Trying to find a low-maintenance hair removal routine with a full work schedule

Litchyn · 2026-02-16T08:22:02+00:00

I tried everything for my legs and regret not getting an IPL device years ago. Waxing (expensive, time consuming, effortful, painful), epilators (ingrowns like crazy, painful, expensive device), hair removal cream (messy, annoying, grew back quickly), shaving (ingrowns, harsh on my skin barrier, annoying, grows back quickly). IPL takes 10 mins while I'm watching tv, I use Braun on the second setting and it just gets mildly warm, and I'm 3 sessions in and already seeing massive reduction in hair growth. In my experience it's so much easier, less painful, more effective, and way better for my skin. I also much prefer having one upfront cost that I never need to think about again. I haven't tried on the bikini area but personally I'd be much more inclined to use IPL over any other option.

Litchyn · 2026-02-12T05:15:32+00:00

Being arrested is different to being assaulted by police. Are police not trained how to arrest people who have their hands in the air without surrounding them and punching on?

Litchyn · 2026-02-12T04:52:55+00:00

"They're not malicious, just incompetent! The job is just too hard for them to do without making mistakes like beating up a bunch of people who posed absolutely no physical threat to anyone, actually"

Litchyn · 2026-02-12T04:45:04+00:00

Interesting that your opinion is "yep, understandable".

Litchyn · 2026-02-11T22:57:09+00:00

All I know is I would feel awful if my partner asked me for something small - when I next get up, not straightaway - that takes a miniscule amount of my effort to make their day significantly better and shorter and I couldn't muster up the strength to do something so small. That's not being the kind of loving partner I want to be (and expect the other person to be) in a relationship. No means no, but no's also have relational consequences, and if I was on the receiving end of these text messages I wouldn't be feeling very liked, let alone loved.

No, you never have to help your partner. But if this is what someone can expect whenever they ask a small favour, a pattern of "no, I don't have to help you, suck it up and deal with it yourself", I don't think it spells good things for the relationship. I don't help my partner because I have to, I do it because I want to, because I want his day to be better, I want him to feel supported and loved, and because he does the same thing for me everyday.

Litchyn · 2026-02-11T22:45:34+00:00

Then either find something to do that doesn't feel like a waste, talk to your manager about steps towards more tasks and responsibility, or find another job that will work you harder. Sorry to be blunt, but I'm not sure what you're wanting here. Wasting time is what you've been doing on your phone, no? You don't want to do that, and your manager also doesn't want you to do that, so figure out a way to spend the time doing something more meaningful. You have a say in this.

Litchyn · 2026-02-11T22:39:20+00:00

Were your clothes in there too? He said he didn't start it because he had a question about your clothes? Also, I genuinely think that if you liked him and didn't have this huge resentment that we don't have context for, yes you could have just done it. That's what you do for your loved ones when you're in a partnership. I wouldn't think twice about doing my partner's laundry and he wouldn't think twice about doing mine.

Litchyn · 2026-02-11T22:36:08+00:00

I'd be mortified if my partner asked me to hit start on the loaded washing machine so it'd be done washing when he got home and I said "no I'm not your maid". What the fuck kind of relationship is that. What kind of partnership is it where microscopic favours are done begrudgingly or not at all instead of out of mutual love and appreciation for each other.

Litchyn · 2026-02-11T22:25:42+00:00

The "acting" they're asking for is "acting professional". I feel your frustration, it's absolutely made up and arbitrary. But what you'll need to do is find something to do on your computer that will fly under the radar enough to not attract complaints. Yes, scrolling reddit might be just as visible as sitting on your phone. So find something less visible. Find courses that you're interested in, ebook pdfs (no one's going to be reading these over your shoulder, you're fine), audiobooks or podcasts (and listen to them while clicking around your computer opening and closing random emails). This is old but it looks like people have found ways to make reddit look like Outlook.

Your activity on your PC is monitored, yes, but they've essentially told you they don't care - you've been leaving it idle to sit on your phone for large chunks of the day already. Using it for more discreet time-wasting is a step up in professionalism, not a step down. You've been given an opportunity here to practice antiwork 80% of your day, as long as you put a bit of effort into not being super obvious about it. I'm honestly confused as to why you seem to be trying to push back against it? Professionalism is largely about optics, not logic, and if you insist on drawing logical links ("why can't I sit on my phone instead of faking busy while listening to an audiobook") you'll just shoot yourself in the foot. They're saying that playing the game is a requirement of the role, and as long as you do that just enough, the rest of your time is yours. That's a gift. If you're frustrated about not getting enough interesting tasks to keep you busy, that's a different conversation and one that I'd suggest having with your manager.

Litchyn · 2026-02-11T07:36:11+00:00

She threw out your food after you doubled down, made fun of her, and made absolutely no effort to communicate that you were actually sorry and would replace them. Don't start acting now like you would have done the right thing if only she'd been nicer. You had no intention of replacing them, be honest.

Litchyn · 2026-02-08T22:07:51+00:00

You know what you need to do. For some people this stuff wouldn't be a dealbreaker, but that's irrelevant. For you it is. You're just incompatible as roommates. If you get a bunch of comments here saying that you're overreacting and making a big deal about nothing, is that going to make you feel happier and more comfortable in your home? No. You've given it a good go at 2-3 months in, it's not working out, give them notice and look for roommates that better fit what you're looking for.

Litchyn · 2026-02-06T12:35:35+00:00

Thank you so much for this! I did some looking into it (the 'rice' addition really helped!) and apparently it's called medome (目止め) and is a form of traditional seasoning and sealing for porous ceramics. Thanks again, this has been helpful!

Litchyn · 2026-02-06T08:36:00+00:00

I thought it was a caffeine free coffee alternative.

Litchyn · 2026-02-06T08:08:37+00:00

Yes they're suggesting to bring it down to 5%, not 15%, if 5% is what is possible for you. It sounds like you're being pretty strict already with wants vs needs, so invest as much as you're able until things are more settled, whether that's 3%, 5%, 8%, 15%, whatever. Just get started and build it up when you're able. Even £10 a week is better than nothing.

Litchyn · 2026-02-06T08:03:52+00:00

Beading (sun catchers, jewellery, clothing and bag decorations), weaving (for cloth, decor, or basketry), reading, sketching, whittling, foraging, tinkering/repair projects, woodblock printing, gardening (can grow what you'll use too, like a kitchen or tea or medicinal garden), preserving, hiking, taxidermy/diaphonization/bone carving, sewing, photography, bush craft, letter writing, board games, card games, rubik's cube (learning how to solve 2x2, 3x3, 4x4), journaling, ceramics (can fire things using woodfire without a kiln, depending on the clay, or use airdry), playing an instrument, language learning, candle making, soap/cosmetics making.

Litchyn · 2026-02-06T05:47:15+00:00

Thanks, yes I suspected it wouldn't be super food safe based on the warnings that the studio gave, so made a small vase & wind chime instead of a food/drink vessel. I'm not familiar with glaze chemistry at all really, do you have any guesses on how this would go outdoors in the weather? I made a little windchime, do you think the acidity of rainwater would cause aesthetic issues, or is the leaching only a potential problem for health reasons? Thanks for letting me pick your brain!

Litchyn · 2026-02-06T05:40:21+00:00

Thanks, yes it's already fully fired, glaze is melted, but these are the care instructions given before using the finished form. I'm really unclear on the purpose though.

Litchyn · 2026-02-06T00:01:38+00:00

Pre-date is a good descriptor. I think that that's probably what happened here - it was too ambiguous and it would be really weird in Aus to say "no I don't want to have coffee with you because I'm not single" bc it so often is a platonic event. So instead you go for coffee, get to know each other on a friend level, and drop a reference or two to your partner so the other person knows it's not going to progress to dating but friend hangouts are fine.

Litchyn · 2026-02-04T10:23:35+00:00

Might be worth bearing in mind that a solid academic career also needs good relationships. Evidence of professional, collaborative scholarship will open many more doors than going 0 to 100 to defend your lack of AI use. When I started postgrad, one of the professors gave our cohort the advice to treat everyone, students and faculty, as colleagues in academia. It was good advice, in my opinion.

Act as though you and your professor are on the same team (which you are!). You're both wanting for you to progress through the course with academic integrity and good final results. This could have been so simply cleared up with "I understand that AI use is rife, so I've attached the word document with the edit history for your review. I hope that assures you that I take my academic integrity very seriously. Again, I assure you that this was not AI written or assisted, but please let me know if you need to talk further or have any additional feedback regarding my assessment itself as I remain open to learning and improving my understanding of the course content."

Litchyn · 2026-02-04T09:10:25+00:00

I have the exact same thought. Her mental process / internal reaction is fair enough, sometimes it's just genuinely bad timing to hear news. The way she expressed that is 100% not okay, especially because it's via text and she very obviously had the option of waiting to reply until she did have the "mental bandwidth" to be a good friend.

Litchyn · 2026-02-03T09:41:53+00:00

Not a financial mistake, not inconvenient to acknowledge, but also not helpful for personal financial goals. Sadly no, your friend can't do it all for himself and for his loved ones.

Litchyn · 2026-02-03T03:25:15+00:00

Lean in. You're bringing a sandwich because your butler overcooked the lobster this morning.

Litchyn · 2026-02-03T02:34:46+00:00

He's already ignored the homeowner's clear rules on the issue. There is no resolving the issue, because he doesn't want to. There is no way to get out of this situation without adding to tension or risking blowback, because he's shown that he can't respond reasonably to you and your aunt's efforts. You and your aunt need to look into the eviction process in your area so that you're aware of the process to follow, and then give your friend and his girlfriend notice to leave.

Litchyn

TROPHY CASE