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Despite seeming so substantial, your gown, shoes, and jewelry are really the supporting cast to the star of the big day: your beaming face. Your face tells the story of a thousand kisses and laughs shared with your soulmate and the excitement of a future as husband and wife. Therefore, it’s essential to start a skincare routine ahead of time to ensure your skin looks flawless by your wedding day and mirrors the glow you feel inside. 

Below, Alexis Pfropper, the owner and founder of asthetik skincare, a skincare brand that features natural, plant-based ingredients, provides some skincare tips and products to implement in the months leading up to the wedding, including products from her own skincare line.   

1. 1. Start working on skincare routine six months to a year before wedding day, depending on the severity of skin concerns and goals you’d like to achieve, especially if you want to even your skin tone, improve texture, reduce acne or acne scarring. Think of your skin as a canvas. You want to establish a good canvas to begin with. 
   2. Stick to a really consistent routine. If you plan to book a facial a month before your wedding day, go ahead and book two or so facials at least six months before the big day to test how your skin responds. Don’t experiment with holy grail “fix-all” products too close to the wedding date, such as random masks on Pinterest. 
   3. Hydrate. It is especially important to remember to drink water along with applying hydration to the skin a month to two weeks before the big day. Your skin will absorb all the moisture with hydrating serums alone. Designate a water person during your big day, so ensure you stay hydrated, feel your best, and keep your glow alive. If going out to drink for a Bachelorette party, drink in moderation and stay hydrated. Follow the 1-for-1 rule, and drink one glass of water for every drink. Drinking can lead to flare-ups, so it’s best to plan for your bachelorette party not too close to the wedding date. Alexis recommends hyaluronic acid for hydration, as it acts as a “delivery system for moisture to the skin” and holds a thousand times its weight in water. Alexis recommends her Milk & Honey Moisurizer, which is gentle and usable for most skin types and offers hydration. In addition, her Ocean Moisturizer can be used to brighten skin. She also strongly recommends her Liquid Gold Serum, a Botanical serum with a plant extract that helps to hydrate, reduce inflammation, restore the natural function of skin, the natural barrier of the skin, and brighten it.

• Exfoliate. This can either be through chemical or physical exfoliation. Physical exfoliation is the act of using elbow grease to manually scrub one’s skin in order to remove dead skin, whereas chemical exfoliation is the act of using ingredients like acids, which can be applied by a dermatologist in the form of a chemical peel, to remove dead skin. Be careful not to over-exfoliate, as too much pressure can burst blood vessels. Alexis recommends her Refresh Exfoliating Cleanser, which is a combination of physical and chemical exfoliation. AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) and BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids) target different things for the skin, whether for exfoliation or acne clearing. Hydrodermabrasion and/or microneedling can be beneficial for brides with acne scarring, but plan sessions in plenty of time before any big wedding-related events.
• Find ways to incorporate skincare into a daily routine, like ten minutes every day or every other day of LED red light therapy.
• Keep your skin well-protected. Use sunscreen daily. Alexis recommends her brand’s sunscreen, the Organic Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, with light tint in three different shades, enriched with zinc and SPF 50.
• Don’t introduce a new routine, product, or technique to your skin a week or two before the wedding. One example is getting Botox or lip fillers for the first time.
• Be intentional with your diet. Talk to a nutritionist if problems like acne persist. Cut out dairy for a month and limit inflammatory foods like fried foods to test how your skin reacts.

To break this tips down into a concise step-by-step process : 

• Wash your face thoroughly; make sure to eliminate makeup residue
• Use some type of treatment serum, like Vitamin C or hyaluronic acid in the morning and retinol at night
• Hydrate
• Wear sunscreen protection throughout the day. 
• For those having an outdoor wedding, don’t rely on spf within foundation to be your only coverage, unless you want to be sunburnt at the end of your big day. Apply repeatedly.