The ultimate checklist to ensure that your wedding look is perfect on your big day. 

Bridal Makeup Mistakes

Choosing lipstick that doesn’t stick

Between smooching your love and sipping on champagne, your lipstick will be put to the ultimate test. The day of your wedding is not the day for that test. The last thing you want is to be tagged in 81 Facebook photos showing off a big red ring around your lips. Opt for a lip stain that won’t budge and won’t need the color reapplied (it’s nothing less than terrifying holding a stick of pure pigment in a white dress). Most lip stains can be brought back to glossy with a quick coat of chapstick.  

Not waterproofing all the makeup

Waterproofing the eyes seems like a no brainer, but it’s often forgotten that tears do roll down the face. Applying a waterproof primer will keep your contour in place and a setting spray will seal in the entire look.  

Not checking your foundation and tan on white clothes

Even for your first makeup trial, wear white! Colors bounce differently off of a white hue, and if you’re only wearing a white dress on your wedding day, it’s bound to impact the tint of your makeup. Wearing white during your makeup trial and while you have your makeup applied day-of will allow your artist to adjust in real time. Same goes for your spray tan - while your tan may look totally natural against a black t-shirt, it could have a quite different appearance based on the lighting and your outfit.  

Skipping the makeup trial

It may seem like a safe bet to judge the work of an artist based on their past clients, but when it comes down to it, everybody’s face is different. We all have different skin types, feature shapes, eye colors and skin colors that need balanced, contoured and accounted for. While an artist may have catered to your friend’s features perfectly, the makeup trial is the only way to guarantee that they can enhance yours. Your big day would be a terrible day to discover that they cannot.  

Having a friend do your makeup

For the same reasons stated above, it may just be too much to ask of a friend to understand your needs off the bat. If your friend doesn’t have the time to commit to multiple trials and tests, it’ll definitely be best to handle your makeup on your own. You know your face and skin care needs best, and your significant other will appreciate seeing you look, well, like you when you’re walking down the aisle.  

Wearing too much makeup

Too much of a good thing is possible, folks. Heavy makeup could easily drown out your fiance’s bare face in photos, clash against your dress, or flight against a complex hairdo. It may seem like a good time to “wow” your future spouse as you walk to the altar, but you have to keep in mind that they have fallen in love with bare-faced-you, and they will want to see you coming down the walkway.  

Following too many trends

We’ve all seen crazy wedding dresses circa 1982. Your wedding photos are sure to grace your and your parents’ living room walls and coffee tables for the years to come. If your wedding makeup look personifies 2016, you’re making the decision to decorate your home with 2016 forever. Stick to a neutral look that you’ll be proud of through the decades.  

Choosing glitter heavy makeup

While a dewy shimmer looks great in person, your photographer will not appreciate the look. Heavy glitter may cause it to be tough to capture details in natural lighting and will shine and spark under a flash, leaving you with a potentially blurry or greasy look in your photos. With videography and photography being what you have to remember your day by, it may be best to cut back on the glitter.  

Bridal Skincare Mistakes

Using expired skincare products

It’s usually around the wedding when one gets scared back into following their old skincare routine, but make sure to double check the expiration dates on your products. If you wouldn’t eat stale bread, don’t use stale skincare products. Your skin absorbs whatever is placed on it, dragging it into your bloodstream. Expired skincare products could make you severely sick or land you with a rash - just a few things you could do without on your wedding day.  

Sleeping with makeup on

Not washing face before bed is one of the harshest things you can do to your face. Bacteria from the day has the entire night to mix with your makeup and seep into your skin, causing clogged pores, rashes and breakouts. Not removing your makeup or washing your face before heading to the gym has the same effect. Keep makeup removing wipes or cleansing pads on hand for the gym or in case your bridesmaids whisk you away on a surprise night out, and make sure your fiance nudges you back into the bathroom before your head hits the pillow.  

Skipping over exfoliating

Built up dead skin cells are just as detrimental to your skin as caked on makeup. Without a proper exfoliation routine, your appearance could come off as patchy or flaky, with breakouts bound to break through. Adopt a set of products you can use daily, like FOREO’s LUNA™ 2, that exfoliates and cleanses without drying out your skin further.  

Over exfoliating or getting a harsh facial

Next to leaving makeup or dead skin cells to build, over exfoliating is runner up on the worst things possible to do to your skin. Those with oily skin tend to over exfoliate or cleanse thinking they’re ridding themselves of excess oils, when in reality, over cleansing strips the face of essential nutrients and encourages your body to produce more to compensate - resulting in oily skin yet again. Harsh facials have the same effect, but can also lead to patches of redness or discoloration. It’s best to opt for an exfoliation device that’s specific to your skincare needs, allowing for a positive and sustainable impact over time.  

Not moisturizing

Even without over exfoliating, one still runs the risk of stripping the skin of its needed nutrients while cleansing. This goes for those with dry skin especially, but for the same reasons stated above, it’s imperative that those with oily skin moisturize as well. Flip over your LUNA™ 2 and run it over after applying moisturizer - the device shakes up the skin and lets the goodness sink in deeper.  

Sleeping on a cotton pillowcase

Cotton materials tug at our skin while we sleep resulting in creases and lines that are hard to reverse. Even if you sleep on your back, the rough cotton fibers ruffle up your hair follicles, leaving you with a potentially matted or frizzy look in the morning. The solution? A set of silk pillowcases.  

Not applying sunscreen

Sun damage is not a myth, and it can take on quickly! You’d be surprised how much of an impact your daily drive to lunch can have on your skin. Especially if the weather’s warm and you like the windows down, lather on the sunscreen. You will notice a difference in both the texture and color of your skin over time.  

Not changing your skincare routine as your skin changes

Paying attention to patterns in activity and skin changes can help you combat the undesired before it occurs. Puffiness around the eyes usually occurs after a night of heavy drinking or heart to hearts, and fine lines can appear after a day under the sun. Make sure to tune and adapt your skincare routine accordingly by keeping a variety of products in your kit to switch through as needed, or by choosing devices like FOREO’s IRIS™ that perform a variety of tasks.  

Wedding Hair Mistakes

Thinking you need long hair for your wedding

It’s okay to cut your hair before your wedding. I repeat: it is okay to cut your hair before your wedding. Your grandmother may not understand it one bit, but once the wedding day rolls around, your hairstylist will practically kiss you. It’s a common misconception that it requires long locks to secure an updo, when in reality, it’s actually easier to pin up a lush updo with shorter, medium length hair.  

Getting a professional blow dry before every event

We’ll admit that we were head over heels about blow dry bars when we first heard about them too, but even the die hard addicts invest in a healthy supply of dry shampoo to get them through the week. With event after event after event lined up for your wedding week, hopping over to your local dry bar before each day may seem like the way to go. If you take that route, your hair is bound to look like a dried out, hot mess by the time your big day actually rolls around. We’re not suggesting you pull a John Evelyn and only wash your hair annually, but limit the salon visits as much as possible by extending the blow out with dry shampoo, texturizing sprays, and creative updos as the week progresses.  

Experimenting with a new color

It’s easier to work with a new cut or a shorter length, but when it comes to color, stay away from any experimentation and stick to what you know. If you’re in doubt, go natural. There’s no coming back from a fried set of locks or blotchy profile.  

Taking on stiff updo hairstyles

Your wedding day is going to consist of a lot of cuddling and (even if it’s fake cuddling in front of a camera) your future spouse will appreciate something soft to snuggle against. Their comfort aside, you’ll spend most of your day moving and hugging and jumping around, and your hair is the last thing you’ll want to worry about. Opt for a loose, bouncy look that can adapt to your day and your movement, or an updo that’s meant to fall into place throughout the day.  

Sleeping on your updo

The thought of this alone is enough to make somebody’s head hurt. Beyond the pain of a hundred bobby pins gnawing at your head, think about the hour you’ll need to spend the next morning detangling a hundred bobby pins from your head. Sit down, breathe through the tipsy, and take them out the night before to save you from the potential morning after scissor scare.  

Wedding Diet Mistakes

Downing all the coffee and tea in sight

Wedding planning is hard and you’re probably exhausted, but that cup of coffee could do more harm than good. Added sugar and dairy in your coffee or tea will add up against any wedding diet, and even if you take your cup of joe black, staining is an inevitable problem when it comes to coffee, tea or wine.  

Eating too much salt

If you’re wondering why you can’t seem to get rid of that extra pudge and puffiness, it could actually be due to your salt and water intake. When your body has a surplus of salt and isn’t hydrated enough to flush it out of your system, youwill appear puffy and bloated. If you’ve opted for a salt heavy meal, stay hydrated and drink plenty of water.  

Not enough diversity in your diet

The best pre-wedding diet is simple: eat the rainbow. It’s likely that you’re filling up on leafy greens but are neglecting to get many other, much needed nutrients. Make sure to add antioxidant rich berries, zinc-filled pumpkin seeds, and probiotic rich yogurt to support an acne-combating diet.  

Diet cleansing too close to your wedding

Juice cleanses are all the rage, but beware… If you’ve ever done one before, you know what I’m talking about. With it forcing to cause your body to go through a multitude of changes, it’s bound to cause issues. Make sure to start, and end, your juice or tea cleanse at least a week or two before your wedding. It’d be a shame if all you remember of your wedding venue is the bathroom stall.  

Wedding Week Mistakes

Neglecting your nails

All eyes are going to be on that brand new wedding band of yours, which means that a fair share of them will have a glance at your nailbeds. Make sure your finger tips are in tip top shape, whether with a DIY manicure at home, or with a salon treatment with your pals. Keep a mental note to stray away from intense patterns or dark colors as your ring is bound to draw more than enough attention to your hands.  

Getting an intense massage

We totally recommend a week-of-wedding massage, but make sure to talk with your masseuse to discuss the intensity of the session, or opt for a full body scrub instead. An intense massage can leave you sore or achy the next day, and many massages release toxins that have built up in your knots over time, forcing your immune system to fight them, making you feel less-than-optimal.  

Picking at a zit

The last thing you want to do before your wedding is introduce new bacteria to an existing blemish. Bacteria, sebum and grime from the zit can sneak into surrounding pores and spread the infection across your face if you don’t handle with care. Follow this handy guide on how to properly combat a blemish.  

Skipping through skincare routine to save time

Speaking of zits, want to know how to get one? Stress out and skip out on your skincare routine… Two things that you’ll be very tempted to do the week of your wedding. Stick to your cleansing routine and breathe easy knowing you’re doing everything you can to secure a clean canvas.  

Wearing new perfume

If you or your significant other suffer from a chemical intolerance, this small change has the ability to ruin the entire day. Those with an intolerance to chemicals lack the ability to adapt and grow accustomed to new smells, leading them to suffer from headaches, nausea and sickness until they are removed from the smell. If you’re marrying the source of the smell on the day of your wedding, that smell could be a little hard to avoid.  

Tanning too close to the wedding day

Resude from tanning is the last thing you want on your wedding dress. Tanning before letting the formula settle could also result in a blotchy, uneven skin tone. Bronze up earlier rather than later, and if you miss the cue, ask your makeup artist about residue free bronzing options.  

Waxing immediately before your wedding

Ideally, schedule your waxing appointment a week before your wedding to ensure that your skin has time to recover from potential redness and blistering. Waxing too soon before your wedding could lead you to irritate the area due to your abnormal increase in activity, not letting the affected area heal properly and causing potentially lasting damage.  

Not packing a touch up or emergency kit

known to throw its surprises - put a bridesmaid in charge of an emergency kit filled with everything from serum to snacks to a sewing kit. Between shuffling from venue to venue and event to event, your hair and makeup will greatly benefit from touch ups between the moves anyway.  

Not sleeping enough

You can let your makeup artist spend $30 in product on your under eyes alone, or you could just take a nap. However, no amount of color correction powder and concealer is going to save you from the fog you’ll be in without the proper amount of rest. Whether because of stress or excitement, if you can’t fall into it, invest in all-natural sleep aids and schedule in the time for emergency naps. You’ll appreciate the way it helps your appearance and everyone else will appreciate the boost in your attitude.