Monday Blues : Roundie Towels & Sunshine Smiles...

I think we're all in agreement when I say Mondays are beyond bleak, week in week out. Well today - the 18th January - is apparently the worst Monday of the entire year. It makes sense ... it's freezing and on top of that we're all super poor thanks to early pay days in December. Bah humbug! My work has tried to help ease the pain by giving everyone an extra hour in bed - sooooo PR - but we still have 7 whole hours remaining to get through...

I've tried to think about how us Mice could help, and I think the only thing for it is to think of sunnier destinations far far away which in a few months time we'll be jetting off to. Instagram-inspiration below to help you turn that Monday moan into a Saturday state of mind...

Holidays are my number one happy thing but shopping for them also never fails to draw a smile. This year I plan to buy lots of Marysia bikinis, Josa cover ups and my latest obsession ... roundie beach towels! I follow lots of travel and fashion bloggers on Instagram and they all seem to have them. They're essentially giant round towels embellished with beautiful patterns, colours and some even feature fabulous fringing. Not only are they great for the beach but they'll also be useful for picnic days in London when the sun decides to shine!

Royal Furnish & The Beach People seem to have strong collections online from the research I've done but just type 'roundie towels' into google to shop away...

Hopefully today's blog has transported you to a cheerier place for 5 minutes of your Monday. Chin up Micettes - holidays are coming! 

HK Mouse: Christmas Wish List

The number of shopping days left are dwindling fast but the bottom of my tree is still worryingly bare... If like me you've left your Christmas shopping somewhat to the last minute, here's a little gift-spiration made up of the beautiful pieces currently topping my wish list...

1. Bella Freud x Kate Moss Fairytale of New York Jumper £304

2. Make Life Beautiful - Camilla Morton £15

3. Smythson Panama Diary £42

4. Tom Dixon Candle Set £70.83

5. Charlotte Tilbury Goddess-Skin Clay Mask £45

6. Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream £70

7. Lipstick Queen lipstick in Frog Prince £22

1. Frends Layla Oil Slick Headphones £139.99

2. The White Company Cashmere Socks £35

3. Love x Style x Life - Garance Dore £11.89

4. Jonathan Adler Mohawk Match Strike US$42

5. Byredo Eau de Parfum Rose of No Man's Land £88

6. Charlotte Olympia x Karen Elson Sweater £304

Cracking Crackers 2015...

In just 11 days all that will lay ahead is 24 hours of champagne, presents and a copious amount of food. Lunch isn't a meal I particularly savour, I'm usually on the run, in a meeting or manically working to a deadline. And in any case, how interesting can quinoa and grilled chicken really be?! However Christmas lunch is the ultimate exception...all my favourite people together, slightly rosy, wearing paper crowns and squeezing in as much bread sauce and brussels sprouts as humanly possible!

I only ever have two complaints...one - my outfit is never expandable enough to reach my full eating capacity and secondly, I just wish the gifts in the crackers were slightly more exciting than a bottle opener or a teeny tiny notepad!

Problem one is harder to resolve - either opt for comfort and resemble Waynetta Slob from Harry Enfield & Chums, or stick with the mid-lunch outfit change that inevitably occurs each year! 

However problem number two is much easier....this year I've spied the perfect solution to make everyone happy....

Clarins Christmas Crackers, £49 for 6...

Molton Brown for Men, £20 each...

Guaranteed to put a smile on any girl's face, Jo Malone, £32 each...

Satisfy that sweet tooth with the best treat in the world, Charbonnel et Walker Cracker, £7.50...

If cuff links and cashmere socks are more like it, oh and money is no object...then Harrods is your answer, £499 for 6...

All that's left to do is plan a beautiful table setting, i'm dreaming of something along these lines....

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

Happy Friday you lovely lot! Only three more to go until we can all clock off and drown ourselves in red wine of the mulled variety...

This week has mostly been about getting in the Chrsitmassy spirit. Buying gifts galore following Black Friday madness and springing out of bed like a Jack in a box eager to see what Diptique gift awaits behind that day's advent calendar door. It's been a pretty good week come to think of it.

So without further ado... This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

Snapping up gifts left, right and centre and crying at the sight of our barely there overdraft limits - I know we've only just been paid but pay day feels seriously long overdue! We can't give away too much on here because our friends and family will see what we've bought them for Christmas but a few of our favourite finds this year have got to be...

L’Occitane Pierre Herme scents
If you haven’t heard of or smelt the new L’Occitane collaboration perfumes with Pierre Herme you’ll want to. On face value, yes it might seem like a strange partnership but it soooooo works! Pierre Herme is known for producing some of the best colour-popping macarons around and so the perfume packaging is spectacular. The first one is as light as a feather and a great day scent - Jasmin-Immertelle-Neroli - very girly boasting notes of citrus, pink pepper, jasmine, immortelle and orange blossom. The second one however without doubt stole the show for me - the Pamplemousse Rhubarbe - zingy and fresh rhubarb and grapefruit with musk and lavender. £46 for the pleasure…

Melvita Nectar de Rose range 
Us London mice popped along to the launch of this new collection about a month ago now and loved every single item from the shower gel, lip balm, body lotion to the fragrance. Rose scented beauty products can sometimes be over perfumed and smell a bit granny-ish but not this range - subtle and ultra-gentle. 

Dr Jackson Coconut Melt lip balm 
An oldie fav of ours but a firm Christmas stocking goodie. The balm melts at your touch and is seriously one of the most moreish beauty products I’ve ever used. A snip too at £10… 

Aesop Post Poo Drops 
Perfect for naughty brothers, boyfriends, husbands and dads! Enough said... £20 

Jo Malone Roasted Chestnut candle
I am a HUGE Jo M fan! Buy me anything from this brand and I’ll be a happy camper! This festive candle however is on a whole other level of amazingness – it’s a beast firstly with three wicks, it smells divine and oh-so-festive and it’s limited edition. It’s spenny at £120 but cost per burn makes it all OK…

L'Occitane oil cleanser 
So spoiling it's rude! Pump a small puddle of the shea oily goodness into your hands and gently massage into your face. The oil will transform before your eyes into a milky lotion removing the day's remains of make up and Tube dirt. Matching shea cleansing lotion and toner also come in the same range so if like me, you get obsessed with beauty products that smell good enough to eat you should buy the lot! £17 a pop… 

The Liberty colouring book 
Who doesn’t enjoy a good colouring in session??? It was a great love of mine as a child and that love is still very much alive today despite the fact that I’m now cracking on a bit! Charmingly, it’s packed full of gorgeous patterns from the Liberty archive. Cheap and cheerful at £9.98 – you can’t go far wrong… 

True Grace tin candles
Inject a little festive cheer into your home with these beautiful scented candles. Christmas in a tin if ever I smelt it – favourites have to be ‘Village Christmas’ – fresh pine, cedar and amber and the ‘Manor Christmas’ – cinnamon and oranges. Divine! £16 each…

Tom Ford lipstick 
I have ‘Nude Vanille’ and am obsessed with it. They're spenny at £38 for a large and £27 for a miniature but totally worth it as they glide on like a dream and have TF emblazed into the lipstick itself. The little things eh?!

Squealing with excitement on 1st December when we leapt out of bed to open our first Diptique advent calendar window! The morning excitement continued on Wednesday, Thursday and this morning when each day we're treated to another Diptique delight - so far we have three mini candles - Amber, Vanille & Feu Bois and a fig perfume. If that wasn't enough HK mouse also treated us both to a Lindt chocolate advent too so a sugary start to the day to boot!

5,995 miles away, HK mouse has been starting her days with a Charlotte Tilbury treat - this particular calendar boasts just 12 windows so she has had to pace herself and open one every other day to spread the joy across the month. So far she has the Goddess Skin Clay Mask & Charlotte's Magic Cream. What lucky Mice we are!

That’s it for another week Micettes! Have a super duper weekend…

Lots of love

The Mice 

XXX

Getting Our Festive On!

With 1 December looming, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... 

Well actually no. 

Here in Hong Kong it's really not feeling anything even remotely like Christmas. It's still warm and sunny, the skies are blue and snuggling up in cashmere is only possible if you whack the aircon up to max. The shops may have started playing tinny versions of carols on repeat, the Christmas decorations may have gone up but I for one am not feeling even the teeniest bit festive.

So, I've decided it's time to take action. Project Get Christmassy is well and truly under way. Yesterday saw a jaunt up to the Flower Market in Prince Edward where I bagged a wreath then it was back to Central to grab a Christmas tree and armfuls of red berries and eucalyptus. Back at Mouse Towers HK, I dug out the fairy lights and decorations and got to work.

Although that all definitely helped, one thing was still missing, Christmas Credit Card flexing... After all, it's really not Christmas unless you've indulged in a massive bout of Christmas shopping is it?! 

Well, luckily our American cousins have given us all an early Christmas gift by sharing the frankly genius post-Thanksgiving sales with us. If you didn't already get yourself a piece of the Black Friday action at the end of last week, panic not, there's still time to bag yourself a few Christmassy bargains today in the Cyber Monday sales.

Whether you it as an opportunity to buy yourself a few festive treats, or a chance to give yourself a head start on the Christmas shopping, Cyber Monday is guaranteed to get your week off to a flying start. Here's our pick of the best bargains out there...

The White Company
Use code: AH770 to get 20% off site-wide 
(ends midnight GMT Monday 30th November)

We suggest shopping anything and everything from the Winter fragrance range but especially a candle or six...

Marks & Spencer
Up to 50% off 
(ends 11:59pm GMT Monday 30th November)

Don't miss, 30% off Rosie for Autograph

ASOS
Use Code: CYBER 20% off site-wide
(ends 8:00am GMT Tuesday 1 December)

Snap up a Christmas jumper for a snip

Anthropologie
20% off site-wide
(ends 11:59pm GMT Monday 30th November)

The perfect place to stock up on the most giftable homeware bits and bobs, from monogrammed mugs to these gorgeous calligraphy canapé plates

Also worth a browse:

Avenue32
30% off select lines
(ends midnight GMT Monday 30th November)

Shopbop
Use Code: GOBIG15 to get 15% off orders of US$250+, 20% off orders of US$500+ and 25% off orders of US$1,000+
(ends 11:59pm PT Monday 30th November)

Topshop
Up to 50% off

Happy Shopping!