Every bride wants to have a perfect complexion, with beautiful dewy, clear skin; the reality though is that we all have the odd blemish from time to time. Here’s how to get flawless skin for your wedding day, and every day.
Your daily skincare routine is vitally important to the look and feel of your skin and religiously cleansing, toning and moisturising should, by your early twenties, be second nature. Loaded with the very latest tips and tricks for clear skin, including the intriguingly named ‘Fountain: The Hyaluronic Molecule’ (for the ‘fountain of youth’?) plus a hand-picked selection of books and skin treatments to help you.
Bridal Beauty Treatments
In the lead up to your wedding, to ensure your skin is looking its very best, regular facials at a beauty salon are recommended. If you’re a bride on a budget then you can use masks yourself at home but do make sure you choose a one that’s right for your skin type or you could be doing more harm than good.
If you love all things natural and organic but can’t afford expensive lotions and potions then you can make your own edible face masks using ingredients such as avocado, oats, lemon juice and banana. Whatever you use, always finish with a good moisturiser with SPF for day wear and an eye cream to keep dry skin and future wrinkles at bay.
A gentle exfoliator, used on a regular basis can work wonders for some skins, as long as it’s not too abrasive. Acne-prone complexions may be best left alone rather than being over-stimulated in this way and a weekly oil-controlling mask could be enough.
Good skin comes from within so drink water throughout the day to keep hydrated. Around six glasses of water with a squeeze of lemon juice (from a lemon!) is the ideal, and better for your skin than other drinks such as coffee, cola or alcohol. If you find it hard to drink that much water in the day, fill a large jug or bottle of water, leave it on your desk and just sip it throughout the day as and when you can.
Eating for Good Skin
Eating fruit and vegetables will improve your skin so aim to eat your ‘five a day’- ideally at least three portions of veg and two portions of fruit every day. Having a portion of fruit with your breakfast, a green salad with your main meal of the day, two other vegetables with either lunch or dinner and a piece of fruit for a snack is the easiest way to achieve this. Taking vitamin supplements can also help your skin, particularly if your diet means you may be deficient in some nutrients.
Preventing and Treating Blemishes
For those with acne, however mild or severe, it’s worth discussing your options with your GP who may be able to prescribe something to regulate your hormones or to apply topically. If you have spots and it’s a problem, it’s good to know you can do something about it.
Tried and Tested by Yours Truly
As someone who has suffered from spots all through my teens and twenties and tried practically everything on the market in desperation, I can personally recommend some of the following products; in particular Murad Blemish Control Kit, which I use with a cotton wool pad for extra-gentle exfoliation.
Eating well and drinking cleansing water with lemon juice can also have a noticeable effect. I take a daily vitamin supplement to feed my skin from the inside and it really does make a difference. You can see how clear my skin is these days in my Amazing Real Life Photo Shoot Experience.
For your big day, you may choose to invest in a good professional make up artist or a high quality foundation for a perfect match, to even out your skin tone. The new mineral powder foundations are worth trying if you have sensitive skin, as are these latest recommended concealers.
This is how to get flawless skin for your wedding day, and every day. Find more recommended products in Best Beauty Buys and further inspiration in Hair and Beauty.