A guide to skin-care prep for the Bride to-be

Hello fellow bloggers, fans and brides to-be,

I often get private emails from bride’s to-be asking questions and seeking advice. One of our fans ‘Rupal Kamat’, is getting married soon and wanted routine advice for preparing her skin ready for her big day.

We shot her question out to Ranjit Mudher, a professional make up/hair and henna artist and founder of a ‘Touch of Pinks’. Ranjit is also a member of our Bride Club ME expert panel.

Here, Ranjit guides Rupal and other brides to-be on a 12 week skin care routine plan: Enjoy!

‘Touch of Pinks’ guide to skin-care prep for the Bride to-be 

 How to achieve great-looking skin for the big day.

As a makeup artist, one of the most popular questions from my brides has to be how to achieve great-looking skin for the big day.  As many of you brides know it is very stressful organizing your big day; we spend months on end perfecting every detail from venues to flowers; taking great care to ensure it is just perfect. However the stress and sleepless nights and not to mention the lack of self-care all builds up and unfortunately as much as we feel it on the inside – us brides also show it on the outside with some of the following un-usual skin symptoms:  irritations, blotches, dark circles and breakouts.

I’ve put together a 12-week skin care plan which is really simple to follow and has proven to be very effective; it’s a mandatory part of my client consultations and I must say the response from my brides has always been very positive. So read on and start following to ensure crystal clear skin for your big day!

• Cleanse/Tone/Moisturise

We’ve read it in almost every magazine and some of follow this routine religiously – however most of us don’t! As much as it may seem time-consuming it is very important to cleanse tone and moisturize your skin twice a day. As we know our skin is an organ – one on the outside which is prone to dirt and dust all the time. Just as we drink water to flush our bodies on the inside its important to keep our skin clean – especially the face as this is exposed.

Chose a really light skin-care brand to start with (Clinique, Simple, Nivea) and start the routine at least 12-weeks before the wedding. You will notice the difference to your skin within days.

•  The secret ingredient – Rose Water

Instead of using a toner I use rose water as my toner and I have to say it’s the best beauty secret I have ever discovered. Rose water cools and calms the skin and feels great on the face – it makes an excellent replacement to a toner. try it – u may get addicted as I did!

• Facials

Not only do these wonderful therapies help us to relax, unwind and feel good – they also give our skin the thorough cleanse and boost it needs to re-hydrate and renew as nature requires. Monthly facials are a must-do for every woman no matter how good or bad your skin is. If you have course, dry or sensitive skin chose a light facial which will firstly repair and then restore your skin to its natural beauty. And if you are amongst the lucky ladies who already possess good healthy facial skin, then incorporate a medium facial to a monthly beauty regime to continue your relationship with your fabulous skin.

• H2o – OH so important

Water is a vital part of any person’s diet. It helps to keep our bodies hydrated and flushes out any impurities within us. When our bodies contain impurities on the inside we see the tell-tale signs on our face (breakouts, blemishes, redness); this can be due to a bad diet, too much caffeine or alcohol in the system, lack of sleep etc.

Start a routine to drink at least 3/5 glasses of water per day and build this up; i.e.: introduce another glass per week until you are drinking at least 8 glasses. I always recommend clients to keep a 1.5 litre bottle of water with them at all times and just keep sipping throughout the day. It’s a really effective method and becomes a habit within weeks. Definitely a must for all brides.

• Healthy Diet

‘What you put into your body is what you will get out’ – how many times have we heard or read this quote? Many times! And it’s true! Your food intake determines the way your body looks and feels on the outside. Medics recommend healthy diets as a general rule for goodness and well-being; and this is just as true for the bride-to-be.  A good nutritious healthy balanced diet not only ensures you have your perfect figure for your perfect dress – it also helps your skin looking healthy.

Too much oil food or alcohol will show redness, blotches and breakouts on your face so avoid these kinds of foods and stick to the recommended amounts of fresh food and meats as much as you can.

• Sleep – lots of it

As busy as we may get – it is vitally important to get plenty of rest and sleep throughout the week. It is recommended to have at least 8/9 hours of sleep per night but most of us average 5 hours. This is ok but for you my dear bride it is not enough.

In order to function well and get through the last planning phases of your wedding you need to get the recommended sleep per night so aim for minimum 6 hours per night and then build up to 8/9 hours. This will give you the energy you need and also helps massively to achieve great looking skin. Good sleep is the answer to puffy eyes and dark circles.

Another good tip is to start winding down at least an hour before you get to bed. I recommend my brides to give themselves an hour to chill, take a bath/shower, read, meditate or do anything which helps ease their thought trains and slow down mentally and physically before they get into bed. This helps you sleep quicker and not lie in bed still mentally ‘working’.

I hope the above has helped and answered your question; do start following the tips as soon as you can and start enjoying the results.

Best wishes for your big day –

Pinks Mudher – Touch of Pinks & Bride Club ME expert.