Making Your Beauty Sleep Count

November is National Sleep Comfort Month. At Rodan + Fields, we’re all about getting our beauty rest—and for good reason.

Sleep is when your body recovers from a busy day, and your skin cells undergo repair and turn over slightly faster to help your complexion appear bright and healthy-looking when you wake up. “Well-rested” skin also has a chance to really soak up the benefits of your daily skincare routine.

Ready for a radiant, fresh-faced morning selfie? Follow these nighttime rituals and you’ll be beaming with #Iwokeuplikethis beauty all day.

• Embrace your dark side: Our bodies are tuned to sleep when it’s dark. If your shades don’t block the streetlights or early morning sunbeams, invest in blackout shades.
• Get back to your best: Want fewer wrinkles? Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields tell us that sleeping on our backs is key. Regularly sleeping on our stomachs or on one side tends to smush the face and create “sleep creases,” those unwanted wrinkles that can deepen over time. For even smoother results, choose a pillow case in satin or silk.
• Clean up your act: Make sure your face is completely clear of makeup, sunscreen and environmental pollutants before bedtime. Try a cleanser that is formulated for your skin’s particular needs, such as REDEFINE Daily Cleansing Mask for gentle exfoliation without stripping moisture, REVERSE Deep Exfoliating Wash for dull, blotchy skin, UNBLEMISH Acne Treatment Sulfur Wash to reduce visible redness, or SOOTHE Gentle Cream Wash for sensitive skin.
• Go easy on the eyes: Always remove eyeliner and mascara before bed, but careful not to scrub or tug at the delicate eye area, which can cause sagging or wrinkles. Try REDEFINE Eye Cloths, which gently remove eye makeup while depositing powerful peptides to reduce the look of fine lines and puffiness.
• Power down: Discipline yourself to turn off all your electronic devices two hours before bedtime. The blue light they emit cues our brains to energize, not wind down.
• Nighttime is the prime time for products: Skin “rests” during sleep, giving skincare a chance to do its best work. Make your 8 hours (ideally) count more with products like REDEFINE Overnight Restorative Cream to visibly firm skin and REDEFINE Night Renewing Serum with Retinol to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
• Lash out: Use new R+F Lash Boost every night, and in four weeks you’ll wake up to fuller-looking, darker-looking, longer-looking lashes. (While you’re at it, skip the sleep mask, which can apply pressure to eyes and lashes or even create new lines around the eyes, cheeks or forehead.)