Skincare for brides

You know how some brides simply look gorgeous at their weddings?  Its not that they don’t look OK the rest of the time – its just that on their big day somehow the momentousnous of the occasion lends them an inner light – a luminosity.

Mirandi looking gorgeous

Very often a bride looks extraordinary on her wedding day – her skin will look luscious and glowing and her hair will be shining, sleek and thick.  She will simply look at her very, very best ever.  Lucky groom.

Jo looked amazing

If you want to look like this at your wedding the work has to start fairlyearly on – as soon as you have set a date.  

Much of it is to do with diet – so you’re putting healthy, fresh stuff into your body – and hydration.  You need to be drinking plenty of water, girls.  It does have an enormous effect on your skin – plumps it up and makes it look smooth and drinking out water helps to flush out any toxins so lessening the chance of outbreaks of spots or flaking. 

Final touches for Becky

Diet is also the cheapest route longterm to great skin and hair.  No amount of expensive creams and treatments will have the same effect – its a fact.

Bring it on!

However, it wouldn’t hurt to have a look at your beauty regime.  You certainly should have your skincare products working for you well before the day – you don’t want to experiment with a new product in the weeks before the wedding. If you have an allergic reaction to anything it could be a bit ruinous to your wedding day look.

A good exfoliator will help big time.  I believe that, used correctly, they really brighten the skin and get it looking tip top.  Using an exfoliator gets rid of flakiness, untraps blocked pores and gets the blood capillaries working – it stimulates circulation too and (don’t ask me how) the skin looks plumper, brighter and smoother.

I tend to prefer more gentle types of exfoliant as some are too harsh – my favourite was a Body Shop one which had little wax beads in it which acted as a gentle exfoliant.  Sadly I think it has been discontinued now.  Currently I am using a Liz Earle exfoliator which is nice to use, as are all their products, but I have also been happy with the Simple range in the past.  As you can tell, I don’t spend vast amounts  on this kind of thing but I think that these I have mentioned are all good.

Another great thing to start getting into the habit of using regularly is a moisturiser with an SPF rating to protect your sking from the sun’s rays which does have a tendency to toughen it up and make skin look a bit blotchy. 

Blotchy isn’t what you need on your wedding day – it means using a foundation to cover rather than to enhance and the temptation is to ladle it on. 

Your wedding photographer can do a certain amount to get rid of  individual blemishes on the finished images but a with an overall poor skin condition this is not possible.

Leanne looked fab and the professional make-up artist had all the gear on hand

Having a professional make-up artist is very much a personal decision.  For some, applying their own make-up on their wedding day is just one stress too many.  For others, its just one person too many on an already busy morning.

If you are going to have a make-up artist then I would strongly advise that you have several run-throughs with them beforehand.  The same applies to getting a ‘friend’ to do it for you – make sure that you like the way they do their own make-up before agreeing to them doing yours on your wedding day.  I have seen some stressed-out ‘tango-ed’ brides in my time – and had to assist in removing several layers of cake.

The best make-up is very natural, especially if you don’t wear a lot usually. 

Danielle felt confident to do her own make-up - and she looked lovely!

The same applies to your wedding day hair styles.  Hairdressers can get so carried away with an ‘up-do’ that brides end up with a look that is so alien to them and the groom hardly recognises them when they walk up the aisle.  Go for something natural and close to your usual style.

Becky went for a style similar to her usual one, just a bit more poomfy!

Ultimately, on your wedding day you want to look like the woman your husband fell in love with – not some plastic version who can’t smile in case her foundation cracks, or move in case the dangling ringlet of hair that has been concreted by 16 cans of hairspray accidentally renders him unconscious if she moves her head too quickly.

Think on……….. and don’t be persuaded into a wedding hairstyle that you don’t feel comfortable with.  The way to do this is to  have a great working relationship with your hairdressers and beauticians that you have built up over the period of your engagement.

Be careful too that when you have your trial run at a hairdressers, they have also taken into account the time it will take to attend to your bridesmaids and Mum.  You don’t want to be at the hairdressers for hours on your wedding morning, so they should have enough staff available to work on your party for you ALL to be in and out within a reasonable amount of time.

People I would recommend are on my website but for starters you could look at Debbie at David Thomas Hair in Lytham, S&P Hair in St. Annes and Jane at Pure Beauty in St. Annes. 

Good luck.

Some new stuff 17th March 2009

Firstly I didn’t manage to get to the Sparling with Christy from Lytham Hall this week – disappointing, but with all the palava from the Wedding Event there she had too much going on.

When we popped into the Hall on Saturday there weren’t that many of you there – where were you all?   We weren’t exhibiting ourselves (that sounds a bit odd!) but we know so many faces on the wedding scene and we have so much experience that it was nice to just say hello. 

It was great to meet up with Yvette and her business buddy, Yvonne.  I met Yvette a few years ago now at a lunch and since then she has started her own jewellery making business.  When I saw her at King Edwards before Christmas she wasn’t displaying any wedding bits and pieces but has now started making tiaras which I think are divine.  They are so funky that you needn’t just wear them for weddings either – they’d make a great prom gift for daughters too.  Her address is on the Fotoamour friends section on the website.

Also promoting their business was The Rooms.  This is a new(ish) B&B in the heart of Lytham.  I have often thought that Lytham is really lacking a good place to stay with a different atmosphere to The Clifton Arms – or if The Clifton is full which I suspect during the height of the wedding and holiday season it probably is.

The Rooms was set up a little while ago by Andy and Jacky and, by coincidence, we used to get their post (its a long story).  It would be a great idea to visit their website to get an idea of the sort of quality that you are talking about here  www.theroomslytham.com .  And if you are planning a wedding locally and think that you might need some rooms for your guests (they’re not hideously expensive either) this is the place to go.

We photographed some bridal prep there at Becky and Lee’s wedding last October.  To be honest, when we’re shooting a wedding our main focus is the bride and groom so we’re not thinking about taking room shots unless its particularly relevant.  For us the most important thing is you – so we’re not out to compromise our service to you in order to promote our business on your wedding day!  

But it doesn’t stop us noticing other excellent businesses!  And The Rooms is an excellent B&B.  Why not check it out?

Our old friend Peter from S&P Hair was there too – Stewart was running the salon that day and is great at wedding hair.  He is one of the few hairdressers with a salon that will go out to the brides’ homes on the wedding morning.    Do check out their website www.sandphair.com where you’ll see one of Martyn’s pictures of Stewart doing a bride’s hair.  I will add it to this blog as soon as I can.  Funnily enough the reception took place at Lytham Hall too, preceded by The White Church.

It would simply be churlish not to mention Steve and Stephanie Ashton who had the photography slot there this weekend.  They are fine photographers and, above and beyond that, good friends of ours who have given us plenty of help and advice over the years.  I hope that they had a great weekend with plenty of bookings coming in.

As far as I know the event was coordinated by Jane at Flower Design who are popular florists in this area.  Their floristry is very lovely and there was plenty of it on display to enhance the superb surroundings.  I hope it went well for them and that they got the acclaim they well deserve for organising the event.  Well done to all of you.    

Speak to you soon,

Jo