Skincare tips for brides
By Amber Budd
Starting a blog post is always weird for me…I’m someone who speaks with people all day long, but I always start by asking how THEY are, not with my own stories…so hey, how are you? What are you up to? How is your skin behaving lately? Ahh…there we go….
So, new friend, how IS your skin behaving these days? I’ve been hearing a lot about Mask-ne and dryness, extra breakouts in general, and any other number of things. Let me start by telling you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Pair a *Stressful* global pandemic with a mask, our fluctuating upper Midwest weather, and you get a recipe for some crazy skin changes.
I’m here to help. I heard your big day is coming up soon (soon is relative here….so lets’ say its anywhere in the next two years okay?!) and I want to make sure we get your skin in the best condition it can be, given our current circumstances AND future (fingers crossed) less-stressful circumstances.
Here, in no particular order, are my best tips for brides:
1) Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go in a tanning bed the week of your wedding. I’d like to add don’t go in a tanning bed EVER, but for the sake of this blog, I won’t lecture you. What I will tell you, is a story of a bride I worked with years ago who went in a tanning bed and got burned crispy. Why? Because our skin is more sensitive when we are stressed out and she went in a bed that had just had bulbs changed. And no one told her until she was done with her “normal” 15 minutes. As makeup artists, we can blend foundation all day long, but no matter what, you’ll regret Lobster.
2) Don’t change anything massive in your daily routine for a month prior to the wedding. Just stay the course. It’s a lot easier to treat the blemishes that might pop up if we know it’s not because you’re playing Russian roulette with your skincare.
3) YES, you CAN have a facial the week prior to your wedding. I would recommend getting a gentle enzyme facial, or a hydrafacial or my personal favorite, a Rezenerate (or as we call them RezSignature). If you can only go once, get a gentle facial, don’t do anything stronger than an enzyme. If you can budget to go a couple of times, get the facial you’re planning to get the week of the wedding so you know how your skin responds. For example, I recently worked with a bride who wanted to get her skin in shape before her wedding, which was 6 weeks away. We kept her daily routine the same other than adding in a hyaluronic acid serum, and did a RezSignature at the 6 week appt, 2 weeks prior, and 2 days prior. Her skin was GLOWING. I knew as her esthetician, what her skin could handle, because I had been working with her for 6 weeks, and I knew what she was using every day, so I knew what I could and could not treat her skin with the two days prior to her wedding
4) If you have more time than 6 weeks, I highly recommend getting into monthly facials for as long as your can prior to your wedding, and establishing a good quality skin care routine for your daily use. This is two fold helpful — you get a professional working with you every month to adjust things as needed. You get a routine which will help build on the professional treatments you’re having done monthly. You don’t go to a trainer once, then eat fast food every day and expect to see results, right? You need to keep up the work at home.
5) If you’re on a tight budget, meet with an Esthi online and have them teach you about your skin, and set up a routine that will work for your budget.
6) Don’t skip your makeup trial! It’s important to feel confident in how you’ll look the day of your wedding, and the best way to do that is to meet with your artist, get on the same page about your look, and make sure you’re not going to have any random reactions to things. (sadly, yes this also comes from a previous bride of mine…)
7) This should go without saying, but hydrate! No one looks great like a raisin, but everyone looks great like a grape!
Friends, this is a stressful time, we all know it, and we all feel it deeply. Hang in there, call a professional if you need help, and take care of you. The more relaxed you can be, the more that will show on your face.
Amber Budd Peterson is a self-described Skincare Nerd, and the Founder of Amber Budd Atelier™, a skin spa in Burnsville, MN, and Amber Budd Skincare™, a growing line of professional grade products for busy women who want radiant, youthful, clear skin, and don’t want the hassle of a pushy salesperson, with little to no knowledge of how our skin works, and the recently launched app MyEsthi which connects people with an esthetician to build a skincare routine for them!
A licensed Esthetician for 5+ years, and a makeup artist for 20+ years, Amber was recently featured in Oprah magazine, American Spa, and Dayspa magazines, has worked with ESPN, Mike Tyson, the PGA Tour, Bikini Pro and Big Brother contestant Amanda Hanson, Caitlyn Jenner, Dainty Obsessions, Style Me Pretty, Fast Company, and more.
Her education has spanned from Aveda to Makeup For Ever, Michigan State University, and Santa Barbara College, and she holds an Eyebrow MBA certification. She is a gua sha expert and is currently studying nutrition, hydration, and telomere effect on aging.
When she isn’t working, Amber can be found hanging out with her husband, their baby E, and their rescue pup, Henry, or singing karaoke in the living room. Her shoe collection is absurd, and she has a champagne fridge in her office. That’s all you need to know!
Contact Amber at