Blog entries tagged as "skincare-for-wedding-day"

My Beauty Diary

Thursday 5 November 2021 - Advice, Beauty - Tags: beauty, diary, beauty-regime-for-wedding, skincare, skincare-for-wedding-day

This is an article in the latest issue of B Magazine, but I thought I would put it up because thanks to all the help I got, this beauty regime works...try it!

I have always feared being high maintenance. I strived to be the girl who wore hardly any make-up, who could be ready in 20 minutes and who was happy to throw her wet hair in a pony tail and call it good. It was not until I started working for a magazine that the reality hit me...I am high maintenance and... I like it. I don’t go anywhere without make-up on, I need at least an hour to get ready and I style my hair every day, I have about 15 different types of shampoos and conditioners and about 30 different types of hair and skin products that I use on a regular bases (not to mention the other 15 for special occasions) and my strict skincare regime is as constant in my life as my three meals a day. I know beauty is fleeting and that there are far more important things to worry about than the shade of my teeth, but I want to feel confident and beautiful as I walk up the aisle. So I called in the experts; I talked to Laura, owner of the reputable Advanced Laser Light.

Week 6: Beauty Reality Bites! I am going to need more than facials, mud masks and exfoliations to get my skin in tip top shape, so I made an appointment with Laura from Advanced Laser Light in Dublin.

Laser Acne Treatment: I was nervous at the thought of lasers, but I heard it was the best way to get to the core of problem areas. It was obvious Laura knew exactly what she was doing. The first thing she does with every bride is a consultation which includes something called skin mapping. She put my face under a special light which showed every single blemish, clogged pore and sun spot...to say it was frightening is an understatement, it was horrifying. All my years of sun beds and beach holidays have left disgusting marks underneath my skin; it made me want to cry. But Laura, being the kind and encouraging person that she is, was there to console my deepening insecurities by telling me that what I saw on my face is normal. She reminded me that the point of the skin mapping is for her to see how she can make my skin look the best it can, not make me want to cry.

She decided my most problematic area was the spots and pores on my chin and to do a low dose of the laser acne treatment for the area. Once again, the word ‘laser’ threw me a little, especially considering my extremely low pain threshold. But the treatment took about four minutes and felt like a little pinch, and then it was over. The lasers bring the bacteria to the surface in order to clear the pores. Laura warned me that I would break out after having the treatment. I have had quite a few spots the last couple days.

Find skincare products: I am trying Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturiser and La Roche Posay Effa Clar.  I know that it is not the best time to be trying new products, but I have heard great things about these two. They seem to be just the thing to tone down breakouts and smooth my skin.

Hair Masque: I love Pureology, so I decided to try their Essential Repair Masque. The best thing to do is use it weekly from now till the wedding.

Week 5-The Tanning Bed Confession.... I have been completely stressed out this week. I am moving into a new apartment, and trying to get all our invitations out. My beauty routine is really the last thing on my mind; I did manage to fit in another trip to Laura at Advanced Laser Light.

Get a Facial:  After my laser treatment last week, the next step was a Medibac facial. The facial lasted about an hour and half and was like heaven. It was just what I needed this week. Laura started by cleansing my skin, then a two part exfoliation and then she did the extractions (in laymen’s terms ‘spot popping’), she then did a relaxing neck and shoulder message and finished by applying a mask. I felt really refreshed and relaxed, and my skin is looking great.

The tanning begins! Confession... I use sun beds. I don’t condone it, but I abhor fake tan and the beds really are the most natural tan without actually going somewhere with sun. I started with five minutes; I am hoping to go a couple times every week, gradually adding minutes.

Week 4-Swine Flu Protection I haven’t been sleeping, my mind refuses to switch off at night and for the first time in my life, I have developed mouth ulcers, which I am told is caused by stress. I checked on WeddingsOnline.ie and it seems to be a common occurrence with brides.

Stock up on Vitamins: The chemist suggested I start taking a dose of vitamins every day which will help the ulcers and give my immune system a boast (one of the reasons I am not sleeping is fear of catching the swine flu). So I bought a daily vitamin drink full of all the different nutrients, I also picked up a pack for H2B!

Eye Brow Trial:My sister gave me a good piece of advice; get an eye brow wax trial a month before the wedding, this avoids the ‘missing half an eye brow’ disaster the week of the wedding.

Week 3- Skinsational Results My skin is looking great! After a couple weeks of breakouts from the various treatments, I can really see a big difference in how smooth my skin is. It is so rewarding to see the results after all the hard work.

Thread Vein Removal:  I went into Advanced Laser Light one last time to have a couple unsightly thread veins removed around my nose. In all honesty, I had never paid attention to them before, but now that they are gone, I can see a big difference.

Exfoliating Facial: Laura was happy with the progress after the acne treatment, but wanted to do one more facial for deeper exfoliation and to close the pores to prevent further break outs.

Dermalogica Products: She sent me away with two items she calls miracle workers; Dermalogica Active Moist and the Daily Resurfacer. She said they would be just the thing to give my oily, acne prone skin that dewy bridal glow. I am using the Resurfacer for exfoliation every other day.

Week 2- Final Touches This week is about getting things done. I tried to be as prepared as possible, but with all the other wedding odds and ends, I have found it quite difficult to fit everything in.

Starflower Oil: Laura is known as my new best friend around the office. The woman is amazing! She recommended I start taking Starflower Oil tablets every day. Hormones are one of the major causes of blemishes, and the Starflower helps control the effect hormones have. I started yesterday and can already see a big difference

Final Hair Cut and Hair Dye: I want my hair to be as long as possible for the wedding day so I asked for a slight trim. I want it to look healthy, but also want to leave a bit of time for it to grow out again if there was a chopping disaster. I usually get a half head of highlights but this time I went for the full so that no matter which way I wear my hair, it would be covered.

Teeth Whitening: I picked up a pack of white strips. They are supposed to be used twice daily for 14 days. As an avid coffee drinker, my teeth desperately needed a little polish!

Week  1-So this is what it feels like... Even though I have been planning it for months, it’s the weirdest thing in the world that it’s actually here! I feel stressed, exhausted and genuinely happy.  All I can think is...wow I am getting married (and gosh, my skin looks awesome)!

Hair Trial:I would have done this much earlier but my wedding is in America, so this is the only time I can do it. I scoured the internet and magazines before our appointment and brought a photo into show her what I wanted. I had used the stylist before for a wedding so I knew I liked her, and my trial went great!

Final Tan: Five days before the wedding I had my last tanning session.

Make-up Trial:Again, this would have been better much earlier but I am very pleased with what we have decided to do.

Massage:Stress causes breakouts and under eye circles, so the massage was a must (or so I told my penny pinching fianc�).

Get Some Sleep: This is much easier said than done, my mind is going a million miles a minute. I really don’t want to be exhausted on my wedding day and that tired droopy eyed look is near impossible to hide.

Contact Laura at Advanced Laser light:

Advanced Laser Light

Dublin, Cork, Limerick

www.advancedlaserlight.com