A Natural Bridal Skincare Routine with Irene Forte

Please tell us about your morning routine in the lead up to your wedding prep? 

1. Cleansing/ Toning: my Almond Cleansing Milk, followed by Helichrysum Toner. 
2. Serums: my Triple Level Hyaluronic Serum, followed by Hibiscus Serum. 
3. Eyes: my Olive Eye Cream. 
4. Creams: Prickly Pear Face Cream, followed by SPF 50.

Please tell us about your evening routine in the lead up to your wedding prep? 

1. Cleansing/ Toning: my Almond Cleansing Milk, followed by Helichrysum Toner. 
2. Serums: my Triple Level Hyaluronic Serum.
3. Eyes: my Olive Eye Cream. 
4. Creams: Hibiscus Night Cream. 

• I would do a weekly Apricot Face Peel monthly, with the exception of the month before the wedding where I would recommend no peels or scrubs because you don’t want irritation. 
• 2x per week, I would use the Pistachio Face Mask overnight instead of the Hibiscus Night Cream. On these nights, I would use the Rose Face Oil for some self-massage techniques, as well as integrating my Gua Sha. I would do this after the Cleansing/ Toning Step, and then follow with serums, eyes & mask.

What products would you recommend a bride use in the weeks before her big day? 

I would do the above routine, and stick to it, minus scrubs/ peels as you don’t want to bring anything out that month. 

On the night before the wedding, I would recommend:

1. Cleansing/ Toning: my Almond Cleansing Milk, followed by Helichrysum Toner. 
2. Facial Massage: my Rose Face Oil with Gua Sha. 
3. Mask: Pistachio Face Mask. 
4. Wash off the Pistachio Face Mask, and then Serums: Hibiscus Serum
5. Eyes: my Olive Eye Cream. 
6. Cream: Hibiscus Night Cream.

What would you suggest for the day of the wedding? 

The usual morning routine highlighted above, and ideally a lymphatic facial massage if at all possible.

What treatments would you recommend for the face in the lead up? 

This really depends on skin type, but I would start six months out, and do more ‘intense’ treatments six and three months prior to really prepare the skin. I have highlighted what I did below: 

• Fraxel Laser with Jasmina Vico six months prior:  an extremely effective treatment for any scarring, sun spots, wrinkles and signs of aging. Jasmina Vico is a skin health specialist with 16+ years of experience, renowned for her high-tech yet holistic approach, based in London.    
• Microneedling with Jasmina Vico three months prior: an effective treatment for any scarring, as well as to deliver anti-ageing benefits, stimulating the skin’s natural ability to heal itself by producing collagen and elastin.
• Targeted laser with Jasmina Vico six and three months prior on my broken capillaries around the nose area. Jasmina did this twice to remove my few broken capillaries. 

And then, I would recommend doing monthly facials three and two months prior; I did: 

• Two buccal facials with Michaela Bolder three and two months prior to the wedding. Micheala has over 10 years of experience in the beauty industry, and is based in London. Michaela’s signature facial is focussed on easing muscle tension using pressure points and unique massage techniques to lift and sculpt the facial contours. She uses a unique buccal technique, accessing different pressure points and passages from inside the mouth helping to further lift and set the muscle, release and clear out blockages, aid lymphatic drainage. 

And then, the month of, I would just do lymphatic drainage weekly: 

Weekly lymphatic drainage massage with no peels/ scrubs or extraction.You don’t want to do anything that will aggravate the skin or push spots to come out. Lymphatic Drainage massage techniques to clear away toxins below the skin surface, promote blood flow and ensure my complexion was looking good!