Beauty Tips For Wedding Week

It was the night before my friend was getting married and I was in her apartment with her and another of her friends. "Should I eat pizza?" the bride asked, seemingly to no one.

"Yup," I said because, really, there's never a bad time for pizza. But also because twelve or so hours before you walk down the aisle isn't enough time for pizza to find its way to your hips and ruin the fit of your wedding dress.

So beauty tip number one: Eat pizza on the eve of your wedding. Or chocolate. Or doughnuts. Or whatever else you've been keeping away from to make sure your dress fits perfectly. At this point, a few (thousand) calories aren't going to make a difference.

Really, though, I have a few beauty tips to keep in mind.

Beauty Tips For Wedding Week

All Week

Stay Hydrated
Drinking water is so important during wedding week for a zillion reasons (okay, maybe not that many, but at least three). It keeps you full so you'll stay away from potato chips and chocolate, which could lead to breakouts. Drinking water is also really good for your skin, so you'll have more of a glow than a desert on your face come wedding day. And more water keeps you from bloating. The last thing you want on wedding day is a flat tire around your middle, so definitely drink water, use the bathroom, and keep down that bulge.

Moisturize
Whatever you're doing to your skin currently, keep doing it. If you're using night cream, or day cream, or lotion ... continue your skin's normal routine. I know you might be tired some nights and want to crawl into bed without your typical night regimen, but you don't want to shock your skin and cause breakouts.

Use Sunscreen
You know that song, the one where the guy gave an address at a college graduation and ended it with "Trust me about the sunscreen." Well, trust me about the sunscreen. The last thing you want to do is to be running errands during wedding week and find out that you're as red as a tomato. Apply sunscreen. Generously. All the time. And then apply some more. Just keep your face and arms covered so you don't burn.

Two Days Before

Get Your Eyebrows Done
Eyebrows are such a fickle fellow, aren't they? I hate them. I know they serve a purpose (keeping sweat from your brow off your eyes, so I was once told), but they really are a lot of maintenance. You can't get them done too close to your wedding because you need to give them time to "settle" but you can't do them too long before your wedding or loose hairs with pop up out of nowhere. Two days before is the perfect balance.

Go With Gel Nails
I'll be honest: gel nails probably aren't the best for you. The whole "paint your nails, put them under a UV light, repeat" process doesn't sit well with me. But the longevity of the polish is worth it. I'll really urge you to only go with a shellac or gel during really special occasions (your engagement party and your wedding), but it's worth it. The polish will really hold up -- and last through your honeymoon. It'll look great in your photos, plus there won't be any chips while every guest grabs your hand to look at your new bling.

You can get this done on the same day as your eyebrows, just to make a day of it. So two days before. I would suggest getting this taken off by a professional, though, because acetone and scraping is just as gross as it sounds.

Pay For The Spa Pedicure
I don't care how much extra the spa pedicure is, it's worth every cent. You'll get a better calf massage, which means your calves will be better equipped to spend all wedding day (dancing, running, walking, taking photos) in heels.

You can go with regular polish on your toes. Don't worry about gel here. If you have white or black shoes, add a pop of color and paint your toes the color of your bridesmaid's dresses. If you have colored heels, a nude or pale pink polish is your best bet.

The Day Before

Exfoliate Your Hands
Julep sells my absolute favorite hand exfoliater of all time. Even on days when my hands are feeling particularly hydrated, this exfoliater makes my hands so silky smooth. It's absolutely the best feeling. You'll be spending all wedding day shaking hands and showing off your rings, so put your best hand forward and exfoliate the night before.

The Night Before

Shave
When you're in the shower the night before, this is when you want to do all your shaving ... legs, arm pits, whatever. I know, I know. Most women love to shave for their pedicures, but I'm warning you against this. Freshly shaven legs could react to some of the products used during pedicures, giving you bumps all over your legs. And if you shave two days before, you'll potentially end up with stubble on your wedding day.

Wash Your Hair
This is one of the tips we have about getting your wedding hair done, but it's a good one to bring up again here. If you wash your hair on your wedding morning, your hair won't hold a style very well. Wash and towel dry it the night before to give it the best change of holding your style all night long (although, if you're like me and spent all wedding dancing and running around, it might be a lost cause anyway).

Do Not ...

Change Your Hair
Anything that needs to be done to your hair needs to be done before wedding week. Dye it, cut it, touch it up ... do all that with time to spare. If you try a new style, you might hate it ... and it's hard to find time during wedding week to get to the salon. You also probably went for a trial with your hair a certain length. If you change that too dramatically, that hairstyle won't work on your wedding day.

Try New Products
We get samples of products all the time and it's so fun to try out new ones. But save that adventure for after the wedding. Imagine using a new self-tanner that turns you completely orange. Or how about finding out you have an allergic reaction and now you're walking down the aisle with hives covering your face. No. Just no. Anything new should be held off until after your big day.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What other wedding week beauty tips do you have?