plantkween

plantkween A Brooklyn-based Black queer non-binary kween
Obsessed with the botanical scene, hunny
Author of YOU, GROW GURL! 📚🪴🤓
Collabs: [email protected]
(6)

06/07/2026

Toners are one of the most misunderstood steps in skincare, dahling.

A good toner isn’t about stripping your skin—it’s about helping restore hydration, balancing the skin after cleansing, and preparing it to better absorb the products that follow. Think of it as setting the stage for the rest of your routine.

🧖🏽‍♀️ Biodance Gel Toner Pads — 3/5 Purrs
These felt lovely on the skin, but they were a bit too slippery for my liking. I never quite felt like they were helping lift away any lingering dirt or debris. That said, they create a really pleasant experience and are perfect for slow mornings when you have time to linger in your skincare routine.

🧖🏽‍♀️ Fenty Skin Fat Water — 5/5 Purrs
Now THIS was a surprise. I’ve never used a toner quite like it. The texture is velvety, silky, and smooth, and my skin feels incredibly moisturized afterward. It almost blurs the line between toner and serum. A standout in my routine.

🧖🏽‍♀️ Beauty of Joseon Rice Milk Toner — 4/5 Purrs
My first rice milk toner, and I completely understand the hype. It’s lightweight, fresh, and clean-feeling without leaving much behind on the skin. I especially enjoy reaching for it on active days when I want hydration without feeling like I’m wearing a lot of product.

One thing this little toner experiment reminded me is that skincare isn’t just about results—it’s about ritual. Some products help me move quickly through my routine, while others invite me to slow down and enjoy the process. And hunny, both have their place.

06/05/2026

If you’ve ever sat there wondering whether you were being unreasonable, whether your expectations were too high, or whether you should just be grateful for whatever someone was willing to give you, this is for you.

Because I’ve learned that the right people don’t leave you constantly negotiating for things that should come naturally.

You shouldn’t have to beg to be considered.
You shouldn’t have to repeatedly explain why something hurt.
You shouldn’t have to earn basic care.

And yet so many of us have spent years thinking the problem was our ask instead of the person we were asking.

The heartbreaking part is that after enough disappointment, you start editing yourself. You ask for less. Need less. Expect less.

Not because your needs changed.

Because you’re tired.

But your needs were never the problem.

The wrong people have a way of making normal feel demanding.

The right people have a way of making it feel easy.

06/04/2026

Planted my very first tree with , dahling. 🌳✨

A Linden Tree (Tilia americana), native to New York, now has a new home in Highbridge Park.

There’s something powerful about placing a living thing into the ground knowing it may provide shade, habitat, cleaner air, and beauty for generations of New Yorkers long after we’re gone. A reminder that some of the most meaningful things we do are investments in futures we’ll never fully see.

Popular trees gives away include:

Linden Tree (Tilia americana)
☀️ Full sun to partial shade
💧 Deep watering once or twice a week during the first two years
🍂 Grows best in moist, well-draining soil
🐝 Produces fragrant flowers that pollinators adore

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
☀️ Full sun to partial shade
💧 Water weekly during the first growing season
🍂 Appreciates well-draining soil and benefits from mulch
🦋 One of the first trees to bloom in spring, providing an early food source for pollinators

Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis)
☀️ Full sun to partial shade
💧 Water deeply once a week while establishing
🍂 Tolerates a variety of soils but prefers consistent moisture
🐦 Produces berries enjoyed by birds and beautiful white spring flowers

No matter which tree you bring home, the secret is consistency. Most young trees don’t need complicated care—they need regular watering, a layer of mulch, and time to establish strong roots before they can truly thrive.

06/03/2026

Word of the Day: 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗬

Pronunciation: messy (meh-see — accompanied by a long pause and a raised eyebrow)

𝗔𝗱𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: Chaotic, complicated, emotionally untidy, or full of the kind of truth that refuses to stay hidden. Often used to describe situations, decisions, relationships, or revelations that have escaped the safety of appearances.

Etymology: Though messy originally referred to physical disorder, Black, q***r, and drag communities expanded the word into something far richer. It became a way to describe the beautiful, uncomfortable, hilarious, and sometimes devastating reality of people being fully human. A word for when the mask slips, the tea spills, or the truth finally enters the room.

And honestly? Messy is often where growth lives. Before the healing. Before the clarity. Before the breakthrough. Life has a habit of falling apart just enough to show you what was never working in the first place.

Sometimes messy isn’t the problem.

Sometimes messy is the beginning.

06/02/2026

Let’s take a field trip with 🌿♻️

One of the most fascinating things about urban parks is that the work of caring for them never really ends, dahling. Every fallen branch, pile of leaves, invasive w**d, and grass clipping becomes part of a much larger ecological cycle.

That’s why I was so excited to learn about the in-Park composting initiative happening inside in partnership with — where horticultural material generated specifically from Central Park operations is processed and returned right back into the Park to support its landscapes and soil health.

It’s a powerful reminder that sustainability is not always flashy. Sometimes it looks like long-term soil restoration. Water retention. Healthier root systems. Fewer organic materials entering landfills. Smarter urban land stewardship. 🌎

And if you’ve been curious about starting composting at home, here are a few beginner-friendly tips:
🌿 Keep a small countertop compost bin for fruit and veggie scraps
🍂 Save dry leaves, shredded cardboard, or paper for “brown” material
💧 Aim for damp, not soaking wet
🌬️ Airflow matters — turn your compost occasionally
☀️ Start small and consistent instead of trying to build a giant pile immediately

Even small composting habits can help reduce household waste while creating healthier soil for gardens, community green spaces, and houseplants.

Healthy soil is the foundation of healthy ecosystems, hunny. And that work starts from the ground

06/01/2026

May your existence be louder than their expectations.

Some of the most beautiful things in this world were never designed to fit neatly into someone else’s expectations. Wildflowers push through concrete. Rivers carve through mountains. Forests grow in directions no blueprint could predict.

The same is true for people.

There is a quiet freedom that arrives when the energy once spent editing, explaining, softening, shrinking, and translating yourself gets redirected toward simply living. Toward laughing louder. Dressing bolder. Loving deeper. Existing more honestly.

History has always moved forward because someone refused to become smaller for the comfort of others.

This month feels like a good reminder that visibility is not vanity. Authenticity is not arrogance. Joy is not a distraction.

Take up the space your roots require.

The people meant for you won’t need you watered down to understand your worth. 🌈✨

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, DAHLINGS 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙🖤🤎

05/29/2026

The lewk, styled by yours truly, was inspired by childhood memories of frolicking into ice cream shops. Picture little Chrissy on their tippy toes, staring at a rainbow of flavors and trying to decide what adventure to taste next.

Fashion feels a lot like that.

Every color, texture, silhouette, and pattern is another flavor waiting to be sampled. The best outfits aren’t always the safest ones—they’re often the combinations you never expected to work together. Curiosity has a way of creating magic.

A few things I’ve learned:
🍦 Treat getting dressed like play, not performance.
🍦 Try the unexpected combination.
🍦 Let curiosity lead before insecurity does.
🍦 If it delights you, it’s worth trying.
🍦 Personal style grows through experimentation.

What if we treated our wardrobes the way we treat an ice cream menu—with a little more wonder, a little less pressure, and a willingness to try something new?

OUTFIT DEETS:

The Bari Slash Cutout Blazer Mini Dress is by , the sunnies are by , the purse is by , and the heels are from .

And yas, hunny, ain’t nothing wrong with a lil sampling when it comes to dating either 💅🏽

🎥
📸 .b2
Hair styled by ✨

05/28/2026

There’s something deeply humbling about being a beginner again, dahling. 🧵✨

Walked into having never touched a sewing machine before and a few hours later, walked out wearing my very first pair of pants.

What I loved most about the experience wasn’t just making the pants — it was learning how much intention, geometry, patience, and problem-solving goes into constructing a garment. From reading a pattern, measuring the body, understanding grainlines, cutting fabric, pinning, sewing, pressing seams, and learning how tiny adjustments completely change the fit… whew. Clothing really is architecture for the body.

And honestly? Trying new things as an adult can feel terrifying. Not because we can’t learn… but because somewhere along the way many of us were taught that being “good” at something matters more than being curious enough to begin.

But every skill starts with looking confused.
Every artist starts with uneven lines.
Every craftsperson starts with one crooked first attempt.

So here’s a reminder, hunny:
Take the class.
Touch the machine.
Learn the thing.
Be willing to be bad at something long enough to become beautiful at it. 🌿✨

🎩 by
Filmed on iPhone and

05/27/2026

Word of the Day: 𝗚𝗔𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗗

Pronunciation: gagged (gagd — with dramatic pause)

𝗔𝗱𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 / Verb: So stunned, impressed, exposed, or overwhelmed that speech temporarily leaves the body. A state of emotional disarray caused by beauty, audacity, truth, talent, chaos—or the sheer nerve of it all.

Etymology: Rooted in Black and q***r ballroom culture, gagged evolved into a word used when something hits so hard it metaphorically “gags” you into silence. Popularized through drag performance, ballroom commentary, and LGBTQ+ cultural expression throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the term became a staple of expressive slang used to describe moments of jaw-dropping shock, admiration, or emotional devastation. Over time, gagged expanded into mainstream internet culture, where it now signals being completely undone by a moment, a look, a read, a performance, or a truth too powerful to ignore.

Historically tied to the rise of ballroom houses, underground fashion competitions, and q***r performance spaces in cities like New York, gagged carries the energy of spectacle, wit, survival, and unapologetic self-expression. Today, it remains deeply connected to pop culture, viral reactions, celebrity moments, fashion commentary, and online discourse surrounding identity, authenticity, and emotional impact.

And honestly? If you’ve ever been moved enough to pause, rethink, laugh, cry, or finally speak your truth—you’ve already experienced the power of being gagged. Let it remind you that feeling deeply is not weakness; it’s proof that something truly reached you.

05/26/2026

Let’s take a field trip with 🌳

Spending time at The Frick Collection, you start to realize these gardens don’t just exist—they’re deeply cared for.

Huge appreciation for Maeve Turner, Head of Gardens and Horticulture, who—alongside a team of just two other gardeners—has helped shape and steward these spaces into what they are today.

That kind of attention shows. In the details. In the feeling. In how each space holds you a little differently. When you visit, take a moment to really look.

There’s a lot of love—and a lot of intention—growing here.

📍
🎥

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