Eeeek. It's getting close now!

Our stationery whizz and copper-clad real bride Gemma Milly is marrying her beloved beau Tom in just ten days time, and we can almost taste the beer particles and sequins already!

Photo by Sundari Uthayakumar/The Wedding Stylist

So now that the dress has been chosen, the date, saved, the flowers, plucked, the pegs, dipped, and the food, well and truly tasted; It's now down to the final sprint.

The beautification.

Preening, pampering and perfuming. And boy does this girl know how to make the most of all three.

We knew she was mad about stationery, gaga for glitter, and passionate about grub, but it turns out our resident real bride, is bonkers about beauty as well...

June 11th 2014: 11 days until the big day Number of hours spent flitting between gold glitter and hot pink gels: oh about, 5 Freakin' out over: microdermabrasion

Gemma's Musings: Real Bride Diary Entry #5: The Hair & Make-up

With just over a week to go before the big day (eek!) I thought I would keep it simple this week and share my musings on wedding day tresses & beautifying! Who doesn't love an excuse to invest in a new Kate Spade lipstick and float around the Aveda counter with the Joint Card (shhhhh)... So without further ado, here are some of my pre-wedding pampering & preening tips for looking like a goddess on your big day.

Photo by Gemma Milly

1. Pick a hair stylist who 'gets' you. I generally get a good idea as to whether potential suppliers are on my wavelength based on their reply to my emails. Squealing and virtual 'high fives' in their response? I'm sold! And so it was with Kerry, of Kalm Health and Beauty. She was recommended to me by a fellow stylist who was unfortunately booked up, but serendipity was obviously working that day and the wondrous Kerry was firmly booked in my diary. I can't give too much away, but let's just say she wholeheartedly understands my loose, un-done vision for my wedding-day tresses.

Photo by Elisa Bricker via Style Me Pretty

2. Wash your hair the night before (note - night before!) in something that smells nice. It will make your shower all the more lovely, and you'll wake up on the 'morning of' with sweet smelling locks. I personally love Aveda Shampure (in fact I pretty much love anything Aveda - there is a theme with this post...)

Photo by Gemma Milly

3. To keep perfectly calm and serene, I love Aveda (see!!) Blue Oil - with peppermint and chamomile, it is quite simply delicious. Rub a little on your temples to banish headaches, and dot on the back of your neck and wrists if you're feeling tense. GENIUS! 4. Microdermabrasion is your friend. As long as you start at least 6 months before the wedding to avoid looking like you have third degree burns on the day. It's fantastic for smoothing and evening out your complexion, and keeps your skin blemish free.

Photo by Gemma Milly

5. And it's back to Aveda! My favourite body lotion, which I intend to lather on the night before, is Stress Fix - it's heaven in a bottle. I also treated myself to Organic Surge Lavender and Geranium body wash and hand cream in an attempt to remain perfectly zen for the next 10 days.

Photo by Gemma Milly

6. Mineral make-up. Specifically Mii Cosmetics. I am having my make-up expertly applied by my friend and, handily, beauty therapist-and-makeup-artist-extraordinaire - Vicky. Mineral make-up allows your skin to breathe and covers beautifully, so you won't end up with clogged pores and shiny skin halfway through the day. Knowing Vicky, she will probably be chasing me around with a whole make-up utility belt on the day for touch-ups. However, if you're not lucky enough to have your make up artist as a wedding guest too, I would recommend buying some of the essentials she/he is using so you can refresh your visage after crying/dancing/eating too much cake.

Photo via LipGlossiping

7. Wedding day scents. One of my recently-married friends gave me a good piece of advice. She and her husband bought each other new perfumes for their wedding day, so that forever more, whenever they wore them it would take them right back to that most wonderful day. So with that in mind, I was straight off the Chanel counter, Tom in tow!

'A girl must be two things: classy and fabulous' Illustration by Melissa Bailey via Etsy

8. Glitter gels. Enough said. 9. Product. For your hair that is. I always struggle to find mousse that isn't crispy, and hair spray that doesn't smell of 1908s perms, but luckily my hairdresser recommended some truly scrumptious products. For body and that tousled look, I use L'Oreal Techni Art Volume Lift. I was also introduced to the genius that is L'Oreal Pli. It is actually my hair's new best friend. A heat-activated setting spray, it holds your waves & curls like nobody's business, and smells of dreams to boot. LOVE!

Photo by Her Lovely Heart via Bridal Musings

10. And finally, when the stars start twinkling and it's time for dancin', I'm gonna be applying a slick of Kate Spade Supercalifragilipstick (hats off to their quite frankly brilliant marketing for that one) in 'Parisian Pink' and partying the night away...before I collapse in a glittery heap on the floor. So that's it from me for the moment - I'm off to get married! I shall be returning post-honeymoon though, with lots of pictures and highlights of the day itself. Ciao for now x

'She tucked her hot pink lipstick away and floated back to the party' Photo by Gemma Milly

Print and photo by Gemma Milly

Excited is not the word.

We feel sort of bad for wishing Gemma and Tom's honeymoon away, but seriously, we CANNOT WAIT to see the pictures of their wedding.

Best of luck to Gemma and Tom, here's hoping the next week or so is filled with stress-free fun, and lots of love and laughter.

Don't forget to send all your good wishes to the stylish couple in the comments below!

Catch up with the rest of Gemma's Real Bride Diary here.

Keep up to date with the run-up to Gemma's wedding, and the rest of her gorgeous illustrations and stationery on her , along with websiteTwitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.