People who wear makeup often seek to enhance one feature, like their eyes or their lips. In order to best play up that feature, however, the skin needs to be in its best form. This means proper skin care, makeup preparation, and finding the perfect foundation match.

Skin Factors:

Factors that Affect Skin

• The condition of your skin is determined by several factors, both internal and external. Of these, the state of your internal health is probably the most important.
• Air conditioning: If you spend long hours in an air-conditioned room or office, your skin will suffer from loss of moisture. Without adequate protection , the dryness can persist and start affecting the inner layer of the skin.
• Pollution: The high level of chemicals in the air has become a matter of universal concern. These pollutants are skin aiirtants. The increase in the incidence of problems like sensitivity, rashes, acne and other eruptive conditions, as wel as dehydration of the skin, is being attributed to air pollution.
• Sun: The sun is the skin’s worst enemy. Exposure to the ultravoilet rays of the sun changes the collagen fibres and is the single most improtant factor in the ageing of skin. the damage is cumulative and may not be immediately apparent. It can also deplete the skin of moisture and interfere with the skin’s natural ability to retain moisture.
• Mental stress: Mental stress and negative emotions affect the functioning of the internal organs, in many ways that are reflected on the skin in the form of problems, like acne. Mental Stress can also upset the normal balances of the body, which show up on the skin.
• Seasonal changes: Changes in climate conditions can bring about the changes in the requirement of your skin. In the cold, dry winter months the skin looses moisture to the atmosphere. Even people with oily skin experiece dryness of the outer layer. Dry skin can get further dehydrated and in some cases develop sensitivity.

Skin:

If you don’t have a regular skin-care routine, start one three to five months before the wedding. This will give your skin time to adjust. Skin care doesn’t have to be expensive or confusing. Use a basic cleanser, such as Cetaphil, morning and night. Exfoliate once or twice per week, and use a moisturizer twice per day. Lip balm is also a good idea to keep lips hydrated and soft.

Seeing an esthetician at a salon or spa is also a great way to begin a personalized skin care routine. While it would be ideal to start getting facials 4-6 months before the wedding, you can start as late as three months. Do note, however, that you should not get a facial within two weeks of your wedding, so schedule accordingly.

Avoid the tanning bed. Not only is tanning bad for the health of your skin, brides who are normally light to moderate in color end up looking unnatural in their wedding photos years later. If you truly feel you need a touch of color for your wedding day, opt for a sunless tanner or spray on tan instead. They have developed significantly over the years and options for fair skin and dark skin are all available without the worry of turning bright orange.

Sunless tanning products are safe for your skin, temporary, and achieve the same results without the damaging effects of the sun. Your first coat of sunless tanner should be applied five days prior to the wedding, and if you desire a darker color, apply another coat three days prior to the big day.

Foundation:

On an everyday basis, a foundation with SPF is recommended, but on your wedding day, you should use a foundation that does notcontain any sort of sunscreen ingredient. The ingredients that act as sunscreen will reflect the photographer’s flash, making your face look brighter than the rest of your body. The reflection also washes out your features. During formal portraits, the photographer can “bounce” the light, which neutralizes the SPF brightness, but candid shots, photos during the ceremony, and the reception are usually not staged, and therefore it is best to eliminate SPF in your foundation altogether.

Using a foundation primer after moisturizing and before your foundation will significantly increase the length of time between powder touch-ups. Additionally, foundation primers even out the skin tone and texture of the skin, and absorb oil, to keep shininess at bay.

Make sure that the foundation you select matches your skin tone perfectly. Choosing the right foundation texture is equally as important. The right texture will ensure that your makeup lasts throughout the day and into the evening.