“ You look beautiful!”

Certainly, that’s one of the most common utterances of wedding guests. So common, in fact, it seems as if beauty comes naturally to every bride.

Love’s glow may be a force of nature, but experts stress that a stunning bridal look is due to a carefully planned pre-wedding beauty regime. The best plan starts months before the event, and ends with the admiring looks of your groom and guests:

6 MONTHS OUT

Book the pros
If you don’t have a regular hair stylist you love, and if you think you could use a professional hand to apply your make-up, start asking friends whose look you like for recommendations.

Selecting a dress and headpiece also are early priorities, and you should book a ‘trial’ makeup application as soon as you know what you’ll be wearing.

Choosing photos from magazines or googling hair and makeup styles [you like] and giving them to the stylist will help them understand what your vision is.

If you’re planning on a tan for the wedding, apply sunless tanning lotion on your face and body, so that the professional knows how to accent the right skin tone.

Should you be dissatisfied with the trial run, there’s still time to book another. Ideally, hair andmakeup should be done on the same day, so you can see the total look.

Launch healthy habits
Exercise, a nutritious diet and sleep are beauty treatments you give yourself, and the longer these habits are maintained, the better the effects.

3 to 4 MONTHS OUT

Establish a cleansing ritual
It’s the mundane daily routine of cleansing your face, gently exfoliating, and moisturizing with SPF that primes skin to be at its peak.

Find a group of products that accomplish these basic tasks and are geared to your skin type – and then stick to them. And you’ll avoid bad reactions (allergic or otherwise) which could be caused from introducing new products right before the wedding.

Treat special problems
If you suffer from skin imperfections caused by rosacea, sun damage, broken blood vessels, a dermatologist can usually remedy the situation with laser or other treatments. But the skin takes time to repair and heal, and some treatments must be administered over a period of months. That’s why seeing a dermatologist at least four months or so in advance of the date is necessary.

It’s also possible to inject pimples with cortisone to rid them quickly, but try the treatment in advance of the days just preceding the wedding.

1 MONTH to 2WEEKS OUT

Trim your tresses
Most brides growtheir hair for theirwedding, so they have more options for hairstyles. This is great, but definitely get a trim within the month before your wedding. Split ends make your gorgeous up-do look a little frizzy and the hair doesn’t hold the curl as well.

1 WEEK OUT

Allow recovery time
Do not schedule a facial close to your wedding; a week or more is safer if your skin needs some recovery time. And, facial waxing can leave redness and prevent make-up from adhering well for the days immediately after the treatment.

1 DAY OUT

Relax with mani/pedi
The day before the event is perfect for relaxing in the salon This way you are not in a rush to dry your nails, but you don’t have enough time to mess them up.

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