Of all the things to do and think about before your big day, your face prep has got to be one of the most important ones. Your wedding may last a day, but your wedding video and photos will last a lifetime – not to mention be shared with your kids and proudly displayed at your in-laws for every family member to see. Being well aware of this, I wanted to get my skin, especially my face, in the best possible shape. I researched and experimented and finally settled on a 5 step plan that worked.
My 5 Bridal Tips For Glowing Skin Before Your Big Day
1. Exfoliate
The first and most important step was to basically “clean-up” my skin aka exfoliation. I started this process about a month before my wedding. Exfoliating your skin is a must to help get rid of dirt, oil, debris, and other buildup from your skin’s pores, especially from your face. Exfoliating and opening your pores also allows your skin to better absorb moisturizers, sunscreens, toners and other skin-care products, giving you better and faster results. There are several ways and products to use to exfoliate. I used a natural botanical scrub because I feel they are “easier” on the skin but you can use any exfoliant that best suits your skin-type.
2. Start an Effective Night Regimen
Number 2 on my list of tips for glowing skin is to start (and of course keep up with) an effective night regiment to keep your skin from accumulating dirt and buildup overnight. Using nighttime anti-aging or renewal creams/products is a great way to improve your skin at night especially since you don’t have to do anything other than sleep. Some of these nighttime products produce results so quickly that you’ll want to use them even after your wedding day. If you don’t know where to start, check out the Resurgence Night Regimen from Murad, it’s the one I use because its the best at hydrating my skin and giving me a glow as soon as I wake up.
3. Detox Your Body
Everyone needs a detox every now and then, and there is no better time than right before your wedding. Detoxing your body can really improve your skin’s appearance and boost your energy levels – and you definitely need all the energy you can get on your big day. There are many detox recipes out there but I used a ready-to-go herbal tea detox supplements for my 7 day detox. Juice, smoothie or lemon detoxes are all great ways to help rid toxins, promote healthy digestion and get a beautiful glow and radiance.
4. Implement a Proper Diet
We all know that implementing a healthy diet can make you feel healthy, but it also makes you LOOK healthy, not to mention helps you lose those extra few pounds you know the camera is going to add to your wedding photos. A healthy diet = healthy skin and can help improve black spots, wrinkles, and blemishes. Limit your diet to vegetables, fruits, nuts and lean proteins (such as chicken, turkey breast or white fish) which are all great sources of food for healthy skin. Get rid of processed foods, fast foods, and foods high in sugar and carbs because these bad boys may taste good but they are no-good for your skin since they can clog your pores and cause breakouts.
5. Hydrate
And the last of my tips for glowing skin is to Hydrate. Staying hydrated is a must before your big day. Proper hydration helps maintain your skin’s moisture and helps prevent those black and puffy bags under the eyes. So drink up and I don’t mean alcohol – save that for the first toast. Keep a bottle of water around at all times, drink, refill, drink, refill and remember the 8×8 rule and try to get in at least 8 glasses of 8oz of water a day. By the way the 8×8 rule applies to all fluids, so you can mix up your water intake with juice, lemonade and other beverages that don’t contain caffeine. My go-to before my wedding was coconut water because I love anything coconut and because it’s a healthier and less caloric alternative to juice.
So there you have it, my 5 tips for glowing skin. I also wanted to share my unedited wedding photo with you, I promise it hasn’t been retouched – I wanted to show you how my skin turned out at the end of all this. And for all my future brides, I wish you all a magical wedding day and a magical glow.
