Weddings are often a stressful time for brides-to-be, with lots of planning to do, suppliers to book and guests to organise, your skin is probably the last thing on your mind. But when stress plays a major part in contributing towards breakouts, an uneven skin tone and unbalanced skin, its important to take care of it in the lead up to the big day. 

Follow these 5 tips to ensure you have the best skin possible on your wedding day:

1. Eat as healthily as possible.

Glowing skin starts with a good diet. If you often eat food with lots of sugar, salt and saturated fat, it will more than likely show up on your skin (unless you are one of the luckily ones!) A diet rich in green foods, so thats spinach, kale, broccoli, avocado, basil, rocket, etc. will feed your body and skin the nutrients it needs to be working at its best. Skin problems are a result of an imbalance in your body, so to prevent and cure any skin issues, it always starts with feeding your body with good quality food.

Aim to eat unprocessed, natural foods and avoid anything with too many ingredients. I recently read a book by Michael Pollan called ‘In Defence of Food’, in which he gives a great tips on a few basic rules you should follow when deciding on what to eat:

• Don’t eat anything your grandma wouldn’t recognise as food.
• Avoid food with ingredients you can’t pronounce.
• Don’t eat food that won’t eventually rot.
• Avoid food with health claims (which means anything with ‘added vitamins or minerals’, natural food doesn’t need to make these claims!)
• Cook your own food.

Following these basic rules will ensure you are getting the best diet possible, and in return your skin will thank you. Always remember though, its important to have a balance, so allow yourself that pizza every now and then, we all know they are irresistible!

2. Get Active.

Exercise is an essential part of staying mentally and physically healthy, but did you know its also great for your skin? Breaking a sweat helps to get the blood pumping around your body, which (after that workout redness has subsided!) gives your skin more glow and radiance. Regular exercise, even if its just making sure you are walking at the very least 30 minutes a day, will reduce inflammation, regulate your hormones and prevent free radical damage. It also improves your mood, reduces stress, anxiety and depression by pumping those endorphins around your body! 

3. Start your Skincare Routine.

If you don’t already have a skincare routine that you stick to, then now is the time to start one. Find products that suit your specific skin type, and start using these products 3 months before your big day. To make the most out of skincare products and to see if they are working for you, you need to give them at least 6 weeks of regular use. 

To keep things simple, use a cleanser and a moisturiser everyday, and an exfoliator once a week.

Cleansers

I would recommend the {{Evolve Beauty – Fresh Face Cleanser}} if you have oily skin, as this will help to rebalance the oil levels in your skin without stripping it and leaving it feeling dry. For dry skin, the {{Evolve Beauty – Gentle Cleansing Melt}} will soothe and moisturise your skin, and remove makeup at the same time.

Moisturisers

For oily skin, use the {{Supermood – The Perfect Day Cream}} in the morning, and the {{Supermood – Youth Glow Radiance Oil}} at night to help repair the skin and rebalance sebum levels. For dry skin, use the {{Evolve Beauty – Daily Renew Moisturiser}} in the morning to improve the texture and tone of your skin, and the {{Supermood – Youth Restoring Night Cream}} at night to repair the skin and intensely moisturise.

Exfoliators

Using an exfoliator once a week will ensure your pores stay clear and you avoid getting congested skin, which is what can lead to breakouts. Exfoliators buff away dead skin cells that block the pores and will give a brighter appearance to the skin. The {{Lady Green – Gentle Facial Scrub}} is a good gentle exfoliator suitable for all skin types. The round jojoba beads will slough away dead skin cells without damaging the skin’s surface. If your skin is oily, you may find your pores are more prone to getting clogged, this is where a more intense treatment will be more beneficial. The {{Supermood – Luxury Peel Mask}} contains natural fruit acids which gently nibble away at the dead skin cells to speed up cell turnover and reduce clogged pores. Leave this mask on for up to 15 minutes, using it once a week, to dramatically reduce blemishes and clogged pores.

4. Try a Self Tan.

Tanned skin is a great way to achieve that bridal glow! I’m all for embracing pale skin and being proud of it, but if you like a healthy glow, a little self tan can work wonders. The {{Eco by Sonya}} range provides a natural looking golden hue to your skin, and is so easy to use, even if you have never attempted it before. If you are very pale, start out with the gradual tanning moisturiser – {{Winter Skin}}, this will build up a natural looking tan that lasts up to a week. Use this everyday until you are happy with the depth of colour. For medium skin tones, try the {{Invisible Tan}}, an overnight tan that will develop in 8 hours, great if you want a deep, golden tan that also softens and nourishes your skin whilst you sleep. If you are a newbie to the tanning world, the {{Cacao Firming Mousse}} is so easy to use and will develop in 1-4 hours depending on the level of tan you would like to achieve. 

Lastly, the {{Face Tan Water}} is the best selling product from this range and an essential in your self tanning routine. Swipe this tanning water all over your face, neck and décolletage, and it will gradually develop a golden hue to your skin. I prefer to use this after cleansing at night, every other day. Sweet Orange Peel will help to fight acne causing bacteria, reduce inflammation and even out the skin tone, whilst Aloe Vera will soothe and calm any redness.

5. Use Makeup to Give your Skin a Glow.

So you’re skin is now glowing from within without makeup, but there are always a few items of makeup that can help give it that extra boost of dewiness! Your wedding makeup needs to last for a long time, so a good primer will certainly help, the {{Couleur Caramel – Makeup Base}} is a primer that provides a moisturising feel with a subtle illuminating finish. It will ensure your makeup stays on, as well as brightening and protecting it from environmental aggressors.

Cream products tend to work best for giving the skin a glow. The {{Nude & Noir Cosmetics – Multi-Use Cream Palette}} contains plant infused oils, butters and waxes with highly pigmented colours that can be used on the eyes, lips and cheeks. The ingredients include coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, cocoa seed butter and candelilla wax to moisturise and hydrate your skin. You can use the colours as a highlighter, cheek colour, lip colour, eyeshadow, bronzer and contouring shade and pop the palette in your bag to touch up your glowing makeup throughout the day! Check out our video on how to use the ‘Provocative’ palette from Nude & Noir here.