Wedding Day Beauty Prep

   5 steps to your most beautiful bridal self   Two words: wedding photos. As well as the romance and laughter of your special day, photographs will capture your glowing happiness, too. So six months before the wedding, get started on the following five steps to your best hair, skin and smile.

1) Get hair into shape. Save dry, damaged and brittle hair with a regimen of reparative shampoo, conditioner and hair masks, starting now. Try weekly treatments with coconut oil, which hair absorbs easily for improved shine and resilience.

2) Take skincare seriously. Breakout issues? See a dermatologist for specialized help. Or maybe a nutritionist or naturopath can assist -- what you eat shows up on your face, especially if you have certain food sensitivities, such as dairy or gluten.

Makeup glides flawlessly onto skin that has recently had a good facial. Book one ASAP to see how your skin likes it; if skin says yes! book another for a week before your wedding.

3) Lash out. Grow a thicker fringe in time for "I Do" with a lash-enhancing prescription such as Latisse, which has proven dramatic results. Or stock up on fluttery lash clusters such as Quo Individual Lashes #811 ($7.50 at Shoppers Drug Mart) for your wedding day.

4) Whiten your smile. Whiter teeth=brighter complexion. Ask your dentist about
Zoom! WhiteSpeed (price varies, select dental offices), a treatment proven to whiten up to eight shades in 45 minutes. Or try an at-home professional whitening formula such as Zoom! DayWhite or Zoom! NiteWhite (price varies, select dental offices), which offer custom-fit trays and sensitive-teeth options. For instant touch-ups, slip a Zoom! Whitening Pen (price varies, select dental offices) into your wedding-day beauty kit.

5) Choose the right lip colour. Blue-based hues, such as Yves Saint Laurent Volupté Sheer Candy Glossy Balm in 04 Succulent Pomegranate ($39, sephora.ca), will make teeth look even whiter and brighter.

Now smile and say "happily ever after!"