Newcomer needing help!

Just let these 2 lines switch places:

Code:

<style type="application/css/style.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?=base_url()?>application/css/style.css"/>

You can't use the <link … /> inside <style></style> tags.
So, first load the external stylesheet through <link rel= … />
And then, create the internal or embedded stylesheet through <style> … </style>
There's no need to add extra parameters to the <style> tag. Just "<style>" is enough.

Good luck.