The Emma Guns Show

Gretchen Rubin is a New York Times best-selling author and podcaster who specialises on the subjects of habits and happiness. She joins me on this episode to talk about her new book The Four Tendencies:The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too). In this episode we talk about the changes she made in her own life to be happier, what it's like being the poster girl for 'happiness', her podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, which has been downloaded more than 30 millions times and much more. To take The Four Tendencies quiz, click here >> THE FOUR TENDENCIES QUESTIONNAIRE. The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon a Project, Read Samuel Johnson, and My Other Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life. Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits--to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life. The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too). If you want to discuss anything from this episode with other listeners then why not join the NEW Facebook Group The Emma Guns Show: The Forum?

Ateh Jewel (@atehjewel) is my guest in this episode of The Beauty Podcast and she tells me about her fabulous website Jewel Tones Beauty while we do a little bit of over-heating in her car. In this conversation we talk about life, love, why taking the harder road is the most rewarding path, and a chat between Ateh and I just wouldn't be right without referencing the legendary RuPaul and RuPaul's Drag Race. One of our topics of conversation is the piece Ateh wrote on her website called Mummy, why is your tummy so big? and it prompts a discussion about body image and self worth. Ateh has been a beauty journalist for years, but aged just 24 decided to go it alone and make it as a freelancer. This is no mean feat and it's testament to Ateh that she has been one of the most prolific freelancers writing about beauty in glossy magazines, newspapers and online for over a decade. In addition to this, Ateh runs Couture Communications, a digital film production company, who work with brands including Chanel, Vogue, L'Oreal, Lancome, The Body Shop and Benefit - to name just a few. The Jewel Tones Facebook page has just reached over 15,000 followers and you can also keep up-to-date with Ateh on her Instagram feed. I hope you enjoy the show and if you do, please head over to iTunes where you can leave me a rating and review. Enjoy! EG xx    

Something rather strange happened online for me the other day. I spoke negatively about a beauty product. I didn’t name the brand just showed the product and said how displeasing it was to see medical professionals recommending it when they should know better. I thought I was about to come in for a lot of criticism for ‘starting’ but, as it turned out, the response was quite unexpected. I’d be curious to know what you think and whether it’s more helpful sometimes to have a trusted voice say ‘save your money’?Also, in this episode, products that are genuinely worth your time and attention from Superdrug. I’m their beauty editor so I’m lucky enough to be able to trawl their shelves at will and I’ve spotted some absolutely mega products that I have only positive comments about.Please do start/join the chat in the comments here.Ems

The question I think I'm asked most when it comes to beauty these days is, 'should I be taking collagen?' It sells a good story, doesn't it? Take this daily supplement and all that collagen and youthfulness we're told starts to deteriorate after we hit 30, will be topped up and wrinkles, jowls and sagging will have a much harder time showing up on your skin. It's all great but where's the proof? Just because we begin to lose our collagen stores as we age, doesn't mean eating or drinking collagen will do the job we think it will. In fact, whenever I have been asked whether collagen is something worth taking, my response has been 'it can't do any harm, but no derm I've spoken to says there's a direct and proven link so, for me, the jury's out'. Until now...In this episode, I chat with Maxine Laceby from Absolute Collagen who took a big risk by putting collagen through a gold standard double blind placebo clinical trial. A trial where neither the participants or the researchers know who is receiving the active treatment versus an inactive placebo. This kind of trial is accepted by medicine as objective scientific methodology that produces knowledge untainted by bias. Essentially, if the trial had said there was no proof of collagen's efficacy, Maxine would have completely torpedoed her brand. However, the results were compelling and she details them in this episode.We also discuss the newest collagen she has created, Pro Sculpt, designed specifically for people on a 'rapid weight loss journey' in the era of GLP-1s but, as you'll hear, it seems to me that this particular collagen is as relevant to someone on a strength training/body recomp journey as much as it is for people using weight loss jabs.Let me know what you think. Have you been taking collagen in the 'hope' it works and has this conversation convinced you that your money has been well spent, or are you now going to bite the bullet and try collagen to see if you can notice the difference?Absolute Collagen Sculpt Pro.Absolute Collagen Hair Pro.If you have thoughts, feelings or questions about this episode, please do share them over on Substack.

Michelle Heaton (@wonderwomanshel / www.michelleheatonfitness.com) is a pop princess, TV presenter, reality TV star and actress, and there's a chance you think you have the measure of her. I wouldn't be so sure... In this podcast Michelle and I talk about health, fitness, motivation and how to deal with anything and everything that life throws at you. You don't need to follow the news too closely to know that Michelle has had her fair share of ups and downs. While she may have included us all in the good times via the glossy pages of celebrity magazines, the not-so-good times have been front-page news of the tabloids. From a public divorce to 'that' upskirt shot, and most recently a health battle that rocked her world, the one thing that remains constant is Michelle's candour. Rather than dwell on the bad stuff Michelle and I talk about how to stay positive, why being organised always helps and how to set and follow your dreams. Enjoy! EG xx Permalink

I my latest Superdrug Beauty Column, I share why the best skincare routine is one that hinges on the 'Core Four'. Four proven active ingredients that protect, hydrate, restore and regenerate your skin and provide the foundation for a truly epic, fool-proof routine. Would you strip your routine back to these four actives?