Get ready for your close up with our guide on how to get perfect skin – perfect wedding health and beauty advice for any bride-to-be.
Prevention is better than cure when it comes to getting beautiful bridal skin, so your first job is to adopt a healthy, twice daily cleansing, toning and moisturising regime. Start at least six months before your big day to give you time to find the right products.
You should also book a series of six facials and apply a face treatment at home every week – a deep-cleansing mask will rid oily skin of ingrained dirt, a moisture mask will nourish dry skin, while an exfoliator will remove dead skin and brighten all complexions.
Beautiful base
For a flawless base on the day, firstly cleanse, tone and moisturise. Then use a makeup primer to help even out your skin’s texture (reducing redness, visible pores, shine and fine lines) and make your make-up last all day. Next, apply foundation with a brush or sponge, blending in circular motions over face and neck. Build up coverage in layers and remember that skin needs a heavier base than usual to look flawless in photos.
Finally, apply a layer of powder with a large brush or puff, working downwards to set the look. Choose a powder with highlighting particles for a subtle shimmer or use a setting spray instead of powder. If you have dry skin or want a natural look, consider a tinted moisturiser instead of foundation and powder, but it won’t cover much so skin will need to be truly flawless underneath!
Concealing flaws
Spots, dark circles, redness, dull skin – you can hide a multitude of sins with a good concealing cream, liquid or pencil, applied with a small brush for ultimate control and build up of coverage. To brighten pale or dull skin, use a mauve-toned concealer, after foundation.
Use a green-based concealer to tone down red blotches or spots, after foundation. To tackle dark circles under eyes, invest in a good overnight eye cream and gently dab around this delicate area, working inwards towards the nose. On the day itself, cover dark circles with a yellow toned concealer, applied gently with a small brush before foundation.
Dry patches
If you’re prone to dry patches a good night cream is vital for intensive moisturising. Drink plenty of water (around two litres per day is best) and avoid products with added fragrance. Stick to pH-neutral moisturisers and apply to wet or damp skin to lock in moisture. On the day itself, apply an intensive moisturiser to your dry patches as soon as you wake up.
Healthy glow
You don’t have to rely on the sun to get a warm, lightly tanned glow for your wedding photos. Remember, the natural look is best so any fake tan should be applied to face and body for consistency, a week or two before the big day so it’s had chance to fade slightly. Or try one of the great moisturisers that contain a small amount of fake tan, so you can build up a natural glow without extra effort. If it turns out to be sunny on the big day, your face could look bleached out in photographs, so you might want to warm up your complexion with a modest amount of bronzer with, or instead of, powder.
Cheek to chic
Nothing says blushing bride better than blush! However, the key word is natural – less is more for the perfect demure bride. So choose a pale to mid-toned shade and build it up slowly. Fair skin is best with rosy shades, olive and yellow skin tones need peachy colours, and dark skin needs a red or apricot shade. Lightly load a blusher brush and apply to the apples of your cheeks – the area that plumps up when you smile. Sweep back and up towards the temple, and blend.
A light brush of the same shade over forehead and chin will help keep the look natural. If you’re not blessed with amazing cheekbones, accentuate their shape with a highlighting cream, applied at the top of your cheekbones before the blusher.
Luscious lips
Don’t forget that your lips are skin, too! They have the thinnest skin on your whole body, that’s why they’re so sensitive! To make sure they’re ultra kissable on the big day, get into the weekly routine of gently exfoliating any dry skin on your lips with an old toothbrush, then moisturise with a lip balm or an unperfumed moisturiser, like E45 cream.
In fact, it’s a good idea to moisturise every night before bed. You could also perk up lips on the day with a lip plumper, although they’re not for sensitive skin types. Try new Rosy Lips Vaseline for a natural look through the day.
