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Showing posts with label Sephora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sephora. Show all posts
Friday, 28 March 2014

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been

Well, at the risk of scaring you off before you've finished the first sentence, this week has been an incredibly, incredibly dull week in Miceland... 

Well, it has in Hong Kong anyway. This Mouse has mostly been slaving away over stacks and stacks and stacks of documents. I hate whinging, so I'm not going to. But, let's just say, I've been going to bed every night this week at the sorts of times you usually only see when you've had fifteen Jager Bombs and a round or six of vodka jelly shots... Which given that it's Rugby Sevens week in Hong Kong, is exactly what my week should have been filled with. 

But, no Rugby for me, as I type this, I'm currently on a little lunch break, the first I've taken this week, and one I'm only rewarding myself because I miss the blog and I have now been awake and working non-stop for twenty nine hours and counting - so I'm basically feeling like this...



But because blogging about wanting to sleep is even duller than whining about work, here's a very brief canter through what's been keeping me sane during a pretty hellish week...

Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish
£14
If you have to sit on a call at gone 10pm, you may as well be doing something useful while you're listening... And if you're going to spend the next six hours watching your fingers flying across a keyboard, they may as well be pretty! I did a bit of a Sephora minesweep while I was in New York last month (rest assured a full on beauty haul post is in the works) and this bad boy was one of many beauty bits I snapped up. This shade is Downtown - a deliciously juicy watermelon pink (I may also have popped the coral-tastic Kensington Passage in my basket too...). These aren't actual gel/shellac polishes (see the London Mice's post on DIY-Shellac brand, NK1, if that's what you're after) but they are super shiny and definitely look gel-esque on. Sadly, they don't quite last a couple of weeks like gel, but, as someone who usually gets chips a couple of hours after painting my nails, I can vouch for the fact that these last longer than your average polish. They are quite pricey, but the colours are fab and you get a gorgeously glossy salon-worthy mani - exactly what I needed on a desk bound, dull Wednesday!



Mermaid Candle
US$50
Another New York find, this time a luxe orange blossom scented candle which has been flickering away at the edge of my desk long into the night over the last few days. On our Williamsburg wanderings, we came across girlie heaven, Catbird nyc. While I was trying on stacks of rings and lusting over shelvesful of other pretty bit and bobs, I spied a candle called 'Mermaid' and was immediately smitten. One sniff and I was totally whipping-out-my-credit-card-quicker-than-you-can-say-'overdraft' sold! I'm now trying to eek it out for as long as humanly possible...



Pretty desk accessories
I zipped up to the flower market in Prince Edward a couple of weeks ago and couldn't resist picking up an orchid from a little shop stuffed to bursting with every conceivable variety. The pot it came in was a bit of an eyesore, so as soon as I got home I whipped him out of his old home out and planted him in an old Diptyque candle pot - a much chicer new pad! He now sits right beside my laptop and makes me happy whenever I catch a glimpse of him!  


And a Little Bit of YSL Love 
I first blogged about these YSL Love Postcards almost two years ago and I've finally got round to framing and hanging them above my desk. The perfect eye candy for work-weary peepers! 

I got my set courtesy of the very lovely Mandy in Morocco who if you ask her very nicely will ship you your very own postcard-shaped scraps of love wherever you are in the world!



US$22
And let's end on a sweet note - yet another NYC purchase - Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen's new perfume Nirvana White. The Fashionista sisters' new fragrance line comes in two varieties, a daytime White and a darker, sultrier, Black. I got drawn in by the adult version of sweets at the till while I was queuing to pay for the contents of my groaningly full Sephora shopping basket and snapped up this clutch-friendly rollerball version of White. I now wish I'd bagged the bigger version, I can't get enough of this clean, fresh peony amazingness - it's like spritz of spring whenever I spray it!


And with that I'm off to make a little bit more of a dent into the mountains of paperwork littering my desk... And then my friends, I have some pretty exciting Friday night plans which look a lot like this...


Happy Weekend!

x

The Mice
Friday, 24 August 2012

This Week the Mice Have Mostly Been...

What a week...5995 miles from Hong Kong to London have been travelled, an early morning mouse reunion took place that only dogs could hear, espresso martinis were drunk like there's no tomorrow and a year of gossip was caught up on at high speed!! AND that was just Wednesday for you...!!

You guessed it HK Mouse is back, so far she has only graced London with her presence for 24 hours as she is now living it up in Italy ... you may have seen her smoasting on Twitter yesterday...

"Rose o'clock on the Amalfi Coast..."



BUT she'll be back with us next week for full on 3BM celebrations and adventures and I for one cannot wait! We have some serious cocktails to consume, pop-up restaurants to visit and amazing blogs to write...eeeeeekk!!

When we haven't been jumping up and down with sister glee or talking at the speed of light, the mice have mostly been....

Over excitedly plotting our first 3BM reunion - tick, next up the Bank holiday weekend - in progress, and the final challenge - scheduling in as many of London's newbies possible, to convince HK mouse to come on home to blighty!

A long weekend is very much in need and it is finally here, tonight as you walk out of the office you need to take a moment ... the equivalent of two Saturdays - when it is ok to have no responsibilties, lose yourself in the weekend bliss and be out as late as you please with not an ounce of guilt! And the best bit ... three sleep ins and no Sunday bluesssss...(Monday blues don't count!) 

So what are you going to do to fill yours...'Do the Lobster Dance' at The Disappearing Dining Club, Salsa your Sunday away at The Notting Hill Carnival, party Shoreditch style courtesy of The Book Club at Bookstock 2012 street party or give your festival get-up one final outing at SW4 ... whatever you choose we are spoilt for choice in London! Us Mice haven't even got our final plans in place but I can assure you it will include plenty of sleep, G&T's, fun, dancing and most probably Whole Foods!!

Beautifying over Prosecco at the media unveiling of Miracle Skin Transformer, a New York skincare range spreading its wings to London.

We tried and tested the eight product collection ranging from a no fuss tinted face moisturiser to everyday balm to a lavish night cream, all with price points ranging from £18 to £56. Middle mouse's favourite was the Triple Action Night Treatment which surprise surprise was at the top end of the price scale - what can we say, she has expensive taste! Although £56, for a cracking night moisturiser that's pretty darn good in our beauty books! The thing that we loved about it most was its texture - light, hydrating and not remotely greasy, surpassing all the typical traits of heavy night creams. I was a huge fan of the Heal Everyday Balm which follows the same concept as Elizabeth Arden 8-hour cream. A balm that solves all your problems - sunburn, irritation, chapped skin and can be used everywhere. It smells yummy too and it has a magical ingredient - Manuka Honey, it'll have all the boys buzzing after you!

The brains behind the brand is New Zealander Sarah McNamara, she's seriously fabulous and lovely with it! We were the last ones to leave because she was chatting away, plying us with prosecco and discussing Prince Harry's latest Vegas antics! However, fun aside, she knows her stuff having worked for L-Oreal, Elizabeth Arden and Unilever over the years. Since then having seen a gap in the market for a premium yet affordable skin care brand, Miracle Skin Transformer was born. 

The range is currently available in the US from Sephora and Bergdorf Goodman but come September, us Brits can get our hands on the products from www.miracleskintransformer.com, Selfridges from November and hopefully Space NK early next year ... not long to wait now ladies!

P.S If you're wondering what the delectable rose in the below picture is all about ... well, Sarah presented us each with one at the event and asked us 'do you accept this rose?' Batchelor style - love it!



Hitting up one of London's new kids on the block for the already mentioned 3BM reunion, Caravan Kings Cross! I have wanted to visit ever since I laid my eyes on the Brunch menu and specifically the coconut bread, lemon curd cream cheese and strawberries - WOW!!! (I still haven't tried this weep weep, but only an excuse to revisit.)

It has been on my mental 'Place to visit' list ever since, however the Exmouth Market location (which is quite a walk from the tube) never seemed to conviently fall into my plans. That is until I read that a new branch had opened in Kings Cross. Instantly venue number one to take Natalie on her first night was decided - easy peasy! 


The restaurant is a little hard to find, only about five minutes from St.Pancras situated in an old grain store - cue exposed brick walls, pipe works and huge industrial windows - I loved it! The staff couldn't have been more helpful or friendly, the cocktails were divine (you HAVE to have an espresso martini) and the food was so delicious we ordered enough for the whole of Animals of Farthing Wood and more! 


Highlights have to be, the Blue cheese, figs and truffle oil, New potatoes, duck egg, peas and mint and the pièce de résistance was the Butterscotch and Caramel pot with salted shortbread - OMG delish!!! You simply have to taste to believe the heaven!

Two cocktails each, wine, enough food to feed a country and a pudding to share came to £40 each - naughty HK mouse paid the bill before we could get our paws on it, however we'll get her back next week and hopefully it'll be another gem for you all to add to your London book of treats!


Enjoy the long weekend ahead London people!

Much love,

The Mice x