Get Your Skin Wedding-Ready

You’re getting married! Congrats! That’s so exciting. There’s so much to do. Venue selection. Guest list. Music. Cake. (Let’s just linger on cake awhile.) The perfect dress. While you’re making all those plans, don’t forget to plan for gorgeous, glowing skin. The earlier you start, the better.

Aesthetician Cassie Fehlen works with a lot of brides in her practice in her Minneapolis-based practice Skin MPLS. She has this advice for getting your skin ready for the big day: "If you’re just looking for that glow, find an aesthetician to work with at least three months before your wedding. If you’re also struggling with breakouts – tackle it about a year in advance so that you have time to also clear up any residual scarring."

If you don’t have that kind of time, don’t despair. There’s plenty you can do even starting just a few months in advance. Here are some tips to get your skin in top shape for your big day.

Simple is better. You don’t need a complicated ten-step regimen. You’ve got enough to think about. A handful of workhorse products used consistently will have you at optimal glow for your big day and beyond. We recommend a simple four-step system that includes a cleanser, toner, serum, and SPF hydrator.

Daily: Cleanse, tone, correct, and protect. If you have acne-prone skin, try BP or Mandelic Acid Exfoliating Cleanser. Follow with a toner to prep skin for better absorption of your corrective serum. We like Daily Repair Pads for their simplicity and their mix of clarifying and nourishing ingredients. Spin Trap Vitamin C & E Serum is a must to bring out your glow and to guard against photodamage. Use in the a.m. and follow with Day Treatment Lotion SPF 15 for moisture and sun protection in one. At night, swap the Spin Trap for cell-renewing Derm-A-Gel or 8% Mandelic Acid 3-In-1 Serum.

Weekly: Boost with a mask to clarify and soothe mind and skin. Radiance-boosting Algae Soft Mask is good for all skin types. If you’re acne prone, try our detoxifying Sulfur Clay Mask.

Get monthly facials. Take Cassie’s advice and work with an esthetician who can support your home care and regularly assess your skin needs. During a facial, your esthetician will use professional grade products to rejuvenate, perform extractions to keep pores impaction-free, and provide facial massage to stimulate circulation and improve tone.

Plan ahead. If you’re thinking about something like microdermabrasion, give yourself plenty of time for skin to calm and recover, three to four months to be safe. You don’t want walk down the aisle red and peeling. A ProPeel is a better option for rapid radiance without the downtime. You can do a ProPeel, which is a light enzyme peel that removes just the top layers of skin, three to four weeks before your big day to get an instant refresh. Ask your esthetician about the Vivant ProPeel.

Avoid trying new products in the month before the wedding. A pimple takes thirty days to form. When you start a new product like one of Vivant’s transformational serums, you pull everything to the surface that’s been brewing under the surface. You want to give your skin care time to get everything up and out. That’s the rule of thirty.

Don’t overdo. In your zeal to be as resplendent as possible, it can be easy to go too far either with products or procedures. Exfoliation is good. Scrubbing your skin raw is not. When using physical exfoliation, be gentle. If your skin is sensitive, limit physical exfoliation to three to four times a week.

De-stress. While you’re obsessing over appetizer options, seating arrangements, bridesmaids’ gifts, and how you will keep aunt Hildy away from the bar, try to keep your stress level down. Stress raises cortisol, which sends sebum into overdrive and triggers inflammation, both aggravators for acne and rosacea. You need to relax. Did someone say wine-down with a mask? See weekly boost above.

Don’t forget hands and feet. Smooth rough skin on your heels, knees, elbows, even your rear, with our intensely rejuvenating Clear Body Therapy. The vitamin A and lactic acid formula helps dissolve thick, rough skin and regenerate soft, caressable skin. It also fades discoloration, great for the backs of your hands.

Give your lips some love. Do a little prep work to have your fullest, most defined, most luscious lips ever. In the weeks leading up to the big day, apply Maxi Lip Plumper daily to make lips look immediately fuller and rosier. Over time, the effects remain because of the balm’s collagen boosting and oxygenating ingredients. 

Breathe. It’s all going to be spectacular. Remember to enjoy the day.