Simple bridal beauty tips to have you looking your best by the time you’re walking down the aisle, perfect for beauty novices like myself.
photo via Candice Adelle
From the time I got engaged to the time I got married was about 10 months. As soon as that ring was on my finger I had grand plans for my beauty and the work I’d put in to making sure I was the most glowing beautiful bride you’ve ever seen. Among my plans: monthly facials, professional teeth whitening, professional spray tan and weekly manicures. How many of those things did I actually do? Um, none. Whoops! Ok here’s the thing, I’m not that into beauty treatments and somehow I could get myself to workout multiple times a day (I’ll talk about this in another post), but scheduling and paying for all those appointments didn’t happen. I mean I love a facial as next as the next girl, but I never made the effort to get one.
So I’m not that into beauty stuff. I want to be, but it’s not where I automatically put my focus, time or money. Even so, I think I arrived at my wedding weekend looking pretty good, and here’s how I did it, the easy and cheap way.
Bridal Beauty for the Laziest of Brides
Sparkly White Teeth
If you asked me a year ago if I’d get my teeth bleached before my wedding, my answer would have been, omg OF COURSE. Fast forward, I didn’t. But at the wedding a few people asked if I had whitened my teeth, so it looks like I did something right. The month leading up to the wedding I became obsessed with the Crest 3D White Luxe mouthwash. I used it at least twice a day and in addition to visibly making my teeth whiter, it’s got a great minty-fresh taste. I maybe went overboard with this product and my mouth felt stingy by the time the wedding came around, but hey, my teeth were white! If you buy this product, maybe limit your use to the recommended 2x a day 🙂 I also used Crest 3D White toothpaste and Crest 3D White Brilliance Boost Polishing Treatment. Use the polishing treatment after you use your toothpaste, it doesn’t prevent cavities but it gives one more layer of whitening power. And finally, to make the most of your brushing, get a good electric toothbrush. I use the Quip brush, which in addition to being a great brush, is extra perfect for travel since it’s battery operated and doesn’t require a charger.
Blemish-Free Face
Over the years my skin has had some serious ups and downs (just look at my pictures from college…actually please don’t). When I struggled with breakouts I went through a lot of different treatments and fortunately, my skin has become way more balanced and clear in my adult life. One thing that I know impacts the quality of my skin are my eating habits. When I’m eating a clean, balanced diet, I rarely have breakouts. When I indulge in gluten, sugar and alcohol, within a matter of days my skin (and lets be honest, everything) feels way out of whack. When prepping for my bridal bod, I cut out all that garbage, but it was extra motivating to know that by eating right, my skin would stay clear and bright. I also found products that agreed with my skin best and kept up a solid routine of washing with Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, moisturizing with Beautycounter Nourishing Night Cream and using the Fresh Umbrian Clay Purifying Mask every so often. Maybe those products won’t be the right ones for you, but experiment early with what works for you and invest in the right cleansers and moisturizers. And if you’ve got your act together better than me, schedule a facial a few weeks out from the wedding.
Subtly Tanned Skin
I toyed with the idea of getting a professional spray tan before the wedding but got nervous because what if I looked too orange? Seemed too risky. Instead, I did something really really dumb, and I’m not proud of it, and I’m lucky it all turned out okay. Just 4 days before the wedding I decided I was a touch too pale and stopped by Sephora to see if they could recommend an extremely subtle tanning lotion. They didn’t have much to offer but gave me a single use sample of a Kate Sommerville Tanning Towelette. I used it on my arms/shoulders/chest about 3 days prior to the wedding. I knew that was risky and stupid but I don’t have sensitive skin and figured if it looked orange I could scrub it off. Thankfully, it gave me the perfect, very slightly tanned tone, phew. I loved the wipes-they were easy to use, didn’t leave any blotches and were the cleanest tanning product I’ve ever tried with the best resulting color. But please don’t take the week-of risk that I did. If you’re getting married, head to Sephora and try a few products, figure out what works best and then use that for your wedding. If you didn’t already know, you can return anything, even used, to Sephora so you might as well try a few things out and see what works best with your skin. Also be careful not to use tanning products right before your wedding as it can rub off on your dress. Give it 2-3 days to settle in prior to the big day.
Smooth Hands
My hands and cuticles get very dry and I planned to get weekly manicures to keep my hands looking smooth and ready for my ring close ups. As much as I love freshly manicured nails, I get really antsy during manicures and no fail always chip my nails within a day or two. Instead of making manicures a part of my weekly routine, I started using Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. Literally overnight my cuticles started to heal, plus it smells great. For the wedding I got a high quality gel manicure and was all set for those close ups.
If I’m being honest, I’m not really the right person to be giving out bridal beauty advice. Healthy eating, toning and pre-wedding weight loss, yea I’m your girl. Beauty on the other hand, there are many bloggers out there far more knowledgable than me. But if you struggle to spend money and time on your beauty routine and are looking for an easy routine leading up to the big day, I can speak from experience. Whether you’re going all-out on the beauty front or are sticking to a budget, hopefully my little tips will help!
What beauty prep did you do for your wedding? Let us all know below and share your beauty knowledge!
