As most of you know, my wedding was about a month ago, and I am finally finding the time to sit down and put together all of my prepratory tips and routines I followed in the lead up to the big, incredible day!
First up is skin, because let’s face it, nothing makes you feel more confident than good skin!
I get a lot of questions on skin, tonnes! I am really fortunate to have good skin at this point in my life, but trust me, this has definitely not always been the case for me. In fact, one of the main giveaways that I had PCOS when I was young was my consistent break outs forcing my mum to take me to a dermatologist who suggested I get checked for PCOS. As such, I have always been intrigued by skincare regimens and have tried everything under the sun – much like diets, noticing a trend here?!
Of course, as a nutritionist, I am the first to acknowledge that good skin comes from within, that our outter appearance is a strong indication of what is going on internally. Getting on top of my hormonal health with dietary changes significantly cleared up my skin in my teens, but the biggest shift I saw in my skin was when I went vegan. It appeared smoother and more radiant within 6-9 months. In the lead up to the wedding, I further altered my diet and supplements which I will share on here later… For now, I really want to focus on topical skincare because I think this routine really stepped up my game! I am definitley planning to keep up the at home stuff post wedding too, as I really enjoy the extra 5 mins it took morning and night. It can truly become a mindfulness/self-care practice.
Firstly, I want to disclaimer this by giving a bit of back story: I had tried Eminence many years ago and really liked it, but having no real appreciation for organic, natural skincare, I didn’t realise how incredible it was and carried on using pharmacy brands. As I cleaned up my diet and lifestyle, I did switch to very, very natural products, some worked for a little bit, some didn’t, but slowly, I began to realise that apple cider vinegar as a toner and coconut oil as a moisturiser etc didn’t work for me. I felt my skin was congested and lacklustre. So under the recommendation of a skin therapist I gave Eminence another go, properly this time i.e. a proper am and pm routine. From there, I was hooked. I was so impressed with the ingredients list, the philosophy and most importantly, the results and how it made my skin feel instantaneously, I contacted them. I had the good fortune of being able to sample many of their products to find the one’s that were right for me. Other than receiving products, this review is not paid and is entirely my opinion and true experience with the brand.
Eminence uses only the healthiest, organic, premium ingredients grown in Hungary (fun fact: I am half Hungarian!). They skip all the harmful chemicals and additivies in favour of embracing the natural potential of plants for lasting, clear, balanced, revitalised, glowing results. Note, the entire range is not 100% vegan (though they do not test on animals at all), All the products I chose are vegan, and if you go to the website there is a good guide to what is and isn’t vegan-friendly.
I love Eminence because of their utilisation of incredibly beautiful and beautifying plant ingredients that make your skin feel and look amazing instantly. The products are so luxurious, simply by harnessing the beauty of nature. They have a strong commitment to environmentally-sustainable practices across their entire business, which is important to me, are organic, offer a range of different targetted products so you are bound to find the ones right for you, and are extremely transparent in all that they do. They look fantastic, smell out of this world, and feel divine. What’s more, they work! You really do get the results!
Honestly, within a week of adopting a proper am and pm routine, I noticed positive skin changes myself. I started to get comments after about two months. Keeping up my regular monthly facials at a salon that used Eminence, coupled with red light therapy sky-rocketed those results and had me feeling radiant for the big day 🙂
What I used:
Blueberry soy exfoliating cleanser – massaged well into my skin for 60 seconds am and pm. It is not beaded or harsh, but feels just like a cream cleanser. I then used a warm muslin cloth to gently wash it off.
Neroli Age Protective Hydrating Mist – spritzed onto my face am and pm to prepare my skin for serums. I keep this in the fridge and love, love, love it! If I pass the fridge I will just mist myself with it whenever I can! I decanted this into a smaller spray bottle to take with me on the plane and I used it every hour haha, Mike was so embarrassed!
Bamboo firming fluid – as a serum, underneath my moisturiser during the day. I would massage my face with this for a good minute or two to boost circulation! Always leave in for 1 minute before applying moisturiser.
Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream – love this because it has a super cool roller which de-puffs and massages the delicate under eye area. I use this during the day, visible difference!
Red Currant Protective Moisturiser – as my daytime moisturiser with SPF.
Bright skin licorice Root Booster-Serum – underneath my night cream at night, great for pigmentation (I would put some on my arms too!), also massaged in well for lymphatic drainage. Always leave in for 1 minute before applying moisturiser.
Neroli Age Corrective Eye Serum – dabbed onto my under eye area each night, always motioning upward.
Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream – used as a night cream.
Arctic Berry Peel and Peptide Illuminating System – this is amazing and I would do this once a week for an at home facial! The Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream moisturiser (3rd step) is seriously divine, and I would definitely recommend buying it as it’s own product for a delicious night cream if you don’t want the whole package.
Coconut Firming Body Lotion – I have a bit of Keratosis Pilaris from time to time on my arms, also significantly decreased when I went vegan to be honest, but I felt like this lotion really calmed it down even further, and made the skin tone on my arms (a little sun-damaged) appear more even and smooth. I love this lotion! Smells heavenly.
NOTE: as I was flying overseas for my wedding, I tranferred my products into smalle containers for in-flight, which I highly recommend to all you destination brides or frequent travellers! The mist, a rosehip oil and a thick hydrating mask/moisturiser were invaluable. I really didn’t feel dry or dehyrated post flight. I also drank a tonne of water and skipped the celebratory vino.
As you can see, it’s not a short list, but these products last forever! Especially as a little goes a long way. I also made use of other methods such as facial massage, using my jade roller (on plane as well), warm muslin cloths to infuse the cleanser in and gently wash off, and of course, a healthy diet with plenty of water and hydrating, alkalising foods. I tried a lot of other products and these are my final contendors and what I used consistently in the months leading up to what was easily the best time of my life 🙂 My skin has never felt better.
I recommend finding a therapist that works with Eminence products because they train their suppliers really thoroughly and that way they can recommend what your skin needs, as well as treat you with the best of the best. I also added on light therapy to my treatments. Monthly facials, good at home products and routines and a clean diet will have you looking wedding ready, year round.
I hope this was helpful! Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions <3
I’ll be back to chat more about wedding prep and wedding celebrations soon!
Love & health,
Sami
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