Worth it? Rui Smiths Cuticle Nippers

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Quality tools are something I will spend money on so I can do the job right and not replace them due to premature degradation. Since I do all my manicures at home (and have many years, pre-pandemic!), I’ve tried a lot of nail tools. I’ve tried various tools to work on my cuticles: slide-style cutters, jaw nippers, chemical solutions, and more. After a pair I had been getting by with broke, I did some research to buy a pair I wouldn’t need to replace for a long time.

Enter Rui Smiths Cuticle Nippers

I’ve owned my pair since January, now, and can’t recommend them enough. Their spring action is buttery-smooth and they cut cleanly and deftly. Just like a normal pair of nail clippers or scissors, a smooth, clean closure of the blades is key to ensure a tidy (and SAFE) cut.

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WTF? Beauty Retailers Now Sell Adult Novelties

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First things first – if a frank discussion of an adult-adjacent topic bothers you, its best to skip this post. It isn’t going to get graphic or gruesome, but still.

I happened to be on Musings of a Muse the other day, and, well, the title says it all. I never would have seen it at Ulta, who is apparently the latest beauty retailer to join the fray, since I’ve stopped doing business with them. But I had no idea about Sephora – although I am still a Sephora customer, I haven’t browsed much this year.

ANYWAY. Isabella expresses some discomfort at seeing the novelties there despite having accepted their place among the sexual wellness and hygiene items at stores like Wal-Mart and Target. She shared that just doesn’t really want to be shopping for beauty items then BAM – vibrators.

What do you think?

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Worth it? Dieux Forever Eye Mask (Reusable Eye Mask)

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Dieux Forever Eye Mask

Dieux you know what? Dieux Forever Eye Masks ($25) came back in stock shortly after I mentioned them in February 2021. I flung myself at the ordering page. Within a few days, they were on my doorstep – and then my face. Annnnd then I kinda did this hiatus and didn’t mention them again for a year and a half, basically.

I’ve been on this gradual conversion to reusables for a few years now. I enjoy eye masks, but they seem pretty expensive for what they are, and then there’s all this waste. Using disposables doesn’t align with how I want to live, especially considering the ultimately frivolous nature of beauty items.

What I Love about Dieux Forever Eye Mask

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Where I Have Been

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Nearly a year-and-a-half ago (lol), I made an Instagram post relaying some cool news of mine. I’ll elaborate here, though.

But first: If you were to ask me what my plans are for this blog, I’d struggle to give you a response.

I’m not sure; I’m not at a point where I want to wash my hands of Beauty Skeptic. I’ll also acknowledge that both the internet and I have changed considerably since this project began. Like I mentioned recently, I’m not trying a ton of products or tools at this point. I’ve unsubscribed from a ton of marketing email lists, and I don’t scroll social media to get that advertising exposure.

Additionally, attention span of people interested in products and tools has shrunk with the oversaturation of releases as brands vie for relevance. In general, fewer people want to read content. They want to watch it – and they want to use social platforms that aggregate and feed content to them. At this stage, I am not a video content creator. I am also specifically disinterested in TikTok, Instagram Stories, etc. I am simply not going to start creating that content. I started this blog to challenge marketing on beauty products and encourage critical thinking – but is that product, the content, something my audience even wants to consume?

So, if you don’t mind, help me understand by sharing your perspective: in general, do you still read blogs? I do, but I realize I may be an outlier.

Anyway, as for where I have been:

Background

I didn’t head to college straight out of high school, and opted to embark on my career immediately instead. This was, objectively, the correct choice for me: folks my age who went to college immediately emerged into an already-rough job market with no experience. Many are still struggling with student debt a decade later.

I have always been an annoying high-achiever; that enabled me to cultivate a STEM career without a degree. Despite my performance, I reached a point where further advancement was challenged by internal politics. My lack of undergrad degree was also made it easier to kick the can down the road. Likewise, if/when I wanted to move on, I didn’t want to be at the mercy of automated sorting criteria and miss out on great opportunities.

I am appropriately confident that I am a great resource and that not having a degree did not make me less-than, but I wanted to remove excuses and improve my candidacy elsewhere if and when I was ready to look elsewhere.

Priorities

So, in early 2019, I decided on the degree I wanted, found school(s) that offered it, and enrolled in a community college with plans to transfer to a 4-year. I started classes that summer semester. Obviously, this siphoned bandwidth from Beauty Skeptic.

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Apagard Premio Nanohydroxyapatite Toothpaste

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Apagard Premio Nanohydroxyapatite Toothpaste

I do this funny thing when I’m composing content for this blog. I’ll start writing something like a compilation post and then I realize I’ve written three paragraphs about one thing. Oop, that needs its own post. So here we are because last week, I talked about some things I prioritize spending on (in contrast with what I don’t). One thing that I initially wrote way too much about was my toothpaste: Apagard Premio Nanohydroxyapatite Toothpaste.

Aside: Man, it’s been so long since I’ve typed a long product name here.
At least its not L’Oreal Infalliable Never Fail Because You Sold Your Soul For a Thiccer Lashline.

“Gee, Editor,” you may be thinking. “Nearly $30 is a bit wild for two 100g (~7oz total in freedom units) tubes of toothpaste.”

Let’s Start with Why I Do This

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What I DO Spend Money On – 2022

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You know, I wrote about what I don’t spend money on here in 2022 last month with the intent of pairing it with this post – what I DO spend money on. But in reality, the conversation is really about prioritization.

It’s also worth noting that just because something is a priority doesn’t mean it calls for spending a ton of money on it, which you’ll see reflected below.

What I DO Spend Money On

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