29 & a TEArrific Friend

Hey peeps! Weesse here!

  As a birthday treat my gorgeous mate Marie-Anne (an all-singing all-dancing drama-teaching wonder-gal) booked afternoon tea for two at 29 Private Members Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. After a few busy weeks of working non-stop, a girly catchup & munch was just the ticket.

 On arrival we were directed to the 4th floor Apartment where we were greeted by a very friendly waitress who led us to our table. The Apartment is a small,  minimalistic space, with white washed wooden cladding walls flooded by natural light from the roof windows, with a few small tables dotted throughout all dressed in white linen.

 As we hadn't seen each other in a good few months, we quickly got down to business catching up on all the goss & forgot to even check out the menu but before long we were scoffing an array of mini sandwiches & brioche rolls all beautifully crafted & displayed, whilst washing them down with yummy earl grey & coffee.

 

 The egg & cress, honey roast ham, smoked salmon & Cajun chicken fillings were all delish & the bite sized versions of each were perfect for our late lunch sitting (and this Weight Watcher!). 

 Savouries demolished, we delved in to selection of mini cakes. Marie-Anne went for the caramel shortcake slice first as did I, then as she devoured a scrummy fruit scone with jam, I went for the cute little raspberry-topped profiterole which oozed whipped cream on the first bite. We both squeezed in another ickle treat, finished our tea & coffee & continued putting the world to rights as we always do. We were offered a 'doggy bag' of the remaining cakes but we politely declined. Think I'd done enough damage to the diet already! 

 The atmosphere in the Apartment was very relaxed & chilled. The tables were generously spaced out & as we lunched a little later in the day (3.30pm) it was relatively quiet. The soft piano background music & non-intrusive manner of the staff allowed for a most enjoyable after-noon tea experience which we'd highly recommend.  

 We left & took a stroll down Buchanan St (where Marie-Anne met some of her 3rd year pupils who seemed rather excited to have bumped in to her. Clearly that's cause she's one of the cool teachers!) then did a little bit of retail therapy before heading to our cars (which I subsequently lost. 3 lift rides later, I realised which floor I'd parked in!).

 Of course I thanked Marie-Anne on the day for such a kind gift but as I told her she'd be in this blog post & as I know she'll be reading this (she'd better be!!, I'd like to than her once again for such a lovely afternoon! 

 Friends eh?! Cannae beat 'em!! 

STUDENTS: 20% In-StoreDiscount at H&M plus Free Delivery Online (Code 2277)

My name is Emma and I'm an H&M-aholic.

It's true. I love H&M. Like, I have an unhealthy relationship with it. Cool edgy style? Check. Cute basics? Check. Good quality? Check. BUDGET-FRIENDLY? You betcha.

I mean, check out these bad boys (links to the products when you click on the prices)!!!

Alice band £7.99

Boots £79.99

Coat £99.99

Skirt £49.99

Knitted sweatpants £14.99  (I have them in beige)

Imagine my excitement when I logged into my UniDays app and found that H&M were offering students a massive 20% off in-store?! Hawd me back.

So those gorgeous boots I just showed you? £64 in store just now if you are a student...that's a saving of £15!!!

Purchased a black faux leather panel dress (much more bodycon in real life...who needs to eat dinner before going out anyway?) as well as a ruched black speckle dress...both for £13.60 (leather dress £10 in sale, speckled dress £7 in sale).

This offer is on for a limited time, so get shopping!! Aaaaand...it applied to sale items. Ho-ly harem pants Batman!

If you can't get to a shop however, use code 2277 on your online purchases and get free delivery (saving £3.90).

Just call me your H&M Fairy Godmother ;)

REVIEW: House of Fraser Glasgow Urban Decay Event

Hi there!

Mimi here, completing my first blog entry for the Mimi and Weesse blog! Hope you are enjoying our posts so far. If you would like us to cover anything or review any products or services, please get in touch (totes not a hint to send us free stuff).

This post is a review of an Itison event I attended last week. House of Fraser in Glasgow were running their 'Beauty Confidential' event, which comprised various elements including demonstrations and discount offers. I purchased a ticket for the Urban Decay launch for the Thursday at 5pm and couldn't wait!

I arrived at Urban Decay and was greeted by the lovely Dionne. Orange juice in hand (pink fizz was also available) I was shown to a seat and so my 45 minute personal consultation/makeover began. The Urban Decay area was absolutely buzzing with various other ladies all getting tips and advice from the reps.

The event marked the opening of an UD area in Fraser's, with the only only one in Glasgow being at Debenhams, so Dionne was keen to talk me through various products while she asked me what kind of "look" I wanted to go for that afternoon. I have a confession to make: I LOVE getting my make-up done. Like, love it. I find it crazy relaxing. I even love watching people do their own make-up (see when people do their make-up on the train? Could actually send me to sleep it's so chillin'!). Therefore, it really didn't matter to me what Dionne done to my face, so long as she stroked it with lovely expensive make-up brushes and I got to smell lipstick I was happy :)

In spite of my indifference, Dionne was keen to keep me involved in the process and she showed me various different foundation samples and primers, asking me what kind of skin I had and what make-up preferences I had (heavy all the way baby). She started by prepping my face with their Vitamin Spray, which smelled just like Watermelon, followed by their Primer placed on my oiliest parts (forehead, nose and chin). She then buffed in their loose powder which, although a powder, contains tiny beads of water which add moisture and hydration. Right away my usually shiny forehead was matte.

After choosing a foundation shade (I was shade number 1), she contoured my face just so with a contouring palette. I was amazed at how little she used and the effect it gave me...this, I was told, was due to the high pigmentation levels in the product. A little really went a looong way!

Once my base was complete, we moved onto eyes. Now, UD is famous for their shadow collection, the NAKED Palettes. She showed me their NAKED2 palette which was full of gorgeous shimmering metallics and browns, as well as more matte neutrals. 

After prepping my eye with Eden (and eye-shadow primer is ESSENTIAL so I am told) she asked me to select my 3 favourite shades and got to work blending those bad boys together. After a precisely applied flick of black liner and light coat of mascara (according to Dionne I have good eyelashes anyway) all that was left were the brows.

Now, brows are a big thing to me. Like a BIG thing. Like MY thing. I like to think when I die, my tombstone will read "Emma Corcoran: brows were her thing". We had a long chat about our mutual brow appreciation and how they are most definitely a personal thing. I have not been blessed with symmetrical brows, nor are they dark in colour. I also have the odd bald patch meaning filling them in on a daily basis is A MUST. I normally use Boots' Natural Collection's eye-shadow in Walnut mixed with Illamasqua's Sealing Gel which gives me a nice liquid gel consistency pigment to paint on. Dionne however showed me how to use UD's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, warmed up on the back of the hand with a  small angled brush, to create a long-lasting defined line. Now at first, the shape wasn't me. It was good, just not "me". But, after taking a photograph I realised she had actually attained some symmetry between my brows and that the shape actually suited me, even if it wasn't what I was used to (more curved than straight). It was conclusive...brows were definitely still my thing.

After applying a slick of a gorgeous matte nude lipstick, my 45 minute (which was in reality 1 hour) makeover was complete, and I was delighted! For a measly £5 I had been given a whistle stop tour of UD's best products, as well as a few of the newbies on offer, all while chatting to a really genuine and friendly rep. There was no pressure to buy any full size items and I even left with a couple of sample-sized products to boot. RESULT!

A quick takeaway order in Yo Sushi and a visit to Zara later, I snuck into the changing rooms to take this selfie of my makeover.

Moral of the story: get your make-up done once in a while. Even if you're not going anywhere (I wasn't). It's relaxing, usually cheap and you deserve it, right, okay?!

Second moral of the story: Try something new. Reconsidering my brow-filling regime as a result of Dionne's advice. She MUST have been good.

So go check our Urban Decay's new store in House of Fraser in Glasgow- great selection of products, and if you have never tried the brand you don't know what you are missing!

Mimi x

PS- That tan leather skirt behind me in my selfie? Bought it and I loves it. Here's a link :) 

Un beau mariage à Bordeaux avec les Cupcakes

Bonjour,

Weesse here! Mimi and myself have just returned from a magical few days in France with our fellow dancer friends Julieann and Kelly, where we celebrated (in serious style!) the wedding of Cupcake Evette and Gerry. 

    Mimi was official travel supervisor for des bonnes vacances and had booked accommodation in a neighbouring town to the wedding venue, Aubeterre. We stayed at the uber quaint, suitably French, cottage-style apartments, Chambres d'hotes Gaillardon run by the most loveliest of couples, Nina & Hanjo, accompanied by their 2 beloved dogs (a father & son duo named after two cheeses) and a daredevil kitten.  Our garden-view apartment was simply divine, with wooden shutters on the windows, vintage touches throughout, a thoroughly modern bathroom with waterfall shower, free WiFi, a bottle of wine in the fridge and a Nespresso machine. Result! 

    The garden bursting with luscious greenery and pretty flowers was postcard picturesque, surrounded by the neighbouring stone walled buildings of the tranquil town. A 3 minute downhill walk  found us in the square where we enjoyed an afternoon of omelettes, cafe noir and crepes as the sun smiled down on us. La boulangerie, le patisserrie and le tabac made for your typical french town, with a few jewellery and clothing boutiques and pottery shops dotted around to satisfy our interest. 

   

   Prior to the visit I'd chosen not to educate myself too greatly on where we would be staying, nor where Evette and Gerry had selected to host their wedding. I really wanted it all to be a surprise and in the weeks leading up to the trip I found myself day dreaming of what it would be like. I'd had a sneak peek on the website but deliberately didn't delve too deep..... and I'm so glad I'd waited to see it for myself as no photograph could do this enchanted place justice. A palace dating back over two thousand years, set in the idealic surroundings of 130 acres of rolling parkland, the chateau boosts 10 bedrooms and various reception rooms, all decadently adorned with antique furniture, paintings and artefacts. Four poster beds, lavishly tiled bathrooms, ever-flowing window drapes and tassels galore...each room was more awe-inspiring than the next. A venue like no other & a magical setting for what was to be the most perfect of wedding days.  

   We enjoyed a lazy, boozy barbecue on the lawn, pool-side on the first evening as the sun sizzled. Eva and Gerry's 50 or so guests mingled & familiarised themselves with their new weekend abode. The Bride-to-Be wore a floaty lime green maxi dress, which accented her beautifully bronzed bod from her sunny pre-wedding week in Nice with her 5 Bridesmaids. There was an abundance of brie, french bread, wine, beer and excitement, as we all geared up the next day's events. We dipped our toes in the pool, strolled around the gardens, took some poised photographs (you'll see below), played on the tree-swing and visited the horses in the field and as the sun set on Dordogne we played a few games of switch (with a pack of cards found in the games room) underneath a gazebo awash with fairy-lights on a pastel green wrought-iron garden table drinking coffee. Bliss!

  

   On the morning of the wedding we were treated to a monster breakfast courtesy of Nina and Hanjo who had kindly thought of everything you could ever want from a morning in France. Assuming we'd had a tipsy night (actually we'd drank mostly orange juice and coffee), they'd blended up a fruity smoothy to give us a vitamin boost, to go with the array of french breads, ham, cheeses and the smoked salmon and poached egg on cream cheese toast they prepared and so beautifully presented. We tucked in to the feast and enjoyed mint tea and coffee as we listened to music in the charming setting of their dining room, drenched in candlelight and interesting art and antiques.

After an early afternoon visit to the Subterranean Church of St Jean which is the largest in Europe (well worth a visit and only 5 Euros!), we lunched in the sun, purchased some little pieces of jewellery and headed back to the apartment to start the pre-wedding beauty preparations.

Kelly's R & B hits of the 90's were a perfect soundtrack to our getting-ready frenzy as the 4 of us bustled around, sharing the bathroom mirror and the electric fan that kept us from melting in to oblivion. A fave had to be 'I love your Smile' by Shanice. Chooooon! As a colleague of the Bride arrived to accompany to the wedding we made the final touches to make-up, buckled, laced and zipped up our dresses and heels and headed outside (hand-held fans tightly gripped), where Nina insisted on taking a few shots of us in our wedding attire which she subsequently printed, laminated and left 4 copies for us as a keepsake! Love her!), before whisking us off to the chateau in time for the 4.30pm ceremony. Yes, they kindly offered to drive us there and yes, we'd like to move in with these guys permanently! 

 Having already spent a glorious evening at the chateau, I can confirm that the sight of this palatial backdrop once again as we drove up to the main entrance had not wavered in it's ability to stun and excite. It has some serious wow factor that you'd never grow tired of absorbing. 

  Drinks on the lawn, poolside (yup, this is how we do) and before long we were seated at the front of the chateau looking on to the vast expanse of parkland watching a very handsome Gerry await his Bride. The two saxophonists started to play 'Oh When the Saints Go Marching in' as the 5 stunning bridesmaids (all dressed in differing long floating black gowns, carrying white rose bouquets)and Evette's niece and nephew paraded down the aisle scattering petals, closely followed by what can only be described as a vision. Evette was breathtakingly beautiful in a gown that can only be described as made for her. I can't imagine anyone looking as stunning in this dress as she did and we all gasped as we caught sight of her gliding down the aisle arm-in-arm with her wee dad.  

  A gorgeous ceremony ensued with Gerry's uncle acting as celebrant. I was honoured to deliver a  funny little reading, titled 'He Never Leaves the Seat Up' which I could have sworn had been especially written for the happy couple. They then exchanged personally written vows, smooched and sashayed down the aisle as we all applauded and congratulated them. Then it was party time!

  Canapes, lashings of champagne, an alfresco 4 course haute cuisine meal in the beautiful surroundings of the chateau gardens, an array of hilarious and heart-warming speeeches from the Father of the Bride, the groom, the Bride, the best Man and Head Bridesmaid and the pleasure of great company made for the most memorable of evenings. We laughed, we chatted, we cried (tears of joy)and we celebrated as hard we could with the two wonderful people that had brought us all together in this magical place.

  As we ate our petit fours by candlelight (still not sure what they were but can confirm they were delicious) enjoying the remaining speeches, it was soon time to get on the dance floor. Evette had promised (or warned) us that she'd booked a DJ to play until 6am so we hit the dance floor straight after the first waltz and to strut our funky stuff with the Bridesmaids and the Bride. We hadn't seen the girls since the Glasgow Hen weekend where we'd boogied real hard so it was time to ignite and perfect some those moves once again. 

  Before long we were saying our goodbyes to Eva and Gerry, thanking them profusely for the most special of weekends. We arrived back at apartment, hot the sack and 4 hours later we were saying more goodbyes, this time to Nina and Hanjo (who had prepared pain au chocolat and a quiche for our airport bus journey. Honestly, these guys ROCK!) and it was on to the bus (where I subsequently left my iPhone! Another story!) for another 1 hour snooze before the plane home.

  I think you can tell we had a blast. Firstly we visited her in Paris, then Bordeaux. 

 Here's to the next trip Eva.....where to next???

Wedding Day- What We Wore

Mimi- Gold and orange orb earrings & black and nude bones dress, both H&M. 

Weesse- White broderie anglaise dress from Uttam Boutique at House of Fraser. Rose gold watch by Michael Kors