24 Hour fall city guide - Westport

(Photo credit: irelandroots.com)

Hi Everyone! 

I hope you are having a lovely Sunday and are enjoying the long bank holiday weekend so far. Westport in Co. Mayo is the perfect getaway for a long weekend stay be that anytime of the year. Even though it is a well known spot for tourists it is just as appealing to locals and people living outside of Co. Mayo. The town has so much to offer for people of all ages.

The CastleCourt Hotel  in my opinion is the most well known hotel in Westport. It is a 4* hotel located in the the town on Castlebar Street just a five minute walk from all the shops, restaurants and bars. The CastleCourt Hotel is situated in its own grounds with its sister hotel Westport Plaza Hotel . There is the most beautiful courtyard surrounding both hotels which is perfect to sit back and relax out doors with a delicious coffee or a drink while the kids play. It is also the perfect place to take photos of your wedding day. The CastleCourt Hotel is the most popular wedding destination in Westport. If you've been here you will see why!

The resort also has a leisure center known as the C Club which has a 20 mtr heated indoor pool, a jacuzzi, a steam room and a gym. Perfect for getting your swim or workout in while you're away or some fun for the kids to burn off some energy. There is also a gorgeous spa - Spa Sula, perfect to relax and unwind in the luxurious settings. Carrying out a wide range of treatments for all your beauty and relaxation needs. There is also a number of different restaurants and late night bars in the hotel too. Castle Late Night Venue used to be a night club but is now a late night bar which has djs, and live bands. With its cool atmosphere it is the perfect place for a celebration. be that a birthday party, hen/stag party or just a Saturday night out!

I love both hotels and would highly recommend staying in this resort if you are staying in Westport. I think The CastleCourt Hotel is more wedding focused but the Westport Plaza Hotel is less formal but still has that luxurious feel to it. It is more modern then The CastleCourt but in both hotels you will get exceptional service and the perfect nights stay.

There is also a number of events that take place in The CastleCourt Hotel such a wedding fairs and business seminars. The next business seminar that is taking place is the Mayo Business Awards. This event is taking place on the 6th of November and all businesses across the country can enter. This is a brilliant event to promote your business and network with some of the top business people in the country. Tickets for the event can be purchase on EventBrite.

EventBrite  is the largest self-service online ticket company in the world helping people find and plan events. Check out the event management page here. It is a website and also an app available as a free download from the app store on IOS or in the play store on android. It is so easy to use and in my opinion the best app or website for booking tickets. Being a blogger I have to go to loads of events and I always use Eventbrite without fail to book them I downloaded the app on my phone so that when I book a ticket I don't need to print it out. I can save it in my EventBrite app or my passbook and just present it when at the event. Its simple! I would definitely recommend businesses to use it when planning and organizing events as it takes the pressure off and makes it easier for everyone. 

So now that you have your hotel booked and know where to get your tickets from what are you going to do while you're here? Westport House is full of fun for all the family. With acres of land set amongst lush gardens and a Pirate Adventure Park, there is something to suit everybody. Walk through the grounds and rich mature wood lands or take a tour of Westport House where the legendary Pirate Queen of Connaught Grace O'Malley reigned here in one of her many castles. Even if this is something you aren't really interested in, I think you should go a see it a least once. Its really cool to see how they used to live. The grounds are orgeous to have walk through and a number of events are taking place throughout autumn and winter this year such as Halloween Fest and Winter Wonderland. There is also camping facilities and much much more which you can find out about here.

Westport Town

Westport town is full of unique boutique, cute cafes, old fashioned sweet shops and quirky restaurants, as well as traditional Irish pubs and shops.

Carraig Donn  is one of my favourite boutiques in Westport. Its clothing is usually for an older age group but as the store is progressing they are getting more brands in like Only and Vera Moda. They have a home decor department upstairs with traditional Irish pieces with a modern day twist. They also have a gorgeous jewellery collection carrying Ireland's largest jewellery brand  Newbridge Silverware.

Cutest Irish Bakery 

Cutest Bookshop 

Mocha Beans - Best Coffee! 

Westport really does have such a variety of thing s to do. You will definitely need more that 24 hours in this little town. I couldn't even list all the shops and restaurants you need to visit. You really are spoiled for choice. A lot of people also come to Westport to climb Croagh Patrick and to walk, run or cycle the 'Green Way'. Croagh Patrick is a challenge but it is something really worth doing, you will feel such a sense of achievement once its completed and if you take your time and enjoy the journey you wont feel the time go by. The 'Green Way' is a scenic route around Westport with beautiful views which is the perfect excuse for getting you workouts in outdoors. 

Have you ever been to Westport? If so what are your favourite spots? I'd love to know! 

Until next time...

Yours stylishly

Kerrie x 

Bella and Vogue 

Dreaming In Blush

Hi Everybody, 

Happy Friday! I hope you all have a brilliant weekend. This weekend and all of next week is a busy one. On Sunday I finally get to meet the very inspirational lady Joanne Larby who is the makeup artist, stylist, model, blogger and so much more behind "The Makeup Fairy". We will be having 'Beauty Brunch' with Into The West Blogging Network in The Ardilaun Hotel. I am so excited to see her and of course meet up with everyone from #itwbn. Next week there is a lot of exciting events on one of which is they "Blog Awards Ireland". You my lovely readers voted for me and I have made it as into the final eight for 'Best Fashion Blog' , it still hasn't hit me yet! But I am very grateful to you all and am so excited to go! 

As you've probably already gathered I am fashion obsessed. Blush is my favourite colour. It is my guilty pleasure as well as my comfort colour. More often then not you will see me wearing this colour with cream even throw the winter months. I am obsessed. I think it is so pretty, I just love it. So today as I was browsing through the online shops I could see my bank balance getting lower and lower but just like Carrie Bradshaw "I like my money right where I can see it... 

So I decided to put together a little shopping/wish list of some of the most gorgeous blush clothing around... Happy Shopping!

Bella Notch Detail A-Line Skirt  

Sleeveless Belted Duster Coat

Scallop Hem Mini Skirt

Crepe Culottes

Oversized Jumper

Knitter Jumper

Wedged Runners

Blush Tote

I will probably find more pretty items to buy before the night is out, but here is what I have found up to now. Is there any other blush lovers out there? If you are I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie x 

Bella and Vogue 

Sleeveless Coats

Hi Everybody, 

Sleeveless coats are really trending right now. They were popular all summer and thankfully they are here to stay for A/W15. I for one am loving this trend, but when it first arrived I thought they would be hard to style. But after lusting after them for a while I decided to give in and buy one. What I found since my purchase is just how versatile they are and how sophisticated you look. I want to wear them every day. Celebrities are wearing them, bloggers are wearing them, everyone's wearing them. All you need to do is find a colour you like and a style that suits you. Now all you need is a little confidence and own it! 

Street Style | Inspiration 

My top picks from the high street 

PrettyLittleThing | Andi pink sleeveless lightweight waterfall jacket

Misguided | Sleeveless wool blazer camel

PrettyLittleThing | Vari black long line sleeveless tailored blazer

Misguided | Double breasted sleeveless wool maxi coat grey

River Island | Beige knitted faux fur collar gilet

River Island | Light grey sleeveless coat

What do you think of this trend? I'd love to know your thoughts and if you have bought one recently or have seen any more other than the ones I have pictured above I'd love to hear about it, just leave you comment below! 

Until next time...

Yours stylishly

Kerrie 

Bella and Vogue x  

Irresistible Me Hair Extensions Review!

Hi Everybody! 

Happy Tuesday! A couple of months ago I was sent Irresistible Me Hair Extensions. When I was first contacted by the company I was a little nervous as I had never tried hair extensions before so I didn't know what to expect. I decided to try them as I thought I had nothing to lose. 

 Irresistible Me is a growing brand of 100% natural Remy clip-in hair extensions, hair accessories and hair tools, based in the Fashion District in New York. They specialize in high quality hair extensions at great prizes.

First impression - the packaging is gorgeous and perfect for storing your extensions for the days your not using them. There is also a cute little love note at the bottom of the box which is such a nice touch. The extensions come in a little plastic pouch with two sections. One side with your extension in and the other side with two sample clip-in extensions. When the package first arrives you only open the sample side to ensure that the colour is suitable for your own hair colour. This is such a good idea because it means you can send them back if they are not the right colour as long as you only open this side. 

There are many different types of extensions available but I decide to try Silky Touch  in shade medium brown. I wanted to channel my inner Kardashian so I choose the second longest length which was 20" in length and 200g in weight. The general rule is the longer the length the heavier the weight. 

I have natural blonde highlight's in my hair but the extensions still blended so well you wouldn't notice I had any in except that my hair was luscious, long and full. My hair is really thick and quite long any way so I got my Mum to clip them in. They were so easy to do, so people with thinner, shorter hair would have no trouble and all putting them in. It only took about 10 minutes to but the entire set into my hair and I didn't feel any discomfort while she was doing it. The extensions were super easy to wear and to be honest I couldn't really feel them in after a few minutes. They were easy to style and easy to remove. There is no damage to my hair after wearing them and they are still in really good condition. I was really happy with them! The below photo is me without the extensions! 

If you are interested in trying Irresistible Me Hair Extensions and unsure of which to try there is a online chat on the website where you can ask all the questions you need. Their customer service is 10/10 I would highly recommend contacting them if you are even thinking about getting extensions. I was clueless when ordering them but they were so helpful. I really couldn't be happier with them.

I really hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions for me about the extensions feel free to comment below or on any of my social media accounts. I will be more than happy to help.

Until next time...

Yours stylishly 

Kerrie 

Bella and Vogue 

Fall Staple: Camel A-Line Skirt...

Faux fur gilet: Penney's (£15 also available in black similar New Look), Cream lace top: New Look  £29.99, Camel belted a-line skirt New Look (also available in black and rust £17.99) Arm candy watch similar £43 River Island, bracelets £8 River Island, Boots Penney's similar River Island 

On Sunday I went for afternoon tea at Glenlo Abbey which you can read all about here. I wanted to wear something simple but still very much on trend. I have so many items of clothing that are so impractical that I really don't get that much wear out, so I wanted to get something that I can mix and match creating numerous outfits. I am so loving neutral shades this autumn winter so that's why I decided on this camel skirt and cream top. They are really soft material and super comfy. The gilet is so warm perfect for the colder weather gets chillier.

I hope you had a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by! 

Yours stylishly 

Kerrie x 

Bella and Vogue  

Afternoon tea at Glenlo Abbey

Hi Everyone! 

Last Sunday I attended an 'Into The West Blogger Network' (ITWBN) event in Glenlo Abbey Hotel in Galway. Where we had afternoon tea with Erika Fox who is the blogger behind Retro Flame. This was my fourth event and as always Sinead and Saibh the bloggers behind this network never fail to disappoint. I did a full review of Glenlo Abbey Hotel last week, which you can read here. Believe me the hotel really is as luxurious as it looks in pictures.

I was so excited when I first got my invite to this event, not only because Erika was going to be there but because this event seemed to be a little bit different to the others I have attended. The 'itwbn' girls always have a trick up their sleeves with something extra special to add to each event. Every event I go to an event I always think it was the best until I go to the next. They always put so much thought in attention to detail. 

The first thing I thought when I got the invite was what on earth will I wear, because I knew it would be a super stylish event. But little did I know how stylish until I was at the hotel and saw how gorgeous everyone else looked, I felt like I was in the middle of New York Fashion Week! (I wish!) As I was registering Kieran from Fear Nua Blog told me that I was sitting at the 'Coco Chanel' table! All the tables were named after designers such as Louis Vitton and Christian Dior. What a nice touch! 

As all the bloggers gathered we mingled in the French Reception Room drinking fruit punch and taking hundreds of Instagram worthy pictures until everyone arrived. Once everyone had arrived we went into the River Room to have afternoon tea. We were served coffee and Solaris Tea. We then got the choice of the most prettiest desserts. I felt like I was in a scene from'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. 

Dessert Menu 

Lemon & Poppyseed Cake (White & Pink Icing) 

Carrot Cake with Orange & Cream Cheese Frosting

Guiness Cake with Baileys Buttercream

Rosewater & Raspberry Macaroons

Salted Caramel & Popcorn Macaroons

Gingerbread Men

Snow-cone Cupcakes 

After we had had afternoon tea it was time for us to get a little insight into the life of one of Ireland's leading fashion bloggers - Miss Erika Fox aka Retro Flame. 

Erika Fox is an Irish girl from Kerry. Living the dream in New York City. She created her blog Retro Flame four years ago and since then turned it into a very successful business. Juggling a full time job as Social Media Manager at Vince Camuto and running a successful blog. She shared her story on how to make it happen. Erika is the perfect example of someone who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. She gave us loads of advice about all of her expertise from her big move to New York City, cracking the fashion industry and working with Whitney Port and Olivia Palermo, to making your blog a full time career all while staying true to yourself, genuine and so down to earth. I've followed Erika for three years and after meeting her in person last Sunday I love her more than ever. 

Erika has worked extremely hard to get to where she is today, she loves keeping busy and believes 'the busier you are, the more productive you are'. This is definitely true in her case. If you follow her on snapchat (retroflame1) you will see that she is ran off her feet, but she wouldn't have it any other way. While Erika was home in Ireland for the month of September she also took part in the Young Entrepreneur competition where she attended a number of boot camp classes and a lot of hard work behind the scenes making business plans etc. How dedicated is she, even when she's on 'vacay' she continues to learn and push the boundaries. Erika did so well in the competition that she actually went on to win two awards for 'Best Established Business' and 'Kerry's Best Young Entrepreneur', you go girl! So well deserved. 

Once Erika had finished her talk, we got to have the chats with her and take a few selfies and outfit posts, in the beautiful surrounds of Glenlo Abbey. We then got networking with brands such as Solaris Tea, Design House Barna, Inailz and St. Moriz. By this stage it was getting late so we went downstairs to check out the bars and restaurants - fabulous! We stayed for a while chatting and catching up on the excitement from the day. Everyone had a really good day and felt so inspired from the day. That's the thing when you go to these #itwbnbloggerevents, they give you so many new ideas for your blog and you just want to do it more. 

When we first arrived in the River Room there were 'Bloggers Goodies' placed on the seats at all of the tables with our names on them. We did have a little peep when we first arrived but we waited until we came home to have a proper look. The brands were so generous with what they gave us. I will try out each product and do full reviews over the next coming months filling you in on what I thought. 

As you can see we were very lucky to get so many goodies. I can't wait to try them all out. I can such a good time at this event, learnt so much and meet really nice bloggers that I now call friends. If any of you reading this are bloggers living in Ireland and are thinking about going to one of these events seriously go. You wont regret it. I know it can be scary not knowing anyone but it really makes you braver and more confident. I will definitely be going to the next event so if you want to go you can contact me and we can arrange to meet before hand so you wont be going in on your own and have a friendly face on the day. I would be more than happy to hear from you! 

"Luck is when hard work and opportunity meet!" 

Until next time...

Yours Stylishly

Kerrie x