Let’s Get Down to Business

to defeat

the Huns

Hi! I’m Nikki, a skincare and skincare science enthusiast, low-key heliophobe and firm believer that skincare should be rooted in self-love and self-respect, and executed through actual taking care of the skin.

That mouthful of a blog title is my attempt at a pun combining my name and my favorite skincare ingredient: niacinamide.

Niacinamide or Vitamin B3 improves the skin’s elasticity, fortifies the skin’s moisture barrier and mitigates environmental damage to the skin, thereby improving the skin’s overall health in the long-term — my personal skincare goal. This makes it a pretty apt title for a blog where I chronicle my journey to skin-flourishing (aka aging gracefully) as well as document my insights throughout that journey. Posts will contain my experiences of what went right, what went wrong and more importantly, what I learned (and maybe if I feel like opening up, how I felt), probably a few rants about insecurity-driven consumerism and pseudo-science, and summary-reflections of all the skincare science I love scouring the internet for.

This blog will not contain a lot of hauls, product reviews/recommendations or me telling you what to do/use. I can only talk about the products that I’ve used for my own skin needs and goals and how they worked for me. Why?

• A lot of the things I use are already permanent staples in my routine, and I don’t plan on switching them out for anything that doesn’t have a more promising ingredient list. I’m also not interested in having one of those huge skin care wardrobes where you choose a different set of ten products from everyday because…
• I have a set budget for actual purchases, and bigger ~dreams~ to fund. The ‘gram isn’t a priority right now.
• I don’t want to try things so you don’t have to. I’m not nice enough to put potentially clogging/irritating ingredients and set me back on what I worked hard for. (Although I’ll gladly read through science journals so you don’t have to.)
• I do not believe I am credible (yet) enough to teach you anything other than the basics.
• Spending based on what non-experts say on the internet goes completely against my skincare philosophy and advocacy.
• YMMV. What worked for me may not work for you.

I do, however, enjoy and encourage discussion and the exchange of ideas, and I want to learn from you as well. If you want to talk to me about your own experiences, your routine or a product you’re considering, you can hit me up on my Curiouscat.

I know that this might not be what people look for in a beauty blog in terms of content and in bubbly-ness of personality, but this is what I’ve gone through, and what I do, and what I’ve learned, and what I think. And I hope that at least for some of you, it can help.