The Snail Oil Salesmen

marketing moves fast

Welcome readers, old and new!

Please hit the ❤️ to remind all HNTFUYF-ers that internalized ageism can be sneaky.

It’s interesting to see your questions arrive in themes.

During the holidays, you sent more makeup questions than usual, which makes some sense. And I recently received a couple of Qs on the same day about marionette lines (the creases running from the side of your nose to the corners of your mouth). I’ll be posting a response to those questions shortly.

But first, a friend emailed asking how to figure out which of the many products she uses might be The One irritating her skin, which coincides with a question that still plagues me: Why do extremely smart women continue to fall for beauty marketing?

Relatedly, are we actually placing our faith in snail slime?

The beauty Q&A in this post is available only to paid subscribers. For full access to all posts—and if you value reader-supported work—please become a paid subscriber at the current rate of $40/year. If you can’t afford a subscription, email me at valeriemonroe.substack.com and I’ll comp you one, no questions asked. 🙏🏻