My Obsession with the Perfect Sleep Mask - 2 or swords

I've slept with an eye mask since I was 17 years old. I've been pathetically eye mask dependent ever since. Like it's not a game! I am *not* playing about an eye mask, do you hear me!? I'm as serious about it as the figure on the 2 of swords is about her blindfold. It's important to have assistance to walk the line between realms of the alert beta waves of the waking realm and the moonlight realm of the dreamscape. I usually have one that never leaves my suitcase and one that remains under my pillow upon waking and making my bed. That way I won't have to waste time in full freak out mode because I'm crawling into bed and cannot find it. Ohhh the slew of colorful words that will fly out of my face is astonishing even to me. And I'm picky about my eye masks let me tell ya. I mean, the thing is not just on your face but over your eyes and the whole point is to help sooth you to sleep. So it's gotta be just right. I've purchased many a mask over the years. I even used to make them by hand with my dear friend Laura who I also got completely addicted to them. But none can compare to the gem of a mask I just purchased from a brilliant online boutique called the Marigny Boudoir.

I first came to know of the shop because of the extremely talented traveling burlesque doll May Hemmer. She made a post on Instagram of herself getting settled on a flight wearing the most beautiful satin confection across her face in her signature shade of scintillating Barbie pink. I saw it and immediately had to follow her hashtags to find out where I could get one of these babies in my hot little hands! And that led me to the wonderful Etsy shop of proprietress of the beautiful Mariana Howard. As a scrolled through the selection of masks I became more and more intrigued. Not only because of the beautiful masks, but as much because of the thought behind each one. Mariana splits her time between NYC and New Orleans. She is completely enraptured by the Crescent City, hence the name of her shop. The Marigny (pronounced Mar-in-ee) is a neighborhood just outside of the French Quarter. Each of her masks has a story and very specifically chosen name, some of them are even part of specific collections. Given my love for anything involving mermaids, as soon as I feasted my eyes upon the teal delight named "Sirene" I was sold! So much so that I purchased one for myself and one as a gift for my beloved friend in DC , Suzette, another eye mask convert of mine, and they arrived in perfect time with my arrival. Let's talk specifics as to why these I love these masks:

• Very well constructed - though they are beautiful, I use this on a nightly basis. It's *got* to stand up to that.
• Handmade 
• Attention to detail in every single way 
• Excellent at blocking out all light completely! 
• Divinely soft silk charmeuse that feels like a dream on the delicate skin of the eye area 
• Unique band to hold it securely in place is not only pretty but very comfortable (this is super important in a mask - if it's too tight it is very uncomfortable, hurts your ears, your eyeballs, smush your eyelashes, and cause headaches -  if it's too loose it slides out of place and lets light in)
• Each mask has its own name and story
• Wrapped in beautiful, frangranced tissue paper
• Option for a personalized note, but discretion of billing details when sent as a gift
• Ships quickly
• Timely communication from seller

I fell in love with my mask upon sight, but even more so when I read her biography. Mariana specifically named her after my most beloved Lwa, LaSirene! If you know me personally, I ain't really gotta say no more! She is the embodiment of the ocean itself depicted as a mermaid. The beautiful rosettes call to mind the endless waves of the sea. While I chose the marine-like shade of a London blue topaz for myself, I chose one of the beautiful burgundy of "Madame" for Suzette. It is a crimson shade of satin covered in seductive black fishnet lace and a sheer black ruffle trim. Her biography explained that she is part of the Storyville collection. Storyville was the red light district in the late 1800's just outside of the French Quarter. Suzette was quite pleased when she opened the box but given the amount of light that comes into her apartment she was delighted after her first night of sleeping with "Madame". It's been over a month and she is still passionately taken with this garnet lady of the evening.

After leaving The District, I was off to the UK. I had the extreme pleasure of business class en route to Heathrow. I really should write a post about what a wonderful experience that was, but the point of mentioning it here is to speak to what a wonderful mask this is in any situation. Anyone who has been exhausted while flying and definitely anyone who has flown a redeye or overseas can tell you what a must-have item an eye mask is. Be it the cold, hard pain of florescent cabin lighting abruptly turned on during a night flight or the blinding intensity of the blazing sun stabbing your optic nerve when window shades are opened for an arrival service, an eye mask can be a true lifesaver when traveling. Though one is given an amenity kit during boarding, trust me when I say to you my cerulean dream "Sirene" was the envy of my fellow passengers flying in posh accommodations! I even had two separate gentlemen compliment me on her. 

So if your a person who enjoys a sleep mask or have contemplated using one, I can't say enough good things about the ones from Marigny Boudoir. If you want a functional  product but also have a desire to indulge in a luxurious experience, go ahead and embrace your inner ZsaZsa Gabore. The only thing that could make me love these masks even more than I clearly do is having had the extreme pleasure of having sat down to enjoy coffee and conversation in person with the beautiful Mariana at Who Dat Cafe, a favorite spot in the Marigny for many of us locals. She is not only a class act, but an incredibly kind, sincere and delightful lady I look forward to spend more time with when we both return to New Orleans. And I've already chosen my next mask. Or three..

 *this post was brought to you by the 2 of swords from the Pagan Cats Tarot, published by LoScarabeo