BRIDES: Here are some tips for a successful day of beauty....

If you are a soon to be bride you'll want to read this.

With wedding season upon us I thought I might compose a list of tips for the bride-to-be and her attendees in order to encourage a successful day of wedding prep, or beauty! First of all CONGRATULATIONS! As you may already know, hair and makeup are essential to achieving your desired wedding day look. As a makeup artist and hairstylist, it is my job to listen to your needs, but also advise you, in order to best convey the look you want to achieve on your special day.
 
Here are some ways to help the wedding hair and makeup prep go smoothly to ensure everyone is happy, while looking and feeling their best on the day of!

1. If you plan to change your beauty routine make sure you start a month before your wedding day to allow your skin to adjust. Having facials done a week prior can sometimes cause unexpected reactions or breakouts that can still be present a week later. 

2. Wax about 3 days before the day. Give your skin a few days in case of reaction or redness.

3. Start an exfoliation routine, if you don't have one already. It is so important to remove excess build up and dead skin cells by exfoliating 1-2 times a week. This will create an ideal base for your makeup. A great, easy exfoliant is the Aloe Glyc by Lexli. Applied at night like a moisturizer, this aloe based exfoliater has a pH level near a chemical peel and sloughs off dead skin cells upon washing your face the next morning. (you can order a 2 week trial kit, that includes a cleanser, by Lexli [$25] by emailing me at hmubydesire@yahoo.com) The same goes for your lips! After all, you want them soft and kissable. Mary Kay has a great lip exfoliation and treatment kit, or if you're like me and would like to take a more natural approach you can try this tip from Makeup Artist, Ashley Karlson, "mix sugar with olive oil or coconut oil to create a sugar scrub for exfoliating and moisturizing your lips." This is especially important if you are prone to chapped dry lips.

4. Its a good idea to have your hair colored up to a week prior to your special day. Make sure, that even if you're trying to grow your hair out, that you are still keeping up with regular trims ad conditioning treatments. This way your ends are free of split ends and look smooth. 

5. Arrive to your wedding prep with clean, manageable dry hair. Washing your hair the night before is best. There are certain hair textures that can get away with day 2 or 3 of not washing but ,please, if you have an oily scalp or use a lot of product wash and dry your hair the night before. Try to avoid using heavy leave-in products and oils. If you have curly hair, blow dry your hair or have a professional blow it out the day before instead of flat ironing. This will smooth out the curl without sacrificing body and movement needed for the formal styling. Hair that has been flat ironed, is weighed down by oils, or over worked may become resistant to holding a curl or style.

6. We like photos as references..however be practical in what you're choosing. If the person in the photo of the hair style you chose has long thick hair and yours is fine and shoulder length, keep in mind that the hair will not look the same. Instead try to draw inspiration or take certain things that you like from the photos in order for us to create a look suitable and unique to you!
***if you are looking for more length or fullness invest in clip-in extensions. They are great for brides because they can be installed the day of and taken out that night. Talk to your stylist for more info. 

7. Wear a button down or zip-up top for your trial. Wearing a button down shirt, a robe, or zip-up sweatshirt is ideal in order to keep hair and makeup intact when changing clothes.


8. False lashes play such a huge role in helping to open up your eyes and and making them pop in pictures. They also can be scary to someone who's never worn them. If you don't like the drama or feel of a full strip they can be cut shorter and customized. The other option is to have your makeup artist use individuals. I prefer individuals or clusters because they are less obvious and can be customized to each persons liking and desired look. Whether its filling in sparse areas or just to add a flared look at the ends.


9. HYDRATION. Drink water. Keep hydrated. It is so important to your skin and body.


10. If you or anyone else having services done have ANY known allergies, please, inform your makeup artist and/or hairstylist well before your trial and day of.


***Most importantly, relax. Breathe. Enjoy your day and try not to stress about little things. It goes by so fast so its important to take in the day with positivity.


This is based on personal experience as a bride, hair stylist and makeup artist. My opinions and experiences may differ from others. There are no rules written in stone. These are friendly helpful suggestions. Feel free to add any other tips in the comments. 


Thank you for reading and happy wedding planning to all! Xo
-Desire' Regg