The 12ish Style's Katie Sturino Shares Her Bridal Beauty Regimen

Katie Sturino, the blogger behind The 12ish Style and the founder of Megababe Beauty, sees bridal beauty simply as an extension of everyday self-care. Her approach to pre-wedding fitness, beauty, and hair was already embedded into the landscape of her life—a method that allowed her to look and feel like herself when she married her now-husband John Sturino (the duo tied the knot at New York City's Cooper Hewitt Museum in June). Ahead, Sturino, who's fresh off her Italian honeymoon, shares her pre-wedding and day-of beauty routines. Both involve products (including some of her very own!) that she turns to on the regular.

A body-positive approach to fitness.

"I made my wedding dress for my actual size—I had no plans of losing weight," says Sturino, stressing the importance of setting realistic body expectations when preparing for the big day. "Setting unrealistic expectations creates a negative feeling of failure. Focus on what makes you feel good and happy, like marrying your favorite person!

A preventative sweat product arsenal.

For Sturino, a summer bride, fighting body sweat and chaffing (real nuisances that bother women on a regular basis, but especially on their weddings days) was a priority—so she turned to the products she created. "I got married in New York City in June, so Megababe was a must, but I honestly use my own products every day. On my wedding day, I specifically used Bust Dust, Thigh Rescue, and Sunny Pits, our new deodorant."

A tried-and-true skincare routine.

"I didn’t change my skincare regimen because I am pretty serious about my skin," notes Sturino. "Joanna Czech gave me a special facial, and I always go see Karen at Sia's Beauty. Dr. Weiser at New York Dermatology Group made sure my Botox was on point, and I used my Augustina Spader rich cream. That's about it!"

Photo: Katie Sturino via Instagram

A completely natural big-day beauty and hair look.

Sturino's ceremony bridal look—hair and makeup, included—was nearly an exact replica of her everyday glam. "On your wedding day, I don’t think you should look like somebody else," says Sturino, who stuck with makeup she knows looks good (which meant rocking waterline eyeliner and a natural-looking Rodin lip pencil). Staying close to a look that you identify with on the big day is the blogger's biggest takeaway: "I think the biggest mistake brides make, other than crash diets, is too much makeup. Play with the dress, shoes, and accessories. You can play dress up across the board—but extreme or heavy-handed makeup will change your whole look, and not in a good way." (The blogger did go for makeup with a bit more flare come her wedding reception—her leopard-print Veronica Beard suit called for a bit more intensity. "I wanted my makeup classic for the ceremony, and cool for my dinner!" she adds.)

As for her wedding-day hair? "Brittan White was responsible for my hair. I wanted to wear it down because that's how I wear it in everyday life," she recalls. She worked with White to add in plenty of extensions for a look with lots of volume and staying-power: "Whenever Britt comes, she makes my hair super full and I love it!" Sturino took the same real-life approach to choosing a big-day fragrance: "I wore what I wear all the time, which is Le Labo Musc 25."

A fun—and on-theme—manicure.

"I had special heart acrylics put on my nails," says Sturino, of her whimsical, but wedding-appropriate, manicure. I love having long nails, it’s so fun! But I can only keep them for a week or so because it's hard to type!