Unlock Your Bridal Beauty Potential, with Sandy Thinnes
By Sandy Thinnes, Sandy Thinnes Beauty Flow | Feature Photo by Madi Ellis Photography
You’ve been imagining your wedding day for months, years, maybe even decades. As you prepare to walk down the aisle, it’s natural to want to look and feel your absolute best. That’s where mindful pre-wedding beauty routines come into play. By prioritizing foundational beauty leading up to your big day, you can unlock your bridal beauty potential and radiate confidence from the inside out.
Here are some tips on how to elevate your pre-wedding beauty routine and ensure a world-class glow on your special day:
FOCUS ON THE INNER GLOW FIRST
A balanced inner world is the infrastructure for healthy, radiant skin. Your mind, gut and skin all live on the same line and talk to one another 24/7. When one feels stressed, it calls the other two on speed dial and lets them know, resulting in chaos you can see or feel.
Tending to your foundational beauty means prioritizing your mindset and self-connection, as well as your nutrition and lifestyle. Optimizing your skincare and perfecting makeup looks is much easier when you’re balanced on the inside.
BE A BRIDE-CHILLA
You are not alone if you have felt your nervous system becoming more activated than usual during pre-wedding planning. Stress triggers a flight, fight or freeze response that spikes cortisol, epinephrine and adrenaline. Chronic elevation of these hormones eventually causes a breakdown in collagen, elastin and moisture, which can induce inflammatory reactions in the skin.
Nervous system regulation will be your best beauty secret! Meditation and breathwork are the most effective interventions for becoming a “bride-chilla.” Other powerful ways to bring on the zen include light and cold therapy, journaling and natural sunlight exposure.
These practices carry beyond the pre-wedding phase. Choose a few practices to start today, and within 30 days, you’ll notice improvements in your skin’s moisture content, texture and clarity.
When you are down to the wire two weeks before your wedding day, these practices will keep you centered every step of the way.
EAT PRETTY
To achieve skin clarity, vitality and firmness, focus on eating foods that support a healthy and diverse microbiome, foster good digestion, balance blood sugar and optimize with minerals. Start today by implementing these nourishment tips:
- Incorporate colorful fiber, greens, omega-3 fats and quality protein into meals and snacks
- Eat home-cooked meals 85% of the time and restaurant food 15% of the time
- Amplify your hydration by adding trace mineral drops to your water
On the flip side, be aware of foods that can lead to beauty blunders. Gluten, dairy and sugar are the main culprits affecting your gut, mind and skin.
Remember, it’s essential to eat enough and not skip meals — you need energy, vitamins and minerals to nourish your hair, skin and nails. Prioritize nutrient-dense foods as much as possible. And note that relying on coffee, smoothies and juicing as meals is not a sustainable solution to achieving that bridal glow.
The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll heal your gut, leading to improved skin health and fewer adverse reactions. It takes about two months for the benefits of nutrition to show up on the skin. Start making small changes toward better nutrition today if you want to see a change in your habits in time for you to say “I do.”
INTENTIONAL REST AND MOVEMENT
You can’t be radiant and exhausted at the same time. The biology of beauty has a general rule: when you are depleted, you look depleted.
Prioritizing rest (physical, creative, emotional and social) is how to make it to the wedding day without feeling depleted. Keep in mind that this includes beauty sleep. During REM and deep sleep, your body regenerates, repairs and rejuvenates. Aim for at least seven hours a day to complete the sleep cycle. As a result, you will gain healthier skin and avoid dark and puffy under-eye circles.
Movement isn’t just about building the body you want for your wedding. It’s also a powerful tool for mental clarity, emotional well-being and skin health. The more you move your body, the more you promote lymphatic drainage, detoxification, circulation and oxygen to the skin cells. Aim for a balanced routine of strength training, endurance training, cardio, yoga and pilates to achieve a full range of beneficial results.
Replenishing your body and beauty is a long game, but it offers the most rewarding benefits for full-bridal beauty. When you have your internal beauty routine on lock, you’ll experience that bridal beauty breakthrough.
SKINCARE OPTIMIZATION
After your foundational beauty has been established, optimizing your skin from a topical perspective is much easier. Much of your care will happen at home, so create an environment and fully equip yourself with the products to care for yourself with ease.
The best skincare routine is a consistent one. After 30 consistent days of using a makeup remover, cleanser, moisturizer, SPF and three serums: Vitamin C, AHA/BHA and Retinoid, you’ll see a positive shift in your complexion.
For a more targeted approach, the sooner you jump on in-office or esthetic treatments, the better. It takes time to learn how your skin will respond to treatments. So waiting until a few months before the wedding may not serve you well, as some treatments take 2-4 weeks to show the full benefit. You’ll want to know how your skin responds before booking your final treatments 3-4 weeks before your wedding date.
THE FINAL TOUCHES
About four months before your wedding date, you and your makeup artist will collaborate on a look that conveys your essence. Now, it’s time to see the fruits of your labor! Your bridal beauty vision really will materialize during this makeup trial.
Schedule your trial makeup appointment for a time when you can wear the look for an extended period. This will allow you to properly test the long-wear capabilities and how well it adapts to your skin.
THE POWER OF AN INSIDE-OUT APPROACH
As you take the next steps on your journey to “I do,” remember to prioritize foundational beauty, nourish your body and mind and embrace the beauty of the process. With a mindful pre-wedding routine, you’ll look your best on your special day and feel empowered, confident and ready to embark on a lifetime of love and happiness with your partner. Here’s to unlocking your bridal beauty potential and celebrating the beautiful journey ahead!
Beauty Favorites:
- C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream, Drunk Elephant
- Ocean Cleanser, OSEA
- Vitamins C+E+Ferulic Serum, Marie Veronique
- Acid Potion, Moon Juice
- Supermello Hyaluronic Gel Cream Moisturizer, Kinship
- Nutrient Day Cream with SPF 30, Josh Rosebrook
- 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Hydra-Gel Eye Patches, Peter Thomas Roth
- Sea Vitamin C Sèrum, MARA
About The Author
Sandy Thinnes is a makeup artist and the founder and CEO of Beauty Flow. In her 20+ years in the beauty industry, she provided makeup for New York Fashion Week, commercial production sets, celebrities and hundreds of Chicago-based brides. Now, she also provides 1:1 beauty and wellness coaching through her company, Beauty Flow. As an experienced beauty expert, certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and Mindset Coach, Thinnes helps women align their inner and outer worlds with daily wellness and beauty routines to optimize their vitality and longevity.
Sandy Thinnes Beauty Flow
sandythinnes.com | sandythinnesbeautyflow.com
