This is an extra special guest blog post for you with the very lovely Lauren McDermott. Normally my guests are fellow wedding creatives, but this interview is an extra special treat for all of you brides-to-be. In this interview, Lauren shares lots of tips and advice on how you can prepare your skin and body for your big day. Following the last year of barely any weddings and being stuck in lockdown after lockdown, this year we are seeing a surge in weddings, and so there will be lots of you wanting to prepare for your wedding day and I thought it was the perfect time to share Lauren’s brilliant advice. Some of you may know Lauren already through her Instagram account as she works for Bobbi Brown and shares a lot of make-up tutorials, she also has been through the process of being a bride and preparing for her own wedding day. Lauren is a genuine, authentic person and has such beautiful taste! I got to know her a few years ago when I discovered her on Instagram and I have been following her journey since. I’ve had the joy of meeting Lauren in person and she is just as lovely as she seems on Insta! The advice she shares is so useful and truly, a little bit of self-care and a regular skin routine is great for everyone. After reading Lauren’s interview, I’ve even built some of these little steps into my own routine and have already seen and felt an improvement! So I really hope that this advice is of benefit to you too.
Hi Lauren! Thank you so much for agreeing to be a part of this blog series, I’m delighted to have you here!
So Lauren, you are an extra special guest in my blog series. I’ve been featuring wedding suppliers so far but I really wanted to include you. Since discovering your account on Instagram (a few years ago now), I have learnt so much from you about how to care for my skin but also how to apply really easy make-up in a range of looks from daywear to night-time. And as you’ve experienced the journey of being a bride yourself not so long ago, I thought my lovely brides-to-be might really enjoy learning from you too.
So before we get stuck into the questions, would you like to give yourself a little introduction to those who don’t know you already?
Oh Vaani, thank you so much for including me! Although our wedding was a few years ago I absolutely love keeping up with your wedding work on Instagram. I’ve always thought if I didn’t do this job, I’d love to be involved in weddings somehow…I just love them!! So I’m Lauren, 36 year old mum of three lovely boys. I work for Bobbi Brown cosmetics, and have done for 13 years, but I also have a blog By Lauren McDermott and an instagram account that keeps me busy.
We all know every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day, so how about we start with the basics. How important do you think it is to be caring for your skin ahead of your wedding day? And what would you suggest for a good skincare routine?
Absolutely! I think life is so busy that for many women, the lead up to their wedding is sometimes the first time that they truly give themselves permission to invest in their skin, hair and make up. It’s so lovely to be involved in that journey with a bride early on, even a year before the big day, not only finding a skincare routine that works but also making lifestyle choices (like increasing water consumption etc). If you can get your skin to glow even without makeup, your wedding make up is always going to be extra special.
Are there any must-have products that you would recommend? And are there any extra steps that a bride-to-be could incorporate into their skincare routine to have extra radiant skin?
I think hydration is key, no matter your age or skin type. Even oily skin still needs hydration. I love our skin nourish mask for an instant boost, you can even wear it to bed and wake up with cushiony soft skin!
And on those days when you might be feeling really tired at the end of the day, are there essential steps that you really shouldn’t skip?
I would say that you should never start or finish the day without cleansing and moisturising your skin. That’s the bare minimum. Like brushing your teeth. I love Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil, as it’s not only nourishing and effective, it’s also super fast, removing all traces of make up in a few seconds.
So when it comes to having long-wearing make-up on your wedding day, how important do you think it is to get your wedding make-up applied by a professional?
I think this really is all about personal preference. With the right products and knowledge, all women can be their own make up artist, in fact there is something so wonderful about applying your own makeup beautifully and comfortably on your wedding morning. Of course, finding a makeup artist you really trust to take that job out of your hands on your wedding morning. I love doing my own makeup, but as a busy mum of boys, who I knew would be with me on the morning of the wedding, I just wanted to relax and let someone else take care of it for me. I was lucky to have Amy Conway, who would always be my first choice for my wedding make up. I think it’s so important to have a trial and find someone you trust if you’re going to book a professional.
I loved watching the videos of you with Amy Conway trying out different bridal looks. Would you recommend doing the same? It’s very popular right now to choose a natural make-up look for your wedding day, but that might not work for everyone. Do you have any tips for figuring out the right kind of look for your wedding day?
Oh that was so fun! There are no rules for wedding make up anymore, actually there’s no rules with anything wedding related now is there. I love that! If you want a dramatic sexy smokey eye, do it! If you want a natural classic look, go for that. Or if like me, you can’t decide, maybe try a few looks!
What we put into our bodies is such a key factor of having healthy looking skin. In the lead up to your wedding, did you make any changes to your diet or your lifestyle?
Gosh isn’t it just! It amazes me how much simply increasing water intake, getting more sleep and breaking a sweat a little more frequently can truly make you glow! Some of the things I did, which I’m really pleased that I managed to keep up on the lead up to the wedding at least ( oh if only that pre-wedding motivation stuck around!! lol) are:
- Dry body brushing
- 2-3 litres of water a day
- Gentle exercise
- Trying to get 8 hours sleep
I think people focus on their facial skincare but might forget about their hands or their body. Do you have any suggestions for care of the skin on your hands, your feet and your body?
You’re so right Vaani. A bride’s hands and feet can be photographed so much on her wedding day too! The skin on our body really benefits from movement (exercise) and also adding steps like body brushing to our routine, which not only exfoliate but also get our blood pumping in sluggish areas improving the appearance of our skin. Combined with a balanced diet and exercise, a good body-brush before a shower then a massage with a lovely rich moisturiser after a shower will have arms and legs glowing in no time.
The photos from your wedding looked so beautiful and you looked so incredibly happy! Looking back – what were the highlights of your wedding day?
Thank you, I love our wedding pictures and the video so much. It was truly the happiest day of my life, particularly because our children got to share it with us too. Life doesn’t always go the way you expect it to, and I didn’t think I’d have children before marrying the love of my life, but actually so many of the highlights from our day were shared with them. From watching them hold hands and skip excitedly ahead of me as I walked down the aisle, to all of us dancing together in the evening, our day felt like a celebration of our love and of our family too.
And before you go, I have to ask you these questions as I ask all my guests! What’s your favourite cake flavour?! And what’s your favourite tipple?
This is HARD!!! We make a LOT of lemon cake here because all the boys love it and it’s almost always the flavour they ask for. My personal favourite is a really good moist carrot cake, closely followed by coffee and walnut…..neither of which my family enjoy!! Lol
And because I know you’re a huge fan of Bobbi Brown and you’ve introduced me to so many amazing products. I couldn’t have you go without asking you what your 5 BB favourites are that you couldn’t live without?
Oooh!!! Well I think it’s worth saying that this would be unique to every woman, one of my favourite things about the Bobbi Brown brand is that we are not cookie-cutter, what makes the greatest difference for one may not be a favourite for another. My personal top 5 though:
- Vitamin Enriched Eye Base: Brightening, hydrating and so soothing applied first thing in the morning.
- Vitamin Enriched Face Base: The a dreamy base for foundation and just the most perfect blend of vitamins and antioxidants for my skin.
- Corrector: I use this under my concealer to brighten dark shadows, it works like nothing else!!
- Powder Pink Pot Rouge: A dewy pop of colour in a beautiful natural pink.
- Smokey Eye Mascara: My favourite! It lifts and defines every lash and never looks clumpy.
Do you have any final words of wisdom for a woman preparing for her wedding day?
It’s a real cliche piece of advice to say “It goes quickly” but my goodness…it really does!!! Steal some moments for yourselves, be a bit selfish in that way. Go for a walk together and escape the crowd, breathe in the moments that you have together, they’re the ones I remember clearest.
Thank you so much for sharing all your advice Lauren. You are a superstar! So much of what you have recommended are little things that can be incorporated into our daily routine, and little by little can have a big impact on our body’s and our skin and lead to being an even more radiant bride on your wedding day! You can find Lauren over on Instagram or on her website: www.bylaurenmcdermott.com.
Photo credits: Lydia Harper Photography