beauty prep for the vain wedding guest

[photo courtesy]

This Sunday, a friend of mine will be tying the knot with her fiancé, and while I definitely won't be the one walking down the aisle nor will I be in the bridal party, I still believe that I should be getting serious with beauty prep, so that I'll look and feel, you know, somewhat decent. Besides, I'll be having the honour of singing two songs during their wedding, so I'd say beauty prep is very necessary for me. Now, I'm going to be straight-up honest with you guys; my bank account isn't stable enough to spend hundreds of dollars in beauty spas or salons, and by no means am I a certified professional beautician. The following are merely beauty practices I've learned through the years.

1/ First things first I'm the realest. No, but seriously, the first thing is hair. Avoid going to a new hairdresser (unless you know fo sho that he/she is amazing) because you don't want a hair colour and/or cut gone wrong two days before the day. Try colouring, retouching, and/or trimming your hair one to two weeks before the day, so there won't be any regrowth showing and it will still look fresh. 

2/ Get them hands and nails looking good. If you're like me and refuse to get your nails done at a professional nail salon because you think you have better things to spend your money on (like shoes duh), then try nail serums, like calcium base coat, nail hardener, argan oil, a week or two before the day. If you have more time on your hands, give your nails [and hands] relaxation time by warming up some extra-virgin olive oil in the microwave, coat it on your hands, put on a pair of disposal gloves, leaving them on for an hour and washing with soap. Apply your favourite hand cream afterwards and they should feel super soft. Try to do this two to three times a week.

3/ As a friend of mine once always said, "brows are the frame to our eyes; without them, we look like aliens". If you already do your brows regularly, then just tidy them up, removing any strays. If you've never touched your brows in fear of losing them all from excessive tweezing and waxing, then do yourself a huge favour and get them professionally done. I'm not talking about at a make-up counter in the shopping centre. No. I'm talking threading, professional beauty salons. Splurge on your brows the first time you do them and let the experts teach you the proper way to tame your brows.

4/ Give yourself a facial two or three days before the day. Buy a mask from the drugstore or make your own home remedy mask. Plain greek yoghurt, honey and olive oil are a great combination for oily skinners. You can even try painting slices of tissue on your face with a brush and some egg whites. Remember what you did to make paper mache when you were little? Yeah, do that, just on your face. With this mask, leave it on for 20 minutes to half an hour and rinse. But with most other masks, it's best to leave them on for 15 to 20 minutes. On top of that, continue your daily and nightly skincare regime.

5/ If it's less than two weeks or less, then it's too late to get that body in tip-top shape. So instead of working out at the gym for insane hours and millions of reps, just continue your fitness routine and find an outfit that will compliment how your body is now. There's no need to be stressed about your body when it's not even your special day. Unless it's super formal, you can skip the dress and opt for a skirt of any sort, culottes perhaps, or even a jumpsuit or playsuit. Don't think you're limited to just dresses. Explore other forms of classy. But if you find a great dress, then you wear that dress. Don't feel like you're conforming to social standards by wearing a dress either.

6/ If you've decided to expose those sexy legs of yours, do yourself, and everyone else, a massive favour - shave, wax, epilate, whatever - just get them legs looking and feeling smooth and glowing. On the day, apply moisturiser on them, to give that natural, glowing effect that will leave the male guests in awe.

I'm so excited for this wedding, since it's the first time I've ever been invited to a wedding of people I know and love dearly. It's so crazy having friends that are marrying so young, but I'm so happy for them. Now go be a total girly girl and pamper yourself silly, because I know I will! Enjoy your day dear one.

ex oh,

CITRA