Nina

The nights are drawing in, the trees are bare, and there's still a long way to go until Spring.

Some find this time of year romantic - after all, what is more charming than snuggling up to a loved one?

But some of the drawbacks of this season include colds, forgettable TV programs, stodgy food, mandatory time with relatives, less sunshine, roads becoming ice rinks and end of term assessments. Admit it, you're turned on already.

A good way to shake off the funk is to climb into bed with your lover... Except as soon as the clothes come off, the cold air bites you in the nether regions (not in a good way either). You jump into bed, only to be enveloped by the glacial sheets. Brrr.

Luckily, though, Lovehoney have a few items to turn up the heat (in more ways than one).

Pornography has come a long way over the past few decades. Well, maybe not so much in content, but in terms of accessibility.

The fact is, most of the fantasies we see acted out in porn have existed for hundreds of years, but previously, you had to go to some lengths to see them. Like subscribing to 'specialist' magazines, or braving a seedy-looking sex shop in a back alley.

With the internet age, our desires are at our fingertips.

People who are curious about trying/viewing something other than vanilla sex are able to do so with more ease than they would have, say, thirty years ago.

However, between the mainstream media, search engine algorithms and the influence of major pornography companies, it can be difficult not to become bored with the same ol' studio-filmed heteronormative perfect-bodied images flashing across our screens.

Here are just some things we are tired of seeing in pornography:

We all know how important it is to know what makes us tick in the bedroom, but are we all paying enough attention to our partners, too?

For those of us who really need to focus to be able to climax, or need a very specific sort of stimulation, it can be easy to become caught up in the routine of what we need, and not necessarily remember to do the same for the other person (or people) in the room.

And after all, sex is at its best when everyone's enjoying themselves, right?

So we've come up with some top tips (and a handy acronym) for how to make sure you're being a generous lover, as well as still getting everything you need.

It's movie night. Lights are dimmed, the popcorn is burning in the microwave and it's time to forget about studying for a couple of hours (it can be done tomorrow, right?).

Back in the days before binge watching a whole series was possible to do, without getting up from the sofa every four hours to put in the next DVD or VHS, movies ruled.

We spent many hours in front of the screen, even though we were told we'd get square eyes. Recreating musical dance routines, crying over a doe dying, gasping at the daredevil stunts of the action heroes and marvelling at the tightness of the Goblin King's trousers...

We are taking a trip back down cinematic memory lane, to look at some of the characters who inspired more than respect for their range. In fact, you could argue that some of them don't even have a range. But they sure were pretty.

As a student, I'd be lost without my smartphone. It's an essential piece of equipment for me. How else could I keep up with all my important academic notices like last minute seminar room changes, workshops showing me how to cite correctly, and student union election updates?

Then, in my free time I play games, keep in touch with friends, search for the name of the person in the current TV series I'm watching to find out where I recognise them from, and browse Lovehoney forums.

I've also tweeted a large supermarket chain because a relative and I were arguing about what year the local branch opened in our hometown. Behold, all this power and knowledge at my fingertips.

But wait, I can hear you thinking, if smartphones can do so many awesome things surely there's probably an app for reigniting intimacy? Like autocomplete, I'm already there.

Here are some of my favourites for boosting your sexual inspiration and adventures.