All I Want For Christmas : Mini Mouse...

HK Mouse kicked off earlier this week with her Chrimbo wish list so I thought it was about time I put mine together and got it circulating! After all it is only 14 more sleeps until the day itself...oh good God, I must go shopping immediately!

Here goes...

I never leave the house without a fistful of rings or a necklace or two layered up, so it's no surprise that I've spied a gorgeous newbie which I need to be part of my morning outfit build! What's even better is you can not only get the pendant inscribed with your initials but customise it with different chains and charms!!  

Monica Vinader, my perfect combination below £290...

Early morning commutes are bad enough, but they're even worse when the bitter cold engulfs your little hands and tootsies! As you'll soon see, the new theme in my life is how to be as snug and warm as humanly possible! To kick this off I'm loving these cute and cosy mittens...

Topshop, £20

After practically wearing my H&M Isabel Marant suede and leather fringe boots to death, I feel I need to give them a well-earned break and attach myself to a new pair of boots....for the time being anyway! The new apple of my eye...

Iro Boots, £485

Winter has taken it's time rocking up for 2014, so I've done exactly the same in terms of picking my winter coat. So far I've made do with a Whistles number from last year, however I'm ready for an update and this Topshop long line bomber hits the spot! Sport luxe at it's best...

Topshop Bomber, £110

Anyone who has spent even a few minutes with me at Mouse Towers will know I'm one for comfort! My hair is instantly wound into a bun as I walk through the front door whilst simultaneously pulling on my cashmere track suit and removing every scrap of make up. What's missing...a super snug pair of slippers of course!!! 

John Lewis Slippers, £55

If you hadn't guessed already, all three of us have a minor obsession with everything Charlotte Tilbury! Being the mouse with the lowest quota I think I need to up my game and make a few more purchases! I have my beady eyes on practically everything she has ever created so there isn't much that could disappoint!!! 

Charlotte Tilbury 'Can't Live Without It' kit, £99

One item I'm definitely short of in my wardrobe is bracelets, since borrowing a few from Middle Mouse's treasure trove recently, I've decided I need to inject some arm candy into my life! Whilst perusing my favourite lunchtime haunt, &Other Stories, I came across this little beauty...

&Other Stories, £17

Ever since reading HK Mouse's post on the fabulous initial Burberry blanket wraps, I mentally added a Burbs Blank to my ever rolling wish list! However I'm thinking something more in my price range...cue ASOS! I'm loving this two tone colour block fringed number - perfect for both day and evening as a snugly cover up! 

ASOS, £25

Something that will ALWAYS feature on my wish list has to be the ever so beautiful Valentino tote...I know, I know - I can keep on dreaming! Although surely one of FC's little elves can knock one of these bad boys up in his workshop?!

Valentino, £1,995

And last but not least, my knitwear obsession continues and doesn't show any signs of letting up! The piece I'm loving right now and haven't yet snapped up? A cute sleeveless turtle neck from Warehouse. Easy, comfy and the perfect layering staple...pair with skinnies, heels and a statement necklace and BAM office to bar sorted! 

 

Warehouse, £38

And that's all I want, not much to ask for really is it old Father Chrimbo?!

MM x

Stocking Filler Fixers...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas fellow mice! The countdown is on and I for one can't bloody wait! 

In the Robbo Mouse household, Christmas starts when the tree is up! Laden with tartan ribbons, wooden carved hearts and stars, decorations we made when we were teeny tiny mice and that all important fairy in pride of place watching over us all. Something a little like this...

Well until that tree goes up, we'll have to start the festivities with a spot of present buying. Our gift traditions on Christmas Day always go the same way ... we all emerge from our childhood bedrooms, blurry eyed at around 10ish in our matching Xmas PJs (new ones purchased every year). We hang our stockings the night before so they're ready and waiting for us to snatch up the next morning. We then pile onto the foot of our dad's bed and take it in turns to open one gift at a time! Although I absolutely adore the tradition of stocking gifts, I do also find them the most difficult presents to buy. We have a strict budget of £20 so the knack of it is to splurge on one or two treats and fill the rest of the stocking with cheap and cheerful goodies like a Malteaser Reindeer or chocolate coins and not forgetting the obligatory clementine in the toe of your stocking along with a few shelled nuts! 

In the spirit of Christmas, I thought i'd share my top picks of the best stockings fillers around this year but before I do ... Hong Kong Mouse and Mini Mouse avert your beady eyes NOW please as Father Christmas might or might not have got you some of the following!!! 

OK so starting with the cheapest first at £3.49 and then accelerating to blow the budget what-the-hell it's Christmas options...

Hope & Greenwood Salt Caramel Fudge - £3.49 - when it comes to sweet treats there's nothing quite like salted caramel laced goodies. When you pair that with crumbling met-in-your-mouth fudge you're onto a winner i'd say! 

Essie nail varnish - £7.99 - everyone needs fancy nails at Christmas and when it comes to colour-popping varnishes Essie fights a good fight. Keep it bright, cheerful and fabulous - that's our Mice motto!  

 

 

Coconut Melt - £10 - lip-smackingly good balm that taste as good as it smells!

The White Company Winter mini candle - £10 - the smell of Christmas ... cinnamon, clove and orange!

Le Couvent des Minimes Set - £10 - a French beauty brand i've recently been introduced to and am now slightly obsessed with! This cute little set boasts four of the brands botanical best sellers - cologne, shower gel, soap bar and hand healer. Each product smells deliciously fresh and quite frankly I can't believe you get so much for such an affordable price tag.

 

 

L'Occitane hand and feet duo - £16 - quite possibly THE best hand and feet shea butter moisturiser a gal can own. This limited edition set is made for

Christmas stockings plus the perfect handbag size!

 

La Montana Winter Oranges candle - £35 - continuing the orange theme, this time a tad snazzier - Valencia oranges with cinnamon, clove and some red apple thrown in for good measure! Divine...

 

 

Melvita shower gel - £14 - and Bio Extraordinary Oil - £27.50 - nutty and luxurious this duo offers the perfect in-shower / after-shower silky soft skin solution...

 

And top of the Christmas pops is L'Occitane's Arlesienne Eau de Toilette - £39 - and the matching shower cream - £14 - maybe a tad expensive for a stocking filler but hey ho ho ho we just had to include because both smell so sensationally good!

All I Want For Christmas: HK Mouse

Christmas is coming, our wish lists are getting fat... so, we thought it was high time to drop some not so subtle hints to anyone whose present list we happen to have made it onto this year, while also giving anyone generally lacking in gift-spiration with a couple of bright ideas. Here with part one is Hong Kong Mouse...   

This year I'm just so super excited to be zipping home to London to spend Christmas with the London Mice that I'd honestly be happy even if there was nothing under the tree with my name on it on Christmas morning. But, if you twisted my arm, these are the things topping my Christmas wish list...

Smythson 2015 Panama Diary
£70

Despite loving my iPhone, I always like to keep my diary in paper form. I've had a Smythson Panama diary for as long as I can remember and I love 2015's berry version.

Ploh Plush Robe
US$174

Ever since my trip to the Cambodian Private Island Paradise, Song Saa, I've been obsessed with getting my hands on one of the cloud-soft dressing gowns that you get to loaf around in there. I looked at the label before I left and Googled the brand as soon as I got home - Ploh is the answer to all your bathrobe dreams.

The Little Black Jacket - New Edition
£45

I loved the Karl Lagerfeld & Carine Roitfeld photo exhibition featuring celebrities in Chanel's classic little black jacket. I loved it so much that I went twice, once in Hong Kong and once in Seoul. This reissued version of the book that accompanied the exhibition features even more photographs than the first and is perfect for anyone who failed to snap it up first time round.

Gypsy Water

£130

My absolute favourite perfume ever! I ran out of my last bottle back in October and haven't been able to replace it as I can't find anywhere that sells Byredo over in Hong Kong.

Mischa CDG Camo Pouch

HK$1,050

I've loved Hong Kong brand, Mischa, for years and have been lusting after this Camo version of the classic Mischa CDG pouch all season. One with my initials on would be too awesome for words.

Garance Dore 2015 Les Femmes Calendar
US$25

I've always adored Garance Dore's illustrations so was super excited to discover that this blogger/photographer/illustrator extraordinaire has created a 2015 calendar. A daily dose of Dore for your desk.

Alex Monroe Enchanted Twig Initial Necklace
£375

I've always wanted an initial necklace but have somehow never had one. I love this beautiful Alex Monroe version.

Cire Trudon Giambattista Valli Positano Scented Candle
£70

This is so ridiculously expensive that I'd never buy it for myself, but it's just the most gorgeous scent in beautiful packaging and would definitely brighten those dark, dull January evenings ahead.

Zara Buttoned Cape Coat
£108


I've been on the hunt for the perfect cape for as long as I can remember. This Zara beauty ticks all the boxes and would be the perfect piece for swishing around the city in.

Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick
£30

Absolutely every single piece of Charlotte Tilbury make-up I've ever owned has become a daily staple. I suspect that one of these brand new beach sticks will prove to be nothing less...

Porter Subscription
£17

Magazines have always been my guilty pleasure and this year saw the launch of Net-a-Porter's brand new bi-monthly fashion and lifestyle tome, Porter. A year's subscription to this style oracle would make me one very happy girl.

Untitled & Co As If Sweatshirt
£65

I'm loving all the Untitled & Co sweatshirts in Net-a-Porter's new Finds section. I particularly want this 'As If' one which takes me back to the nineties when Clueless' Cher & Dionne were my idols.

Frends Rose Gold Taylor Headphones
£180 

Beautiful and practical these rose gold bad boys would come absolutely everywhere with me if I got my mitts on a pair.

House of Hackney Palmeral Notebook
£22

I'm always looking ways to brighten up my work day and what could be better (or more useful) than a beautiful notebook to write all those meeting notes in.

Real Techniques Core Collection
US$18

I've heard beauty bloggers galore waxing lyrical over these super affordable make-up brushes. So I'd love to find this core collection under the tree to try out for myself.

So Father Christmas, hope you got all that... 

x

HK Mouse

3BM's Top 5 Men's Christmas Gifts...

I always think girls are so easy to buy presents for, there are so many things in life that we need, want and wish for, that it would be humanly impossible to buy it all... Therefore, that leaves a constant rolling gift list for anyone who wishes to spoil us! 

Men on the other hand are a totally different kettle of fish! Simply because if they want something they buy it...meaning their wish list is near non-existent! They're generally not nearly as obsessed by fashion magazines, blogs, online shopping or celebrities and therefore rarely seem to experience that feeling of all consuming want, need and I HAVE TO HAVE THAT IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW! I can safely say us Mice feel this every week, if not every day!

The last few weeks have been filled with ticking off our present list for our friends and sisters and leaving the best til last...Daddy Mouse! The one male in the world that is very hard to please with a present, when he says 'I would prefer it if you didn't get me anything,' he probably means it and to be honest it would be way easier if we just listened to him! But it's Christmas, we can't just leave him off the present list no matter how Scrooge-like he's being! So every year we strive to find that one thing that he really, really wants but doesn't yet know it! 

Surprisingly, we're still searching....! 

However during our all-consuming quest for the perfect Daddy Mouse gift, we've come across a few gems which we thought were perfect presents...just not for him!

See below our top five 2013 Christmas Gifts for Grandpas, Dads, Boyfriends, Brothers etc etc...

iKettle, £99.99

He can boil the kettle from anywhere in your house at the click of a button from his iPhone! When his alarm goes off in the morning his phone will immediately ask if he would like to boil the kettle and similarly as he arrives home from a hard day at work!! No more missing vital moments of the match whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, no more coming in from the garden before your cuppa's ready...it's all about the iKettle!!

Nike FuelBand, £129

 

Any fitness conscious boy (or girl for that matter) will love this little gadget, in fact it may also be just the thing to kick start a new year fitness obsession in those less fitness driven as well! This little band monitors and measures all your movements - it counts your steps, measures the intensity of your workouts and even lets you track your sleep patterns. You can link this up to your phone and get real time progress updates at any time!

 

 

Tom Ford Noir, £80

 

You can't beat an expensive, luxurious aftershave and Tom Ford always does them best! You definitely can't skimp on fragrance - chuck that Old Spice away NOW, and you even get an after shave balm with this set from Selfridges! Win, win!

Sonos Wireless Music System, from £169

A concept that every guy will instantly get and love (while us less tech-savy Mice will scratch our heads over but still very much enjoy...)! In a nutshell, it's a way to play your digital music collection in every room from any device. Think iTunes, Spotify, radio stations etc and stream all your favourite music across these from one platform. You can control this on any device - your phone, tablet or computer and manage the music each room is playing at the click of a button! Get it?! Probably not but I can guarantee he'll love it...check out the video here which explains it all much better!!

Whiskey Ice Ball Moulds, £14.45

The perfect gift for any Whiskey lover, the round ice ball melts much slower than smaller square cubes resulting in a less diluted drink. Claims to make the last sip taste just as good as the first. We'll drink to that...

3BM Christmas Gift Guide: Luxe Pampering

Following Hong Kong Mouse's festive start to the week yesterday, I thought I'd stick with the 'Holidays are coming' theme and share my pamper gift guide!

There's nothing nicer than receiving a gorgeous gift set of indulgent products to spoil yourself with at Christmas. I always think that a great present is the sort of thing that you wouldn't buy for yourself, something that's a real treat. When I was growing up it was ALL about Body Shop gift sets - going back to school in January I was pretty much a walking Dewberry, with the odd day of White Musk thrown into the mix! Nowadays I'm partial to gift sets with a little more of the luxe factor and there are lots to choose from out there - see my pick of the best below...

The White Company - White Lavender Cracker Gift Set - £25

Presented beautifully in a crisp white cracker shell with lilac tie bows at either end, this is the ultimate Christmas cracker in my opinion! And the luxe doesn't stop at the packaging, this little crackerjack is concealing some serious beauty bang - a cuter than cute mini candle, thick body lotion and a sweet smelling shower gel. The added bonus is that there's no need to wrap the little beauty as it would look super pretty sitting underneath the Christmas tree or even nestling proudly in between your knife and fork at the table on Christmas Day...

 

True Grace - Christmas Noel Home Scent - £20

Twinkling fairy lights, advent calendars and festive carols all add to the Christmassy cheer throughout December, but what about the smell of Christmas? Don't waste time and energy trying to conjure up that festive fragrance naturally because I know a brand that has captured it and bottled it... True Grace! The True Grace Christmas Noel Home Scent is a scrumptious concoction of pine, cedarwood and amber - a single spritz and we guarantee you'll feel as though you've been transported to a snowy corner of lapland... All I can say is how did I not know about this festive little secret earlier?!

ESPA - Sleep Couture Gift Set - £55

I'm a bath baby through and through - I have one almost every night before bed and it's near impossible to coax me out once I'm submerged! Now there's abslutely no hope thanks to ESPA - this indulgent box of sleep-inducing goodies boasts a soothing bath oil, body oil, aromatic spray and scented candle all laced with Sandalwood, Frankincense and Rose Geranium. Simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G...

 

Now you just need to decide who's on the nice list this year and get gifting (probably also not a bad idea to subtly leave this window open as a little hint for passing friends, family and colleagues...)