As the year winds down, it’s my turn to step in for Gill, who has officially concluded her Weekend Reads for the year. In true VH fashion, we’ve 'locked her away' to recharge and banished her from the office, so today, you have me, Lara, her daughter, for all things Victoria Health, and I thought for the last Weekend Read of the year we would do things a little differently.

For those of you whom I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with, thank you for welcoming me into your incredible community. As you know, VH has always been a close-knit, family-run business, helmed by Gill and Shabir for over 25 years. Five years ago, I decided to trade the glamour of the fashion world, where I had been for 20 years, and join VH. Its been a journey filled with learning, connection and an ever-deepening appreciation for what makes this place, our place, so special. We truly are not just a retailer, but a community and family bonded by a deep passion for honesty and truth about health and wellbeing.

Today, I thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of the wonderful members of our team and tell you about their ultimate VH must-haves. These are the people behind the scenes who help bring your favourite products, trusted advice, and the sense of care you’ve come to expect from VH. So grab a cup of tea, settle in, and let’s dive into some of the products our team loves, and why they might just be the next thing to add to your basket.

I'll start with the backbone of Victoria Health, our small but mighty customer care team. Natalie and Jo have been with VH for over 21 years and if you have an email or telephone query it's usually one of them who will be first to respond.

Natalie looks after the office, the team and the customers, keeping us all in check. She has seen many of her beloved products go to 'product heaven', but with every loss, there’s always something new that excites her. If Natalie had to choose a favourite, it would be Fulvic Face Cream. 

She describes the product as transformative for her skin, a true product hero she can't live without. It is the moisturiser that Shabir originally formulated for Gill, and was the starting concept for DoSe, with Gill’s vision to use Fulvic Face as the base to dose serums into and, for the record, Natalie doses with Ergothioneine Serum. So as I invite you to join Natalie, I am dropping the price of Fulvic Face Cream from £30 down to £25 across the weekend, whilst stocks last.
VH Editorial: Ergothioneine Serum & Its Benefits for Skin; DoSe Ergothioneine Serum £26 for 30 ml; Fulvic Face Cream £25 for 60ml (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 22 December)

Jo was harder to pin down. Speaking all day about the products we all know and love, Jo's depth of knowledge is amazing, so this was a difficult decision for her. Whilst old is often gold, Jo has gone rogue this time with one of our newest products and being a long-term user of CoQ10, she was quite ecstatic when Shabir formulated Liposomal CoQ10, which is most definitely pioneering and cutting-edge, leading the way in this genre. 
VH Editorial: Choosing The Right Co-Enzyme Q10; DoSe Liposomal CoQ10 £48 for 240 ml (48 days’ supply)

Making my way around the office, we get to Claudia who works behind the scenes to ensure our website looks great and is as easy as possible for you to navigate. Claudia joined the team five years ago and it has been a busy, and often stressful time, with the many technological changes we wanted to instigate, and spending most of her day staring at data on her screen, Claudia struggled to sleep.

Ironically, she's known about the benefits of Magnesium forever, yet it wasn’t until earlier this year that she finally decided to commit to taking it regularly. So amazed by its efficacy, the team regularly hear Claudia singing the praises of Magnesium Complex, which calms her mind and relaxes her body, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Often threatening to stockpile in case of a drought, it has become an essential part of her evening routine.

The benefits of supplementing with magnesium are numerous and several studies have indicated that those with low magnesium levels use more energy, which would explain why some of us get tired during the day. But of course, there are many other benefits which include further studies showing that magnesium can help to decrease the release of cortisol, the stress hormone which is responsible for sleep deprivation.  

I truly believe Magnesium Complex is beneficial for each of us, so I'm dropping the price of Magnesium Complex from £22 down to £19 across the weekend.
VH Editorial: Can You Take Magnesium For Sleep; DoSe Magnesium Complex £19 for 60 capsules (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 22 December)

Adina next, and it's Adina we have to thank for our promotional prices and gifts entering your basket, accuracy of product information and new products to shop. We’re a small team and Adina gets involved wherever she's needed and being responsible for loading all products on the site, Adina is often next in line to see everything new, once Gill and Shabir have researched, tested and vetted.

When I asked her to pick a favourite she was reluctant to commit to one, so allowing her two, Adina has picked Peptide Rescue Serum and TEMPLESPA's Sculptor. With youth on her side Adina knows the value of starting young and being a huge fan of our original Neurophroline Serum, she was sceptical about trying a new formulation, but she is a total convert and even admits to loving it a little bit more than the original. After applying the serum, she gently glides The Sculptor across her jaw line, cheek bones and forehead for that lifted look. Perhaps age really is nothing but a number after all.
DoSe Peptide Rescue Serum £22 for 30 ml; TEMPLESPA The Sculptor £30

Speaking of numbers, a segway into Claire, our CFO who runs and oversees the finance team. Claire likes efficiency and not long into her role, she asked Gill and Shabir which would be the one supplement to take if she could only choose one. Without hesitation the answer was of course HA, and it's not just Gill and Shabir who are staunch proponents of our Hyaluronic Acid High Strength Capsules, because reading our reviews, Claire completely understands comments such as ‘I know when I stop taking it because I can feel the difference’ and ‘I can't live without these’. And so she doesn’t.
VH Editorial: Benefits Of Hyaluronic Acid Supplements; Hyaluronic Acid High Strength Capsules £35 for 30 capsules

Jade is another driving force behind the scenes. Together with Pierre they share the responsibility of ensuring we always have the products we need, exactly when we need them. Forming exceptional relationships with suppliers and often pulling off minor miracles, they somehow manage to keep us stocked with exactly what you need, when you need it, with a caveat across unforeseen issues, such as the Superior Joints famine earlier this year, which was due to a global shortage of a key raw ingredient.

When not chasing out of stock products, Jade has the enviable task of overseeing the ordering of products, with her favourite time of year being late summer when we begin our seasonal edit. Launching our Christmas edit in September, some of the limited edition products sold out before we hit October, but there are still a few gifts left in our seasonal gift category for UK orders, and with a guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, all things being equal, we’ve got it covered, but please check our delivery notes below**.
Seasonal Gifts

Emma and Alina. This powerhouse duo ensure that your orders reach you on time and that every order is picked and packed with care. They oversee an amazing team who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly and I really didn’t need to ask Emma which product she would choose because although some people wear their heart on their sleeve, Emma wears her chosen product on her temples. 

Working to deadlines is often a challenge and Ross J. Barr’s Calm Patches offer a quick fix to help regain focus when most needed and since Christmas can be a stressful time for so many of us, I am dropping the price of Calm Patches from £15 to £12 across the weekend, whilst stocks last.
Calm Patches by Ross J. Barr £12 for Ten Patches (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 22 December)

Alina has a different approach and she loves her teas. From Hibiscus tea, her latest love, to her collection of Pukka teas, she truly believes there’s a tea for every mood and moment. Her secret weapon is NutraTea NutraBoost, a herbal tea with a powerful blend of energy-boosting herbs such as Green Tea, Ginseng, and Ashwagandha that can make you feel alert, focused, and awake, even on your lowest days. But if tea isn’t for you, we have a wonderful selection of medicinal coffee, chai and flavoured matcha helping to achieve greater focus and energy without the crash and anxiety that regular caffeinated drinks can bring.
Herbal Teas; NutraBoost Tea £5.99 for 20 Tea Bags by NutraTea

And finally, it's my pick and it has to be the new Vitamin C Eye Cream. I absolutely love this product for a number of reasons. This extraordinary eye cream brings together unparalleled science and a touch of luxury in every use. Some of you may have seen the video I did on Instagram when we launched where I shared my genuine and adoring enthusiasm for it. The cooling massage tip is a game-changer that really does increase the efficacy of the cream itself. It not only enhances the experience but also helps de-puff and refresh tired eyes in the most soothing way.

Working on the DoSe collection with Shabir has been an absolute joy, and seeing it come to life has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my journey here. Vitamin C Eye Cream embodies everything I believe skincare should be: effective, thoughtful, and a little indulgent too. Another masterpiece from Shabir.
DoSe Vitamin C Eye Cream £29 for 15 ml

Now let’s head into the Saturday only treat, because it’s not only Gill that can give these out. I am in charge today, so with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include a TEMPLESPA’s Drift Away (30ml)*, which is a relaxing bath and massage oil all-in-one formulation containing deliciously fragrant oils which will help you chill out and ease away stress. Consider it my gift to you, because we all need a little moment of calm to unwind and reset, ready to take on whatever comes next. Full product details below.
Drift Away (offer ends at midnight GMT, Saturday 21 December)

Gill will be back with you on 4 January, refreshed and ready to pick up where she left off. Rest assured, I’m only temporarily filling in for her and you will be back in her expert hands very soon. Until then, thank you for indulging me and some of the VH Team and we wish you a peaceful and joyful close to the year. See you in 2025!

And one last thing, because every week Gill ends with a song, I felt this was fitting today.
My Way by Frank Sinatra; The VH Playlist

With love

Lara x

**If shipping within the UK and wanting to receive your order by 24th December you will need to checkout by 11am on Saturday 21st December if using Royal Mail Tracked 24® (our free UK shipping for orders over £25). Alternatively you can place orders up until 11am on Monday 23rd December if you select Special Delivery Guaranteed® (excluding Guernsey and the Scottish Highlands). Occasionally technological issues or force majeure events, such as extreme weather conditions, may affect these delivery services. Victoria Health cannot be held liable for any parcels that are lost, stolen, or delayed outside of our control.