Wow! Look At You!

Party season is well and truly upon us and we all want to look our best. But do you look at your wardrobe full of clothes but still can’t find anything to wear? Or perhaps you always opt for the ‘figure friendly’ black option despite having an array of clothes of different colours?

Well if you fancy a rest and a complete make-over for this season and want to turn heads, then maybe it’s time to take a trip to Glangwili Mansion for a complete pampering session where you can learn tips on how to leave your old ways behind and introduce changes that will make you feel like a new woman. I did just that and took a trip to this luxurious boutique bed and breakfast in the stunning, yet largely undiscovered, Gwilli valley a few miles north of Carmarthen, South Wales.

I have to say I like to think I’m quite confident about what colours suit me so it was more of the lure of spending a few days at the 5* mansion away from the city that swayed my decision to drop in at the launch of Wow! Look At You! workshop.

The new workshop is run by personal stylist Linda Reid, who has been trained by image consultancy Colour Me Beautiful, at her B&B. From the moment I was picked up from the station by her husband George, who helps run the B&B, I knew I was in for a good few days. And there truly is nothing like a sweeping driveway with the backdrop of the wooded slopes of a forest, to give you a real sense of having left the city.

After a cup of warming tea in the breakfast-sitting room, a massive space dominated by a pair of comfy black sofas and a flueless fire set into a wall, I was given a choice of which room I wanted to stay in. Every room looks plush but I opt for Chartreuse since it has a double bath and well, seeing that I’m here for a pampering session, I thought I may as well start as I mean to go on. Having had a good night’s sleep in one of the comfiest beds I’ve stayed in at a hotel, I was treated to an omelette made from eggs which had been laid by the Reid’s hen Blossom, just an hour or so earlier. It doesn’t get better than this I thought.

After a restful day pottering around in my natural surroundings, getting to know the various pets the Reid’s keep, alpacas, cat, dogs, hens, sheep, owls, it was time to focus attention on the workshop.

Linda had invited some clients to fully demonstrate how changing the colours that we wear can have a huge impact on the way we feel and look. I was shown three women in their ‘before and after’ clothes and make-up. To say they looked different was an understatement. Not only did their appearance change, but the way they held themselves with confidence was just so illuminating. Linda, said that many of us wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time and 86% of us have bought clothes and make-up which we have never worn.

So investing in such a workshop will actually save you money in the long-term. Linda can tell you whether you’re a warm, dark, or cool colour palette from doing various tests. The colours you are suited to, depend on the shade of your skin tone, hair, and eyes. Your body shape will determine what styles you should be wearing. And you can then take with you a handy small booklet of the colours that match your unique shade and style on future shopping trips.

Linda told me I was a cool shade so various shades of reds, greens and blues would suit me. But the one item I came away with straight away was a gorgeous lilac pashmina which Linda said had my name written all over it. The colour, she said, reflected the colour of my eyes and indeed she was right I was to find later on my homebound journey home on the train. I had a fellow passenger tell me what mesmerising eyes I had! So if you fancy wowing the crowds with a fabulous new look, prices for the various workshops start at £65. Linda offers both one-to-one sessions as well as group sessions so it’s great if you want to make a girly session out of it..

So whether you want to go for just the make-over or extend your stay by staying overnight at the mansion, why not treat yourself to a new you and get your friends and family saying:

“Wow! Look At You!”

Guest rooms at glangwilimansion.co.uk start from £110 B&B. When booked for exclusive use, you also get use of dining hall and kitchen-cum-sitting room.

The Wow! Look At You! Workshop starts at £65. For more information log onto wowlookatyou.co.uk (+44 (0)1267 253735