Putting on the glitz: Your pre-wedding guide to perfect skin

Looking amazing on your big day is about more than whacking on some make-up and a nice hairdo. It’s the result of weeks, if not months of preparation. It’s about glowing – from the inside.

That sage advice comes from natural beauty specialist Marlin Sternstain who has worked in the American and Australian beauty industries for more than 16 years. Though her specialty is skin care, Marlin believes in a holistic approach to pre-wedding beauty, one that, logically, involves taking care of your whole body, from the food you put inside it, to the exercise you do to maintain it and, of course, your daily beauty routine, which adds the final touches on “outer layer will be that you glow”.

“I’m not a fitness or healthcare expert, but you can’t go wrong eating a little healthier, exercising a little (more) and drinking plenty of water” says Marlin who founded The Mineral Miracle, an online beauty store specialising in natural and organic beauty products.

“What I can tell you about, however, is skincare and, ideally, a bride’s skincare routine should start about two months before her big day, but it’s never too late to start.”

For those brides with more serious skin conditions or those wanting to improve hyper pigmentation (such as uneven skin tones and dark spots) or acne, starting your skincare routine three months before your big day will give your skin time to adjust to any new products and the overall beauty routine.

Most importantly, it will have time to start healing.

Marlin says the three golden rules of any daily skincare routine are to cleanse, tone and moisturise – and these three rules apply not just to brides, but grooms as well. “Men’s skin is, after all, the same as ours,” she insists.

“Be sure to cleanse your skin twice a day using a facewash or a gentle soap.

“I like to do it once in the morning and once at night as good cleaning will remove any impurities from the surface of the skin,” says Marlin, who also happens to be a trained artist whose passion is painting with oils.

The next step is to use toner on the cleaned skin. Toner is one of those things many of us ditch from our daily beauty routines. Between reports that say toner is used to return the pH balance of the cleaned skin to normal and others that say it does nothing more than sting and dry out the already clean skin, it’s little wonder many of us are leery of toner.

However, Marlin suggests toner is vital for preparing the skin to absorb the moisturiser that will be applied in step number three, which is about nourishing the cleaned skin.

“Do this every morning and every night and, maybe, use a facemask or scrub at least once a week and the difference will easily be visible within a few weeks,” says Marlin.

“Obviously, everyone’s skin is different but by taking a holistic approach to your overall health and skincare, it’s inevitable that you’ll look and feel healthier on your big day.

“You won’t need to use so much make up or product and you’ll genuinely love what you see in the mirror because it’s the real you shining through.”