BRIDAL PREP

January 15, 2017

So you said yes right? You're getting married, yes? You're about to go down the rabbit hole of wedding planning yes? I'm engaged too and planning a wedding so I know how much attention that can take but it's important not to forget yourself in this process. You know how your wedding books tell you that you need to have your dress picked by... so you can have it altered by... You need to have your venue booked by... and all that jazz. I'm not a wedding planner so I can't guide you on that but I am all about beauty so here's a timeline you should follow for your bridal beauty preparation:

BROWS - 6 months out start growing them out! Find a great brow girl (if you have a Nordstrom near by see the Anastasia Brow Studio for your initial guidelines). Then make sure you get your final wedding clean up 2-3 days before the wedding.

FACIALS - 3 months out at the very least. Take really great care of your skin during this time and if you plan on changing products or your routine, you don't want to do that too close to the wedding in case you react negatively to the new ingredients. Plan to get you last facial a week to ten days before then use a gentle exfoliator (like a pumpkin enzyme or AHA) frequently to keep up the facialist's results.

HAIR - Most brides I meet started growing their hair out the day they got engaged but that isn't always necessary. CUT: If you regularly get your hair trimmed then you stop for months and months, the likelihood of your hair being crappy and damaged looking by your big day is really great. If you're planning on an updo then yes, settle down with getting a lot of layers cut since those tend to make some braids and updos a little challenging. COLOR: I love my dark hair but I will say that highlights do make your hair look fuller and bridal styles have more dimension so even if you only want to commit to baby lights that's enough. Your color should be touched up within 3 weeks of the wedding so it can settle in. EXTENSIONS: If you want to wear your hair down work on keeping it healthy all the way to the tips and don't panic, chances are you will want length and thickness added so you can always pop in extensions (I make them by the way - look in the more. section). If you have a great stylist, take them with you to your hair color appointment to make sure they match or can be colored to match your hair.

MAKEUP - Whether you are hiring a professional makeup artist or not, I suggest you investing in a great foundation that not only matches you flawlessly but also you know that it photographs beautifully (meaning, test it out in different lights and with different cameras ahead of time). Your makeup artist might keep limited shades and formulas and if you are like me, I break out over any change so I'd rather know that what is being used is guaranteed to not bother me.

So darling... add these to your massive TO DO List in your wedding binder and make sure you don't neglect YOU during this hectic time!

xoxo