• Hair, Makeup & Beauty

With your wedding coming closer, it is time to get your beauty routine in check. That means drinking more water, eating less processed foods and starting a serious face washing regime. You'll definitely want your skin in tip top shape for the big day. 

While you may already have a solid skin care washing routine, we guarantee that the one we are about to share is better. DHC (Japanese skincare line) sent us the step by step process for brides-to-be in Japan.

Of course I hd to try it for myself to see if my skin looked any better. The answer is ... Yes! There are a lot of steps, it's time consuming and the results are not overnight. However, at the end of the month my skin appeared brighter, smoother and just all around better.  Read on to read the steps on how to Japanese  face washing rituals.

90 days before your wedding

1. Develop a consistent morning and night skincare routine based on the essentials of Japanese skincare routine.

● Double Cleansing
How to double cleanse! Start with DRY CLEAN HANDS and use a cleansing oil like DHC deep cleansing oil. A deep cleansing oil emulsifies makeup and easily washes away with water. Secondly use mild soap to wash your face. Like you would normally wash your face. you can buy the soap and oil as a duo here.

●  Toning
(the difference between Japanese hydrating toners and Western astringent or alcohol-based toners-- toners are a part of the double moisturizing process in Japanese skincare) I tried the Germanium Lotion and it was AMAZE.

●  Essence Care
Are for every skin type, whether you’re dry, or prone to oily skin. Essences are your best friend. They are jam packed with vitamins, organic acids moisture and nutrients for your skin. Just basically making you look amazing.

●   Moisturizing
Moisturize moisturize 

● Add Skin Type Products
Depending on your skin issues incorporate products based around your skin's issues after moisturizing Uneven skin tone/discoloration  
Elasticity loss (lifting and wrinkles)
Enlarged pores (pore reducing products)
Blemish-prone (salicylic acid)

●  Décolletage care 
Did you know that after age 30, our skin’s natural levels of free radical–fighting coenzyme. You need to start treating your neck with love right away.  Don't let your neck give away your age. With Q10 Neck Cream  your neck will start to look better after about a week of treatment. I noticed a difference right away, and after a month my neck looked noticeably  smoother.

●   Preventive UV care
We have all heard that wearing sunscreen is important, but applying it daily is a must to keep you skin looking vibrant and healthy. Japanese women are obsessive about UV protection for the skin. In fact you can often see them driving around with gloves to protect their hands from the sun. 

60 days before your wedding

●   Add Sheet Masks
This is a commitment and an investment, but it pays off to hydrate skin well before the event to plump fine lines and improve texture. This also gives targeted formulas more time to address issues like uneven skin tone. In Japan, women use masks daily, but even 2-3 times a week will add much-needed nourishment to the skin. I used the Q10 mask and no joke I did have softer, smoother skin. Below is how the mask works

Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRIpvYFCUns

●    Exfoliate
 Do this a  minimum of once weekly, up to twice a week depending on skin type with a facial scrub.  This will help keep your skin's cell turnover on track. Doing this regularly with diminish the signs of aging.

30 days before wedding

● Add Facial Massage

Along with double cleansing and double hydration (which are rituals Japanese women do daily) increasing the frequency of facial massage to boost circulation and promote skin resilience. Facial massage is typically done twice weekly in Japanese skincare, but prior to a wedding, the frequency is increased to daily. How amazing does that sound?

There are so many products and so many steps to this, but is really does work. Just like any beauty routine, it takes time and an investment. All the products required to make you look like a million bucks are not cheap and you might be spending a bit more time in the bathroom, but you are going to look good.