Getting married in 6 months - need polishing - help!

[UnrulyPig]

I get married in 6 months time (yay!) and I need hints and tips for how to look lovely

I'm old(er) - will be 40-something by then. I'm slowly losing weight and toning up, so I'm not too fussed about that side of things. But I am low-maintenance in terms of general self-care and really do want to look polished and fabulous on the day. I loathe loathe LOATHE having my photo taken and really do need to feel very happy indeed with the way I look in order to feel confident in photos.

So...what do I need to think about? What were the 'style & beauty' bits that you did for yourself in order to feel beautiful on your wedding day? I still want to look like me, obviously, but a really great version of me!

I'm a nail biter and need to stop - should I try gel nails?
Did you have facials? Are they worth it?
I usually wear glasses and will wear contacts on the day; I was thinking about some very natural false eyelashes - is that too much?
I have grey hair which is generally in good condition but what could I do to ensure it's really nice and shiny?
Teeth whitening??
What can I do about my scraggy neck?

Anything that you did that made you feel really confident and lovely - let me know? Happy to take any and all suggestions!

I honestly think you’ll care a lot more about your weight than you think. That would be number one for me everything else can go touched up, styled, blow dried on the day. If your dress doesn’t sit right or gapes at the boobs no matter how pretty your hair and make up that’s what you’ll be drawn to on the photos.
Oh a great underwear, get the foundation layer perfect

Believe it or not I am genuinely fine about my weight - I have a few more lbs to knock off ideally but am quite confident I'll get there. I'm very happy with my dress and there won't be any boob gaping

You're absolutely right about the great foundation layer though, very important!

Good underwear, good makeup. There was a thread a while ago about going to sleep smothered in Vaseline. I decided to give it a crack (using hydromol instead as I have eczema and have tons of the greasy stuff kicking around) and it is miraculous. Worth reading if you can find it!

I'd also opt for a "gentle" chemical peel (a zero down time one) or dermaplaning or similar. With regards to any neck improvements there's not a lot you can do, profhilo (at around £500) would help a bit if you're really bothered?

Prai neck cream (M&S or QVC stock it) brilliant on the neck to decolletage

Nails - yes sure, try gel or shellac nails if you like, maybe it will break your nail biting habit.

Skin - What is your skin like now? Do you have a skincare routine currently? If not, start one. The Ordinary has some great products but go gently with the acids and retinols if you're using them. A facial a couple of days before your wedding will give you a glow (I really rate CACI facials) but make sure you've had the exact same facial before, just in case you have an allergic reaction to the products.

Make up - You can ask your wedding make up artist to do a test run a few weeks / months before so you can use that to see if you'd like to try false eyelashes and what kind of look you are going for on the day.

Hair - do a deep conditioning treat once a week this Garnier Banana one is good, have it trimmed regularly, and don't change hairdressers immediately before the wedding in case you get scalped.

Teeth - Your dentist can make moulds of your teeth which you fill with bleaching solution and wear for an hour a few nights in a row. This will give you lovely white teeth, but they might be a bit sensitive.

Neck - The bog standard blue Nivea is great for a crepey neck and decolletage. It's so thick it seems to work like polyfilla.

None of this is mandatory though, you don't have to walk down the aisle like a pantomime dame, just do whatever you feel happy with. Enjoy!

Oooh, I have some of the blue Nivea knocking around so will definitely try that on my neck. I'm trying to drink more water as I think being dehydrated doesn't help with the crepey neck skin, and losing some weight just seems to have made it worse.

My skin is not bad for my age, I think. I do get the odd hormonal spot and I have a couple of tiny broken veins on my cheekbones but they cover easily with a light foundation. I've not got too much in the way of lines. I've never had a facial though and am a bit nervous about breakouts etc. Do I need a course of them?

I'm going to look into gel nails. Don't they wreck your normal nails underneath though?

My eyebrows need sorting too. God, how do people keep up with this stuff?

I'll have a look for the Vaseline thread!

I think there is a Princessing thread around on S&B that you could join. It's filled with people regularly grooming themselves and keeping themselves accountable by posting (I think I crashed out of my first princessing after 3 days 😂)

A course of facials is best, but try a few different types to see what your skin likes. Some are exfoliating, some plumping, some have Infrared lights, some put snail slime on your face; there's a whole world of facials out there! My favourite, CACI, uses an electric current to tighten your skin up. The results last about a week, but will apparently last longer if you do a full course with regular touch ups thereafter. Have a look on Groupon for offers near you.

If you try the Vaseline trick you have to put it on over the top of your night cream. It stops the cream evaporating and forces it to go into your face. Just putting Vaseline on it's own on your face won't do anything.

Shellac wrecks my nails, I think the removal more than the polish itself, but it makes your nails so pretty and unchipable it's almost worth it, especially for a special occasion like a wedding. After you've had them removed (have it done at a salon and dont let them use an electric file on your own nails) rub coconut oil into your nails a few times a day to strengthen them up again.

Eyebrows - do you have an Asian run salon near you? They usually do eyebrow threading, which is much gentler on your skin (but sadly more painful) than waxing, and it's generally cheaper than going to a chain salon. Or go to any proper salon, but not the eyebrow places inside department stores; for some reason they always seem to leave people with wonky eyebrows.

It seems like a lot, but you can just pick and choose the things that you think are worth it. Maybe you'll even discover a newfound love of giant pink talons with diamantés hanging off the ends