Picture Perfect

$100,000 dollar celebrity weddings and picture perfect Martha Stewart real wedding spreads don't faze me or make me feel less of a bride/person. It's a standard that's completely foreign to me so I enjoy the visuals and try to incorporate any ideas I get from these "standards of perfection". Then I make them imperfectly suited to us:) But everytime I run across the bridal beauty countdowns in my monthly Barnes & Noble wedding magazine perusal I freak out. I get anxious and my palms start to sweat. According to these countdowns, I am months behind. Months. Is my freak out really necessary?

According to the bridal industry it is. But after thinking it through rationally my beauty routine shouldn't change because I'm getting married, it should change for the sake of improvement. Heck- anyone has room to improve, even the model above. The only place I really lag behind is keeping up with my facials and manicures (I had a traumatic facial in college) but my basic upkeep is pretty good. In fact, I wanted to share some products I use frequently that have worked wonders:

Hair: I live and swear by Kerastase Paris Nutritive line. I started using it before it came to the States and it instantly smooths and nourishes my dry, thick hair. If you want to keep your locks shiny I also recommend using a Mason Pearson brush- they last forever (if properly taken care of).

Body: I'm addicted to the Sugar Bodycare at Fresh. The scrub will leave your skin insanely soft and polished and the oil does an amazing job at keeping my skin moisturized. I sometimes prefer using an oil instead of lotion/creme to avoid feeling "sticky". Basic shea butter from the grocery store also keeps my skin moisturized during the cold Chicago winter months.

Skin: To date nothing has moisturized by face better than the Estee Lauder Comfort Creme. I use it at night before bed (when I remember to use it) and it keeps my skin baby soft. I'm a little less liberal with it during the summer. To avoid the dreaded pimple I also keep a stash of Dermalogica products on hand.

Teeth: Crest white strips and a good tooth cleaning! Whitestrips work without having to spend $500 getting your teeth whitened and then having to deal with super sensitive teeth afterwards. Although I hate visiting the dentist I love the feel of having squeaky clean teeth afterwards.