Mere hours before your ceremony, you wakeup with a spot on your chin and notice your eyes are as puffy as they have ever been. Your first instinct is to panic, but I�m here to say there is no need! There�s a quick fix for all your beauty emergencies, and it might already be in your kitchen!
The Dreaded Spot Attack
So you wake up the morning of your wedding to discover the biggest spot known to man has decided to take residence on your forehead, what do you do? Most importantly, don’t pop this nasty little visitor, it will only aggravate your skin and make the matter worse. Go to your freezer and grab an ice cube, apply it to the inflamed area for a couple minutes. The cold should help curb the swelling and calm inflammation.
Cover a red pimple with concealer, as close to your skin tone as possible. If the blemish is dark, dab on a slightly lighter concealer with a small brush, then set with matching powder. If necessary, add a second layer of each. Remember, it's okay if you don't achieve total elimination. The point is to de-emphasise, not to remove. An overly concealed spot will only bring attention to itself. If you have a glaring cyst-like pimple, run to your pharmacy or health food shop and buy Tea Tree oil, it’s a God send! If you can’t get to a shop, toothpaste is a fantastic quick fix.
Swollen and Puffy Eyes
We all know it’s important to get rest if you want to look your best. But we also know, as your wedding date approaches’ staying up late is inevitable, it’s almost guaranteed that your beauty rest will suffer. As a result, your eyes are more likely to sport the unsightly dark circles and bags, we all dread.
Try sleeping with your head propped up a few inches; it will drain excess fluid from the blood vessels around your eyes.
Here are some great tricks to help you reduce the signs of fatigue around your eyes:
- Have a ‘cuppa: The tannins and caffeine in black tea work to temporarily reduce inflammation. To try this remedy for yourself, brew two tea bags squeezing all the tea out of the bags. Refrigerate the bags for fifteen minutes (you can drink the tea while you wait!) and then lie down and place the bags over your closed eyes.
- Cool with cucumbers: The enzymes in cucumber slices help reduce inflammation, plus the cool slices will constrict blood vessels to diminish the bluish tint of dark circles. If you don't have cucumbers in your fridge, try two chilled spoons.
- Conceal!Conceal! Conceal!: If all else fails, use a liquid concealer to cover up your dark circles. Don't make the mistake of buying a concealer that's too light for your skin tone - it'll only turn your dark circles grey. As a general rule, your concealer should only be a shade lighter than your foundation.
Hand and Nail Quick Fixes
In the months leading up to your wedding, I strongly recommend using a good hand and nail treatment to ensure your hands are in tiptop condition. The key is prevention, but sometimes no matter how well you try, sometimes its unavoidable.
Snag your finely manicured talon on your dress zipper? Apply a drop of fast-bonding glue to the nail break, and position a tiny bit of unused paper from a tea bag on top. Then add another drop of glue. When it dries, file the paper down until you can't see or feel the edges, then top with a third and final drop of glue.
Is there anything more annoying than a hangnail? No matter how much you moisturise, they still appear. As a double sided attack, break out the butter, it will help smooth a pesky hangnail. Use the butter the same way as you would a regular cuticle cream: just dab a little on and then massage until it's absorbed. If you do decide to cut them off, don’t use regular nail scissors, instead invest in a pair of cuticle nippers, these will cut the hangnail perfectly.
The day before your wedding, I highly recommend you put together a Bridal Beauty Survival Kit, which your Bridesmaid can have on hand for you. Consider it your bag of tricks! A few items you can include are:
- Blotting paper to battle shiny skin
- Hairspray for quick pick-ups
- Lip gloss to keep you looking polished
- Extra hairpins for up 'dos
- No-mess makeup remover pads if you choose not to wear waterproof mascara
- Clear nail polish, if you're wearing stockings, to fix runs
- An emery board, to prevent snags in case you get a jagged nail
- Travel toothbrush and toothpaste or mints
- A sample size of your favourite fragrance
Remember that even though these emergencies may pop up on your day, they are easily fixed using these tricks, but they are also easily forgotten, when you walk up the aisle to meet your Groom.
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