"For my upcoming elopement, I want my skin to take center stage with a luminous 'no makeup makeup' look.

My longtime makeup artist, Carly—who helped launch our makeup services in 2017—smiled and said, 'Angela, you’re getting married. Let’s go for snatcheral.' (Snatched meets natural.)

Here's a peak into our bridal makeup trial and her process from wedding skin prep to makeup tips..."

- Angela Jia Kim (Savor Beauty Founder)

When it comes to wedding skin prep, Carly Caban’s philosophy is simple: luminous, healthy skin is the main event. Everything else is "you, but better."

After two decades as a pro makeup artist working with brides, Carly has seen it all—but she always comes back to a skin-first philosophy: great wedding skin prep is everything.

She compares it to a painter’s canvas: smooth skin makes the entire process easier, while a dry or textured canvas makes it harder for everything to glide on—and it shows in photos.

Instead of piling on product, Carly builds from the skin up, layering nourishing serums, luminous SPF, and skin-perfecting toners to create a dewy, long-lasting finish.

Below, she shares her full wedding skin prep routine using Savor Beauty favorites designed to give you a bridal glow, even when you're not walking down the aisle.

Great skin doesn't happen overnight. A consistent routine and ritual is always key.

Here is Carly's 1-week wedding skin prep ritual for hydrated, exfoliated, calm skin on your big day.

☑️ The Goal: Supple, Hydrated Skin.

"For deep hydration that works while you sleep, reach for a gentle overnight mask that's rich in hyaluronic acid. My favorite overnight mask combination starts with our chamomile moisture mask, which helps calm redness and inflammation.

With that, I add a drop of nourishing face cream that's tailored for dry skin. The Truffle Face Cream in the formula "Dry" is the perfect match.

Mix the two together and apply liberally to your face with clean hands or a mask brush. This combination deeply hydrates, ensuring a supple, makeup-ready canvas by morning."

☑️ The Goal: A Naturally Glowing Base

"The morning of your big day should come with a well thought-out skincare plan so that you can feel stress-free and confident. Here's my ideal day-of wedding skin prep for brides."

• Double Cleanse: Start with a double cleanse using a lightweight cleansing oil followed by a gentle milk cleanser to remove any residual impurities.
• A Quick Detox: With clean hands, massage a small amount of a manuka honey mask onto skin for extra gentle exfoliation. Let it sit for 3-5 mins and rinse off.
• Soothe The Skin: Spritz an all natural lavender-infused toner to reduce any redness, balance, and prep for the following steps. 
  
  Make sure the toner doesn't have any toxins or chemicals that may irritate (very important for wedding skin prep)! Always opt for an astringent free, single ingredient toner like Savor Beauty's Skin Perfecting Toning Mist (doubles as the perfect makeup setter, too!)
• Plump + Lift: Apply a hyaluronic acid serum alongside a pomegranate eye serum. Boost your glow with a pumpkin-based serum for that lit-from-within radiance.
• Lock in hydration: Use a truffle-infused face cream designed for oily skin, ensuring a breathable, fresh finish. Plus there is absolutely no pilling when followed by makeup, which is essential for wedding skin prep.
• Prime and protect: Apply Radiance Sun Milk SPF 50+, which doubles as a luminous primer.

"After the perfect wedding skin prep routine above, your skin should be ready for flawless makeup. Truffle face cream provided moisture without pilling, essential for makeup application, while SPF left you luminously primed and ready for the next step."

Here's the makeup routine that Angela is using on her big day for a gentle, clean, natural glam.

Natural Eye, Soft Liner

Carly used soft brown liner for a lifted look and suggested nude liner in the waterline on the wedding day to open the eyes even more.

“We can always build more drama, but I like to start subtle.”

The Skin Tint That Feels Like Nothing—But Looks Like Everything

A long-awaited, barely-there makeup product we’ve been perfecting behind the scenes for a while (stay tuned—it’s worth the wait)!

This isn’t exactly foundation. It’s not tinted moisturizer either. It’s the in-between magic: pigment that's sheer enough to let skin breathe, with gentle lit-from-within coverage.

“It just melts right in, you wouldn’t think the shade would work for so many different skin tones, but it adapts—it’s glowy, sheer, and still gives coverage. It looks like your skin. Just better.”

She dabs it on like skincare with no harsh lines, no cakey finish. Just that post-facial kind of skin.

Multi-Use Bronzer for Warmth + Correction

Minimal products, maximum versatility. Bronzer becomes your best multitasker.

“I use bronzer to color correct under eyes, contour, and even as an eyeshadow. It keeps everything looking cohesive.”

Cream + Powder Blush Sandwich

This technique helps blush last through first looks, photos, and vows.

“Cream blush first, then powder, then cream again. It locks in color and keeps the cheeks juicy all day. ”

The Perfect Tint, The Perfect Finish

Before lip color came into play, Carly reached for a layer of Pomegranate Passion Lip Tint to soften, nourish, and tint the lips with a sheer berry flush.

“It’s the perfect first layer,” she said, pressing it in with her fingertips. “Moist, a little bit glowy, it gives you something to work with.”

From there, two lip shades were tried: a nude-pink and a berry tone; both easy, elegant, and totally wearable.

“The final lip should feel low-maintenance... with the star of the show being skin.”

We hope you love these wedding skin prep and makeup tips! We can't wait to share more with you about our upcoming makeup and skincare adventures.

A special thanks to Carly Caban for her wedding skin prep "snatcheral" secrets. We hope her tips and tricks help you achieve your skincare goals, whether it's for your big day, or your every-day.