sOMATOLOGIST AND SKINCARE EXPERT, cARINA FERREIRA SHARES HER SECRETS WITH US...


Being a bride can be daunting and we know that skincare and looking after yourself leading up to the day can be even more so…

Therefore, we have asked somatologist and skincare expert, Carina Ferreira to help us craft a six month action plan for our brides, to get your skin in the best possible condition and have you glowing on the BIG DAY!

Carina shares her tips, tricks and secret and answers the myriad of questions we had…


We asked Carina to break it down into easy steps, starting from 6 months before the day of the wedding. She is also sharing a LUXURY TREAT and an INEXPENSIVE TRICK for each month, as well as what to add and what to continue with in your skincare routine. In-between we have peppered her with questions to assist in achieving a healthier, glowing skin:


MONTH 6


BEAUTIFUL SKIN STARTS from the INSIDE OUT

Topically treating your skin is only half of the process to obtaining flawless skin. What you eat and drink directly affects your skin. It's important to take care of your skin from the inside out to provide important vitamins and minerals for a clear and bright complexion.


Q: What can I add to my daily routine to improve my overall skin texture?

A good cleanser is very important in order to create a perfectly balanced skin palette to apply moisturizer to, and it also helps in the anti- aging process if you use a good product.

Cleansing serves a very important roll- it clears out debris so that your skin can breathe, helping new skin cells to grow and flourish. In order to let your natural glow shine through.

Q: I have hyperpigmentation, how can I lighten that in the months before my wedding?

Since the skin has a 28 day regeneration process, results that are really noticeable take a little time, especially if you want to fade dark spots. 


Here are are tips to help aid in reducing hyperpigmentation:


# Wear sunscreen EVERY DAY, ALL YEAR LONG.

# Vital Injector treatment. A safe, quick, effective treatment that will support your skin, erase signs of pigmentation and all without downtime.

# A good home care product like M.E.L.A. recovery from pHformula BENEFITS :

Improves hyperpigmentation

Speeds up skin recovery

Maintains overall health of the skin and prevents future damage

# Schedule a Forever Young BBL. BBL targets sun damage at the molecular level to turn off, and even reverse the age expression in genes.

# Introduce Chemical Peels into your skin care plan to reduce hyperpigmentation and to help improve skin’s tone and texture.

Q: I have acne, how do I soothe & improve my skin for the wedding day?

Firstly, ask yourself these questions:

1. What type of acne do I have?

Non-inflammatory (White heads / black heads)

Inflammatory (papules/pustules)


2. Understand the cause of your acne:

Non-inflammatory

Excess sebum

Dead skin cells

Inflammatory 

Dead skin cells

Excess sebum 

Bacteria


3. Now treat your acne based on the cause:

Excess sebum

⁃ Try to stress less

⁃ Change your diet -less sugar & less dairy

Dead skin cells

⁃ chemical or mechanical exfoliation done by a professional. 

⁃ At home facial scrubs.

Bacteria

⁃ Topical or oral antibiotics 


A LUXURY TREAT for yourself:

Regular facials and skin treatments .


OR AN INEXPEnSIVE TRICK:

When building a skin care routine, it’s important to remember that products don’t need to be expensive to be effective. Applying a three-step approach that includes cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen daily, can help reduce skin care costs while keeping your skin healthy.


Product recommendations & A treatment schedule Carina would recommend for the 6 months leading up to the wedding:


When looking for a product for hyperpigmentation look out for these fighting ingredients:

1. NIACINAMIDE 

2. RETINOL

3. VITAMIN C

4. AHA'S ( ALPHA HYDROXY ACIDS )

5. HYALURONIC ACID


MONTH 5


START WITH: Microneedling

Microneedling therapy is a process that is also referred to as “collagen induction therapy”. It is a minimally invasive treatment used to rejuvenate the skin.


CONTINUE WITH: Facials

Treating yourself to a facial once every 4 to 6 weeks can benefit your skin in many ways. Besides promoting relaxation it provide many benefits, including noticeable improvements to your skin tone, texture and appearance.


A LUXURY TREAT FOR YOURSELF:          

Laser Hair Removal

You might not want to spend your wedding day and honeymoon shaving or waxing unwanted hair. Consider laser hair removal to permanently eliminate dark, coarse hair from your face, legs, chin, back, arms, underarms, and bikini line.


Inexpensive trick:

Sweat It Out!!!

When you sweat, you allow your body to flush out all the impurities that are embedded in the dermal layer—from pollutants and dirt to old makeup and chemical residue. Regular sweating can improve the tone, clarity and texture of the skin.

MONTH 4


START WITH: Do not ignore your neck and décolletage!

The skin on your neck and decolletage is thinner than the rest of your body. Ask for skin care products to smoothen this area. It will help if you pick an off-shoulder wedding gown.


CONTINUE WITH: Facials


A LUXURY TREAT FOR YOURSELF: 

Microdermabrasion is all the rage. This is a treatment done in multiple sessions to smooth out your skin, perfect for photographs.

This treatment is great for getting rid of clogged pores and dry skin to get you looking youthful and glowing.


INEXPENSIVE TRICK:

Shampoo Your Makeup Brushes.

Every time you swipe on your blush with a dirty brush, you add a layer of acne-causing bacteria to your skin. Cleaning your brushes is easy & efficient.

Month 3


START WITH: Start new AHAs and BHAs

Acids such as AHAs and BHAs are generally not as effective at rebuilding collagen in the skin as retinoids are, but they are capable of providing fantastic results when it comes to hyperpigmentation, dullness, acne, or textural issues.


CONTINUE WITH: Microneedeling 


A LUXURY TREAT FOR YOURSELF: 

Acid Peel.Peels are designed to slough off dead skin and bring new, fresh skin to the surface. We recommend scheduling this treatment twice a year.


Inexpensive trick:

Manage Stress. From the top of your head to the tips of your toes, there's no end to the list of beauty bummers that are associated with unmanaged stress. 

Month 2


START WITH: Decide to tan or not to.

Tanning adds warmth to your skin tone. But if you decide to get tanned, you need to alter your makeup accordingly. Choose your preferred method of tanning, either natural, a tanning bed, or a spray tan.


"On this one; we as photographers are choosing to weigh in as we have seen far too many slightly orange brides!

If you are fair skinned, embrace it! Looking like the best version of yourself is by far the best outcome and if you have never had a darker skin or a regular tan before now is probably not the best time to try it out. If you are set on getting spray tanned; do visit a proffesional!"

- Elaine {Dust and Dreams Photography}


CONTINUE WITH: Facials


A LUXURY TREAT FOR YOURSELF: 

Prophilo. 

Profhilo is an injectable anti-ageing treatment made from hyaluronic acid for skin that is losing its elasticity and firmness with age. It can be used on the face, neck, décollaté, arms, hands and knees, or any part of your body where the skin shows visible signs of ageing. There is an immediately noticeable improvement in skin tone, hydration as well as firmness, and lines are minimized.


Inexpensive trick:

Avoid smoking and alcohol. Smoking increases free radical production and causes aging and dullness. Alcohol consumption affects your skin, making it look tired and flushed. It may also enlarge your pores and trigger breakouts. Thus, avoid smoking and alcohol to keep dryness, sagging, and wrinkles at bay.

One Month to go


NOW IS THE TIME TO START WITH:

Have your last professional treatment to really help deliver that bridal glow to your face (do not try any new treatments!). Avoid anything intense like extractions and deep peels; zero in on exfoliating treatments and using products that nourish and enrich your skin. 


CONTINUE WITH : Continue your now set skincare routine religiously!

It is not long before the big day now and continuing your skincare routine is crucial. Continue to include lots of fresh water, fruit & vegetables into your daily eating routine.


A LUXURY TREAT FOR YOURSELF:

Body polishing: this treatment is GREAT for your skin. Body polishing will exfoliate and hydrate your skin, and it's a good excuse to take a spa day. It's basically a facial for your body, so you could take a day to get the facial and body polishing is done together. How relaxing! You're going to look great.


Inexpensive trick:

Keep your skin clean from any sebum and always wear SPF!


Just a reminder the number after the SPF for example SPF 50 stands for the time it lasts on your skin.



Q: Do you recommend lash lifting or rather individual lash extensions?

Getting lash extensions are a great way to make your eyes pop in pictures and help you feel flawless. The best part?

They last longer than your wedding day!

We recommend you get them about a week beforehand. If you've never had extensions before, it's best to try them out a month or so before to see if you will like it.

THE WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING:


WHAT TO DO:

OxyGeneo treatment is the newest generation in hydrating treatment for skin resurfacing (removal of dead skin cells from the skin surface), improving skin oxygen levels via oxygenation and infusion of valuable ingredients to enrich the skin layers all the things skin loves!

You can expect smoother complexion and younger looking skin immediately.


What not to do/ biggest mistakes you see brides make in preparing their skin for the wedding day?

Don’t start any new treatment or products shortly before the wedding day!

During the final weeks leading up to your wedding day, you should avoid trying any new products or treatments in order to avoid an irritation or flare-up. The last thing you need a few weeks before your wedding is a bad reaction to something new you tried. So just keep using things that work for you!

the day before the wedding:


The night before your wedding day is the most important part of your skin prep, PLENTY OF FLUIDS {WATER!!} & SLEEP are the key ingredients! You don’t want to wake up with puffy eyes the next morning so try not to stay awake late.Drinking alcohol the night before can make your skin look dull the next morning so rather stick to water and stay hydrated.


How to prepare your skin on the morning of the wedding for your makeup artist:

Washing, exfoliating and moisturizing will do the perfect job on the morning of your wedding day.

Stay true to what you’re skin is used to and what you have been doing in the months leading up to this special day. 


Q: How do I refresh my skin on the day after the wedding so that I have a glowing skin on our honeymoon?


The secret? To your skin properly the night of your wedding - don’t go to bed with any makeup on this can cause clogged pores leaving you with a nasty breakout. After a thorough cleans add a hydrating serum ending off with your moisturizer.


A HUGE THANK YOU TO CARINA FOR SHARING HER EXPERTISE AND SKINCARE KNOWLEDGE!!