We don’t always have months to prepare our bodies and skin for special occasions. With the stress in the build-up to our wedding days, we often neglect our beauty and skin care until the last minute. It’s only as we’re a week away that we think about how to make ourselves look and feel beautiful.
Can you do it with less than a week to go? While you won’t find miracle cures for your skin, you can help to get a bridal glow. You can improve the look and feel of your skin to the point that the new skin cells shine through and you get a natural shine. There’s no need to worry about your photos making you look dowdy or plain.
When you look back over your photos, you’ll remember how beautiful you felt. You’ll see all the good things, instead of having regrets about how you wished you looked after your skin in the months before your big day.
So, with five days left, here are the steps that you need to take to get that bridal glow.
Start By Doing More Exercise
The activity you do will affect the look and feel of your skin. So, the first thing you can do is up the amount of exercise you do and focus on a regime that will get you burning calories in the run up to the day. This isn’t the time to crash diet, but the time to just focus on your health.
One of the benefits of exercise is that you will reduce the stress hormones in the body. Stress causes a hormonal imbalance that makes the body release more natural oils through the skin. You end up with an excess of oils, so your skin starts to look greasy and unwashed. You’ll have a sticky and slimy glow on your wedding day that you really don’t want!
When you do more exercise, you release more happy hormones in the body and reduce the stress hormone release. You end up with a balance back for the natural oils. Your skin won’t be as greasy, unless you naturally have oily skin. There are steps that you can take for this, so don’t worry, but exercise is a great way to initially start the process of reducing the natural oils.
The exercise will also help you get ready mentally for your big day. You take time out just to look after you, so you feel less stressed in the run up to it and don’t look back thinking there was all that nightmare planning for no reason.
Try doing an hour a day if you can to really release the stress. If you can’t, then 30 minutes a day is better for you. It doesn’t mean a trip to the gym. Pull out home workout DVDs or hit the ground running. You can also try swimming, Yoga classes, and more!
Get a Full Professional Facial
The lead-up to your wedding day is the time to look after yourself. Pamper yourself and treat yourself to a professional facial. Make sure it’s a full one and using materials that are designed to help brighten your skin and leave you feeling cleansed and refreshed.
A deep clean facial is an excellent way to get a starting block to keep your skin looking that way in the lead up to your big try. Do this on days five or four at the latest. Any closer to your day and you run the risk of some rash or redness if you are allergic to any of the materials.
If you’re worried about allergies, test the facial product on the inside of your wrist or your ankle—somewhere that is going to be easy to hide on your wedding day. If you have sensitive skin, it’s best to let the facial expert know, as they will know the best materials to use for you.
Once you’ve had a professional facial, opt for your own facial in the nights running up to your wedding day. Natural face masks are great for controlling the oil production and will add extra vitamins and minerals to your skin. Lemon juice face masks will brighten up your skin and add vitamin C, while salt or oatmeal masks are more exfoliating to get rid of the dead skin cells.
Leave all chemical peels and laser treatments. These will cause redness and that redness can stay into your wedding day. If you really want a chemical peel, arrange for that weeks before your big day if you still have time.
Develop an exfoliating routine in the week before your wedding. You want to make sure you cleanse the pores completely and help them tighten up afterwards to avoid dirt and grime causing acne. Try splashing with cold water straight after the exfoliating and use an egg face mask to help. The protein in the egg is also nourishing for your skin and will help with the building blocks of the skin cells.
Cut Out Salt, Sugar, and Alcohol
In the days before your wedding, you need to focus on the best diet for your skin. That means getting rid of anything that can cause a hormonal upset in your system.
Focus on getting more nutrients in the days before. Get your vitamin C and E and make sure you have plenty of protein. These will also help to create luxurious skin, whether you use the nutrients topically or in your diet.
It’s time to cut out some of the ingredients that are bad for your health and skin. Start by reducing the amount of sugar you intake. Refined sugar causes insulin spikes and hormonal imbalances. You end up with more natural oils being produced, leaving your skin oily and greasy.
You’ll always want to cut down on the salt that you have. Sea salt in facial masks and topical treatments can be beneficial, but don’t use it too much. And definitely cut it out of your diet temporarily. The salt will just dehydrate your skin, leaving it flaky and sometimes painful. If you already have naturally dry skin, you’ll definitely want to reduce the amount of salt you put in and on your body.
Alcohol is another ingredient to cut out in the days before your wedding. You can make up for it on your wedding day and honeymoon if you really want.
Alcohol dehydrates the body and will just add empty calories. You’ll have more refined sugar in your system, as well as toxins that your body needs to get rid of. The organs will take the nutrients from your skin, since your skin doesn’t need them as much. You’re left with dry and flaky skin and a completely hormonal imbalance.
Many brides will opt for alcohol to help them de-stress after their wedding day. It’s time to find another way to handle the stress. You can opt for exercise instead to help the look and feel of your skin.
Opt for a Spray Tan or Fake Tan for a Golden Glow
If you want to fake that golden glow, it’s time to get a spray tan. You can also opt for fake tan if you want, but do think carefully about the type of fake tan you use.
The benefit of a spray tan is that it is a little more permanent. You will need to follow the advice from the beauticians when getting it, otherwise the tan can end up streaky. Too many people wear tight fitting clothes and rub the tan off before it has time to set!
If you don’t fancy the spray tans, instant fake tans can be used on the day of your wedding. Make sure you rub them in evenly with a mitt and ask one of your bridesmaids to help you on your back, the backs of your arms, and your thighs. Don’t put your wedding dress straight on! Give your tan a few minutes to completely dry. That means you want to give yourself plenty of hours to get ready before your wedding day.
You can use the fake tans that you apply the days before your wedding, but you will need to make sure you leave no streaky marks. The problem with non-instant tans is that you don’t see the streaks until after you’ve finished it all.
Fake tans will help to give a golden glow but you can end up orange! Think about your natural skin tone and the colour your skin naturally goes in the sun. Don’t opt for a darker shade because you think it will make you look better. You want to look sun-kissed and not like you’re been doused in orange soda.
Trial fake tans earlier than a week before your wedding day. This will give you a better idea as to whether the colour is right for your skin or if you can go a shade darker.
Have a Relaxing Soak the Night Before
Get your favourite bubble bath or bath salts, light a scented candle/incense, and put on your favourite music. The night before you want to have some downtime just for you. Set up the bathroom—whether you’re at a hotel or in your own home—just in the way that you want it and enjoy a few hours of peace.
You can even opt for a girly night with your bridesmaids if you want an after-soak facial. Just make sure the ingredients you use in the facial aren’t those that you could potentially be allergic to or make sensitive skin worse. This is also a chance to pull out the deep body butters and moisturisers to help hydrate your skin fully the night before.
If your bridesmaids are staying with you, put on a few movies after your long soak and enjoy a night of not even thinking about the event the next day. This is your chance to switch off from the world and give your body and skin the relaxation they need.
Don’t forget to get an early night! Your skin needs you to sleep. You won’t have the dark spots under your eyes the next morning and you won’t have red eye from being up far too late. Your own skin will feel softer and look more luxurious.
Start Your Wedding Day Healthy
The morning of your wedding is just as important for your skincare as the lead up to the day! Start it right with a healthy breakfast. Drink plenty of water and focus on fresh fruit, protein, and whole grains.
Some brides are a little nauseous on their wedding day morning. You’ll want to get something on your stomach to help settle the butterflies. Try to keep it light with some fresh fruit and then you can see how you are.
Another option is to focus on the likes of lemon water. This is refreshing as your first drink and will add plenty of nutrients into your system. You’ll also get an alkaline-based start, which helps to settle some of the feeling of nerves in your body.
If you have the time, opt for a 30 minute exercise to help ease the excitement and nerves. Your body can’t tell the difference between excitement and fear, so will release stress hormones when you feel like this. Help your skin look great by releasing the happy hormones and keeping the stress and excess oils at bay.
You’ll want to give yourself three hours at least to get ready. This gives you the chance to completely moisturise your skin before having your makeup applied. Whether you hire someone for your makeup or you do it yourself will be completely up to you. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to do this. If you do it yourself, opt for makeup that you know is good for your skin and will keep the moisture locked in throughout the day.
It’s Time to Enjoy Your Wedding Day with Beautiful Skin
You don’t need to spend months primping your skin for it to look luxurious. While you want to spend those months doing some good for it, you can also improve the look and feel in the 5 days before your wedding.
Follow the tips above as soon as you can. It’s time to focus on exercise and a healthy diet to make sure your body gets all the nutrients that it needs. Drink plenty of water and opt for hydrating facial masks that will leave your skin soft to touch and glowing. Don’t forget the fake tans if you want to get a naturally-looking golden glow.
Enjoy your wedding day and look back at the pictures without regret.
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