A Week and a Half Before Your Wedding: Color Your Hair
If you're getting highlights, get them a week and a half before your big day, recommends Grmolyes. She says they tend to be a bit more difficult to get perfect. But if you're aiming for all-over color, a week is plenty of time, she says. You want your hair to be freshly colored, yet leave enough time to fix mistakes.
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One Week Before Your Wedding: Brow Shaping
Brows have more longevity than you may think (a perfect shape will typically last for at least a week), so you don't need to wax, thread or tweeze them right before your big day. Go to a salon or spa you trust to have your brows groomed five to seven days before the wedding, which will give you enough time to shake residual redness or irritation. And "try to steer clear of using warm waxes so you don't get any burns," says Evans. Burns can leave lasting scabs and marks.
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Five Days Before Your Wedding: Lash Extensions
If lash extensions are part of your overall makeup plan (something you figured out four months earlier with your makeup artist), get them about five days before the Big Day. You want them to look fresh, but you should give yourself a few days for potential irritation to calm down -- just in case. If you've never had them before, do a trial run a few months before.
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Three Days Before Your Wedding: Bikini Wax
Even if you're not rushing off to a beachy honeymoon destination, you should still consider getting your whole body ready for your wedding (this is where we'd insert a winking-face emoji if we could). You can schedule a bikini wax for up until a week before your wedding day. Though this depends on how fast your hair grows and how thick it is. "Don't get a wax right before" Evans advises or "it will be red and irritated." (Read: Not so much fun on your wedding night). But Evans actually prefers laser hair removal, which you can start six months before the big day and do it monthly This way, by your wedding day you'll no longer have to shave, which will definitely come in handy on the honeymoon.
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Three Days Before Your Wedding: Get a Spray Tan
Evans loves spray tans because they impart a beautiful glow and an even tone -- minus the sun damage. "If this is the bride's first time, you definitely want to go at least two times prior to the wedding," she suggests. You want to make sure it doesn't turn out orange or streaky and see how the color develops and fades. Then, if you're satisfied with the results, plan your spray tan for at least three days before the wedding. "This ensures the coloring doesn't come off on clothes, towels, sheets, etc," she says.
For your face try an at-home face self-tanner (skip the spray, which may come out too dark) a month before the wedding, and if it works then reapply the day before, Schlip says.
It seems the second that princess-cut diamond (or funky sapphire) is slipped on your finger you're expected to launch into full-force bridal mode. Well-meaning friends and family ask you about the date, venue, and, of course, the dress. To say it's overwhelming would be a huge understatement.
While we can't help with Aunt Myrna's pestering, we can do something to lighten your load and make the planning process a bit easier. How? We can tell you exactly what beauty treatments you'll need (and when you should schedule them) so that you look amazing on your big day.
We covered all the bases by getting beauty tips from cosmetic dentist Jeff Golub-Evans, DDS, dermatologist Susan Evans, MD, celeb makeup artist Joanna Schlip and hairstylist Ange Grmolyes. These experts told us exactly when to do all your beauty prep, from facials to pedicures. Mark these dates on your calendar, show up to the appointments, and you'll be able to tell your well-meaning (if a little overbearing) future mother-in-law that you've got everything covered.
