Air conditioning, changing temperatures and lack of sleep can impact hugely on your health and on your skin, and a combination of all three can be found on your average flight, and during any travel.
First up, skin. Your skin gets very little oxygen during a flight as you are in an encapsulated environment without fresh air. The air conditioning is often blasted sky high too, leading very quickly to dehydration. Airline rules can put a real damper on skincare routines – trying to get all those steps through security can be a lot! But there are product options for both mid-flight and your time away that don’t require checking an extra bag.
It’s always a good idea to travel with well-cleansed skin, even if you wear makeup before boarding and remove it post take off. And always pack a hydrating spray like Avène Thermal Spring Water when flying, to spritz on as needed. A naturally soothing source for sensitive skin, the water’s unique composition is clinically shown to calm and soothe the skin, and the travel-friendly size is perfect for popping in your bag.
When you’re travelling, a rich moisturiser is a skin saviour. And if you’re facing a long haul flight, you can take advantage of the extra time and supersize your regime with a moisturising mask.
I recommend that you leave the foil ones at home unless you’re looking to scare the daylights out of any children sitting nearby, and instead opt for one like Alder New York’s Hydrating Face Mask from Clean Beauty Collective. Each mask is individually packaged and travel friendly, and packed with hyaluronic acid for hydration, skin-renewing spirulina, moisturising vitamin E, and antioxidant oat straw extract to fight free radicals.
When it comes to putting together a travel makeup arsenal, you want simple, spill-proof and multitasking. Think creamy pencils and colour pots rather than loose shadows for eyes, and a foundation that is easily thrown in your carry on for touch ups on the go.
Both Aleph Beauty (alephbeauty.com) and RMS Beauty at Mecca Cosmetica offer a foundation and concealer formula in one, with a fast and easy application that I love. You can apply them straight from the pot and blend with fingers or, for fuller coverage, use a brush. They also both come with skincare benefits, and their diminutive size makes them perfect for travel.
Both brands also offer cheek colours and bronzer-type creams, or pick up the too-cute-for-words NARS Mini Bronzing Duo from Mecca Cosmetica for a stellar glow on the go. Luminous and super easy to apply, the set features pint-sized versions of the brand’s cream and powder icons, being cult-favourite Laguna Bronzing Powder and shimmering South Beach Multiple.
Travelling somewhere sunny is always a prerequisite for me, and requires great sun protection. COOLA is one of my favourite suncare brands, and their travel sets are great for shorter breaks and time in the sun. Their Sport Essential COOLA Travel Set includes a quartet of their most popular luxury organic and natural sport suncare must haves, all in airline approved carry-on sizes. Their high-performance products for the active user protect and nourish the skin with vitamins and age-defying antioxidants, while remaining free of parabens, PABA, petroleum and phthalates. All are rated high when it comes to water resistance, and their Radical Recovery After-Sun Lotion is quite simply amongst the best repair tools out there.
If you’re heading somewhere tropical, one of the most fun bodycare travel sets I’ve seen is Sol De Janeiro’s Bum Bum Jet Set from Mecca Cosmetica. It’s a travel ready, body loving collection comprising a trio of best loved products in the famous Brazilian Bum Bum Cheirosa ‘62 scent. In the set are the iconic Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, Brazilian 4 Play Shower Cream-Gel and Brazilian Crush Body Fragrance Mist, so you get a head-to-toe burst of the brand’s cult scent.
Lastly, let’s focus on wellbeing on the go. If you’ve ever watched supermodel Naomi Campbell’s YouTube channel, you’ll know that she travels a lot, and is clearly a bit of a germ freak. In a recent video you see her before her plane departs for its destination, clad in gloves, she makes sure every surface that she may touch – yes, every single one – is wiped down with disinfectant so that she does not get sick. I’m all about taking preventative measures, but this might be too much! It’s a hilarious watch and I admit that I do carry antibacterial wipes for using on plane surfaces when I travel, but definitely not on a Campbell level.
I prefer taking great supplements as a travel wellbeing essential, and when it comes to an added boost for skin and overall health when you’re away, they don’t come much more convenient than Advanced Nutrition Programme’s Skincare Ultimate pack. Designed to help take the guesswork out of nutrition, it contains 28 convenient beauty pods filled with carefully selected, pre-dosed supplements for flawless skin, nails and hair. The fact that they are so conveniently packaged and high performance means that you need pack only as many as you need, and keep all bases covered. (HELENE RAVLICH)