As a girl who grew a social media following on my Instagram account @inthefrow through reviewing beauty products and sharing my latest discoveries on YouTube, I had a pretty clear idea of how I hoped to look on my wedding day. And I can honestly say that I’ve never felt more beautiful than I did that weekend.
Let’s start from the beginning: my bridal prep. In the months leading up to the big day, I worked out at Bodyism in Notting Hill, which made me feel fitter than I ever have. My skin also underwent careful prep. For almost two years I’ve used AlumierMd products, in particular their Radiant Peels, to get my skin smoother and more glowing. I visited Debbie at Nouveau Lashes, who gave my straight lashes an LVL curl so they would look perfect when coated in mascara. I had a bridal French manicure with lace patterned white tips courtesy of Corina at Dryby London, and finally a spray tan from Vita Liberata. I have my hair coloured by Amy Fish and cut at Larry King’s salon, so there was no one else I wanted touching my hair for our wedding. Combined with Nikki Wolff (@nikkimakeup), who knows I’ve long been an Armani Beauty fan, they made up my amazing bridal glam team.
With five outfits to wear, I wanted five beauty looks to coincide. As each wedding outfit was entirely different, from a fitted white suit, to a silk crepe wedding dress, the beauty looks had to be thoughtfully considered. So when the wedding celebrations kicked off at Chateau du Bijou in the South of France, it was the start of a three day party – and a weekend of beauty. The month before, Larry said that I should “definitely wear a long ponytail” with my Pronovias tuxedo suit for the pre-wedding party. He had a 50cm hair piece toned into my white-grey hair colour, and we went for a volumised, pushed back ponytail with the hair piece clipped in. It fell just below my shoulders and I spent the whole night flicking it from right to left like Ariana Grande. Nikki, the queen of creating a radiant glow, used Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation and Power Fabric Concealer, and softly highlighted my cheeks.
Now for the big day. For the wedding ceremony itself I wore a couture Phillipa Lepley silk crepe gown with a metre-long train and thin silk straps. It was the only make-up look we trialled in advance, so I couldn’t wait to see it in situ, alongside my dress. Essentially, I wanted a nude lip and bronzed eyes, but with added bridal glamour, which broken down looked like this...
Now for my hair. Larry used Redken’s Fashion Works spray to help take separate sections of hair, wrapping them back, over and under each other down the back of my neck to form a beautiful pattern. The front was kept soft with two separate sections to frame my face, and Larry King’s A Social Life for your Hair cream and ‘Oh Baby” Flyaway bamboo hairbrush used to tame any fluffy strands. I kept my veil in my hair all evening as it was the perfect bridal hair style. And the finishing touch? My wedding scent. I wore the light and rosy Dior Parfums Rose Gypsy, which matched our Maison Christian Dior Féve Dèlicieuse candles that scented the wedding.
I later changed into a second Phillipa Lepley gown – a tulle and embellished bodice princess dress – so Nikki was on duty to top-up my make-up after the teary speeches. But for my hair, Larry took it out of the knotted look and used his Volumizing Hair Mist for extra volume. He also used the Dyson Airwrap to create tight, grunge-y curls as an amazing contrast to the girly evening dress. The hair had a rock and roll edge that was perfect for me to throw around as I danced the night away.
And after all of the fun of the wedding day – we danced in the rain until 4am – Sunday brunch was our final celebration. For my finale outfit, I wore a bespoke Suzanne Neville wedding dress. Larry blow dried my hair with the Dyson Supersonic, and used the Redken Frizz Dismiss to help tame pieces of the hair to keep the look really soft around the front of my hairline. He added some light curls into my hair with the Dyson Airwrap for some extra movement before pinning it into a soft knot at the nape of my neck, gently pulling back a few extra pieces into place so it looked simple, casual and elegant for the final day.
And for my final make-up look, after a very late night, all I needed was extra hydration. My skin was prepped with the Prima Glow Moisturising Balm and Luminous Silk Primer, and finished with Luminous Silk Foundation in 5 and the Power Fabric Concealer all underneath the eyes to brighten.
It was truly the best weekend of my life, and I can’t thank Larry, Nikki, Dior parfums and Armani Beauty enough for making me feel and look my most beautiful.
In The Frow's Address Book
As told to Lauren Murdoch-Smith
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