My In-Flight Skincare Routine 🧳🚞✈️🛳🗺

Ahhh travelling! Nothing else sparks so much excitement and anticipation 😛🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾✈️ Especially the planning and the packing in my case! However, I have this one reoccurring theme in my dreams; I wake up, and I realise with only 20minutes to go, that I need to pack and get to the airport. It’s an AWFUL dream full of anxiety, (cue also getting on the wrong plane or the plane taking off without my bags…. usually it’s also when I’m trying to get to ab exotic location for my wedding naturally 💁🏼‍♀️) but luckily, it’s never occurred in real life LOL in reality, I DO actually like packing because of the anticipation of an upcoming trip. Unpacking is a whole other, depressing ball game. The older I’ve gotten (man, do I hate writing that 😓 but it’s true…) the less I take with me, ESPECIALLY onto the plane. Simplicity reigns and for good reason. To see what I take on board with me in my hand luggage (focusing on the beauty part of it all since it is a Beauty Blog after all 😉💋💋) and how I prep my skin before getting onto the plane, read on!

Prep Your Skin Before Boarding! 🛫

At home before leaving (or in the airport bathroom – up to you!) wash your face, apply a serum if you wish and then smother your face including around the eyes with a sleeping mask. This is a tip I stole not so subtly from Paris and her wonderful blog post ‘Travel Skincare Tip: To Protect and Nourish Your Skin In-Flight, Pick an Overnight Mask Instead of a Sheet Mask’. A sleeping or overnight mask is designed to remain on your skin for many hours (overnight 😉🌔💫), deeply hydrating it and protecting your skin from the environment. It’s like a magical shield lol! Because they are meant to stay on your skin for many hours, they usually have a thicker consistency than your regular moisturiser. This also means that on a plane, any unwanted particles floating around in the cabin through the air, will stick to the mask, but won’t be absorbed by the skin. Sheet masks on the other hand are infused with serums, which have lighter consistencies. They usually doesn’t contain emollients or hydrators which can enforce your skins protective barrier on their own. Because cabin air is also particularly dry, sheet masks can also dry out, pulling moisture away from your skin if left on for too long.

For me, it is much more comfortable to slather on a sleeping mask liberally on my face, rather than wear a sheet mask. I’m lazy first of all, so messing about with sheet masks on a plane can be messy and annoying. Serum can drip all over the place, and you are left with the fabric mask itself and the packaging (rubbish to get rid of). I’m also uncomfortable to wear a sheet mask on a plane. That’s just me. I don’t want to seem fussy or scare children lol. Overnight masks on the other hand are generally clear and while you may look a little shiny or greasy, you certainly won’t be turning heads like you would be wearing a sheet mask!

Most sleeping masks are full sized face masks and can range in size but generally speaking, are between 70ml to 150ml. Because you can only have products which are 100ml or less in your carry on luggage, I depot some of my sleeping mask into a little container (the one in the photos was purchased from a pharmacy – I have no idea what ‘brand’ it is. Supermarkets have travel kits too, which usually contains small empty containers for depotting) and at the moment, my go-to sleeping mask is the Aspect Gold Probiotic Sleep Mask. I haven’t reviewed this product before on the blog. It’s a non-greasy and non-sticky cream, which is super moisturising and plumps the skin up 💦 It doesn’t break me out (very important) and once applied, the cream is transparent on the skin. It may not be revolutionary, but it does what it says it will do; prevents dehydration, hydrates skin (thanks to water, glycerin, sunflower seed oil, olive fruit oil, shea butter, grape seed oil, organ & sea buckthorn oil – just to name a few!), keeps it comfortable, rebalances the skin with nutrients and antioxidants (lactococcus ferment lysate, milk protein, green tea & pomegranate extract). Oh – I also use it around my eyes in place of eye cream and it has worked brilliantly in this role! I think the Aspect Probiotic Sleep Mask would be brilliant for both younger and older Beauties 🤗✌️ I picked mine up from Adore Beauty for $59 AUD. 

Above: I have no idea what the warning on top of the tube means ‘Should be used only under the direct supervision of a skincare professional.’ What, why??? 

Onboard the Plane ✈️

Cleansing

Onboard the plane, I have two options for cleansing my skin. If it’s a long haul flights (I’m talking anything over 10 hours) I may want to cleanse and reapply my sleeping mask before landing or sometimes mid flight if I am feeling gross and need a refresh. The first cleansing option I also stole from Paris LOL … she clearly has a lot of good ideas to steal 😏😏🤓 For a deep cleanse, I take a few pre-moistened cotton pads with micellar water. I keep them in a little fresh zip lock bag. Boy, do these work a treat! Option two is facial wipes. But not any ordinary facial wipes… Only WotNot Facial Wipes (full review here)! These wipes are the softest in the world and they cleanse the skin beautifully. They are never dry and scratchy. They are also 100% biodegradable and compostable! They also don’t dry skin out because they contain amazing ingredients like Rosehip oil and jojoba. My boyfriend loves them and I wouldn’t go anywhere without them. Cleansing wipes can also be used in emergencies as wet wipes, so they are super handy to have. Wotnot have wipes for sensitive skin, purifying wipes for oily skin and ultra-hydrating wipes for dry skin. You can pick them up in Australia from Chemist Warehouse for about $7.50 for a pack of 25 wipes (bargain!) or the Wotnot website of course 🙌🏾

Moisturiser

After cleansing, if you are about to land and hop off the plane… you can pop on a lighter moisturiser on. Here is where you can use a sample of your favourite moisturiser! Use a product sample of something you have tried before or are certain won’t cause any kind of reaction. If you don’t have any laying around, you can also depot some of your regular daily moisturiser into an empty container.

Sunscreen

This one is a little less obvious. I decided to always carry sunscreen onto a plane after reading about how much stronger UV rays are high up in the sky! 🌤☁️☁️ It makes sense – there’s more unfiltered light up there! 🌞 I also LOVE window seats, so it makes sense to protect your skin whilst up in the sky. This includes your face, neck and arms/hands. You can also apply a facial sunscreen to your face before departing the plane, especially if you have landed somewhere hot and it’s day time. I love my Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF 50+ (WetForce) as you might know 😉 It comes in such a handy, small and leak proof 50ml bottle ✌️

Lip Balm

A lip balm is a must!!! I absolutely love the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask 💜💋❤️💋 You don’t have to use it as a ‘sleeping mask’ per se lol but what it is, is a very nourishing, hydrating lip balm. It has great staying power on the lips (it’s definitely a ‘thicker’ balm), soothes and smooths lips brilliantly. Once it rubs off, you don’t feel like your lips are parched. The berries in the ‘Pink’ version of the lip mask. gently exfoliate the lips keeping them smooth, so hydrating ingredients can better absorb. I’m sure they also add some antioxidants too 🍓🍇🍒🍓 It smells sweet and isn’t too shiny on the lips. It has no colour. My boyfriend had dry skin around his lips on our last holiday, which felt uncomfortable and gave him this burning sensation. He used the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask and not only did his lips and skin feel instantly more comfortable, the dryness cleared up within two days 👌 I also love that it is a decent sized pot – it lasts so long!

Hand Cream

Another must is hand cream! My hands always get so scratchy, dry and rough after carrying heavy bags around and then thanks to the dry, dry cabin air. I have been loving L’Occitane’s Almond Velvet Hands Cream. It comes in a 75ml tube, which is small yet big enough to last through any trip! It has a powdery floral scent, isn’t too greasy, yet is super nourishing. Nails and cuticles also instantly become softened and more protected. I also love that it contains an SPF of 15+. On holidays the more sunscreen used the better because you are out and about most days. We forget about our hands a lot, so this cream fills in the gaps 😉

Non-snag Hair Ties & Bobbi Pins

Hair ties! Non-snag hair ties are a must, as is a bobby pin to keep my hair out of my face once it is smothered in a sleeping facial mask lol I picked these super soft, wool slash cashmere blend hair ties from my local supermarket. You may also want to pack a small comb into your bag, depending on how unruly your hair gets!

Hand Sanitiser & Tissues

I don’t think I need to explain this one lol… When you can’t wash your hands, this is a must! Use regularly. I almost always catch something on a plane, but I try to minimise the risk by killing germs with hand sanitiser. Can be also very drying, so make sure you have a hand cream on stand by 😉 Tissues probably also don’t need explaining!

Everthing fits into my pouch! 😅

And that’s it beauties! I think that this is quite a minimalistic pick of skincare and accessories. I know myself too well now – the more I pack, the less I use. I definitely appreciate carrying less ‘stuff’ in my bags these days. I’m also not going to be misting myself and applying lots of creams to my face when sitting 5cm next to a stranger (I fly economy ok. I know you are shocked LOL). I want to be respectful of someone else (small) personal space. There also isn’t a lot of room to manoeuvre in economy class, so compact and small is where it is at!

I am also loving my new travel wallet from Kikki K. At first, I thought it was much too big. But once you start filling it up, you realise it’s the PERFECT size – you can see everything clearly and pieces of paper don’t have to be folded. All the important stuff is ‘on hand’ if you will. And it’s leather! I don’t believe it is in stock online anymore, but you might be able to find it in store (and it should be on sale).

Let me know if you would like to see what makes it isn’t my hand luggage Beauties. Also let us know if I’ve missed something that is crucial when it comes to travel skincare/carry on skincare!

Catch ya next time,

Beauty Bee~

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