How She Gets to Bed: Gabriella G.

How She Gets to Bed is a deep dive into how women who kick ass during the day spend their night. Tonight, we’re so thrilled to feature one of our very own readers, Gabriella G.! Gabriella is a PhD Student at Colorado State University, studying Political Science. She is originally from Virginia, but she has been living in Europe (Germany and the Netherlands) for the last five years working in various think tanks, international institutions, and law firms. Now she is back and studying towards her degree while also working as a freelance journalist focusing on Russia and the Arctic. Without further ado, here is how she gets to bed. 💤

Gabriella’s Background

Industry: Politics
Occupation: Higher Education — I get paid to study and research my passion.
Age: 27
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Awake by: 6:30–7:30 AM
Asleep by: 10:30 PM

Activities to Relax

It honestly depends what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes, I watch a few episodes of a show with my husband. We actually just finished an early season of Masterchef. Other times I love to read and I’m attached at the hip to my Kindle. I wouldn’t call it a night routine, but I am currently training for a half-marathon and boxing 3x a week at Beautifully Savage. Most of my boxing classes are in the evening so that’s part of my routine and I always run in the morning.

I’m fairly strict with myself about stopping all my work by 6pm at the latest — unless I have a late class. Making time to cook or eat dinner, relax with my family, and take a step away from work, no matter what habit I choose, is hugely important to me.

Products to Get Unready

I am all about facial skincare! Growing up, I never used to subscribe to any skincare products at all. As anyone can tell you, I used to be a bit of a wild child. But a few years ago, I got my very first facial and the therapist gave me an easy routine that I still follow.

Luckily I don’t wear makeup so I get to skip the makeup removal part of the routine. I start by washing my face with Fresh’s Soy Face Cleanser. After that, I spray on Elemis’s Balancing Lavender Toner. Once I’ve patted the toner dry, I dab on a few drops of Elemis’s Superfood Facial Oil. I promise this isn’t a promo for Elemis. My final step is rubbing on L’Oreal Paris Hydra Genius Night Cream. Perfect for that night glow.

Late Night Snacks

Much as I wish I could stop snacking, I absolutely love a small chocolate bar from Trader Joes with a La Croix … and then grazing on frozen red grapes when the evening runs late.

Nighttime Routine

5:00-6:00 PM — Finish Work. I like to make sure I get my inbox down to zero before I log off for the night. I play with my two cats, Padfoot and Luna, and usually take 45 minutes off before I start dinner (or encourage my husband to start dinner). That can be on TV episode or just some time on the couch away from my office.

6:00-7:00 PM — Dinner time! I alternate between watching a show while eating or taking a seat at the table. I try not to watch TV and eat too much but… well, it happens.

7:00-8:00 PM — Time to relax. That can mean taking a nice evening post-dinner walk, reading a book, or watching a movie at home. I’m also particularly lucky that I live a 5 minute walk from the most delicious ice cream store! So if I want to treat myself, I’ll walk over and get myself a scoop of their taro flavored ice cream.

8:00-9:00 PM — Wrapping Things Up. Clean the dishes if it’s my turn. Root around in the fridge for chocolate. Clean up all the trash that’s accumulated around the house.

10:00 PM — Get Ready for Bed. Our cats are currently banned from the bedroom for bad behavior so I go and let them in and commerce my facial routine! Climb into bed and either scroll through my phone or read for a bit.

10:30 PM — Actual Bedtime. I’m a sucker for a podcast to go to sleep. I like to listen to either 538 Politics, Stuff You Should Know, Freakonomics, or Slate Money to get to bed.

Follow Gabriella on Twitter (@ModernFledgling), and check out all the cool projects Gabriella is working on!

The Snoozeletter makes it easy to squeeze some “me time” into your busy schedule. We send only the good stuff: picks of tried-and-true products, tips to relax, and interesting reads to get cozy with right before bedtime. Subscribe here or at https://thesnoozeletter.com. You can also follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.