check yourself before you wreck yourself: the neutrogena wave exfoliator
our country is probably the easiest country in the world to sell things to. why? americans are naturally innovative, and need to have the newest contraptions to make life simpler and easier. we have a love affair with shopping, and even use it as a form of therapy - do you remember that scene in clueless where cher and di go shopping to cheer themselves up after a bad day? i’ve lived that scene too many times.
in many cases, frugality is not seen as a positive thing like it is in other cultures. for example, one of my former colleagues was horrified when my other colleague (of chinese descent) asked for her leftovers to-go after a business lunch. “you just don’t do that,” she said. i agreed that it probably wasn’t the norm for most businesspeople, but wondered why. as people who understand business, shouldn’t we try to be more frugal than anyone? why is it such a faux pas for a cfo or other person who is in charge of saving a company money to take home half of a $50 steak? the richest people i know are relentlessly thrifty and not ashamed of it at all (insert warren buffett comment here).
that being said, the check yourself before you wreck yourself series will focus on examining products that are on the market that you probably don’t really need. i like pretty packaging as much as the next piggy, but i’ve had to throw away my fair share of junk (damn you, mix n’ chop!), and am looking to be more selective with what i spend my hard earned buckage on.
this week, we examine the neutrogena wave power-cleanser.
VS.
according to reviews, this thing makes your skin feel silky smooth and, in the words of one youtuber, eliminates the need to wash your face because “it does all the work for you.” i don’t know about you, but i never found that moving my hands up and down my face was all that strenuous. or could it be the lathering part that is so labor-intensive? i’m lost.
other than turning our nation’s teens (who this product appears to be marketed towards) into muscle-less, noodle armed wimps, there is another major problem with the wave. it comes with disposable pads that you stick onto the electronic base and are supposed to be disposed of once a day (or as said youtuber recommends “two times a day because i don’t like leftover oil and dirt in the morning). that means that you use 7 pads a week if you follow the instructions on the pack. sounds like a lotta cashmoney and waste to me.
my solution for someone who wants the exfoliating power of the wave, but doesn’t want to shell out the loot or create the waste? if you have an electronic toothbrush like the oral-b professional care 8950, don’t throw your old brushheads away. they might be too grody to use for your teeth, but they work wonders on your face scrubbing away old skin and dirt. total cost: $0.
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