#DamnGood Special! Your Ultimate Beauty Sleep Guide 😴With Guest Editor Siff Haider

24:20This one is a lipid rich cleansing balm with skin identical ceramides and an advanced triple emulsifier system that dissolves makeup and SPF. Wow. And it has that same twist. They obviously went to the same trade show, everybody. People are catching on. Exactly. But this one's only$18 US. It's fragrance free as well. So it's going to be a different, it's derm developed. Right. It's very kind of. Speaking of cleansers, do you know which cleanser I think is really fun, but I don't use it every day. It's the Medicube. Is it Medicube? It's the one that comes out almost like it's like pink and you use a tiny little bit and it's, it like looks like mucus when you go like this on your hands.

25:01It's one of these K-beauty brands. It is so fun. Or is it April Skin? One or the other. Sorry, I'm so bad at remembering. It kind of sounds like a Metacube product. Yeah, but it's like one of those innovative, fun to use. I also think that that is kind of how, if someone is getting into skincare new, having these kind of fun little ways to use it is such a great way to stick to it. Yeah, totally. I agree. Playtime. What about you, Jill? We're always trying different products, to be honest, but are there are a few products that are part of your get unready with you routine where you just would never swap them out?

25:41Well, I think because we are in the winter, certain things are more top of mind for me. So every single night now I do use the bedside humidifier from Canopy. I just love that it's like the smallest tank. It's totally noise free. And you're also at first when you start using it. Have you guys used it? It's like it's a bit trippy because you're like, what's happening because no mist comes out. Yeah. But it actually I find that my skincare because my condo is so dry in the morning when I have that humidifier on my skincare is still on my skin in the morning. OK, like usually it's gone. It's completely evaporated.

26:16So I actually think that that is really worth it in the wintertime. And then I did get sucked into wanting to try the Lemmy Sleep Sleep Tight gummies from Courtney. Earmuffs, earmuffs. Sorry. Sorry. I haven't tried the Array ones yet. Well, they're they've been gifted them today. I brought them for you. Honestly, I will say I think if you like a gummy, then absolutely. And like, I think people do have preference for what they like. And so whatever sleep supplements work for you. So you got to try I thought that they were going to be complete BS. And I do have to say like 30 minutes before bed, popping a couple of these, it's melatonin and magnesium.

26:57They're just like both known to relax you. I find that you're just more relaxed getting into bed. So I think that they are actually worth it. But it could be any magnesium. These are$30. We have magnesium. Yeah. Tell me about yours. Yeah. I was just going to say. I need to hear about yours. Let's hear it from you. So I'll tell you my sleep supplement stock. I take three of our magnesium, which is a blend of threonate, citrate and bisclisnate. So very bioavailable, really good for recovery, really good for essentially like helping you relax, sleep really deeply, all of the things. I love our magnesium.

27:30It is incredible. And like I... And this is a pill format. It's pill format. Yeah. Okay. I personally prefer capsules. I really do. I don't, like I don't take a ton of gummies. I just accept our tone, which I love. But before bed, I feel like I'm also someone, once I'm done eating, it's over. I've brushed my teeth already. Like I'm not having anything else. So I do capsules. I'm a big capsule girl. So I do three of those and then I do two of our sleep capsules. So our one is formulated without melatonin. I'm so curious about that. Okay. So we decided to go melatonin free because research has shown, and again, this is no shade to melatonin.

28:07I think there's a time and place, but research has shown that having melatonin regularly can cause dependency. It is after all a hormone. So we wanted to create something that was melatonin free so that it wouldn't cause any dependency. And I take two every night and it helps me stay asleep throughout the night, which is the most important thing to me. This is your sleep formula. That's like the two things that I combine. And these are two products that I like cannot go anywhere without. Yeah, I was going to ask because I wasn't sure if it was an either or situation. So that's what I was going to ask you.

28:39But you take both the sleep and the magnesium. Yeah, I take both. And what's the reason for that? Well, magnesium is really good for helping you recover as well. So as someone who works out also, it has a calming effect. It helps with muscle recovery. And so magnesium is also something that our body uses for so many different functions. And we are unfortunately all magnesium deficient. And so it's just one of those things that we all should be having. I also used to be someone who would get a lot of cramps on my foot. And so magnesium stops that from happening, essentially. So yes, I take both.

29:14And no matter what sleep supplement you take, you should absolutely be, unless the sleep supplement comes with like the right dosage of magnesium, you should be also adding in magnesium. I think like magnesium is just one of those supplements that everyone should be taking. It's just universally good for you.

29:37Today's episode is brought to you in part by Merit. So there are certain makeup lines where I feel like my group of friends are just constantly talking about them over and over. One of them is definitely Merit. And that's because Merit is all about the easiest makeup. You can get ready in five minutes, which I really appreciate. Y 'all know that I'm lazy slash busy. And I love the fact that Merit Beauty, it gives you this elegant polish. but it's completely effortless at the same time. So one of my favorite products, for example, is Merit Signature Lip Liner. It's a sheer lip liner, which I know can sound a bit out of the box, but honestly, it just gives you the softest definition without giving you a squiggly line if your lips aren't perfectly plump and even.

30:26And sometimes I'll use it to fill in the whole lip and put in a gloss over top or I'll just use it around the edges. I know that we've had makeup artists on our show who are huge fans of this product as well. But there's so many more hits from Merit. They're flush bomb. It gives you this natural, healthy glow without overdoing it. One was sold every 30 seconds in 2024. That's how good it is. Hotly in demand. Everyone was asking me about it. They have a minimalist. It's called The Minimalist is the product. It's a double duty foundation and concealer in one. So it's just super easy and everything gives you just like a gorgeous glow.

31:08And the best part is Merit's products, they're all vegan, cruelty free. They're made with nourishing skincare ingredients. And it just helps to make your skin look better even after you take your makeup off. Now, a lot of people are also huge fans of the cult makeup bag that you can use kind of as an evening purse as well. That's been a request from my friends to me. And right now Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their signature makeup bag with your first order at MeritBeauty.com for free. That's M-E-R-I-T Beauty.com to get your free signature makeup bag with your first order. MeritBeauty.com.

31:55Well, I want to talk about something that's very lo-fi, but it's viral. And I've been using it and I think it's great. And it's called The Sleep Crown. Do you guys know about this? No, I know. What is that? And I heard about it first from Elizabeth Cott, who used to have the podcast here at Dear Media. Yes, that was it. That's the one. That is it. That's so retrograde. I love following Elizabeth on Instagram because she's so interesting. She's always at the forefront of wellness trends, but she also has a fashion background. So she just has interesting takes. So the sleep crown, everybody, it's I have it here.

32:26It's just high. She hid it behind her back. It's a special pillow. They're all handmade in Austin. And it's basically like a weighted blanket for your face. Like you put it like this? Yes. Oh, so it comes with extra stuffing if you want to make the weighted part more weighted, but it's still very light if you guys want to feel it. Does that make sounds though? Is this ASMR? You take it out of that. You take it out of that. Oh, you take it out of that. Okay. So it's shaped like this. Which is what? We got to describe it. It's kind of like oblong, but. It's got a bit of a dip in the middle. It kind of looks like the shape of a molar, like a tube.

33:07You know when you go to a facial and they use those special towels that wrap around, but your nose is always, your nose and your mouth are always out. It's like the inverse of that. So you put this on your head like this on your forehead and it's covering her eyes. It's like the world's biggest eye mask is the way she's putting it on. I like this. It feels like a jelly cat, like one of those plushies, stuffies. I'm giving you more ASMR. When I was little and I didn't used to have an eye mask. Yeah. Which, by the way, is one of my absolute needs for sleeping. I cannot sleep without one. Like absolutely out of the question.

33:43I used to use this. like I used to just use a pillow. Yeah. I was like, and so even now if I'm God forbid in a pinch, my husband does that every once in a while, I'll lean on it. He's snoring, but this is created by a restorative yoga teacher and it is meant to, it's like, yeah, it's a weighted blanket. It's a crown weighted blanket for your head. And a lot of people who suffer from migraines swear by it. So if you go on Reddit, everyone's like, my friend got obsessed with it and then she bought 14 like for all of her friends and now everyone's obsessed with it it's a pillow just to break it down it's a pillow that you sleep with over your face except there's a little dip such that your nose and your nose and your mouth can be left hanging out right and it and it does breathe and it flops to the side as well so when you are laying down it covers your ears yeah it covers your ears so it's a weighted blanket for your head, which sounds crazy.

34:40I know I have one of those world simplest idea that made this person a bajillion dollars. They're all handmade. They are not mass produced. I was very skeptical, but you get literally the coziest sleep ever. And it's much it's not it's much different than an eye mask in the sense that you just feel cocooned a lot more. And it's it's like a safety net. It's a way to blanket. I will honestly try it. I think at this point, my husband will. So he's also like, he's like, you are just like, you don't look like yourself when you sleep. Because I like to be like very put together. But when I'm going to bed, I have my hair in the little, the pink.

35:21You do the morning shed. Yeah. He's like, who are you? Yeah. And then I have the eye mask on all of the things. So yeah, it looks just like a woman sleeping with a pillow on her head. I have to say, I love an eye mask like you. I'm waiting to get the drowsy one. Have you tried that one? No, what is that one? It's by the company Drowsy. And this is the one apparently all the celebrities use it. You'll see it like on their nightstand. So Sabrina Carpenter recently had one on her nightstand. What does it look like and why is it so special? So it's thicker. It kind of goes like I'm pointing from like the tip of your nose to the top of your forehead.

36:01So it wraps around almost more like the way that ski goggles are compared to sunglasses. There's another brand that does this too. It's called like something in rows. I want to say I have it. It's like a light green version that I have. It's like a really thick band. It literally wraps around. Yeah. Yeah. It's like a ski mask. That's exactly how to explain it. And then it's quite pillowy. And they also have a version where the eyes part is indented. So if you have fake lashes, it's not going to mess with them, which is probably why a lot of celebrities use them. But I think it getting at your point, Jill, it's that same idea of there's a bit of weight to it.

36:36So it's like a weighted pillow for your eyes. And I'm with you where I feel like the same with the cool temperature in the room. I'm as I'm as like diligent about light hygiene. Well, it's so important. We're not meant to sleep in bright rooms. So this one is meant to be really like the blackout blind eye masks. so I can't wait to try it because I love an eye mask, but I firmly believe if there's even like a sliver of light, I can, my middle eye is like on it. Dude, you need to try the sleep crown. I know you're a little skeptical. Trust me, this is like next level. I don't know if I can make it work, guys, because what you don't see in front of me here is my CPAP machine.

37:18Oh. I'm a victim. I'm a victim of sleep apnea. And so I'm going to talk about it because even though this is the granniest conversation to have, I wear I use a CPAP machine and I can't be alone. No, I'm sure there's so many people who do. This is a conversation that women don't talk about. Like you typically will see a man and they'll have their ridiculous looking CPAP briefcase going into business class. You never see that with a woman. We don't talk about it. But I have a CPAP machine and it is horrible. And I've been saying this for years that CPAP machines need a glow up. Like again, we need an engineer who's going to come in here and redesign it.

37:59It's called the beauty sleeper. You can have the idea, make it chic, you know, make it the hour place or whatever that brand is of CPAP machines and make it cute because it is terrible. And the other thing that I have not been able to figure out is how to get rid of the lines. Oh no. So wait, yeah. Tell me what it looks like. When you wear a CPAP machine, It like covers your, it's like a Darth Vader kind of vibe. It is that vibe. So I'm really hot with my drop crotch. Well, no wonder you need it to be 65 degrees. And it's claustrophobic. Yeah. So I'm going to try and pull up a picture, although you might have to do it because my internet's not working.

38:36It's a machine that goes beside your bed and then there's a tube to it and it attaches. So you need it to go under your nose so you can inhale oxygen. You can get oxygen because apnea means that you are holding your breath in your sleep and you're not breathing. So you have apnea if you do that a certain amount of times in an hour. So I went, you have to go to a sleep clinic to be diagnosed for it. They put all kinds of probes on you. It's very scientific and they measure how many times you wake up within the hour. So when I did that, I was considered to have like mild to mid apnea. Is this what it looks like?

39:19That's what it looks like. You can show the camera. I'm a victim. Someone does need to iterate on that, though, because like the lines and it's I'm sure it's like so tight on the face. It means you can't have it. If you have it too loose, it will it won't work. Like basically it'll make a really loud noise and it won't it won't do its purpose. and if you have it too tight you have the lines and if you have it fitting just right you'll still have the lines this was oh no that's not the picture this was me last week I actually got a scab under my nose because I had it on too tight oh no so I was walking around with that for several days yeah that sucks so it's like yeah so you wake up and you have lines on either side of your cheeks from where it sits, right?

40:09This plastic thing. And I have yet to figure out. Someone needs to make it out of silicone or something. It is silicone, but it's still like you're lying on your side and it presses into your cheek. Or like, I'm just trying to think like maybe like a material that's like more pliable. Yeah. The crown pillow perhaps. Yeah. Maybe I'll lie with my face down on it. I don't know what the solution is, guys, but for our listeners out there, there's a lot of Estes who listen. If there's any solutions for for getting rid of these lines or something to put on before I put it on. Like I'm all ears. You need to learn how to also, well, if you sleep like a vampire on your back, it would probably help, right?

40:45Yeah, that's true. But I do roll on my side. Anyway, that's my story. But I think what people really want to know is, am I sleeping better? Right. So I am sleeping better. Clinically, they make you go back to the clinic and they retest you. So I now know that I'm not waking myself up within the normal range of apnea. So I'm clinically getting a better quality sleep now. Do you feel more rested? I still will get tired in the middle of the day, like the week before my period and I need to have a nap. But so this is what tells me it's hormonal. But I know clinically I'm getting better quality sleep.

41:20The other reason just real talk is this is my real beauty secrets, guys. This is my my progesterone and my eschatolopram. And these are my, like, as soon as I started taking my Lexapro as the brand name, I started sleeping better. And that's a very common thing with women with perimenopause is that their sleep goes out the window and you can also start getting more anxiety. So that's why I started going on the Lexapro and instantaneously my sleep became better. Wow. And that is just a lifesaver right there. But not everybody obviously wants to go that route or needs to go that route. I did because I have a history of anxiety and panic attacks.

42:05But I can tell you from the progesterone, because now I'm on estrogen and progesterone, that these ones you take the first 12 days of the month, you take two of them. And these cause drowsiness. It actually says on it, take it at bedtime for the first 12 days of the month. and it says may cause drowsiness. This one, like I'm out like a light now when I take these. So just a word of advice. If you're thinking of that, you need something to help you sleep and you're in your perimenopause phase, it might get sorted just through hormone therapy. You may not need like an actual drug like Lexapro. Maybe you're going to do MB1-45+.

42:47Or what's it called? MB1-45+. Yeah. Is that helpful? like what's happening with that? That's the one with Pamela Anderson was the face of that, right? It was. Yeah. So that is essentially our, so last year we launched MB1, which is our product for metabolism. It helps with blood glucose levels. It helps with energy levels. And so we, we noticed that the 45 plus, and I'm talking perimenopause, menopause beyond that market. Yeah. It was extremely underserved in my opinion. And I just felt like I have so many friends who are within that age bracket and they would tell me like nothing really speaks to them.

43:23And also when we looked at our customer base, we do have a lot of women who are starting to get into that age category. So we wanted to create MB1 specifically formulated for this age bracket. So it helps with not just the metabolism piece and the energy piece, but it also just helps stabilize your mood levels as well. So there's ashwagandha in there as well. And so we were really, really proud of that product because the thing is, I think women do enter the stage in their lives and they do need that extra support and they just want something to feel to help them feel like themselves. You know, I think like that's the that's the thing that totally the way that things are going now.

44:03I don't think women are chasing the feeling of being or being or looking 21 when they're 60. Yeah, it's more so like, how can I continue to feel really vibrant and energetic and beautiful at my age? And so I think that was the reason we really wanted to use Pamela as the face of the product. And she tested the product for months before we even signed anything. She's a very high integrity woman. And she had been using the brand for years before. High integrity woman. She really is, you know. And so we thought that she really represented this woman who has kind of embraced every season of her life.

44:40And she continues to be very energetic, very vibrant. She wants to just continue to show up as the best version of herself. So that was really the idea behind the product. Yeah, we're really proud of it. So, well, it's amazing that you got her. Also, such a good Canadian story as well. Do you use an aura ring or anything like that? I have it on right now. I was trying to because guys, of course, Sif has the most beautiful jewelry on it. It's so unclockable. But the thing about the Oura Ring, the design has gotten a lot better. So do you use that to track your sleep? We have to describe it to people who can't see.

45:16So it's just a really thick gold band. And it's kind of rounded on the edges. It's lovely. So I am someone who just refuses to compromise on my overall look for anything. And so I love the Oura Ring because it goes well with my jewelry. You know, it just it looks like people are like, what? Where would you get that? I'm like, that's the Oura Ring. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Literally my tracking device. I love my Oura Ring. I think it is so helpful to help me understand what am I doing that is impacting sleep as an example. And I'm someone who is data driven. I'm also someone who's in this industry. And so I am a guinea pig.

45:58So as an example, when before we released the sleep capsules, we had people test how their sleep was with the sleep capsules. And so they use the Oura Ring for that. I got mine shortly after we released the sleep capsules and I love my Oura Ring. I've talked about this on my podcast in the past, but I was trying to increase my HRV levels. And so what is that? So it's heart rate variability. It's essentially how your body is able to cope with stress. I have just naturally lower HRV just because I have like a like a condition essentially. But there was always room for improvement. And so I started to kind of experiment with different variables to see what was impacting my HRV most.

46:37And so if you are someone who's interested in really just optimizing certain things, even your sleep, right? Like we all get like X amount of sleep, but then are you getting deep sleep, REM sleep? And so understanding, OK, like what are the variables that are really impacting the kind of sleep that I'm getting? you know what we're talking about you know a pre-bedtime routine as an example I noticed that when I have that my quality of sleep is just inherently better and so I think having an aura ring if you are someone who's data driven mind you I do think you have to want to do something with the data don't just look at it and get panicked for example when we went to Ibiza in the summer I was like I'm just not gonna look yeah because I I know I know like you can't be a slave to it.

47:19Yeah. Like when we were in Vegas for work again, I know I'm overstimulated. I know that my sleep quality is like a little bit off, but I'm not going to get obsessed with what's going on because I also you also know your body, you know, so it's just take it with a grain of salt is what I'm trying to say. Just to be clear, will the aura ring tell you how much does it tell you how much sleep you got or didn't get? It tells you the amount of time that you've slept. It tells you your deep sleep, your REM sleep, your light sleep. It tells you things like your HRV levels, obviously step count activity, all of the things.

47:49It gives you scores for like how you've essentially recovered slash like rested, like how rested, recovered you are. And then sleep, obviously. I'm surprised it can't tell you how many times you wake up like apnea. It can. It does. So I never I didn't have to go sleep at that stupid sleep clinic. Well, you had you had. Yeah, they gave you the diagnosis. I just have a feeling that if your aura ring said, go buy a CPAP machine, you're like, nah, you had a clinician tell you and you probably took it a bit more seriously. But it's a tool. And it's a powerful tool. I also think you can also track your period on it, which I think is really helpful, too, because it's like everything in one spot.

48:28So I am a big fan. I used to before this wear the Apple Watch. I wore that for years. It's a sad. I'm a slave to this as well. But do you sleep with it on? No, I don't. do that. So that's the thing. I wanted the sleep stats. And so unfortunately, the Apple watch did not work because I was not going to sleep with that clunky thing on. I know. I know. It's so true. I'm obsessed with the series you did. And I feel like it made you blow up on TikTok about the rich girl hacks or what what was the phrasing exactly? How to look expensive. Yes. How to look expensive. What's your how to look expensive or how to be expensive or fake it going to bed?

49:04going to bed. Ooh, let me think about this. Honestly, again, I think it's just, okay, so here's, here's a good one. Okay. I like to shower before going to bed. And I just think that it's a really nice way to feel very luxurious. And I think you just, again, like you take a warm shower. I think it just like calms your nervous system. Definitely. So I like to use just really nice products. So I love Osea. If people aren't using it, it's amazing. So I use the body, the body wash from Osea. I also really like their body oil. Another product that I just recently started to use, which I really, really like is it's called HANI, H-A-N-N-I.

49:43It's a moisturizer that you use in the shower. I really like it because again, it's in the shower. It smells really nice. And then you just put it on and your skin like soaks it up. So I think that's a really nice way to like feel expensive. And then just like a fluffy white robe before you're going to but I think that's very hotel vibes. Yeah. And it's very chic too. So my team for my birthday gifted me this like amazing thick white robe with my initials on it from parachute. And I'm so obsessed with it. So really? Yeah. It was like the sweetest little gift. I want to get like the real Four Seasons one.

50:17Honestly. Yeah. That's that's a good one too. Can I tell you the bath girlies how to look expensive or feel expensive? I love it. Okay. Do you know this brand Sangra de Fruta? No, what is it? Okay, so this brand is out of Vancouver. And it's like the most beautiful kind of handcrafted. Feels like it's from an Italian apothecary. Yeah, it's like a botanical, all locally sourced. No, they have like body washes and hand washes and all of that. And in fact, last time we were here, I think it was, I went to Sunset Tower and they had the hand wash in the bathroom. And I was like, yes, Canada. Everything is so beautiful.

50:57like it's in black jars and stuff like that. So this is the Botanical Bath Salts. It's with sea salt from Salt Spring Island. Does it have a scent to it? It's neroli noir, which I feel I love. Can I smell it? You go for it. I love neroli. But here's the thing. That's the refill. Look at this jar. Okay, that's gorge. Look at this jar. That's stunning. Smells good. So I have to tell people in case they can't see it. So this is the Amphora Vessel. This is nice. Okay. It is$72 Canadian,$56 in Canada. So you use that as the refill. Those are the bath salts. That's$78 in Canada and$60 in the U.S. And so bath salts, I feel like, are always that thing that they're just kind of ugly around the bathtub.

51:43So they have this beautiful vessel. It's glass. It's stunning. And you put your bath salts in there and it looks like it's black. But if you actually really look through the light, it's actually blue. Oh, wow. It's like a really dark blue and it's got this gold deco on it. So I'm like obsessed with this. Well, so much more to talk about. And the good news is, is that this is a pod swap. It is. So Jill and I are going to be on Dream Bigger podcast. Everybody needs to go and listen because we're going to be talking about trends for 2026 in beauty and what to leave behind in 2025. I hope that nobody fell asleep listening to this episode.

52:22Or maybe, you know, if they are listening before going to bed. Then yes, hopefully you're already asleep. I do listen to a podcast sometimes before going to bed. So I actually take it as a compliment if you nod it off during this one. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you guys for having me. This is so fun. Thanks for listening. You can find details on every product mentioned in today's episode, along with our exclusive promo codes on our blog at BreakingBeautyPodcast.com. While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Every episode will be delivered directly to your inbox so you won't miss a single thing.

52:57And get social with us. Let us know what you think of the episode. You can follow us on Instagram at Breaking Beauty Podcast. And did you know we also have a private Facebook group? Just search Breaking Beauty Podcast chat room. You can even leave us a voicemail at any time with questions or feedback at 1-844-227-0302. And don't forget to subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast fix. Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts, where you can show us some love by writing a review. See you next Wednesday.

53:44Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.