Triona McCarthy: Get your face and hair in tip-top shape ahead of wedding season with these beauty essentials

Here comes the bride, looking like a great big ride... I’m a busy bee these days as I’m in the middle of speaking at a run of wedding events. It’s fascinating how beauty care has changed — especially over the last 10 years. I’m finding that both women and men want to know about hair transplants, body hair removal, Botox under the arms for sweating and filler in the earlobes.

The list — and lust for tweakments — goes on. Anyhoo, I love to share my top product picks and treatment tricks to help brides, grooms and their mums and dads achieve a radiant glow on the Big Day, along with must-have make-up essentials to carry in your clutch for touch-ups.

Ideally, you should start your bridal beauty routine six months in advance to create the perfect base for your bridal make-up, which of course starts with healthy, glowing skin.

Triona’s skincare saviours

Stimulating collagen should be your starting point as it’s the essential ingredient to radiant skin. Elemis Pro-Collagen Future Restore Serum (84,ドル brownthomas.com) is great for helping skin to look smoother and more luminous.

Regular exfoliation is essential to creating a smooth base and sloughing off dead skin cells. Try Aimee Connolly’s Sculpted by Aimee DuoCleanse (36,ドル sculptedbyaimee.com) two to three times per week to create a more even texture to your skin.

After that, you need to add hydration with a great moisturiser that will help your skin barrier. Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Magic Cream (66,ドル arnotts.ie) moisturiser features ingredients to lift your complexion and intensely moisturise your skin. These include hyaluronic acid and vitamins C+E to firm and revive the skin and reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Actually, hyaluronic acid is great for plumping up skin as it draws moisture to the skin’s surface. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Serum (12,ドル next.ie) is an inexpensive way to improve skin suppleness and elasticity, while minimising the appearance of fine, dry lines.

As well as your skin, you’re going to want to have healthy, glossy hair on the day. Make sure you have regular trims to prevent split ends and use Voduz Cleanse It Volume Shampoo and Conditioner (16ドル.95 each, voduzhair.com), which are free from harsh chemicals that can strip natural oils and cause dryness. They are also infused with advanced UV filters to shield your hair from the sun’s damage.

Another great treatment is the Olaplex No 5 Leave-InTM Moisturize & Mend Leave-In Conditioner (31,ドル brownthomas.com), which seals split ends and hydrates, softens and detangles hair. Now that you’re looking like a ridey bridey, all you have to do is get yourself to the church on time!

Treat

The Nue Co Forest Lungs, 125,ドル spacenk.com Have you heard of functional fragrances? The Nue Co Forest Lungs is inspired by the concept of ‘forest bathing’ and is designed to help reduce stress. It’s woody, smokey and is designed to mimic the benefits of being surrounded by nature, as it features top notes of bergamot and black pepper, with base notes of pine, patchouli and cedarwood.

Trick

Sample saviours You know the feeling, it’s Patrick’s Day and you’re out for the day and possibly night, but your cross-body bag is too small to carry all you need to stay fresh. This is where the sachets and samples you get at beauty counters come into their own, or those Burst Teeth Whitening Breath Fresheners, Nuasan Active Body Wipes, and teeny perfume samples. Store them up in a container on your vanity so you can grab them for nights out on the town.

Treatment

Ómra Beauty Blissful Relaxation Package, omrabeauty.ie

Situated in the Merrion Centre in D4, you can do the weekly grocery shop and book in for the Blissful Relaxation Package (120ドル). This includes a back, neck and shoulder massage, soothing Indian head massage, Discovery Facial and hand and arm massage. While all this is happening, you also get to cocoon yourself for 90 minutes of me-time in the salon’s heated treatment beds. Pure bliss! And if anyone asks, yes, it took that long to do the shopping.