I realised the other day that the most popular question brides ask me is, 'How do I get amazing skin for my wedding day?’.
So I thought I’d do a few blog posts on prepping your body, head to toe, ready for your big day. Starting with the face.

If you're willing to spend the money and take the time to go to a good dermatologist for your facials, definitely do that. If you’re not, then carry on reading.

1. Start using face masks
Using pore cleansing and oil absorbing face masks are a great way of clearing out gunk. I know, how gross, but it’s true. A mask is on your face for a minimum of 5 minutes, which means it’s doing a better job of cleaning than our every day cleansers do. Think of it as a deep clean.
I recommend an activated charcoal mask for this. Activated charcoal is known for absorbing oils. It binds to the skin and helps pull the dirt out of your pores, making them less visible. It’s a natural ingredient which means it won't add any new chemicals to your skin that you have to get used to.
When should I start this new regime and how often?
This is not something you decide to start doing the day before your big day! This is something you should start doing at least 8 weeks before.
If you have really oily skin, try applying a mask once a week. If you have dry skin, apply once every two weeks. The last mask before you wedding day should be at least a week.

2. An energising face mask the morning of your wedding
Yes I know, I’ve kind of contradicted myself here. But an energising mask or plumping mask is very different to a pore cleansing mask. The Body Shop 'British Rose, Fresh Plumping Mask' or 'Amazonian Acai, Energising Radiance Mask' are perfect for these. The most common thing with brides on their wedding morning is tiredness. I mean the night before your big day is like the night before christmas for a child. It’s exciting; and excitement sometimes doesn’t let you sleep. Using an energising mask will give your skin a glow that tiredness takes away. I highly suggest testing these masks out instead of winging it on the day. We don’t want an allergic reaction.

3. Putting Spoons in the Fridge for 10 minutes
I can imagine you're very confused after reading that. You’re probably thinking, ‘Why on earth would I need to do this’. Well, cold spoons on tired eyes reduces puffiness. Like I said before, excitement sometimes doesn’t let you sleep, which causes tired eyes. Put the cold spoons on your eyes whilst you have your face mask on. Remove the spoons once they are body temperature. Voilà, brighter eyes. Whatever you do, don't put them in the freezer ha.

4. Drinking lots of water
This is the number one key to healthier glowing skin. Try to have at least 4 to 5 glasses a day. If you're anything like me and find it hard to drink that much water, invest in a water bottle with a straw. You’d be amazed how much water you will drink. For some reason it’s much easier than drinking from a glass.
The morning before your wedding try to drink a bottle full. Hydration is your best friend when it comes to your skin.

5. Vitamins
I don’t really need to say much about this one. Take a multivitamin a day, it’s probably the easiest thing on this list.

6. Swap your coffee or milky tea for herbal tea
Swapping your coffee or milky tea with a green tea means you still get a caffeine hit but its more hydrating! Green tea is also full of antioxidants. I’m not saying you can’t have your morning coffee anymore, but try to stick with that one morning cup and swap the others for green tea or something herbal like ginger.

7. Don’t sleep in your makeup
I meet people all the time who don’t wash their makeup off before going to bed. You're never going to get healthy glowing skin if you carry on doing this. Sleeping in your makeup clogs your pores and ages you so much. Start a skin care regime that you and your skin like.

8. Aloe Vera for spots
Go out and buy yourself an Aloe Vera plant. It has so many benefits, one of them being healing and another being anti inflammatory. Have you ever burnt yourself and heard someone say to you, ‘put aloe vera on it’? They’re right! Do it! And why not use it on spots too! I could probably talk all day about how amazing aloe vera is, but this post is long enough as it is. Basically, ancient Egyptians used to call it the ‘plant of immortality’. Do I need to say anymore?

Quick tips-

If you're a sufferer of acne and this is causing you great stress for your wedding day, then I’d suggest going to your GP as they can offer you medication that may clear it up or at least reduce it.
Remove all your makeup before you turn up to your trial, it’s so much easier for me if you have a clean face.

Images by Olivia Bossert
Dresses by Ailsa Munro
Model Emily from Gingersnap
Hair and Makeup by Ione