Well, last weekend, what a moment, and before anything else, I want to take this moment to say thank you for your kindness and support as we launched DoSe into the world.  DoSe is a statement of intent, an intent of purpose dedicated to honouring the evolution of our health and wellbeing, enabling a story of commitment, respect and responsibility, allowing an objective and pragmatic approach to purpose, so let’s take a look at what happened last weekend as we debrief.

As many of you will have realised, DoSe is our story as it is a reflection of all we know, all we trust and all we believe in, it really is as simple as that.  I have often written that if we are to make a difference, we have to be that difference and DoSe was created to be that difference, a difference which not only allows us to share cutting-edge and pioneering products with each of you, but a difference where we are able to establish a paradigm shift in our approach to health and wellbeing, far away from the deafening noise and confusion of the health and beauty industry.  

So, let’s take a look at some of the products which are dedicated to that paradigm shift and Ergothioneine Serum is representative of that shift because of the extraordinary role it plays in skin health, which I wrote about last weekend.  I honestly don’t feel the need to write any more about it in this moment, but it was our bestselling product last weekend, which won’t really surprise any of you because Ergothioneine Serum is heroic and it has now become a legend not only in my bathroom, but in so many of yours.  And that makes me happy.  Happy because I absolutely know the difference it makes to the integrity and health of our skin.
VH Editorial: Ergothioneine Serum And Its Benefits For Skin; DoSe Ergothioneine Serum £26 for 30 ml

Each of the DoSe serums have been formulated to optimise skin health, which is why we have created a wardrobe of serums in order that we are able to address the changes in our skin.  It is because of those changes that optimisation is achieved with the building of our wardrobes and with the blending and dosing of serums, but that aside they do look rather smart lined up next to each other, which allows a dedicated and customised approach to the transmutation of skin energy.  Otherwise known as alchemy.

With that said, let’s drill down on a few of the formulations and I am going to begin with Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which has always been one of our bestselling serums, and as with most other serums in the collection, Shabir has re-formulated this serum and it now includes Ergothioneine, so I suppose you could say that DoSe has been dosed.

Conversely, HA has been included in several other formulations, but as a stand-alone, Hyaluronic Acid Serum is key to any skincare regimen, most especially if your skin has a tendency towards dehydration. As I wrote last weekend, we believe that supplementation plays a crucial role in skin health, so as we honour and acknowledge the important role that HA plays in so many of our lives, let’s do a treat and here it comes.  If you buy DoSe HA Serum together with Hyaluronic Acid High Strength Capsules, the price of the two together drops from £50 to £45, but of course you can still buy each as a stand-alone product.
Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength + DoSe Hyaluronic Acid Serum £45;  Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength £35 for 30 Capsules; DoSe Hyaluronic Acid Serum £15 for 30 ml (HA offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 17 March)

Let’s talk about Niacinamide.  Niacin, also known as Vitamin B3, is found in many supplements and it is converted into Niacinamide, which helps in the manufacture of enzymes that release cellular energy, breaking down fats more efficiently.  Our digestive system, nervous system and brain function are dependent upon adequate levels of Niacinamide, but as important as it is to the body, Niacinamide is of equal importance to the health of our skin.

Shabir has always called Niacinamide a Herculean multi-tasker because of its wide-ranging benefits, which include the targeting of fine lines, melasma, uneven skin tone and compromised skin conditions.  It does of course have many anti-ageing properties, yet despite much research denoting its attributes, Niacinamide is rarely spoken about in anti-ageing skincare discussions.  So, addressing that, Shabir does the in-depth on Niacinamide in his article linked below, where he talks about the potential of Niacinamide and I link Nicotinamide, a supplement which provides the levels of Niacin used in scientific studies.
VH Editorial: Niacinamide Serum And Its Multiple Benefits; DoSe Niacinamide 5% Serum £15 for 30 ml; Nicotinamide 250 mg by Lamberts £9.95 for 100 Tablets

One more DoSe product to go and all I am going to do here is to say that Super Bakuchiol Serum is a natural alternative to Retinol.  But what I also want to say is that the vast majority of the emails I received last weekend were from those who were unable to use Retinol products because of skin sensitivity, and because I am the living expert on sensitive skin, by default, I think that Super Bakuchiol Serum is probably more of a holy-grail product than Retinol which I think is too harsh for many skin types.  Others would disagree.  Don’t care.
VH Editorial: Bakuchiol, A Natural Alternative To Retinol; DoSe Super Bakuchiol Serum £18 for 30 ml

Right, let’s do eye health, but most specifically I want to begin this conversation by talking about eye floaters and flashes.  I know I have written about this before, but it is such a common concern and most of us, at some point in our lives, will probably experience the mild symptoms of tiny spots that float around in our vision.  These tiny spots are called floaters and although they are generally harmless, they are often associated with the ageing process.

The eye is filled with a gel-like liquid called the vitreous humour, which is made primarily of Hyaluronic Acid.  In our younger years, the vitreous humour has a gel-like consistency, but as we age it becomes more watery, especially around the middle of the eye, whilst the outer parts of the gel begin to become more solid. These solid parts begin to break down and float within the water parts of the eye. The images of clouds, circles and cobwebs are actually the reflection of the shadows of those solid particles onto the retina, which are often called flashes.  Meanwhile, floaters have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the eyeball which can cause a temporary blurring of vision.

If you are experiencing floaters and flashes, then we believe it is pretty essential to take Hyaluronic Acid because of course our levels of HA decline with age.  I have probably written that several hundred times, but never mind I’ve said it again and what I will also say is that most of us know that antioxidants protect all the structures within our bodies and according to the AREDS study (Age Related Eye Disorder Study) specific antioxidants, such as Selenium and Lutein help to protect our vision and other eye disorders, including the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration. We recommend Nutrof Total, which contains these nutrients together with Omega 3.
VH Editorial: Eye Floaters And Flashes; Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength £35; Nutrof Total £14.99 for 30 Capsules

Every now and again a brand comes along which demonstrates excellence in their chosen field, so as I stay with eye health, this is an acknowledgement of one such brand, Peep Club.  It all began with the Heated Eye Wand, the at-home eye treatment which has been clinically proven to improve dry eyes after just one use.  Since that launch, the Heated Eye Wand has been updated to include a heat-only mode, in addition to the three existing modes found in the original device.  As such, the Heated Eye Wand Pro works to restore and rejuvenate the entire eye area in a matter of minutes, which is quite something.  And it works.  As does their Instant Relief Eye Spray.

The Instant Relief Eye Spray is an instant relief spray for dry eyes, which has also been clinically proven to instantly relieve dry eye symptoms such as redness, irritation, itchiness, watering eyes and heavy tired eyes. And then along came the Eye Rescue Lidstick, a first-of-its-kind overnight eye balm stick, the Lidstick was specifically formulated for those with dry eyes, sensitive eyes or inflamed or dry eyelids, which can be used by all of us as a stand-alone treatment or with one of the Heated Eye Wands for the perfect slip.  And I fell in love with the Lidstick.  So, I wrote about it every week, for several weeks.   And then I gave it an award.  A VH Award.

In recognition of all and everything Peep Club, I have a limited edition treat to share with you, and at this point I really do have to say that this really is limited and it looks like this.  If you spend £25 or over on any of the Peep Club Products, we will automatically include their Instant Relief Eye Spray with that order which is worth £15.  There is only one gift per customer and if the product fails to go into your basket, then you will know the offer is over.  I’m not going to say what I think most of you will do here, because I think it could be rather obvious.
Peep Club Products; Eye Rescue Lidstick £15 for 2.2 grams

And now we are going to talk about sugar cravings and how we can stop our addiction to sugar, because to some extent we are psychologically and biologically wired for sugar cravings.  Our bodies run on sugar and so our brains have evolved to like sweet food, so consuming sugar activates a part of the brain’s reward system releasing feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins.  The problem here is that the feel-good chemicals leave us wanting more sugar.

Several studies have indicated that stress is one of the factors for sugar craving, which Shabir explains in his article, linked below. He goes on to recommend KetoLiving Sugar Control, a supplement that helps to maintain healthy sugar levels in the bloodstream.  High sugar levels are often followed by a drastic drop of sugar in the bloodstream, resulting in a craving for sugary goods, so taking a supplement which maintains healthy blood sugar levels helps to ensure less craving over time. KetoLiving Sugar Control contains Chromium, Gardinia and Gymnema, alongside Berberine which helps to curb sugar cravings whilst enhancing metabolic activity.
VH Editorial: How To Stop Sugar Cravings; KetoLiving Sugar Control by Natures Plus £27 (drops from £29.95) (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 17 March)

A name change to tell you about.  Several months ago I wrote rather a lot about Digest Complete, a digestive enzyme which provides powerful digestive enzymes, such as Amylase, Lipase, Cellulase and Protease that help support the natural reactions that break down food, demonstrating the optimisation of digestion and nutrient absorption.  I have always thought that most of us should take a digestive enzyme and I had been taking Digest Complete, until I was told they were discontinuing it.

I then discovered that it wasn’t being discontinued as such, but it had a name change from Digest Complete to Digest Basic, please don’t ask me why, because I really don’t know.  All I know is that we were out of stock for a few weeks, but it has now arrived with its new name, and so I am dropping the price of Digest Basic from £22 to £19 across the weekend.  And that’s that.
VH Editorial: Digestive Enzymes For Bloating, Gas Or Indigestion; Digest Basic by Enzymedica £19 for 90 Capsules (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 17 March)

Moving away from products, if you are feeling low, you may be interested to know that a large evidence review of the benefits of exercise for depression, published in the British Medical Journal, found that some types of exercise proved more effective than psychotherapy and antidepressants.  Dancing came top and Sarah does the investigation.
The Uplifting Power Of Dance by Sarah Stacey

And now, I want to take a moment to say that we first discovered the Atlantic Seaweed Bath nearly twenty years ago and I still love this product.  I love it because it is a ritualistic experience, I love it because the therapeutic power of marine plants helps to alleviate dry skin, I love it because it really does help relieve aches and pains and I love it because it doesn’t include essential oils.  If you are looking for a fragranced bathing experience, this is not for you, but if you believe in therapeutic bathing, which I do, then you may wish to experience the benefits of bathing in seaweed.
Atlantic Seaweed Bath £12

Some words.  To a certain extent, conditioning plays a role in many areas of our lives and however difficult it is to break free from the status quo, I have always believed that we each have the potential to change our positioning regarding long-held belief systems.  In launching DoSe, one of the most important factors for me was to stand outside of the status quo in order to liberate our approach to skin health, with a simple, yet dynamic, collection of solutions.

For so many years, we have been conditioned to layer our skin with serums and quite honestly all that achieves is confusion because nobody really knows, or understands, the order in which the serums should be applied.  I am not saying that you can’t layer your serums, and there are rules, but at its core DoSe was created to dose active serums into creams or lotions.

All active serums can be dosed and applied together, dependent upon the health and need of our skin.  Looking at dull skin, we would recommend dosing with Alpha Arbutin and, as I have written above, if you have dehydrated skin, you may wish to use Hyaluronic Acid Serum as your predominate active ingredient, which I often dose alongside Ergothioneine Serum.
VH Editorial: Alpha Arbutin For Uneven Tones; DoSe Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum £18 for 30 ml

For clarity, chemical exfoliants such as Azelaic Acid and Salicylic Acid should always be used at the beginning of any regimen and oils should always come last in any skincare regimen because of their weight.  There are four products that fall into this category and they are Super Bakuchiol Serum, Squalane Face Oil, C-Deep Vitamin C Serum and Prickly Pear Oil.  

All of which leads me to Fulvic Face Cream, because of course I dose into Fulvic Face Cream and Fulvic Face Cream is at the very core of the DoSe protocol.  In a perfect world, Fulvic Face Cream would have been the Saturday only treat last weekend, but I knew we wouldn’t have enough to share, so I held it back until we received another delivery.  We have now received that delivery, so finally we head into the Saturday only treat and with every order placed for £35 or above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include Fulvic Face Cream (30 ml)*, which is worth £15.  We are complete.
Fulvic Face Cream

And as we come to the end of another Weekend Read, my thanks once again for your love, support and loyalty which means so very much to me. I think we should dance and it doesn’t really matter whether we dance in the streets, on our beds or in our bathrooms, let’s just do it.
Dancing In The Street by David Bowie & Mick Jagger; The VH Playlist

With love

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. One gift per customer, whilst stock lasts.