Nutmeg - Are you Savvy?

“Greed is good” or so said Gordon Gecko from the 1980s hit film Wall Street. With inflation rates and interest rates running at all time lows, the simple reality for most savers is that simply depositing money in the bank will see little returns or the actual erosion of the initial capital (the amount you originally put in the bank).

Nutmeg, who London’s Evening Standard (the evening newspaper in the capital) called “an online wealth manager causing a stir” is a website that offers all kinds of financial products, tips and advice from Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) to personal pensions.

When I was asked to take a look at their website and jot down my thoughts I have to admit that I logged on with some knowledge of financial services, BeautykingUK having worked in the sector for a good ten years (ten years ago) and some of that knowledge (read boring facts) rubbed off.

For the less investment savvy Nutmeg is perfect. The site is brilliantly laid out for the novice, written in plain English and really is geared up to help you and I, the general public navigate the veritable minefield that is investing your hard earned cash.

This is what Nutmeg say about themselves:

‘Based on your information, we build and manage a portfolio for you, diversifying your investments to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. Our experienced investment team monitors your portfolio, adjusting the asset allocation appropriately and rebalancing every month — at no extra cost.

In this way, we aim to produce our best return, at low cost, for the risk level you choose.’

After scouting around the site some of the most important things to factor into your own investment portfolio and decision making process as to whether you should actually invest are your own attitude to risk, the fees your investment manager will charge and the size of any pooled investments.

While attitude to risk, affordability and product choice is down to individual circumstances, the Nutmeg website is clear and dedicates an entire page to their fee structure. So, all open and above board.

In addition to this, there are lots of helpful sections of generic advice for new investors or those who already have holdings elsewhere. Great stuff.

Before deciding whether or not you should take the plunge and develop your own portfolio I would strongly recommend that you seek independent financial advice from an advisor regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The website is easy to navigate, has a great search function and explains everything in language that the man, or woman on the street will understand. Investing doesn’t have to be a minefield and I would recommend Nutmeg as a good place to start your investment journey.

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Lilash & LiBrow - Eyelash and Eyebrow Enhancing Serum

Lilash is a brand that I have come to recognise across Social Media and being happy to jump on the bandwagon to try it out for myself, I was sent this lovely little package**.

Inside there are two tubes, one for your eyelashes and one for your brows, plus this incredibly cute and handy mirror, making application an absolute breeze. Both of these serums have been designed to enhance your eyes natural beauty by promoting growth of your lashes and eye brows. 

Now I was something of a little plucker when I was younger and then I had a total nightmare a few years ago when a well known department store almost left me with no eyebrows and they are taking their time (and revenge I am sure) to grow back, so anything I can do to help that process I am willing to try, I have major brow envy of so many people.

So my tube of LiLash® demi is said to contain a complete three-month Induction Cycle. This is the recommended size for anyone who, like me, are interested and intrigued by the entire concept.  Once you have tried it and decide you love it, you can purchase bigger tubes

Again, my tube of LiBrow® demi contains one complete three-month Induction Cycle and with Lilash, this is again the recommended size for trying it out and then once you love it, opt for a bigger tube, which gives you 6 months worth of treatment instead of the three.

To use, you apply the eyelash serum once a day directly on the skin of your upper eyelid along the lash line, just as you would do with a liquid eyeliner. Every time you apply, alternate the direction of the stroke from outer to inner and visa versa.  Once you have applied it, you leave it to dry for 2-3 minutes and then apply your make-up as you usually would.  I was surprised that firstly the serum is quite lightweight, so there is no dripping and there is no chemical scent.  Once it dries, you would never know there was anything there, it disappears into the skin with no trace.

The Brow serum is used in the exact same way, use it once daily and apply it directly on the skin of your brow area and again, every time you apply, alternate the direction of the stroke from outer to inner and visa versa. You only need to apply the serum once in a single stroke and it takes less than 30 seconds once you get the hang of it.  Once the serum has dried, again in 2-3 minutes, you can apply your make up as you would normally do.

I have been using these products for a few weeks and will do an update in a few weeks, but this was my eyelashes and eyebrows before I started the treatment and I cannot wait to see what happens!

Have you tried Lilash? Is it something you would want to try?

Dr Organic Snail Gel Face Serum

I am obsessed with products which sound really odd and slightly weird - Sheep Placenta Cream, Dragons Blood Facemask, Be Venom and the product I have currently been loving by Dr Organic - Snail Gel Serum.  Now before you all sit there thinking 'snails ewwww' all I can say is don't knock it till you try it!

I first came across Snail Gel last year whilst at a Blogger event and I got to chat to some lovely people from Dr Organic who told me all about the range and where the idea came from, infact this is what Dr Organic has to say :

"Snail Gel boasts a wide range of anti-aging benefits including softened wrinkles, smoother skin, antioxidant protection and improved hydration. We combine Snail Gel’s unique ingredient Helix Aspersa Muller with a proprietary blend of bioactive, natural and organic extracts to formulate innovative skincare products. Specifically designed to hydrate, soothe and moisturise the skin, helping to develop a natural youthful glow".

Dr. Organic Snail Gel Range contains the mucus slime known as Helix Aspersia Muller, this is the slimy substance that the snails produce in order to rebuild and repair their damaged shells or skin. It is quite a unique ingredient that is rich in complex blend of proteins, Glycolic Acid, Collagen and Elastin, all of which help with regeneration and reparation. Add to that with the further ingredients of Olive Leaf Extract, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Lemongrass Oil, Vitamin E, Rose Fruit Oil plus a few more and you have a formula which is said to have created a soothing non greasy serum that penetrates deep into the epidermis, instantly hydrating the skin to help leave it feeling smoother, nourished and restored, revealing a more youthful glow.

Knowing this has snail slime within it, I hadn't expected the serum to be anything like it is.  Firstly Lemongrass as a scent is really dominant and that is the main scent of the serum, despite any other ingredient.  The texture of the serum is not at all slimy, I am still not sure whether or not that disappoints me, but when applied to the skin it does feel lovely and cool, it is incredibly lightweight and absorbs really quickly and leaves no snail trail behind.  Instead what you get is soft, smooth and very moisturised skin, so smooth to the touch it is as though you have just had a facial.  Designed to be used both in the morning and in an evening, I use it after being in the shower so my pores are open, allowing it to sink in much further to do its job.

I am a big fan of this serum and if it I good enough for the likes of  Katie Holmes, Louise Redknapp who looks amazing, as well as Ashley Roberts ex Pussycat Dolls who in 2013 shared the contents of her make-up causing sales of Snail Gel to rocket by 700%!  So if it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me and all for just £17.99.

If this sounds like something you would love to try, then Dr Organic have an entire range to entice you in and they include: their best seller, the gel, face cream, facial serum, eye serum and moisture mask and hand nail elixir and you can purchase the range from Holland & Barrett.

Have you tried anything from the Snail Gel Range?  Would you?

Habitat Birchbox for March

This month Birchbox have teamed up with lifestyle and homeware guru Habitat to bring to you this brightly coloured box full of amazing treats! This month sees the announcement of Habitat's new SS15 collection of dressing tables and beauty storage boxes - a perfect partnership in my opinion.

The theme of 'Do Try This At Home' brings to you the best of beauty and home right to your door.  It is a celebration of makeovers of all types: whether it is your beauty regime or your at-home furnishings and decoration, March is the time for renewal, renovation and refreshment.  Enclosed within the box is a series of cards which are designed to help and encourage you to 'shake off, shake up and spring clean your everyday' whether that is a home make-over with new beauty products or the introduction of new scents.

For March, Birchbox have given their subscribers a chance to pick their own Benefit mascara sample which includes the new Roller Lash, They're Real or BADgal - So I hope you got the sample you wanted the most!  The rest of the items in my box are as follows:

Catherine Malandrino Style De Paris - A Playful yet sophisticated fragrance with citrus top notes and a fruity twist.   I am a fan of perfume samples and I really like this scent.  It is quite fruity to begin with, but once it settles down there is a lovely floral scent which settles.  The description is that "It opens with accords of ruby red grapefruit, Nashi pear and Italian mandarin. The heart features orange blossom, gardenia, violet and ocean breeze accord, laid on the base of patchouli"  The floral for me is the Gardenia and it is just so lovely.

Philip Kingsley Smooth Cream -  Tame your curly, frizzy hair with Philip Kingsley Smooth Cream. It’s a protective styling cream that smoothes your hair, while adding incredible shine. Philip Kingsley Smooth Cream helps to prolong the life of colour treatments you have in your hair. It also safe to use when you are sun bathing, as this styling cream contains sunscreen.

TanOrganic Self Tanning Oil - Said to contain only natural and organic ingredients that nourish and hydrate the skin, this fake tan is Aloe Vera based and is the worlds first tanning oil.  I have to admit, I am not a fake tan fan, I am always convinced I will end up looking like an Oompa Loompa.  That said, I am intrigued by the fact this is an oil and I might give it a go on my legs to see how it turns out.

Janjira Pomegranate & Acai Facial Scrub Cleanser - This scrub cleanser helps to deeply cleanse and exfoliate whilst retaining moisture and brightening the complexion. Walnut shell gently removes dead skin cells, dirt and black heads leaving the skin soft and smooth. While fruit oils help to reduce the appearance of pores and moisturise the skin.  This scrub smells absolutely delightful, very fruity and the walnut shell as an exfoliant isn't as abrasive as I was expecting, though if you add a little pressure you can certainly feel it more.

Now my Benefit Sample is the Roller Lash Mascara which I was delighted to see as I am still on the fence as to how much I like it.  Described as being a super curling and lifting mascara. The Roller Lash wand is designed so it hooks your lashes to lift and curl them.  I have used mine a few times now and think it is a pretty good mascara, I'm just not too sure about the formula.

The final two items in my box are Lifestyle items and they are:

A Birchbox and Habitat Exclusive Notebook -  a petitie but perfectly formed jotter to pen all of your ideas and inspirations.  Titled 'Here's the plan' this notebook is really well made and full of blank pages making it perfect for those blog ideas on the go, beauty wishlists, words of wisdom and random jottings.

A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi - Birchbox have done this before with a chapter of a novel and I think it is a brilliant idea.  It takes on the Kindle idea of downloading a sample to try before you buy.  This novel is an epic tale of ambition, ego and passion with the beauty industry as its backdrop. I didn't think I would enjoy this novel I have to admit, but I was hooked on the chapter in my box and read it within an hour, it is now downloaded onto my Kindle so I can continue and find out what happens in the end.

So there you have the box for March and overall I think it is brilliant.  There is a nice mixture of products included and all a nice size, so you can at least try them before you think about buying them.  At the minute, I really like both the Catherine Malandrino perfume and the Janjira Facial Scrub Cleanser plus I love the two lifestyle inclusions which gives this box a massive thumbs up from me.

What do you think to this months Birchbox? Have you got it? If so link me below so I can come and see what you have!