Ahead of her stunning, celebrity-filled wedding to entrepreneur Max Fredrik Darnton in Corfu, Binky Felstead received lots of tips from friends.
“One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given is to try and soak in each moment, taking a mental snapshot of the times you don’t want to ever forget,” the former Made In Chelsea star says of the nuptials, celebrated a year after the couple’s civil ceremony in London and attended by fellow MIC alumni Ollie Locke-Locke, Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor.
“Be it walking down the aisle and seeing your husband or wife to be, or watching your best mates let loose on the dance floor. There are some moments cameras just can’t capture in the same way.”
Now the 32-year-old – who shares one-year-old son Wolfie with Darnton and has a five-year-old daughter, India, with ex-partner Josh Patterson – is passing on what she learned about bridal beauty before her big day.
From pampering treatments and favourite products to make-up decisions and staying calm under pressure, here are Binky Felstead’s top wedding beauty tips…
Embrace your natural beauty
“Ahead of my wedding, I created a beauty routine that will enhance my natural features rather than trying to change them,” Felstead says.
“I want to look and feel my most confident, natural self on my wedding day and for this to be reflected in our photos, so I’m not having any appearance-altering treatments done.”
The mum-of-two did add in a few pampering appointments leading up to her destination wedding: “I’ve booked an eyelash lift and tint, a spray tan, a manicure and pedicure.”
And she perfected her smile with an Invisalign treatment: “It has made me feel so good and prepared for our photos.”
Don’t get too experimental
Opting for a timeless bridal beauty look, Felstead wore her brunette locks in a half-up style and chose naturally glam make-up to complement her strapless gown designed by Liz Martinez.
She explained: “It can be tempting to get sucked into new beauty trends before your wedding, and the pressure of looking your best can play a part in this, but I’ve tried to avoid things like changing my hair colour or adding a really new treatment or product into my beauty routine, as I feel it might backfire.”
She decided against a pre-wedding facial in case it caused her skin to breakout: “I also didn’t want to look back on my photos in ten years’ time and regret my then ‘trendy’ hair colour or using a new product which could cause a bad reaction.”
Pack your must-haves
Although she had her make-up artist there on her big day, Felstead also packed her own “tried and trusted, go-to products” to help her feel comfortable.
She’s a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury make-up – “I love a setting spray and will definitely bring one with me, along with some waterproof mascara, to make sure my look lasts the whole day – even through the happy tears!”
Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes Volume 2 Black Vinyl
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
Maintain a solid wellbeing routine
Believing that looking good while walking down the aisle is also about feeling good, Felstead prioritised exercise as part of her pre-wedding prep.
“Getting married abroad or in summer made me feel more pressure to look my best physically, but I think that maintaining my gym routine has alleviated this,” she says.
“It’s been great to get that added confidence boost from the gym, and I’ve been taking walks every day with Max, so we get some extra time together while building small, daily habits into our lifestyle to make us feel more energetic, happy and healthy before our big day.”
