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!

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...)

It's Beginning To Smell A Lot Like Christmas...

Christmas to me involves four essential things ... my beautiful family, copious amounts of food and booze, presents galore and of course festive fragrance! I suppose aroma could come in a few forms ... the smell of your Christmas Day feast being whipped up, Christmas tree pine needles, mulled wine brewing, the list goes on. Well the easiest way in my opinion to keep that Christmas smell going all the way through to New Year is to stock up on festive winter candles. You'll be pleased to hear that we've been brushing up and testing out the best scented candles around and have bought you a run down of our personal favs to get you in the festive spirit. In no particular order our cream of the Christmas crop are...

The White Company Winter Botanical Candle, £20

With cinnamon sticks, orange slices and red berries embedded into the wax it's almost too pretty to burn! But trust me when you finally take the plunge and strike that match this little beauty will have you feeling suitably festive in an instant with its spicy cinnamon, clove and zesty orange fragrance! Only thing to note is that the candle isn't encased in a glass jar so you'll need to pop it onto a china plate to catch any wax drips.

Click to buy here

OSPREY LONDON Dark Amber, £30

Bring pure Christmas cheer into your life with OSPREY LONDON's Dark Amber candle from its new Home Fragrance range. Its yuletide nostalgic blend of precious woods and spicy amber takes me back to baby Robbo Christmas times. The frosted glass jar and the crisp white presentation box the candle comes in screams luxury too. The perfect Christmas candle centrepiece to inject some warmth into your home when it's chilly chapsticks outside!

Click to buy here

Miller Harris Tangerine Vert, £38

The Miller Harris packaging always has me at first sight. The beautiful floral sketching both elegant and subtle and so distinctive to the brand. This little wax delight packs an oh so sweet punch with its soft sicilian green tangerines, grapefruit and lemon scent. I would say the perfect addition to make early morning present opening super sparkly!

Click to buy here

Penhaligon's Tea Collection, £40

If one candle just isn't enough for you (greedy guts) then why not opt for three?! Penhaligon has released the Tea Collection comprising of three super-cute mini candles ... Earl Grey, Assam and Neroli. Not only will each one create a different mood in every room but they also burn for up to 20 hours each, well they do say good things come in small packages don't they?! The icing on the cake is the beautiful blue and white ornate box displaying the candles.

Click to buy here

Jonathan Ward Orange Opium, £35

This is one hell of a bold candle and it's not afraid to admit it ... think orange peel and a hot man's spicy aftershave and you have it in one! Cumin seed, cardamon, orange rind and Persian spices make up the candles powerful yet warming aroma. The packaging is attention grabbing too with its hand-blown metallic crystal glass holder. 

Click to buy here

Diptyque Pomander, £38

I'm an avid Diptyque fan it has to be said, sitting here writing this I spy four different fragrances - lavish? YES, but I can't help myself! Flavour of the month is Pomander, a rich soothing blend of orange, clove and cinnamon. Quite frankly mulled wine in wax! I promise it will have you feeling super Christmassy in a mere moment.

Click to buy here

Timothy Dunn Arabian Fig, £45

First thing to note about this limited edition candle is the way in which it's presented to you. Everything about it feels luxurious and special, from its gorgeous lavish burgundy and gold packaging, heavy weight hand-blown glass holder, silver candle lid to its long-lasting rich fig scent. The complex list of ingredients will send you wild with anticipation and have you running to the shops immediately - fig, basil, clove, frankincense, cassis, rose, jasmine, sandlewood, cedarwood and musk ... wow what a combo. Pricey but perfectly formed!

Click to buy here

Elemis Royal Candle, £25

If you love vanilla cupcakes this is the option for you! The bow-top candle boasts a warming combination of lily, jasmine and vanilla notes. Its ornate mirror glass jar adds an extra special Chrismassy touch too.

Click to buy here

Orla Kiely Geranium & Myrrh, £24

This retro-inspired candle features Orla Kiely's signature print so not only is it sweet smelling but also fashion forward for the home! Its geranium and myrrh fragrance is fresh, earthy and subtle, conjuring up a beautiful background aroma perfect for daytime relaxing.

Click to buy here