It is your day girl! We know you spent months deciding the wedding date, the invitation lists, finding suppliers, and what not! And the thoughts of choosing the perfect bridal outfit and accessories consume every bride’s every waking moment. Amidst all the planning and organizing, the you neglect the most important thing to take care of – yourself! You want to look like the most beautiful version of yourself on your wedding day, of course. Gladly, we are here to help! And what better way to do that than planning out a beauty routine all the way up to your wedding day?
1. Schedule Professional Facials
Your wedding is the perfect excuse for some extra pampering. You’ll want to book monthly facials to rejuvenate your skin. Experienced aestheticians will massage your skin, scalp and decolletage to stimulate blood circulation and keep your skin looking healthy. You can also request extractions. This is when your facialist gets all the dirt out of your pores. The process takes preparation and special techniques that, if done at home, can lead to irritation, or worse, scarring.
Pro Tip: Don’t limit your beauty rituals to just home care. Don’t settle for cheap either! Start early as you can to find the perfect salon or aesthetic center that deliver results for you!
BOS Recommends: Just refer to Beauticians & Hair dressers (as some have their own salons too) or Salons & Spa category in the directory available at the back of the
magazine!
2. Schedule Frequent Manicures
As soon as you announce the engaged, everyone wants to see your ring. Keep those nails and hands primed and pretty with regular manicures. This is also your chance to experiment with colors and get to know your manicurist.
Pro tip: Let your nail beds dictate the shape of your nails. Matching the two will give your hands and nails a balanced, elegant look. Gel manicures use UV technology for a harder and smoother finished nail. They’re a bit pricier but can last up to twice as long as a traditional manicure.
BOS Recommends: British Cosmetics Nail Studio at Crescat has a range of bridal nails for you to choose from. They offer a special discount for our brides – remember to take the coupon at the back of the magazine!
3. Whiten Your Teeth
Your smile says it all and you’ll want pearly whites for all those pictures. Most toothpastes have whitening ingredients in them, but for faster results, choose a special whitening one. Whitening strips are also a great option. Just don’t go overboard because anything that looks too artificial will become too prominent in pictures.
Pro Tip: Consult your dentist to get your teeth whitened professionally. Getting a professional whitening about six months ahead, so your teeth aren’t too brilliant on the day of the wedding.
4. Shrink Your Pores with Microdermabrasion
We want to give it to you straight! So, the bad news: You can’t actually change the size of your pores. The deeper a pore is, the bigger it looks on the skin’s surface. The good news: You can minimize the depth of your pores to make them seem smaller. Microdermabrasion, glycolic acid and other chemical peels will exfoliate layers of bad skin and minimize pore surface.
Pro Tip: Start at least 6 months before the wedding, as it will give time for your therapist to assess your skin and suggest the best treatment.
BOS Recommends: Estheti Centre at Ward Place, Colombo 7 uses state of this art equipment and offers excellent treatments.
5. Reduce Sunspots With an Acid Peel
Peels are designed to slough off dead skin and bring new, fresh skin to the surface. To make the most of these spa treatments, you’ll want to book a series of peels. Start with six different sessions, each two weeks apart (so skin has time to recover).
Pro Tip: Make sure you do an allergy or spot test – not all skin types react well to acid peels.
5. Eliminate Zits With Benzoyl Peroxide
If you’ve got a problem pimple, there are only one way to take care of it. And no, popping it isn’t one of them. The first is to dab benzoyl peroxide gel directly on the blemish. This will help dry it out (sometimes overnight).
Pro Tip: If you have acne, get help way before the wedding – it will give you time to treat and get rid of scars too.
6. Start Using an Eye Cream
In many cases, dark under-eye circles are hereditary. So the only way to reduce their appearance is with makeup. Start with an eye cream that has light diffusers, which reflect light to make the eye look brighter. use concealer only on the dark spots.
Pro Tip: Use concealer only on the dark spots. Look for one that matches your skin tone exactly, not one that’s a shade lighter—that can make your attempt to conceal even more noticeable. Remember to dab lightly to avoid tugging on delicate eye areas.
7. Exfoliate
You’d certainly want a body full of soft skin on your honeymoon, even if not the big day! Don’t forget your face too! Exfoliation is one of the best ways of getting skin that is free from dead cells and black heads. Make sure that you exfoliate your skin before using a face wash two or three times a week. Use a mild face wash. A harsh one can irritate the skin and give you rashes. You can also use a homemade scrub made of rice flour or whole-wheat flour, or a mixture of both to exfoliate the skin.
As for the body, sea salt is probably the best, but you are more than welcome to try other choices, which suits you best!
Pro Tip: Using a body scrub regularly in the shower will get rid of dead skin. Then, moisturize with a lotion that’s infused with almond or shea butter. Wrap your rough spot in a cloth for about an hour to keep the moisture locked in.
8. Get Rid of That Hair
The unwanted – of course! Start grooming yourself and take care of your legs, hands and body hair, including down under! Keep your eyebrows in shape. Whichever process you use for hair removal, maintain that bi-weekly or monthly, as per the requirement.
Pro Tip: Sudden hair removal of any part of the body can give you small cuts or rashes – so start at least 6 months before the big day.
BOS Recommends: Waxed Colombo is new, clean and has a range of imported products from Australia that suit any skin type (refer the Insider article in the last issue to learn more about them and all you need to know on waxing).
