6 frequent flyers share their beauty travel essentials
‘Must-haves’ take on a whole new meaning when there’s a weight limit
Maintaining beauty rituals from the comfort of your own home is easy. But having a foolproof list of travel essentials for combatting cabin dryness, a rupturing pimple or in-flight bloating is tough.
You could go and wing it and create a beauty kit for your next overseas excursion on a hope and a prayer alone. Or, you could take some sage advice from some seasoned professionals.
That’s why we asked a handful of frequent flyers for their top tier essentials to make packing for your next trip just a little bit easier. They walked so you could fly, some would say.
Melanie Grant
Founder of Melanie Grant Skin and Chanel’s Official Skin Expert
1/ Cleansing
“I always have a mini bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H20 [Micellar Water Cleanser] ($11.99 at Priceline) with me,” says Grant. “I do a quick cleanse when I first board, and once again at the end of the flight, to prepare for in-flight treatments, and to remove dirt, grime and built-up toxins from the recirculated air.”
2/ Mini facials
“I apply Noble Panacea's Chronobiology Sleep Mask ($577.34 at Net-A-Porter), which is individually sealed in a metered dose, perfect for travelling. It's packed with antioxidants, hydrators and gentle exfoliants so it's like a mini treatment in itself.”
“If you have time, a little facial massage goes a long way to enliven the skin at the end of a long flight and prevent stagnant lymph that can lead to puffiness, dullness and congestion.”
3/ Hydrating formulas
“Biologique Recherche Creme Masque Vernix ($310 at Skincare Edit) is another favourite of mine,” says Grant. “It's so healing and nourishing and a must to combat parched plane skin.”
“Keeping the skin hydrated and using creams and balms that are a little more occlusive than usual can really help prevent moisture loss, dehydration and discomfort,” she advises.
4/ A sleeping mask
“I keep a SLIP Silk Eye Mask ($55 at Slip Silk) permanently in my carry-on [too],” says Grant. “They're gentle on the delicate eye contour, don't interact with the absorption of your skin care and really help you decompress and relax.”
5/ A multipurpose lip balm
Lastly, CHANEL Hydra Beauty Nutrition Lipcare ($55 at Myer) — “it's such a beautifully replenishing formula full of essential fatty acids, shea butter and antioxidants. Any excess I apply to my cuticles, and I like to take a little up and over my orbital bone for some added nourishment and to fake a little anti-jet lag glow.”
Image credit: @melaniegrantskin
Jaye Edwards
Founder of Edwards & Co and Jaye Haircare
1/ Dry texture spray
“Jaye Haircare Dry Texture Spray ($49.99 at Jaye Haircare) is a must-have product for travelling,” says Edwards. “It absorbs excess oils to help freshen you up post-flight, while adding volume and texture... essential after sitting on a plane for hours.”
2/ A lip mask
“Flying really dries out my skin and lips,” Edwards admits. “Airplane cabins have extremely low humidity, so I layer Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($28 at Sephora) on thick to lock in moisture and remove any excess when I land.”
3/ Fragrance
Byredo [Roll On Oil] Mojave Ghost ($88 at MECCA) is a must for Edwards — “who wouldn't want to smell like a rare and exotic flower at 35,000 feet?”
4/ Hydrating face mist
“I can't stand that tight, dry feeling your face gets due to the dry, pressurised cabins,” says Edwards. The solution? “Spritzing Aesop [Immediate Moisture Facial Hydrosol] ($27 at Adore Beauty) every few hours and drinking plenty of water to keep my skin looking and feeling supple.”
5/ Sleep
“Getting your beauty sleep is always essential,” says Edwards. “[But] I need blackout darkness to feel properly rested.” So he too relies on a SLIP Silk Eye Mask ($55 at Slip Silk) to help him get some shut-eye.
Image credit: @jaye_edwards
Lana Tarek
Founder of Lana Tarek Brow Academy
1/ Minimal makeup
“I can’t leave home without my DIOR Addict Lip Glow Lip Balm ($57 at Sephora) and also clear LT Brow Styling Paste ($49.99 at Lana Tarek) to brush up my brows throughout the day,” says Tarek. As for her in-flight ritual? “I like to keep my skin clean and makeup-free for the flight, as I usually fly at night.”
2/ Mask and moisturise
“I’ll usually take 111SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask ($154 at MECCA) with me to wear while watching a movie,” says Tarek. “[Then] I’ll moisturise my face afterwards using Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream ($125 at Charlotte Tilbury).”
Image credit: @lanatarekbrows
Yen Hoang
Celebrity Makeup Artist
1/ Sunscreen
“I use Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+ Superscreen Oxybenzone Free Formula ($42 at MECCA) every morning and reapply throughout the day, especially [when] travelling in the warmer months.”
2/ Multi-purpose tinted lip balm
“Mecca Cosmetica Lip De-Luscious Glide With SPF 15 ($32 at MECCA) is a favourite,” reveals Hoang. “It adds a tint to the lips, is hydrating and contains SPF — try dabbing some on the cheeks for a flush of colour, or if the colour is too light use it as a highlighter.”
3/ A chilled face mask
“Pop Go-To Transformazing Sheet Masks ($55 at MECCA) in your hotel room fridge,” says Hoang. “You [can] whip them out for the perfect pick-me-up after a long day at the beach or maybe a big night out.”
4/ An eyelash curler
“Give them lashes a curl with the Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler ($31 at MECCA) for an instant eye opener after that long flight,” advises Hoang.
Image credit: @yenmakeup_
Khadija Joma
Founder & Director of The Kollectiv Agency
1/ Pre-flight skin care
“When travelling I get extremely dehydrated,” Joma confesses. To combat this, she has a pre-flight skin care routine which includes double cleansing and applying serums and actives. “I couldn’t think of anything worse than travelling with a full face of makeup.”
2/ Masking
“I love putting on a sheet mask mid-flight while watching a movie,” says Joma. “I also take my portable LED mask with me on the flight which helps de-puff my face, [and] I also take my serums with me to keep my skin as hydrated as possible.”
3/ Inner wellness
Drinking plenty of water on a flight is a must, according to Joma. “Before I leave home I also take an immunity shot of apple cider vinegar which helps with my bloating on really long flights.”
4/ Lightweight makeup for landing
“30 minutes before arriving at my destination I put on really light make up which consists of my Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops ($54 at MECCA) mixed with Drunk Elephant LaLa Retro Whipped Cream ($90 at MECCA), Tarte Shape Tape Concealer ($44 at Sephora) and Rare Beauty [Soft Pinch Liquid] Blush ($34 at Sephora),” says Joma, who must look damn fresh upon landing.
Image credit: @khadijajoma
Mia Perusco
Benefit Australia Brand Ambassador and Digital Creator
1/ Hydration
‘When I’m travelling I always prioritise products that are multiuse and super hydrating,” says Perusco. “I’ve been loving the Clinique 100h Moisture Surge Moisturiser ($22 at Clinique); it feels lightweight and it doubles as a 5-minute mask which is perfect for when you need that extra bit of hydration on the plane.”
2/ Sunscreen
“The Ultra Violette Supreme Screen SPF 50+ ($49 at Ultra Violette) is my new favourite skin care superpower and sunscreen all in one,” Perusco shares. “It’s a perfect base for under your primer too as it has a serum-like formula.”
3/ A mattifying primer
The Benefit POREfessional Lite Primer ($56 at Sephora) is “the key to staying matte, especially after a sweaty plane ride,” according to Perusco. “So gross but I had to go there.”
“It has a mostly water-based formula so it's really refreshing on your skin.” Perusco likes to warm it up between her fingers and “press it into the skin for the ultimate pore-blurring effect.”
4/ Eyebrow gel
“I would never leave the house without [Benefit 24 Hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel] ($56 at Adore Beauty). It helps my brows stay in place all day because nobody likes stray brow hairs and it doesn’t flake,” says Perusco.
“If you take this product out of the container and let it sit for 10 seconds, similar to an eyelash gel, it will become tacky and give it that extra oomph,” she advises. “Plus, if you’re stuck for hairspray, just brush this baby on those pesky flyaways and you’ll achieve the perfect ‘clean girl at the airport’ look.”
Main image credit: Getty
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Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
