Morning Vs. Night Bridal Skincare Routine. The Best Pre-Wedding Prep for a Summer Wedding

A separate morning and night bridal skincare routine is essential because your skin's needs change throughout the day. In the morning, your skin requires protection and hydration to face environmental factors like pollutants and UV rays. Using SPF, antioxidants, and lightweight moisturizers helps shield your skin and keep it refreshed for the day ahead. At night, however, your skin enters a repair and rejuvenation phase. This is the best time to apply richer moisturizers, healing serums, and nourishing oils to help your skin recover from the day's stressors. By tailoring your routine to these different needs, you can ensure your skin remains radiant, balanced, and healthy for the big day. Why, though? Your skin has a 24-hour circadian rhythm, meaning its needs evolve from day to night. And when its needs evolve, it's a sign your routine should as well. So, dear bride-to-be, here's everything you need to know about building a daytime and nighttime skincare routine for yourself.

Your morning skincare routine should emphasise hydration and protection. Here's everything it should involve:

Beginning your day without a cleanser is basically a cardinal sin — so, set your skin up for success with a gentle, complexion loving formula like the Simple Refreshing Face Wash to eliminate remnants of oils and dirt, along with traces of makeup from the night before. Apart from unclogging your pores and counteracting dullness, this step will instantly maximize the efficacy of your routine, allowing the rest of your formulas to penetrate your skin better.

Next on the agenda is to soothe your barrier and rebalance your skin's pH. The star of this step is the humble, often-overlooked toner that, when picked correctly, can control oiliness, calm redness, and even prime your skin to absorb products better. So, spritz this on before moving to the next step.

Real talk — serums may be non-negotiables in a routine, but you just cannot forgo them in a bridal skincare regimen. They're the foundation of a streamlined, high-performance routine, and they're meant to sink into the deeper dermal layers of your skin for repair. Whether you're looking to address pigmentation, dullness, or acne, these potent, solution-driven elixirs will deliver. So, pick a serum you deem fit for your skin type and goals. The Novology Acne Deep Clearing Cleanser and Novology Acne Clearing Serum, for instance, are quick, fast-absorbing essentials that excel at preventing and treating acne.

Now, how do you reap all the benefits of your routine? By sealing it all in. Turn to a moisturiser for this phase of your routine. This product will hydrate your skin throughout the day and create a smooth, seamless canvas for makeup if you intend to apply any. Trust the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser to deliver 12 hours of hydration while feeling weightless on the complexion. The fact that it's non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic means that it's ideal for those with sensitive, acne-prone skin too. If your skin feels dry, opt for a heavier, cream-based formula to nourish your skin deeply. For oily, acne-prone skin, a gel-based, non-comedogenic formula is ideal.

A general rule of thumb is to never skimp on SPF, and this rings truer as you draw closer to your wedding day. Protect your skin against UV damage with a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or higher. Do reapply the formula every 2 hours to continue protecting your complexion.

A good night's sleep is great. But waking up to glowing skin is even better. That's where your night skincare routine comes in. As your skin moves into repair mode, here's everything it'll need:

Cleansing is best practised twice a day, so prep your skin for your P.M. routine by reaching for a cleanser. Ensure you're opting for one that can slough away any traces of makeup or SPF you might've been wearing during the day. If your skin is not sensitive or acne-prone, you may see merit in double cleansing your complexion - wherein you break down and dissolve makeup, SPF, and excess oils with an oil-based cleanser before clearing any remnants with micellar water or a water-based formula.

Pencil in some time to exfoliate your skin once a week. An exfoliator, by definition, works on your epidermis, clearing any build-up that might've accumulated on the top layer of your skin over time. This process smooths over texture and reveals brighter, softer skin. Exfoliation even improves your skin's absorption of products since your complexion is free of dead skin cells and other build-up.

Let your toner make a second appearance in your pre-bridal skincare routine. Since your nighttime regimen is focused on intensive repair and nourishment, it's important to help create a canvas that will allow every formula to sink in with ease. You can switch to an exfoliating toner at this point to help brighten up your skin — possibly one infused with glycolic or lactic acid to gently stimulate cell turnover.

Your nighttime serums can include alpha-hydroxy acids, beta-hydroxy acids, or retinol. These are strong. treatment-focused ingredients that aid repair and renewal. Retinol, otherwise known as vitamin A, may be a fine choice for anyone dealing with dullness, lines, crow's feet, creases, or other signs of ageing. If you're a newbie, tread lightly — exercise caution while working the ingredient into your routine. Begin with a concentration of 0. 1% to 0. 5%, and limit your usage to once or twice a week. You can reach for the Novology Bi-Phasic Hyper Pigmentation Serum, featuring retinol, to fade pigmentation and acne marks. AHAs like glycolic acid and lactic acid exfoliate the skin, encouraging cell turnover and revealing a brighter, more radiant complexion. This is ideal for anyone who'd like to alleviate the appearance of pigmentation, spots, or dullness. On the other hand, Salicylic Acid, which is a BHA, counters acne by unclogging pores and treating inflammation. Its benefits are best reaped by oily, acne-prone skin. Pro tip: If you've exfoliated your skin already, it's best to avoid active and stronger acids as this can damage your skin barrier. You can use a hydrating serum infused with ceramides, peptides, or hyaluronic acid if you'd like to retain this step in your routine.

Remember that your P.M. routine is all about preventative care and is meant to be intuitive. You don't want to wake up to swollen, puffy eyes, ever. That's why investing in an under-eye cream is sacrosanct. When layered over your toner, it can tackle puffiness and inflammation in the morning. You can even layer on depuffing patches as a coordinated assist for a few minutes.

Since we're talking about patches, let's talk about masks as well. If you're looking to deliver a dose of weightless hydration to your skin, consider using a sheet mask. They're best layered atop freshly-toned skin and can be peeled off within 20 minutes. You can moisturise your face for a few minutes after this. But if you're layering on an overnight mask, you can do so right after moisturising your skin, since they tend to be heavier, and are meant to be left on your skin while you snooze. These formulas deliver hours of exposure to skin-boosting ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide.

This step involves locking in all the previously-applied products with an overnight moisturiser. You can continue using your daytime moisturiser, or switch to something a little richer and heavier to seal in all that moisture. Keep in mind that hydration levels are lowest at night, which makes it even more important to ensure your choice of moisturiser is super, super hydrating.

1. Layer on your moisturiser while your skin is slightly damp. This will keep your skin moisturised for longer.
2. Do switch to lighter formulas during summer. Heavy formulations can clog your pores and cause breakouts.
3. Use an SPF-infused lip balm to keep your lips hydrated and protected at the same time.
4. Keep your sheet mask and eye patches in the fridge for 30 minutes before using them. This will cool and depuff your skin instantly.

You should begin 6 to 12 months before the big day, especially if you'd like to treat skin concerns like pigmentation and acne effectively. This timeline will allow your skin to acclimate to new products while maximising the efficacy of your routine.

Lip care is fundamental to a holistic beauty regimen, and when made time for, is the ultimate secret to a plump, hydrated pout. Here are 3 steps to swear by for smooth, non-flaky lips:

• Be sure to gently exfoliate your lips once or twice a week with a sugar-honey scrub.
• Never undermine the benefits of an overnight lip mask. Pat some on before tucking in.
• Protect your lips with an SPF-infused lip balm during the day.

Running short on time but want your skin to glow? Here are a few tried-and-true hacks you can try:

• Ice your skin before makeup to depuff your face and tighten your pores. This will boost circulation and help create a lifted look.
• Use a sheet mask the night before your big day to enhance your glow.
• Keep your facial rollers, gua sha, and depuffing patches in the fridge a little before using them for an instant cooling effect.
• Keep a facial mist at an arm's distance to keep soothing and cooling your skin during the day.

Look for formulas infused with acne-fighting ingredients like Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, or niacinamide. Remember to consult a dermatologist before incorporating anything new into your routine. And, hey, make sure you always have a pimple patch at your disposal in the event of an unexpected flare-up.

From inflammation to flaky lips, make sure your skincare kit contains the following essentials to address any complexion concerns that may arise on D-day:

• Pimple patches or spot treatments to treat last-minute breakouts.
• Blotting paper to absorb excess oil.
• Hydrating mist to refresh your skin.
• Lip balm to keep your lips hydrated.