wedding season

There are few beauty blogs I trust as implicitly as Into the Gloss. Why? Because Emily Weiss, founder of ITG and Glossier, understands what the beauty-obsessed set want — a real, honest take on products, AM/PM skincare and makeup routines, and voyeuristic trips into people’s medicine cabinets. In a nutshell, ITG offers up expert testimonials, models’ beauty dossiers, and celebrity skincare routines as seamlessly as if you were getting the lowdown from your closest girlfriends over drinks and an endless supply of bar nuts.

So, when ITG’s very own Weiss got married a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t help but wonder: what did her wedding prep routine consist of? Did she take part in some insane glowing-skin rituals/Vitamin-C peel regimen? What was her workout poison of choice? et. al. The funny thing is — my husband and I got married in the Fall of 2014, so I didn’t need these tips for my own wedding prep. I just wanted to know for knowing’s sake. This got me thinking … why not share my own wedding prep journey with you? I hope you find inspiration from my own trials, tribulations, and successes. Much like Weiss expresses in her own bridal beauty recap: I, too, was really happy with how I looked and felt on my big day. Obviously, it was merely the icing on the (wedding) cake, but worth sharing all the same. Have your own set of bridal recommendations to divulge? Leave ’em in the comments!

WELLNESS + DIET
I am so bad at sticking to cleanses and any kind of diet. Really, truly. Even telling me to “eat in moderation” sounds enough like a rule that I am tempted to break it. Despite this truth, here’s what I did: I kept gluten but I cut out dairy (mostly because I don’t like dairy-based products). I adhered to a mostly plant-based diet — lots of juices, smoothies, and salads — with the occasional chicken/turkey entree. I consciously made an effort to drink more water. I did not cut out wine. In fact, I may have increased my wine intake. That’s it for diet and “eating clean.” Sorry, folks.

BODY
For most of my life, I’ve been a non-committal runner. When I lived in NYC, I would drag myself out of bed most mornings and run from my East Village apartment to the East River, down to the Williamsburg Bridge, and back. It was the perfect supplement to all the mileage I accrued while walking everywhere during the day/night. No need for anything else. That changed when I moved to Austin/when I hit my late 20s, which coincidentally happened at the same time. With a less forgiving metabolism, a less than forgiving Texas summer, and an unwillingness to transition to treadmill running, I needed to find something that kept me motivated, stimulated, and on the right path to wearing a back-less wedding dress confidently. Enter Barre3. I started going to class four to five times a week at the studio in downtown Austin, and it changed the way I viewed exercise and my body. More than ever before, I felt strong. They say you start to see results after taking about 10 classes, but I started noticing a trimmed-and-tone difference by the third class.

FACE
I sat down with my esthetician at milk + honey spa about 10 months before the wedding and we discussed skincare goals. Mine were: smaller pores, less redness in my cheeks, clear back (backless dress, remember?), and clear skin so that I didn’t have to wear heavy foundation or airbrush makeup. After that, I got monthly facials and back facials with the bi-monthly peel thrown into the mix. For my AM at-home routine, I used Cosmedix Protect SPF, Cosmedix Mystic Spray, and Cosmedix Phytoclear moisturizer. At night, I washed my face with Murad’s Time-Release Acne Cleanser, then applied Kimberly Sayer Calendula & Tangerine Night Cream and Cosmedix Eye Genius.

NAILS
Three months out, I started getting bi-weekly pedicures so I could play around with SpaRitual polishes and find “the one” for my toes. Ultimately, I chose ‘Love is in the Air’ for toes and a no-polish buff + shine for my fingernails. By the way, I’m notoriously horrible to my fingernails and cuticles. I bite them, chew on them, etc. That didn’t really stop leading up to the wedding — wedding planning is stressful! So, Belinda (my nail therapist at milk + honey) worked her nail magic and made me feel so beautiful despite the fact that I am always the most self-conscious about my hands.

LASHES
Sadly, I didn’t experiment with lash extensions until after the wedding. I don’t know why it took me so long to take the plunge — it’s definitely worth the weirdness of getting your eyelids taped shut for an hour and a half. Now, I’d recommend any of milk + honey’s estheticians for Lavish Lash extensions. For the day of, though, I used a combination of Dior’s Show Blackout mascara and Kevyn Aucoin’s ‘The Essential’ mascara along with individual fake lashes.

BROWS
I’ve been shaping, growing out, taming, and generally spoiling my brows for years. I kept a pretty regular appointment (every three to four weeks) of waxing my brows with Pamela or Annette at milk + honey’s 2nd Street District location. I wish I had tried brow tinting before the wedding; alas, along with lash extensions, I discovered its magic after I was married. My milk + honey makeup artist, Corrie, did a great job of filling my brows so that they looked full and dark but natural.

HAIR
We got married in October. I let my hair grow long, long, long and had it braided to the side, fishtail-style. My hair stylist, Jay at SALON by milk + honey at 2nd Street District, is amazing. She cuts and colors my hair year-round, and for my wedding day, she created the prettiest braid, complete with baby’s breath tucked throughout the crown of the braid.

CREDITS
Hair: Jay R. at milk + honey
Makeup: Corrie at milk + honey
Photography: you are my true