Derby is 18 days away. 18 DAYS AWAY... I'm both excited, and just a tiny bit nervous... Excited for the fun, but nervous because I want to make sure everything looks perfect! I'm especially excited for the Derby Eve Gala coming up.

With only 3 weeks left, I thought it would be fun to share my count down of things to do leading up to a Red Carpet event!

3 weeks before derby:

#1: Outfit.

I feel it's super important to have my dress and accessories put together, ready to go. I like to have this prepared, so that I know what kind of makeup and what nail look I'll be going for. Waiting until the last minute for a dress is such a pain! I'd suggest having it ready at LEAST 3 weeks in advance.

• Dress (dry cleaned) and ready to go. (If you don't have one picked out, check out my post using a Macy's My stylist!)
• Heels (cleaned)/ foot protectors/extra pair of foldable flats (LIFE savers after a long night of dancing)
• Undergarments (Spanx, strapless bra?, Lingerie)
• Jewelry (chosen, steam cleaned and buffed)
• Coordinating Accessories.

#2 Body.

3 weeks in advance, I really like to go to town getting my skin prepped. I amp up my water intake/ green tea to help with bloat, and I start exfoliating. Sloughing off dead skin now, will allow for beautiful glowing skin during a big event. There are several ways to do this, but my favorite way is to just purchase a simple sugar scrub (I really enjoy Trader Joes Ginger Grapefruit), and scrub in the shower at least 3x a week. I remove all nail polish, trim my nails, pumice my heels, and MOISTURIZE (My go to at the moment, is Lush Charity Pot)!! (Especially if you plan on sunless tanning. No one wants streaking tans before a big event.) 

#3 Face.

During this time, I also exfoliate my face 3x a week, (I love Lush fresh face products for this!) I also do Korean sheets masks after exfoliating (Tony Moly has a great snail mask I adore), and sleep in my favorite sleep pack as well as my lip mask. (Currently I'm LOVING Laniege Lip Mask, and Tony Moly banana balm).

#4 Makeup. 

This is the time I purchase any makeup I plan on using for the event, so it gives me ample time to play with it to perfect my look! If I plan on tanning, I get my foundation a bit darker than what I normally use. 

My Personal Glam list:

• Sheet Mask (LOVE using one prior to putting on my makeup. Your face glows!)
• Moisturizer (Makeup application looks so much better on hydrated skin. (Lush Celestial & Tatcha Water lotion is amazing for dry skin.)
• Primer (I love NYX Honey Dew Primer)
• Face Mist (I learned this trick from on of my favorite K Beauty Authors. Mist your face before foundation application, application looks better with hydrated skin).
• Foundation ( I use Too Faced Born This Way)
• Concealer (Tarte Shape Tape)
• Eyebrow Pencil/powder (Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz)
• Mascara (NYX)
• Eye Liner 
• Eye Shadows (Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam)
• Lip Liner
• Lip Stick/Gloss
• Blush
• Contour Powder (Hoola By Benefit)
• Highlighter Powder (Carli Bybel)
• Setting Spray (Tatcha)

Once I have my makeup look and products picked out, I like to play with the application before hand so I know exactly what look I'm going for.

#4. Hair.

While I wouldn't suggest changing my look this close to a major event (Kudos to the brave souls that do haha!), Its a good time to get a trim if need be (my hair won't feel so blunt 3 weeks away). I also like to start deep conditioning treatments! I do this about 1x a week. I slather a deep conditioner on my ends of my hair, pull it up, and rinse out after 30 minutes. Rinsing with cold water helps to add shine!

#4. Confirm Appointments!

If I chose to go with a hair stylist, I'd book my hair stylist appointment, as well as manicure appointment, waxing appointment, tanning appointment, etc. Personally, this time around, I'll be doing my own hair and makeup, as well as tanning. I did, however, make my appointment to cut my split ends, and get my nails done. This would also be a great time to purchase any teeth whitening products (I think I'll start next week) or making your appointment to get that done if need be!

What do you do to prepare for an event?

There's still time to purchase tickets for the Derby Eve Gala! Let's have fun, and party with a purpose!