Looking picture-perfect on your big day can take some serious scheduling. But where do you start? With our list of what to do when.
Six months out:
Revive your skincare routine: Like any busy woman, you may ordinarily take a relaxed approach to skincare, but now is the time to get strict. For best results, visit a skin expert
to ascertain exactly what your skin needs for optimal health — and stick to it. A consultation at Auckland’s The Face Place, $99, is redeemable on recommended products.
Test a new cut or colour: Do you yearn for longer locks or think it’s time for the chop? Get your hair sorted sooner rather than later so if worse comes to worst, there’s time to rectify
any remorse. See Auckland’s D&M salon for a complementary consultation, and expect to pay $100-$170 for a cut and blow wave.
Start injectables: Frown lines, forehead creases, crow’s feet… If you’re considering injectable treatments such as Botox or dermal fillers, start scheduling regular appointments. Dr Cat Stone from The Face Place warns, “Don’t leave this to the last month, as most good clinics would be unlikely to treat you due to the risks of bruising or reactions.” Botox at The Face Place costs from $18 per unit (it’s around $180 to treat typical frown lines). Expect to pay $750-$995 for dermal fillers.
Zap unwanted hair: If you’re seeking smooth skin, start ASAP as you’ll need to wait at least six weeks between appointments. At OFF Wax & Laser, you’ll pay around $90 for an underarm session.
Devise a fitness and nutrition plan: If you haven’t already, it’s time to get serious about your eating and fitness regime, or lack thereof. If you want advice but don’t want a personal trainer or nutritionist in your face, you might like TIFFXO by Australian trainer Tiffany Hall, an online programme that includes workouts, meal plans, recipes and mindfulness techniques, from $54 per month.
Four months out:
Address pigmentation: If you’d like your skin to look better than ever, Clear + Brilliant can help, eliminating pigmentation and improving your skin’s overall appearance. This isn’t a fluffy facial and requires a topical anaesthetic — but the results are worth it. You’ll need at least four treatments, one month apart; they’re offered at Auckland’s About Face, from $1500 for four.
Lengthen lashes: Most lash serums will promote growth in around eight weeks, but to maximise the effect, give yourself four months. Try Latisse, $189, or Elizabeth Arden Prevage Clinical Lash+Brow Enhancing Serum, $190.
Reduce redness: IPL (intense pulsed light) works well for targeting redness on the face and décolletage. Ideally, make appointments for autumn or winter as sun exposure can hinder the results. See The Skin Institute nationwide; face treatment $495.
Introduce retinols: This powerful ingredient is highly active and works to dramatically reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and uneven skin tone. Word of warning, though: don’t introduce any retinols or vitamin A into your skincare regime any closer to your wedding day as the initial stages can cause flakiness and redness. We suggest Dermalogica Overnight Retinol Repair 1%, $198.
Elizabeth Arden Prevage Clinical Lash+Brow Enhancing Serum, $190; Dermalogica Overnight Retinol Repair 1%, $198.
Two months out:
Factor in facials: Whatever you do, don’t leave your facial for the week before your big day. While it might sound like a lovely way to relax, it’s best to get your skin used to them well in advance so you don’t experience any adverse reactions. So, get organised now, and consider Caci’s new Ki Sonophoresis Infusion, from $100, which uses sound waves to ensure the treatment penetrates deeply into the skin.
Get your glow on: To promote healing, plump up your skin and boost hydration for that sought-after wedding glow, give light-therapy treatment Omnilux a go. About Face’s Glow package, $1050, includes seven Omnilux treatments, a facial and a skin peel or microdermabrasion session.
One month out:
Have a final fling: Schedule your last Botox or dermal filler for now. This will allow time for any bruising to settle.
Target your hair texture: Improve your tresses with Davines’ in-salon treatment range. Naturaltech Replumping Hair Filler Superactive infuses hair with hyaluronic acid to re-plump strands and leave them bouncy and shiny. From $35 plus a blow wave at selected Davines salons nationwide.
Lessen cellulite: Environ’s Body Profile, $78, brings a satisfying tightening sensation to the skin — you can practically feel the dimples disappearing.
Davines replumping hair filler superactive; Environ’s Body Profile, $78
Two weeks out:
Smooth wrinkles: There’s quite the buzz around La Prairie Line Interception Power Duo, $490, a day and night pairing that’s being touted as the closest a cream has come to Botox. It aims to limit the chances of wrinkles developing or deepening by lessening the intensity of your frown.
Hydrate your hair: Begin quenching the insatiable thirst of dry locks with regular applications of L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Nutrifier Glycerol Masque, $34. Each strand is beautified with a combination of glycerol for extreme hydration and coconut oil for shine.
La Prairie Line Interception Power Duo, $490; L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Nutrifier Glycerol Masque, $34.
One week out:
Wax off: Avoid tender, red skin by scheduling any final waxing for at least one day before your spray tan. At OFF Wax & Laser, prices start from $57 for Brazilian maintenance. Book a beauty blitz: Need a spray tan, an eyelash tint and a brow shape? Head to Benefit’s Ponsonby, Auckland store to tick them all off the list from $18.
Polish those locks: For glossy tresses, use a hair treatment formulated for shine a couple of days before you say “I do”. Try Joico K-PAK Color Therapy Luster Lock, $34.
Curl your lashes: The Lash Lift, $69, at Auckland’s Lash Noir is quick and easy and makes lashes appear permanently curled.
Joico K-PAK Color Therapy Luster Lock, $34.
The day before:
Boost skin before bedtime: Slather on an overnight mask that will lift, firm and hydrate your skin. Again, make sure you’ve tested it out before now, though, to avoid unexpected
skin reactions. We like the Environ Intensive Revival Masque, $95.
Manage your mani-pedi: Go down the gel or shellac road and your nails will be one less thing you have to do on the morning of your wedding. Pamper yourself with a visit to Ponsonby’s The Art of Nails, where for $158 your feet will be soaked, exfoliated and massaged before a clay mask is applied. They’ll then be smothered in paraffin wax before your toenails are painted.
Perfect your pout: Get your lips in kissable condition with a balm before bed. If there was ever a time to spoil yourself with La Mer’s The Lip Balm, $120,
it’s now.
Take the pressure down: With all that plotting and planning, you deserve a reward. Relax with a massage at East Day Spa. We’re fans of the Shanti — a Swedish massage with Asian influences, $170 for 90 minutes.
Environ Intensive Revival Masque, $95; La Mer’s The Lip Balm, $120.
Words: Sarah Murray
Photos: Guy Coombes/Supplied
This article originally appeared in Fashion Quarterly Issue 2 2017.
