Preparing for Wedding Makeup
Planning a wedding is a lot of work. Brides-to-be have their hands and minds full with thinking about their future ceremony and reception. What to wear, who to invite, who to hire... it can be overwhelming. And in return, it is very easy to forget about the most important person on that day - themselves! My most important advice I can give to brides is DO NOT forget about yourself. What is your bridal vision? If you are planning to tan, get a facial or get waxed, plan it wisely and in a timely fashion! Do not hold all of that off until the last weekend before the big day.
To ensure the best wedding day makeup application, locking down a good skin care routine is key. This does not necessarily mean spend big bucks on top shelf skincare products, this simply means figure out a routine that works the best for you and your skin! Once a system is in place, stick to it… your skin will thank you.
Faux Tanning
Tanning can be a girl’s best friend. However, depending on the product you use, the salon you choose, or the professional you trust… it can be either turn out amazing or disastrous. Reach out to a salon of choice a few months in advance and get a "practice tan". This way you can learn what kind of tan suits you the best, and how your skin reacts and holds the color. If you choose to go with a spray tan, give yourself enough time before the actual wedding date to wash the excess tanner from your skin.
Facials and Treatments
Just like a good tan, facials are amazing. However, during the post facial period, your skin will undoubtedly react. Depending on skin type and the treatment received, skin has the possibility of becoming red, irritated, textured, or even begin to peel or break out. Same rule of thumb applies to facial treatments as it does to tans: schedule a practice treatment in advance to see how your skin reacts! Typically days 2-4 after a skin treatment are the worst. On these days you will notice that makeup will not stick and become flaky or even peel off. The last thing a bride wants to deal with is a bad skin reaction from a facial prior to her wedding.
Hair Removal
One of the most popular and quickest ways of removing hair is waxing. Regardless of its popularity, waxing is not wise before applying makeup, especially on a day like your wedding. DO NOT wax any area that makeup will be applied (brows included). Waxed areas of skin repel all cosmetic products. For example, if the eyebrows were waxing prior to the makeup application, makeup will not stick to the skin around the brows. Although it may sound strange, it is very visible to the eye and especially cameras. If hair removal is needed, threading, tweezing and shaving are the most makeup-friendly methods.
~The Night Before The Wedding~
At bedtime the night before your wedding, make sure to remove ALL of your makeup! Cleanse your skin, and apply your favorite moisturizer, and eye cream. My absolute favorite product to remove makeup is any kind of oil based remover. After removing all makeup, cleanse with your favorite skin cleanser and follow up with moisturizer. If available, apply eye cream and lip conditioner. This also would be a good time to pluck any unwanted hairs around your brows, upper lip and chin. Lastly, guzzle a tall glass of water with lemon, and get some shut eye!
~The Morning of The Wedding~
After a decent sized cup of joe, get that skin ready for the day ahead. Cleanse with your favorite cleanser and exfoliate. My favorite skin exfoliators are Laura Mercier Face Polish and MAC Volcanic Ash. Exfoliating in the morning removes all dead skin cells and polishes the skin to perfection for the makeup application. This will allow the makeup to set onto the skin perfectly and smoothly. After exfoliating, apply your favorite moisturizer and eye cream.
This may seem like a lot of rules to follow just for makeup, however it's that extra step and attention that makes the difference. Also these are good habits to learn for youthful, healthy skin.