Another month of 2020 has whizzed by and now we find ourselves halfway through the year! I’m not sure about you, but I’m sure times are going faster in lockdown. And... OMG my hair!!

I heard someone say, “we are coming out of lockdown as Chunks, Hunks or Monks” (😂). Do you agree with that? A friend bought me this wonderful print above, which I think is such fun; I think she has been spying on me in my bathroom! It certainly does depict my ‘lockdown body’ well.

The month started for us with my eldest daughter Darcy’s 23rd birthday; she said it was one of the best birthdays ever as she didn’t have to go anywhere. We’re not an unsociable bunch, but we do love a low-key personal life. So, we had a lovely BBQ in the garden and the sun shone for us. It really was perfect.

Most of you know Darcy is responsible for many things in the world of Absolute Collagen, and creating our collagen-boosting serum is one of them; ‘Maxerum’, a powerhouse of star ingredients, is in production as I type! Our loyal Absoluters will be the first to know when it lands. I have been using it for a few weeks now, and my skin feels incredibly soft, and I can’t wait for you guys to get your hands on it and hear what you think.

I’ve also got to say, I am absolutely loving our private Absoluters Facebook group. If you haven’t already joined, please do - the love and support are like a big hug. I pop in a couple of times a day to feel the love, and of course, see how you are all doing. Katy Hull is our social media communication manager and like me, adores the vibe of the group. You do need a password to join. You are sent the password upon starting your Absoluter journey, or you can request to join and providing you’re an Absoluter, Katy will send you the password.

In the group, our Absoluters are sharing their before & after photos, and these really do make my day. I created Absolute Collagen simply because it works and made it my mission to bring to as many people as possible, so sitting down and seeing these photos is a wonderful way for me to end my day.

I’m thrilled to say that we rounded off June by welcoming a new team member to Absolute Collagen. Chloe de Lullington joined the team as our brand new Content Writer to help us spread the word to as many people as possible, which marks another exciting step in our growth!

Just a quick note: some of our Absoluters have reached out to say they’ve received some messages from us regarding their account. We’re so sorry about this; it was our system being a little overeager, but rest assured your account is absolutely fine. Do feel free to ignore the email!

Our Dermatologist in residence, Dr Ne Win, joined me on Instagram Live where he answered all your skincare questions, don’t you just love him! He answered some fascinating questions about everything from bumps under the skin to hyper-pigmentation. You can watch the full video again here.

Being a lady of a certain age, I joined Deborah Forsythe to talk about all things menopause and of course, collagen in menopause, or lack of it! Which is why we need to supplement it, ladies. You can follow Deborah here: @deborahforsythemenopause - she’s such fun, and very knowledgeable in all things menopause.

Doctor, author and Absoluter, Dr Louise Wiseman also joined me for a live session in June. We talked about her much-anticipated book, Your Best Life; a doctor’s secret guide to radiant health over 40, we all need this ladies, you can pre-order here. https://drlouisewiseman.co.uk/

Finding time to have a virtual coffee and catch up with Philippa & Camilla the lovely founders of Luminous Facial yoga was a real treat, check their website out here peeps, got to put the work in, but great fun: https://www.luminous-london.com/#. We’ll be sharing some of Phillippa and Camilla’s top face yoga tips next week - so do keep your eyes peeled for the video coming into your inbox!

Something that has really struck a chord with me in June is the powerhouse that is Marcus Rashford. I love the positives social media can achieve, and applaud Marcus Rashford for winning his battle to feed 1.3million children in England during the summer holidays. As someone who received free school dinners and went hungry during school holidays, I know first hand the difference this will make to these children and their parents. I have such admiration for what he has achieved by standing up for the change he believed in, a huge congratulations to him for this.

Marcus says he has an incredibly strong mother as I did too who instilled in me strong, morals and principles for which I am eternally grateful. Talking of strong women, I had the pleasure of meeting a lady recently about to embark on her 50th year, mother of 6, 2 with special needs, and thinking about returning to complete her Maths & English. God, we are amazing!

Finally, and I am always amazed and overwhelmed when I hear this, but I find myself as a finalist in three National Business Awards in June. I do love #doingitforthegirls. It’s always a huge honour to be recognised in business. As many of you know, I gave up work to become a stay at home mum at the age of 25, and only started my business venture when I turned 50. It’s been a hell of a ride!

Here’s to an amazing July all, keep in touch, stay safe and stay sane; as for me I am off to sort that lockdown body out!