As a beauty industry professional, I work with many brides and who for pre-wedding beauty tips all the time. I’ll publish a couple of them here, and feel free to comment on my post with individual questions if you’ve got them – I’d be more than happy to consult with anyone about their skin!

1. Be conservative!

Above all, I encourage brides to be conservative with regards to time and strength of treatment. Two weeks before the wedding is not the time to freak out and try your very first glycolic peel. Six to twelve months before your wedding, I would suggest consulting with an esthetician (or dermatologist) and sharing with them your concerns about your skin and your goals for the big day. Be sure to share any allergies, sensitivities, or issues you’ve had with any particular products or ingredients in the past.  They will work with you to develop a plan over the next couple of months to get your skin to where you want it to be.

2. A short list of DO NOT’s

DO NOT pick your face

DO NOT apply self-tanner, at home, by hand

DO NOT go indoor tanning or sit outside for a couple of hours to “get some color”

DO NOT get your hair cut less than a month before the wedding

DO NOT get a quick brow wax at the corner nail shop

DO NOT make any last-minute, untried changes to your appearance of any kind! You want to look like a shiny, polished version of yourself on your wedding day – not someone else.

3. If you get a blemish…

Pimples are mostly visible because they are red, inflamed, and swollen. If not for the redness, we probably wouldn’t even notice it – it would just be a bump. And how can you make a pimple into just an almost-invisible bump? Ice. Cold will take down the swelling and the redness and render that little monster almost invisible. Overnight, spot treat with benzoyl peroxide (apply very precisely, with a q-tip to avoid irritation in the area surrounding the blemish) and a clay-based mask. Above all, do not pick. Please, please, do not pick. I promise it will look worse. Go see your esthetician and she/he will extract it for you if need be!

4. Body beauty

Exfoliating the skin on your body is very important, both for healthy, blemish-free skin and in preparation for a spray tan (if you’re planning to go golden brown on your wedding day.) I’m a big fan of exfoliating towelettes, rather than the “shower poof version, which can harbor tons of bacteria.

If you tend to get acne on your back and chest and are wearing an open-backed dress, try an acne wash with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Both of these ingredients are very effective on acne, but can cause additional sun sensitivity so be careful!

5. Be yourself!

Every bride is beautiful because she is happy. You don’t really need to do anything to your skin, hair or body to achieve that. But if you want to prep and pamper, have fun with it! And be smart.