Over the past six weeks, Nicky, 42, has cut her daily routine, and all the products associated with it, out of her life altogether. Yes, for 40 days and 40 nights, there has been no showering, no hair washing, no teeth cleaning and no deodorant. She was, in effect, seeking to find out whether we are all simply wasting our money in the name of vanity. 

    By the end of the fourth week, something extraordinary happened. Nicky noticed that not only was she physically feeling better than she had done in a long time, her skin had begun to glow. At the same time, a persistent cyst on her eye disappeared. Aside from that, her skin looked fresher and brighter than it had for a decade. 

    “I'd never want to do anything like that again because not washing affects your friendships, family relationships and self-confidence,” she says. “Thank goodness I work from home, otherwise it would most likely have had a detrimental effect on my career. 

    “A bar of soap, organic shampoo and conditioner, and a basic moisturiser are all I need now. I no longer wash my hair every day and I no longer feel self-conscious if I'm not done up to the nines. While I wouldn't suggest anyone else takes things to the extreme that I did, they can rest assured that when it comes to their beauty routines, less is more.” 

    在過去的六個星期，42歲的女性尼奇做了一個極端的生活體驗：徹底拋棄所有美容化妝用品。整整40個白天40個黑夜，她不洗澡、不洗頭、不刷牙、不用任何除臭劑。她想看看，平日在這些東西上面花的錢是否只是滿足了虛榮心。

    實驗到了第四周，非凡的結果出來了。她不但感到身體狀況比以前好，皮膚也有了光澤。同時，她的眼睛囊腫也消失了。皮膚看上去比12年來任何時候都要健康。

    然而，實驗也讓她吃了不少苦頭。她說，“我再也不會干這樣的傻事了，不洗頭不洗澡影響朋友關系、家庭關系，也打擊自己的自信。幸好我是在家里工作，否則說不定工作都丟了。”

    “我現在只用肥皂、有機洗發精和護發劑，再加一點潤膚水。我不再每天洗頭，即使不打扮得光鮮無比也不會覺得有什么不妥。雖然我不會建議別人也象我一樣極端，我還是想說，在美容護理上面，越簡單越好。”