My PM Beauty Reset: 5 Simple Rituals for Better Beauty Sleep

Ciao, Beautiful!

I know this may sound strange, but my beauty routine starts at the dinner table. 

Beauty isn’t only about what we put on our skin. Sometimes it’s about how we close out the day.

Because I can apply every lovely cream and oil I own, but if I’m answering emails at 10 p.m., checking my watch every six minutes and falling asleep to a documentary about an unsolved murder…am I really creating a peaceful environment?

So I’ve started thinking of my evenings as a PM beauty reset, which are really just a handful of small rituals that help me turn down the noise, soften the edges of the day and feel a little more like myself.

Here’s what mine looks like:

1. I take magnesium

Magnesium has become part of my personal nighttime routine because I find that it helps me relax. It’s less about expecting one supplement to magically put me to sleep and more about giving my body a familiar signal that the day is winding down.

Of course, magnesium may not be right for everyone, and your version doesn’t have to involve a supplement at all. It could be caffeine-free tea, or a warm drink in your favorite mug.

The ritual matters almost as much as what’s in it: We’re done for today. You can exhale now.

2. I put my technology to bed, too

I put my phone out of sight (or at least turn it facedown) and take off my watch.

Apparently, my nervous system does not need breaking news, tomorrow’s weather, my step count and someone’s 47-part Youtube theory at 9:42 p.m.

Removing those little portals to the outside world helps me stop checking and start being where I actually am.

If putting your phone in another room feels wildly unrealistic, start smaller. Turn on Do Not Disturb. Charge it across the room. Give yourself 15 phone-free minutes before bed. Even a small boundary can make the evening feel more peaceful.

3. We eat dinner at the table with jazz playing

There’s something about jazz at dinner that can make an ordinary Tuesday feel like a tiny European vacation.... even if we’re eating leftovers and someone forgot to buy salad. 

Sitting at the table helps us slow down, talk and enjoy the transition from work mode into home mode. The music changes the energy of the room without requiring any effort from us, which is exactly the level of effort I’m looking for by dinnertime. And we also try NOT to talk about work during this time. :)

And jazz isn’t a requirement. Play Motown, Italian music, acoustic guitar or nothing at all. Eat on the porch. Light a candle. Use the “good” plates on a Wednesday.

Choose whatever makes dinner feel less like another task and more like a small part of your life you actually get to enjoy.

4. We take a quick walk (or I take a bath)

If the weather is nice, we go for a short walk after dinner. This is not an athletic event. No special outfit is required, and no one is tracking our pace.

It’s simply a chance to move a little, get some fresh air and mentally step outside the day. Even a brief walk after eating can support blood-sugar and heart health, but I also love it because problems tend to feel slightly less dramatic once I’ve walked around the block.

If the weather is terrible, or I simply don’t feel like going, I take a bath and listen to a podcast or music instead. A warm bath can help the body relax and may support better sleep when enjoyed before bedtime.

Different activity, same intention: change the scenery and let my shoulders drop back down from somewhere near my ears.

5. I end the night with something calming (and something funny)

I make my nighttime drink with calming ingredients and sip it while we watch television.

Now, I love a murder mystery. Unfortunately, I’m also guilty of announcing that I feel anxious and then immediately turning on a show that begins with, “No one in the quiet little town suspected what was buried beneath the porch.”

So I’ve made myself one rule: No matter what I watch at night, I end with something funny.

It might be a familiar sitcom, a comedian we love or one of Chef Ramsey's many food shows (yes, we find Kitchen Nightmares funny when it probably shouldn't be!). I want the final message my brain receives before bed to be, The world is still allowed to be silly.

Make it yours

Please don’t look at this as five more things you’re supposed to accomplish perfectly because this is a routine, not a rulebook.

Maybe your reset is one song while you wash your face. Maybe it’s stretching for five minutes, putting on soft pajamas, reading two pages of a book or sitting quietly after everyone else has gone to bed.

Choose what feels comforting, realistic and repeatable for your life.

To me, that’s part of beauty too: creating small moments that help us feel rested, cared for and at home in ourselves. I may not wake up looking airbrushed, but when I sleep better, unclench my jaw and stop carrying yesterday into tomorrow, I look and feel so much better. 

And that may be the best beauty reset of all!

The more you know, the more you glow,
Jentri

P.S. When I want to go the extra mile, I listen to a guided sleep meditation. Here’s one I love.