I had already mentioned it in a previous article, but for me, sleep is an essential pillar of my well-being. Indeed, with my bustling Parisian life, my many activities and outings, if I don’t get quality, restorative sleep, I can’t keep up with my pace for more than a week.
It is with this in mind that I had the idea to write a quick article on my tips for making the most of nighttime moments and turning them into an optimal recovery period. Here is my little selection of tips, products, and essentials for this quest for the “sleeping beauty” lifestyle.
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Table of Contents
Essential oil diffuser for sleep
The brand Essential Elements E2 offers a range of products exclusively formulated with 100% pure and natural essential oils.
Within this range, the E2 Diffuser – Serenity Sleep is used to promote well-being when heading to bed. Personally, I use it at home and spray it in the four corners of my bedroom before going to sleep.
If you like essential oils, the scent is very pleasant and helps calm tension and nervousness, making it easier to drift into peaceful, restorative sleep. Now that I’ve made it a habit, I think I would find it hard to go without; it has almost become a little ritual before sleeping.
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Kaya, products with CBD and adaptogenic plants
Kaya is a brand of food supplements based on CBD (cannabidiol is a cannabinoid present in cannabis and derived from the hemp plant, but unlike THC, its use is legal, it is recognized for its therapeutic benefits, and it poses no health risks) and adaptogenic plants. It offers products to help us fight sleep disorders and stressful moments. And it obviously offers a range entirely dedicated to sleep!
In this range, we find:
- The Sweet Dreams adaptogenic treatment (€39 for a one-month treatment) to regain calm and restful nights by reducing stress and anxiety.
- The adaptogenic oil with 5% CBD (€35 for 10 ml), which helps you deal with major stress spikes and regain emotional balance very quickly.
- The relaxing chewing gum (€6.90 for a pack of 10) for quick action during stressful moments.
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Ladrôme products
These products, which I had already mentioned in a previous article, are organic health products. For deep sleep, I recommend the brand’s two plant-based food supplements: one based on Passionflower and the other on Valerian.
For my part, I had already been using Passionflower for years to get more restorative sleep and to avoid bad dreams, etc.
Another product of the same type from Ladrôme is the “Calm & Sleep” plant-based syrup with 8 active plants, or the new Aroma capsules, specifically for “Sleep-Relaxation” (€12 for a box of 30 capsules).
What I appreciate about these plant-based food supplements is, of course, that they are not harmful to the body, unlike some other remedies for everyday minor ailments that can become problematic in the long run.
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The makeup removal exercise
We understand it well; all magazines, websites, and beauty blogs have been telling us for years: the most important thing at night is to cleanse your face thoroughly. To ensure you don’t skip this essential habit before bedtime, here is a small selection of products I like to use for this mandatory exercise.
My little selection:
- Daliane soaps, made with donkey milk, handcrafted in Haute-Savoie with passion and authenticity by Sylvie Dalibard. There is a whole range with the sweet names of Sylvie’s donkeys (Colette, Victoire, Augustine, Gabrielle, etc.), to be adapted according to your skin type and the desired benefits.
Price: from €3.95 (for a 26g soap) to €14.95 (for a 110g soap)
- The Repère brand from E.Leclerc offers organic, eco-friendly, and natural cosmetics called Bio Naïa, at very affordable prices. For makeup removal, you have the choice between makeup remover wipes, which are very useful when traveling (e.g., €2.30), micellar water (€3.70), or even makeup remover milk for sensitive skin (€3.46).
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Night creams
Night is also the best time to pamper your face or body with products that will help our skin regenerate well while we sleep peacefully (well, at least we try to).
My little selection:
- The Nu Skin Cosmetics range, an American brand, with the anti-aging face serum, a product that presents an optimal concentration of the ageLOC Elements range blend (expensive but extremely effective – €225 for 30 ml). For smaller budgets, Nu Skin also offers a night cream (€79) that hydrates and repairs the skin while reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
- The True 100% Pure Shea Butter from Lovea with nourishing, revitalizing, antioxidant, and protective properties (ideal as a lip balm before going to bed, or for hands too: intense repair guaranteed).
- The Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, which I personally use for my lips (and mine are particularly chapped). I have truly found nothing better (and yet I have tried many products for lips) to make them super soft. This product is almost magical. The only downside is the smell, which might bother your nighttime companion (yes, it was originally used to treat horse hooves; the result is super effective, but the smell remained…).
- I also like applying hand cream at night because I find it’s the most effective time of the day for this type of product. This avoids washing my hands shortly after and removing almost all the product I just applied. At least this way, the product can really act in depth.
- Another nighttime essential is the nighttime eye contour treatment (at the moment I am using the Midnight Recovery Eye from Kiehl’s, which I find very effective).
- The Advanced Night Repair, a magic serum from Estée Lauder, which repairs damaged cells, activates collagen production, protects the skin from pollution but also UV rays, cigarette smoke—in short, this revolutionary formula strengthens the skin’s natural defenses. I had heard about it everywhere as THE essential product for having beautiful skin, and having had a bottle a while ago, I am completely convinced. This thing is magical and very quickly becomes an essential in your bathroom. The only catch is that it’s really not cheap (about €80 per bottle)…
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La Compagnie du Blanc
This brand, specializing in high-quality household linen since 1964, offers a vast selection of quality products at very competitive prices. On their site, we find a selection of items ranging from duvets to duvet covers, including table linen, bathrobes, throws, etc.
For my part, I set my sights on a bedding set in the Duvet Cover section. I found one to my taste (the Wesley Beige set with duvet cover and 2 pillowcases) and on top of that, it was on sale (€99 instead of €183). I also separately ordered a solid percale pillowcase (Terra color) to complete the set, and I think the combination works quite well.
The little extra: when browsing the website, when you are on a product page, the brand suggests other products to coordinate your bedding set, for example, and I find that very practical!
For info, the brand also opened a showroom (a concept store-oriented boutique for household linen) in Paris, in the 11th arrondissement, six months ago.
Showroom Compagnie du Blanc 46 Rue Basfroi 75011 Paris
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The Dodo mattress topper
It’s been some time now since I discovered the Dodo mattress topper (which I had already mentioned in a previous article) and I must say that I have been completely won over by the product.
The goal of the product, which is positioned very easily on the mattress, is to maintain its flexibility or firmness while adding an extra 4 cm of softness, giving the body the feeling of being wrapped in a cocoon.
This makes the feeling of softness at bedtime much more pronounced, without losing the advantage of my rather firm mattress, which is beneficial for back health.
However, a small tip: I strongly advise against using the product during a heatwave or simply when temperatures rise, because, let’s face it, the mattress topper generates a bit of heat, like a duvet in the end. Conversely, this winter, it will be the perfect time to bring it back out!
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Dry oil for hair
I already spoke about it in my special hair tips article, but since I discovered dry hair oil, I use it at night before going to sleep; I apply it to the length of my hair, which I then braid.
I leave it on all night and wash my hair in the morning upon waking. The result on my hair (which is quite long) is impressive. More shine first of all, and very good hair hydration.
My little selection: L’Or Bio from Melvita (€25.50); Huile Gourmande Fleur de Figuier from Roger & Gallet (€21.90); Huile soyeuse from Phyto (€18); 95% natural origin Pre-Shampoo oil from Lovea (€6.99).
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The Biphasecity-Protect mist from Alorée
This organic “Skincare Water” based on active chlorophyll is both an urban shield and a vitality booster for the skin because it has a dual moisturizing and protective action.
This anti-stress “pschitt” is both relaxing and invigorating, preserving the radiance and vitality of the skin of busy city dwellers and compensating for skin imbalances linked to pollution and daily external aggressions.
So, I tested this simple beauty step (spraying the mist on the face as well as on the neck and chest) in the evening before my skincare treatment.
Results: very pleasant sensation and a light scent of fresh grass before bed, and afterwards, the skin is well hydrated. Furthermore, this step also protects the skin from the first signs of aging.
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The Sleep Spa from Hästens boutiques
A specialist in luxury bedding, Hästens is a Swedish family business that has existed for 5 generations.
In order to introduce the brand to as many people as possible, they have imagined a unique boutique concept, the “Sleep Spa,” to allow visitors to make the choice of their ideal bed.
The concept of this sleep Spa is simple: the boutiques are broken down into 4 sleep zones that allow you to discover your preferences in terms of bedding.
The Tip: in zone 3, the relaxation zone, you choose your custom-made bed and you can take a little nap for free in a personalized space while listening to soothing music with the pillow provided to us upon our arrival. Heaven!
Hästens Boutique 48 rue du Bac, 75007 Paris
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The Kyriad memory foam pillow
To have restorative sleep, the quality of your pillow is paramount. With a “custom” pillow, you sleep better and apparently shorten your time to fall asleep by 30 minutes (which is not negligible). The memory foam pillow is therefore a real innovation in the field.
My opinion: I have to be honest: after testing it for several nights, I couldn’t adapt to this pillow… I think it was a bit too “hard” for me, and I’m more used to a very soft pillow, so I think I would need a longer adaptation time to integrate the memory foam pillow into my nighttime habits…
The little extra: reinforce the beneficial and well-being effect with a pillow mist to spray in the air, on the pillow, or on the sheets (Rose pillow mist by the brand Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger, €13 for 50 ml).
Photo credits: Melle Bon Plan and Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free; the photographer's authorization is mandatory before any use
