Easy to Follow Beauty Tips to Get Yourself Ready for the Big Day

“Pamper yourself” is the mantra you need to live by as you get yourself ready for the Big Day. You’re the Queen of this show, but the stress of last-minute details threatens to eat you whole. Your baggy under-eyes are eggplant purple, and you’re pretty sure you keep your partner up while grating your teeth in your sleep.

Photo by Kelly Berry with styling by MG Hair & Makeup

Brides are supposed to glow, but instead, you’ve got this whole desert-cracked skin and lackluster bird’s nest hair thing going. The only thing shiny about you at this point is the ring. Polish up your mood and beauty from the inside out with these easy to follow beauty tips for the months and days leading up to the Big Day.

Photo by D’Arcy Benincosa
Busting Stress Through Better Routine
Hey, beautiful bride. Wedding jitters and stress got you feeling blah? Trivial crap leaking into what should be the happiest year of your life thus far? Nothing going right?
That’s about to change. It’s stress-busting time!
Block out something in your schedule that’s all for you. No family. No partner. No little ones. No friends or fiends. Just you. Make it a regular thing and make it top-secret — you’re going to have a love affair with yourself. For example, once a week, sneak out and take yourself on a date to the movies, eat ice cream or climb a rock wall.

Photo by Alexandra Gorn
Structure sounds boring, but the more on point your day-to-day routine is — the less impact the frustrating little details have on you. That also means addressing your eating habits, exercise routine and how you sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time and cut down on technology use before an hour before bed.

Photo by Jen Huang with styling from Chiala Ming Artistry

Photo by Whitney Heard from this engagement session
Nurture Your Gut
The health of your mind and body depend on what you eat and how frequently you hydrate. Whole health starts in your gut, so nurture it with healthy probiotics in the form of food and drink like Greek yogurt and kefir — or take supplements.
Don’t starve yourself before your wedding, and don’t be afraid to indulge just a bit. Split up your meals into smaller ones throughout the day, such as eating five smaller meals. Hydrate your skin with servings of fruit and fill your plate with colorful vegetables. You can get a brain and energy boost from blueberries and walnuts. Watch for teeth-staining substances in your diet leading up to the Big Day — try eating cauliflower as a fibrous and protein-rich option to scrub your teeth naturally.

Photo by D’Arcy Benincosa
Rather than kicking back all that coffee, start your day with water and a squeeze of lime or lemon, and sneak in a tea substitute that tastes like coffee. These coffee-like teas often have licorice and dandelion root as tasty and healthy substitutes — and they come in mocha flavors. Get your eight glasses of water in, and try drinking water when you feel hungry — appetite demands is often thirst in disguise. That also saves you from stress eating and not fitting into your gown. Your skin loves water, too.

Photo by Dima Dychek Photographer from this at-home engagement session
Get Your Glow Back— Refreshing Skin Care
Stress makes your face puffy, and it’s easy to look like you aged overnight. Notice uneven skin tones, surface veins, wrinkles and age spots? These are all signs of aging skin, and much of this is sun damage — so wear sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB rays with an SPF of 15 during winter and 30 during summer. Always wash with cleanser to remove buildup at the end of the day.
Skincare needs differ as you age, too. By age 30, fine lines appear more visible on the forehead, so retinol-containing creams help prevent deepening lines. In later years, glycolic acid in products and the daily use of a moisturizer, along with sunscreen and lotion, will help maintain dewy and healthy skin.

Photo by Alexandra Gorn

Photo by Perry Vaile
Great Hair is Everything — Fix Your Hair Routine
Whether you’re a high or low maintenance gal, the one thing that makes you feel human again is clean hair, but most folks overdo it with bad hair care habits. People over-wash, over-style and over-process their hair, and air drying can even hurt your hair. Who knew?
Hair’s also super finicky, and what works for one lady doesn’t work for another. You’re over-washing if you must lather on the hairspray to combat frizz or focusing on ponytails to hide dull hair on the regular. Lathering up too often also tricks your scalp into thinking it needs to make more oil. Yay!
If you have a dry scalp, don’t wash so often and switch formulas — try a moisturizing natural shampoo in case your head might be sensitive to chemicals, too.

Photo by Jen Huang with styling from Chiala Ming Artistry
Finally, book an appointment at the salon like you book a dentist or doctor’s appointment. Get a trim. Ask for the spa extras to nurture your hair and get a mani and pedi while you’re at it — so you can swing that glorious hair! At home, rub a little argon or coconut oil on your hair tips to keep them conditioned.
Don’t let stress eat you up. Cut it out at the root and have a stress-free wedding with beautiful hair and skin with a few simple changes to your daily routines. Pamper yo’self!

Photo by Jen Dillender with styling by Lola Beauty
About the author: Kacey Bradley is the lifestyle and travel blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she frequently writes for sites like US Travel News, Thought Catalog, Porch.com, Tripping.com and more!