Sleepy Time Beauty

Sleep is my #1 best friend. I take naps whenever I can and i don’t mean short 15 minute cat naps; i mean full on 5 hour-wake-up-confused-as-to-where-i-am naps. Though my sleep schedule has never been perfect, starting my new adult job has forced me into a routine. With that routine comes daily nighttime habits and mine usually focus around skincare.

I start off with a hot shower; boiling hot in my case. I love warmth and heat so I will take a hot shower even in the summer; especially when my mom has the air conditioner on full blast. Hot showers also help to ease tension in the muscles which is great for me because I’m at a desk all day. Muscles tense up easily and getting under a steady stream of water feels amazing.

in the shower i ALWAYS wash my face. I just have too. even if i’ve removed my makeup prior with a makeup wipe I will wash my face. I have a steady rotation of face washes that I get from all over the place. My favorite gentle cream cleanser if First Aid Beauty’s Ultimate Cleanser. My favorite scrub is The St. Ives (or an off brand version of it) Apricot Scrub. And my favorite mask (which you can put on before your shower and rinse/exfoliate while in the shower) is Love Lettuce from Lush. If my skin is feeling too dry I’ll use a creamier cleanser and if I feel like it needs some exfoliation I’ll use something with grit.

After cleaning my face in the shower my face can sometimes feel a little dried out because i naturally have dry skin. I use a moisturizer, and again I have a steady rotation of these. My current moisturize is Smuggler’s Soul from Lush. I like it because it’s really basic, simple and natural. You don’t need any extra frills when it comes to a moisturizer. If you want to try it be sure to hurry as I hear it’s a limited edition!

After moisturizing, I’ve added a slightly odd thing to my routine- my armpits. This may sound strange but I had been noticing that my body odor had become really gross to me in my armpit area. I had no idea why it seemed to be getting worse and I had of course become self conscious of it. I also exfoliate my armpits in the shower which i feel help get rid of the dead skin cells and open up the clogged pores. Using unnatural deodorant (usually the deodorants that have aluminum in them) can also clog your pores leading to a worse smell. I have a friend who works at Lush who helped me during my recent trip to get their Deodorant bar, Aromaco, and the deodorant powder, Greeench. I use the deodorant bar as a base and then lightly dust on less than a dime size amount of powder usually a fluffy brush. The deodorant bar helps create a base that the powder can stick too. Using the natural deodorants won’t make you smell like artificial flowers and sunshine. Instead it gives you a more natural herbal smell that takes some getting used too. But i find if I do this routine in the morning and at night then it helps keep my odor and sweat to a minimum.

Now besides skincare there’s also some mental healthcare I do before bed as well. I always have to sleep with a blanket and be warm. Like i said before I love being warm at all times. I like curling up into a ball or a burrito and feeling snuggled. My cat Leo also helps me as he frequently becomes my spooning partner. Sometimes he sleeps on me or curled up beside me. I have no idea why but he likes sleeping with his butt towards my face, haha! Leo is super adorable and I love him dearly so I love having him in bed with me when I’m about to sleep.

I also shut off all the light to help create an atmosphere and mood of peace. I can’t sleep with any lights on at all so this really helps me get into the correct headspace.

Last but not least a good key component to getting a good nights sleep is a mattress. Now I have a decent memory foam mattress but not a good bed frame support so it can be hard to be comfortable at times. Finding a good mattress can be a bit hard and you’ve got to remember that mattresses are an investment-and a good one at that! Having a good mattress is crucial to physical and mental health as it provides you with better sleep and quality of life.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some zzz’s to catch! See you soon~