Pre-Wedding Day Prep {Part 1 - Beauty}
Today we kick off part one of a three-part series focused on helping you to look and feel your best on your wedding day! There are three critical areas to focus on in the months before the wedding day - skincare, nutrition, and exercise - and we have discovered that most brides start thinking about these much later than they should.
Erin Infantino of Simply Gorgeous by Erin graciously agreed to meet me for drinks (coffee for me and celery juice for Erin!) to share what a bride's skincare regimen should be in the months leading up to her wedding day and why this is so important! Erin has been a makeup artist for over two decades and has done the makeup of countless ALSW brides.
Every bride wants her skin to look flawless on her wedding day. What I have noticed among my thousands of brides over the years is that they all have questions about skincare. And the one important thing to know is that makeup will only look so good as the skin it sits upon. My personal philosophy is to make skin look flawless with as little foundation and concealer as possible. No one wants a caked on face! This is where a good skin care routine comes in. I recommend starting about six months before your wedding day, if possible. The sooner you start a good skincare routine, the more time you will have to reap the rewards of it. Below are some of my top tips. I could probably go on forever but I don't want to overload you with information!
Drink Water If you think you drink enough water, you most likely don't! You should be drinking roughly half your weight in ounces of water. If you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 ounces of water. Throw some lemon in it and just make it happen.
Always Wash Your Face Before Bed Even if you didn't wear makeup that day, you still touched dirty surfaces and surely touched your face. Wash all that bacteria away and prep your skin with products your skin can soak up and benefit from.
Schedule a Personal Consultation with a Skin Care Expert Every woman has their own unique skin so a personal consultation with an aesthetician or skin care expert is smart. Oily skin has different needs than dry skin or sensitive skin, and you want your own personal skin care goals to be addressed. Don't try to get advice from a sales rep behind a counter. Make sure the individual has been educated and trained on the skin's anatomy and what ingredients you should use or stay away from.
Gut Health Let's talk "gut health." Too much sugar or dairy in your diet will wreak havoc on your skin. Our gut is our second brain and tells our body what to do. Our skin is our largest organ so if something isn't right internally it will manifest itself in your skin. Keep sugar, dairy and alcohol to a minimum. Take a probiotic that's suitable for you - I recommend a high quality one that requires refrigeration. Health is always a worthwhile investment.
Add These Products to Your Regimen One product all skin types can benefit from is a Hyaluronic acid serum. This is naturally found in our bodies and is nothing to be worried about just because it has the word "acid" in it. It's a hydration booster and plumps up the skin to appear nice and healthy and vibrant. Even if you're oily, you can be dehydrated and you can benefit from this. It’s meant to be worn under your moisturizer or can be worn alone if you're excessively oily. A second product most skin types can benefit from is Vitamin C serum. Make sure it's an L-Ascorbic as this tends to cause less or no irritation. This brightens the skin, feeds the skin's strength, and fights off free radicals and toxins in the air.
Your Daily Routine Matters If you decide to do facials, please, PLEASE invest in good at-home skin care as well. It's pointless to get your car detailed and washed if you're never going to maintain basic cleaning in the days afterwards. The same goes for your skin...what you do day to day matters most!