Here’s what happened when one writer tried a “Sleeping Beauty”-like supplement
I am automatically on board for any activity where the climax of action involves me sleeping. So, when a gracious PR person reached out to me about a beauty sleep supplement, I finally felt seen. While the term sleeping beauty supplement might make it sound like I was signing up to get locked in a castle turret while a jealous older woman tormented me and a dragon cock-blocked me from my true love (strange handsome man), in this case, it was just me popping a bottle of pills.
The supplement I decided to try out is called Beauty R&R from Reserveage ($54.99), and each bottle comes with a month’s worth of supplements! The idea is simple: Each day you take two pills roughly an hour before bedtime (when you’re winding down), then you drift off and let the pills do the work.
The pills themselves contain Melatonin to help your mind chill out enough to rest, as well as the amino acid L-Theanine to calm down anxiety and promote deep rest. Besides lulling you into your body’s natural beauty sleep, the supplements also contain Biocell Collagen to boost your skin’s renewal and make you look like a sexy baby forever.
I figured the best way to figure out if this worked or not, was to track my usage and progress over a month! So here’s what happened while I was sleeping.
The Beginning:
For the sake of the Scientific Method, I took all of these pictures in my room so I’d achieve roughly the same lighting. I also didn’t wear face makeup in any photos (I used eye makeup and lipstick, but no foundation or BB cream). I will admit, I was ovulating during this photo so I think my skin looked better than normal. But if you look into the depths of my eyes, you could sense I was tired and ready to embark on my sleep journey.
Week One:
I have no eye makeup and the light from my window makes me look like I’m using a blur filter from the 1800s on a flip-phone, but nonetheless, after one week of Beauty R&R I was feeling good. In general, I have a bad habit of falling asleep on my phone (I knowww), but taking the supplements helped me be honest with myself about settling down and going to sleep. I didn’t notice any radical skin changes after a week, but I did feel more aware of my shifting bedtimes and how to create a better routine.
Week Two:
I strongly encourage you to ignore the fact that my hair is wet/drying in this photo. Needless to say, after two weeks I was feeling somewhat emotionally attached to Beauty R&R? In all honesty, when it came to my skin or the glisten of my eyes, there was still no remarkable difference. But I felt the routine pushing me to go to bed at more consistent times, and because of that, I felt less groggy and puffy in the morning.
Week Three:
At the end of week three, I felt a gratitude for the Melatonin itself, because I had been suffering noticeable anxiety and I noticed it helped me calm down. The first two weeks were much less stressful, so on week three, I felt the effects of the actual sleep supplement itself. Again, I think that being conscious of my bed time, taking the pills an hour before bed, and tracking my rhythm was overall good for anxiety. Also, on week three my under-eye circles were noticeably less pronounced. I’ll chalk that up as a win.
Week Four:
I will fully admit I might look better in this photo partially because I have eyeshadow and lip color on (still no foundation) and I look ready to down a glass of wine and talk shit, but still, I will fully say that I believe the month of using a beauty sleep supplement was overall good for me.
When it came to my skin, it was difficult to parse which good/bad skin days were due to my skin care routine, hormones, and the supplement itself. But I will definitely say that the combination of the taking my supplements daily (and forcing myself into bed), and the soothing elements of Melatonin and L-Theanine were overall good for my mental and physical health.
With my routine intact, I was less groggy in the mornings and I felt less like a human puffed pastry at breakfast time.
