An Exhaustive Guide To Wedding Skin Prep
Personally vetted by New York's must-see facialist of the moment
Beauty writing, in many ways, is a flat circle. Sure, there’s the constant search for the new and the next. But more often than not, we’re attacking the same few evergreen questions: How do I get rid of my acne? How do I prevent the signs of skin aging? How do I reverse the damage inevitably caused by the first two?
And then there’s the big Kahuna:
I’ve fielded this question in many forms, many times over the years, from people I’m close with and people I’ve never met beyond my Instagram DMs. As frequently as it comes from a bride-to-be, I’ve heard it from any number of folks who have been volun-told to participate in someone else’s nuptials. Nothing in this world is certain, except for death, taxes, and the wedding industrial complex.
It’s not for me to say if your wedding is meant to be one of the most important days of your life. What I can tell you is it’s likely to be one of the most photographed. So the stakes are high! That’s why, for this newsletter, I’ve called in some reinforcements:
That would be Raquel Medina-Cleghorn, who has quickly become one of New York’s most sought-after facialists. And I can confirm: She has magical hands, as well as a slew of magical machines you’ll more that willingly stick your head into at her direction. Formerly the lead esthetician at Czech NYC, Raquel opened her namesake studio last spring and her momentum is palpable. What I love about her is, beyond her arsenal of high tech gadgets (truly, I don’t know that I’ve met a nerdier facialist), there isn’t one ounce of judgment to be found in her practice. Oh, you thought that was a given? Psh! Getting a facial from someone who sees you as a three-dimensional human, not just a problem to be solved, is increasingly rare in my experience. So much so, that I often give myself a pre-facial facial before the real facial so that I may suitably impress whomever is treating my skin. Sort of defeats the purpose, no? (Raquel agrees.)
Anyway. Raquel is fantastic. Highly recommend. And very conveniently, she got married this summer! Making her absolutely perfect to give this advice.
A disclaimer
It goes without saying, your wedding day is just that: yours. Should any of this resonate with you, that’s wonderful and why it’s here. If not, absolutely no worries. Spend as little or as much time on it as you wish. I certainly wouldn’t want to pressure you into spending money or time in a way that doesn’t absolutely serve you and your interests. Think of this newsletter as a buffet. Take what you want and leave the rest.
Now let’s get to the fun stuff:
Where to start
Before it all gets too daunting, pause for a second. Take a deep breath. Remember: “The bedrock of your bridal routine is going to be the same as your normal routine — those are the things that make your skin healthy,” Raquel says. “When your skin is healthy, it looks vital, it looks youthful, it’s glowy, it’s plump. I don’t believe in going completely hog wild into all the crazy things you can do before your wedding.” Remember: The more variables you introduce, the more likely it is that something goes wrong.
Which is why now is probably the best time to seek some professional one-on-one advice, particularly if you’re not already in the facial habit. (For the record, I get facials very sparingly — this is not a “if you’re not getting a monthly facial, you’re crazy” kind of account.)
“The main benefit to getting a regular facial is that you have a professional who knows a lot about skin and has seen a lot of different things to help guide you and create your plan,” Raquel says. “They can look at what you’re using at home, if you should tweak anything, and help you do professional level treatments, whether that’s peeling, high-quality microcurrent, LED, ultrasound, whatever.” Think of those professional-level treatments as an accelerant — you might be able to get where you want to go on your own, but you’re not going to get there as fast.
But perhaps more importantly, “The guidance is really the part you can’t replicate on your own,” Raquel adds. “Even if you’re an expert-level skincare hobbyist, you still haven’t worked on hundreds of faces.” Not to mention the light-handed touch and the third-party vantage point. Left to your own devices with a magnifying mirror and a No-Slip Tool sounds like a recipe for disaster.
What to focus on
Now, everyone’s got their own bugaboos about their skin, but according to Raquel, the biggest concern among brides is texture. This is a great starting point because it covers all manner of sins: “Whether that’s acne scarring, active acne, pore size, wrinkles,” she says, “all of those things are textural irregularities that don’t lend themselves to that perfect flawless airbrushed finish.”
Whatever you do, avoid a scorched-earth approach (again, a professional accountability buddy will be helpful). “Vitamin A [ed note: retinoic acid in all its forms] is an obvious place to start,” Raquel says, but newbies take caution. It can take months for your skin to acclimate to a retinoid, particularly if it’s prescription strength. Already on the Tretinoin train? Great, keep going. If you’re not, and your skin is sensitive, and you don’t have enough time to acclimate before the bit day, now might not the be the best time to experiment.
Same goes for your exfoliation routine — whether that’s a professional peel or an at-home routine. Skin type and product tolerance play a big factor here, too, so don’t be fooled into thinking anything is one-size fits all.
What to invest in
Raquel couldn’t be more breathlessly positive about LED therapy. “It’s tried and true, it’s clinically proven, and there are so many good LED masks on the market,” Raquel raves. LED light can help with all sorts of inflammatory issues visible in the skin (scar reduction, acne, wrinkles, or sun damage) as well as increase ATP production at the cellular level (an essential building block for healthy cell function). And while there may be some initial sticker shock, that’s where the girl math degree comes in handy.
“The Light Salon Boost is $495,” Raquel says, “You could spend $2000 on a Celluma or $3000 on a Lyma. They’re all great, but I love the Boost for the price. It’s portable, it’s easy to use, it’s cordless, you can travel with it…” Not for nothing, you can also strap it to the top of your head to stimulate your hair follicles, or drape it over your chest to target your décolletage. Now it’s a three-in-one! By my calculations, it’s nearly free.
Which is good, because you’re probably going to be tempted to pick up a NuFace, too. “Microcurrent is going to help lift and sculpt — you’ll see the results immediately, and they’ll continue to build over time,” Raquel says. “If you have the time to have a few professional sessions to get that lift happening, you can then continue to re-educate your muscles at home with a smaller device. It also boosts your mitochondrial function, so everything’s going to improve.”
The NuFace or the ZIIP are great starting options (both around $350), but if you’re serious, Raquel suggests the Neurotris PICO Toner (only available for purchase from studios that use the professional version, like Raquel New York). “It’s $600, so it’s not cheap,” Raquel notes. “But it’s not $1200!” For what it’s worth, Raquel sees at-home microcurrent as one of the better bangs for your buck. And you can literally do it up until the moment you’re ready to walk down the aisle.
For a lower tech approach, Raquel suggests the deceptively humble Lymphatic Brush from Cecily Braden. It doesn’t require a charger or conducting gel, and it’s built to mimic the passive contractions of your superficial lymph vessels. “It has these cute little nubs on it and it’s like a little kitten — so soft,” Raquel says. All you have to do is gently brush along your face towards your lymph nodes to help drain any fluid that leads to looking puffy. “And it’s so easy to do while you’re watching TV,” Raquel notes. “If something requires goop, I’m probably not going to do it regularly.”
When to start
“In a perfect world, someone would start coming in as soon as they get engaged —about a year before,” Raquel says. This is when you’ll do any of the treatments that require downtime or a few, cumulative sessions to see results. “We do some peels, we start doing microneedling — you want to do those at least a month apart, it’s not a short-term thing.” Regular microcurrent, ultrasound, and LED usage builds on itself — the more runway the better.
“Then we’ll slowly change over your home routine,” Raquel adds. “I don’t ever want to throw a bunch of new things at someone because who knows what’s going to happen? We might start increasing their Vitamin A if there’s time. Plus, we’ll develop an approach to nutrition, sleep, and lymphatic drainage — all together, it’s going to put your body into a parasympathetic state so you’re not so stressed out by what color your invitations are and then have the stress show up on your skin.”
“But if you’re new to this and you’re getting married in 3 months, simple is better.”
And finally, the products
Nothing earth shattering here; just a question of what works for you and whether or not you want to take this moment to splurge on something top of the line. I’ll let Raquel tackle the list:
Cleanser
“This one’s really skin dependent. Oil? Great. Gel? Fantastic. Cleanse however you want.”
Toner
“I really like hypochlorous acid for this step [ed note: the Prequel version is my current favorite]. The only thing to be mindful of is some people say it interferes with Vitamin C, so look out for when you use it.”
Exfoliation
“Here you can go a couple of ways. You can do an exfoliating toner, you could do the Environ Revival Mask once a week. I love Sofie Pavitt’s Mandelic Clearing Serum — it’s great, and not just for acneic skin [edit note: confirmed]. You could do the Auteur Enzyme Cleanser to cleanse and exfoliate... However you do it, make sure you’re doing it in a gentle way. How many times per week is totally up to your skin.”
Serums
You’ll want something that has a good balance of active ingredients and hydrating ingredients because, as Raquel puts it, “I’m not a fan of anything that’s a single ingredient serum. It’s too much like playing chemist with your face.”
She really sold me on the Environ C-Quence Serums: “These are Vitamin A, C & E serums with peptides to hydrate and firm. They’re done in a step-up system, from level 1 to 4+. The concentration of Vitamin A increases as you go up the scale. The retinyl palmitate in it is sun safe and can be used morning and night, year round.”
“If you’re looking for the highest quality hyaluronic acid on the market, Auteur’s Hyaluron Activator is phenomenal. Verso has a really great Hydration Serum With Niacinamide that’s a little bit creamier for someone who wants that richer texture.”
Eye cream
“I used to think of eye cream as an insurance policy: I was never sure it was working, but if it does work, I’d rather be using it than not. But I’ve changed my stance. The Auteur Eye Cream literally works. I had a client ask me if I had work done to my eyes, they looked so much better. I saw reduction in wrinkles immediately, and if other people are noticing that my dark circles are reduced, that’s great.” A warning: Auteur has been called the Hermés of skincare and this eye cream goes for more than $400. But, hey — you only get married once, right?
Moisturizer
“Moisturizer can be whatever works for you. High tech or low tech. Seal everything in with a ceramide or an oil. Furtuna Skin has that lovely bi-phase moisturizing oil that I like.”
Parting words
If you’ve made it this far, I feel compelled to remind you: It’s all gravy, baby. Whatever makes you happy. Raquel says more or less the same thing: “It’s basically the same as your normal skincare routine — pump it up if you can, and don’t feel bad if you can’t.”
Cheers!
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Mandelic clearing serum for the win! XO THANK YOU BOTH!