By Sruthi Ravinder

Bridal makeup calls for glitter, gold, and bold makeup. We’ve previously covered the how-to on applying your makeup right; and now it’s time to get into the skin care routine around it. While makeup can leave you feeling like a glam queen on your wedding day, you might wake up the next morning to peeling flaky skin, flared pores and in a week, acne or blackheads. Skincare and makeup shouldn’t be treated as two separate entities. From beauty naps before to satin pillows after, here is how you can make sure your glow will not disappear at the stroke of midnight.

How you can prepare your skin before you apply heavy makeup 

Pre-mask Exfoliate: It’s important that you rid your face of dead skin before applying makeup. For this, you need to exfoliate your skin with lactic or glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is one of the most efficient exfoliants; it removes the outermost layer of dead cells revealing brighter, fresher skin.

Product: 

Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Peel and Reveal Revitalising Mask

Caudalie Glycolic Peel

Hydrate: Just like the rest of our body, our skin needs to stay hydrated. So before you layer up your face with foundation and BB crèmes it’s very important to moisturize. No matter what your skin type is, moisturizing should be a non-negotiable part of prepping your skin for makeup application. Packing on a layer of hydration, helps plump up your skin. Therefore, you have a smoother, ready canvas to start your makeup.

Massage: Use oil to gently massage your skin. Facial massage is important in skin stimulation. You can do this even while moisturizing.

Is beauty sleep a real thing? 

It sure is. The magic time falls between seven to eight hours of sleep. Your skin goes to work repairing the day’s damage at night. A good snooze helps rejuvenate your skin by warding off dull and dry skin, puffy eyes, and slows the skin aging process.

So if you have a big day tomorrow, you better snooze before midnight. You really will wake up prettier!

Product: In case you’ve missed it here’s a quick fix that’ll act as a power nap! Estée Lauder’s new Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery PowerFoil Mask

Post-Party Clean-up 

While you can’t wait to hit the sack when you get back from some heavy-duty partying, going to sleep with makeup on will damage your skin by causing dullness and clogging pores. So before you catch up on your Z’s, might as well make sure to get every bit of makeup off!

Natural makeup remover

Switch makeup remover with coconut oil. Take a little bit of coconut oil between your hands, apply it across your face, leave it on for a while, and then gently wipe away all traces of it using cotton pads.

Cotton pads: Avoid using cotton and opt for flat cotton pads. Cotton leaves behind fibre on your skin. You can also go for reusable makeup remover pads that are made out of the bamboo fibre. These are a more eco-friendly option.

Cleanse religiously

If your cleanser is good enough to take off the foundation and blush, you can skip the makeup remover. Massage the cleanser over your face and let it sit for about 15-20 seconds. Don’t miss out spots under your chin, ears and also most importantly your hairline. Use a white cotton cloth to wipe your face and also to let you know if all the makeup is off!

 What’s a face brush? 

If you’ve gone for the high-game with makeup – think long-wearing foundation, water-proof mascara, bold lips, and smokey eyes – you’ll need all the help you can use. That’s when the face brush comes into play. A facial cleansing brush acts as an exfoliant and removes the makeup your cleanser can’t. It also stimulates the skin surface and speeds up your cell renewal process.

Don’t miss out your eyes. Are you waking up with dark circles even after a good night’s sleep? This might be because you’re not washing out your eye-makeup properly. Mascara and liner are the hardest to get off. Don’t go scrubbing it off immediately! The skin near your eyes is the most sensitive in your face. Use cotton pads with either makeup remover or coconut oil to gently massage around your eyes. Make sure to press down on your eyelashes for a couple of seconds and then move the pad to the edges of your eyelids and across the eyes.

Nourish: Always follow your makeup removal with moisturizer. Removing makeup dries up your skin. Apply balm to your lips if you’ve cleaned up your lipstick, dab on some eye cream, and apply moisturizer to your face. Another way to nourish your skin is through peels or face packs.

Make satin your sleep buddy: 

Replace your cotton pillow covers with satin. Silk’s hypoallergenic properties that wade away dust mites, fungus, etc will keep your skin and hair healthy and smooth. It is also proven to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles. Sleeping on a satin pillowcase also helps smooth frizzy hair and minimizes static.