Chatter

Roller Eyeliner

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When I wear ‘proper’ eyeliner (not shadow-as-eyeliner), I use one of two formats: gel liner (my favorite) or a mechanical twist-up (the only one I’ve had luck with). There’s been a lot done with eyeliner in the past two decades but when I saw these new-fangled roller eyeliner releases, I got EXCITED.

Roller Eyeliner – What Is It?

The three roller eyeliner products on the market appear to use the same idea. A wand that has a small, foam disc on the end that rests in an ink-like liquid liner when the tube is closed. The disc is thin and has a small radius to facilitate easy application.

It isn’t the first time, after all, that I have been excited about the intersection of beauty and technology or beauty and engineering. What’s more amazing is that all three I’ve found consistently receive 4/5 star ratings on their respective sites.

Could it be that it isn’t just a gimmick!?

Roller Eyeliner - NUDESTIX Rock n' Roller

Nudestix

First, I saw NUDESTIX Rock n’ Roller Easy Eyeliner Ink. Samantha Ravndahl mentioned them in some format of hers and I was blown away. Then I saw them in an Instagram ad and…I was blown away again. I was so excited, in fact, that I made a point of showing this brilliant take on an eyeliner applicator with my could-not-be-more-disinterested-in-makeup husband. Even he thought it was neat; it reminded him of something used in metal fabrication.

There are three colors: ever practical black, Bronze Patina, and my favorite – Golden Rosé. I keep catching myself telling myself, “That’s totally wearable enough for work.” Honestly even writing that out gave me a twinge of temptation. And then I remind myself that not only does it run $24… I’m on a No Buy. 

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Bi-Weekly WTF :: Vol 6 – Beauty Gurus & Vitamins

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I’ve followed Nikki over at Lipstick Latitude for a long time, now. Her recent post about gurus playing doctor really hit the nail on the head. I was inspired to expand upon the topic.

Credentials

I don’t follow Tati/GlamLifeGuru. Her content never appealed to me, but that is neither here nor there. The reality is that most beauty content creators are not qualified to dispense medical advice. I’ve talked about my use and discontinuation/reduction in use of Biotin before, but I make it abundantly clear that I am not a medical professional. I cannot educate you in health-related choices! So – all changes of the supplementary nature should be reviewed with a qualified medical professional even if your BFF or mom endorses the hell out of ’em.

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Invisalign Update: Cavity Update

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Aiming to correct my teeth - Invisalign - Cavity Update

A couple weeks ago, I shared that I had fears of a cavity recurring or worsening. The following Monday, I went to see my dentist. Fortunately, the discomfort had subsided, but I was still skeptical of the tooth. What did it mean for my oral health and the course of my Invisalign treatment?

Flooded with trepidation that this damn tooth was causing problems, I marched into my dentist’s office. We promptly took a new set of bite-wing X-rays.

Apparently the composite used for Invisalign Attachments looks funny on X-rays.

Survey Says

My hygienist couldn’t commit to a diagnosis without the dentist taking a look, but between my explanation of the timeline of my symptoms, how I was managing them when they were present, and the absence of a spooky spot on the X-rays… things looked okay.

We went about my cleaning. Even though I am religious about my dental hygiene appointments, I somehow always forget how wildly unpleasant the scraping aspect of a cleaning is. This time, I needed less of that attention than ever (that’s what brushing and flossing 3-4x/day gets you! woo!) but I would rate that routine aspect of a dental cleaning as worse (yes!) than IPR.

Cavity Update

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Invisalign Update: Cavity Scare

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Aiming to correct my teeth - Invisalign - 2/16 - Cavity Scare

I am now on Tray 30 of my initial 36 active trays. In contrast with my expectations, treatment has been incredibly smooth-sailing. Obsessive oral hygiene is my new normal. I successfully underwent three rounds of IPR without issue.

One tooth, however, started giving me trouble around Tray 26. I do not believe this is the result of treatment, though; this particular bicuspid had been filled prior to starting treatment. Unlike all of my other fillings, I have never been fully at ease with this one. Flossing adjacent to it is odd. I’ve had tremendous cold sensitivity there unlike anything I experience elsewhere. Last month, I started getting inconsistent bursts of intense pain there, made worse by chewing or exposure to cold (liquid or air). In the past week or two that discomfort and cold sensitivity has ceased, but I’m not letting my guard down.

Cavity Scare

This pain is not unlike an escalating cavity, and isn’t unlike what I experienced with that tooth before I had it filled. As far as I can tell without WebMD-ing myself into a panic, this is most likely either:

  • A too-conservative filling resulting in progression of the cavity (in spite of nearly-OCD oral hygiene and a cleaner diet than I’ve ever had)
  • The filling has become insecure and is applying pressure to the remaining nerve

My next checkup wasn’t until April but I moved it up to Monday to a) see what on earth is going on and b) hopefully remedy it (or at least make a plan to do so).

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Lisa Eldridge on No Buys

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When I first got into makeup, I went off the deep end and wanted to try all the things. It was exploratory – it was all so new to me and I needed to figure out what I liked. Fast forward a few years, I’m not being ensorcelled by product as much. It still definitely happens, but not like it did; it usually takes something REALLY different and intriguing to capture my mind in the same way.

Lisa Eldridge on No Buys

One of the few personalities I subscribe to is Lisa Eldridge and I loved this video (below) of hers from January.

Her stance of feeling a bit overwhelmed or, “saturated,” on the consumerist nature of the beauty community and industry is refreshing.

How many of the same kind of palettes can one girl have, really?

Guilty as charged, but I’m not buying more until I use mine up!

I’m interested in your thoughts on her perspective. Check out Lisa’s video and let me know in the comments below.

Bi-Weekly WTF :: Vol 3 – Shoe Fashion Strikes Again

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Every now and then I encounter a piece of fashion-related minutiae that makes my head spin. That spinning then inspires an off-usual-topic post here at Beauty Skeptic.

I’ve professed before that I am not a fashionable individual. So when I see things like what I’m going to share in this post – yeah, I know I don’t, “get,” it. I’m fine with that.

Socks with Sandals

It all started with these ridiculously offensive Gucci heeled sandals…

Shoe Fashion Strikes Again

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