The best wedding makeup starts months before the wedding morning.

The closer you get to your wedding, the more I think you should keep things calm, consistent and familiar. That means no changing routines in the last two months, or a shelf full of new products.

For a mountain wedding in Chamonix or the French Alps, skin prep matters because the environment can be harsh and drying, especially in winter. Travel can affect the skin. Altitude can dehydrate you. Lips crack and skin becomes sensitive. And if you have been skiing, hiking, sitting in the sun or rushing around before the wedding, your skin may already be working quite hard.

So my advice is usually simple: prepare early, hydrate, eat clean, protect your skin, and don’t change anything at the last minute.

The final eight weeks are golden

I often say that the final eight weeks before your wedding are golden. Guard them.

That is not the moment to suddenly try a strong new facial, a peel, resurfacing, or an invasive treatment you have never had before. If you are choosing to do something along these lines, schedule it well in advance, and with a professional that you trust.

Some treatments take time to settle. Some can cause reactions. Some can make the skin more sensitive or reactive before it looks better. The run-up to your wedding is not the time to be dealing with an unexpected reaction.

Keep your skincare routine consistent

The best thing you can do is build a routine early on, ideally a year to nine months out, and then stick to it. If you know a cleanser, serum, moisturiser and SPF work for you, keep going. If you want to improve your skin before the wedding, start months ahead rather than weeks ahead. That gives your skin time to adjust.

In the final stretch, the boring things are often the most helpful:

- Drink water

- Sleep a minimum of 8 hours a night

- Eat well and avoid processed or junk foods

- Keep your routine consistent

- Don’t introduce lots of new products

- Protect your skin from the sun 

It sounds simple, but simple is what works here.

Hydration matters in the Alps

Altitude and dry mountain air can make skin feel tight, dull or more sensitive. In winter, cold air outside and heating inside can make that worse. In summer, sun and travel can do the same.

Often, brides are not fully aware of how dry the air is here until they arrive.

That is why I focus so much on hydration when I prep the skin on the day. I use gentle, reliable layers rather than anything too aggressive. In my kit, that might include Vichy Mineral 89 as a hyaluronic acid layer, Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré as the moisturising layer, and then an SPF primer that sits well under makeup. I love the Charlotte Tilbury SPF 50 poreless primer as it holds under makeup and doesn’t flash back. The goal is to make the skin comfortable and calm, not overloaded. And, of course, ready for makeup!

Please look after your lips

Lips are a big one.

Almost everyone comes to me with cracked or dry lips after arriving in the Alps. It happens so easily here. I use a W7 lip mask when I am prepping my brides, and it is genuinely one of the products people message me about after the wedding. “What did you put on my lips?” is something I hear a lot. Before the wedding, a lip balm used consistently can make a real difference. Lip balm and drinking lots of water.  Try not to let your lips get to the cracked stage before you start treating them.

Be careful with sun tanning

I love a healthy glow, but I would much rather someone get a professional fake tan than try to grill themselves in the sun before the wedding.

Sun damage is not a good look, and sunburn is difficult to hide beautifully. In the Alps, the sun can be stronger than people expect, even when the high-elevation air is deceptively cool.

If you are planning a fake tan, test it beforehand. Make sure you like the colour, how it fades, and how it looks against your dress and makeup. Do not try it for the first time just before your wedding. And remember to protect your body as well as your face, sunburn is so hard to hide on your wedding day. 

What should you do if your skin is not perfect?

Please do not panic.

Skin is skin. It has texture, movement, pores, lines, redness, blemishes, all the things that make it human. Makeup can soften and even enhance, but it cannot completely erase texture in real life, especially if you still want a natural look.

That is one of the reasons I always talk to brides about realistic expectations. Pinterest can be helpful for inspiration, but many bridal looks online are heavily edited or not even real human skin.

We’re not trying to look like the latest trending Instagram filter here. We’re trying to look like you - rested, polished and beautiful.

On the wedding morning

On the day itself, I will prep the skin based on what I see and feel in front of me. I’ll ask you how your skin feels. 

If we are high in the mountains or it is deep winter, I might use more hydration. If the skin is oilier, I will adapt so the base still lasts. If lips are dry, I will start treating them early.

Everything is personal. No single routine works for every bride.

That is why the best skin prep is a partnership: you keep things consistent and calm before the day, and I build the makeup on a base that feels comfortable and right for your skin.

For a mountain wedding, that is the best starting point for natural, glowing bridal makeup.

Planning your wedding? I’m Laura Wilson-North, a makeup artist based in Chamonix and often in Geneva, working across the French Alps, Swiss Alps, Italy and beyond. If you’d like to talk about your wedding day, your ideas, or just about anything bridal makeup, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch!