From picking a date and a dress, to compromising over the guest list and the menu, planning a wedding can be overwhelming–and all of that stress can take a serious toll on your skin. While we at Onda Beauty cannot solve all your nuptial dilemmas, we can help you avoid any serious beauty blunders and ensure you have your best skin ever on the big day.
With the pressure to look picture perfect, many of us make the mistake of launching into an aggressive, new skincare regimen in advance of an event, but this can lead to more problems than positive results. “While you may feel like doing everything at once, we advise you to take it easy and not overdo things when it comes to skincare,” says Viktoria Kroshyna, Onda Beauty’s Spa Director and Lead Esthetician. “Taking into consideration that stress can already add to skin changes, adding more active products to your skincare routine can cause your skin to freak out.”
And because great skin doesn’t happen overnight, if you do want to address any skin issues, you’ll want to start working on your skincare regimen well in advance of your wedding. Skincare (and self-care) is therefore another necessary addition to your wedding checklist, but with the help of our experts, we’ve created a bridal beauty countdown that takes out all the guesswork. Read on for our guide of what to do—and when to do it—to ensure glowing skin for the big day.
Six Months Out
Create a Plan With Your Dermatologist or Esthetician
“If you are unhappy with your regimen, change it at least six months before the day to deliver results,” says Dr. Macrene Alexiades, who recommends her multi-tasking Macrene Actives High Performance Cleansing Treatment and High Performance Face Serum, which work together to rebalance the microbiome; decrease the appearance of blemishes, redness, and sun damage; and firm, tone, and smooth skin texture.
At this stage you should also plan any injections with your dermatologist with a deadline of four weeks before the wedding for any final in-office touch ups. “I plan cosmetic dermatologic procedures extremely carefully and well in advance,” says Dr. Alexiades. “Injections are done way ahead and follow ups are scheduled at the ideal time prior to the wedding day. Lasers are performed according to the seasons and far enough in advance to clear up discolorations, reduce wrinkles, and tighten skin so that the results are at their maximum on the big day.”
“We recommend doing a chemical peel or a laser not more than twice a year, so six months before the wedding day you can benefit from a mild in-office peel or a mild laser treatment. This way your skin has time to recover and you have six more months to boost the results with your everyday skincare protocol,” says Kroshyna. “If you can start getting facial treatments every month before the wedding day, your skin will have time to transform. But embrace your natural beauty and remember that healthy skin looks the best.”
Take a Holistic Approach
“Beautiful skin comes from within,” says Kroshyna. ”So if your skin concerns include breakouts or dermatitis, you should pay attention to what foods are causing the flare-ups, for example. Consuming less sugar, gluten, dairy, and spicy foods may be a gamechanger to improve your skin. Taking pre/probiotic supplements will be beneficial for your health and appearance, as our skin is strongly connected to our gut.”
Stress hormones such as cortisol can also trigger breakouts, dull skin, accelerate aging, and exasperate skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. “Don’t forget to make time for yourself to engage in stress reducing activities like exercise or meditation,” says Dr. Alexiades. “Try listening to soothing music before bed, take a long bath, and breathe long, deep breaths to calm your nervous system.” Of course, whatever you do, do not pick at any pimples. “Picking, squeezing, or scratching a spot on your face will cause scarring,” she says. “If you have a dermatology grade prescription, apply that to your blemish before bedtime and if you are struggling with a painful, cystic spot, visit your dermatologist and to get a cortisone shot in the affected area. This will help considerably more than any topical treatment.”
Three Months Out
Limit Sun Exposure
Both Kroshyna and Dr. Alexiades advocate for avoiding too much sun exposure as, while the idea of a tan may be appealing, it increases the chance of breakouts and hyperpigmentation. “Sun burns can also cause brown spots rather quickly, so avoid sun exposure the months leading up to the wedding,” says Dr. Alexiades. “Remember to wear sunscreen every single day, to ensure you stay sun safe.
Start a Series of Regular Facials
“If you haven’t been getting regular facials in the past, we recommend that you start at least three months before the wedding; this way, you can fit in three effective treatments in that time frame,” says Kroshnya, who recommends a combination of microcurrent for lifting and smoothing; lymphatic drainage for decreasing puffiness and getting your skin into habit of improved metabolism; and brightening and soothing treatments for evening out skin tone and healing post-blemish dark spots.
Commit To A Regular Skincare Routine
If you’ve been experimenting with your skincare routine, three months is the deadline to commit to a regular regimen. “Consistency is key,” says Dr. Alexiades. “Continue a regimen that is working for you and do not switch up your routine right before the wedding.”
Hydrated skin is healthy skin, so by making sure you are taking a multi-pronged approach and properly layering your humectants, like Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid, and occlusives like Squalane and Argan Oil. Not only does adequate hydration improve skin health and boost barrier function leading to improved skin tone and texture but, says Kroshyna, “The more nourishment and hydration your skin accumulates, the better it’s going to look with makeup on.”
Next up, incorporate regular exfoliation into your routine. By sloughing off old skin cells from the topmost layer of the skin, exfoliation triggers stem cells in the basal layer to begin making new skin cells and stimulates collagen production, which leads to healthier, fresher, brighter looking skin. Normal skin needs to be exfoliated only one to two times a week to improve and expedite skin cell turnover.
Finally, implement masking into your regimen. Aside from acting as an indulgent treatment, the right mask can also tackle key skin concerns and conditions. “Now is the time to start focusing on hydration and brightening and evening out skin tone,” says Kroshnya.
One Month Out
Schedule Any Final In-Office Procedures
At this point, says Dr. Alexiades, any last in-office touch ups or light rejuvenation treatment should be done, that way the treatment will be timed perfectly to deliver optimum results and also allow for healing in the event that any swelling or bruising occurs.
One Week Out
Book Your Final Facial
“For the final glow it’s best to have a facial a minimum of three days before the big day. This way the results of plump refreshed skin are the most prominent and fine lines are smoothed away,” says Kroshyna. “The Onda Signature Facial, which features hydrating, plumping oxygen and LED light treatment is our most popular before events.” For the month of June, we’re very excited to be partnering with Dr. Alexiades for the Macrene Actives x Onda Signature Facial: Kroshyna’s expert facial protocol will be executed with products from Macrene Actives only for a collaboration that will leave you with the most ethereally glowing skin.
One Day Out
Focus on Hydration
“The day-before-your-wedding-skincare should focus on delivering layers of hydration and soothing ingredients to your complexion,” says Dr. Alexiades. “The ideal base for wedding makeup is calm, moisturized, and firm skin; that way, the makeup artist can focus more on enhancing your natural glow rather than concealing or correcting.”
“Your evening skincare routine the night before is the most important,” says Kroshyna. “Switch to an oil-based cleanser to avoid drying out the skin. Next, apply a treatment serum to brighten and hydrate or a nourishing mask. I highly recommend an eye treatment so you wake up looking rested and a night cream for restored, smooth skin in the morning.”
The Big Day
Multi Mask
“The morning of the wedding I recommend using a sheet mask and eye treatment patches for instantly refreshed and smooth skin,” says Kroshyna. “The Venn Skincare Collagen Intensive Phyto-Retinol Renewal Mask makes your skin look porcelain perfect. I used the Kat Burki KB5 Eye Recovery Mask the morning of my own wedding for an instantly refreshed eye area.” If despite all your best efforts, a pimple does pop up, Kroshnya recommends the Marie Veronique Intensive Repair Serum as an emergency spot treatment. “Besides being anti-inflammatory, it will shrink the pimple significantly so it won’t be noticeable under makeup,” she says.