It is one week until your wedding day. All the little details are taken care of, and now you are focusing on looking your absolute best. Skip the risky and expensive facial treatment, and instead go with these tried and true beauty tricks for exquisite skin. Your glowing face will be a spotlight all its own.

Liquids Matter

In the week leading up to your big day, what you drink makes a gigantic difference in your skin quality. Even if you are feeling pre-wedding nerves, avoid alcohol as much as you possibly can (I know, it is hard). Alcohol will dull your skin, expose your pores, and the dehydrating effects will bring out all of your wrinkles. Not exactly what you want for your special day. Instead, drink loads and loads of water, or lemon water, throughout the day. This will hydrate your skin, which will diminish wrinkles, and bring a rosy plumpness (the good kind) to your face. Once or twice a day, drink a cup of unsweetened green tea. Green tea is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, and will keep you from retaining all of that extra water you are drinking.

 

Ditch the Make-up

You will have a great deal of make-up covering your face on your wedding day. Take this time to give your face some much needed airing out. According to dermatologist Dr. Jessica Krant, “stopping the use of foundation for a week could help clear up acne breakouts, and it could stop any rashes that are caused by irritating ingredients.” If going completely bare-faced freaks you out, use a little mascara and do your eyebrows. You might be surprised how “made up” you will still look, even without foundation.

 

Keep Your Cleanser and Moisturizer the Same

The time to experiment with your face wash and moisturizer has come and gone. Switching skin care products often requires an adjustment period, and trust us, now is not the time for that nonsense.

 

Rice Water Toner – Skin Care Nectar of the Gods

Here is the only exception to rule #3. You will either run screaming to tell your friends about this, or you will want to keep this juicy secret all to yourself (muah ha ha!). For absolutely beautiful, glowing skin, use rice water as a toner. It is beyond easy to make. Simply pour half a cup of rice (brown, white, doesn’t matter) into a bowl. Cover with cool water by a couple of inches, and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Strain the rice out, pour the water into a container (condiment squirt bottles work very well), and place in your bathroom. At least 3 times a day, squirt a little of this rice water onto a cotton pad, and wipe down your face. Your pores will literally shrink before your eyes, you will feel your skin tighten, and under eye wrinkles seem to almost completely disappear. It is amazing and you will never go back. Read more about the benefits of rice water here.

If a Pimple Pops Up…

Let’s face it, these suckers like to show up uninvited right before big events, especially photographed ones. You can do everything right, but stress will often bring them on. Here is how to handle it without damaging your now beautifully glowing skin. Apply ice to the pimple a few times a day. It will eventually shrink to an unnoticeable size, and your wedding make-up will cover it easily. Do NOT pick at it: this will cause the skin around it to become irritated and swollen, and your popped pimple will give way to peeling, flakey skin–which is much more difficult to cover with make-up. Ice is really all you need to combat a big stress zit, and the numbing effect will also help suppress that urge to pick.

 

You are now ready to go into your wedding day with the best skin of your life. Knock that lucky man’s socks off girl!