Skin Series #2: Getting that 'Bridal Glow'
Before I jump into what I personally did and have been doing to skin prep for my wedding day, I need to say something very important. No bride needs to do any of this to be considered a glowing bride. No bride needs to do any of this to get married. It is very true, a wedding is just one day, and it consists of two people committing their love and lives to each other. My fiancé, Andrew, would marry me wearing a paper bag, truly. While he respects my love for beauty products and makeup, he will openly admit he loves me equally without all the glam.
My decision to take care of my skin and get treatments is part of a bigger picture for me. I spent so many years not taking care of my skin. I would sleep with makeup on, go to tanning beds religiously *cringe*, and overall make uniformed choices that impacted my skin's health. So, while these treatments are geared towards one day of my life, I have honestly found the wedding date to be the catalyst into making a change and sticking to a consistent routine.
The goal of all my posts is to share my honest experience and opinions in hopes that even just one reader can relate. Before making decisions to try anything I like to research the opinions of others. Does it mean I will make the same choice? Absolutely not. But it does help me understand products and treatments better from someone who has experienced them first-hand? 100% yes.
So, in today’s post I’m going to dive into everything, and I mean everything, I have been doing to get that bridal glow.
1. Pick Your Products
Want to know something that bothers me. When someone tells me that I don’t need all these products because I have ‘great skin’. Let me clarify, I have great skin because I take care of it with these products.
Effortless skin takes work, which is why I began establishing my skincare routine 8 months out from my wedding date. I knew to see improvements I would need to give my skin two things: quality products and time.
Change doesn’t just happen overnight. It occurs over time when you train your skin. Things like washing your makeup off at night, wearing sunscreen every.single.day, and moisturizing your skin are what will make the biggest impact – both short and long term.
Because skin is so personal, I don’t believe that there is one specific brand or product that works for everyone. I think that selecting the right skincare can be very difficult, but here’s a few things I highly recommend:
1. Read reviews: it costs you nothing to read what other people have to say about a product. Opinions should always be taken with a grain of salt, but I think the beauty community is not shy about being honest. I have found that if the majority is unhappy it’s probably not worth your time.
2. Ask the beauty consultants for help: how many times have you walked into Sephora or Ulta and feel a little overwhelmed by the greeters? I used to be bothered by the questions, but now I embrace them. I let them know exactly why I’m visiting because they have the hook up! I thought I knew what toner I wanted and then they showed me an even better one. They may feel pushy at times, but the beauty advisors can truly help you make the best investment when shopping.
3. Visit a dermatologist: Truthfully I thought that because I didn’t experience acne that I didn’t need a dermatologist – WRONG. OneSkin Dermatology has completely transformed my skin and improved my confidence in the process...and a majority of this post dives into these appointments.
2. Reducing Redness
I could do a whole post on this topic. I have suffered from rosacea on my cheeks and sides of my face for as long as I can remember. It has always been an insecurity of mine and the #1 reason I wear foundation daily.
Rosacea is hard because it can flare up at any time for a multitude of reasons for me. It could be stress, applying products, showering, working out, or even just touch. Truthfully I always thought it was something that I would just have to live with and continue caking makeup over, but I was wrong. As I shared above, I never thought I needed a dermatologist, but finally visiting one taught me that there are treatments for this issue.
To help calm my redness and give my skin an overall glow I have done several Laser Genesis treatments at OneSkin Dermatology. This 'laser facial' consists of intense pulses of light energy that raise the temperature of the skin cells to start the natural healing process and increase the production of collagen. This quick 25 minute proceed is 100% non-invasive and when performed in a series, provides a healthier complexion.
3. Blurring the Lines
I contemplated if I would include this section at all, but I’m just going to say it – I got Botox - Dysport to be exact. And I already know what you’re thinking, “but why?”.
Personally, I don’t understand why people are so hard on Botox. So.many.women.have.it. It has been months since my initial procedure, and I doubt any of you even noticed – which is the point.
I only told a few people before getting this procedure but trust me when I say I did my research. This was not a decision I made lightly or quickly. I read a lot, spoke with women of all ages (20s to 60s) who have experienced the procedure, and then consulted with my board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Rachel Day from OneSkin Dermatology.
So, the answer to your question about “why?” – 2020 aged me, simple as that. The stress my body experienced last year triggered the shingles virus and I feel it accelerated some other things too. I’m at the end of my 20s and while I am by no means old, my body is changing. Hair dye is no longer an option. 8 hours of sleep is required. And the makeup application I have been doing for 10 years has started to settle into my forehead lines very noticeably.
I knew I had options, so I chose to take advantage of them. It’s honestly sad that I, and so many women, feel the need to explain this choice, but what I can say is that I do not regret it one bit. The injections I received have boosted my confidence and I'm here to say that if it makes YOU feel better, that's truly all that matters.
And because I know you are curious now, here's my before and after which I am pretty damn proud of!
4. Start Sipping
Drink water and when you think you drank enough, drink some more. After sticking to my 2020 resolution, I have been religiously drinking at least 100 ounces of H2O a day.
Water is literally the fountain of youth. It nourishes our body, hydrates our skin, helps curb sugar and alcohol cravings and ultimately helps me feel amazing. When I don’t drink enough water I get terrible headaches, feel puffed and bloated, my skin feels tight, and I’m cranky.
My recommendation for those struggling, buy a BIG water bottle. I’m obsessed with my HydroJug! I fill it 1-2 times per day and constantly sip.
5. Spray Tanning & Sugaring
Girls, I tried it all. My bridesmaids have even joked that I am the beauty experience guinea pig who reports back on how my appointments go lol.
I invested in a monthly spray tanning membership at the Bronzed Bunny, my favorite place to get sprayed in Central Pennsylvania. My choice to get a membership was based on two key factors:
Brides have a LOT of events leading up to the wedding where you may want a glow. Think engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette, I even got sprayed before my makeup trial for the full effect. By having a membership I can get 1 tan per month at a lower price than paying one-off.
You should never, ever, ever try a new beauty procedure/product right before your wedding/event. You must test it out and spray tanning definitely falls into this category. The past few months I have been switching between 2 shades and found that incredibly helpful. What I found is that I love the dark shade for beach/bachelorette, but the medium shade was more ideal for my wedding day.
With the skincare, lasering, botox, hydration, and spray tanning down it left one.last.thing. - SUGARING.
Sugaring is a form of hair removal, similar to waxing. The biggest difference being that sugaring is organic, natural, and uses biodegradable ingredients. As the Bronzed Bunny states, "Sugaring paste is hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. Sugaring paste will not adhere to live skin cells, causing less trauma to the skin than other forms of hair removal and no fear of ripping layers of skin off."
So I went for it. For my first time having this type of hair removal I decided on a complete Brazilian and I can now undoubtedly say that women are the strongest around. I would personally like to thank Valery for getting me through my 40 Year Old Virgin moment lol.
I'm not going to sugarcoat it, the first is the absolute worst. But I promise you it gets better and the results speak for themselves.
So there you have it! If you are reading this and feel overwhelmed, this all didn't happen overnight. I gave myself so much to build this beauty routine and with nearly 3 weeks until my wedding I am so happy with all my results.
If you have any questions about any of the treatments I mentioned above, I would love to talk more!
xo,
Samantha