Blogging can be a solitary activity, so one of my favourite things about it is meeting up with other bloggers. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m part of a local network of fashion & beauty bloggers in Northern Ireland called FABB, set up about 18 months ago by the fabulous Katrina, stylist and editor of online fashion & beauty magazine, Sugahfix. Last week, the FABB girls were invited to the most glamorous slumber party I’ve ever attended, to celebrate the newly refurbished 4 star Malone Lodge Hotel in Belfast.
A snapshot of the evening goes something like this…
Peach Bellini reception, hotel tour, Cosmopolitans and welcome from hotel staff (mostly decked in PJs, fair play!), dinner with gorgeous food from the deli, Elemis beauty treatments by Skin Medi Spa, cupcakes, popcorn & ‘Breakfast in Tiffanys’ movie viewed from a giant bed, sweet sleep, a hearty breakfast in the new Knife & Fork restaurant…
and back to reality with a bump!
Having spent approximately one night away from my children in the past 8 years, I was like a small child myself at the excitement of a room just for me in the new hotel wing. It was super spacious, comfortable and luxurious - and I loved the glam bathroom (is it just me who gets excited about hotel bathrooms?). In keeping with the slumber party theme, a surprise gift of a Lipsy Drama Queen onesie from Bank Fashion was on the bed.
The FABB girls have many talents… and towards the end of our evening, make-up artist, Rebecca Bryson (Bexberry) did a gorgeous AW make-up look on model, Aoife Malone featuring sparkling cranberry eyes and a vampy lip. Above, Aoife chilling in her onesie (& bling) with a chocolate cupcake. I loved this (not least checking out Rebecca’s kit!) and picked up some great tips, which I’ll share in future posts.
And from modelicious to wee me… you’d think I’d have been organised enough to take a pic at the start of the night, make-up freshly applied etc, but no… here I am in the early hours of the morning, looking weary but happy bordering on delirious in my gorgeous bathroom.
If you’re ever visiting Northern Ireland, I can heartily recommend Malone Lodge for a stay, dinner or Audrey Hepburn style afternoon tea! The staff are incredible and the hotel’s style is a lovely mix of traditional and contemporary. In fact if you’re passing tomorrow (Sunday 1 Sep), pop along to their free family fun day from 1-6pm - jazz, food & wine tasting and loads of kids’ entertainment.
Thank you for having us, Malone Lodge - we’ll be back!
