by Alexandra Nicole Nuralam

How To: Pre-Wedding Prep with Ava Lee

NYC-based beauty content creator and bride-to-be Ava Lee shares her pre-wedding skin snacks and wellness tips for that effortless bridal glow.

Ava Lee (@glowwithava) is an unabashed beauty junkie. The New York-based beauty and wellness content creator has an impressive collection of beauty products that she shares in-depth on her social media platforms.

With wedding season impacted by the pandemic, Ava shares her bridal skin snacks and wellness tips to help you look your best in preparation of your big day. Below, she shares her simple beauty routine, a wedding-diet recipe for those with a sweet tooth, and more.

So, you’re a bride-to-be! When is your wedding day? Has it been impacted by the pandemic?

I was supposed to get married in July of this year but given the pandemic, we decided to push it back. We still have not set an exact date yet but it will likely be next summer… Fingers crossed!

What is your typical skincare ritual like?

Contrary to what my skincare shelfies say, my skincare routine is actually pretty simple. I do everything in moderation. I will say my morning and night skincare routine is very different; there’s hardly a repeat of the same products. My absolute must-haves on a daily basis are a brightening serum (I rotate between a vitamin C serum that I am testing or Caudalie’s Vinoperfect Radiance Serum Complexion Correcting, SGD98), a hydrating eye cream (I am very picky with my eye creams because I am prone to milia), and of course SPF.

What are some steps you’ve been taking to ensure your skin, body and hair are in the best condition for your wedding day?

I see the biggest difference in my skin when I am not stressed and I’m eating healthily. Skincare products obviously help but the food you eat takes your inner glow to another level. It’s all about balance for me; I love food too much to put myself on a restrictive diet. I indulge in my pizza and ice cream, but I’ll be sure to have a healthy smoothie in between.

Have you made any changes to other aspects of your life to prepare for the wedding? 

I was just starting to make changes to my diet and fitness for the wedding right when quarantine began, so it was tough in the beginning to eat healthily when I couldn’t get fresh groceries or workout without a gym. But eventually, I found a way around it and with my wedding postponed, I realised eating healthily and moving my body has actually done wonders for my physical and mental health.

Do you have a go-to workout routine?

I used to be a fitness fanatic 3 years ago—I was a Barry’s Bootcamp regular and had a six-pack. Then I started a new job that was extremely demanding and I could no longer stick to my workout routine. I haven’t been on a treadmill since but I transferred my fitness obsession to skincare. I no longer do intense workouts but I was loving Pilates before COVID-19 hit. So now while being quarantined, I stick to 20-minute workouts via several apps; I mix it up throughout the week so I get a little bit of stretching, HIIT, and ab workouts.

Can you share some of your favourite wedding-diet recipes for those looking to look their best on their wedding day?

I am an avid fan of sweets. It’s honestly quite embarrassing! Slowly, I realized that I liked desserts because of the texture and not the sweetness. I started making my own muffins and banana bread, and replaced sugar with collagen. I was surprised by how good it tasted when I first made it and have been sticking to making these on a regular basis to satisfy my cravings without eating too much sugar.

Here is a recipe of one of my favourites:

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