Three, two, one… gorgeous! Get ready for perfect bridal beauty as expert Beatrice Aidin shares her top beauty tips. This is your big day, and here’s your essential countdown…
Above: Image by Vale Resort Hen and Stag
Early Beautify!
Beauty experiments should be carried out now ‐‐ if you want to try Botox, lip enlargements or a chemical peel, do it now in good time in case, heaven forbid, something goes wrong!
- Regular facials are a great way to pamper yourself and prepare your skin for the big day. If you don’t already, start exfoliating now to brighten up your skin.
- Teeth whitening can be expensive but it is effective, after all, this is the one day you will smile more than ever before. Home whitening kits can be a good alternative to professional treatment.
- Hair extensions and colours should be experimented with now so you’ve got time to change something if you don’t like it! Have a dress rehearsal with the hairdresser and make‐up.
- Sweating, perspiring, glowing ‐‐ however you phrase it, it can be sorted with Botox, or roll‐on treatments that you apply at night then wash off in the morning. These claim to keep you dry all day without the risk of those horrid white marks. See local salons for details
- Apply sun block daily ‐‐ covering up burnt skin is a nightmare for any make‐up artist.
Above, image by IDH Dental
Three months to go
Now’s the time to experiment with colours and looks, do any research and prepare the groundwork for your final bridal look.
Get ready to make up
- Unless you’re doing your own (and if you are, start practising now!), find and audition a make‐up artist see our supplier directory. Go through friends or ask in your wedding dress shop. As with most things, of course, you get what you pay for.
- Always audition your make‐up artist for your big day. Credentials don’t really mean anything at this point. Just because they’ve done Jordan’s make‐up doesn’t mean they’re right for you!
- If you’re doing it yourself, aim to look like yourself and not the brides in the brochures and magazines. The best advice is that practice makes perfect. Do have a dry run, so you don’t have any surprises on the day. And remember to wear a dress similar in colour to the one you will be wearing. Your make‐up will look different if you’re wearing a lighter colour (like white).
- Be careful you don’t go for an overly dramatic look ‐‐ you want the groom to see you, the dress and your happiness… not just the make‐up!
- Get into a regular skincare routine. Invest in some good products and cleanse, tone and moisturise every morning and evening.
- List any beauty treatments you want to have ‐‐ facials, waxing, manicures, pedicures, massages, eyebrow shaping and so on, and book the necessary appointments as early as possible.
- The larger department stores often offer free beauty consultations, especially for brides‐to‐be. This is a good place to start.
Above: Racoon International
Start shaping up
- If you don’t already do any exercise, it’s a good idea to start now, as it helps to reduce stress and increase your circulation, which in turn gets more oxygen to your skin and brain, so making you look radiant on the day. Getting fit will also help you to breathe properly, which you may be forgetting to do as your stress levels go up… Walking to work or swimming should help burn off a few pounds.
- If you’re planning to detox, start now ‐‐ it can give you spots thanks to all those toxins coming out.
- Drink water like wine ‐‐ ideally, drinking six to eight glasses of mineral water a day will help to clear your skin and make your eyes and hair shine like never before. Try replacing your usual coffees and fizzy drinks with water and you’ll see the difference in no time.
- Eat healthily ‐‐ too much dieting can make you look gaunt in your wedding photos but a healthy eating regime will help you look your best. Have a varied diet, rich in anti‐oxidant giving fruits and vegetables to help repair cell damage and reduce inflammation. These can be found in the most deeply or brightly coloured fruits and veg such as spinach, carrots, red bell peppers and tomatoes. The three‐day Dr Perricone face diet is worth trying for amazing‐looking skin.
- Don’t set yourself unrealistic targets. It’s difficult to stick to a diet at the best of times and when you’re stressed out, it’s even harder. Chances are, you’ll lose weight anyway, rushing around doing all that organising. It’s much better to concentrate on a routine of healthy eating and exercise, rather than dieting. You’ll look too thin and pale anyway and your grandmother will tut throughout the ceremony.
Above: Beales Gourmet
Two Months to Go
- To fake tan or not to fake tan? It can make you look healthy but equally fake tan can make you look awful ‐‐ a vision of orange in a white dress! If you must go on a sun bed, use SPF30 on your face.
- Exfoliate your body once a week with a luxurious salt scrub. Skin brushing will stimulate your lymph glands to break down toxins and get your body glowing.
- Stress makes some people prone to cold sores ‐‐ keep your lips pout‐perfect and protect yourself from cold sores with lip balm and an SPF15 lipstick.
Above: BookaSpa.com
One month to go
Check the weather. Your make‐up may not look as good as it did in the different weather of a few months ago but not now, so try out your look once more.
- Don’t drink too much if you’re starting to feel nervous as alcohol is terrible for your skin.
- Keep up the good work with that exercise regime. You’re looking good but that healthy eating plan needs to be stuck to ‐‐ you can do it!
- Feeling nervy? Make sure you don’t drink too much and take at least three nights off a week for early nights! Bach’s Rescue Remedy is a herbal stress reliever that can work wonders.
- If budget allows, treat yourself to a few days at a health spa. Expert advice, beauty therapies and exercise facilities will help you come away feeling great. It’s quite common to incorporate this into your hen do and have an indulgent weekend with your girlfriends.
Above: BookaSpa.com
Two Weeks to Go
Book into your salon for the works. A typical session might include:
- Eyebrow shaping ‐‐ there’s a load of different ways to do this, including threading, tweezing or waxing. Find out what suits you best (and make sure that any wax isn’t too hot, as burnt eyes are not what a blushing bride needs).
- Eyelash dyes ‐‐ a great alternative to mascara. You can still use clear mascara to enlarge and lengthen your lashes, and no one will notice it if it runs.
- One last facial ‐‐ as with any detoxification process, spots can emerge, so don’t have a facial too near to your big day.
- Waxing ‐‐ if you’re on the beach for a couple of weeks for your honeymoon, long‐lasting hair removal is a must. Legs, underarms and bikini line all need tackling.
- Pedicure ‐‐ smooth feet look better in those delicate open‐toed wedding shoes and on the beach. Plus, hardened skin actually makes it more uncomfortable to walk and you’ll be on your feet all day, so a pedicure is a must for most of us. Some salons offer a long‐lasting pedicure created with gels that will last all the way through your honeymoon.
- Eyelash tinting ‐‐ a great alternative to mascara. After all, you are going to cry!
Above, London Serenity
One Week to Go
- Have your hair and make‐up dress rehearsal. If you can’t have a make‐up artist on the day take digital photos so you can recreate the look. This is the time to finalise plans and make sure you write down the colours that worked for future reference.
- Confirm the bridesmaids’ look. Don’t depend on them turning up in the right make‐up ‐‐ now’s the time to have that “chat” with your goth cousin…
Above image courtesy of Pam Wrigley
The Day Before
- Have a massage, and ask your massage practitioner to focus on your tense face but not to use any essential oils that might create a break‐out. Relax and enjoy.
- Get your manicure. This will give you time to sit and chill out and there’s less chance of smudging it than on the big day when you’re feeling frantic.
- Check your eyebrows ‐‐ do you need any last‐minute plucking?
- Don’t wear any make‐up so that you can let your skin breathe.
Above image courtesy of London Serenity
Are you looking for a supplier for wedding hair and makeup? Check our listings in the supplier directory!
And you can talk about this and more with hundreds of brides in the Confetti forums!
