Lesson 2: Skin Prep

I am really good at this, y’all. But there is no amount of makeup I can put on you that will hide a 3 day bender. Of course have a blast during this exciting season of your life, but please be mindful about drinking, eating and engaging in activities that will dehydrate your skin. Even if you have oily or combo skin, your face, neck and chest needs hydrating and moisturizing products. That includes your lips (Aquaphor)! know how cliché it sounds, but H2O is also your best friend. I can almost immediately tell when someone has been skimping on water, because our faces produce faint dehydration lines and a general dullness when we don’t hydrate. Sometimes it takes trial and error to figure out what products work best for your face, and going to see an esthetician a few months before your wedding can really help with this. If you need some general recommendations for hydrating and moisturizing products, you can message me and I’ll be happy to help.

Second most important thing you can do for your skin is EXFOLIATE! No, I don’t mean take a loofah or St. Ives to your delicate face every single night. Please don’t. But a few months/weeks before your wedding at the least, pick up a mild exfoliating product (depending on your skin type and sensitivity) and start using it 2-3 nights a week (be careful if you’re already using a retinol). Then follow with those moisturizing products. This gives us a smooth base to work with and helps get rid of dead and dull skin.

I’m the biggest advocate for a spray tan. ALL skin tones can benefit from one when you have a good artist! I love natural brows, but I still like them to be separate entities. A hydrafacial is a great way to get an instant glow. I am all for doing these extras before your wedding, but keep these points below in mind!

Please don’t get a dermaplane or lash extensions for the first time ever the day before your wedding! If you are trying anything for the first time ever, it does NOT need to be during the week of your wedding. This might be an unpopular opinion, but to me that includes brow threading or waxing, spray tans, facials, filler, serums, cleansers, etc. Don’t introduce anything new during that week before, because we don’t know for sure how your skin will react to it. Sure, the chances are probably slim that you’ll have an enormous breakout from any of those things, but they aren’t zero, and that’s good enough for me. If you are a regular at these things, still don’t do anything harsh (like waxing/threading/dermaplane/peels) right before your wedding. Get those appointments finished 3-4 days before so that your skin has time to settle. Plan ahead, and INFORM your artists/professionals about your plans so that they can advise you!

This ties into my last point about trying new things—if you have a skin care routine that works well for you, you have generally minimal blemishes, dryness and other issues, there is no need for you to change anything about that. A small and fleeting breakout from stress or hormones doesn’t constitute “problem” skin—those are environmental factors that warrant a whole other conversation. Be realistic when you are evaluating your skin. If you are pretty well off doing what you’re doing, just keep up the good work and stay consistent. You don’t need that hot new product or service if you don’t have anything to improve.