bride-to-be beauty timeline

With wedding season gearing up fast and furiously in addition to being surrounded by engaged people (including BOTH of my sisters), I have been asked quite a few times recently for skincare advice for bride-to-be’s! Even if you’re not engaged, it’s beneficial to have a timeline in mind when considering switching up your skincare routine or preparing for another event.

photo courtesy of my sister, Emily!

Pre-Wedding Beauty Timeline

8 months before

This is the time to address any skin concerns you may have, such as acne, hyperpigmentation, fine lines & wrinkles, large pores, etc. There are SO many resources online to help you identify your skin type and suggest a skincare routine! If necessary, visit a dermatologist to get more insight as to which products could benefit you.

A great start is: Cleansing your skin twice a day, using a serum or treatment targeted toward your area of concern once a day, and using at least one kind of moisturizer (morning and night).

*hint: retinol is GREAT at improving both acne and fine lines, and you can find it in many drugstore products! Just look for retinol on the label. An added perk is it makes your skin glow, however, you have to be extra careful in the sun and liberal with your usage of SPF if you decide to use retinol because it increases your skin’s sensitivity to the sun.

6 months before 

If you would like to improve your exercise and eating habits, start now! Exercise helps your skin glow and reduces stress, which helps with acne and fine lines. Eating good “skin” foods (usually high in good fats as well as lots of veggies and cutting back on sugar) will make your skin look radiant.

5 months before

Nail down the hair and makeup look you’re going for on your big day and hire someone to do your hair and/or makeup if you haven’t already. Pinterest away for inspiration!

3 months before

You should have started to see results from your new skincare and exercise/eating routine! This is a good time to start targeted treatments such as once weekly masks, wrinkle treatments, peels, and acne treatments. One of my go-to’s is anything with glycolic acid; I love a good peel. Now there are plenty of gentle, affordable products containing glycolic/alpha hydroxy acid available! One of my favorites is First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads.

1-2 months before

Do a hair and makeup trial run so you know exactly what you’ll look like on your wedding day! This is also a good time to test different self-tanners, nail polishes, etc.

2 weeks before

Refresh your hair cut and color! If you don’t do color, a clear glaze will make your hair shine without altering your current color. Start exfoliating a few times a week to maximize the “glow” you have been working on.

Try to avoid limit alcohol, sugar, and salt-rich foods at this point to avoid the negative consequences they reap on your skin (I know it’s hard!).

3 days before

Get a manicure and pedicure, a spray tan, wax, stay out of the sun, shape your brows, and get lots of beauty sleep.

If you don’t feel a need to change your current skincare routine, or don’t have much time before your wedding, hop in the timeline wherever you want! These are just my personal suggestions starting from ground zero.

Happy wedding season!

adult acne

If you thought you would retire from acne around the same time you retired from being a teenager but are still dealing with it, join the club. It can be frustrating to deal with acne when you feel like you've finally grown up in most areas of your life but your skin is lagging behind. I had multiple people ask for this post so if you're struggling with this issue, you're definitely not alone! 

As someone who has struggled with acne on and off for years, I have tried countless acne remedies and treatments. I feel like I've finally found what works for me, but that's the catch: everyone's skin is different so everyone's solution is different. 

Personally, my best acne skincare routine is all about prevention instead of treatment. My acne tends to be more hormonal - a few under-the-skin cysts versus many little pimples. This means that drying acne treatments (i.e. products containing salycilic acid) don't do much for me and I'm better off keeping my skin clean and calm.

I didn't start this routine all at once, but gradually increased use of products so my skin didn't freak out and even now I only use my acne products sparingly. 

Every day I:

• Wash my face using an acne cleanser once a day at night. I just rinse my face with water in the mornings instead of using cleanser because I find my skin becomes dry if I wash too often.
• Moisturize with a gel-based moisturizer (any light moisturizer will do). A common mistake people with acne-prone skin make is not moisturizing because their skin is oily and they think moisturizer will make it worse, when actually, your skin will produce even more oil if it isn't moisturized because it's trying to make up for a lack of hydration. Don't believe me? Try using a moisturizing serum before joining the moisturizer club.
• Avoid touching my face or picking at possible zits. This never turns out well (it will most likely leave the area inflammed or even scarred). Just don't do it!

Two-three times a week I:

• Use a tea-tree toner post-cleansing and pre-moisturizing. Tea tree is a natural acne-fighting ingredient and makes your skin feel ah-mazing.
• Use a glycoloic-acid based treatment Glycolic acid speeds up your skin's cell turnover rate, decreasing the chance your pores will get clogged with oil and produce pimples. Exfoliating can be tricky with acne because sometimes the harshness can make a pimple problem worse instead of better, but glycolic acid gently and effectively exfoliates. 
• Go to sleep with a thin layer of retinol on my face. You can find tons of drugstore products containing retinol these days because its an ingredient found in a lot of anti-aging products. Retinol will definitely make your face worse instead of better initially, so if you're thinking about stealing your mom's wrinkle cream and giving it a try I recommend sticking to it for at least six weeks to see results. (Tip: also apply moisturizer or facial oil over it if your skin becomes dry)

As needed I:

• Use a spot treatment. If a zit pops up out of nowhere I'll dab a tiny bit of blemish-clearing gel on it. Look for spot treatments containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.
• Take a prescription pill. I'm in the process of weaning myself off this right now, but it helped me tremendously when I was suffering from moderate acne.

A big part of preventing acne is lifestyle. I believe that drinking a ton of water and exercising regularly helps my skin more than anything else; just make sure you wash your face or use a face cleansing wipes post-workout so the sweat doesn't clog your pores. Also, I know that my cystic acne tends to flare up after consuming a lot of dairy due to the hormones in cow's milk, so I try to limit it as much as possible (except for cheese, duh). Not sure if cutting down on dairy could help you? Try eliminating it from your diet for a couple weeks and see if your skin improves at all.

Keep in mind that it is possible to overdo it. If you get a bad breakout, do not panic and slather every acne product you own on your face because you may do more harm than good. Be gentle with your skin and have patience! In the meantime you can try switching up your foundation/concealer to a higher coverage.

If you still feel like your acne is making you self-conscious I really recommend considering a dermatologist. I found a great skincare routine incorporating a prescription cream, pill and birth control when I was really struggling with my skin a couple years ago.

And the friend you have who never washes her face or even owns concealer? No, it's not fair, but move on! Stressing and being upset about your skin definitely doesn't help the issue.

I hope my skincare routine gave you some inspiration! What do you do to prevent or deal with breakouts?