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Your wedding plans may have been thrown out the window but it doesn’t mean you need to stop the planning process and the same goes for your beauty regime too – in fact, there’s no better time to get your skincare routine in check.
So if you have two years or six months to go until the big day – now is the perfect time to try combating your bridal skincare worries whether it’s dryness, dullness, acne or rosacea.
Many brands have now opened their virtual doors, keeping customers engaged through online portals. And with new products still launching, Sophie Cullen shares her top tips and the products you should be investing in
Your very own bridal virtual prescriptions
Since the coronavirus outbreak, our fave skin-care brands have been quick to look for alternative ways to maintain the face-to-face customer engagement they provide in store. Luckily, digital technology has enabled these in-person consultations to go virtual. So, if you’re seeking advice on the newest products or want to know what you should be doing to get your skin big-day ready, now is your chance to get up close and personal with your favourite brands.
“Clarins & Me” is a new and complimentary virtual wellbeing service. Each booking includes 15 minutes with one of the brand’s beauty specialists who, over the phone, will give advice and share product recommendations. You can choose from one of seven topics, including Cleanse and Go (creates a basic morning and evening skincare routine), Put Your Skin to Bed (explores the benefits of oils to de-stress before bed), Mother to Be (focuses on expectant mothers), Tailored to You (personalised discussion around your current skin concerns), and much more.
Caudalie’s new 1-2-1 Online Skincare Consultations offer personalised advice, recommendations and a friendly chat straight from your sofa. Discover the hero products, including my all-time fave mist The Beauty Elixir, which should be in all brides clutches on their big day. You’ll be in the safe hands of one of the in-house experts, ask any skincare related questions and learn tips and tricks to keep your skin glowing and healthy whilst at home.
Liz Earle, best known for their famous cleanse & polish and gentle formulas, have just launched 15-minute personalised skincare advice over the phone and virtually. Whether you want to know when you should ramp up your wedding day skincare or what products to start introducing and when, the lovely therapists will be able to tailor a routine around your skin types and needs. After your chat, you’ll be given a personalised prescription with advice you spoke about during your meeting.
Clinique has launched a virtual skin school offering customers 1-1 video or audio consultations. Simply book your 15-minute slot via Eventbrite and your preference on skincare or makeup with info on specific questions or concerns. After the call, you’ll be sent a follow up email with your product recommendations and a 15% voucher to use.
Missing your regular Decléor Facial? Turn your bathroom into your very own spa and book your virtual treatment with selected salons and spas. Expect a step-by-step guide on how to conduct your facial with the products you have in the comfort of your own home.
Streamline your regime
Doctors, dermatologists and skincare clinics are all offering services too. Pfeffer Sal, London skincare clinic (which also produces its own range of products), now offers consumers a digital “online skin MOT” with a trained therapist, as well as at-home facial kits to enable you to re-create professional-level skin care (or as close to it as an untrained enthusiast can). Lion/ne, the skincare consultancy are also offering video consultations, they’ll listen to your skin frustrations and give you the right tools and knowledge to help with your worries, then provide you with an extensive skincare shopping list for your budget.
Invest in hero products
The beauty world can be a confusing one with SO many products on offer promising miracles – it’s all about using the right products and finding what works for you. As we’re at home so much at the moment, now is actually a great time to try different formulas, explore brands that you may not have used before and work on any skin issues you may have. If wrinkles and fine lines are a worry of yours, have you thought about retinol? Perhaps you’re wanting to brighten your complexion, you need to try Vitamin C. Here’s of my new favourites for brides-to-be:
No7, Advanced Retinol 1.5% Complex
If your skin is looking a little flat and grey, this helps to gently resurface skin, reduce fine lines, pigmentation while refining pores at the same time. How? The supercharged and powerfully regenerative cocktail blend combines two of the most effective age-defying ingredients, peptides and retinol. With a 93,00-waiting list – you know it’s going to be a goodie.
Dermalogica, Retinol Clearing Oil
Not a fan of oils? Neither am I but the new Retinol Clearing Oil is the texture of a serum that sinks into the skin quickly, leaving behind no residue. The mix of salicylic acid and retinol get to work by tackling blemishes, acne and leaving you with a clear, supple complexion without any irritation.
Decléor, Face Fluid
SPF isn’t just for a holiday, you should be using it everyday and that goes for your wedding day. Who wants to look back at photos and discover they had a red nose peeping through? Not only does it help protect our skin against harmful rays, it also helps to keep skin hydrated. This lightweight fluid, glides on and sinks into skin making it perfect to wear over your moisturiser and under your makeup.
Laura Mercier, Illuminating Eye Cream
Are you having later nights and spending too much time on Pinterest planning your bridal bouquet? Have you noticed your under eyes are getting a little puffy and dark? You need to give this product a whirl, packed with skin essential ingredients such as flamenco violet pearl which provides an immediate brightening effect. Green coffee seed oil helps to energise the eye area, making you look wide-eyed and awake even after Zoom fatigue.And its peptide complex helps stimulate collagen production around the eye area, blurring signs of ageing. So, when lock down is over, you’ll be camera ready.
James Read, Click & Glow
if you’re not opting for a fake tan, this is a more subtle option. James Read, aka the tanning guru, has created this nifty little device that enables you to, as it says on the label, click and glow. Add a couple of your drops into your chosen skincare for a natural, buildable colour. Oh, and the best bit? No pay off, so you don’t need to worry about it coming off on your clothes.
Rodial, Snake Serum Drops
Missing your botox treatments? As none of us are able to have any treatments at the moment, this is a brilliant stand in product for keeping those fine lines at bay. It offers an immediate wake up call for the skin and you can feel the effects immediately after use due to the SYN-AKE Dipeptide having a strong tightening/freezing sensation.
Pixi, Vitamin C Tonic
A firm favourite amongst Beauty Editors and Beauty Bloggers thanks to the affordability with efficacy of this product. Introduce this into your skincare after cleansing for a refreshing, glow-getting hit of goodness. The citrus extracts combine with ferric acid work to even out skin tone, improve hydration and fine lines whilst shielding skin from free radicals.
Charlotte Tilbury, Magic Cream Light
If your skin is feeling a little stressed out and looking a little meh – you need to introduce Charlotte Tilbury’s new magic cream light. Packed with a cocktail of fabulously hardworking, supercharged, crystal-infused ingredients. This pumps back in hydration and leaves skin with a gorgeous dewy glow. Introduce this into a bridal regime a month before your big day to get noticeable results.
111Skin, Rose Gold Brightening facial treatment mask
Who doesn’t want to cover themselves in 24k gold? Well you can with this mask, infused with Damask Rose and Gold, this works to illuminate and calm the skin. Use the morning of your wedding, simply pop on for 20 minutes and let the cocktail of goodness get to work while you put your feet up.
CBVIT, Active Hemp Ointment
When we’re feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed out, it can cause havoc for our skin. This multi-use balm features a nourishing blend of natural, soothing oils of hemp, rosemary and lemon, it’s healing properties makes it ideal for keeping eczema and blemish at bay.
At-home devices
Salons may be out of the question for a while but there’s heaps of clever devices worth trying at home to give you those expensive salon treatments a run for their money.
Foreo, UFO
Supercharge your DIY facial with this powerful smart device (FYI, it’s gonna be your new future obsession) that combines six leading skincare technologies with mini Korean-created sheet mask. Simply secure one of the masks into the device and let it work its magic. The ingenious device will run a series of effects: there’s everything from sonic pulsations to blemish-battling blue light, which will leave your skin with a post-facial glow.
Panasonic, Facial Steamer
This facial steamer opens up your pores to deeply hydrate whilst also naturally stimulating collagen production across the skin, leaving you with a smoother and more supple complexion that you’ll want to keep stroking, alas, hands off!
Skin Gym, Jade Gua Sha face tool
We’re all feeling a little bloated at the moment and that goes for our skin too. Gua Sha which translates to ‘scraping’ is a traditional Chinese tool that’s been used for hundreds of years. They increase the blood flow, drain any excess fluids and tone up complexions. Our top tip? Pop in the fridge an hour before use, for a cool relaxing effect. A brilliant one to use on the morning of your wedding.