist

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.