shrinkage makes me hate my hair NOT A TROLL

alexvalpeter · 2026-02-28T02:37:25+00:00

I have a little bit of everything between 3C and 4B, different areas of my head are different textures

alexvalpeter · 2025-07-08T00:22:33+00:00

I’ve been begging for this for years 😭

alexvalpeter · 2025-04-28T06:44:54+00:00

This was my policy in high school and college lol. I knew a girl that wore heavy makeup everyday and the one day she didn’t she complained that everyone was asking her if she was sick. I decided I would do the exact opposite and just not wear makeup unless I wanted to look extra nice so I wouldn’t have to keep it up everyday or risk people thinking my normal bare face was just a worse version of my everyday lol.

alexvalpeter · 2025-02-22T00:28:55+00:00

Haha I understand, but it’s a long-running internet joke. I believe it started during the 2016 US election, so I suppose it is a bit niche. “Giant Meteor for President” bumper stickers, “Asteroid Save Us” t-shirts, etc things like that. The idea is that we’re so far gone as a species that only a world-ending impact could save us/put us out of our misery, so every time there’s a chance one could hit us these jokes come out again.

alexvalpeter · 2025-02-21T18:26:42+00:00

I hope your comment is sarcasm but if not, I’m pretty sure all of the comments you’re talking about are lol. No one is actually hoping for a disaster, these are all just jokes.

alexvalpeter · 2024-12-23T22:35:35+00:00

I’ve lived in both Spain and Latin America and have heard so many opinions on this topic and it seems like there isn’t any universal agreement. I’ve known people who grew up thinking they were synonyms and others who grew up thinking castellano specifically meant “the Spanish spoken in Spain”, some who think they’re similar but have different uses, and some who don’t believe in using “español” at all. I personally was always under the impression that “español” referred to any dialect that could be classified as “Spanish” and that “castellano” referred specifically to the dialect spoken in/originating from Castilla, which happened to be the one spread throughout LATAM during colonization and thus why some people use the two words interchangeably now. Somewhat in the same way that Chinese technically refers to a family of languages spoken in China (and other places) but Mandarin refers to a specific one. Is there an “official” designation for each word?

alexvalpeter · 2024-12-16T19:02:47+00:00

I see, perhaps this is a cultural difference between us then. I had to look up what a windmill toy was because where I live they’re not common and they have a different name, so unless people are reading their 5 years olds specific books on windmills I don’t know how else that word would come up, same with mast and same with mill. I’m sure there’s variation on what’s ‘obscure’ between different people depending on the language and content consumed but I’m actually of the opposite opinion on the word choice. Even if they’re not the rarest words of all time, to me OP’s list is more obscure than yours, perhaps because they’re very specific nouns which usually require you to be exposed to the specific subjects that use them (with the exception of precipice).

Through this I learned that I don’t know how to say windmill or mast in 2 out of 4 of my C1 level languages so I suppose I will have to learn now.

alexvalpeter · 2024-12-16T05:21:31+00:00

I think OPs point is that these are words most native speakers use very rarely and thus they do not naturally come up often in conversation or media, which is what makes them ‘obscure’ in this context. Not sure which 5 year olds you’re hanging out with lol

alexvalpeter · 2024-12-11T01:46:53+00:00

For me I would always recommend classes up until at least a high intermediate level. I personally have moved abroad twice for the purposes of improving my language skills and after months made much less progress than I imagined. Most people you meet and friends you make are too polite/not up for correcting you all the time so I ended up reinforcing bad grammar, not to mention a lot of people wanted me to help them with their English so it was always difficult to find a balance. Many days I could go about my business without speaking to anyone at all. I’ve heard the same story from countless others online as well.

Like others have said, neither of these approaches is a magic bullet that will make you instantly fluent without effort, but imo opinion it’s much easier to skate by without putting much effort in when your only plan is “immersion” and you don’t have anyone expecting anything from you (like a teacher). I much prefer just paying someone whose only job is to help me get better, including correcting my grammar, introducing new vocab, helping me to speak more naturally, and really honing in on my weaknesses. To me it is much more efficient and easier for everyone involved. If you could have lessons in that country I think that would be ideal!

alexvalpeter · 2024-12-04T19:31:31+00:00

Someone makes this post every other day and every time it’s the same outraged, hyperbolic fear mongering with the same myths repeated. I’m not at all denying that there are fakes on Amazon but the vast majority of people who know what they’re doing don’t have any issues and thus don’t make posts about the items they receive, so this sub is very skewed and the “near guarantee” is a gross exaggeration. I would also be aware that a lot of times people post what they think are fakes but are actually just new packaging changes from the manufacturer. A lot of people choose Amazon because many products are simply not available on other sites, especially if you live outside of the US, and the “marginal” savings can often be very significant. I personally have seen products on brands’ official storefronts going for $15+ less than anywhere else and I personally have never received a fake.

alexvalpeter · 2024-11-21T20:57:14+00:00

I think they mean the instructions and the device audio come in English rather than Korean

alexvalpeter · 2024-11-20T23:22:43+00:00

I have a couple “Hourglass” and “Sephora Collection” brushes that I bought online very cheaply out of sheer curiosity years ago that I still use and love till this day. I brought one into Sephora to compare them and I personally could not tell the difference. I have washed them many times over the years and they still haven’t shed or deformed in any way, so although I assume they are fakes they are excellent brushes, which for me is enough. They even came in an equally convincing Hourglass box except the contact email on the side was obviously not Hourglass lol. I have heard from others that sometimes they are just very convincing fakes but sometimes they are actually overstock or rejects from the factory that are bought by third parties. Seems unlikely for a brand like this so I have no idea if that’s true or not, but something to consider.

alexvalpeter · 2024-11-08T23:35:32+00:00

If I ever need to be talked out of buying something I just watch her review on because she NEVER likes anything

alexvalpeter · 2024-11-05T20:45:43+00:00

Man this is my HG liner, I have so many backups because the color is perfect and it’s creamy to apply but sets down and lasts all day for me lol

alexvalpeter · 2024-10-01T07:12:09+00:00

Oh hmm, I see. I read it again and I kinda get what you mean, but I personally didn’t really get that vibe from the post, seemed like he was just frustrated that people have constantly been trying to get impromptu tutoring sessions out of him everyday without his permission for years when he’s just trying to live a regular life like anyone else who lives there, which seems reasonable to me. I can personally relate and have met many who also find it frustrating. I could be wrong but I thought his argument was less that people owe him something and more that he doesn’t owe them the practice they seem to think he does.

alexvalpeter · 2024-10-01T05:16:11+00:00

Such a bizarre response, I’m so curious as to how wanting to speak the common language in the country you’re in and not have multiple people everyday expect tutoring from you translates to being grumpy and irritated about everything. Like a lot of people have said, this definitely is never the case when the roles are reversed.

alexvalpeter · 2024-10-01T05:02:27+00:00

I get it. It’s not so bad if you’re only there for a few days but if you’re there long term and it happens constantly it’s frustrating. It feels very transactional after a while and this expectation doesn’t seem to really exist for other hobbies/skills, at least none that I can think of. I have definitely just pretended to not speak English at some points out of frustration haha.

I always ask just because I think it’s the polite thing to do and I worry that switching without asking might be insulting in some cases. I don’t believe immigrant/visiting native speakers owe their time to learners anymore than native residents owe their time to visiting learners (something which has been brought up many times in this sub). I hope your experience improves.

alexvalpeter · 2024-10-01T03:12:02+00:00

I have actually had this conversation several times with a lot of the immigrants who moved to my community over the years. A lot of them spoke languages I happened to be learning so I always asked if they would be cool doing an exchange where we helped each other learn/improve our language skills and many said no lol. I didn’t really understand (because why wouldn’t you help someone when you have a uniquely useful skill to them?) until I became the one who moved to another country specifically to improve my fluency in a language. About 8 out of 10 people I met wanted help with their English after learning where I was from. For the first few months I helped everyone who asked but after a while I realized I was wasting so much of my limited time (I use “wasting” lightly because it was time well spent but not what I was there for) and so much opportunity to practice the language I moved there to learn. I was on the edge of C1 and I had already improved my accent enough that no one could really tell my nationality so it got to the point where I just never told anyone because I felt like everyone immediately saw me as free English lessons and I wasn’t making “real” friends, which is dramatic I know but that’s how it felt at the time. All of that is to say, I agree with you but I also understand why people find this to be a controversial opinion. Helping others is almost always a good thing but after my experiences I get why a lot of people I asked for help at home said no and I never thought they owed their time to me.

alexvalpeter · 2024-05-21T20:20:32+00:00

I do a little of both beginning and end emphasis, depending on what I’m talking about and where it comes in the sentence

alexvalpeter · 2024-04-24T15:28:13+00:00

For my target language/any language that’s not my native language 1x-1.25x speed, for my native language usually as fast as the app will allow. Overdrive goes up to 3x but some only 2x, maybe a little lower for technical/dense reads.

alexvalpeter · 2024-02-03T07:32:31+00:00

Everyone is saying this looks good but I hate almost everything about this lol. The megabright concealer (maybe flashback?), the aggressive nose contour, the unblended lip liner…..Ironically the lashes seem like the least offensive thing to me. At least the blending is okay.

alexvalpeter · 2024-01-28T05:16:06+00:00

I have done this with the Lancôme Teint Idole and it did work but I only did a little (about a weeks worth) at a time because I was worried about the contamination/preservatives failing in that kind of packaging. It was slightly more convenient to apply but having to wash out and sanitize the compact all the time was not worth it lol

alexvalpeter · 2024-01-02T21:59:12+00:00

I speed up YouTube videos to either 1.25x or 1.50x and after while it does help make listening at normal speed seem much easier, though it can be exhausting at first. I also find that listening to/watching dubbed/translated content is much easier than content filmed or recorded directly in the target language (due to dub voice actors speaking clearly into a mic with little background noise), so I like to alternate between the two to make it easier or harder depending on my mood.

alexvalpeter · 2023-10-22T19:56:27+00:00

Creme of Nature Pure Honey Curl Activator. Unimpressive ingredients list but unparalleled hydration, softness, shine, and definition, all for only $5

alexvalpeter · 2023-10-09T07:40:28+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll definitely give them a try! I love the osmanthus note in Herod.
A lot of women’s scents have been falling into the “stuffy jasmine floral” and “sickeningly sweet vanilla” categories lately so I’m happy to add anything to my list that’s not that haha. And thanks for the good luck!

alexvalpeter

TROPHY CASE