February 2017 - LouiseCooney.comLouiseCooney.com

The Importance of Downtime

February 24, 2017

Hi everyone,

Happy Friday! I’m so excited it’s the weekend, and as you know from my last post I am off to Milan in the morning. This month has been amazing for travelling and I’ve loved every second but it has been absolutely manic busy as well. I’ve barely had a second to think between trips haha. Travelling, working full time, managing my blog, trying to be healthy, seeing friends and family – there’s a lot to fit in, and it definitely can get overwhelming sometimes.

This week in particular I’ve gotten quite a few snaps from my followers asking how I find time for everything so I thought it would be useful to write a post about this just to explain that despite my best efforts I don’t always find time for everything, and the thing that probably suffers most is my downtime. And it shouldn’t. Continue Reading…

Fashion, Travel

Summer Dreaming in February

February 21, 2017

Hey everyone,

This week is a little less crazy than last week, no private jets this week 😉 Although I am off to Milan at the weekend for Milan Fashion Week, so it’s a busy one getting prepared for that. Outfit planning is in full swing – I have an order coming in from Revolve which I have my fingers crossed arrives on time. You can see some of the bits I picked up on the shop section on my site.

Milan is somewhere I can’t believe I’ve never been before and I’m so excited to visit. My new years resolution of visiting 8 new places this year is off to a good start: Amsterdam, Lisbon and Monte Carlo so far, I’m about to add my fourth city to the list. Travelling is my absolute favourite thing to do, it’s my favourite thing to spend money on and I love having somewhere to document and share it with you all. I had forgotten the excitement of going somewhere you’ve never been, exploring different architecture, learning different cultures and meeting new people.

I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met

After the past few weeks I’m more determined than ever to make this year about travelling, and I’m already counting down the days to summer 🙂

Anyway I’m off to do some shopping for MFW, stay tuned for lots of updates over the weekend,

Lou x

Fashion, Travel

Private Jet to Monte Carlo with Samsung

February 19, 2017

Hey guys,

I don’t even know where to start with this blog post. It’s a pretty special one. It’s not every day you get to travel by private jet to Monte Carlo. What a day!!! The charters really were the best company for chartering a private jet. I haven’t felt that excited ALL DAY in a long time, I literally felt like a child going on a plane for my first time. Even though we were all up from 5am in the morning, with the energy between us all you wouldn’t have known it.

The idea behind the trip was to live the A-list life for a day to celebrate the launch of the new Samsung A-Series phone. I received my Samsung A5 phone the day before the trip, mine is gold but they also come in 3 other colours (Black, Blue & Peach). The camera on both the front and back of the phone are really high quality and we had the perfect locations to test it out for the day, starting in a private jet and then spending the day in stunning Monte Carlo. Travelling in a private jet is something else! If you ever get the opportunity to do the same, take it. If you’re considering a private jet charter for your next business trip, take a look at Business Air and see what they can do for you – http://www.business-air.com/.

My taxi picked me up at 6am, and dropped me off at Platinum Services in Dublin Airport, where I met the rest of the group. We had a private room to relax in before security and take off. I love travelling, but I dread the stress of security and packed airports before flying. We were brought from our lounge area, straight to a private security area (that took 5 seconds) and a bus picked us up from here and dropped us straight to the door of the jet. The whole process was absolutely seamless, and not a bit stressful – no wonder the rich and famous travel so often. I’ve even looked into getting a charter flight quote myself, because I can’t let this be the first and last time!
I learnt in work on Friday that that pre-flight service is actually available for any flight, even if you’re only travelling an hour to London and its available for any airline. It’s €160.

We arrived at our private jet (which was the Legacy 650 executive jet with 12/13 seats) to a stunning pink-sky sunrise. As you can imagine, it was Instagram heaven haha! We boarded the jet and enjoyed our breakfast of champagne and pastries as we set off for the South of France. It was absolutely everything you’d expect a private jet to be, so fancy, so photogenic and so surreal. I’m getting excited again even thinking about it 🙂 Continue Reading…

Travel

Lisbon Travel Guide

February 17, 2017

Hi there,

It’s almost a week since I left for Lisbon and I thought it was finally time to share my top tips for visiting. I know whenever I visit a city I do my research, I scour the internet looking for the best places to eat, the most picturesque places to get a snap and the most worthwhile sightseeing to do. So I thought I would put together my own little Lisbon Travel Guide. Lisbon is definitely one of my favourite cities in Europe after our visit, it’s so stunning in the most simplest of ways. The footpaths are paved, the buildings are pastel and the sky is blue (290 days of the year!) It’s also over a third cheaper than Dublin – which makes enjoying yourself that little bit easier 😉

Where to stay:

We stayed in the gorgeous Eurostars Das Letras which was very near Principe Real the main shopping district. Lisbon is very much a walking city so I was delighted we were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go. If you’re looking for places to stay, research around and look at some of the Best hotels in Lisbon and find a suitable accommodation that meets your traveling wants. If you don’t want to stay in a hotel, don’t worry, there are lots of other options. For example, you may consider using holiday villas or apartments whilst you’re in the city. These can work out much cheaper than hotels and you generally get more privacy too.

Where to eat:

Rua das Portas de Santo Antão
This street of restaurant after restaurant is a good place to start if you’re hungry and don’t quite know what you want. As with all touristy restaurant streets, I’m not sure there is a major difference between each one, and I’m sure it’s not the finest dining in the world, but there’s lovely outdoor seating, a great selection and a good vibe. What more could you ask for?
Park Rooftop Bar
This rooftop bar on the top of a car park had been recommended to me several times before I traveled and I wish we had got the weather to go here. Unfortunately we didn’t, but I hear the view and the drinks are amazing. A must do if a nice sunset is on the cards!
Tagide Tapas and Wine BarTapas with a view. And wine. Literally what more could you want?
Sky Bar (Open from April)This gorgeous rooftop bar and restaurant we attempted to visit on Saturday night, only to find out it’s not open until April. It looks FAB though, so if you are visiting from April on, definitely add it to your list.
Café A Brasileira This place is very authentic Lisbon, unfortunately we didn’t make it here but I’ve heard its a lovely spot for a coffee break and to people watch.
Guilty by Oliver This place was just around the corner from our hotel, and where we ended up going on Saturday night when Sky Bar was closed. It was packed with young people, great music and a cool vibe. The food was delicious too. This bar was very New Yorky, a nice spot for some drinks!
Rua Nova do Carvalho – The “Pink Street”
The Pink Street a.k.a. the Party Street. This street is literally pink and is where all the nightclubs and good bars are located – if you’re up for a late night, here is where you should head.

Fashion, Lifestyle

Small Changes, Big Results

February 15, 2017

Hi guys,

I hope you’re all having a great week. I’m trying to get my fitness regime back on track after my weekend in Lisbon, that involved lots of eating out and of course a few drinks. It can feel a little overwhelming sometimes when you feel like you’ve fallen off the wagon, so I try to keep it simple and make small changes that I’ll stick to, but that really make the difference over time. It takes 21 days to make something a habit, so by introducing one new habit every 3 weeks, imagine where you’ll be in a year. These are my top 5 easy tips to lead to big changes in your overall health and fitness over time:

1. Swap Brown for White

I try my best to make smart choices where possible, get brown rice with a take away, brown bread with a sandwich, wholewheat pasta, you get the jist. You can treat yourself without falling completely out of your routine.

2. Swap Lemon and Hot Water for Tea/ Coffee

By swapping your morning tea/coffee for lemon and hot water you are kick-starting your metabolism first thing and already getting more water into your day. If, like me, you struggle to drink as much water as you should, this is a great way to get it in. Continue Reading…

Fashion, Travel

Pretty Little Lisbon

February 14, 2017

Hey guys,

As you may know from my social media updates, I’m just back from the most amazing weekend getaway in Lisbon. It’s such a beautiful city to explore, with every little street having its own story to tell.

The beautiful weather in these photographs depicts the Lisbon I imagined, however on our trip it only lasted about half an hour haha! A half an hour we thoroughly enjoyed no less 😉 I guess you take what you can get when you’re travelling from Ireland in the middle of winter. Any bit of warmth is an improvement from the bitterly cold February we are having in Ireland. Continue Reading…

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