Glasgow Reviewed; Dinner at the Tempus Restaurant

I had not been feeling particularly festive just yet but thanks to the lovely Laura from A Life with Frills that is all changed now! She organises the funnest events and this year a group of my favourite Scottish Bloggers were treated to a slap up meal at the Tempus restaurant in Glasgow's Grand Central Hotel.

There couldn't be a more central spot to stay in whilst in the city, and the hotel looks so incredible on the inside. We were shown to the private dining area that the team at the Tempus had set up so we could enjoy a fun evening to get in the Christmas spirit. We were spoiled from start to finish and they had paid so much attention to detail in terms of telling us about the food and keeping on top of any special requirements we had, which is always so welcome.

Typical blogger scene when it comes to food- photos and PURE JOY

We were met with fizz and an amazing array of canapes that were gone in seconds, I was mad for the butternut squash bon bons, and most of the room were desperate for more smoked paprika popcorn. I was determined to keep space for the full 3 courses though and I am so glad I did. We had such a nice menu to choose from and as a first time visitor to the restaurant, I found it pretty hard to pick ( no seriously, it took like 3 attempts to actually pick a pudding.) I opted for the goats cheese starter which was a delish combo of little crackers, cheese, walnuts and caramelized onion and was in all just utterly divine. I am always disappointed when a starter is tiny but this was perfect for my hungry appetite. Next time I would totally go for the foragers salad though which a couple of the others had, as the staff actually come to you with a small table and all the ingredients and make it right in front of you, to exactly your taste! Now that is a service I have never experienced before and was such a nice touch.

I was all set for Duck for the main as its something I never normally have, and I swear the more I watch Masterchef programmes, the more I want it!!! It certainly did not disappoint at all, what a massive delicious portion and the meat was cooked to perfection. The berry sauce and was utterly divine and I was so delighted with it.

Now pudding was giving me far too much to mull over as the choice was fab but I settled on the Salted Caramel and chocolate tarte. It was far too heavy considering how much else I had put away but my word look at the shine on it! I polished it off with a gorgeous virgin strawberry daiquiri and it was the icing on the cake.

The staff and set up in Tempus was amazing, and it feels so nice to be in such beautiful surroundings bang in the city centre. I can't thank them enough for showing us such a wonderful time! Thanks to all my partners in crime ( Lynsay, Ayden, Amanda, Lis and Lori) and especially Laura for organizing the nicest night ( and even beautiful goody bags to boot!) 

Christmas has officially begun!

A very Superdrug Christmas

I have a very fond history with Superdrug thanks to winning a blogging competition with them many a moon ago. It was not long after starting this blog that I saw they were offering the chance to blog for them and possibly win a holiday in the end and being new to the game I thought, why not! I was so so excited when I was picked as a finalist and set upon enjoying a summer writing content for their blog based around a whole heap of challenges from festival beauty to treating pals to a pampering. I never thought after having so much fun writing for them that I would go and win the whole thing  but I did and it remains something I super proud of. I was delighted then all these years later to be invited to head along to my local store ( the Glasgow Argyle Street branch) to check out all the new makeup lines they had instore as well as the outstanding gift selection on offer. I am ashamed to admit just how often I pop into this store as it happens to be on my daily walk to and from work... that and I have an obsession collecting up my points to treat myself :) Thanks to my recent house move however I hadn't been in for weeks and in that time they have only gone and made some amazing additions to the makeup aisles. Superdrug is the absolute home of the best affordable makeup  so I was bowled over by the newly stocked and jam packed counters for Makeup Revolution, Gosh, MUA and more. I have been itching to get my hands on so many bits for ages and had been buying online but now I could ogle it all in the flesh which is amazing.

I had so much fun going through some of the key products for various ranges while chatting to Jemmimah from the team, I absolutely adore chatting skincare and makeup with someone who loves it as much as me. It was super interesting to hear what is all in the line up for 2017 with some exciting relaunches from the B. Beautiful line (their micellar water FYI is just amazing) and learning more about their in house skincare ranges. I have long recommended Superdrugs super affordable Vitamin E and sensitive skin range to people who get in touch with me, but how I had missed so many good bits in the Optimum Range, I have no idea. There are some powerful ingredients hiding in there that I was quick to stash in my basket and I am super excited to try them out.

Moving on to the Christmas bundles and I was really impressed with the array of collections on offer. From fantastic Zoella and Tanya Burr sets that are sure to tickle any secret santa, to some of the sweetest stocking fillers I have seen, there was something for everyone and then some!! I could easily have knocked out my entire Christmas shopping in about 5 minutes and then still reaped the rewards in the form of points! The prices for their Christmas ranges are properly affordable, I was shocked at how little some of the sets are, the Leafy and Lovely range is as little as £2.50 for a sweet manicure set and looks so much more expensive than that, they are perfect for me to have in as little filler gifts. Taking a peek online I just noticed so much of the Christmas stuff is reduced to amazing prices already so if you still have all the shopping to get done, you know where to head!

The Spa and Sparkle Package at the Guerlain Spa

Ahhh Guerlain.

 Just knowing I am coming through your spa doors at the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh has me walking on clouds from the moment the appointment is booked. I am embarrassed to be the one running to you from Waverley Station pretty much undressing from the moment the train stops at the platform, desperate to be relaxing in those ridiculously soft robes whilst sipping on peppermint tea in your gorgeous relaxation room.  I seriously cannot get enough of this little haven of tranquillity and am always all ears when it comes to the the new treatments and packages they have on offer.

So of course I pretty much ran there when the opportunity to try their new Spa and Sparkle package they have available for the festive period presented itself. For £140 you can enjoy the gorgeous spa facilities and enjoy the perfect line up of treatments to get you relaxed and ready for the party season.

On arrival you are taken on their trademark personalised fragrance journey, I really love this element of their treatments as every time I have been I have been in a different mood or wanted to leave feeling a certain way and being able to tailor those emotions to my experience is so unique. You are then led into the stunning treatment rooms for the first part of the treatment which was a glorious and invigorating body scrub. My therapist  Louise started it off with a foot bath and walked me through the procedure, I then got settled on the bed while she used a body brush to boost my circulation before applying the body scrub. When the treatment was all done, not only did I smell heavenly but my skin felt like silk- I was buffed and polished to perfection from head to toe!

Leighton Denny Paparrazi

I was then taken through to their nail bars and treated to a fantastic Leighton Denny manicure and pedicure complete with a glass of fizz that went down a treat! I opted for a bright pink on my fingers and a stunning pin up red on my toes. I never really go for mani's or pedis but I have to say when I have had it done I feel so glam, it really picks up my mood and after these treatments I genuinely wanted to hit the town right then and there, if only it wasn't half 12 on a Saturday afternoon.

After all that pampering you get to make yourself at home in the gorgeous relaxation room with a host of herbal teas and healthy nibbles to enjoy. It is such a soothing place and just being snuggled up in your robe feeling fabulous makes the experience well worth the money. To finish up Louise took my through the Guerlain makeup range and applied my 'touch of colour' which was perfect for getting me ready to hit the busy streets of Edinburgh. I was in love with the lingerie de peau foundation, and she applied the products just as I wanted them- a daytime look that was natural but polished. It is such a good way to end the package and give you that extra boost as you leave.

My little touch of colour after leaving

With nearly 200 years of distinguished work in the field of wellness and beauty, Guerlain knows what it takes to deliver flawless spa experiences and the Spa and Sparkle package is no exception. It is the perfect Christmas gift to yourself or a special person who is in need of quality pampering.

To book you can call the spa on 0131 222 8836

Merry Christmas everyone!

From me and mr b :)

Bx