He proposed! Oh my gosh! How exciting... now time for the prep. The venue, the food, the flowers, the invites, the dress of course... but what about your skin? Do you need to prep that too? Er, YES!
And it's not just you that needs prepping (I mean, obviously it's all about you don't get me wrong!) but the Mother of the Bride is just as important as she will be the second most important lady there! So what do you need to do and how do you do it?
Well I know wedding season is now upon us and I'm sure a lot of you brides out there are gearing up ready for the big day. Here are a few tips that will hopefully get your skin looking pristine, radiant and glowing!
Get a course of facials booked
This is super important. You want to start a good, healthy routine for your skin and regular facials will get your skin ready for your big day. You ideally want to begin your course of facials at least 6 months before your wedding day (or as soon as you can!) and try and have a facial every 3 to 4 weeks. This will ensure that your skin is rid of any dead skin cells that will make it look dull, it will get all the blood moving regular to assist in detoxification and will also help to lighten or remove any marks or scarring that may be there currently.
As your skin naturally sheds skin cells every 28 days or so, we want to enhance that and keep the skin looking radiant. We want fresh, new skin to always be on top and get rid of any dead skin cells that don't need to be there. This is what facials will help with the most.
Make sure you're using some good home care to compliment your facials
To be honest, there is no point investing in regular facials and going home and using soap and a basic moisturiser on your skin. What we want is to see the best result possible and to do this you need to be using the correct products on your skin. This is where the consultation process comes in, each time you see your facialist she should be giving your skin a good examine and then checking your home care is working correctly. This is what I like to do for each client and if I think there is something that can be added or removed, we can make changes accordingly.
Kick Start your diet
Now, I'm not a nutritionist (not yet anyways!), but I highly suggest that you really look in to your diet when preparing for your wedding. Yes, most women go on a diet before their wedding, but it's usually more for a weight loss purpose than from a skincare point of view. If your skin is clear then you may not have to worry so much, but if you struggle with blemishes then maybe its a good time to look into your diet and see if there is anything that can be changed.
Your skin can quite easily breakout if you are eating foods containing sugar or dairy products. Be aware how much that you have in your diet, you might not think that you are consuming that much, but once you are more conscious of what you are having, you might be surprised. A coffee every morning or on your way home might be triggering off breakouts, or even your 'healthy' granola and yogurt for breakfast. If you are struggling, then perhaps try eliminating certain foods and then slowly introduce them again and see what difference it makes.
Also, it's a great time to begin to introduce some supplements to your diets (if you have not already), they can almost be the 'icing on the cake' to great skin! Why not contact me to discuss Skinade. This is a fabulous supplement that can be drank each day to improve overall skin health.
Keep your glow going
Make sure that you are using a good exfoliating product once or twice a week on your face and if you can get a good rejuvenating mask once a week too. This is important to keep up the results from your facial going.
Get your makeup right
I guess this is not really a skincare point, but even so, it's still very important. Always make sure that you have a makeup trial prior to your wedding day. You don't want to book in a makeup artist who shows up on the day and makes you feel like a clown! Yes, to them it may look stunning, but if you don't look like 'you' then you will not be comfortable. If you decided to do your own makeup, then do a trial yourself too. Have a play with the products and do any experimenting before the day not on it!
Similarly, if you decide to have a spray tan done, get a trial in advance too. The last thing you want is a skin reaction to the tan on the morning of your wedding or looking like you've been 'tangoed' instead of bronzed. Get one done in advance and test the correct amount of coats you need. Sometimes we can need extra on our lower legs as the tan doesn't always 'take' as well to these parts. Also, it's good to have a test in advance to stand next to your partner and check you both look ok. You don't want to look like mahogany and they look white and pasty. Make sure your tan compliments their skin tone as well.
It's not just about your face!
Here at the clinic, I don't just treat the face for wedding prep, I can treat other parts of the body too such as your back. If you have a low back wedding dress, then it's also a good idea to have your back treated at the same time as your face. You want this area to glow as much as possible too, so make sure you don't neglect it.
Above all, enjoy this time! Yes, it is necessary but you must take advantage of the time for you if you can. If you can, try and keep it up after your wedding too, your skin will really appreciate it - I promise!
Thanks so much for reading!
Emmaline x