1. INSIDE OUT
Skin Owl’s Annie Tevelin (above) suggests adding skin-friendly foods to your diet a month before the big day: think skin-plumping avocado, glow-producing carrots and hydrating berries and melons. “Cantaloupe, cucumber slices, radishes, jicama and apples are all amazing at hydrating the body and skin,” recommends Tevelin. Also, ingesting foods such as green beans and asparagus act as diuretics and help eliminate toxins and flatten your belly!”
2. BODY SHAPERS
Beverly Hills dermatologist Jason Emer, MD recommends bride’s tighten up problem areas, including face, arms, breasts and glute area with the revolutionary, deep heating Venus Legacy. The state of the art non-invasive, pain-free procedure delivers firmer, tighter and more youthful skin by reducing wrinkles and boosting collagen via radio frequency and pulsed electromagnetic fields—all without recovery time.
3. LASH OUT
When it comes to close-ups, nothing can change a bride’s face like a beautiful set of eyelashes. Tirzah Briscoe, CEO and founder of Blinkbar, recommends lash extensions over strip extensions or waterproof mascara, because “we all know the tears can flow on the big day, and eyelash extensions won’t run or come unglued.” Briscoe recommends a trial run a month before the big day with the same lash stylist each time to ensure the look can be perfected and re-created.
Photography by: Brian Leahy Photography
4. SMILE PRETTY
To achieve an Insta-worthy smile, Dr. Tarek Halim of The Beverly Dentistry in Beverly Hills recommends brides “schedule a professional teeth cleaning at least two weeks prior to the wedding day, and schedule in-office teeth whitening for those who want a brighter smile.”
5. JUST BREATHE
Los Angeles-based photographer Christin Rose of Timepiece Studio says, “happy and relaxed brides have the most beautiful photos. To capture natural moments, we create scenarios where the couples are sharing a drink or walking to another part of the venue. This will put you at ease and you’ll get a true laugh or quite moment that allows your personality to shine through.”
6. TRUE COLORS
Nonwhite dresses are becoming more ubiquitous with every wedding season. Elyse Gilreath of JLM Couture’s Hayley Paige recommends that brides “be open to choosing a color that complements your skin tone and hair color better than white or ivory. If there’s a color you wear on a regular basis like blue, pink or purple, try a wedding dress in that hue and see what you think—you might feel more like yourself in a pink dress!”
7. PETAL POWER
Not unlike choosing a body-flattering dress, make sure your bouquet works for your body as well. Kit Wertz of Los Angeles florist duo Flower Duet says, “If you are petite, a long, cascading bouquet will hide too much of you and your beautiful dress. Larger bouquets will be heavier, so keep that in mind as you’ll be holding it for many photos and want to look relaxed.”
Photo: Flower Duet
8. TONED & TANNED
For the pre-big-day spray-tanning session, prep by waxing and getting your manicure beforehand. The day of the spray tan, Chanie Volovick and Jacey Sheets of Beauty Chat by HiLovely tell brides, “exfoliate your entire body to remove dead skin, followed by moisturizing any particularly dry or rough spots. However, don’t slather your entire body down with lotion as it will create a barrier that will prevent the tanner from sinking into the skin.”
9. BE SMOOTH
Dark underarm hair, even when freshly shaved, can cast an unsightly shadow in photos. A quick wax one week before your big day will pull the hair out from the root, eliminating any underarm darkness and ensuring a razor-burn-free wedding day.
10. MAKEUP 101
Setting powder can look invisible in person, but leave powdery white traces when captured on film. To make sure your makeup appears the same in photos as it does in the mirror, use a setting powder that is specifically formulated for photos, such as Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder. Avoid powdered mineral foundation, which can reflect poorly under a flash.
11. RELAX!
“The more calm and cool my couples are, the better their photos will be,” advises photographer Brian Leahy. “I’d rather sacrifice five minutes of alone time with them to take a break and enjoy a glass of champagne than run around like a chicken trying to hit every spot on a property. A relaxed photo beats a rushed photo every time.”
12. SHAPE AND SCULPT
Contouring tutorials may be a dime a dozen on YouTube, but there’s such a potential for this trick to go wrong that it’s best to leave it to the experts. If you want Kardashian cheekbones in your wedding photos, schedule your makeup trial run for the day of your engagement photos so you can test out how it looks in photographs and make adjustments with your makeup artist.
Photography by: Closer to Love Photography
13. BEST FACE FORWARD
Makeup that can stand up to tears, sweat and wedding cake is crucial. Opt for a sheer, lightweight setting powder such as Mally Beauty’s Evercolor Poreless Face Defender. And Los Angeles makeup artist and stylist Sarah Najafi recommends “filling in your entire lip with liner. Even if your lipstick wears off, the liner will save you from bare lips.”
14. SECRET STASH
Keep skin supple and recharged by investing in a great moisturizer, such as Skin Owl’s Mangosteen Beauty Drops PM.
15. ARMED AND READY
To keep your look fresh, ask your maid of honor to keep a makeup touch-up kit at the ready. Najafi’s essentials are “Q-tips, eyelash glue, blush, lipstick and blotting paper.”
16. HAIR DO
If you’re torn between a classic updo and a long flowing locks, hair stylist Trace Henningsen says, “You can always do both—wear your hair down for the ceremony and up for the reception. Having your hair back will leave you looking picture perfect. Plus, curled hair tends to fall flat, so if you leave it down, you never know what you’ll end up with by the end of the night.”
17. Glow Girl
Ensure your skin glows by exfoliating with a gentle body polish, such as Farmhouse Fresh Brandy Pear Scrub. Boasting a pound of crushed pears per jar mixed with fine-grain sea salt and rice bran oil, the fragrant and fruity scrub polishes the body to a soft shine.
