Passionate about sleep and skincare we catch up with Antoneta Bursac, founder of KLARSKIN, a skin care line with a scientific and natural approach on her Sleep Habits and how she loves a technology free bedroom.
How important is sleep to your personal daily life?
Important. I normally take one day a week to really sleep in and have a reboot day - in terms of sleeping in and reading, as well as cooking and doing a Sunday at home facial! Normally I sleep at least 8 hours a night, but I have no problem sleeping 10 or 11 hours on a weekend.
What does a typical sleep routine look like to you?
Currently I don’t tend to get to sleep before midnight. It’s a busy period with the company and we are rapidly expanding. Unless I have a meeting or a call, my dog will wake me up around 8am for his morning walk. He’s actually a fluffy alarm clock and gets moody if I’m not on my feet by 9 or 10, including on weekends.
What is your bedroom like?
My boyfriend works in the luxury goods industry, and only deals with rare classic cars and art, so everything he buys is the best - it sounds cheesy but quality is his religion. When I was developing the KLARSKIN range we had an option to go for cheaper bottles and packaging that was about 1/8th of the price of our current packaging. When I asked for his opinion, he told me he wouldn't even bother launching if I wasn't using the best of everything, even if it meant making a loss.
So to conclude - in regards to bedding and mattress, you can trust me when I say it is divine!
What is your sleep position?
I don’t really have one, but normally either on my side or back.
Do you follow any rituals to help you sleep better?
Not at all - I fall asleep very easily. As long as there is no light and no technology around me, I can drift off in a matter of minutes and have a long, deep sleep.
What are your top “sleep well” tips?
Remove all technology from your room. My room needs to be pitch black, I notice every single light. My dream bedroom would have black out blinds and no technology in the room whatsoever, including alarm clocks. I have my alarm on my phone which I keep 2 rooms away, so when it goes off I am up and would find it impossible to fall back asleep.
When I first moved in with my boyfriend we had quite a few arguments because his first alarm would go off at 6am and he would continue to press the snooze button every 15 minutes until he would get up at about 8.30 am. This was nearly a deal breaker for me! He now sleeps with his phone in the living room, which is the only time I ever see him away from his phone (this was a big win for me).
Have you read any good bedtime books lately?
Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara are my all time favourite books. The Alchemist in particular is always on my nightstand, and I think you can pick it up and have a moment of reflection from any page. All 3 teach you about some form of gratitude, although in different depths and ways.
If I had more time to read before sleep it would be any autobiography I can get my hands on – I love knowing how other people live and think, in particular the greats!