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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What I DON’T Spend Money On – 2022

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Like most people, my spending has evolved over time across many areas, and beauty is no exception. My wants, needs, and what I find fun have obviously evolved – and I don’t want to store a ton of stuff that may expire, too!

Here’s the latest on what I don’t spend money on:

  • Trying 7238578157283 products
    My money has better things to do, and it is no longer fun for me the way it used to be!

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Kirkland Signature Shampoo and Conditioner

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Busy. Tired of spending money to try to find a good product. Tired in general. Got better things to do than troubleshoot why your hair is acting like an unhinged psychopath? Does this sound like you?

I could pitch you some expensive, fancy, salon or prestige product and you could spend an arm and a leg on it…

…or you could just chill and get Costco’s liter-sized Kirkland Signature Shampoo and Conditioner.

While I’m a content Costco customer, don’t worry – I’m not a sample-rabid zombie. I just appreciate a good value – and Kirkland Signature Shampoo and Conditioner is certainly that.

Since my hair loss disaster (I’m all better!), I switched primarily to the wholesaler’s in house product. I didn’t do extensive product testing or sampling; I just picked it up in my usual groceries because my time is currently at a premium.

Why?

First, Quality

The formulas of Kirkland Signature Shampoo and Conditioner are salon-tier, and that is not just marketing hype. We’re talking a sulfate-free conditioner (its main surfactant is used by Ethique bars). It is gentle on my balayage, doesn’t dry my hair out, make it brittle, make it flat, etc.

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You Can’t Shave Both Ways

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A pair of influencers on TikTok (which I don’t use) and Instagram gained notoriety last fall for sharing a profound discovery: you can shave both ways! SIGH. No, you cannot.

They explain that the the blades of women’s razors are dual edged and can cut on both an up and a downstroke. So, without changing the orientation of your razor, you can just go in one direction, then reverse. They say you shave faster with this method because you’re covering the area in half the time (or less). You may also think of this as backwards and forwards, or a push motion in addition to a pull when the razor is held in such a way that you do not change its direction.

Simply put….

These ladies are wrong.

The conclusions some people reach astound me. It makes me wonder, “Have you ever looked at your razor?” But of course, if they had, they would not be peddling this nonsense on social media. Or maybe they would. Maybe they realize people are gullible and don’t care if they embarrass themselves for the sake of content.

The construction of a modern consumer non-safety razor won’t let you do this fake life hack. That’s whether it is disposable or the replacement-head variety, (the likes of which are sold by Billie, Gillette, Schick, Flamingo, etc). These razors are built such that the blades are secured in a housing angled so that they can only cut on a downstroke (or, perhaps, sideways if you’re unlucky and slip/slice. Ouch.)

Think I’m Just a Fun Ruiner?

Okay, guilty. But I’m also not wrong. Let’s look at this through a scientific lens. We’ll start by making a hypothesis that supports these ladies’ position. We will keep that hypothesis simple and focused on the part that makes their stance fall apart: that the razor can cut backwards.

If I glide my razor backwards, then it will cut hair.

It won’t, because the angle of the blades cannot possibly shave that way. It would be like writing with the end of your pen instead of the tip. You can’t. More accurately, it would be like trying to cut a steak with the blunt (non-sharpened) side of your steak knife.

Still Don’t Believe That You Can’t Shave Both Ways?

Look at this razor head. This is a Gillette Venus head. Each of the three red lines terminates at a blade’s edge. They don’t just flip around, and hairs don’t come into contact with the top of that blade. That would be necessary for this claim to work.

You Can't Shave Both Ways

But If it Isn’t True, How is it Faster?

This is a simple case of reaching the wrong conclusion. It isn’t that they aren’t experiencing a speed or efficiency gain necessarily. It’s that how they might be, if they are, is not what they think.

Instead of hair being cut on both a forward and backward pass, it has more to do with momentum and glide. The influencers who demonstrate this are moving very quickly. They don’t realize that they’re applying more of the lubricant bar’s product to their skin as they move, for one. Two, because its a constant up-down-up-down-up-down motion rather than calculated top-to-bottom (or vice-versa), reset, repeat, they are using their momentum to get the job done faster.

Science!

The Bottom Line

Look, I’m a curmudgeon these days. Okay, I’ll be honest, I was always a curmudgeon. But when I saw this not only making waves on other platforms but also making it onto blogs I otherwise trust, I had to facepalm and point this out, even if it took a while.

Suffice to say, critical thinking isn’t a bad thing. It isn’t to say that TikTok and Instagram never get things or clever little life hacks right, but this isn’t one of them.