Malmaison Pt II - 'Miss Patina' Outfit

Some last photos of our overnight stay in Malmaison.  I had had this skirt and blouse by the 'Miss Patina' label in my wardrobe for a few weeks and was dying to wear them.  Not sure about wearing black tights and boots with it again, does at a pinch but if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear.

The style of our room was Country something or other..I think they have other rooms in a style called 'Bordello'.  All I know is that this meant lots of heavy wools and tweed which were actually beautiful.  Look how lovely the curtains and fabric panels in the wardrobe in this photograph are!  Also the big arm chair and wool cushions on the bed made the room feel cosy.

My favourite part about this blouse is that the scarf tie buttons off so I can wear the blouse plain or put another scarf with it.  The scarf is actually in two pieces that button underneath the collar..I just love details like that!

Another favourite detail is the lock and key charm on the belt

Voguing with my lipstick - showing another pretty aspect of the room!

Not the best photo but the only one showing my shoes!

Yes, the Topshop Ambush boots! I'm wearing them almost every day at the minute and they were thrown on here for comfort on a Saturday morning! 

I know this blouse will go with a whole lot of things but what about the skirt..should I try different coloured tights?  Plainer tops, more blouses?  I can't wait to try styling it a different way but anyway, here it is in its imperfection.  Hope you enjoyed a few more photos of Malmaison too, these were actually my favourite pictures we took in the hotel :)

xox

Malmaison - Belfast's Bad House

I was emailed by Malmaison Hotel's PR a couple of months inviting me to stay in their Belfast hotel (and complimenting my photography, thanks!).  I don't get many offers in my inbox that interest me but staying in a 4 star hotel did have it's appeal and couldn't have come at a better time!  I've always wanted to stay in a Belfast hotel, but have obviously never had much reason.  So, I'd never actually visited Malmaison despite its bar being fairly popular with locals.
It was an interesting prespective trying to 'weekend' in your own city and entering and staying in a building you drive past all the time and had never gone into.   

The whole ambience of the hotel is very sultry and sleek without being overdone...think lots of black, mood lighting, and comfy chairs everywhere. The rooms were a great size and the attention to detail in all the furnishings was lovely and added to Malmaison's boutique feel.  I think I'll try to let the photographs do the talking!

Quirky details - the 'take me home' toilitries in our bathoom

- the ceramic bottle of milk (or MalK) on the table at breakfast

The restaurant had a nautical decor and lots of French inspired cuisine. I would definitley visit the restaurant again, I had never thought of dining in it before just because..it's a hotel! I had a yummy beetroot and goats cheese soup for a starter and my boyfriend had frog's legs (which for a soup, steak or lamb kinda guy surprised me!) and we both opted for steak frites. Mine with béarnaise sauce which is my ultimate favourite and it truly did not disappoint, I get hungry just thinking about it! Here is my waiting for the food to arrive picture along with my can't put my fork down, want to drown in this sauce picture.

After dinner, I seem to have literally let my hair down as we headed for the bar...I don't remember doing this, it seems a bit tacky but also a bit great.  Not sure how I feel about this 60s inspired Primark mini skirt. I love the bright blue, but it looks so crinkled when you sit in it.  I loved the simplicity of my Topshop black silky shirt that evening though.

One of the little snug/seating areas around the hotel lobby and corridors

Blurrier phone photo of me in the bar - the only thing I could say negative is that the cocktails are very expensive and I wasn't wholeheartedly convinced that they were worth it.

The bar was very lively as was the whole city as it was the weekend the MTV EMAs were on, so a fun time to be out and about!  Apparently Starboy Nathan was staying in Malmaison. Who? I'm not entirely sure but he was in the bar! It is also a reason I didn't get a photograph outside the hotel as very dedicated fangirls of Starboy had camped out overnight...
 

Finalement, I had high hopes for breakfast after enjoying dinner so much.  I really think a good breakfast can set a hotel apart, not sure why!  I never really eat breakfast at home but I feast on it in hotels. 

Egg haters will probably wretch at this picture but as much as I truly love béarnaise sauce, I truly love eggs benedict.  Now I think about it, hollandaise sauce is not so far removed from béarnaise sauce...the brunch equivilant maybe!  But I digress...my boyfriend's cooked breakfast was impressively non greasy and had lots of lovely black pudding that felt homemade.

The building opposite the Malmaison is covered in mirroring (mirrors?!) so the converted Victorian seed warehouse that the 'Mal' is housed in is reflected back at you in the bar.  Not sure why, but this was probably my favourite detail of the hotel as the Malmaison building is quite beautifully dramatic.

By night and day

I took more photos before we left (mainly in the lovely room) to do a little outfit post which I will post this week.  Kind of a 'part 2' so I hope you enjoyed this post ok..
 Au Revoir Malmaison, thank you for a lovely evening xox

Día De Los Muertos Inspired

A very belated Happy Halloween!   I meant to post this days ago but life and chest infections got in the way... I thought I'd just go ahead and share it with you anyway though because I love Halloween.

I got some very last minute plans and I had to look festive in just a few hours this year!  I decided to do face makeup to resemble a Mexican Día De Los Muertos skull (no, nobody in Dublin looked at me and went ooh I get it, Día de los Muertos!!)

Díá de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead is 1st - 2nd November coinciding with the Catholic holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  It is basically a time to rememember deceased loved ones.  I think its origins are mixed in with Aztec beliefs and early Catholicism.  The face paint, or women dressing as 'catrinas', are popular in the parades and celebrations.  As well as rememberance, some say that the face paint especially help us get in touch with our darker and more 'chaotic' side and helps us to not fear death.  I liked that principle and put it to the test...well, it was a good night anyway!

My look is really more of a nod to it (and perhaps 80s Madonna).  I didn't have time to get white face makeup so I didn't go as full on as I could have and I definitley needed a bit more black around my eyes.  I did a little bit of colour on my forehead and some seamed lips though!  If I do this look again next year, I will definitley do more.  The flowers are meant to be marigolds but again..time meant that they became roses.  The strong scent of marigolds is supposed to help guide the departed back.  I pinned this beautiful fringed and beaded shawl of my Mums around a black lace dress, added my roasary beads, pinned a flower in my hair and voila!  Sometimes homemade, or at least home put together, is the best type of costume...and no expense spared! 

My Mum's birthday is the day before Halloween so every year, in lieu of birthday cake, she gets an apple tart with money baked into it.  Not sure if this is something done in other countries?  You traditionally bake in a ring, some money and a button to predict your fate - marriage, wealth or poverty! 

We had a lovely birthday dinner for her in the house (after a few hours at the horse racing in Dublin!) eating warming seasonal dishes and the house just felt lovely and cosy..a nice farewell to Autumn / Fall as winter begins to take hold.

Our trick or treat table shortly after we ate all the remaining sweets..though note the club biscuit left over for any last minute callers!

Belfast is crazy this weekend with the MTV EMAs being on, I may go to the Snow Patrol gig tommorow in the city centre if I can face the mania...free tickets! 

 Have a great weekend everyone xox