It’s the week before your wedding. You’ve been so busy for so long with wedding planning, making sure everything is planned to perfection and now you have nothing left to do.
Everyone is telling you this is the time to relax, but you still have the feeling that you should be doing something else, and the easiest thing to get flustered about at this time is your wedding hair and makeup preparation.
You’re not alone – every bride spends the last week before her wedding panicking about this, that and the other… And especially worrying that maybe her looks aren’t quite as perfect as they should be. Lots then go on to do some last-minute experimenting – often with disastrous results.
No one really talks about what you should avoid leading up to the wedding day, and maybe that’s why so many brides get caught out by taking great risks.
“Once it’s gone wrong, it’s not only a challenge to get it right again, but can also be really time-consuming”, says Izabella of Izabella Bordignon London.
And time’s not on your side.
So, with that in mind, here are some of Izabella’s things not to do in the run-up to your Big Day!
1. Don’t change your skin treatment
Skin care is important, but also difficult, and when we’ve tried multiple beauty treatments and still not achievedthe desired results, we go on looking for more things to try – often experimenting with what’s trending. This can be a big mistake.
When you’ve got time to spare, a skin peel can be a great way to get super-smooth skin and rid yourself of roughtexture and dead skin, But it’s definitely not a good idea in the last weeks before your wedding.
“Microdermabrasion and skin peels can sometimes create irritation or lead to repeated peeling, especially if you’re nervous”, says Izabella.
Plan on peels, Botox and any other skin treatments at least a fortnight before the Big Day to allow the skin to settle and be ready for your makeover.
This applies to spray tan and tanning booths as well – be sure to plan these things well in advance to ensure you don’t have an uneven colour, and that your makeup artist can adapt their art to your tan.
Don’t be fearful of any blemishes popping up! Even the most healthy skin can encounter issues but any stubborn ones can easily be covered on the day. Your bridal makeup artist will likely have already given you a skincare routine to ensure you have glowing skin on your wedding day so trust them and stick to the plan.
2. Be careful what you drink – and eat
And no, we’re not just talking alcohol here. Sure, you may need to cut back there – alcohol not only has tons of calories, it dilutes your blood vessels which changes your skin colour, and can also affect your digestive system.
But beware of health drinks too! So-called juice cleanses don’t nourish you but can make you edgy, whilst fruit juice is packed with sugars. So, drink lots of water instead.
And as for those panic last-minute diets? Forget them!
“I recommend that every bride keep themselves healthy and nourished, with balanced meals with lots of veg and few carbs”, says Izabella. “That’s the way to eat healthily and stay happy”.
One of the most important parts of your bridal hair and makeup preparation is your beauty routine’ It’s not only what you put on your body, but also – if not more importantly – it’s what you put into your body that counts.
So, give your body the rest and nutrition it requires and resist the urge to make any sudden changes.
3. Don’t change your makeup
Once you’ve had your wedding makeup trial with your professional makeup artist, and agreed on your best look, don’t change it!
“You have to trust your wedding makeup artist”, says Izabella. “The wedding hair and makeup trial, while the bride is still calm and collected, is critical to get the best possible look– and once it’s decided on, it’s important to stick to it”.
Even if you don’t suffer from sensitive skin, the bridal skin prep provided by your makeup artist will have been customised to your specific requirements, so the added risk of off-the-books adjustments is just not necessary – apart from the addition of a waterproof mascara for those highly emotional moments, if not already accounted for.
Remember that the makeup needs to look good not only face-to-face but on hi-res cameras and phones, both by day and night. You will be captured in a variety of natural and artificial lighting and ultimately, you want wedding photos that you’re always going to love.
As long as you follow your skin care, and trust in your wedding makeup artist and hairstylist, you can rest easy, knowing that everything will go perfectly on your wedding morning.
4. Don’t do anything hair raising!
It’s not just wedding makeup – once you’ve agreed on your hairstyle in the wedding trial, don’t change your mind. Cutting your hair shorter weeks in advance carries risks – if you don’t like it, it might grow back, but the texture of your hair will change and may make it difficult to style.
Keep in mind that the style you decided on in the wedding hair trial will be matched to your dress, neckline and jewellery – bridal hair is a very precise art, and with so much work going into making you look like a masterpiece, you don’t want any hasty decisions messing things up. Remember – the fact that a style works with a particular outfit doesn’t mean it will work with everything!
“Don’t even think about changing your hair colour, either,” says Izabella.
A fresh hair colour may seem tempting, but there are just too many risks, and the last thing you need is an unwanted hair disaster. Even when working with a professional hair stylist you risk ending up with a result that you don’t like, and your wedding hair stylist’s aim is to give you a result that is nothing less than stunning.
Also, the makeup that you’ve agreed on in your wedding trial may have to change if the colour doesn’t complement your skin tone in the same way as it did when your style was practised during your trial.
“If you think it’s looking faded, though, it’s probably fine to get some clear gloss applied – but check with your hairstylist first”.
5. Don’t try anything new at the gym
Keep to the same routine – otherwise, you may pull a muscle or sprain something, and that could take weeks to heal. If you need more exercise, even if you’re not a gym enthusiast, take a friend – or the dog – and go for walks or jogs in the park.
Apart from the benefits of exercise, the fresh air will do you good but don’t let yourself get carried away lest the bridal party have to carry you down the aisle!
6. Now is not the time to be a Party Animal – or binge watch that new series
Make sure you have enough sleep!
Many people will want to celebrate with you and may invite you out ahead of the big day to toast your union. While that is a very beautiful thing, try not to slip into accepting every invitation.
With all of the wedding planning out of the way, socialising may seem like a great way to let your hair down, but don’t forget – you need to stay happy, calm and fresh.
Missing out on sleep, or even just changing your normal night patterns, can not only stress you out but ruin your complexion – at the very least giving you dark circles around your eyes. Plus, you want to ensure that your social battery is all charged up to celebrate on the day that counts!
So, arrange your wedding hair and makeup trial a couple of months in advance with Izabella and her team at Izabella Bordignon London, get glam, avoid the risks, and stay calm, happy and prepared for the Big Day ahead!
