Yes, Meghan Markle has impeccable style. Yes, her hair is thick and glossy and bouncy. And yes, she’s marrying Prince Harry, one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. But if you ask us, what we’re most envious of is the royal-to-be’s incredibly glowy complexion and seemingly ageless skin.
“I do facial exercises from one of my favorite aestheticians, Nichola Joss, who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out,” Meghan, 36, previously revealed to Birdie.
“I swear it works, as silly as you may feel. On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jawline are waaaay more sculpted.”
To find out more about this miracle-working ‘inner facial’, we tracked down Meghan’s facialist – also the woman behind Margot Robbie’s flawless complexion – to drill her on how she would prepare a bride-to-be’s skin for her big day. Plus, she let us in on what you can do at home to get everyday glowing skin like Meghan’s.
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From 6 months of facials to an exclusively plant-based diet, this is what Meghan Markle’s wedding skin prep may just look like.
How Nichola Joss would prep a bride-to-be’s skin for her wedding
Ideally, Nichola would like a full six months to prep a bride’s skin for her wedding day. And while that may sound like an excessive timeline, as the skin guru explains there is a lot to be done to create the best skin possible.
“Six months before the wedding I’d look at getting any corrective work done, so re-texturing the surface of the skin if it’s uneven, addressing any congestion, or pigmentation,” explains Nichola.
At this stage she would also suggest a bride-to-be like Meghan introduces probiotics and skin supplements, and considers adjusting her diet and reducing sugars.
“I often tell clients to ease back on how their diet is, keeping their diet really clean, no sugars and try have it plant-based if you can because that will have a huge impact on the skin,” says Nichola.
She adds: “What you want to do is create the best skin you have and you can only do that from within. Topically we can work on the skin that’s starting to shed. And add glow and vitality with massage and oils and balms. But to create the best skin, you have to look internally too.”
Meghan Markle’s favourite aesthetician, Nichola Joss, also tends to celebrity A-list beauties Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Gisele Bundchen and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Three months before the wedding the celebrity facialist tends to the contours and the structures of her client’s skin with her unique massage techniques.
“I start massaging and teaching my client to do massage at home, for lifting and improving the countours. We would probably look at things like, masks, peels and LED light treatments as well.”
As for the last couple of weeks before the wedding, ‘the stress zone’, Nichola recommends a more gentle regime focusing on moisturising and massage.
“The more we stimulate the lymphatic system and the reflexology of the face, the more we drain toxins and puffiness and fluids, and the more we address actual mental and physical stress,” says Nichola.
“Massaging the face helps a lot with mental stress, which obviously it’s a hard time when people are getting married,” she adds.
No doubt with the whole world speculating your wedding day preparations, Meghan must be feeling a little stressed right now!
Look at that glorious skin!
What’s an ‘inner facial’ and why do celebs swear by it?
Nichola is famous for her bespoke technique of massaging her client’s faces from inside their mouths. Watching a video of the inner facial (see below), it looks a little uncomfortable and maybe painful, but one look at Meghan’s and Margot Robbie’s facial contours and tight skin, and we’re sold!
“Massaging is the key to lifting and toning and giving yourself a face lift really,” says Nichola.
The skincare guru massages inside the mouth, working on the muscle tissue to release tension and stress particularly along the jaw and under the cheek bones.
“When the muscles hold tension and stress they also hold toxins and toxins are really detrimental to the aging process. Toxins can age the skin and the muscle tissues so we want to work to relieve that as much as possible,” Nichola explains.
But does it hurt? Nichola says it can.
“It can be uncomfortable for some. Some find it painful, others don’t find it painful at all. People’s pain-thresholds are very different.”
How to get glowing skin like Meghan’s at home
Let’s face it, facials and skin treatments are often expensive and not always accessible to everyone. So can we still get radiant skin like Meghan’s at home?
“If you can’t have facials in a salon, it’s about making sure you have a regular daily routine,” explains Nichola.
MORNING REGIME:
Step one, cleanse and massage.
“In the morning it’s really important to cleanse and open up the face, stimulate the system and start any drainage of puffiness with massage.”
Next, apply your serums or as Nichola calls them “your army of actives” (“antioxidants, retinols, acids like Hylauronic acid, collagens and peptides”) leaving them to absorb in for a few minutes before massaging in your moisturiser, followed by a high-SPF suncream.
Try Lumity’s anti-ageing facial oil, from $86.
EVENING REGIME:
Step one, wash your day away. Nichola stresses the most important step is something a lot of people miss – double-cleansing.
“It’s really, really important as soon as you get home to take off your day,” she says.
“Do a good double-cleanse to first remove pollution, topical grime and makeup, and second to get deeper into the skin to allow the skin to be cleansed as well.”
Next, “apply your army of actives, and then have your evening to allow them to work into the skin.”
Just before turning in for the night, massage a facial oil or balm into your skin for a few minutes, “in bed or just when you’re about to get in bed,” Nichola suggests.
“Really allow those muscles to relax and allow the oil to be absorbed fully into the skin which will give you a nice radiance and glow in the morning.”
Some of Nichola’s favourite skincare products include serums from affordable pharmacy brand The Ordinary.
WEEKLY:
As well as having a regular daily routine, Nichola advocates adding in a weekly face mask into the mix.
“Masks are often really important. Look for something that’s going to add radiance and luminosity or something that’s going to tone and tighten.”
By following these simple skincare rules we hope to have gorgeous glowing skin just like Meghan!
Maybe we’ll even snag a prince!
