#29: How to survive infertility (sheet masks, of course)
dear 2026: what the actual fk
Happy Friday-
Before diving into today’s newsletter and chatting about the most unimportant topic ever, aka sheet masks (though maybe they are important because self-care and deep breaths and small things we can control?), we need to acknowledge how heavy and awful things are in the U.S. and in the world right now.
The start of 2026 has felt extremely heavy on a collective scale and kind of like 2025 never really got the message to kick rocks. We’re doing our best to make space for small moments of quiet and joy, even when that balance feels impossible. Leaning on friends, extra rest (and water), and giving back/protesting/calling our reps helps. Here are ways to directly support those in Minnesota & here are 5 easy calls you can make today.
And to our listeners in Minnesota, we’re holding you close and sending so much love.
🎧 new on the pod:
Should you freeze your eggs in your 20s? How many rounds should you do? Why don't more OBGYNs talk about fertility preservation as health care? In the latest episode, we're asking key questions about egg freezing and getting answers from one of the field's top experts, Dr. Jaime Knopman, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and the Director of Fertility Preservation at CCRM Fertility in New York.
Plus, we chat about her brand new book, Own Your Fertility. Snag a copy now!
💜 small ‘j’ joys: sheet masks
We bet you didn’t think you were getting a history lesson today, but as you know, Amy loves a good fact check, so we’ve been deep in some truly unnecessary internet rabbit holes learning about the most important unimportant thing right now: sheet masks. Their origins actually go way back—think the 19th century, when women soaked cloths or paper in herbal infusions, honey, or rice water and draped them over their faces. Then the real glow-up happened in the ’90s and 2000s with K-beauty.
In our opinion, TikTok really sealed the deal because, at this point, no GRWM or evening routine video is complete without eye patches or a sheet mask. Are they doing anything? TBD. But they make us feel calmer, cooler, and slightly more human. Which is why we’ve both made it our New Year’s resolution to do at least one sheet mask a week when the estrogen has us feeling extra weepy.
If you want to join us, here are our favorite sheet masks we’ve actually tried, genuinely love, and come from brands that prioritize clean, organic ingredients that are a bit more hormone-friendly (not “safe,” because we know that word is mostly marketing 🙃). If you have your own faves, drop in the comments - don’t hoard the recs!
Rael hydration masks, $16 for 5-pack
Loops, $26.60 (for a 5-pack)
Patchology chilled mask, $8 for 1
Orgaid organic sheet masks, $28 for 4-pack
wearing my loops mask while reading this 💅