Would you prefer a night in front of the TV to a night out with friends?

Hello. My name is Amy and I am a telly addict. Yes I admit that, at the age of 23, I would rather stay in on an evening all snuggled up in my comfy PJs with endless cups of tea, Chanel the cat purring on my lap and the promise of a good night of television. Does that sound strange to you? Or are you like me? My addiction started when the recession really hit back in 2010. Finances got tighter, there were masses of job losses, and I came to the conclusion that lavish nights out were going to have to be limited to one, maybe two a month. I couldn't...

Interested? Read on...

Why having kids in your twenties is a bad idea. Seriously.

What would you say the perfect age to have children is? 21? 31? 41? Personally, I find it slightly worrying that women in their early twenties are having babies. The rise in 2013 alone of celebrities having children - Rochelle Humes, 24, has just given birth, Frankie Sandford, 24, is pregnant, and Peter Andre's missus Emily McDonagh, 24, is also expecting - worries me. Are they really ready for the responsibility of bringing up a child? Have they even grown up themselves? I get it. You may choose to have a family now because in the future there...

Interested? Read on...

Here's how to... move back in with your parents

It's a sad fact of today that a lot of us will have to move back home at some point. Whether we like it or not (and most of us don't), when graduation, unemployment or financial stress hits, the cosiness of mum and dad's feels like the only option. While it's wonderful to have a pile of ironing appear at the bottom of your bed, moving back in with the 'rents can be is a deflating experience to say the least. Here's how you can survive the dreaded move back (you're welcome). Don't beat yourself up Uttering the words: "I'm back at mum and dad's..."...

Interested? Read on...

The top five weird and wonderful bars in Manchester

From vintage havens to cloud bar heavens, Manchester’s bar scene has got it all. So it's fair to say as the UK's second largest urban area, the choice of where to spend your Friday night can be overwhelming. Now, I'll admit, when it comes to travelling the world, I've been around a bit. In both directions and back again. But when it comes to England, I'm surprisingly less travelled. I confess: I've not been to Manchester, or anywhere near it. So, having never actually visited the world's first industrial city, we asked the pros at DesignMyNight...

Interested? Read on...

Plum, and The Stylist's Rail: Frugal fashion from Henry Holland to the High Street

Every now and then, we stumble upon someone who's turned a really great idea into a reality. So when Plum, a lifestyle blogger and freelance PR consultant, got in touch about her pet project The Stylist’s Rail, we just had to find out more. Frugal fashion fans, this is definitely one for you. So Plum, just what is The Stylist’s Rail? The Stylist’s Rail is a wardrobe sale where the stallholders are a collective of stylists, vintage aficianados, independent brands, and stylish folk with cast-offs to covet. I currently hold it on the 1st Saturday...

Interested? Read on...

Review: The Gastro Burger Co, Brentwood, Essex - CLOSED

UPDATE MAY 2014: Following a tweet from Chris, The Gastro Burger Co. has closed its door. Such a shame. Since The Only Way is Essex hit our screens a couple of years ago, the little town of Brentwood has been known as the tourist capital of Essex. Once a quiet town with not much of a party vibe, on a Friday night the town is full of Geordie and Scouse groups of friends on hen nights arriving in pink limousines or steely black Hummers. Yes, people far and wide visit specifically to shop in the many boutiques the show's characters have opened, or...

Interested? Read on...

The UK's best beaches: Norfolk, Cornwall, Blackpool and Northumberland

If you’re looking for something a little bit quieter than Brighton beach this summer - somewhere to really relax and get away from the world - then read on because we have a UK beach to suit everyone. Sure, the scorching hot weather may be over (thank goodness). But there's nothing better than heading out on the last few days of summer to enjoy the sunsets and light evenings before winter sets in. For those seeking solace, pack your bags and head to Holkham Beach in Norfolk. The sand stretches for three miles and is backed by a pine forest...

Interested? Read on...

Sparkling Passionfruit nail art tutorial

We know you lovelies like a good nail tutorial. So Swedish blogger Caroline Blomst has created a nail art design called the Sparkling Passionfruit Manicure, inspired by Rekorderlig Cider's limited edition Passionfruit flavour. (These guys also do that really sweet strawberry flavour too. Lush.) Caroline created the sparkling purple and nude nail art design to celebrate summer. So try out this fun and flirty tutoria...

Interested? Read on...

Review: Caxton Terrace and Grill, St James' Park

Some places will stay with you for a long time. The Caxton Terrace and Grill is one of those places. Why? I can honestly say I had one of the most fantastic nights of the year at this unique, traditional, and downright gorgeous venue. Housed within the imposing St Ermin's Hotel (one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever seen) the whole place buzzes with chatter from such an eclectic variety of people. It's impossible for even the most socially reserved of us to not get drawn into conversation with diners and drinkers, whether they're suited...

Interested? Read on...

Hidden London: Canary Wharf

As a city, London really has everything. Tourists and locals head to Chelsea for a spot of shopping and soho for lively bars. But Canary Wharf, with its imposing glass buildings and concrete waterways never fails to make me feel like a tourist in my own city. So when the guys and girls at Clarendon’s short stay apartments in Canary Wharf challenged us to check out their turf and find something to appeal to you, our readers, we couldn’t resist, hopping on the good ol’ DLR (pretending to drive it, of course) spending an afternoon among the skyscrapers...

Interested? Read on...

Beauty's Best of British

We're a nation of beauty lovers, spending millions of hard-earned pounds a year on products, perfumes and potions to make us thinner, leaner, smoother and more confident. But did you know a handful of everyday staple brands we know and love actually had beginnings here in Britain? From market stalls to hte Poole, here are a few that caught our eye. Soap & Glory was founded by Marcia Kilgore, the brains behind FitFlops. She wanted to come up with a a fun and iconic beauty range, and so S&G was born. The cheeky pink and pastel branding...

Interested? Read on...

CLOSED WIN! 2 tickets to The Cake & Bake Show and an exclusive Bonne Maman gift box, worth £44!

We have a mouthwatering competition for all of our yummy readers. If you love cakes, baking and all things scrummy, then read on! The Cake & Bake Show, an experiential live event for baking and cake decorating fanatics, will be returning once again to Earls Court in September. With even more celebrity demonstrations, live bake-offs, cake competitions, interactive classes and workshops and not to mention samples galore, it’s every sweet-toothed baker's dream. So we've teamed up with one of the Cake & Bake Show's main sponsors, sole jam...

Interested? Read on...

Review: Karine Jackson Hair and Beauty

Hair really defines a person. I asked on twitter whether anyone would be willing to brave a pixie cut. Most of the replies were a resounding NO. It seems when it comes to style, we spend years and years growing it, brushing it, and dying it, only to get bored and chop it all off. Well, that's what I did earlier this month anyway. My hair wasn't particularly long to start with, but at shoulder length it was long enough to be able to twist and tie into cute plaits and scruffy buns. Despite this I wanted a change. With Anne Hathaway and Miley Cyrus...

Interested? Read on...

Does a 9p hangover cure, bruise banisher and skin exfoliator really work? Our seven day challenge tests the claims...

One of the perks of being a beauty writer means I get to test products that amaze and fascinate me, with today being no exception. So what am I trying out? A new lipstick? An innovative skin cream? Something pretty, bright and bold for my nails? No. I'm talking about Epsom Salts. Yep. You know that tub your grandma has had in the bathroom cabinet for about ten years? The very same. You can buy the salts for around £2.89, and you'll get enough for 30 treatments, making it a thrifty 9p for each. Now I’ll admit when I was given the task of testing...

Interested? Read on...

Let’s have a chat about porn

The world is obsessed with sex. Whether we’re doing it, talking about it, reading about it or debating who else is having it, sex is a constant in our lives. Watching other people ‘do the deed’ has become a particularly topical subject of late, and David Cameron’s plans to ban porn in UK households has made me think that we all need to sit down, and have a chat about porn. 28,258 internet users watch it every single second and every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is created in the US. Porn sells, and not just to the 'pervy' man down the...

Interested? Read on...

Horses for courses, but should they be made to race?

With Hickstead hosting the Longines Royal International horse show recently, I’ve seen the usual debate over how horse riding is cruel has raised its ugly head again. Are you someone who's mumbled about horse racing being worse than cock fighting or bear dancing? That the horses are whipped into a frenzy with many never finishing the race? I understand that. But perhaps I can go some way in calming any fears you might have. It is quite a difficult concept for those who do not have a horse to grasp and understand, but the riders and horses you...

Interested? Read on...

It happened to Jennifer and Courtney. So what happens if you outgrow your best friends?

Your best friends are meant to be forever, right? So say sitcoms and rom-coms, so say chick lit novels, and so say you and your friends to each other when you’re in your teens. After all, those BFF necklaces you stayed up making that sleepover can't be separated, ever. As long as you have one bit, and your BFF has the other, you'll really be friends forever, right? Take Friends, the series most people our age grew up on. Monica and Rachel were friends from school in their fictional world, through thick (literally in Monica's case) and thin....

Interested? Read on...

Review: Megaro Bar, King Cross, London

Kings Cross is making a comeback. My mum remembers it way back in the 60s, calling it the kind of place you'd arrive at the station and make a quick exit. Now, fifty years later, it's seeing a comeback with a whole host of boutique hotels and new bars hitting the once-dodgy area. So always ones to keep up with the lastest fun and unusual places to drink, six out of ten decided to pay one of Kings Cross' newest bars, Megaro, a visit. It's sat underneath Hotel Megaro down a dark set of stairs which are illuminated by a Darkroom in Use sign. And...

Interested? Read on...

Review: Vapiano, Great Portland Street, London (although they are EVERYWHERE)

Italian restaurants are found all over London, from authentic Sicilian pizzerias to Milanese pasta houses. Vapiano is slightly different, an Italian street food/canteen experience. It's a chain, which isn't always a good thing, so when six out of ten visited on Friday night, we weren't too sure what to expect. After all, canteen style food conjures up images of secondary school cheesy pizza bread and deep fried everything served on a chipped plate with water-stained cutlery. We visited the Great Portland Street branch, right next to Oxford Street's...

Interested? Read on...

Doesn’t the Home Office have anything better to do?

[The photo here was tweeted by @ukhomeoffice along with the caption: A suspected visa overstayer arrested at Swansea nail bar – 94 suspected #immigrationoffenders arrested across UK" - Laura] Picture this scene: it’s 2050. The economy is just coming out of a recession. Times are hard, unemployment is high, graduates can’t get jobs and public sector pay is frozen. In an effort to be ‘down with the kids’ the government is using social media to get across that it’s tough on crime/pro NHS/improving education (insert generic centre-left/centre-right...

Interested? Read on...

Should celebrities be considered role models in any way? (Features Directioners and Beliebers, sadly.)

A role model is someone we aspire to – someone that we would want our children to be and that has, we assume, done admirable things in life. Simple. But despite the immense perks that come with celebrity - money, adoring fans, a free reign – the pressures of constant paparazzi and growing up in the spotlight mount up. Don’t believe me? Britney Spears; the blonde-haired teen with the angelic smile, who innocently posed in an iconic school-girl outfit lost her way and, in 2007, after a spate of odd behaviour, sparked a media frenzy by shaving...

Interested? Read on...