I just got married last weekend to my partner of over six years. We had a beautiful garden ceremony in our backyard. As much as we tried to plan every detail, many things were out of our control - one of which was my skin.
I got my period one hour before I walked down the aisle. Poor planning uterus...thank you for that. This meant that, not only was I cramping as I did my makeup but I had vicious hormonal acne for the days leading up to my big day. It’s very common to get hormonal acne on your jawline and chin. That’s what happened to me. Add to that the stress of planning a wedding and you are in for some serious skin issues. Days before the wedding, I stepped back from applying oil serums and leaned into using my toner exclusively. Toners are great for drying out oily skin during hormonal or stress induced breakouts.
Our wedding was very DIY. That meant, I did all my own hair and makeup or I should say...I did very little hair and makeup. When I say, I wanted a “natural” look, I meant it!
So day of, I was in my bathroom drinking a beer that my soon-to-be husband brewed (he owns the island’s brewery) and I started in on my skincare routine - wedding edition!
First of all, I put on absolutely NO mascara because I knew the tears would be streaming. Did I mention, I was on my period?! There was zero chance of a dry face. In fact, I had no eye makeup whatsoever. Our wedding vibe was rooted in nature so it made sense for me to use only green beauty brands for my look.
Here’s how I got radiant natural-looking skin for my wedding day:
- I started by giving myself a facial using our Morning Trio. I applied our Everyday Cleanser and using the facial brush, I gently exfoliated my face and rinsed with a warm washcloth. My moment of zen. Then I spritzed our Sunup Toner for balance - physically and mentally. And finally, I finished with the star of the show, our lovely Rose Serum.
- Using a spot concealer, I dabbed at my most obvious chin pimples. Little buggers..
- Then, I applied Ilia True Skin Serum Foundation for full coverage. I learned about Ilia from the suggestions of many of our instagram followers. Thank you! I am a devotee.
- For blush and lips, I used my girl Ruth from our Biddy Balm Collection! And for a final shimmer, I applied Opal Starlight Highlighter from Ogee’s Crystal Contour Collection on my nose, cupid’s bow and upper cheekbones.
- After all that, I did a final spritz of our harvest batch Rose Hydrosol, handmade from our island beach roses, to both collect myself and smell like rose petals.
- I gave myself a wink in the mirror, finished my beer and headed toward the aisle!
Cheers to love and healthy skin!
Have a natural beauty product that you swear by? Let me know! Find us on instagram @islapothecary or send me an email fiona@islandapothecary.com
Photos by Bill Trevaskis