I already have a refrigerator that works just fine. Why do I need a baby tiny one? Will this add real value to my life? Is this item solving a problem I don’t already have the resources to fix? All questions I should have asked myself...

Life went on. The holidays passed. My skin was dramatically improving thanks to the combination of Cactus Water (my favorite daily-use lactic acid exfoliant ever), So Jelly (the first under eye cream to actually plump my laugh lines for bouncier skin), and Rich Bitch (most killer daily use moisturizer chalked full of Prickly Pear Seed Oil to calm my oftentimes inflamed skin). I would periodically revisit my tiny fridge to pop on a face mask before getting ready to go out or when I needed a little extra ritual in my life, but the visits became more and more seldom.

About two months passed without me using anything in my baby tiny fridge, COVID-19 was taking the world by storm, and quarantine was imminent. Then one day, I noticed my once-beloved tiny fridge was leaking on my vintage mid-century modern vanity (that’s gonna be a hard no for me, dawg). After further inspection, I found that my skincare fridge does that weird thing your food fridge does when you have the setting too cold and freezes your bevvies in the back. On top of the leaking issue, I was getting the itch to reorganize and declutter my space — something I periodically do but the urge was exacerbated by the wild turn of 2020 current events. I unplugged my baby tiny fridge, relocating the remaining skincare to my beauty cabinet, and stowed it away in a safe, dark corner in my closet where it still is today.

Marketing is wild, y’all. It can convince you that you absolutely need a baby tiny fridge or a blanket with sleeves (RIP Snuggie). While there’s definitely an opportunity to ruminate on late-stage capitalism here, I’ll spare you for now. You want to know if skincare fridges are worth it, and the answer is undoubtedly no.

I already have a refrigerator that works just fine. Why do I need a baby tiny one? Will this add real value to my life? Is this item solving a problem I don’t already have the resources to fix?

All questions I should have asked myself before going on an impulse shopping spree, buying not one but three baby tiny skincare fridges. Speaking of, what are Jillian and Emily’s skincare fridges up to? They’re also unplugged and unoccupied in dark corners of their closets.

This is a lesson I will take with me on my journey to be a more conscientious shopper. You see, I want to be a “do more with less” person. Our consumption habits globally are robbing the Earth of its resources — something that will take hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years to undo. While I know I am by no means the rage against the proverbial machine, I do believe I have a responsibility to consider the impact of my shopping decisions: whether I need something, who I’m buying those products from, and what human and ecological resources were needed when making them.

Listen, y’all, I’m not perfect and I’m definitely not here to tell you what to do, but I wish I would have understood that quality skincare is quality skincare regardless of having a dedicated refrigerator.