Essential skincare timeline for brides: From one year to the week before

Start a great skincare regimen as early as possible to make sure your makeup looks flawless on your wedding day.

Makeup is wonderful, but it needs a good canvas underneath to really work its magic. So, your skincare regimen coming up to your wedding day is as important as your chosen makeup look.

Brides usually come to me for a wedding makeup trial well in advance of the big day. I always tell them to start looking after their skin from that day forward. Here's a little timeline and general guide to getting your skin ready for your big day.

One year before your wedding

You need to invest in some good skincare. I've been known to chop and change, but at the moment there's a big buzz about Image Skincare - all the Irish celebs are talking about it. If it's good enough for Pippa O'Connor, I'm in! I'm currently using a combination of Image Skincare and Environ products.

Skincare can be expensive, so start off by making just two changes: cleanse and tone every night and get a great moisturiser with SPF. If you don't already, start getting into the habit of drinking plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated.

Lots of women are using the wrong skincare for their skin type so ideally, you should recruit professional help. Ask your beauty therapist to recommend the right products for you.

Six months before the wedding

It's around now you could start a course of facials. If you go to a reputable salon, you should find someone who is worthy of looking after your skin. I am a big fan of medical grade peels and microdermabrasion for great results.

Your skin can be an expensive investment. If this all sounds a bit rich to you, you could just add to your home products. You could get a good exfoliator and a mask and give yourself a weekly facial at home. Bioderma has a gorgeous range and it's not too pricey.

Two months before the wedding

If you have been using good skincare and having facials, your skin should be looking pretty good now. From here on in, it should be about maintaining your new healthy glow. Best to stop having any facials that use active ingredients and could cause reactions. Start drinking at least a litre of water every day, two if you can. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

One week before

Stop all treatments and just be vigilant with your everyday routine and keep drinking water. Did you get that? Hydrate! It's so important. The more hydrated and healthy your skin is the better your makeup will look on the day.