Beauty Care for the Winter Bride By Shahnaz Husain

Marriage is the most special and most important event in a girl’s life. On her wedding day, a girl is no less than a princess. All eyes remain on her and that’s why we leave no stone unturned to look our best on our D-Day. However, looking beautiful on the wedding day is not merely a matter of make-up and dress. Skin care also plays a key role. So a would be bride should start a proper skin care routine at least a few weeks before the wedding. And it is important that the skin type and the season should also be taken into consideration. For instance, in winter, even oily skins may feel dry, while dry skins need more moisturization and nourishment with creams and oils. So here is a post for all the soon-to-be brides – Beauty Care for the Winter Bride By Shahnaz Husain.

To start from the basics, cleanse your skin twice a day. Night time cleansing is more important, especially don’t ever go to sleep with your makeup on. So, cleanse the skin daily at night and rinse well with plenty of plain water. Use lukewarm water.

Normal to dry skin girls should opt for cleansing cream or gel. Or, take half a cup of cold milk and add five drops of any vegetable oil (til, olive or sunflower oil). Put this in a bottle and shake well. Cleanse the skin with it, using cotton wool. Keep left-over mixture in the fridge.

For oily skin beauties, cleansing lotion or face wash is the best option.?Oily skins also need deep pore cleansing. Mix rice powder with curd and apply on the face once or twice a week. Rub gently with small circular movements and wash off with water. Ready-to-use scrubs are also easily available. Blackheads often trouble oily skin, specially during winter, so go for a clean up session at beauty parlor.

During winter, oily skin may also feel dry. But using a cream often becomes a pain as it leads to breakouts. So, mix one teaspoon pure glycerin with 100 ml rose water and keep in a bottle in the fridge. Use a little of this lotion to relieve dryness. This will give a softness to the skin, without aggravating oiliness.

Also read

How to Select Bridal Makeup Artist ?

5 Bridal Accessories That Can Glam Up Your Look Instantly

5 Most Beautiful Indian Bridal Looks

Bridal Makeup Tips

Aloe vera gel or honey is a great moisturizer for all skin types. Apply a few drops of honey or aloe vera gel on the face and wash off with plain water after 20 minutes.

After cleansing, comes toning. Rose water, especially chilled rose water is a great toner for all skin types. Pour a few drops of rose water on cotton wool pads. Wipe and stroke the skin with them. Then, pat briskly with the rosewater-soaked cotton wool pads. This adds a glow to the skin.

Next up moisturizing. Normal to dry skin girls should use a nourishing cream at night. After cleansing, apply the cream and massage on the face with a few drops of water, with outward and slightly upward movements, for 2 minutes. Wipe off with moist cotton wool.

Use a home made face mask two or three times a week. For normal to dry skin, mix two teaspoons wheat bran (choker) with one teaspoon each of almond meal (badaam), curd, honey and rose water.

For oily or combination skin, mix three teaspoons oats with curd, honey and egg white or rose water. Mix everything together into a paste and apply on the face, avoiding the lips and area around the eyes. Wash it off after 20 minutes.

Once you are done with face mask, soak two cotton wool pads in rose water and use them as eye pads. Lie down and relax. This is extremely relaxing and refreshing for both body and mind. Rose water actually has a relaxing effect, which helps to remove fatigue and brighten the eyes.

Applying an under eye cream should also be included in daily skin care. The skin around the eyes is thin and delicate. It acquires lines and wrinkles easily. Apply an under-eye cream wipe it off after 15 minutes, with moist cotton wool. Or, daily apply pure almond oil sparingly and massage lightly, using only the ring finger, for one minute under each eye. Massage in one direction only.

The skin on the lips is also thin and lacks oil producing glands. It becomes dry and chaps easily. After cleansing, apply almond oil or almond cream on the lips daily and leave it on all night. Sun-protective lip balms are also useful.

Don’t forget to apply a sunscreen before going out in the sun. Most sunscreens have built-in moisturizers. Moisturizers are available in cream and liquid form. For extreme dryness, use a cream. A liquid moisturizer should also be used under make-up. Keep the skin well moisturised.

In winter, the skin of the body also needs nourishing with oils and homemade ubtans. In the olden days, ubtan was made at home for skin care. First the body was massaged with til oil. Then home made ubtan was applied. This usually consisted of wheat bran (choker), gram flour (besan), yogurt (dahi) or cream of milk (malai) and a pinch of turmeric (haldi). All these were mixed together and applied on the face and body, before bathing. The ubtan was washed off after half an hour, while bathing. It helped to clear the skin of dead cells, leaving it smooth and bright, with a translucent quality.

Here’s another ideal way to get glowing skin. Mix powdered milk, ground almonds (badaam), rice powder and rose petals. Tie the ingredients in a clean cloth, wet slightly and then rub the cloth bag on the skin while bathing. The ingredients work on your skin, gently cleansing it and leaving it soft, smooth and vibrant. It also leave the body naturally perfumed and refreshed, feeling as smooth as silk.

Just like skin care, hair care is also of great importance. Go for hot towel treatment. Heat pure coconut oil and apply on the hair. Then dip a towel in hot water, squeeze out the water and wrap the hot towel around the head, like a turban. Keep it on for 5 minutes. Repeat the hot towel wrap 3 or 4 times. After shampoo, apply a creamy conditioner, leave on for 2 minutes and wash off with plain water. Or, you can apply a leave-on conditioner or hair serum for shine and protection.

Give your hair a quick conditioning treatment before shampoo. Mix one teaspoon each of vinegar and almond oil with one egg. Beat them together well. Massage the mixture into the scalp. Leave on the mixture for half an hour and then wash your hair. If you do not wish to use egg, add more almond oil.

All the would-be brides go through some kind of stress. This can reflect on the face. To deal with this kind of mental stress, it is essential to learn to relax. Physical exercise actually helps the body to cope with stress. Light exercises like walking can even be helpful. Deep breathing exercises and meditation also help to calm the mind and induce relaxation.

So this is a lovely compilation of Beauty Care for the Winter Bride By Shahnaz Husain. I am sure you all loved reading it 🙂 Take care & stay gorgeous!