Holiday Destination: Prague

I know it's long overdue, but I wanted to share my recent holiday pictures and thoughts with you, this time from Prague.

We flew to Prague at the end of May, after a stressful year at uni and to mark the beginning of summer. Here's what we got up to:

Day 1

We arrived at the Majestic Plaza in Prague to beautiful weather and an urge to explore. After getting ourselves ready, we headed around the corner to find a large shopping centre (Sephora and Topshop - hello!), had a little look around and made our way down the high street towards Wenceslass Square. We had dinner at a pizza parlour in the heart of the square and then made a slow walk towards one of the bars we'd been eyeing up - James Dean's. The bar was our favourite and we ended up back there every night - great music, cheap drinks and a 50's diner theme.

Day 2

We had a lie-in pretty much everyday in Prague - it's such a chilled city, there's no need to rush for anything. We walked down to the Old Town Square where we had ice creams and admired the incredibly detailed buildings, before heading over Charles Bridge en route to the Castle. It was a long walk uphill but it's definitely the one thing you HAVE to do if you're in Prague. The buildings and views are definitely worth it once you get up there!

We had dinner in the Old Town Square at sunset, before exploring Prague's Old Town for bars and pubs. Bugsy's was the last bar we went to and was definitely my favourite, with a 20's London vibe and a long list of cocktails to choose from.

Day 3

On the hottest day of our holiday, we headed south along the river to explore more of Prague. We walked until we got to the dancing building and chilled by the river for a bit before going to crazy golf. Everything is relatively cheap in Prague and for £8 we had unlimited golf, arcade games and 2 drinks each - pretty good! We had such a long walk back to the Old Town so it wasn't too great that we got stuck in the biggest thunderstorm just as we were wandering across Charles Bridge so we spent the rest of the afternoon running back to the hotel and ordering room service for lunch!

Our dinner reservation was at the Buddha Bar in Prague and without a doubt, it was one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. The attention to detail, from the cocktails to the dessert, was exceptional and was definitely worth every penny.

Day 4

We spent the morning wandering over the Charles Bridge to find the John Lennon wall and pub, where we listened to music and looked around the stalls. There's so much to do in the city with history behind every attraction, but it's such a relaxing and chilled place to be.

We had a reservation at Cloud 9 - the sky bar in Prague, and the views over dinner were incredible. The food was lovely, but spent most of our time there making our way down the cocktail menu. After dinner we headed back to James Dean's for the night, which I guess was pretty good, because (judging by the photos) we ended up spending all of our money and partying along with a stag-do...

Day 5

Our last day was an absolute write off. I decided to get that drunk on our last night, I could barely move on our last day. After a loooong walk into town, we sat at a restaurant where I sipped water and admired the view. I had a nap and felt a bit better, so we wandered around a few shops before heading back to the hotel to wait in the lobby. I wish I'd have done it a bit differently and maybe not drank as much, it definitely ruined our last day in such a beautiful city, but we had to spend the last bit of our money somehow!

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Wanderer Magazine

I adore looking through travel magazines and thought that it would be fun to give it a go and create my own, as part of one of my second year modules. This was the final result!

My top tips on saving

If you know me, you'll know I'm a pretty good money saver. Whether it's trying to grab a bargain in the sales, selective buying or just storing my money for a rainy day - I'm pretty good at it.

As I get so many people asking me for tips, this post will hopefully help some of you who are looking at saving your money as well, even if it does give away my secrets of saving!

1. Promotional codes and student discount

I am a sucker for a good promotional code. I am that obsessed with them that when I buy anything online, I won't 'proceed to checkout' unless I have found a bargain. Whether it be 25% off student discount, free delivery or £5 off, it all makes a massive difference. Especially if it arrives and you find that it doesn't fit or isn't what you thought it was going to be.

2. Try to be organised

If you know you have something coming up, try to plan what you're going to buy in advance. If it's someone's birthday, you may find that what you want to buy them goes on offer or hits the sale, saving you money. For Christmas, I start as early as I can. Wanting to spoil family and friends and thinking of presents is difficult, so if you see something appropriate, even in September, buy it. It's always so typical that whenever you buy last minute, you can't find anything!

3. Shop the sales

Buy summer essentials in the autumn and winter favourites in the spring. Obviously, some things are only on-trend occasionally and you may find that impulse buying leaves you finding better, more on trend stuff the following year. However, coats, simple knits, denim shorts, bikinis and jeans will never go out of trend. Buying them in the sale will just save you money for when they come around again the following year!

4. Don't be afraid to splurge

I always fall in love with pricey pieces, even when it comes to looking for a new car or dreaming of future holidays. But it's all about compromising. Don't eat out as much, ask yourself if you really need so many underwear sets and put away some money each month. It's really not that difficult. Shopping sprees are a lot more fun when you've saved up money for them, rather than delving into your student overdraft.

5. Do you really need it?

Sometimes, you see an item you love and spend weeks longing for payday. But, even if you're not going to buy it there and then, try it on. It might not fit properly, be suitable or just not go with any other clothes you own! Or wait a week or two without impulse buying, you might not like it when you see it again...

Missguided haul

After Missguided managed to literally break the internet with a 50% off site-wide discount, I couldn't wait to receive my parcel. My 2 minute slot on the site resulted in frantic clicking and not entirely knowing what I'd actually purchased. A huge parcel finally arrived; shoes, jeans, playsuit, skirts, dresses and tops. All for less than £100.

Top Spring/Summer trends

Desert

Desert nudes are the perfect look for daytime, whether you're out for lunch or taking a day trip. Nudes, creams, whites and browns are all easy colours, but be imaginative. You can pair them with anything, but together they'll always look classic and effortless.

Lace

Lace has got to be my favourite trend this spring/summer. From lusting after the gorgeous Alexander McQueen and Dolce and Gabbana designer collections on the runway, to scrolling through pages of clothes online, I can't wait to find that perfect lace dress or skirt for long summer nights.

Lace is a perfect look for an elegant spring/summer wardrobe, and definitely won't go out of date.

Pastel

Pastel colours make for the perfect, girly summer look. Whether it's just a touch of pastel pink, paired with your favourite blue denim jeans, or a cotton-candy look dress, accessorised with a nude pair of wedges, you'll feel perfectly dressed for summer.

White

Crisp, white pieces are a must for the summer. White won't only keep your look cool and classic, but will go with any other colour, so mix and match brights and bolds with your favourite white top. Don't stick with plain cotton t-shirts though - textures work brilliantly with white, whether it's silk, lace or denim.

February Favourites

This year, February has definitely exceeded expectations.
However much I've stressed over assignments and revision, seeing friends, planning for the summer and a having a lovely Valentine's weekend have made it so much better.
So, here's my February favourites...

New music:

February has been a killer month with music across the board. Huge festival announcements, tour dates and new music, we've had it all. But, nobody could predict the TWO album drops we've had from Rihanna and Beyoncé. Both of their new singles have taken over the charts and I'm not the only one who cannot wait to see what these two artists have in store for the rest of 2016.

London Fashion Week:

Unless you've been hiding away over the past week, you couldn't miss the beautiful designs and pieces that London Fashion Week has given us. Hands down, my 3 favourite shows have been Alexander McQueen, Sophia Webster and Mary Katantzou. Their attention to detail combines beautifully with colours and textures. I couldn't take my eyes off their shows and will be longing after their designs for years to come.

Brit Awards:

Adele dominated the 2016 awards, winning 4 prizes including best album and best British female solo artist. Another winners included James Bay for best male, Justin Bieber for best international male and Catfish and the Battlement, who claimed British breakthrough act.

The night was filled with outstanding performances, designer dresses and an incredible tribute to Bowie.