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Meghan Markle’s Wedding Prep: Sparkle Like Markle on your Wedding Day
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228113201{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]Want to sparkle like Markle on your wedding day? It’s totally doable – if you’re willing to put the effort in. It will come as no great shock to hear that Meghan Markle’s wedding preparations are pretty intense (fit for a princess, no less!) but as we’ll soon find out, the results are almost certainly going to be worth it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Preparing for your Big Day?” h4=”Get in touch to book your bridal hair & makeup trial!” txt_align=”center” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”Contact” btn_size=”lg” btn_align=”center” btn_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.weddingmakeupandhair.com%2Fcontact%2F|||”][/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526229290417{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]Embed from Getty Images[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228237317{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]It’s the final countdown to the Big Day now and Meghan and Harry have both been busy ticking items off their ‘to-do’ list. From quitting drinking and getting fit to having facial massages and regular manicures, Meghan is undoubtedly going to look flawless as she walks down the aisle.
Aside from booking in for her bridal hair and makeup, rumoured to be with celebrity stylist Miguel Perez who is famous for his big, bouncy curls, there are plenty of other appointments Meghan is sticking to. Here are a handful of the most essential, that you might want to consider adding to your pre-wedding regime…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228313132{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]
The Facials
Meghan opts for facials that go one step further than your average, for that winning wedding photo smile! Rather than purely focusing on the skin, these extra-special facials work on the muscles of the face by massaging inside the mouth to strengthen and tone. Going to a pro is always going to get the best results, but at £260 a session with ‘skin guru’ Nichola Joss, it doesn’t hurt to know how to DIY at home!
In an interview with Marie Claire, Nichola explained:
“If you have troublesome skin and you need some corrective work, like if you have acne or scarring, you need to start working on a routine at least four or five months before the big day, seeing your facialist every two weeks to get your skin in the best condition you can. You can eventually cut it down to every three weeks, but you should still be getting regular massages between those appointments.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3049″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1526229182474{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228343270{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]
The Manicures
Perfect nails are a must on your wedding day – the last thing you want are scruffy hands for those ring close-ups.
Meghan gets regular manicures to keep her fingers looking their best, so naturally she has her manicurist booked to visit her the day before her wedding. My advice is that you do the same! If your hands and nails needs a little TLC, treat yourself to a series of manicures leading up to your wedding to get them into the best condition possible. If they’re not in bad shape, still book your wedding day nail appointment in advance so you know you’ve got that. Book it for the day before, if possible. Failing that, in the week running up.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228416490{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]
The Workout
Exercising before your wedding is not necessarily about losing weight or squeezing into a particular dress size – it’s also a fantastic stress buster for when all the planning gets on top of you and it can help to improve your posture for walking down the aisle.
Meghan Markle has purportedly been getting wedding fit using Heartcore Pilates, taught by her friend and pro instructor Heather Dorak, but she’s also been ensuring a healthy mind with her regular meditation. Apparently she attended a four-day initiation class with mindful coach Light Watkins and came away with her own, personal mantra to help ‘calm and centre’ her mind. Lovely![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3053″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1526229421192{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526230114071{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]Pilates is a brilliant pre-wedding exercise as it will help you stand up straight and really look your best as you walk down the aisle. Here’s an easy posture improving pilates exercise you can try, from Marguerite Ogle at VeryFitWell:
Posture and Alignment Exercise
- Begin standing. Stand with your feet and legs directly under your hips. Your legs and feet are parallel, and your knees are pointing forward, straight but not locked. Get details on good leg alignment.
- Balance Your Weight. Adjust your body so that your weight feels like it is falling directly through the middle of the foot. A good way to do this is to rock slightly forward and back on your feet, making the movement smaller and smaller until you feel your weight is balanced over the center of your foot.
- Activate your core muscles. Lightly pull your abdominal muscles in and up. As you do so you engage the pelvic floor muscles as well. You are going for a feeling of aliveness in the core. Just this move is usually enough to improve one’s posture significantly.
- Drop the tailbone. Activating the core will allow you to drop your tailbone down toward the floor. This is a neutral spine position, where the natural curves of the spine are present without tucking or hyper-extending(sway back) the pelvis. A popular image is that the pelvis is a bowl of water and you don’t want the water to spill out to the front or the back.
- Relax and open your chest. The chest is not caved in and not thrust out, just resting easily. There is a small point at the bottom of your sternum, and that, like the tail bone, should be pointing straight down.
- Shoulders down, broad back. Allow your chest to drop and open as your back expands. As this happens and you feel the support from your core, your shoulders drop away from your ears and your shoulder blades slide down your back. Cultivate a posture whereby your core is holding you up, not your shoulders!
- Ears reach for the sky. Your head and neck are completely supported by your core and easily float above your shoulders. Imagine that the tops of your ears are reaching for the sky. Your gaze is straight forward, with your throat open and chin resting naturally.
Review the lineup. If you were seen from the side your body part line up will look like this:
- ankles
- knees
- hips
- shoulders
- ears
Marguerite suggests going through this posture checklist as many times as you can during the day and says “it is an especially good exercise to do once you are warmed up, or even after a workout when your awareness is heightened and core well engaged.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526229655507{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]Embed from Getty Images[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228540698{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]
The Brows
Meghan Markle apparently goes for a brow shape called ‘The Audrey’ at Riley’s Mayfair salon, clearly, after the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn.
This style is allegedly designed to instantly lift the face with tinting, threading and tweezing will make all the difference to her overall look. The brows are so important as they are the frame of the face!
When getting your eyebrows done before your wedding day, make sure that you leave a few days before you’re actually walking down the aisle, just in case you get any irritation.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3054″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1526229540066{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228574780{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]
The Health-Kick
The Markle Sparkle secret weapon? Well, it’s been said that she has two, actually: Matcha tea and Manuka honey.
Both of these are packed with skin-clearing, health-boosting anti-oxidants making them the perfect health kick before your wedding day. You can eat/drink them both and wear them as a face mask too![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3055″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1526229729849{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526228729119{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]Here’s how to make your own Matcha and Manuka honey face mask, with a wonderful recipe from Anna Marie Gianni:
Matcha Green Tea Mask
If you’d like to see what green tea can do for you when you put it on your skin, we have a simple way for you to try it.
First, start with a quality matcha green tea product. Matcha is a good option for skin care because it is naturally more potent than regular green tea.
Next, mix a tablespoon or two of your powder with one or more of the following ingredients, depending on what effects you’re looking for:
- Few drops of lemongrass (for cleansing and purifying)
- Tablespoon of rosewater and several drops lavender oil (to soothe sensitive skin and minimize the appearance of large pores)
- A tablespoon of manuka honey and yogurt (for deep moisturization)
- One egg (to absorb excess oil, tighten, and tone)
- Water or aloe vera gel (for simple anti-aging effects)
- One-half to one teaspoon coconut oil(to create smooth, soft, radiant skin)
You can always add a few drops water to any of the above to create your preferred consistency.
Apply the mixture to your face, and leave on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing and following with your favourite moisturiser.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1526230042073{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]
Bridal Prep
Whatever your bridal prep schedule before your wedding day, the most important thing is that you stay calm and happy! It’s so easy to get swept up in the organisation that you don’t leave enough ‘me time’. Meghan’s bridal prep largely focuses on her mental and physical wellbeing and this is what is going to give you that gorgeous glow more than anything else. Apart from some strategic highlighting and contouring, of course![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]