Spring Forward: The gift of sleep

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Most of us in the U.S. turn our clocks forward at 2 a.m. Sunday. For the past few days we’ve been offering up some gift ideas inspired by the switch to Daylight Saving Time.

If only we could turn back time. We’re talking the hour of beauty sleep we’ll be missing Saturday night. Luckily, there are some remedies that -- bonus -- would make great girlfriend gifts any day. A favorite of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Branché silk charmeuse pillow slips (in three sizes and eight colors, from $55) and new matching hand-sewn eye masks ($38 in eight colors; all at branchebeautysleep.com or Marie Mason Apothecary) are infused with amino acids to help skin regenerate. By blocking out light, sleep masks help with a good night’s sleep so that an early wake-up call isn’t as jarring. Pop it in the fridge, and it will also tackle morning puffiness. The pillow case’s dreamy finish helps prevent facial lines and hair breakage, and it is gentle on your ‘do, extending the life of a blowout (so you can wash and set your hair the night before, to save precious seconds).

Beauty junkies are going ga-ga for skin care guru Tata Harper’s all-natural potions made of organic herbs and botanicals, many harvested from her Vermont farm. The Aromatic Bed Time Treatment ($60 at Lost & Found or www.tataharperskincare.com) is a hypnotic blend of citrus and floral essential oils strategically designed to calm the mind. Simply dab it on pulse points and get set to doze into sweetly scented dreams.

Then there’s reBloom— the all-natural beauty sleep drink infused with chamomile, lavender, melatonin and vitamin E that falls somewhere between chamomile tea and Ambien (minus the headache). We were skeptical, too, but it really does seem to...we just….zzzzzzzzzzz. ($22 for seven or try two free, minus the shipping fee, at rebloom.com).

--Ingrid Schmidt

Sunday: The gift of light