Wedding Day Skin Emergencies…ooooo!
Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life—the last thing you want is for your skin to react and ruin your photos.
Unfortunately, while the time leading up to the wedding can be full of joy and excitement, it can also come with its fair share of stress.
Stress and excitement can take a toll on your skin, leaving you with breakouts, redness, flushing, and more.
We’ve got some preventative tips below, as well as some last-minute solutions so you look your best on your wedding day.
Wedding Day Emergencies: Prevention is best
When you’re under stress—even if that stress is positive, like your marriage—your body releases cortisol and other stress hormones. These can trigger oil production, increase inflammation and make your skin more reactive, leading to breakouts, dehydration and dullness.
To keep your skin in check, be sure to adjust your daily skin care routine in the weeks leading up to the wedding. You want a routine that handles the added physical and emotional toll of wedding preparation.
Increase hydration
Stress can dehydrate your skin, leading to a dull and tired appearance. If you notice your skin looking dry, boost hydration by incorporating a richer moisturizer or hydrating serum into your routine. CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture helps to replenish and retain moisture while helping to calm inflammation.
You may also want to use a hydrating mask once or twice a week. Look for ingredients like aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides to help plump the skin.
Strengthen your skin’s barrier
Stress can weaken the skin’s outer barrier, making it more susceptible to irritants and inflammation. Make sure you use a gentle cleanser that won’t strip the leather of its natural oils. Avoid harsh exfoliators or cleansers with strong detergents.
Then incorporate barrier-repairing ingredients into your routine. These include ceramides, fatty acids and antioxidants. Again, our Calming Moisture has these ingredients and more to tame irritation and help maintain healthy barrier function.
Tame Inflammation
Inflammation is at the heart of many skin conditions, including redness, rashes, dullness and more. Prevent the problem by incorporating products that reduce inflammation into your daily routine.
Our Rescue + Relief Spray is a great choice as it instantly soothes and calms stressed skin. With natural anti-inflammatory ingredients, it’s great for reducing redness and discomfort at all times. You can use it as a toner or spray on any time of the day when your skin needs a refresh.
Get enough sleep
Sleep is critical to the health and appearance of your skin. Unfortunately, you may miss out on opportunities in the weeks leading up to your wedding. If so, step up your efforts to get a good night’s sleep. Make sure your bedroom is dark, cool and quiet and keep all tech gadgets away, including your phone, tablet and TV.
Then do your best to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Have a bedtime routine that includes turning off most lights at least an hour before bed. Do something quiet and relaxing like reading or taking a warm bath before entering.
Wedding Day Emergencies: 10 Wedding Day Fixes
Sometimes even the best preparation efforts don’t work and you wake up on your wedding day with one of the following problems. Try these quick fixes.
1. Outbreaks
Start by cleansing your face with a gentle cleanser. Next, apply a spot treatment containing salicylic acid directly to the pimple. If you don’t have a spot treatment handy, a toothpaste (not gel) can help dry out the pimple.
Next, wrap an ice cube in a clean cloth and gently press it onto the pimple for about five minutes. This will help reduce swelling and redness. Then apply Calming Moisture to the area. It will help reduce redness and inflammation and promote healing. Repeat these steps if necessary later in the day.
To hide the pimple, first apply a primer (makeup artists often use our Calming Moisture), and use a color corrector. Green helps neutralize redness, making the pimple less noticeable. Next, apply a full-coverage concealer that matches your skin tone to cover the pimple, and finish by applying your foundation as usual, carefully blending it over the concealer (be careful not to disturb the concealer).
Set with powder if needed—use a fluffy brush to avoid a cakey look. Use a setting spray to help the fix last all day.
2. Swollen eyes
Start by standing under a hot shower for a few minutes. Let the warm water flow over your closed eyes. When you get out, pat them dry and apply a cold compress to your eyes for 10-15 minutes.
Then apply Rescue + Relief Spray to cool the skin around the eyes. (Always close your eyes before spraying.) Finally, use a caffeinated eye cream to reduce puffiness.
3. Dry patches & flakes
Gently exfoliate the affected areas with a mild scrub or chemical exfoliator. This can help remove dead skin cells and rejuvenate the area.
Then apply a rich moisturizer. If skin is very dry, try Restorative Skin Balm as a quick rescue. Otherwise, use our Soothing Moisture. Both will help hydrate and restore the skin’s barrier, helping to combat dryness.
4. Redness
Start by applying a cool compress for about five minutes, then spray Rescue + Relief Spray on the affected area. It is designed to help soothe inflammation, reduce redness and calm the skin. Then apply our Soothing Moisture.
To hide any redness before walking down the aisle, apply a green-toned primer before your foundation. Green neutralizes red tones, creating a more even complexion.
5. Oily skin
Stress often causes the skin to overproduce sebum (skin oil). Start your day with our Calming Moisture as it helps balance oil production and keeps your skin hydrated without feeling greasy.
Use blotting papers to absorb excess oil throughout the day without disturbing your makeup. Before the ceremony, use a matte primer to control shine and create a smooth base for your foundation.
6. Allergic reactions
Stress can make your skin more reactive to anything that touches it. If you’re unlucky enough to experience an allergic reaction, start by taking a common over-the-counter antihistamine to help tame your body’s histamine production. Apply a cold compress to the affected area until it calms down a bit.
Then apply Rescue + Relief Spray to soothe itching and reduce inflammation. If necessary, use an anti-itch cream on the affected area.
Finally, use a green tinted moisturizer or concealer to hide any redness before applying your foundation.
7. Uneven skin tone
If your skin shows up on your wedding day with an uneven tone or spots, start with a gentle cleanse and then tone with the Rescue + Relief Spray. Apply our Calming Moisture to help skin feel more balanced.
Then use a color-correcting primer to even out the skin’s appearance. A peach or orange-toned primer can help neutralize dark spots. Finally, apply a full coverage foundation and blend well to ensure a natural look.
Conclusion
Your wedding day should be a day of celebration, love and happiness – not a source of skin concerns. By following a consistent skincare routine and managing stress in the days leading up to the big day, you can reduce your risk of suffering from an emergency.
If such emergencies arise, try to stay calm and apply the above tips to look your best. Remember that a bright smile is your best accessory, so take care of yourself and enjoy every moment of your special day!
How do you handle wedding day skin emergencies?
Featured image from Marius Muresan via Unscrew.
