Every girl dreams of looking perfect on her wedding day. After all, it probably will be the most photographed event of your life! And unless you are a celebrity with access to treatments from the best estheticians and dermatologists in the industry (or an unlimited amount of money for skin care), you probably need to do some prepping and treating to achieve flawless, glowing skin. The good news is that you don’t have to be a celebrity to look amazing on your wedding day, and all you need to do is follow these steps and develop a skin care program pre-wedding for skin as lovely as your dress.
Cleanse and Remove Makeup Every Night
For most bride-to-bes, a good cleansing every night before bed is enough to clear away any dirt, sweat, and grime. Washing your face morning and night can be too hard on your skin and can cause redness, sensitivity, and even more pimples. When you constantly strip your skin of all natural oils, your sebaceous glands will produce more oil to make up for your dry, squeaky clean face, which can lead to more zits. Instead, choose a cleanser that is appropriate for your skin type, wash only at night and splash water on your face in the morning. And be sure to remove all traces of makeup before bed. Leftover makeup can clog your pores and lead to whiteheads, blackheads, irritation, and even more pronounced lines and wrinkles due to set-in powders from your makeup. More pimples and fine lines? No thanks!
To figure out your skin type, take this skin test:
- Just before heading to bed, wash your face with a gentle cleanser and skip any moisturizers or serums.
- When you wake up, do not put on any moisturizers. By noon, notice how your skin looks and feels
- If it feels taut and dry, your skin is dehydrated
- If it looks and feels dry with flaky or red patches, it is dry
- If your nose, forehead, and chin are oily while your cheeks and eye area feel dry, you have combination skin
- If your skin looks and feels moist and shiny by noon, you have oily skin.
- If your skin looks and feel smooth, not too oily or too dry and you don’t wake up with any breakouts, you have normal skin
For those who have oily or combination skin, look for a gel cleanser or one with tiny microbeads for exfoliation. Salicylic acid is great for fighting off pimples and is great for oily skin. For those with dry or dehydrated skin, look for a milk cleanser that isn’t too stripping of your natural oils.
Exfoliate and Detox
Exfoliating is the act of sloughing off the layer of dead skin cells that rest on the top layer of your skin. When they build up, they can clog pores, cause pimples, and set into fine lines and wrinkles. They also make your skin appear duller and less luminous. About once a week (or a few times if you have oily skin), use a product with microbeads for a physical exfoliation. But if you have sensitive skin, choose a product with chemically exfoliating gentle acids and fruit enzymes to remove dead skin cells. And about one a week for six months leading up to the big day, give yourself a detoxifying clay mask to clean deep into your pores and remove any build up of dirt, makeup, and toxins. Clay is powerful enough for oily skin and gentle enough for dry skin (you can even consumer clay to gently detox your body every day!). If you have dry to sensitive skin, just be sure not to leave the clay mask on for too long, and rinse it off with warm water as soon as it dries.
Tone and Balance Your Skin’s pH
Each night after you wash your face, follow up your skin care routine with a spritz or swab of toner to close your pores and rebalance your skin’s pH. The pH of something is its level of acidity or alkalinity. When you wash your face, you may throw off the natural balance, but a toner can help rebalance it and soothe and hydrate your skin, leaving it less likely to be irritated or inflamed. A toner can also help remove any leftover dirt that you may have missed when washing. No matter if you have oily or dry skin, don’t skip the toner because all skin types need hydration to look and feel beautiful. When your skin is dehydrated, it is lacking moisture, not oil. And when your skin is dehydrated, it tends to overcompensate for the lack of moisture by producing more oil. This in turns leads to more pimples and wrinkles. So all dry-skinned and oily-skinned ladies, use the toner every night and as a pleasant refresher throughout the day for a little pick-me-up.
Moisturize
Choosing a good moisturizer for your skin type is like the sealant after you tone your skin. It will help to lock in the moisture from the toner and keep your skin nourished and balanced. You may want to look into purchasing a moisturizer for the day and one for night. Day time moisturizers are going to be lighter and less oily. And a thicker, more nourishing moisturizer is perfect for applying right before you go to bed, and you can even leave a thin layer on while you sleep as a hydrating mask. Look for a moisturizer day and night combo that contains Hyaluronic Acid (HA). HA is a naturally occurring compound found in the body that can hold 1000 times its weight in water, and it can provide both immediate and slow-releasing hydration to your skin.
Serums
What girl doesn’t love the idea of some luscious, amazing, do-it-all serum? And for good reason, because it really is never too early to use a serum and to fight pre-mature aging. The sun, environmental toxins, and poor hydration all start to affect your skin from your early twenties, even though you may not see any wrinkles just yet. So it is important to start taking care of your skin early on, especially if you want flawless skin for your wedding. Serums usually consist of nourishing oils, extracts, vitamins, and essential oils in some cases. Although, it doesn’t mean they are heavy or clog pores. Get on a quality serum a few months at least before your wedding and apply it after your moisturizer every night before bed.
For beautiful skin and amazing pictures that barely need any correcting on your wedding day, follow our skin care tips and start your beauty program at least six months before your big day.