What’s In Your Overnight Bag?

Every relationship comes with its own series of public and private milestones. Feeling together enough to Instagram together, going ahead and making it Facebook official (side note: Does anyone still do this?), meeting the parents, and so on—things that announce to the world, "We like each other; it's romantic; look at how happy we are."

Then, there are the moments that happen like seeing their toothbrush next to yours—akin to the first 'I Love You,' right?—and those things that you don’t broadcast but that drive your relationship along in a more meaningful way than any anniversary ever could.

One private milestone has been on my mind a lot recently. At what point in a relationship do you begin doing your full nighttime skincare routine when your Sig. O is around?

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for about nine months. We spend most nights together. He’s seen me try to go a week without washing my hair and once get a bloody nose from blowing my nose too hard. So why am I so afraid to go to sleep with some serum on my face when he’s around?

When I spend the night alone, I like to slather my face in some combination of Ren’s Omega 3 Night Repair Serum, rosehip seed oil, and Medicine Mama’s Sweet Bee Magic. It’s an effective combo that leaves my crazy sensitive-and-dry skin radiant and breakout-free. It also makes me look like a melting candle.

When I know I'll be spending the night at his place (or if he's coming to mine), I tend to go for a lighter lotion—either CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream or Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Gel. If I breakout, I’ll dab on some Neosporin instead of a more opaque, drying mask—all things that fit well in a small dopp kit and get the job done, only without promising the the fountain of youth results like I’d like.

I vary widely between wanting to show more and more of who I am and wanting to protect the notion that I am low-maintenance and have naturally flawless skin.

So readers, I’d like to know: How do you navigate this? Are there better products that absorb more quickly while packing a moisturizing punch? Alternately, am I insane? Elaborate on one of the above please.

—Hannah Smith

Hannah Smith is a Boston-based political organizer. She passionately supports: responding to emails with gifs, dry shampoo and empowering women. Not necessarily in that order. Photo by ITG.

Photo by ITG. What's something you'll never bring over—is it a Kim Jong Il tongue scraper?

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