How to ensure a stress free wedding morning

Here are my top five tips to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible on the morning of the big day!

1. Delegate - don't try and do everything yourself, use your bride privilege and get a bit bossy! One wedding I was at ran so smoothly because the bride had a 'runner' - someone who could go and do those last minute jobs that crop up no matter what. The runner wasn't one of the bridal party so had plenty of time to dedicate to getting everything sorted out, from dropping off mass booklets to collecting flowers to tying ribbons on cars.
2.Clear some space specially for preparation - a table and chair near some natural light for the makeup artist; a chair and a full length mirror near some sockets for the hair stylist; a nice space where your dress is hanging for the photographer to get some 'before shots'
3. Put some music on - get into the mood with a wedding playlist (check out last weeks newsletter for some song suggestions
4. Get layering - use a shower gel and body lotion with the same scent as your wedding perfume to make sure it lasts all day
5. Give yourself plenty of time - start early so you can take a break, have a cuppa and a bacon sandwich, chat with your family and don't get stressed - remember it will all come together!

Help! Getting married in hayfever season!

For those of us who dread summer just as much as we love it, hayfever is just the pits. Streaming puffy red eyes, running nose, sneezing. blotchy skin...the list of effects goes on and not one are ones you want on your wedding day. But if you are getting married in the summer and you suffer from hayfever, the likelihood of you and your makeup artist having to deal with some of these symptoms is pretty high.
So how to best deal with it? They thing about hayfever is it can be different for everyone and its important to treat both the symptoms and your own specific causes. Therefore, the products and routines I've listed are those that work for me, you might find that slight tweaks work better for you.
Eyes
One of the most important things you can do if you have sore eyes is to wash your hands as often as possible and try your absolute hardest not to rub your eyes. Oddly enough, one thing I found to really help was getting lash extensions. I was so mindful of them that I made a trojan effort not to rub them. Next up is eye drops. I continue my search for the perfect drops and recently read this article in Vogue and have since ordered the drops recommended, Rohot if its vogue worthy then I reckon it might do the job!
For dry skin on the eyes, I find a combination of Cliniques Repairware Laser Focus  followed by Double Base Cream really addresses flakey skin. When eyes are red and swollen, old reliables like cold spoons and chamomile tea bags are best.
Nose
There's no point in pretending otherwise, this one is not pretty but I cannot recommend NeilMed Sinus rinse enough. It comes with a bottle and some pre prepared sachets of saline solution which you add to some pre-boiled and cooled to room temp in the bottle and shake. Now the fun part - lean your head over the skin and gentle squeeze the bottle up one nostril and wait for the water to come down the other (yep, lovely!) When you've used half the water, swap to the other nostril. I usually wait a little while and then use a spray of Prevalin. Since using this combo I've noticed a huge improvement in symptoms plus the added benefit of no drowsiness.
Sooth red flaky skin around your nose with Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream.
Skin
Blotchy red skin is a common symptom of hayfever and can appear anywhere on the face and body. The first thing to reach for is an anti-histamine and then cool the skin using a cool compress or a body lotion/face cream which has been chilling in the fridge. When the initial reaction has calmed, and the redness and itchiness has gone, buff away left behind flakes and bumps with an exfoliant. The Aveeno range is very good for skin prone to allergies as it contains soothing oats and oat oil.
Makeup
If you have sore hayfevery eyes on the morning of your wedding don't panic. Follow the steps above and when it comes to makeup, go easy on the eyes and put the focus on amazing glowing skin and a pop of colour on the lips. Use a light covering of concealor on the lids to bring down redness and mascara which is waterproof and designed for sensitive eyes.
Try Clinque High Impact Waterproof Mascara 

How can I drink more water?

I was on a plane recently reading the current issue of Marie Claire where they reckoned that there's no need to drink 8 glasses of water as long as you eat plenty of water filled fruit and veg - I was pretty horrified to be honest - nothing has made more of a single difference to my health and skin than drinking plenty of water and I don't know about you but there is no way that I am going to be ingesting enough water melon and cucumber to properly hydrate myself.
Cameron Diaz's book, The Body Book has a whole chapter dedicated to hydration and the wonders it can do for your health called Water is Life. In it she recommends that you fill up a pint glass before you go to bed and leave it next to you so that when you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do is rehydrate. Its a great read and really lays out the facts about nutrition, exercise and how our bodies work.
So I recommend to all my clients that they start to really increase their water intake if its currently low but I am always surprised at how many people literally don't drink ANY. Like not a drop. Liquid for many people comes in the form of tea, coffee and diet coke. So how to go from zero hydration to getting your skin clear, your digestion functionally well and your kidneys and liver to top condition by upping the water intake?
First up, I recommend borrowing Cameron's idea. If you make sure you drink that whole pint of water first thing, before you even get out of bed, you are well on your way to super hydration.
Next up, during the day either keep a bottle on your desk or every hour get up, have a little walk and get some water at the cooler. Cut down to two teas or coffees per day and swap the rest for herbal tea as they count toward your total water intake.
At home, keep some chilled water in the fridge and mix with a squeeze of your favourite fruit for a little flavour (not Mi Wadi!) Try to stop drinking though before it gets too late in the evening, you don't want to have to keep jumping out of bed at night to go to the bathroom.
Finally, remember to keep hydrated when you exercise and try to swap fizzy soft drinks for sparkling water. Your skin will thank you for it!

What makeup should I bring on my honeymoon?

While you are running around making sure all the last minute preparations are done for your big day, you are also probably running around trying to pack for your honeymoon! With all the preparation you've been putting into your skin for the last few weeks and months you are no doubt glowing so honeymoon makeup is all about light textures, multifunctional products that save on space and time so you can spend your time enjoying this amazing trip, not applying makeup!
Before we get into makeup, a word about facial sun care. A lot of people just pop on some of whatever they used on their body but the problem is that body sun creams can be heavy and may clog pores. They are also quiet oily so any makeup you put on over them will just slide off. Equally, some of the newer spray/dry quickly formats are high in alcohol and can dry the skin. Its worth investing in a cream designed specifically for the face.
Try Clinique SPF30 Face Cream or Lancaster Velvet Touch SPF30

Next up, base. Now is the time to forget about heavier coverage and go with a tinted moisturiser or BB cream. Start in the centre panel of the face and work outwards. Follow with a touch of concealor anywhere you need a little bit of extra coverage. This is enough for day, for night add a sweep of bronzer under the cheek bones and a pop of colour on the cheeks.
Try Estee Lauder Double Wear All Day Glow BB SPF30 , Estee Lauder Double Wear Brush On Highlighter, Mac's new Alluring Acquatic Bronzer and Daniel Sandler Water Colour Blush

For eyes, during the day keep it as minimal as possible. If you are fair, tint your lashes before you head away and you won't need to worry about mascara. If you simply can't go out without mascara make sure you pick a water proof formula that won't budge. At night, add one some colour with a pencil shadow or use a multi functional product like Nars The Multiple - can be used on cheeks, eyes and lips and there are gorgeous new matte versions out this spring.
Forget about brow colouring as it will smudge in the heat, instead just brush into shade and set with a gel product.
Try Dior Show Waterproof Mascara, Illamasqua Clear Brow Gel 

For lips, during the day its important to protect as well as give a pop of colour so choose a product that includes SPF. Again I love the easy to use pencil products rather than lipstick as they give great colour but are quick and easy to use.
Try Bourjois Lip Crayon SPF15

Finally, pick up a hydrating facial spray to keep you cool and refresh your base throughout the day and night.
Try La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water 

Happy Holidays!