Do any of you read Maskcara? If not, you are going to want to add this blog to your reader like yesterday. Cara is an amazing makeup artist with THE BEST before & afters and makeup tips. Plus she is just a real down to earth girl so you feel like you are reading an email from your bestie. MY.KIND.OF.BLOG. Anyway…my point was actually that she is having a little challenge called the #soapboxchallenge which I have a hard time believing wasn’t dreamt up specifically for me. OK, she has no idea who I am but I have been meaning to do EVERY one of the challenges for myself and this was just the inspiration I needed to REALLY make an effort to do them. I’ve given up the idea that I will ever sleep more than 5 hours a night…I mean, it’s 11:30pm now and this is when I get my best work done. Seriously…the words flow at night when everyone else has gone to bed. #momproblems. And right now my mom is probably reading this wondering wth the hashtags are all about (or as my husband calls them…pound signs). LOL. So back to the challenge….basically we (you can totally do it too) just have to take a pic of yourself and then for the next two weeks, MOISTURIZE, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER and WASH YOUR FACE EVERY NIGHT and then take your after pic. I’m just going to warn you now that you will probably NEVER see a completely unedited pic of me on this blog (#sorrynotsorry…can’t stop with the hashtags tonight) but I will share my results. TIP: if you don’t like drinking water, add cucumber and fresh mint like I do!

In other news, I have wanted to try sleeping on a satin pillowcase for YEARS. So when Dale from Savvy Sleepers offered to send me one…I was BEYOND excited. Let me tell you that the first night of sleeping on a satin was like heaven. It literally felt like a spa treatment if you can believe that. SO luxurious compared to the ratty ol’ pillowcase I had been using. She sent me the standard pillow case but I am thinking of ordering the king size so I have both.  Not only do they prevent hair breakage but they are also good for your skin! I am a toss & turn side sleeper so I always have creases on my face when I wake for what seems like hours. Call me crazy but I think my lines are way less visible after sleeping on satin. Oh, and there is a hidden little pocket on the inside for your hair-ties….genius.

Last but not least, I have been using this Dr. Jart + Ceramiden Cream for the last week or so. It is formulated for sensitive skin to keep it hydrated and soft. It says on the box that it may cause extra dryness or irritation if used along with other acne treatments so since I use tretinoin (retinol), I’ve used it every other night to avoid any irritation and so far so good. I will say that I was expecting it to be a cream consistency but it was much more of an ointment. If you’ve ever used aquaphor, it has almost the same consistency/effect. Put it on at night and in the morning you have soft skin! Although this is specifically for your face and is dermatologist tested. It is also good for redness! I probably wouldn’t use it in the morning before makeup but as an overnight treatment, it’s great. PLUS….on Birchbox, it gets a 4/5 stars and has over 2k reviews!

Disclaimer: I received the Savvy Sleepers pillowcase and Dr. Jart+ cream gratis for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.