Pre Wedding Day Skin Care Tips

There are so many tips and tricks that are proven to make your skin glow, and I want to share them ALL with you.

Since great skin is the foundation of any beautiful makeup why not use your wedding day to pull out all the stops for perfection. Instead of faking it by covering up your skin with a full face of foundation lets get your skin looking and feeling its ultra best. That’s not to say you won’t want some foundation on your skin the day of the wedding, but if your skin is glowing and you have this underlying luminosity, a more sheer approach to foundation is needed, there will be less blemishes and unevenness to coverup. This gives your day of makeup artist has the best possible canvas to start with, and you'll still be feeling confident and beautiful when the makeup is washed away. Plus most of these tips will have a positive effect on more than your skin, think about how eating extra vitamin and oxidant rich foods effect your overall health and mood. That all sounds worth eating some healthy food and taking care of your skin right!

Number one is drink lots of water. I can’t stress this enough! Just keep drinking it. Get yourself a fancy new water from some of my favorites: Swell, BKR, SOMA, or HidrateSpark to carry around, or a new water filter from SOMA Water if that is what it takes, but just keep drinking water like it will make you the most beautiful person in the world, because it will.

Start doing daily gentile daily cleanse which also loved natural exfoliation. Use a soft cleansing pad when you wash your face. Here's my method: massage face wash product into your skin (take time with this step, really treat it like a message), add water and continue to message product and water into your skin, rinse pad or cloth with hot-warm water and ring out, wipe away the cleanser, repeat rinse and wipe two or three times, then finish by drying your face with a clean dry towel. If you have been wearing a lot of foundation I recommend repeating all these steps a second time. This gentle exfoliation method does a great job at removing all traces or makeup and gets rid of the dead skin cells on the surface to reveal a brighter complexion.

If your skin is extra dry switch your cleanser to a cleansing oil, one of my favorites is B3 Rose Quartz Cleanser. For all other skin types generally a gentle non foaming cleanser is your best guide for choosing a cleanser that is nourishing and effective. The Quite Wash from Hale & Hush is a current favorite and is gentle and good for ALL skin types. Also a cleansing grain like this one from By Nieves is a great cleanser to switch up your day to day routine when you need a little extra exfoliation or something to draw out impurities, it can also be used as a mask.

Exfoliate your lips 2-3 times a week. Mix up equal parts brown sugar, honey and olive oil. Picture tutorial here. You can also purchase this Coconut oil based one from my Fox & Doll line.

Switch away from lip balms that are waxy or medicated. Look for ingredients like shea butter and cocoa butter. Two of my favorites are from Laurel Organics and Karite Lips.

Add some additional supplements to your diet. My favorites for healthy skin are: zinc, probiotics, and fish oil or omegas. Plus add in biotin for strong nails and hair.

Eat foods high in vitamins C and E. Fresh fruits and veggies (for C) and seeds and nuts (for E). Plus get healthy doses of antioxidants. Think grapes, bluberries, cherries, strawberries, green tea, tomatoes, dark green veggies, and kidney beans.

If you don’t already use a eye cream, serum and night cream now is the time to start and I finally found the perfect ones!

Adding a vitamin C Serum and a Retinal Serum are the best ways to take your skincare to the next level.

Take your time when applying products, really massage them into your skin so that they get fully absorbed. When shopping for skincare look for products that have antioxidants and vitamins added. Trust your estheticians recommendations. They are not just trying to make money when recommending products, they know what is best for your skin and your needs. And if you need a referral for an esthetician that suites your needs ask me for my list, I am happy to sand it to you.

This is the time to really invest in your skin care routine, but I recommend ditching the overpriced department store brands and setting your sites on products you can purchase at the natural foods store and independent clean brands. Shop for products at your local health food store or go to Credo, it's the Sephora of clean beauty brands. As a general rule stay away from department store brands, where you are paying for marketing and packaging instead of the best possible ingredients. What you save in expensive packaging and celebrity endorsements is more than made up for in product that really nourishes your skin, and generally costs a fraction of the price. Here are a few super star favorites: Rare Retinol Serum, Rare C Serum and Soothe Essence Serum.

And if you are looking to add one new step into your skin care regimen that will make a difference and cost very little get a hydrating spray. Spray all over, then while skin is still damp from it and add your moisturizer, serums and oils to your face. Take time to massage the products in.

If you plan to do a professional peel or other type of skin treatment, do it at least one month in advance. Even better is to do it 2-3 months in advance, then repeat 3-4 weeks in advance (depending on recovery time), your skin care professional will know best based on treatment.

If you choose to do at home mask treatments I recommend a gentile exfoliating mask and a hydrating mask both once a week. My go to moisture mask makes skin hydrated and soft, and can also be used as a day to day moisturizer for flaky skin areas. And to keep your skin bright use a C Serum during the day.

Do you keep yogurt in the fridge? Add a little honey and put it on your face as a mask for 10 minutes. Or mashed up avocado makes a great mask too! Together these provide calming of the skin, hydrating, nutrient replenishment, and added radiance.

You can also add drinking my Sipping Pretty Tea into your daily regimen, then turn the brewed leaves into a mask and use the cooled down tea as a hydrating and calming facial toner.

Wear extra SPF on your face, neck and body everyday (it would be a bad time to get too much color on your arms and marks from your tank top). And the week before the wedding make an extra effort to stay out of the sun, and especially the day before. I've seen way too many girls with arm and chest sunburns the day before the big day from being outside during family events or pre wedding location set up.

This is a favorite SPF.

If you are having problems with breakouts or are worried about this here are a few added steps you can take to ensure your skin stays clear:
• Clean your makeup brushes - I recommend a gentle shampoo, rinse well and dry flat.
• Take a zinc supplement, this will help clear a break out, prevent them, plus will also keep you from catching a cold.
• That washcloth face washing method from above can really make a world of difference.
• Change out your pillow cases and wash your phone surface frequently.

And a special tip for the ladies reluctant to drink wine because of a tendency to turn flush in the face. You can take Pepcid AC or Complete (or similar product containing Famotidine) 45 minutes before drinking to reduce the redness. Of course consult your physician and do a test run in advance with a glass of red wine.

I really want your skin looking its best so here are just a few more tips:
• Do the same treatments you do on your face on your chest area.
• Are you a soda and/or coffee drinker? This would be the time to stop and purge the sugar and caffeine from your skin.
• Use up old face care products or ones you don’t love on your body, have a face wash or exfoliant that isn’t perfect for your skin type then use it as a body wash!
• Share all these tips with your partner, bridal party and family, everyone can have great skin too.

Do all of these steps everyday and DRINK MORE WATER, then you can report back to tell me how great your skin looks and feels. And last but not least, these tips aren't just pre wedding day worthy, they are for everyday and everyone! xo

Read more skincare tips here - Summer Skincare and Winter Skincare

Click to see my bridal portfolio and inquire about my Bay Area wedding day makeup and hair services?

Many items above can be purchased in the Fox & Doll online shop

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Tiki Oasis 2014

Last year was my first year at Tiki Oasis. This amazing fun event has been happening for over 10 years. And I am now proud to be not only a convert but a also a returning vendor and symposium instructor. The 2014 year theme was beatnik, a perfect intro for me considering my love of 60's culture and style.

For my first year I joined the event as a hairstylist in the Beauty Bungalow. Along with some of the best in pin-up beauty culture we styled and primped ladies from all over. All three days I was set up doing pin-up hairstyles for gals attending the event. Some were getting ready for their photo shoots, and some just wanted to look great for the weekend. I even had the most adorable teen who was getting her first exposure to the tiki and pin-up culture.

And on Saturday I taught two makeup symposiums. Hosted by the Cat Eye Club (with special cocktail for everyone) and sponsored by Stiletto Cosmetics.  We started the afternoon with Pin-Up Makeup: Create the Perfect Cat Eye, then moved to Pin-Up Makeup: Finishing Touches, Brows and Lips to perfect our looks. It was such a fun symposium and I was overwhelmingly happy with how many ladies came for this and left looking amazing. And special thanks to the lovely Nikki Napalm who assisted me throughout the afternoon, and who will be leading the 2015 Pin-Up Makeup symposium.

Special thanks to www.artofalbertine.com for the above images from the symposiums

In between all the time beautifying many ladies I got to drink my share of frothy tropical drinks, eat yummy sushi in the hotel bar, enjoy some pool time, do some amazing vintage shopping in the vendor area, see some great bands (including 60's icons Love!), and make many new friends.

Some of the many goodies I took home!

And this year exactly a month from posting this I will be back again to style hair and to teach a "Space Age Pin-up Hair" symposium. I can’t wait!

Want to have your hair styled by me at the event, book me here
(most Friday and Saturday slots are booked, but Sunday has many time slots still)

this sassy client took the cutest selfie with hair in progress

Even if you don’t have an appointment please plan to come by my booth in the Beauty Bungalow, just beyond the Car Show and outside vendor area. It is air-conditioned and I’ll have my Fox & Doll makeup and hair goodies for sale, including the perfect pin-up lipstick colors, brow perfecting powders, my new hair teasing combs and colorful handmade flowers for your hair. Plus Masuimi Max will be there with her I am Sin cosmetic collection and the ladies from Suavecita will be there selling their amazing pomades and hair styling products. And I will be doing I’ll be doing some fun product giveaways! We will be open Friday through Sunday 10am-4pm, though please take note I will close at 3:00 on Friday to teach my symposium, see below.

My Space Age Pin-up Hair symposium is on Friday at 4:00 in the Peacock Room II, pricing is only $15! It is recommended that you purchase your ticket in advance.

Mahalo!