Hello beautiful people!
So I’m currently on a high as I’ve just found out that I’m a finalist in the Blog Awards 2015 in the Best Fashion Blog category. There were some amazing blogs in the shortlist so I am honestly honoured to have made it into the final. Thank you to anyone who voted – the public vote made up 30% of the final score so you guys had a huge part to play. You can check out the other finalists in all the categories here – Blog Awards Ireland.
Now, down to business! On Sunday afternoon I attended a blogger event at the Glenlo Abbey Hotel in Galway. This was hosted by the Into The West Blogger Network, and boy, did they out-do themselves!
Let’s get started with the location – this hotel is simply stunning! The Glenlo Abbey is a 5-star hotel, situated just 4 kms from Galway city centre, it offers a golf course, and views of Lough Corrib and the West of Ireland landscape.
There are three opulent and elegant reception rooms, the Ffrench Room, the Kentfield and the Palmer Bar decorated with classic furnishings – it feels so indulgent just sitting in them!
Image Courtesy of www.glenloabbeyhotel.ie
Our afternoon tea was held in the River Room Restaurant which was just beautiful!
We were treated to some Instagram worthy desserts, including, Lemon & Poppyseed Cake, Carrot Cake with Orange & Cream Cheese Frosting, Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream, Rosewater & Raspberry Macaroons, Salted Caramel & Popcorn Macaroons, Gingerbread Men and Snow-cone cupcakes. I’m obsessed with macaroons – not just for their prettiness but also their taste and these were second to none!
The teas were courtesy of Solaris Tea and were delicious – anyone who knows me will understand my love of tea and their breakfast tea is really good! They are a Galway based company and you can find them here – Solaris Botanicals.
Then came the cherry on top – a talk by Erika Fox of Retro Flame. Erika is a Kerry girl who started blogging about 4 years ago and has worked with the likes of Olivia Palermo at New York Fashion Week. She is now based in New York. She is one of those people who you could listen to for hours – I’d highly recommend finding her on Snapchat (retroflame1)! I’ve been following Erika for yonks and now, having met her, I can safely say I like her even more. Despite all she has achieved, she is still so down to earth and an absolute pleasure to chat to. Her hair is also more gorgeous in real life – I didn’t think it was possible! She stayed around for quite some time afterwards, answering our questions and chatting to us all. An.Absolute.Dote.
There were also a number of companies there who were promoting some of their products, these included St. Moriz Tan. I used this tan all through college as it was so affordable! They have now released some new instant tan products, tanning mists, bronzers and the one I’m really excited to try – the Instant Leg Tanning Spray with airbrush effect. These are available in Penneys nationwide.I was lucky enough to be gifted a few products so I’ll let you know how I get on with them over the next few weeks.
iNailz.ie were also there. I bought one of their portable chargers – I loved the lipstick version as soon as I saw it. It gives you two full phone charges. It comes with a mini cable and can be re-charged. Ideal for bloggers or any girl on the go! iNailz are a new company that can print any design on to nails – definitely worth a look at. You can check them out here – iNailz.ie
All my Goodie Bag treats
I’ll be doing some mini-reviews over the next few weeks so be sure to ask if there’s a product here you’d like to know about.
All in all it was such a great day, from meeting some lovely ladies and hearing about Erika’s exciting journey to dining in the Glenlo Abbey.
I’ll be doing a separate post on what I wore to the event later in the week so keep an eye on my social media – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
P.S. I’ve also just joined SnapChat – I’m still learning but come say hello! (styleboothique)
With love,
Lorraine x
Image from Retro Flame’s Snapchat
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