Tools

Takuminozawa makes the BEST Nail Clippers

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Japanese brand Takuminozawa makes the BEST nail clippers - their craftsmanship and execution is unmatched by anything I've encountered in my 3 decades of life!

I tend to shy away from absolutist post titles. That I didn’t this time should be telling. Who gets excited about nail clippers? I do, when they’re this good. Hell, my husband evangelizes them.

I had never found a pair of nail clippers I liked. At most, a pair achieved the stunning heights of acceptable. In fact, I went for years never cutting them and only filing to remove length. But that takes a while, burns through files, and creates excess dust.

I have since found that Japanese brand Takuminozawa makes the BEST nail clippers. This brand is also sometimes known as Green Bell. Like a few of my favorite things these days, are imports. They have several varieties, but I am using these fingernail clippers ($12) and these toenail ones ($14).

What makes a good pair of nail clippers?

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Store Hair Tools with Care

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Store hair tools, including irons, with care to prolong their lifespan!

Embarrassingly, I had a heated hair tool become problematic recently. I had my Hot Tools iron stored with a bunch of tools in a drawer. I hadn’t used it in a while, but needed to be presentable for some Mandatory Fun at work. Since my hair was dry, the Airwrap wouldn’t be a good fit. Thus, I reached for a reliable tool to do some quick low-effort wrangling of my hair.

What I found, though, was that the handle of the iron was odd: the texture wasn’t the same. It was inconsistent and, inexplicably, tacky or sticky. This wasn’t because of product build up, though – we’re talking the handle, not the barrel.

Weird, but Maybe It’s Fine?

…or, maybe not. I tried to clean it; no dice. I ventured and gave using it a shot anyhow, because nothing was unsafe from an electrical or heat perspective. This was a mistake, though: strands of my hair stuck to the handle as I curled. I ended up pulling out a few strands as a result. Ow.

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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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Worth it? HydraSkin

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Do NOT buy the HydraSkin Hydra-Dermabrasion device.

It isn’t common for me to write a post jumping STRAIGHT to it, but I feel extremely strongly about the HydraSkin Hydra-dermabrasion device:

Do NOT buy this damn thing. Using anyone’s money. Seriously.

I’m not even going to link to it because that’s how bad it is. Now we’ll do that annoying movie trope where we rewind some number of weeks.

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E-Files Do Not Damage Your Nails

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E-Files Do Not Damage Your Nails

Last week, I wrote about the myth that gel damages your nails (it doesn’t). In most cases that people experience nail deterioration after gel polish or enhancements, it’s due to incorrect use of an electronic file (or, e-file for short).

–but it’s a myth, too. E-files do not damage your nails. The key words in the previous paragraph are incorrect use.

E-Files AREN’T Bad, Either!

You’ll see people online harping about, “When I go to the salon, I tell them they aren’t using, ‘that drill,’ on me!”

Proper usage of an e-file is safe! It is safe and effective, that is, provided the right combination of bits and speed are used for the task at hand: prepping the nail plate calls for a very different combination of factors than prepping an enhancement for a fill. Unfortunately, though, in many salons, a one-size-fits-all approach is used – and that is not appropriate.

It is also a great way to accelerate the service, Hand filing takes a long time. It is gentler, but definitely less efficient.

Why Service Speed Matters

A faster service benefits you, the client, because it gets you out of the salon faster. Even if you like the experience of being in the salon, your time is valuable!

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Ways to Lower Your Beauty Waste

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ways to lower your beauty waste

Ever wonder about how to lower your beauty waste or lower your beauty consumption? Over the years, I’ve challenged myself over the years to make small, practical changes in my habits and consumption. Beauty and personal care aren’t exempted from this endeavor.

Here to Inspire, NOT Preach

I am not and do not aim to be zero waste. I’m also not here to preach at you from astride a white horse. My time is valuable to me, and I am willing to make certain concessions in the name of convenience to preserve some of it. I think there’s a balance to strike – plastic isn’t evil, just like chemicals aren’t evil, but we should produce and consume (let alone recycle or dispose of) far more thoughtfully (read: less) than the average person is today.

If you’re able or willing to go harder than me? That’s great! If you haven’t made changes along these lines but want to, that’s great too – and maybe I can give you some ideas to lower your beauty waste that don’t feel like such a sacrifice that you can’t achieve them. After all, goals that aren’t achievable aren’t smart.

Just because you aren’t going full-tilt doesn’t mean what you CAN do doesn’t make a difference.

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