There's so much to do to plan your special day— with a task list as long as your wedding veil, who's got time to think of beauty? Luckily, we do! Here's your bridal beauty countdown to a more beautiful aisle-ready you.
Our bridal beauty countdown is from our wedding expert Hayley.Bridal Beauty Countdown > 12 months Before Your Wedding
There's still a while to go, but now's the time to hydrate your skin! Drink plenty of H2O and use water-based moisturising products to help skin repair itself naturally. Prevention is better than cure - better to create good skin now than try to solve a problem with weeks to go.
Hydrate Your Skin We love La Roche-Posay Hydraphase - with products for all skin types, it contains Hyaluronic Acid for intense hydration. If you're worried about swapping products don't be, 12 months is a long enough window to try a new product.
Give your skin some extra TLC and start taking vitamins tailored to achieve beautiful glowing skin. This ALPHA-H Skin Loving Vitamins Kit is a unique way to add vitamins to the skin, by applying them directly in serum form.
Bridal Beauty Countdown > 8 - 7 Months Before Your Wedding
Now's the time to start making any dramatic changes to your hair - if you don't like the results you'll have plenty of time to grow them out or dye it back! Start a regular care regime for your hair, and shampoo only every other day. Give your hair a rest from the straighteners and curling irons to let your hair heal, and remember to use a moisturising hair treatment weekly. Don't forget sun protection too if you're heading away, the sun really can damage the hair fibres. We love the MOROCCANOIL treatment masks, with one for every hair type.
Let it grow - we all want beautiful flowing locks for our wedding day, so use a product that encourages healthy hair growth while volumising and plumping your hair like Nanogen Hair Growth Factor Treatment Mask 30ml.
Bridal Beauty Countdown > 6 - 5 Months Before Your Wedding
Pamper your hands - improve the condition and use an exfoliator scrub recipe to gently massage the back of your hands. Use a hydrating hand cream and if you have cotton gloves, slip them on before bed.
Here are three products we really love:
- Clinique Hand & Body Sparkle Exfoliating Cream 250ml - SHOP HERE
- thisworks Perfect Hands Intense Moisture 75ml - SHOP HERE
- Sensai Cellular Performance Body Care Gloves - SHOP HERE
This is also the time to get any salon facials such as microdermabrasion. Treatments can bring out deep-rooted congestion, so best to tackle it now and maintain the results. Never have anything stronger than a relaxing facial later than 6 weeks before the big day.
Try a fitness routine that's fun and suits your goals. Whether that's losing weight or toning up - start a private Pinterest or Instagram board to keep track of videos or ideas you like.
Bridal Beauty Countdown > 4 Months Before Your Wedding
Now is the time to plan your makeup. Research the look you want for the big day and purchase the products that suit your skin type and the look you want to achieve. Practice makes perfect! Start with our Pinterest board for inspiration and narrow it down to around 5 looks you really love. For a glowy, glamorous, red-carpet look, consider mineral makeup as it really does stand out from the crowd. We adore Jane Iredale mineral makeup (left).
Want to add a little warmth? Start testing out different tanning solutions to find the one that does the best job for you. Your glow should last between five and seven days so plan this into your beauty regime allowing the right time to top it up before the big day.
Bridal Beauty Countdown > 1 Month Before Your Wedding
Beautiful brows to frame your eyes - abandon all methods of hair removal and plucking and let your brows grow back for as long as possible (yes we're serious!!). Once they've fully grown you can define the shape you want. If you're shaping your brows yourself then use a professional set such as Brush Works HD Combination Tweezer Set to get to all those hairs.
To maintain great skin, a salon inspired facial treatment is a great idea but be sure to test it on your skin at least 8 weeks before the event. We love Alpha H Speciality Solution Instant Facial 100ml.
You'll also want to have a hair rehearsal booked for this time as it's unlikely your hair will change much before the big day. Get your hair colour topped up if needed and those split ends trimmed and commit to a look that you love. Yes there are a million great ideas out there but stick to just one and don't be tempted to change at the last minute!
Bridal Beauty Countdown > One Week Before Your Wedding
The final preparations - it's time to relax and pamper yourself, top up your tan and give yourself a manicure. When it comes to nails think groomed, polished and natural for the best results. A French manicure or shell pink always works well. Take a look at our range of nail colours here.
Stock up on beauty goodies and call your friends round for a pamper evening with movies and popcorn, we can't think of anything better than planning a girl's night in! It's also a great way to de-stress and reconnect with friends for tips, advice and laughter.
Bridal Beauty Countdown > Congratulations it's your Wedding Day!
All your hard work has paid off! You look and feel great so relax and have a healthy breakfast but include a little bubbly with your maids - go on it's your wedding day!
For more wedding advice visit www.allbeauty.com
