Congrats. You’ve said yes to the dress, booked your glam team and picked the perfect venue to celebrate your special day. As you plan every detail and anticipation builds for your wedding, you’re also likely wondering how to get perfectly photo-ready skin.
The secret? Great skin is all in the prep. We’re sharing a comprehensive wedding skincare timeline to help you achieve a beautiful, glowing complexion before you walk down the aisle. Our general rule of thumb is to start prepping 12 months before your wedding to see optimal results from your skincare routine.
Discover skincare tips for every moment, from 365 days before the big day to just hours away.
One Year Before the Wedding:
Consult With a Skin Expert
Speak to a skincare pro to better understand your skin’s specific needs and concerns. They’ll help you set specific goals and identify products that will work best for your complexion.
Not sure where to begin? Book a Virtual Consultation with an Estée Lauder expert for 1-on-1 advice.
Commit to Your Daily Routine
Once you talk to a pro and set specific skincare goals, it’s time to curate your daily pre-wedding skincare routine. Your entire routine can be built around these skincare staples. Remember: Consistency is key to seeing results.
Your daily regimen should begin with a cleanser. Follow with treatment lotion, serum, moisturizer and eye care. Don’t forget SPF.
Some of our favorite skincare essentials for all skin types include:
Advanced Night Cleansing Balm: A gentle cleanser that lifts away impurities and melts away makeup while leaving skin soft and soothed.
Micro Essence Treatment Lotion with Sakura Ferment: A treatment lotion that fortifies, soothes and balances skin. Loved by normal to oily skin types.
Advanced Night Repair Serum: Our bestselling serum with 7 essential benefits to visibly reduce multiple signs of aging.
Revitalizing Supreme+ Moisturizer: Our ultimate lifting, firming and radiance-boosting daily moisturizer.
Advanced Night Repair Eye Gel-Creme: A powerful, lightweight eye cream that can help brighten dark circles in just 2 weeks.
6 Months Before the Wedding
Say “Yes” to Retinol:
Once you’re six months out from the event, you can consider tweaking your routine to add an anti-aging powerhouse like Retinol a few times per week. This also gives your skin time to adjust to formulas with more powerful ingredients.
We love Perfectionist Pro Rapid Renewal Retinol Treatment. It helps diminish the look of wrinkles and reduce the appearance of fine lines with consistent use.
Prep with Peptides
Another important ingredient to incorporate into your routine are Peptides, which are a go-to for firming, lifting and improving skin’s bounce and elasticity.
Perfectionist Pro Firm + Lift Serum is formulated with our Hexapeptide 8+9 Compound to help skin rebuild its own youth network to firm and visibly lift.
3 Months Before the Wedding:
Treat Your Skin to Some Extra TLC
At this stage, we suggest using a weekly mask like Advanced Night Repair PowerFoil Mask for added benefits. This mask features innovative repair technology to instantly hydrate, renew and add glow to your skin.
One Month Before the Wedding:
Prep Your Pout
Lip care is skincare, too. Get your lips kiss-ready with our Pure Color Envy Lip Repair Potion. Use this formula every night before bed to revive, renew and soften your pout.
One Week Before the Wedding:
Soothe Your Skin
You’re officially 7 days out, which means you should go extra gentle on your skin during this time. Put exfoliants and active ingredients like Retinol to the side for the rest of your pre-wedding skincare journey to avoid potential irritation or redness.
The Night Before the Wedding:
Indulge in Luxury
You’ve done the work to get your skin looking ready for the big day. The night before your wedding should be all about self-care. Relax, unwind and take time for you. Experience a moment of indulgence by sculpting your skin with the Re-Nutriv Ultimate Facial Massager.
Sweet Dreams
Wake up ready for the day by getting a full 8 hours of sleep. Pro tip: Our Advanced Night Repair Serum is like beauty sleep in a bottle! It works night and day to help optimize every second of sleep, so you can wake up looking more radiant and ready for the day.
Day-Of Wedding Skincare
Keep It Simple
Your big day is finally here. If you’re applying skincare on the morning of your wedding, don’t try anything new.
Prep your skin for a full face of glam with hydration and protection. And don’t skip SPF. You’re officially ready to walk down the aisle.
Want more wedding beauty inspiration? Check out our Wedding Edit to discover bridal makeup favorites, gifts for the bridal party, beloved wedding fragrances and more.
