Annie's Pre-Wedding Beauty Glow Guide

Annie's Pre-Wedding Beauty Glow Guide

09.22.2016    |    
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I was engaged 14 months before my actual wedding day. It sounds like a lot of time to prep, right? Wrong. Every bride feels like she has more time to plan than she actually does, especially in the beginning. This all comes crashing down when she suddenly wakes up and it’s 4 month’s out. Time really really really flies.

The summer leading up to the wedding was crazy. I was traveling a lot over June and July and was barely even at home in New York. The last 3 weeks in July I traveled to 4 separate counties, attended 3 different weddings and by the time I returned home at the end of the month, my head was spinning. I decided to go all in and order the 21-day clean program cleanse, which is my absolute favorite. I had been drinking like a fish so I was ready for a full detox.

Other than my cleanse, I wanted to give you all the beauty secrets that helped me get ready for the day when I needed to seriously glow and feel confident. Check out my 8-step plan below.

WELLNESS

The Clean Program. I love the Clean Program so much that I ended up doing it for six weeks leading up to the wedding. It was super intense, but worth it.

The cleanse goes something like this. You have a shake in the morning a clean, hearty, protein filled meal for lunch and another shake for dinner. You also take probiotics and supplements at every meal. For lunch I would have a big leafy green salad with scallions, avocado and cold water-packed tuna with balsamic and olive oil or a piece of salmon, grilled vegetables or sautéed spinach. I would try to mix it up but I am such a boring eater so I didn’t really mind eating the same thing every day.

If I had a dinner or something at night that I couldn’t drink my smoothie, I would plan for it and drink two smoothies during the day and have my clean meal at night.

When you are on the clean program, there is a whole list of foods you have to eliminate. For example, you can eat whole fish, organic chicken and turkey, but you can’t eat strawberries, gluten, dairy, eggs or proceeded sugar. You also can’t have coffee or alcohol.

But let me tell you, I’ve never felt better. Disclaimer: I did drink coffee, but drank it with unsweetened almond milk and stevia, which are both allowed.

Vitamins. I took biotin for my hair and nails everyday. There is nothing quite like this all-natural supplement.

Beauty Elixirs. I love Raw Complexions the Beauty Pack because it includes everything your body needs to glow from the inside out. I hate having to buy all those different additives. This is like an all-in-one. I also added Moon Juice Beauty Dust into my morning smoothies because why not.

Body Vibes. These super vibe stickers, whether they were the placebo effects or the real thing, got me though the emotional rollercoaster that was my wedding.

BODY

Gym. I took it light. I went to two classes of Barre3 a week. I didn’t want to bulk up. I just wanted to stay ballerina lean. I also elevated my legs at a 90 degree angle on a wall for 45 minutes at night, whenever I found the time.

Massage. I alternated between hard-core painful massage and lymphatic massage. A week before the big day, I got a few lymph massages on my body and on my face to reduce puffiness.

Products. I used Tata Harper’s Body Balm because it gets rid of stretch masks and cellulite and Arcona Body Lotion 10% because it’s packed with glycolic acid to improve tonal quality and elasticity in the skin. It made my skin super soft and imperfection-free.

HAIR

Color. I lighted my hair a little before the wedding with my go-to favorite colorist around, Mauricio Bermudez at Sweet Caroline. He is famous for his blond clients like Dree Hemingway.

Cut. Tiffani at Sweet Caroline, who also works right under the famous Guido, cut my hair. She has the best vibes and I also did all my wedding hair trials with her. There is no one better than Tiffani.

Products. I stopped using anything harsh that could cause breakage. I stuck to Christophe Robin because it’s gentle and free of gross chemicals. I absolutely love his products. They give your mane a thick, healthy finish. Christophe Robin Prickly Pear Regenerating ShampooRose Water Conditioner and the Prickly Pear Regenerating Mask. For styling I opted for Shu Uemura Essence Absolue, the Wonder Worker and the Cotton Uzu Defining Cream.

FACE

Facials. I booked weekly appointments at Dangene. I wanted lots of LEDS, microdermabrasion, oxygen and light peels.

Dermaplane. A week before the wedding, I got dermaplane, which is where they shave all the micro hairs off your face. Makeup application has never felt so good.

Laser. I burned everything off and got lots of laser over the past year leading up to the wedding. I also did some really invasive laser and chemical peels that took weeks of downtime earlier in the year. I also did acid treatments on my hands, back, neck, chest, arms and face.

Face Masks. I did lots of at-home hydration and glowing masks. I stuck to these three all-stars: Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask, SK-II Facial Treatment Mask and May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon. The week before the wedding my sister, my parents (even my Dad) and I used the SK-II mask every night before bed.

LED Face Mask. Every three days I’d take 15 minutes at the end of the day to lie under my Korean light mask. I did as Gucci Westman recommended and used the SK-II facemask right beforehand to make the most of the treatment. Dermstore also sells some bada** light devices…that are actually on SALE this week!

Eyes. Even when I get a ton of sleep I still have a propensity for under-eye bags. Verso Eye Serum is the only thing that works to get rid of the bags. Period.

NAILS

Gels. Naomi Yasuda, who is the cutest person in the world, did my nails. They were long and rounded with a gradient white ombre and tiny gold sparkles in the middle of the nail. It was inspired by my wedding dress.

Mani/ Pedi. I go to Eve, which is right around the corner from my apartment. They give great mani-pedis and sometimes I even see SJP in there. It’s totally no frills, but I love it.

Nail Oil. I wanted really long nails on my wedding day, so I started using Uka Nail Oil every night. This kept my nails and cuticles from being so dry during the day and therefore less tempting to pick and less likely to break.

TEETH

My dentist recommended Crest Whitestrips Express which Henry and I used every day or every other day for three weeks prior to the wedding.

HAIR REMOVAL

I saw my girl Nicky Cayot and she did the works on me right before the wedding. She waxed my bikini and dyed my lashes. She also trimmed and shaped my brows. Another one of her clients is Gisele. Enough said.

LASHES AND BROWS

I stopped tweezing my brows a few months before the wedding and went crazy with Revitalash Eyelash Serum and Plump Brow Serum. I have never had my brows and lashes this full in my life.

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