I can't believe summer is already on its way! I've been waiting for summer to arrive for the longest time. The heat, the sun, the beach, the scenery, and most of all, the crop tops. Seriously. I'm eagerly awaiting the day when it'll be warm enough for me to bare a little stomach skin.

Anyway, for those of you, like me, who are looking forward to wearing crop tops in the warm sun, here are some ways you can wear these beautiful fashion pieces:

Wear them with high-waisted shorts

Crop tops are cool and all, but that doesn't mean I want to bear every inch of my stomach to the world. No way, Jose. Instead, I wear a nice pair of high-waisted shorts and rock 'em.

Wear them with high-waisted skirts

Wearing crop tops with high-waisted skirts are by far my favorite combination of an outfit ever. They're super cute, versatile, and uber fashionable.

Wear them with overalls

Ah, overalls. I'm usually not a fan of these strange fashion statements, but when it comes to crop tops... yes, please! Crop tops and overalls are a match made in heaven.

Wear a cami underneath

With my boxier crop tops, I tend to wear a cami underneath them for a little summer layering. It's super fun, cute, and less revealing. I personally have a black and white striped boxy crop top that I like to wear over my hot pink or black cami.


-Barista Mia-

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It's finally spring!

I know those of you who live in the Southern Hemisphere won't be thinking the same thing, but for us up here in the north, winter has finally been banished. And aren't we glad! The cold may be nice for a while but it doesn't take long for me to start missing the heat.

With the warm weather arriving, try to make the most of it and be outside as much as possible. Even though it's revision and exam time for most of us, the change in weather can still make a positive difference to our textbook-saturated lives.

Everyone knows you need little breaks in revision. Instead of using these to go online and get carried away by something on Facebook or by a texting conversation, go into the garden or somewhere you can get fresh air. It will clear your head and help you concentrate better when you have to get back to work.

I also like to do my schoolwork out in the garden whenever I can. A pretty, sunny atmosphere is better for studying in than a gloomy, cold one.

When you do have time, go for a walk. Especially if you're one of the many who are feeling depressed or down, I guarantee this will cheer you up more than staying inside playing video games!

What are your favourite thing to do once the warmer seasons come? How do you make the most of them? Let us know in the comments!


-Barista Sabita-

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Do not read if you haven't read Percy Jackson and the Titans Curse, Mockingjay or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I really don't want to be the one to spoil them for you.

Our favourite book characters sometimes die. It wouldn't be right if they all made it out alive. But thankfully, over time the sadness fades, an example of this is Dumbledore's death: we were all upset at first, but the fact that he was dead settled in our minds and we got over it. There are deaths, however, that you just don't ever get over and you still feel sad when you think about them.

***Spoiler Alert***

1) Bianca di Angelo

In the world of Percy Jackson, I guess Bianca was a fairly minor character but she still managed to become one of my favourites before she became the series's first fatality (not counting monsters or Gabe) thirteen chapters into the book she made her first appearance in. I, for one, spent the rest of the book believing she was still alive, which is one of the reasons that I, six books on, still haven't gotten over her death. I can't believe Rick Riordan killed such a young, innocent character.

2) Primrose Everdeen

Another young, innocent character whose death still haunts me. Throughout the Hunger Games series, I found similarities between the Everdeen sisters and my sister and I. I'm dark haired like Katniss while my sister's blonde and pale like Prim. We even have the same age gap. So when I was reading the books, in my head, Prim looked like my sister. Imagine watching your sister blown to smithereens. Not pretty; even inside your head. I am not embarrassed to say I cried for an hour after reading that Prim had died. I still haven't gotten over this death because I can't comprehend my sister dying at thirteen, particularly as she's twelve now.

3) Fred Weasley

Sorry guys. It's kinda my fault that Fred died. Back in 2007, my dad was reading the Deathly Hallows to me (if you're wondering why my dad was giving me bedtime stories when I was ten, you never heard his Hagrid voice) my then six-year-old sister overheard Dobby's death and I had to comfort her. I said "it's okay, at least we've still got Fred and George, they're great!"
And we all know what happened after that.
By the time Fred died, I was so used to characters dying I never shed a tear. But thinking back, he's the one death I never got over. I'll think about the wonderful world J.K Rowling gave us and I'll think of all the antics of the Weasley twins. Then I'll remember, that that ended. There are no Weasley twins anymore, there's only George. Oh god, I'm starting to cry now, why J.K? Why?


-Barista Ellen-

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I am personally a big makeup lover, but the problem is, I don't have enough money in my pocket to get all the makeup products that I want. I'm restricted to getting solely those makeup products that I actually need. I know that there are many other teens like me out there, so I decided to share what I believe are the make-up essentials every girl should have in her makeup bag.

Suncream

I always buy foundation with SPF, but that doesn't mean I'm still a little wary of how many sun rays might hit my skin. So for a little extra protection for my face, I put on some suncream before I put on foundation. Better safe than sorry.

Foundation

Duh!

Concealer

I honestly couldn't live without concealer. I get pretty bad under eye circles and some parts of my skin need a little extra covering up. Concealer is a savior for those who need to cover up those pesty imperfections.

Powder

Powder is literally something I cannot live without. Powder smooths out my face, powder makes sure I avoid that horrible shiny-face-syndrome, powder sets my foundation and concealer, and powder just makes everything look perfect. Powder is the best finishing touch for every girl's makeup look.

Blush

A little color on your skin can go a long way. In Korea, it's in vogue for students to slap on a whole heap of foundation that is two shades lighter than their skin and wear absolutely no color on their cheeks. It honestly looks super scary and unflattering. Blush is a must, people. Those rosy cheeks will give so much life to your skin.

Eyelash curler

If you're blessed with naturally curled lashes, good for you! I, and millions of other girls, on the other hand, are not so lucky. But thank goodness for eyelash curlers!

Mascara

This is the first makeup product every girl gets and for good reason. Mascara really opens up the eyes and makes you looks more awake. Mascara is a must have in every girl's makeup bag for sure.

Eyeliner

Eyeliner is what puts a little more glamour into your makeup look. Seriously, a little eyeliner can go a long way. Besides, eyeliner also accentuates the shape of your eyes and makes them appear bigger and more open (similar to mascara).

Neutral eyeshadow palette

You have the greens, the blues, the pinks, but what you REALLY need in your makeup bag is the neutrals. Neutral eyeshadow goes with every outfit and with every look. You can't live without a neutral eyeshadow palette.

Lipstick/Lipgloss

What's a makeup look without any color on your lips? I am a bigger fan of lipstick than lipgloss as I love the matte look of lipstick, but both lipstick and lipgloss perfects your makeup look to a T. Lip color is a must have.

So these are my make-up essentials. What are yours?


-Barista Mia-

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I've been really into chick flicks recently. Yes, I've already had my fair share of chick flicks before, but I've started to get super crazy about them nowadays. I've been watching one chick flick every two days now. Any more than that, I get a headache, which is a shame 'cause I really would love to watch chick flicks more often. But anyway, through this recent chick flick binge, I've accumulated a list of the best chick flicks ever, AKA the chick flicks everyone should love.

So here are my top chick flick picks that you can't miss.

Mean Girls

No chick flick list is ever complete without this classic.

10 Things I Hate About You

I watched this movie just yesterday and oh. My. Gosh. Wow. This movie is the cutest and most perfect little thing ever.

She's The Man

Amanda Bynes is a genius. I'm serious. She's funny, adorbs, and totes perfect for the role as soccer-loving Viola.

Pitch Perfect

This movie just might be my favorite of this entire list. And do I even need to explain why?

Miss Congeniality

A butt-kicking Miss USA candidate? Count me in.

Legally Blonde

With its perky main character, amazing law case that can only be solved by someone like Elle Woods, and wow-some ending, if you don't like Legally Blonde, something's wrong with you.

Clueless

Clueless is called the Mean Girls of the '90s for a reason. It's 97 minutes of literal perfection.

The Devil Wears Prada

This is the movie that introduced me to the wonderful world of chick flicks. It's pure amaze-balls.

So what do you think of my list? Are there any movies that I missed out?


-Barista Mia-

Images: Mean Girls poster, 10 Things I Hate About You poster, She's The Man poster, Pitch Perfect poster, Miss Congeniality poster, Legally Blonde poster, Clueless poster, The Devil Wears Prada poster. Read more »

Long distance relationships. What's with that voice in the back of your head, or coming from someone else, saying that these are pointless? Sure, there are some reasons why this can be the case, but not always.

Many people consider having a boyfriend or girlfriend hundreds of miles away whom you can't see to be a waste of time. You can't go out with them, you can't kiss them or hold their hand. You can only ever see them on video-chat. And personally, although I have a long distance boyfriend, I have telephonophobia, and video-chat is like the telephone but with added motion picture torture, so that's that option out the window.

Does the relationship suffer, though? No, it doesn't. Texting is more than enough and some great conversations can be had on it. I have texted and written to people I've never seen in real life for so long that it's second nature to me now.

There are lots of things you can do in a relationship over the Internet, phone, etc. If you do like live calls, they can be great fun (or so I'm guessing!). You can play a game such as truth or dare, would you rather, or two-truths-and-a-lie (in which you give three facts about yourself, one of which is false, and your partner has to guess which one that is). You can watch a movie at the same time. You can send each other things through the post. Plus, of course, you can make plans to meet up in real life some day.

How do you know they're not cheating on you? My advice is to only enter a relationship if you are able to trust the person so much that there is absolutely no doubt in your mind that they are not. This way you'll never have to worry and you can be sure of their dedication.

If you are worried about not being able to see someone you're so close to, think about the idea of believing in God or gods. If you are a believer you probably look to God as a friend as well as a judge and a helper. Even though you can't exactly take Him out for a pizza, if you really believe strongly enough, He's always there, somewhere in the sky above the treetops (that's where I look when I need to talk to Him, anyway!) You can't see Him, but you know there's someone out there who knows you and cares about you.

So, what do you think about long distance relationships? Are you in one, and what is your experience with it? Let us know in the comments!


-Barista Sabita-

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