I supposed I should lead with something like, “I was compelled to start training myself to sleep on my back due to the amazing spine benefits” or something like that. No, it is straight up vanity that just happens to have some health benefits for my very neglected spine. I did sleep training during a very, very, very stressful time of my life and wasn’t even in my own bed for 3/4 of the training! (It was work travel, get your mind out of the gutter.)

I am a champion sleeper. By that I don’t mean I’m going to win awards for falling asleep anywhere. My champion sleeper award would be getting 7-8 hours of sleep almost no matter what, being able to fall asleep in less than 5 min. Sometimes I’ll turn on a podcast and I’m asleep before the intro is even over. So this was at the TOP of my concerns when I knew I was going to become, gasp, a back sleeper. That mythical unicorn of sleeping positions. Back sleeping.

How to Start Sleeping on Your Back

Before you get started, here’s a few things you really need to have or know.

• Make sure have the right support!
  • I used to sleep on fluffy pillows, one flat and one medium fluff. That allowed me to move around too much. When I started sleeping on my back I got this pillow that was more firm (you can stuff to your comfort level!) and also cooling!
• You will probably need some lower back support or something under your legs.
  • It can feel uncomfortable to just lie on your back during the first part of training so this will help.
• Some people really love a weighted blanket for this.
  • I personally have anxiety (Yes, I know they are meant to reduce it.) when I put a 20 pound blanket is on me. However, it’s worth trying out when you’re trying to start sleeping on your back.
• While you’re at it, also get a silk pillowcase so your skin and hair thank you.
• A relaxing spray of your bed in the morning or evening is such a lovely feeling. I’ve been doing this for years!
  • Scent is a huge part of feeling comfortable to me so I try to incorporate that in everything. (Plus I do NOT want the house to smell like a dog.)

What Helped Me Most? Pillowing Myself In

I would go to sleep on my back, proud of myself and wake up on my side, going, “What happened while I was sleeping?” Repeatedly. I was traveling a lot for work so a new mattress every single week wasn’t really helping. However, that made me even more determined to sleep on my back as the hotels had some terrible mattresses. I wanted to be able to back sleep under ANY circumstances.

So I had to figure something out. Then the perfect solution came. I literally had to create a sort of quasi-bedding buffer that didn’t allow me to turn to my side. Or at least, greatly impended the natural shift to my side. At home it was easier since I had extra pillows. At hotels I just requested double pillows and it wasn’t ever an issue.

Oh and I absolutely also spray my hotel pillows as well to help create some consistency.

How Long It’ll Take to Start Sleeping on Your Back

Because I knew I was going to write this post, I actually tracked how long it took to start sleeping (fully) on my back. This is from the beginning of sleep training to waking up also on my back. (Note: I still find myself waking up sometimes on my side, but I can tell it’s only been since I snoozed my alarm in my sleep.)

It took six weeks to go from side to back sleeping.

I felt like I wasn’t making ANY progress the first three weeks. Then I boxed myself in with pillows, had the right support and I was off to the (sleeping) races.

I’m not going to say this is a vital life skill, but it kind of an important one. If you’re like me and say it is IMPOSSIBLE to sleep on your back, you’re going to prove yourself wrong. I used to think it would take hours to fall asleep on my back and now it’s less than five minutes to sleep!

The post How I Trained Myself to Sleep on My Back appeared first on Honestly Relatable.

Use Eye Cream Daily (x2)

If you’re reading this and not using eye cream, stop. Please buy some. You can skip a lot of my skincare advice but you cannot stop an eye cream unless you just love the character lines an un-cared for one provides. I have used two different eye creams over the past few years. (You can see the 2020 one here) However, I really like Banana Bright, despite some people reporting issues of breakouts. It will remain a staple in my skincare.

Take Care of Your Lips

Although my lips are currently seeing no action, they are ready for it. I have several products I use in the winter. I’ve used the classic lip sleeping mask and it is worth the $22. I’ll use it overnight and wake up with perfectly hydrated lips. I also like using a balm in the winter and you guys know I’ve talked about this for YEARS!

Use Retinol On Your Body

I use FarmHouse Fresh’s Moon Dip because a) it is moisturizing without being greasy and b) has retinol. Your skin needs so much more hydration and TLC than you think in the winter, including the skin below your neck. Try to swap out your lotion containing long-term benefits. The price tag might be slightly higher but you’ll be thankful in the long-run.

Winter Means Red Lipstick Season

I love red lipstick. I think everyone has a red lipstick made for them and I just love the effect it has on people. Winter is red lipstick season all day long.

• Dior Ultra Shock – Burgundy Red – This color is DARK in the tube but man when it goes on you are going to get so many compliments. It is STUNNING and photographs beautifully. Out of all my reds, I think this one is the most universally flattering and even with other red clothing on, it still can get it.
• Mac – E for Effortless – I picked this up at the MAC store in DFW when I had a delay and I LOVE this red. It’s so rich and moisturizing which I tend to find red dries out my lips a lot. It’s gorgeous and the perfect holiday red but still good to wear anytime!
• Urban Decay – Ultra Matte 714 – Not Pictured – This one one to me photographs AMAZING but in real life it’s a bit more orange so I have to be careful what I wear it with. I know it’s one of their best-selling colors so I think it might just be me that is more hesitant to use this one on a regular basis.

Runner up for amazing power color? NARS Audacious! You can see it in action here.

Winter is coming but so is your best skin! In addition to making these winter skincare swaps, use things like these Wander undereye masks or Skyn Hydro Cool no mess undereye masks regularly and DRINK WATER!

The post Winter Skincare Swaps You Need to Make appeared first on Honestly Relatable.

These products are ones that I have either used all year or had at least six-weeks with in order to feel like I can recommend them.

Potent-C Power Serum

I thought just vitamin c was good. (I’ve talked about it a lot) Then I wanted to change out my ride or die vitamin c serum and I found this. It is 50x more powerful than a regular vitamin c serum. It does smell a little different (some people said it was rancid, I would not say that at all) but I LOVE the results. I tested it on a fine line I was getting on my forehead. After three weeks of consistent usage it was visibly diminished and is getting me through till my next Botox appointment. I have never bought into the Peter Thomas Roth hype, despite his masks being an industry standard, but this serum wins an award in my book.

Apply: Two pumps, twice a day
Cost: $98 / 1oz
Available: Ulta, Sephora
Addresses: Uneven texture, fine lines, wrinkles, firmness and increases brightness

Glow Cycle Retin-Alt Power Serum

Retinol is just a little too aggressive for my skin. I’ve tried every trick you can name, but it just burns up my skin. However, it’s one of the most powerful things you can apply to help diminish aging and keep a youthful glow.

Enter Ole Henrikson’s Glow Cycle Retin-Alt Power Serum. While you cannot say it five times fast, this is a great, all-natural, plant-powered, clean beauty product. As soon as I ran out of my first bottle I added it to my cart. I wasn’t even tempted to try anything else. Be careful when apply it to not get it anywhere near your eye or lips. I learned that the hard way when I got some on my lips and let me tell you, I was happy to get my rejuvenated lip skin back. (That was a gross sentence, sorry you had to read that.)

Apply: Two pumps, twice a week at night
Cost: $58 / 1oz
Available: Sephora
Addresses: EVRYTHING

Phlur Perfume

I was given this as a gift and oh my word. The brand is incredible. This smell is mesmerizing and unlike anything I’ve ever worn. I’ve gotten two compliments on it (I have only been semi-around two people in the past month) and I plan on trying more from this brand. I still love my Juliette’s Got a Gun Not a Perfume and Moscow Mule, but this one is perfect for fall. I also love any perfume that comes in a spray and NOT A ROLLERBALL! Ugh, I hate, hate, hate rollerball perfume. I am an adult and I want a spray. I do not need to roll my perfume on like a child.

Cost: $28 / .33oz
Available: Sephora

Invisibobble

I first hear of these last fall when I was with my coworker/friend Amy. She had a whole collection of them and I didn’t pay much attention to them. This year I decided to try and really not wear my hair up to help prevent any damage and keep my curls extra heathy. I also decided to somewhat grow my hair out which mean it went EVERYWHERE and was a hot mess.

I got this for when I need my hair back but I don’t need it to be all the way up. Do I trust it for a heavy-duty ponytail day? Absolutely not. Is it perfect for everyday, protecting my curls and not being one of the 30,000 ponytail rings I’ve lost? Yes. Yes it is. There’s a million brands selling this type of thing so I think I recommend them in general, not just this particular brand I picked up while checking out from Sephora.

Available: Sephora

Biossance Products

In my quest to replace my standard eye cream (I feel like after a while it becomes less effective but I have no science behind that.) I stumbled onto Biossance. I really like them, but I understand why some don’t. Some products have a very strong rose scent. These two products I didn’t find to be overwhelming. I really like the eye cream and the moisturizer is really great for brightening.

I apply the eye cream morning and night. The moisturizer I apply typically as a final layer to seal in something like my Potent-C or Retin-Alt. Both are available here.

Honeymoon Glow

I was first aware of Farmacy last year and I really enjoyed their sheet masks (I bought them a lot last winter and when I was traveling) and Honeymoon Glow was their breakout product. Farmcy is a clean beauty product that is perfectly balanced between pretty packaging, performance and clean beauty. Often I find you have trade-offs and I haven’t felt that way with this.

Apply: Two pumps, one-two nights a week. (You can build up to more if you feel you need it.) I do not recommend combining this product with any others until you know how your skill will react.
Cost: $58 / 1 oz
Available: Sephora
Addresses: Dull skin, refines pores and gently exfoliates.

Olive & June

I have come a LONG way from the first time I tried to do my nails in the pandemic and I bled for two days. I am still trying to figure out MY nails specifically because they like to chip even if it’s a dip formula on them. Why? No one knows, but I suspect it’s to keep me humble. Anyway, Olive & June had a wonderful fall collection and I picked up LD. (Actually named for someone in Wichita so it was a fun connection!) You can see my review here.

(Also you should note these photos were not take the same day, but over a week and my polish somehow looks the same with some average chipping.) I swapped out their topcoat for Seche gel topcoat. I typically reapply a topcoat after three days and make sure you seal the tips!

Don’t forget to switch out your skincare as the weather gets colder! You should always swap out items when the weather changes to make sure your skin is getting what it needs. And always, always, always wear SPF no matter what the weather is!

The post My Favorite (So Far) Beauty Products of 2020 appeared first on Honestly Relatable.