I love chatting all things makeup, but an equally (if not more) important area to focus on ahead of your big day is wedding skincare. It's fun to scroll Pinterest for beauty looks, but without proper skincare prep, your makeup make fall flat the day of! Let's dig in to wedding skincare.
Wedding Skincare 101
When we talk about wedding skincare, we're really talking about skincare in general - these are all steps and practices worth reviewing and incorporating in your life if you're wanting to improve your skin, and continuing to practice good skincare after your wedding always pays off in the long run. There are things you might consider doing to prepare your skin so it's on its best behaviour for your wedding.
1 Year Out
Take stock of your current skincare routine. Do you have one? Has your skin type changed? Have you reviewed your routine lately to make sure it suits your current skincare needs? Can you manage to get an expert consultation from a dermatologist or esthetician?
You'll want to make sure you have the basics nailed down for your wedding skincare prep: a cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF. A year out, you might consider adding in a daily toner (something with an AHA and/or BHA component to help with gentle chemical exfoliation), and you may also look into boosters like Retinol and Vitamin C. If you're going to start with something new, now is the time to explore. Not sure where to start? You can always reach out to get your bearings.
6-8 Months Out
At this point, if you're in a good place with your skincare routine and you're happy with your day-to-day results, you can consider incorporating some treatments here like facials, peels, or even Botox and fillers. Regular facials and/or peels are a great way to promote healthy, glowing skin, so starting these with 4-6 weeks in between treatments can also help get your skin in optimal condition.
2-3 Months Out
In this window of time, you'll want to stop adding anything new to your routine - now is not the time to experiment with new products! In some rare cases, poor reactions to new products can affect the skin for months following, so at this point you want to settle into a routine and products you know are effective for you.
You'll also want to get in the last of any major treatments (save for Botox - if you are going that route, best to do that about 3 weeks prior).
1 Month Out
Now is the time just chill with your skincare. It's best to just give it your AM and PM regular routine, and leave out any new changes. Keeping things simple during this time and wearing minimal makeup when possible is a great way to keep things like breakouts and sudden changes at bay.
1 Week Prior
Stick to the basics! Continue with keeping things simple, but especially now, leave out things like face masks, treatments, or new products. The week leading up to the wedding, try not to disturb the peace. Spot treat as needed for unexpected pimples and spots, but otherwise, keep the waters calm!
Wedding Skincare - The Big Day
The day of your wedding, go with your usual routine. Cleanser, toner, and a hydrating but lightweight moisturizer, and probably are eye cream are a perfect combo the morning of. You may, however, want to skip the SPF today. This goes against my biggest skincare rule (which is to NEVER skip SPF!) but the reason today may need to be an exception is because some sunscreens can cause flashback in certain photography settings, giving you that white/discoloured face effect in certain photos.
After the Wedding
You can resume your skincare routine as you like! But, if you picked up some new good habits like wearing SPF daily, incorporating acids, exfoliation and better products, it's always a good idea to keep this up long term.