Lifestyle

I've never been one to enjoy winter weather, especially not when it consists of seemingly endless rain. When I find myself feeling particularly despondent in the face of another downpour, I begin to daydream of sunnier climes; if you, too, resort to this technique, then look no further. Here is a comprehensive list of places to go, in and around one of my favourite parts of the world – the sunny and gorgeous Amalfi Coast, where I was lucky enough to live on my year abroad last year. Sorrento Only a ferry-ride away from the beautiful Capri, but not a place to be overlooked. Sorrento showcases stunning sea views wherever you are in town. Perfect to get yourself in a sunny mood by sitting at a bar by the sparkling water, sipping a cocktail and building up a glamorous tan. Pompeii You'd th...

Intricate nail art has been a huge trend in recent years, and artistic nails are sure to be a fashion statement that lasts! With the return of London Fashion Weekend this month, I wanted to try something a bit more complex. Some designs are simply too detailed to achieve with a brush, which is why nail stamping is so fantastic: the design is already made for you to transfer onto your nails. I was so impressed by how simple it was to achieve this look and how well it turned out. To get started you will need an image plate, a stamper and a scraper. These are available in kits from Amazon for around £15, and I'd definitely recommend investing in a set if you're a nail art enthusiast. They look fantastic on and there's no limit to the designs you can choose as the plates are reusable! Start...

Hold the Facon jokes and jump on board the vegan experience. Veganism is unquestionably hot in the celebrity world right now, and it is a trend that is not going away… I'd be lying if I said compassion for animals had driven me to experience veganism: a friend had poked fun at my incessant love for meat and cheese, challenging me to go vegetarian for the week. Not being one to resist a dare, I foolishly extended my elimination of meat to a full vegan diet. The moment the words slipped from my mouth I knew I would regret it – as did she. I knew a vegan diet would be difficult for me to convert to, with meat and dairy being the focal point of all my meals. Lulling myself into a false belief, I professed: ‘How hard can it be to stay away from meat, milk, eggs and butter?', but upon scou...

Sponge Cake! You will need: 200g sugar 200g butter/margarine (at room temperature) 200g self-raising flour 4 eggs 1tsp vanilla extract 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. In a bowl, cream together the sugar and the butter/margarine until pale. 3. Gradually add in the eggs and the flour until well combined, then stir in the vanilla extract. 4. Either spoon the finished mixture into cupcake cases, or divide it evenly between two cake tins. 5. Bake in the oven. The cupcakes should take around 12-15 minutes, and the larger cakes will take around 25-30 minutes. Towards the end of the baking time, check whether they're done with a metal skewer (or a knife)– if you poke the skewer into the cake and withdraw it, it should come out clean. If any cake sticks to it, your cake is ...

*Disclaimer: this article contains magic* Walt Disney is one of the most influential figures of an individual's childhood and their dreams. Everyone has his or her favourite film and accompanying songs, and the princess they all wanted to be (for the record I wanted to be Belle – did you see her library?!). Disney is gender and age inclusive. Which is why the week before Christmas I saw myself and three friends head off to Disneyland Paris to celebrate our 21st birthdays in style. This trip had been in operation since October, and to say we were excited was an understatement – even though three of us had been before. From the moment we arrived and saw our Cars themed hotel we turned into excitable children, bouncing up and down, admiring the bedding, lights, wallpaper and even the bathroo...

This time of year sees all of us peering down at the scales in a haze of post-Christmas regret. During my gap year last year, I was lucky enough to meet lots of inspirational people (personal trainers, nutritionists, yoga fanatics, health enthusiasts), all of whom passed on great advice that contributes to living the healthiest, happiest lifestyle possible. I'm Healthy Hannah, and here are my tips on how to stay healthy in the new year. Eat three meals a day. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Factually, people who eat breakfast are slimmer than those who don't. And breakfast is a great thing: it starts up the metabolism, gets us fuelled for the day ahead, and will stop those awful hunger pangs at ten o'clock and the Kit Kat we seek thereafter. Think 80/20. I've noticed that many people decide ...

Freddie Rayner: I've been modelling since I was 17 – I got scouted waiting for a bus in my school uniform and it's been a roller coaster ever since. There have been crazy shoots… there was one in Paris where we had to get up at some god-awful time and we ended up just running around the city. It's quite difficult to find clothes in my size so I usually go all over. If I see something cool I'll probably buy it – but knowing me I'd probably wreck it a few days later. If I could, I would probably change my height, by about an inch or two. My favourite thing about myself? I'd say it's the travel I've been on – it just feels really good to know I can ship myself off to the furthest flung places across the world and somehow survive. Photography: Gyan Gurang

A quick and cheap way of getting around, if you don't mind death-defying driving, sardine-like people-packing or being handed a child/chicken to hold on your lap for the entire journey. A ‘Dale Dale' ( dar-lay dar-lay) is a minibus taken to various stops in and out of town. A 20 minute ride costs about 30p. Your best chances of catching a ride is to find the nearest ‘station', as it were – a sort of large gathering zone where many start their routes. It basically looks like a large herd of white minivans surrounded by drivers shouting and packing as many people into their vans as they can possibly hold. The first thing to note is that the locals take their people-cramming skills to a serious level. The other issue is the stops: seeing where you are, or where to get off, can be difficult t...

The 1920's Flapper-Girl image is recognisable to all. Low waistlines, bob cuts, strings of beads long enough to play a somewhat overly-elegant game of ‘Cat's Cradle' and bright red pouting lips. With Baz Luhrmann's visually exhilarating adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's ‘The Great Gatsby' sparkling away on Britain's silver screens, it's no wonder high street shoppers are being inundated with all things dapper and flapper. For those who could afford it, the Roaring Twenties was an era of extravagance, late nights and the disregard of previous stuffy social standards. Women tore off their corsets and showed a bit of leg, men put on their dancing shoes and the party never ended. Now, it's here that I spot some correlation between the guys and dolls of the Twenties and us, in the here and n...

Exams are finally over and the sun is shining, so what better way to spend a lazy afternoon than dressing up and showing off your mixology skills with our top summer cocktails! Long Island Iced Tea, serves 2: My personal favourite, this is light and refreshing and can be lethal after a couple. How about adding an English flavour by using a teapot and teacups instead of glasses. 1 measure (24ml) vodka // 1 measure gin // 1 measure white rum // 1 measure tequila // 1 measure triple sec or Cointreau // 1 measure lime or lemon juice // 2 teaspoons sugar syrup or caster sugar // Coke Put all the ingredients into the cocktail shaker, with ice in both the shaker and glasses. Shake, strain into the glasses, top up with coke and enjoy! Lynchburg Lemonade, serves 1: Straight from Tennessee itself,...