How to Have Amazing Skin for your Wedding - written by an Every Day Woman!

Ok, so there are a million articles out there on skincare and preparing your skin for your wedding. These juicy and informative skincare articles tend to be from make-up artists or aestheticians - people whose lives revolve around skincare and having incredible skin. Walking billboards for their businesses. I’m not going to lie, I feel really intimidated learning about skincare from these types of professionals. Is that stupid? It just feels so unachievable and I feel like I’ve failed before I’ve even started.

By no means am I an expert and I still have a lot to learn. What I am, is an every day woman, with a business, a home, two step-children, a basic income and a life that I like to keep as simple as possible. I thought that if I feel defeated from complicated and heavily priced skincare routines, then a lot of other people out there too might feel the same way. So I decided to write about my experiences, what has helped me and what I believe can help you prepare for your wedding and feel absolutely amazing about your skin, from the inside out. In an ideal world, you should start this as an absolute minimum 3 months before your wedding but the longer you can follow these top tips on skincare and wedding prep, the better.

Firstly, let me start by saying that I am a long-suffering eczema gal - had flare ups on and off since my early teens. My face, neck, thighs, bum, arms and especially my hands. I also struggle with a hiatus hernia (basically my stomach is partly in my oesophagus) and have bouts of IBS from time to time. So I’m on a journey myself of how to take care of my skin from head to toe, inside to outside as everything within our bodies and our minds are connected. Mental health is intrinsically linked to gut health, gut health to skin health. Using an expensive concoction of chemicals on the outside will have limited effects if the chemicals on the inside of your body are running riot.

I’ll start this skincare article with a few top tips, how they have helped me and then share some of the products I like to use and why. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below and I will answer anything as best I can!

Tip Number 1 - Hydration

No big surprises here. Hydration. An average woman is made up of around 55% water. That’s more than half of your entire being, made of that beautiful, life-giving H20! So, how much water should I be drinking every day? This will vary depending on which articles you read and of course will fluctuate depending on the temperature of your environment and exercise you perform but I have found, 2 litres of water a day is my sweet spot. If you can drink more comfortably, drink more! I found a great water bottle in Tesco that carries 1.7 litres of water and also have timings on it so I can keep on track with sips throughout the day so I’m not trying to guzzle at the end of a work day when I realise I haven’t had anything at all to drink. I’d recommend this type of bottle for those of you who find it hard to keep on top of your water intake. The remainder of my water in take is made up of herbal teas that I drink throughout the day. (I ditched caffeinated tea and only have one coffee a day). You will also get some of your water from fruits and vegetables but don’t let this distract you from getting in 2 litres of actual water.

Bonus - I just drink water plain because it’s refreshing and I’ve gotten used to it. My advice would be to ditch the squashes and steer clear of overprocessed juices and sweetened waters. You just don’t need them. If you want something to add flavour, cut open a lime, squeeze it gently and throw it into your bottle whole, with a handful of fresh mint and a few slices of cucumber. You’ll get the benefit of additional vitamins without the fake sugars.

Tip Number 2 - Kick the Sugar, Kick the Booze

Yeah, I didn’t think you’d like this one. It feels scary. But I promise you, it isn’t. Cutting out alcohol and removing 95% of processed sugar from my diet has not only had an enormous effect on my skin but on my mental health too. I find I am more calm in situations that would usually make me stressed. My period pains and PMS have drastically reduced from a 5 day shit-storm to a 2 day discomfort and the remaining days barely noticeable. I have less drastic highs to lows and my skin has thanked me in spades. My eczema has largely cleared up (see below for my favourite high-street product to help keep my hands supple) and no more hormonal spots on my face! Hallelujah!

I have given up alcohol and sugar in the past but what has made things different for me this time is saying to myself ‘there is no end date’. In the past, I’d go sugar free for a few weeks or challenge myself to a month of no booze. This time, it’s indefinite - and that has made all the difference. I am now a person who just simply does not drink. I won’t lie and say it was really easy. It was easy to just not drink but I chose to do so at a time where my beautiful old rescue-labrador passed away so I was also dealing with extreme grief.

What came with it, was the lows of ‘not drinking’. Not having a glass of wine to perk me up in the evening or to relax after a hard day. My body was trying to do that by itself at the worst possible time. It took several weeks but I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I have to tell you, I even went to a social event where EVERYONE except the kids were drinking and I ordered apple and cranberry - with a lemonade top because I’m fancy AF - and can I tell you, I don’t remember a time that I was as confident at a social gathering with 99% strangers.

Now, back to the sugar. Obviously, food is a part of life and it’s also extremely social. I love going to restaurants and eating out. I just do so now a lot more mindfully than I did before and it’s changed the way I eat overall. Try it. Buy only fresh produce, no frozen pre-prepared or processed foods and just make your dinner. It doesn’t need to be complex. Chicken, homemade chips, salad. Boom. You’ll be amazed the next time you go to the supermarket and see all of the multi coloured packets trying their hardest to grab your attention with promises of sweet, sugary goodness when half of it, isn’t actually even food. The trick here is to behave as if you’re not depriving yourself but nourishing yourself. Get rid of the sugar in your coffee and tea - it’s totally unnecessary (coming from someone who could never fathom having less than 2 heaped teaspoons of sugar in her coffee). Eating fresh berries and a few grapes in my morning porridge with a splash of agave syrup (also available in Tesco) just gives me that little sweetness I want without giving me the absolute rush and sugar headache. I have found that since cutting out most of my processed sugars, I have hardly any cravings, even when I’m on my period. It sounds like the hardest thing in the world to do but it really isn’t and you’ll thank me when your skin starts GLOWING!

Bonus - I’ll tell you a secret. I’ve been trying to get my mum to stop putting sweetener in her tea. It’s revolting and tastes like chemicals (because it is). You might as well put brown sugar in your tea if you really can’t go without because it’s better for you. I digress. When I have told my mum to try tea without sweetener, she brings the mug to her lips, braces herself, pulls a face of disgust and then slurps. OF COURSE SHE ISN’T GOING TO LIKE IT BECAUSE SHE’S JUST TOLD HER BRAIN THAT SHE WON’T LIKE IT BEFORE SHE’S TASTED IT. Just allow yourself to taste the tea or the coffee WITHOUT the sugar. Taste the fragrance of the tea leaves, the creaminess of the milk in the coffee - it’s actually quite delightful. But don’t prepare to hate everything because then you’ll just hate it. Be mindful and positive. It helps.

Tip Number 3 - A Skincare Routine within Budget

I’m going to be honest. I feel a little envious of those people you see with an amazing skincare routine with 10 different products and all the expensive items. It used to make me feel like a failure; a beauty school dropout who didn’t belong to this fancy skincare club. But now, I’m sort of relieved because those people must spend a small fortune on all of their products and I’d honestly rather go on holiday! What I have found is that any routine that takes care of your skin, is a skincare routine. This can have as many products as you like or it can be nice and simple - but there are a few cardinal rules!

1) Never sleep in your makeup. I know - you’re tired. I don’t care though lol take it off before you get tired. Been on a night out? Get home, glug a pint of water, take your makeup off. I don’t even care if you sleep in your out-out outfit and high heels. Just don’t sleep in your makeup.

2) Always cleanse. I use an absolutely amazing oil cleanser and have recently invested in a fragrance free gel cleanser as well. Because I usually am more ‘dry’ than ‘oily’ skin, I will only use my oil cleanser in the morning and then use the oil followed by the gel cleanser at the end of the day to make sure all the pollution and make-up is gone from my skin.

3) Use an SPF minimum factor 30. Sun damage is real and no matter the season or the temperature, protect that beautiful face with a layer of sun cream to finish. Avoid face creams with SPF already in them because then you’re not getting your monies worth of decent face cream. One face cream, one SPF.

I’ve posted my full routine below with products and prices. The one thing I am yet to find is an eye cream that doesn’t irritate my skin. I’ve tried everything from cheap to expensive and everything in between and I’ve had no luck. So for right now, I’m keeping my routine simple and fuss free. It works for me, my lifestyle, my budget and I’m increasingly less concerned with what other people are putting on their face.

Bonus - If you buy anything that doesn’t react nicely to your skin, you can always sell these items in Facebook skincare groups. Your trash will be another persons treasure! Less waste and easier on your purse strings.

My simple budget friendly Skincare Routine

Step 1 - Oil Cleanse using the oil cleanser by Super Facialist (available on Amazon from £8 and lasts forever)

Step 2 - Gel Cleanse (usually only at night but depends if my skin feels a little oily in the morning) using Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel (available on Amazon from £11.98)

Step 3 - Aveeno Calm & Restore Oat Serum for Sensitive Skin (available on Amazon from £10.53 and I only need two pumps so it lasts ages!)

Step 4 (two to three times a week in the evening only) - The Ordinary Retinol Serum 0.2% (available from £7.50 online)

Step 5 (morning only) - Weleda Skin Food Light - (available on Amazon from £8)

Step 5 (evening only) - Nivea Q10 Plus Anti - Wrinkle Night Cream (available on Amazon from £6.50)

Step 6 (morning only) - Haruharu WONDER - Black Rice Moisture Airyfit Daily Sunscreen SPF50+ (available on Amazon from £14.90 and lasts for ages)

If you’re feeling luxe or if you have a birthday coming up!

Twice a week I have started using the absolutely AMAZING Tropic Face Smooth Brightening Polish (available from £22) and it honestly is incredible. It leaves my skin feeling plump and smooth and I think it’s my absolute favourite product right now.

TO SUMMARISE

As the title of this post suggests, I’m not an aesthetician, make-up artist or skin expert! I am an every day woman, living on a farm, running my businesses and I needed to find a simple and fairly inexpensive skincare routine that worked for me, my budget and my lifestyle. I wanted my skin to shine and knew that to achieve that, I need to work from the inside out. Three months in and my skin glows. Like really, glows. The texture of my skin has improved dramatically and my eczema flare ups from food are rare (although I do sometimes struggle with the hair products I use that affect my hands - but I’m not changing those, so I’ll live with it!)

I’ve still got a way to go and will continue to take advice from professionals on small, manageable and financially viable suggestions to constantly improve my skin. Aside from the health benefits of steps 1 & 2, it has had a drastic effect on my skin and I feel so much more confident.

I hope that you’ve found this helpful and most importantly achievable. Skincare is available to everyone and sometimes, the biggest changes you can make are the most affordable.

Let me know if you’ll be using any of my ‘wedding skin care tips’ to plan for your big day!

Hannah x