perfect your night, perfect your life
you're one nightgown away from the perfect nighttime routine
those hours before the next 24 arrive are my favorite. i dedicate them to me, and me alone. sleep is a sport, if you value your health, and i treat it with both pomp and circumstance.
in college, i began a hobby of sourcing vintage and handmade nightgowns. my collection has since grown and includes a sheer black maxi number form the 1960s (with a matching maxi robe); a purple, lacy piece from a small studio in kiev; a teal-orange half lace, half silk, all sheer piece from the 1990s that i wore as my birthday dress two solar returns ago; and a redhot maxi number (with a matching maxi robe) from the early 2000s that i wear when i feel like cosplaying my future of being the lady of the manor.
by and large, my absolute favorite to wear is the purple, lacy piece that i always pair with a vintage purple silk robe that was created back when victoria actually had a secret. it’s my nightly uniform when i write for diary of a diouana woman. there’s a theatrical element to dressing up for bed that i love. it’s a ritual that i’ve come to cherish and look forward to each and every night.
i read once that you should dedicate at least 1% of your day to yourself. often, this is stated in the context of productivity within side hustle culture. but, i’ve decided to apply this principal to creating a ceremony around my sleep and the nighttime routine that leads up to it.
beauty is built on rituals. the more time we dedicate to our rituals, the holier they become. this is the same mechanism that sanctifies sacred spaces. what brings the divine down to earth. even for just a moment. the same is done when we commit the time to tending to ourselves before bed.
sleep functions as our body’s reset. this is why the adage goes that you shouldn’t make a serious decision until you’ve slept on it. those moments you spend in REM are deeply nourishing to your mind, body, and spirit. once you awaken, you’re ready to begin anew.
we, few but proud, diouana women function best on rest, beauty, love, and luxury. it’s written so in our magna carta. in our endlessly capricious times, there is no better way to protect one’s self against the noise of the world then to focus, fully, on one’s own self. at least during those precious hours before the next 24 arrive.
making magnesium laced bedtime tea. following a six step nighttime skincare routine. stepping into a vintage nightgown your 19 year old self sourced. writing about women for women. reading your latest coffee book find. falling asleep to the lowered sound of sleep affirmations.
at times, there are nights when this ritual cannot be completed because there’s no energy left from the day. during these nights, i pick my favorite piece from the ritual and go straight to bed. sleep is a sport for diouana women. after all, rest is what we deserve.
sweet dreams,
a diouana woman
p.s. truth or dare
i am beginning a new section in my nightly posts titled truth or dare. it’s a simple curated list of ideas and items i’ve engaged with today that i loved and am sharing with you. the truths were 10/10, so i must recommend. and the dares were not so great, so it’s me saying don’t do it. but only if you dare. get it? great. let’s begin:
truth: this coffee table book. a find from my endless scrolling.
dare: not taking time to be with yourself. journal. meditate. anything.