Beautiful skin has long been an obsession of mine; first, as a teen plagued by hormonal acne and later as an adult, when I realized skin is the back of a beautiful look. All of that money we spend on makeup is essentially wasted without a beautiful base to put it on. My list of requirements for my skin is lengthy and – to be honest – quite demanding: I want it to be acne free, I want it to be smooth, I want it to be wrinkle-free, I want it to be evenly colored, I want it to be radiant.

Luckily, I wasn’t in my quest for perfect skin alone. As part of my ongoing Blogger Bride series with Style Me Pretty, I reached out to Marie Veronique, of Marie Veronique skincare, to help me get the skin that will, on my wedding day, make me look as glowing as I’m sure I’ll feel. In this video, she goes over what to eat, what supplements to take and what to use topically to get gorgeous, glowing skin, whether you’re starting with severe acne (seriously, I’ve seen before and after photos of her clients and the transformation is mind-blowing) or, like me, your skin is fine but you simply want that extra dose of radiance for your wedding day (or any day!). I’ve been following her regime for the past three months and I’ve seen a greater change in my skin than I ever have before – and I’ve completely pared down the amount of products I use and work I do! In the last week alone, three strangers complimented me on my skin on the street – and we’re in the middle of a (face burning, cheek reddening, super drying) New York winter over here.

I love to nourish my skin from the inside out with recipes featuring the ingredients mentioned in the video.  My Mixed Herb Walnut Pesto Risotto is packed with Omega-3 filled walnuts and mineral and antioxidant filled mixed herbs, with good fat from olive oil – plus it’s a super easy, vegan and gluten free dinner that anyone can enjoy.

Nutritional yeast, one of my favorite ingredients, makes my “Cheesy” Rosemary Popcorn (it’s vegan, gluten free, and packed with fiber and protein – in addition to those B vitamins Marie talked about) taste amazing.  It’s got a gourmet kick that would be great for Oscar parties or when you want to wow your (vegan or non vegan) guests.  I also will often just whip up a bowl on those days I really feel like snacking, so I can munch away throughout the afternoon in a healthy way.

Marie was also kind enough to share a few of her go-to, make-at-home mask recipes. Most of the ingredients are available at your local Whole Foods or health food store, or can be ordered online. I’ve been using the soothing one quite a bit recently, and found it really effective in calming my winter-ravaged skin.

Detox Mask (for acne-prone or problem skin)

The charcoal in this mask pulls toxins from the skin, as does clay. While the apple cider vinegar keeps skin at a low pH, which discourages unfriendly, acne-causing microbes.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp ground oatmeal (use a coffee grinder or food processor)
1 tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp clay (use either rhassoul clay, bentonite clay or Fuller’s earth, all available online)
1 tsp charcoal
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Enough green tea to make a smooth paste, about 1/2 to 1 cup (using 1 tea bag to 1 cup hot water)

Instructions:
Mix all dry ingredients together, then add ACV plus enough water or green tea to make a smooth paste. After cleansing with cleanser of choice, apply to skin and leave on 10-15 minutes. Rinse with plenty of water. You might need a gentle oil cleanser to make sure you remove all the charcoal/clay. This mask is somewhat drying, so follow with an oil blend moisturizer or sunflower or safflower oil. For troubled skin, use 2-3 times per week. As skin clears, taper off to 1 time per week.

Soothing Mask (for dry, irritated or rosacea-prone skin)

The probiotics in yoghurt will rebalance the skin microbiome, and since most irritations have their origins in microbial imbalances this is a good start towards clearing up dry, flaky, irritated skin. The honey is moisturizing, and the green tea is anti-inflammatory.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps full-fat organic yoghurt (heck to see that your yoghurt contains a variety of live bacterial strains. If you’re allergic to dairy use a yoghurt made with almond milk, rice milk, coconut or soy):
1 tsp ground oatmeal (use a clean coffee grinder or food processor)
1/4 tsp raw honey
1 tbsp green tea (made using 1 tea bag in 1 cup hot water)

Instructions:
Mix together all ingredients, adding more yoghurt if necessary to make a smooth paste. After cleansing, apply to skin and leave on 10-15 minutes, then rinse. You can follow with yoghurt as a moisturizer: massage about 1/4 -1/2 tsp into face and leave on overnight.

Balancing Mask (for oily or combination skin)

The clay reduces surface oil and refines pores, while honey keeps the skin from drying out too much. Green tea and oatmeal are anti-inflammatory.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ground oatmeal (use a clean coffee grinder or a food processor)
1 tsp French green or bentonite clay
1/2 tsp raw honey
For combination skin: 3 tbsp full fat organic yoghurt (check to see that your yoghurt contains a variety of live bacterial strains. If you are allergic to dairy use a yoghurt made with almond milk, rice milk, coconut or soy)
For oily skin: 3-4 tbsps green tea (or enough to make a smooth paste) + a dash of apple cider vinegar

Instructions:
Mix together all ingredients, using yoghurt if you have combination skin and green tea and apple cider vinegar if you have oily skin. After cleansing, apply to skin and leave on 10-15 minutes. Rinse with plenty of water. You might need a gentle oil cleanser to make sure you remove all the clay. If you find the mask somewhat drying, follow with an oil blend moisturizer or sunflower or safflower oil, or a thin layer of yoghurt. For oily skin, up 2-3 times per week. For combination, use 1 time per week.

Big thanks to Christian + Reinna for shooting this beautiful video, and of course, to Marie Veronique for her insane depth of knowledge expertise!

Additional Credits:  Makeup: Daniela Serra Beauty // Hair:  Heather at Bounce Blowdry Bar