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Bridal skin tips & tricks for the big day!

Are you preparing for your special day? Whether its for a wedding or another big event, consider the following tips to have your skin glowing and at its best. 

Tip 1: Start your skin journey with an esthetician and schedule your monthly facials in advance.
When: 9+ months out
Whether you were blessed with perfect skin or you just want to get your skin in tip top shape for your wedding day, starting a professional treatment regimen with your local esthy is key.
​Ideally you want to start your skincare treatment 9+ months out from your wedding date.
This time frame will allow the skin to adjust to the different treatments & products and progressively make changes.
 The skin takes a minimum of 30 days to recognize and accept new products, especially actives, so for best results we recommend starting your wedding day skin regime as far out in advance as you can. If your skin decides it wants to be a rebel and throw you a curveball along the way, at least you have some cushion time  to get it back on track. The longer you have time to prepare the better, especially if you are thinking of getting holy grail treatments like micro-needling, chemical peels or laser treatments (which involves added post care treatments).
Think of your skin journey like going to the gym. You can’t expect to lose 15lbs in 1 or 3 gym sessions.
It will take consistent visits and internal changes to see profound changes.

Nano infusion and dermaplaning are highly recommended for my brides 2-5 days before the big day to boost the skin with hydration and prep the skin for that baby smooth skin
(Your makeup artist will thank you!)

​If you don’t have a current skin regime this is a great time to seek out a professional for help.
In my experience, brides who try to DIY on skincare routines in hopes of saving money get exactly what they pay for. You spend a pretty penny on the best photographer on one of the most important days of your life, to end up looking tired & dull in your photos. 
We take the guesswork out skincare and help the bride to re-focus on the more important things.
A simple 3 step guide is sometimes all needed even if the bride is on a serious budget.


Bride checklist : Start doing research of skin professionals in  your area and schedule consults to determine your best fit. These consults are usually free and will hep you determine if you they  fit for your skin goals & budget.
Also go through your skincare products and check the expiration dates. Throw out any old, off smelling, and color changing items. This is a clear indicator that it is past its due date and should be discarded.


Tip 2: Stay on top of your exfoliation & hydration game
When: 5 months out
Dead skin build up can interfere with light reflection leading to a dull and flat skin appearance. 
To get that lit-from-within look, make sure you are exfoliating at least 2x a week and layering your hydrating serums (hyaluronic acid) and moisturizers on top to help seal it all in (that means you too oily skin babe).
This is not the time to start testing new products on your own, especially those with active ingredients (AHA, BHA’s retinol) unless you are under a care of a licensed skin professional.

*a licensed professional is someone with the knowledge, credentials, experience and license to manipulate the skin. We are not referring to sales consultants (Monat, Rodan & Fields, Argonne, Doterra, Young Living)  that simply sell you skincare products.

Tip 3: Invest in dry brushing or sugar scrubs
When: 3-6 months out
Speaking of exfoliation- don’t forget the rest of your body!
Dry bushing yields major skin benefits, including exfoliation and increased blood circulation.
It revs up the flow of lymph, the all-important fluid that whisks toxins out of our systems.
Lymph relies on muscle movement to pass through the body, so if you're not an active person, dry-brushing is a wonderful tool to rid the body of waste.
There's real science behind it, and it really works when you commit to it.
Start with three dry-brushing sessions per week, building up to daily, and make sure to slather on some type of lotion or oil afterward.
It’s also the cheapest beauty trick you’ll find out there, about $3-5 bucks for each brush AND you only need to do it about 5-10 min a day.
Our favorite go-to products for body exfoliation is Ke Ko Botanicals organic vanilla & mango sugar scrub, Kiwi coconut Luffa bar and Niu body oil to seal in moisture.
It smells like paradise in a bottle and starting cost is less than $12!
Caution: while some suggest dry brushing before a shower, it has the potential to circulate blood flow, bringing oxygen to the cells. Meaning it may give you a boost of energy, so it is best done earlier in the day or prior to active exercises like yoga or running.

Bridal Checklist: Visit the “Shop” tab on the website and add a dry brush to your cart today! The cost is less than a cup of coffee and will give you the jolt & baby soft skin you want every morning!

Tip 4: Glow up with a spray tan
When: at your dress fitting and a few days before your wedding day.

There is no such thing as a safe tan except spray tans! 
Sunless spray tans will even out your skin tone, camouflaging any imperfections like stretch marks, scars, redness, and cellulite. It can also be used to contour by defining muscles and sculpting curves. In quality photos  a natural spray tan can add a slimming effect.
Make sure to get a trial spray tan before your dress fitting to figure out if you want to go darker or lighter before the big day.
​Exfoliation of the body compliments spray tanning because it will prep the skin and allow the tan to last longer and look more natural. 


Tip 5: Schedule your regular hair removal appointments
When: 3-5 months out
Scheduling waxing appointments a few days before the big day is biiiiiig no-no.
Brides would come into the resort spa 2 days before their wedding to get a simple lip wax  only to have their skin ripped and scarred. 
No matter how simple a wax or sugaring appointment may seem to you, there are pre and post care instructions that must be followed in order to have the best results. Tanning at the beach, use of retinol Items, and acne products are just some examples that can cause the skin to rip or breakout after a wax service.  Brazilian wax services should be planned accordingly, not the day before a big event.
It’s a common to think that a simple Brazilian wax a few days before the wedding will allow the smoothest outcome. However getting down and dirty the next day is not recommended. The skin is freshly exfoliated and sweat can harbor bacteria from both partners leading possible irritation and infection. This is usually all discussed in a brides first appointment with her esthy, so again preparation is key. I like to preform the last hair removal session at least 7-10 days prior to the wedding date  because it gives the pore time to relax and the hairs to smooth out nicely.

​Bridal Checklist: schedule all your monthly hair removal appointments

Other helpful tips:

-Stay hydrated, manage your stress levels and get enough sleep.
Easier said than done when you’re planning a big event, but skin doesn’t lie. What you put into your body will show easily on your skin. Make sure your diet is loaded with gut loving foods & water to help flush out toxins and keep the skin looking fresh and glowy.
Stress and excess  amounts of sugar can cause inflammation in the body leading to dull & puffy skin.
 Make sure to schedule in some me-time throughout the planning process and get that beauty sleep.

-Easy on the booze. Supplement with fresh juices or smoothies.
Till death do us partyyyyy! Yes, it’s a celebration BUT excess booze can lead to dehydrated skin and is a radiance robber. Skip the pre party booz’n and wait till after your couple photos are taken to avoid a red and inflamed face.If you’re Asian like me, you know that the redness doesnt just stop at the face, it goes all the way to the chest and before you know it you’re a lobster in a wedding dress. Yea..not a cute look.

- Lip scrubs, under eye patches, hydrating sheet masks, candles and bath salt soaks for the day of.
Create a mini travel pouch of these goodies and create a relaxing haven at your getting ready location.
We love popping a hydrating sheet mask in the fridge the day before getting ready for some added relief and calming boost. 

-Schedule your Botox and lip filler visit at least 3 weeks prior to the big day. I wish I had taken this advice for my own big day but the only thought in my mind was “nah, chance em”.
Do not just chance it. I repeat, don’t chance it! 
My lips remained swollen, bruised and cracked for at least 2 weeks. Was I freaking out? You bet! Ice packs, LED light therapy and the whole shebang was being pulled out of my esthy toolbox in hopes of bringing the inflammation down. I literally had to tell the makeup artist to make my lips appear smaller. Who knew contouring lips is a thing!
Learn from my mistake and don’t chance anything new that you haven’t done before-
Lip fillers, eyelash extensions, body contouring, etc.
Prepare ahead and give yourself extra wiggle room just in case it doesn’t come out as planned.

-Always schedule a trial run with your makeup artist.
There are certain products that may interfere with makeup so always check with your makeup artist and invest in a trial run so that you can look your best without compromising your skin.
As an example a zinc based sunscreen (mineral sunscreen) aka reef safe sunscreen, aka the only sunscreen Hawaii is allowed to carry, can show a white cast in photos on your face.
Are you going to to skip using sunscreen that day? We hope not! This and other tips for your best makeup application is discussed at your makeup trail run. Don’t skip it!


Phew, You made it this far! Congrats! Now go and start checking off your bridal checklist. I’ll be waiting for my call..
Thanks for reading, putting up with my run on sentences, poor grammar and spelling.

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