This is your ultimate in-flight skincare routine
We’ve rounded up the in-flight beauty essentials that will have you feeling your best – even at 30,000 feet.
Yes, you can get off a plane and look positively glowing. While the combination of cabin pressure, recycled air and low humidity is to blame for dullness and dehydration, you can prepare and take a few simple skincare steps which will help even the most experienced of jet-setters feel refreshed, whatever the time zone.
Pre-flight
Start by double cleansing: for the uninitiated, that’s cleansing twice, first with an oil then with a water-based product. This step is essential and removes any dead skin cells, make-up, sunscreen, sweat, oil and pollution that might be lingering on the skin’s surface. It ensures you start with a clean slate and also helps any products you apply to be more easily absorbed and effective: a beauty win-win. We recommend using Clarins’ Make-Up Remover Trio Set which comes with a cleansing milk, a toner and an instant eye make-up remover for stubborn, no-budge mascara.
In-flight
For that plumped, glowy, I’ve-had-eight-hours-of-sleep skin on touchdown, moisturising while you’re in the air is key – you need to lock hydration into the skin during the flight. For deep moisture, go for a serum like Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair which is packed full of nourishing antioxidants that tackle dryness, dullness and dehydration in just one hit. Follow with a hydrating sheet mask like SKII Facial Treatment Mask, or to avoid scaring the cabin crew, opt for a wash-off cream mask such as Eve Lom’s nourishing Rescue Mask which soothes puffy skin in only 20 minutes. And while sleep may not be a guarantee on an overnight flight, rested eyes can be. Don’t run the risk of puffiness under the eyes; instead, make sure you use the nifty Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks to help soothe the delicate eye area while you watch your next blockbuster.
Pre-landing
If the very thought of stepping into the arrival terminal minus your make-up terrifies you, you’re not alone: now is the chance to touch up before hitting the tarmac. A little goes a long way, here, and you don’t want to undo all that skin prep, so switch your foundation for a BB cream such as Shiseido Perfect Hydrating BB Cream for a lighter finish. Then, swipe on a little brow gel like 24-hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel and some Urban Decay Beached Bronzer in Bronzed for that extra boost. Suffering from flat hair? Dry shampoo is your in-flight saviour and Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo is a favourite. And for extra skin dewiness on landing, freshen up with a spritz of the deeply hydrating La Mer The Mist, a facial spray which gives skin and make-up an extra hit of radiance.
