LQ Liquid Health Supplements Skin, Hair & Nails

LQ Liquid Health Supplements Skin, Hair & Nails* - £29.99

We've all heard the phrase 'you are what you eat' before & it certainly rings true when talking about skincare. Changing certain aspects of my diet has personally helped me to combat issues with acne & eczema. Some changes can be as simple as avoiding dairy products but for other benefits supplements are a fantastic way to improve your diet & overall health. The latest trend in health supplements are collagen drinks as a tastier method of ingesting nutrients that claim to support beauty from within. I take a variety of daily supplement pills from Holland & Barrett but I've never tried a beauty drink before. LQ Liquid Health offered to send me a month's supply of their Skin, Hair & Nails liquid supplement & I was very eager to give it a go.

As we age our natural collagen levels start to decrease resulting in loss of moisture, reduced elasticity and the development of fine lines & wrinkles. This apparently happens around the age of 25 & at 28 I can already tell that my skin no longer looks quite as youthful (even though I still get spots!). Ingesting liquid collagen provides the entire body with the building blocks it needs to support the creation & repair of the body's connective tissues. These beauty drinks allow the collagen peptides to be delivered straight into the bloodstream to directly encourage the skin to produce more collagen & hyaluronic acid. This helps to inhibit the ageing process by boosting the skin's hydration levels whilst plumping & firming it up in the process. The main benefit of drinking these bottles over taking a pill is that you get a whopping 7000mg of hydrolysed marine collagen in each one which is clinically proven to have a positive effect on your skin, hair & nails. LQ use Peptan® which is a high quality source of collagen containing more than 97% protein & it can be easily digested by the body.

As well as collagen these supplements provide eight other important nutrients, all of which contribute towards the maintenance of healthy skin, hair & nails. These include hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, silicon & glucosamine. I'm sure we all know about about the wonders of hyaluronic acid by now. It's great for hydrating & plumping up the skin but it also helps to lubricate your joints. Resveratrol is a natural antioxidant with scientifically proven anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer & life-prolonging effects. Silicon contributes to the strength, integrity & growth of connective tissues including skin, hair & nails. Glucosamine is a substance found in the fluid around your joints and supplementing your diet with it can help with joint pain & general joint health. I'd definitely recommend it if you're into training at the gym. In addition to these key active ingredients they also feature Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium & Biotin. These beauty drinks are simply packed full of good stuff to help your body out!

Each bottle of Skin, Hair & Nails contains 50ml of liquid vitamin supplement. You're supposed to drink one bottle per day for at least one month in order to see results. The drink itself has a fairly pleasant passion fruit flavour. There was a bit of a metallic aftertaste which kinda reminded me of these chewable zinc pastilles that my mum forced me to take as a child whenever I got poorly. Luckily you can down these little bottles like a shot so the taste doesn't last long & you can chase them with whatever drink you like. I always took them straight after breakfast so I wouldn't forget. It took quite a while for me to notice a difference but by the fourth week of my trial I could tell that my skin looked plumper & felt better hydrated. These supplements also put paid to the fine lines on my forehead. I kept the rest of my topical skincare routine the same throughout so I do think that these drinks made a difference in that respect. As my hair is bleached it's quite easy to keep track of my hair growth from my dark roots. This was definitely faster than usual & the new hair felt stronger too. For some reason my nails didn't seem to benefit in the same way. They broke off the same amount as usual & grew at the same rate. Perhaps they would improve with further use.

Since finishing the month long trial my skin seems to have gone back to the way it was before with a bit of sagging & fine lines creeping back in. LQ suggest continuing to supplement with 3 or 4 bottles per week to maintain the benefits. However the main downside to these supplements is that they are quite expensive. Each box costs £30 & you only get 10 bottles for that price. Therefore it would cost you £90 for just one month. If you purchase them directly from LQ Liquid Health you can get 3 for the price of 2 so it's a much better deal but still an expensive thing to try out. Nonetheless, if you can afford it & want to suppress the visible signs of ageing or simply want healthier looking skin, these little bottles are definitely worth the investment.

twitter / tumblr / youtube / instagram / bloglovin'

Nature's Life Beauty Elixir

Nature's Life Beauty Elixir* - £79.99

When it comes to skincare I consider health supplements to be just as important as any topical product. In my experience there is a definite link between what you put in your body & what shows on the outside. I've suffered with eczema as a result of food intolerances & cystic acne due to hormonal imbalances. By changing my diet & regularly taking a variety of supplements I've managed to keep both of these skin ailments in check. However there's always room for improvement & as I've gotten older a whole new set of skin concerns has been raised. Holding onto your youthful looks is a priority for many people. I always say that prevention is better than cure & as someone in their mid-twenties I've recently started taking anti-ageing products a lot more seriously. I never leave the house without sun protection even in the middle of Winter & I love retinol as an anti-wrinkle/anti-blemish solution. A few months ago I also welcomed an anti-ageing supplement into my roster - Nature's Life Beauty Elixir. Despite my devout belief in the power of supplements I did wonder whether a pill could actually help to combat the signs of ageing. I decided to give it a go & the results were pleasantly surprising.

One of the key ingredients in the Beauty Elixir supplement is Resveratrol. This is a natural antioxidant found in things like red wine, cocoa & Japanese knotweed. You might have noticed many companies capitalising on it's current popularity but it does have scientifically proven anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer & life-prolonging effects. Resveratrol is something of a miracle molecule & it's effects reach far beyond skin health. The pill also features Peptan Collagen from fish which helps to boost the hydration, structure & appearance of your skin. Natural collagen production decreases as you get older but this substance is needed to make your skin elastic, firm & supple. AHAs like lactic & glycolic acid can help with collagen production but absorbing a collagen supplement internally is even more effective. The other ingredient that really piqued my interest in this product is the NutraFood Blend which is comprised of wheatgrass, barleygrass, maca & spirulina. I try to include as many superfoods in my diet as possible but they are often expensive & have an unpleasant taste. This is a much more convenient way of getting all that natural goodness in your system. There's also alpha lipoic acid, hyaluronic acid, kelp & biotin which are all commonly found in other hair, skin & nail type supplements. Plus it boasts a whole host of essential vitamins which can help to improve & maintain general skin health.

Each bottle contains 60 pills & you're supposed to take 1-3 capsules per day with a meal. The pills are a good size & easy to swallow. They don't taste of anything but they have a bit of a grassy herbal scent which is probably due to the NutraFood Blend. When I was trialling this product I took one a day for two months. Whilst taking the pills I did notice a visible difference to my skin & some of the effects have endured since finishing the bottle. My skin had fewer blemishes along with less redness & more radiance. It felt softer & plumper too. The main thing that I noticed was the sudden disappearance of the fine lines that had started cropping up on my forehead. This means that it really did visibly plump up my skin enough to get rid of those lines. At my age botox is something I would never consider. I might change my tune by the time I get to 60 but for now knowing that I can reduce fine lines through supplements & skincare products is good enough for me. I honestly didn't expect the anti-ageing element of this pill to work so well! Even though the Beauty Elixir supplement is incredibly pricey I still didn't think that it would actually be this effective. Just like with skincare products I think it's very important to invest in supplements. They can provide so many benefits that are simply unobtainable through a healthy diet. If I ever notice any fine lines again I wouldn't hesitate to repurchase this product.

twitter / tumblr / youtube / instagram / bloglovin'

Bimuno IMMUNAID Prebiotic Pastilles + £500 Gift Card Giveaway!

Bimuno IMMUNAID Prebiotic Pastilles* - £9.99

Healthwise, the past few years have been quite difficult for me. I suffer from anxiety and the biggest cause of it is my gut. In turn my anxiety exacerbates my gut problems. It's a vicious cycle & one that is very hard to break even after having CBT. With therapy it is possible to change the way you think about certain situations but when your body won't cooperate with your mind, it makes things a lot more difficult. Although I've never been clinically diagnosed I'm pretty sure that I have some form of IBS. I've mentioned my love of health supplements many times before. One of the reasons I take so many is in order to keep my stomach under control. The main thing that helps me is taking probiotics which are live bacteria that are good for the digestive system. They also help to boost the immune system, prevent UTIs & yeast infections and clear acne & eczema.

Things like Yakult & Activia are next to useless but I've had a lot of success with probiotic pills. The ones I currently take contain five billion microorganisms per capsule so they're really potent. I was recently contacted by Bimuno to see if I would be interested in trying their IMMUNAID chewable prebiotic pastilles. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that act as food for probiotics. They further boost the effects of probiotics by ensuring the survival of good bacteria in the gut. Basically it's a really good idea to take probiotics & prebiotics together for optimum gut health. All of the products in the Bimuno prebiotics range feature their unique patented Galacto-oligosaccharides in various quantities. IMMUNAID also contains vitamin C which contributes to the normal function of the immune system making it an ideal supplement for the Winter cold & flu season.

I've been taking IMMUNAID for the past few weeks & I have actually noticed a difference in my body. Every morning after breakfast I eat two of the pastilles. The benefits build over time so it's important to keep taking them every day. Despite their orange appearance the pastilles don't actually taste of oranges. The taste is a little odd but they're still sweet & pleasant to eat. They are suitable for adults & children over six years old. Anyone with a weak or compromised immune system would benefit from taking this product. Ever since Chloe started school she's been picking up loads of colds & normally they quickly spread around our home. I've managed to avoid catching any illnesses so far this year & I think that taking these prebiotics has probably helped with that. When Chloe turns six next year I'll definitely buy some for her too. In terms of my stomach issues everything has felt a lot calmer & more comfortable recently. My anxiety has lessened as a result & I feel less sluggish overall. One of the side effects of IBS is bloating & I've found that these help massively with that problem. I'm going to continue taking these as I feel that they work in harmony with the probiotics I was already taking. If you ever struggle with digestive discomfort or have a poor immune system then I would highly recommend trying some of the Bimuno products.

Even if you don't normally suffer from stomach problems, prebiotics are really useful if you're travelling abroad. The best way to protect against foreign tummy bugs is by boosting the good bacteria in your gut. However your natural digestive balance can be affected by things like foreign food or drink, the climate and even the stress of travelling itself. Most people rely on measures they can take once the problem has occurred but it's far better to be prepared before you go away by taking one of the Bimuno products. In case you're planning a trip abroad Bimuno are currently running a competition to win a £500 Trail Finders gift card. You can spend it on any trip or flight organised through Trail Finders. Simply enter using the widget below. Good luck!

Win a £500 Trail Finders Giftcard

twitter / tumblr / youtube / instagram / bloglovin'

Supplements For Hormonal Acne-Prone Skin

I know I write a lot of posts about skincare (& you're all probably bored of them by now!) but if you keep on getting spots then it's hard to want to talk about anything else. I've found some really great products recently and my skin has been looking pretty darn good... apart from my chin that is. My wonderful Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash has done a fab job of clearing up my blemishes but it hasn't quite managed to stop new ones from appearing on my chin. I'm an advocate of face mapping and I do think it's true that breakouts in certain areas can relate to internal problems. Spots on the chin and along the jawline are often due to a hormonal imbalance. I think there's a good chance that my blemishes could be down to my contraceptive pill but otherwise I'm fairly happy with it so I decided to look into other ways of fixing my hormones. As a massive supplement junkie my first port of call was to research which ones can help with acne. I went to Holland & Barrett to pick them up a few weeks ago and I've seen a marked improvement already. I've not gotten any new spots for the past week which has to be some kind of record for my skin! Here's a list of what I've been taking, how much to take and how they can help you:

Cod Liver Oil
Cod Liver Oil isn't especially known as an acne cure but this is a basic supplement that everyone should take regardless of your skin type. It is high in Omega 3 fatty acids as well as Vitamins A & D. Omega 3 can help to reduce blemishes and Vitamin A has been proven to help improve skin health. I've tried using a topical Vitamin A (Retinol) and it works really well. It can be a bit drying though so taking it internally helps too. I take one 1000mg capsule per day.

Omega 3 Fish Oil
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to your health but your body cannot make them on it's own, you need to eat food containing it instead. Fish is probably the best source of this nutrient but I don't eat fish at all so I have to supplement my diet with it instead. It is anti-inflammatory so helps to reduce blemishes. Fish oil is also known to help with depression, various mental health problems, bowel disorders and menstrual health. I normally take three 1200mg capsules per day, sometimes more if I'm feeling a bit down. I think three is enough if you just want them to help with your skin though.

Starflower Oil
I think this has made the biggest difference to my skin lately. Starflower Oil is sometimes known as Borage Oil. It's quite similar to Evening Primrose Oil but a bit more potent so this has been helping with PMS & my general moodiness too haha. The vital part of both Evening Primose Oil & Starflower Oil is another fatty acid known as Gamma Linolenic Acid. GLA is essential for the production of certain hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. This stuff is brilliant if you have any hormonal imbalances and I generally feel a lot happier since I started to take these. Infact every woman should take these. I take two 1000mg capsules per day which provides 380mg GLA.

Milk Thistle
This is something I've taken for years because it helps to detoxify your liver, perfect for binge drinking! I rarely had hangovers at university because of these pills. They also help to balance hormones. A lot of people with acne tend to have a sluggish liver so these can really help. I think Holland & Barrett stopped making this for a while, not sure if they've brought it back now but I had to buy my bottle from Health Rack instead. These pills have 125mg Milk Thistle Extract and I take three of these per day.

Zinc + Copper
Zinc supplements were something I only ever took when I had a cold because they can boost your immune system & promote healing but they are brilliant for the skin too. Skincare products containing Zinc are great for blemishes, hence why things like La Roche-Posay Serozinc or even Sudocrem can sort out spots. Zinc heals acne by carrying Vitamin A to your skin and by regulating your body’s hormonal balance. It also helps with skin renewal. The pills I bought come with Copper because it's very important to get the balance of these two minerals right in your body. Taken on it's own Zinc actually depletes the Copper in your body which can lead to things like depression & anxiety. These only have 15mg Zinc per tablet so I take two of them each day. Sometimes you have to ignore the instructions to get the right amount in your system. Zinc can become harmful at 100mg per day but as long as you stay under that you'll be fine. I find 30mg works well for me.

Flaxseed Oil
Flaxseed Oil is a another great source of Omega 3 fatty acids. It also provides Omega 6 & 9 but those aren't as good for acne. These capsules are full of fibre and have been known to reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke & diabetes. I take one 1000mg capsule per day. If you're vegan, vegetarian or don't want to eat fish even in capsule form then these are a nice alternative to the Cod Liver Oil & Omega 3 Fish Oil.

I hope this is helpful to some people because my skin has improved so much since I started taking all of these religiously. I apologise if this post is a bit science heavy but I've tried to explain it all simply with my very limited scientific knowledge! I take all my supplements just after breakfast so it's become part of my daily routine. I know it seems like a lot of effort but I'm just used to it now. Supplements can get very pricey so you don't need to buy everything but the must-have items here are the Omega 3 Fish Oil, Starflower Oil & Zinc + Copper. Cheaper supplement suppliers like Health Rack are a great choice or the Holland & Barrett penny sale really helps with saving money. Obviously I'm not a nutritionist or anything but everything I take came from recommendations by health professionals & they've worked really well for me.

twitter / tumblr / youtube / instagram / bloglovin'

Clear Skin From Within With Viridian

The Clear Skin Cookbook* / Clear Skin Complex* / 100% Organic Clear Skin Omega Oil*

Since making my clear skin smoothie shots I've become more and more interested in feeding my skin properly. I'm the first to admit I still indulge myself a lot with burgers, brownies, ice cream & everything else that's bad for you but if you manage to eat well most of the time it will show through your skin. Recently I've been trying out Viridian Nutrition’s Clear Skin Collection. As a bit of a supplement junkie I know that Viridian's products are really high quality and are made from the purest ingredients so they're a great brand to opt for. I was sent three products to try out - Clear Skin Complex, 100% Organic Clear Skin Omega Oil and Dale Pinnock's Clear Skin Cookbook. The cookbook was the inspiration behind the two supplements as a way of supporting the underlying health of blemish-free skin.



Clear Skin Complex is a supplement which combines probiotics, botanicals, minerals and antioxidants to help clear the skin. If you struggle to eat properly I whole heartedly recommend supplementing your diet. I take a ton of pills every day, its surprising I don't rattle when I walk! I've had to limit myself in recent years because otherwise I would spend a fortune on them every month. One supplement my skin has missed is Burdock Root so I was pleased to see the inclusion of this in Viridian's Clear Skin Complex. It also contains Zinc which is something Dale Pinnock highlights as an acne fighting mineral. This bottle contains 60 capsules which is enough for one month. I've finished taking the whole bottle and I'm definitely going to repurchase this. Rather than the huge crop of new spots I get on my chin every month, I've only had two. Two! It's normally that area that is affected by hormones and eating better is also known to help balance hormones so I'm gonna put it down to taking these pills and the omega oil.



I absolutely love the 100% Organic Clear Skin Omega Oil. This is a bright yellow and highly nutritious oil that you can either take directly from a spoon or mix into food. It doesn't taste great on it's own as you are literally eating a spoonful of oil which isn't the most pleasant sensation. But combined with other food it becomes a brilliant supplement. It works really well when used as a salad dressing and you can add a couple of spoonfuls to things like smoothies and soups. My favourite way to take it is mixed into a tub of hummous. It doesn't change the flavour or texture at all, it just adds extra goodness to an already healthy snack. The oil provides you with Omega 3, 6, 7 & 9. Those fatty acids are great for eczema. I already take Omega 3 and flaxseed oil supplements to help with my eczema so I know first hand they work really well for that. The main ingredient in this is flaxseed oil but there's loads of other lovely stuff in it such as rosehip oil, avocado oil, pumpkin seed oil and argan oil. Together with the Clear Skin Complex pills, this has really helped my skin - both my blemishes and eczema have lessened since I started taking them and they're not the only things to benefit from these new additions to my diet. My nails have grown so much and they're strong for once! Mine normally break & peel all the time but now they're strong & long.




Dale Pinnock is the UK's first medicinal chef. He wrote The Clear Skin Cookbook to share his knowledge about how different food can affect the skin and to provide healthy recipes to boost your skin. The first section deals with different ailments such as acne and eczema and what kind of things you should be including in your diet to help combat them. The next few chapters discuss vitamins, minerals, fats and antioxidants. I found it really interesting to learn more about what each vitamin & mineral can do for your skin. The science behind it all is explained in a really enjoyable way. Then the second half features some recipes for every meal as well as snacks and drinks. Each recipe is followed by a page explaining exactly how the ingredients will help your skin. While there is some good meal inspiration in here I think the book suffers due to a lack of recipes. But after reading through the rest of it you gain knowledge about ingredients so you can make informed, healthier choices and then google recipes featuring those ingredients. The internet is always going to be a better resource of recipes than any cookbook so it's the rest of the information in here that's really valuable. I've been using it more like a shopping list so I know exactly what things to get when I'm doing the weekly shop.








Here are some of the recipes I tried to recreate. The first thing I made was the Mean Green Mineralizing Machine. This is a green raw vegan soup and it's probably one of the worst things I've ever eaten. I'm sorry, I just couldn't stomach this. I love eating vegetables but this just wasn't for me. There is a crazy amount of extra virgin olive oil in this and I couldn't enjoy eating cold soup even on one of the hottest days of the year. Next I tried making Spinach Pate. This is basically chopped spinach mixed with light cream cheese and nutmeg. I topped some Ryvita with this as a healthy snack and this tasted a lot nicer than the soup. The nutmeg went surprisingly well with the savoury flavours and it was really filling. I also made the Blueberry & Yoghurt Layer Crunch for breakfast one day. This was nice & filling too and a great way to start the day. It's so quick & easy to make. I did have to cheat a tiny bit and drizzle it with some agave syrup to sweeten it up though. I'd used ground flaxseed instead of golden flaxseed which made it a bit dry so the syrup made it easier to eat.

Overall I'd say the book is a great reference point as to what kind of things you should be eating to help alleviate various skin problems. Viridian's Clear Skin products are the real stars here though. If like me you often don't eat enough healthy food then supplements can really help your diet. These products take note of the vitamins, minerals, fats and antioxidants that Dale Pinnock champions in his cookbook and delivers them in an easy to stomach and convenient manner. They're definitely worth a try if you suffer from any skin ailment that is treatable through your diet - especially acne!

twitter / tumblr / youtube / instagram / bloglovin'