HE'S SO CUTE???

Salman Toor (Pakistani, b. 1983, Lahore, Pakistan, based Brooklyn, NY, USA) - 1: Ghost Story, 2019  2: The Green Room, 2019  3: Four Friends, 2019  4: After Party II, 2019  5: After Party, 2019, Paintings: Oil on Canvas / Panel

Dark Academia for Brown People

 Most people, when they think of dark academia is books (that’s the whole point) and ancient languages such as Latin or Ancient Greek. I’m here to tell you that you all are SLEEPING on brown culture. Love that is conveyed in the languages of Persian and Urdu (my native language) crosses borders. Sure, Shakespeare and Sappho wrote great pieces of literature but the stories and poems of Rumi, Manto, Hafez and Iqbal have a special place in my heart. 

Some of my favourites are:- (all are translated)

Sit at my grave with wine and a minstrel in a trance, so your smell will raise me from the dead.

HAFEZ

My lover’s sadness lit a fire in my heart that burned my chest, there was a fire in his house that burned the nest.

HAFEZ

O the day turned night, what a shame, a gazelle of kindness a lion became, my partner and lover grew tired of my words and prayers too.

RUMI

These are my personal favourites. I can always make a longer post if you all want.

Female poets deserve a whole other post.

As someone who goes to an English-Medium school, we are always taught to converse in English, see the language as a part of yourself but deny a place to Urdu. As I grow older, I have come to appreciate my identity and so should all my fellow brown people. Take pride in your mother tongue.

Denis Forkas

got any skincare recs? (especially toners + emulsions)

first, i’d recommend doing research. r/skincareaddiction on reddit is a great resource that focuses on science-based skincare with an eye for detail and rigorous evidence, not just hype. they have a great wiki on routine order that gives a good resource on how to create a routine in general (eg what’s an active? what ph should your skin be for xyz ingredient to be most effective? should i apply xyz ingredient before or after pqr ingredient?)

so on to my own recs, for toners and moisturizing products in particular

etude house - soonjung - tbh this whole line is great for sensitive skin. pretty much all of the products are oil free, alcohol free, and fragrance free, and contain only the bare bones. i use the ph 5.5 toner and the 10-free moist emulsion. the etude house soonjung moist emulsion is literally my favorite moisturizer right now. steer clear of their other skincare tho, since it tends to be heavy on fragrance.

purito - another korean drugstore brand that focuses on good ingredients without oils, alcohols, and fragrances. they have an unscented centella serum i use that’s 10% niacinamide and good for redness

cosrx - of course i recommend cosrx. if you’re dealing with acne and need a good aha/bha product, pretty much everything made by cosrx is well formulated and affordable

other:

sunscreen - 100% always wear sunscreen. not only does it prevent hyperpigmentation and loss of skin elasticity caused by uv exposure, the simple act of wearing high spf sunscreen does a lot to prevent skin cancer. make sure it’s coral reef safe, since some of the chemicals used in sunscreens are terrible for the oceans. i’d recommend looking for a product with both physical and chemical protection. definitely go with an asian brand, since asian sunscreens are superior — odorless, non greasy, dries matte, thin texture, no white cast.

non-korean brands: i use cerave in the winter when my skin gets dry

oil cleansers: use one. westerners aren’t hip to oil cleansers because they’re scared of it, but nothing takes off your makeup as easily as an oil cleanser. instantly dissolves even the toughest waterproof mascaras (use asian brands for that too) and is great at removing sebum plugs from your pores. look up double cleansing. yes, you wash your face twice, but your skin will thank you.

so. my current full routine is

AM: shiseido perfect whip cleansing foam -> etude house soonjung ph 5.5 toner -> etude house soonjung 10-free moist emulsion -> missha all around safe block essence sun milk

PM: banila co cleansing balm -> shiseido perfect whip cleansing foam -> 10% benzoyl peroxide -> let that sit for 5-10 minutes (while i’m in the shower) then wash off -> etude house soonjung ph 5.5 toner -> 0.1% adapalene -> etude house soonjung 10-free moist emulsion

note that this is my routine now, since my acne is under control and i’m mostly focused on maintaining my skin. so i’m not using many actives currently, but while i was still in college, i was very careful about using an AHA and BHA on alternating days and using a good formulation vitamin c (ie L-ascorbic acid, no water, since that causes it to degrade, kept in an airless pump, and stored in a dark place)

wait this is so cool

I just recently watched Red shoes and the seven dwarfs and AHHHHHH IT'S AMAZING !!!! Here's a drawing of Merlin I drew because we stan one (1) boi who gets amazing character development!!!!

Reblog if

It’s 104% okay to come to your DM and just say, “Hi, can we be friends?” And then start asking you random questions.

oh dear. i think To Be Hero X is making me come down with a terminal case of Pretty Man Syndrome™ 😳😳😳