IMAGINE you are painting a beautiful picture. Your picture! You will need to prepare. Plenty of vision, a chosen theme and application, to create a masterpiece of perfection.

Starting with skincare for the face and body, it's important to establish a decent routine to see you through this busy time. After all, what better time to pamper yourself than a pre-wedding schedule?

You don't need to spend a fortune on products to look radiant. All you need to remember are three simple steps, cleanse, tone, moisturise. It doesn't matter whether you wear make-up or not. We still collect on our skin pollutants, everyday grime and bacteria, which all need to be gently removed, twice a day. Think cleaning your teeth.

Body skincare is also simple but much more fun. After bathing or showering, simply use an all-over body moisturiser, concentrating on drier areas. Here's a hot tip - spray your body with a favourite perfume before using body moisturiser, you will smell divine.

That done, you really need to be looking at colours. This includes the season you are getting married, skintone and hair colour. You will already have chosen your theme, which may include one of the more daring colours currently to be seen on the bridal catwalk.

Make-up and body tanning next. Virgin-Vie and Clinique are both cruelty free and excellent for sensitive skin types. The fake tanning industry has come on a bundle in the past five years and the St Tropez tanning range is generally highly rated.

Now, hands. If your fingernails are in poor shape or you bite them, you may consider a full set of gel or acrylic nails. Natural and durable, they could make your hands look beautiful for your big day. Don't forget the pre run-though!

If you don't like the idea of artificial nails, but want something clever, IBD gel nails can overlay and cure; a gel resin on your own nails that will keep them strong and last much, much longer than ordinary polish. The same principle can be applied to your toenails, which is an excellent idea for the honeymoon.

Last but certainly not least, spare a thought for mothers of brides and bridegrooms. Often one or the other, or both, will be doing a lot of work behind the scenes and they will want to look and feel special on the big day.

Some well-timed gift vouchers with your beauty therapist will go down a treat.