This Christmas The Mice Have Mostly Been...

So Christmas is disco done but that doesn't mean we're over it just yet... there's alot to get over after all - champagne wake-ups, long lazy sleep-ins, scrumptious food at every waking opportunity and lots of fun with our most favourite people. Ohhhhhhh can we do it all again? PLEASE!!!

Mini mouse and I signed off promptly at 1pm on Christmas Eve and scooted home to St.Albans as fast as our little mice legs would carry us. Home we went laden with present galore ready to start the holidays with a bang! HK mouse sadly wasn't given leave to travel home this year so instead she spent it snuggled up with her boy 5995 million miles away. Sad yes but as always Natalie had a cunning plan up her sleeve to ensure we all got to see each other sooner rather than later - read on to find out more on that!

Without further ado This Christmas The Mice Have Mostly Been... 

Stocking the fridge to high-heaven with festive treats from The Albion Cafe and admiring their oh so adorable Christmas-fabulous wreath...

Upping our beauty regimes to new levels. Thanks to our Ciate advent calendar from HK mouse it was a whole lot easier this year with 24 brand spanking new varnishes to treat our nails too...

Gracing St.Albans Abbey with a little Christmas Eve visit for a spine tingling service enough to make anyone thankful to be alive... 

Popping open bottle after bottle of our most favourite indulgence and it all started with a magnum of Harrods champs courtesy of Bodyfrock - thank you you lovely people...

Spoiling each other with presents we'd been lusting after all year. A Priyanka rose gold necklace for me...

A fierce n fabulous pair of Maje trainers for mini mouse...

And THE Isabel Marant for H&M embellished-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life jacket for HK mouse...

NATALIE INSERT

Hitting the Boxing Day sales hard online. We're talking ASOS, Zara, Matches, Netaporter and MyWardrobe - no point dilly dallying now. My fav purchase has to be a pair of Isabel Marant boots... obsessed!

AND the piece de resistance our present from HK mouse! Take a deep breathe because we had to... a sister long weekend to frickin' NEW YORK CITY!!!! To give you some context, Natalie outdoes herself every year by treating mini and I to the most amazing presents - this year took the biscuit. The excitement started off with a Kate Spade pressie underneath the tree which led to a dash-around-the-house treasure hunt to uncover the real deal at the end of the rainbow. We jet off at the end of January and have already nailed our jam-packed itinerary - too exciting!!!

We'll be sure to have Breakfast At Tiffanys every morning whilst we're there - in true 3BM style we'll swap Audrey's coffee for a Hendricks and tonic though... 

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

After a week's break from the blog and lots of sister fun, we're back and boy do we have lots to share...!! 

We had the exciting news at the weekend that HK Mouse is staying for extra week, so after all the non-stop running around we thought what better way to recoup than a long weekend in Devon at the cottage! Rambling country walks, cosy pubs and big glasses of red by the fire...we're all squeaking with excitement at the thought!!! 

But back to what we've been up to over the past seven days... when we haven't been scurrying here, there and everywhere trying to fill every moment with tonnes of sister fun, this week the Mice have mostly been...

Searching high and low for the perfect advent calendar for HK Mouse so that she can countdown in style! I remember so clearly the excited feeling as a child to wake up each morning, open a new window and of course get a chocolate treat in return! Sadly a Cadbury's number just won't cut it anymore, the stakes are high and in order to recreate that teeny tiny Christmas-excited Mouse feeling again, it needs to be something a bit special! 

As it isn't quite December I can't reveal our final decision, however I can share with you the best of those out there that got our attention and nearly made the final cut. Go on why don't you brighten up 24 mornings of someones day....!

YOU Beauty Advent Calendar, £49.95

We had this one last year and I can safely say it's well worth the price tag, we loved opening the exciting miniatures every morning and a great way to try out new products. Filled with treats worth over £240 with the likes of Dermalogica, Neom, Steamcream and Stilla sitting behind your windows!

Boots Beauty Advent Calendar, £30 

Our favourite provider of everything beauty, Boots, has launched its first ever calendar this year and at a mere snip of a price! With promises to pamper you head to toe, expect delights from Nails Inc, Soap and Glory, Rimmel and Mavala...

Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar, £84

If you're after the ultimate queen of calendars, then this is the one for you! Filled with skincare products, makeup and fragrance - you can't really get much better than this! Selfridges have pulled out all the beauty stops and bagged miniatures from Kiehl's, YSL, Lancome and Victor & Rolf to name just a few! 

Ciaté Mini Nail Lacquer Advent Calendar, £42

HK Mouse arrived at cocktails last week with one of these beauties for us Mice at London Towers...a nail varnish a day including 19 mini paint pots, 4 textured surprises from caviar to sequins and one full size varnish as a Chrimbo Eve surprise! 

Master of Malt - Ginvent Calendar, £110

If you're after something a little bit different and want to well and truly get into the 'spirit' of Christmas...then this bad boy should tick all the boxes! A bottle of Gin a day, means Father Christmas isn't far away...!

Getting thoroughly excited that's it's only 39 sleeps until Christmas and to make this all the more exciting, the battle of the Christmas ads has finally begun. This year, like most others, the main contenders are of course John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. 

John Lewis have once again gone for the family angle with characters children will love and creating a warm and fuzzy Christmas feel for everyone else. I love Lily Allen's cover of 'Somewhere Only We Know' in the background which will no doubt steal the Christmas Number 1 spot, and the fact that it doesn't push or feature any product. Simple, effective and a low key production

Next up M&S...big names, big production and lots of Christmas product! The total opposite, but the more I see it, the more I like it. Starring Rosie Huntingly Whitely and David Gandy, with lots of snow and a magical fairytale story - a lot more adult facing and product focused, however like it or not it's definitely impactful!

For me I think John Lewis has the winning ad...I'm a sucker for a cute story and the fact that it reminds me of my childhood days watching The Animals of Farthing Wood may have given it the slight edge! 

One things for sure, you just can't beat the excitement sparked by the sight and sound of the Coca Cola lorry....

I hope you're now feeling suitably Christmassy and ready to wrap up warm for another crisp weekend ahead! That's exactly what we shall be doing with all our key country essentials at hand...cashmere tracksuit, a stack of magazines, the fire roaring and a drink in hand...

The Mice x

This Week the Mice have Mostly Been…

TFIF is all I can say...how can a four day week be so exhausting and why aren't there enough hours in the day for work, play, socialising, eating, cocktails, Internet shopping...something has to give, I think I'll pick work! 


Anyway, a little Friday round-up of the week just gone, this week the mice have mostly been...

Loving....H&M Selfridges Concession! Surprise surprise, I spent my Bank Holiday Monday on an impromptu shopping spree...I thought what better way to rid back to work blues!! We spent about 10 hours in Selfridges - ohhing, ahhing, shopping, trying on and even eating, it was my temporary home for the day!! In the past I've never really paid that much attention to the H&M section in Selfridges but you really should - they literally select the highlights of all the ranges and display it all together for easy peasy shopping! I was drawn to the Fashion Against Aids section - I've read loads about it and seen it all over the press but hadn't had a second to snap anything up! I remember loving last years festival chic range, i fell for the leopard print tent...which thinking about it is still under my desk at work! 

H&M are back with their fifth collection to create awareness and raise funds for AIDS/HIV, 25% of every sale is donated directly to a variety of youth HIV/AIDS projects. The designs are amazing, incorporating numerous global styles with a fabulous ethic theme and patterns through out. Check out a few of my favourites...

Images via www.hm.com

I obviously couldn't buy everything, so for once I put on my sensible hat and bought just two pieces from the range!! I fell in love with this chunky black and silver collar necklace, £9.99 AMAZO...

Image via www.hm.com

And this quirky extreme stepped hem top with a very cool pink ombre print only £14.99....

Image via www.hm.com

And Middle Mouse fell head over heals for these amazing sunnies, could they be any cooler and only £5.99?!!

Image via www.hm.com

Head down there sharp'ish as the range has been out for two weeks...festival fever has arrived at perfect prices!! 

Lusting after...the re-stocked Ciate Caviar Manicure Set! After selling out earlier this year and kicking up such a storm that a waiting list of 14,000 people formed, they have done the good thing and brought it back into our lives! 

A chic 3D nail trend creating a dramatic, feminine yet fun look, which I for one, am desperate to recreate and jump on the bandwagon! This idea was all down to the Creative Director of Ciate, who was after something a bit different for a magazine shoot and has now started the craze of all crazes!! 

The three new colours - Rainbow, Black Pearl and Mother of Pearl, went available to the public yesterday and you can get your mits a set for £18! Even better, trot on down to my second-home Selfridges and get yourself an appointment at the pop-up Ciate's nail bar, to have your recently purchased manicure set applied for free!! It'll only be there until 16th May so don't miss out!

Images via www.ciate.co.uk

Fallen for...the new Limited Edition Jo Malone Plum Blossom Cologne. It is simply amazing - sweet yet not sickly, fresh yet lasts all day, floral yet crisp and it also comes in a limited edition bottle all tied up with a sweet lilac rope! Middle mouse couldn't resist and now each morning I plan discreet ways to go into her bathroom and steal a few sprays!! 

Image via www.jomalone.co.uk

Celebrating the weekend...even though a long bank holiday break has just passed and it was only a short week...my oh my has it been a painful one!! Working hard, catching up with friends and gym training...I am officially in need of a holiday, However for now a good weekend will have to suffice! 

Tonight I'm trying out the Hawksmoor in Spitafields (apparently the Lobster Rolls and cocktails are to die for - I'll report back!), lots of blog writing, seeing the fabulous Ellie for a WELL overdue wine catch up and all topped off by...a BBQ of course! To kick off Summer time we're heading to a friends for a BBQ'ing get together...apparently come rain or shine it will go ahead! Sun dances at the ready please....! 

How can I also forget...London Sevens at Twickenham (boo hoo I'm missing out on the fancy dress extravaganza, damn the Internet repair man but a mouse has to blog!), Buy My Wardrobe comes to Notting Hill for a fabulous fashion soiree and wait for it....The Britain's got Talent Final...totes rooting for Pudsy the dog!! 

On that note hope you've all had a fabulous week and have an even more FABULOUS weekend!