Blush Hour

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The beauty diary of a bride-to-be.

Mon, 23 January 2012 3:41PM

All this wedding speak in Hollywood of late recently got me thinking…I’ve been engaged for almost seven months, and despite the fact that we still haven’t officially locked in a venue or a date, the one thing I have got my act together on is getting my beauty prep in order.

Despite the fact that I’m a beauty editor, I pride myself on being relatively low maintenance. Well perhaps more of a DIY-er for a better word. Most of the time, I do my own manicures and pedicures and I love an at-home facial, but like most people, I have my own beauty concerns, like my problematic skin, desperately-in-need-of-thickening up brows and my teeth, which I’ve been determined to get in order before the day of days. So, here goes…

Say hello to my bridal-pin-up-girl, Lily Aldridge.

The Teeth

Straight, white teeth are my ‘thing,’ but to cut a long story short, after years of braces my teeth went haywire after having my wisdom teeth removed and I’ve been disappointed with the buggers ever since. To suss out straightening options, I visited my regular orthodontist who advised me that the only option was braces, but considering my job and my age, I wasn’t so keen on the idea so I booked an appointment to see a cosmetic dentist. The difference with seeing a cosmetic dentist is that unlike a regular orthodontist that focuses solely on straightening, a good cosmetic dentist looks at the alignment of the teeth as well as the symmetry and the shape of the smile. Fast forward fourteen weeks and I’m almost halfway through Invisalign and I’m already seeing massive improvements. Yes, it’s expensive compared to regular braces, but the convenience and subtly of the treatment makes the idea of taking on a second job so you can pay for it quicker seem like a fabulous idea.

Just whatever you do, make sure you do your homework first. I made an appointment to see three different providers and grilled them about the pros and cons of the treatment and asked to see before and after shots of recent patients just so I could see their work and suss out whether I felt comfortable and trusting of them. My vote goes to: Dr Fadi Yassmin at the Broadway Dental Clinic who takes the time to fill you in on every single element of your treatment, plus his friendly staff are enough to put the Brady Bunch to shame.

The skin

When it comes to skin, my advice for the engaged is to get cracking. Although we’re always touting the benefits of a facial before a big event, the reality is, most significant skin concerns, like acne, or pigmentation, require multiple treatments over a long period of time, so whatever you do, don’t leave it to the last minute. It’s no secret that my skin carries on like an angsty teen. One day it’s cool, calm and collected, and the next I’m dealing with breakouts and pigmentation so to try and get it on track, I headed straight to Sydney beauty therapist Jane Wales at ModBod Retreat who advised me to book in for regular peels. The word peel sounds scary but since kicking off the treatment plan a few weeks back, my skin has picked up its game massively. I’ve already started noticing less congestion, my treatment products seem to be sinking in more effectively and my skin looks and feels smoother. I also get that regular treatments can be expensive, so if a monthly facial or peel is out of the question, it’s well worth looking at investing in more active skincare products, like AHA-based cleansers that you can add to your existing routine, or use in between treatments to maintain results.

I’ve been hooked on this clever bugger, MD Formulations Personal Peel Kit, for yonks because it lets you respond to your changing skin needs by personalising your treatment to target breakouts, dullness and fine lines as you need it.

The Brows

I can still remember the day my mum took me to the beautician to get my brows waxed for the first time. I had naturally full brows – they only needed a tidy up, but thin brows were the order of the day and I’ve since spent the past five or so years trying to fatten them back up. Right now, I’m on a brow program with our much-loved pro, Lien Davies which I highly recommend, but if you’re interstate, you can’t go wrong with the Benefit Brow Bar. Keep in mind, brow re-shaping doesn’t happen over night (it usually takes around 12 months) and there are a few beyond-important things to look out for when choosing a brow expert.

The Brow Expert Checklist

Ask the expert if they’ll use tweezers. The skin around the eye are is exceptionally thin, so you want to avoid pulling at it with hot wax, plus tweezers offer greater precision and most importantly, make sure you sit upright during the appointment to keep the shape looking as natural as possible.

All things aside, this is probably the most self indulgent I’ve ever been. I used to think going for a one off facial every few months was kind of a big deal, but so far, I’m more than giddy with the results and I want to hear from you ladies…

Have I gone bridal bonkers and lost the plot?

Did you have any treatments or procedures in the lead up to your wedding?

Do you plan on booking in for treatments before your wedding?

Do you have any treatments/salons that you’d recommend? Spill!

Posted by: Eliza Ashe

Comments (17) Print Send to friend Share

Tags: bridal, brides, lien davies, md formulations, peels, skin care treatments, wedding

17 Comments

Posted by: meltest Enthusiast // Mon, 23 January 2012 04:10pm

Great tips Eliza. Busy planning a wedding myself my biggest beauty concern is my arms. I have those horrid red / purplish bump things on the outsides of the tops of my arms and I would love to get rid of them before my wedding. Any tips or ideas would be much appreciated!
Posted by: Kate DDGDaily // Mon, 23 January 2012 04:13pm

Hi Mel,
I have those too, have you ever tried MooGoo udder cream – weird name, genius product! But it’s nearly cleared mine up when nothing else has worked. And it’s super cheap!
Posted by: louweeez Devotee // Mon, 23 January 2012 04:23pm

You should do a celeb bridal gallery…
Posted by: narsismylove // Mon, 23 January 2012 05:18pm

@meltest….start exfoliating with a non-abrasive exfoliator and heaps of intense moisturiser! I used to suffer from that aswell and combining these with a little sun mine were completley gone!! good luck!
Posted by: bee bee // Mon, 23 January 2012 05:30pm

great article Eliza – good luck for all the wedding prep. I’m thinking of trying a Priori chemical peel – yet I’m scared!! I have bad congestion on my chin region. Has anyone tried the Priori salon peels? Good or bad? Any for the Melbourne girls – do you have a salon to recommend?! Thanks!!
Posted by: beautybee1 Master Fan // Mon, 23 January 2012 08:13pm

I really did nothing special in the lead up to my wedding. I had my hair done on the day but did my own makeup. Best of luck Eliza with your wedding preps.
Posted by: Tina-1291133452 Master Fan // Mon, 23 January 2012 08:58pm

i love md formulations! really recommend them! when i do plan on getting married, i will definately be getting microdermabrasions done every 2weeks, they make my skin GLOW!
Posted by: Lauren // Tue, 24 January 2012 07:09am

I haven’t done a lot except lose a few kilos that I needed to shift anyway, had my brows done by Dale Dorning, used more cosmeceutical products (Ultraceuticals, Medik8, etc.), cut out fizzy drinks and sweet things, and in the lead up to the day will have my first light spray tan (am naturally olive but to even out tan lines) and Shellac. That’s about it! There’s a lot of press out there about all the guff you have to do to be a bride, but I think it’s just all about maintenance.
Posted by: Paisley Flowers Supporter // Tue, 24 January 2012 07:10am

I haven’t done a lot except lose a few kilos that I needed to shift anyway, had my brows done by Dale Dorning, used more cosmeceutical products (Ultraceuticals, Medik8, etc.), cut out fizzy drinks and sweet things, and in the lead up to the day will have my first light spray tan (am naturally olive but to even out tan lines) and Shellac. That’s about it! There’s a lot of press out there about all the guff you have to do to be a bride, but I think it’s just all about maintenance.

PRIMPED: Can you please delete the previous comment under Lauren?
Posted by: jesskate // Tue, 24 January 2012 10:23am

Can anyone tell me if the benefit brow bars are at all benefit counters? If not, can anyone recommend a brow shaper on the Gold Coast? Thanks!
Posted by: Julieow Master Fan // Tue, 24 January 2012 11:54am

How exciting for you Eliza.

I got married in 2010 and I did it all – diy tooth whitening, weekly hair masks, weekly scrub and body lotion etc. Gymmed like a crazy lady and did Bikram yoga at least once a week (good for bridey stress levels)

The best thing I did though was 11 months out start deep cleanse and microdermabrasion facials monthly + stick to a consistent prescribed Dermalogica regime. I had my clearest skin ever on the big day!
Posted by: 5ft0 // Tue, 24 January 2012 12:14pm

I think a great idea is to write a ‘mini-diary’ on Primped on the lead up to the wedding – this includes diets, new beauty products and other things on the lead up to your wedding.
Posted by: louweeez Devotee // Tue, 24 January 2012 01:16pm

MELTEST : read Zoes blog from a few years ago…
http://www.primped.com.au/how-tos/qa-how-tos/skincare-qa-how-tos/red-bumpy-arms-getting-you-down-not-anymore
Posted by: PrettyPrincess Master Fan // Tue, 24 January 2012 04:23pm

I had regular microdermabrassions in the lead up to my wedding. still have them every few months now.
Also its a good idea to introduce new products 6 months before to allow for purging and skin to settle.
Dont want breakouts the week before!
Posted by: beautyelements Devotee // Tue, 24 January 2012 04:55pm

I had a series of glycol peels leading up to my wedding to really brighten up my skin and continue to have them to this day they really do give you fresh glow-y skin.

Have you tried threading for your brows? There are some amazing threaders and they create a really beautiful brow shape … on the Gold coast I recommend Lee at The Lotus Beauty Lounge in Broadbeach and in Sydney I recommend lien davies – brows & makeup in Randwick. I have never actually had her do my brows but I have seen her work and heard great things about her.

Much Love
Claire
xoxo
Posted by: SydneyRose Devotee // Fri, 27 January 2012 06:23pm

You are right on the ball Eliza! The earlier you start your wedding preparations the better. There’s always something that you’ll discover along the way.
Posted by: Karen-1298334769 Master Fan // Mon, 6 February 2012 10:13pm

Might consider this, if and when I get married