I used all the best stuff for a week and it nearly broke me

I used all the best stuff for a week and it nearly broke me

Living like a fancy(ˈfansē) millennial(miˈlenēəl) was wonderful, until it wasn’t.

By Rebecca(ribakə) Jennings(ˈjeniNGz)

My name is Rebecca Jennings. I am 26 years old, and I live in Brooklyn(ˈbro͝oklən), New York. Every morning, I wake up on a Casper(ˈkaspər) mattress(ˈmatrəs) covered with Brooklinen bedding(ˈbediNG). I brush(brəSH) my teeth with a Quip(kwip) toothbrush, then floss(fläs,flôs) with Cocofloss. I do exactly 45 minutes on the elliptical(iˈliptikəl) at the gym(jim) downstairs(ˈdounˈste(ə)rz) in a matching set from Outdoor Voices(vois).

In the shower, I use a shampoo(SHamˈpo͞o) and conditioner(kənˈdiSH(ə)nər) perfectly customized(ˈkəstəˌmīz) to my hair(he(ə)r) type by Function of Beauty; my morning vitamin(ˈvītəmən) by Care/of, too, is designed specifically(spəˈsifək(ə)lē) for me. I dry(drī) off in a robe(rōb) from Parachute(ˈparəˌSHo͞ot), then dress(dres) in minimalist(ˈminəməlist) basics(ˈbāsik) from Everlane. I apply Glossier(ˈgläsē,ˈglô-) Cloud Paint(pānt) followed by Boy Brow(brou), and before I leave the apartment, I slip(slip) on a pair of Allbirds.

This is not a terrible(ˈterəbəl) attempt at an American Psycho(ˈsīkō) parody(ˈparədē). Well, it is not just a terrible attempt at an American Psycho parody: It is also an entirely(enˈtīrlē) accurate(ˈakyərit) description of my life, or at least it was, for one week in November.

The premise(ˈpremis) was this: I would surround myself with the products whose entire raison d’être was being the best. The stuff that claimed(klām) it was “the only one you’ll ever need,” or “the last one you’ll ever have to buy.” These are companies that set out with the intention(inˈtenCHən) of disrupting(disˈrəpt) entire retail(ˈrēˌtāl) categories through direct-to-consumer business models or millions of dollars in venture(ˈvenCHər) capital funding or flashy(ˈflaSHē) ads on public transportation (or all three), and who together have created an entirely new retail environment in which everything ends up looking exactly the same.

I would try them all at once, in the service of a single question: Would they actually improve my life?

…
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/12/18125668/best-products-casper-glossier-brooklinen