Airplane Beauty Essentials
It was to escape the heat in Singapore, to finally take a well-deserved break after I left my job, to spend time with a friend. Whatever the reason, we were off on a trip to Australia! The plane ride to Brisbane took slightly less than 8 hours, which I guess isn't too difficult to pass if you watch a couple of movies, browse through a couple of magazines, drift into uneasy sleep and wake up to the smells of hot meals. Twice.
But first up, my skincare essentials on a flight. I was on the red-eye this time around so I didn't bother with make-up. Actually I don't really bother with make-up on flights, maybe just a dab of concealer or rouge when we land if absolutely necessary, so I try to maintain good skin at all times. Of course that's no mean feat but that's a whole other story. Bottom line is, if my skin condition is fine, I wouldn't bother with make-up but if I do have an angry zit or something that's attracting all the wrong attention, then I'll dab on some concealer or something. This time around my skin was behaving pretty well so I didn't bother with any make-up in my carry-on.
Before we go on, we'll just establish a few characteristics of air travel (skin-related of course):
Air plane air is dry. Fact. So be sure to hydrate your skin while you're in the plane. For people with oily skin, like me, the dryness can actually make your face produce even more oil. I'm not sure of the science behind this but it did happen to me previously and left me feeling like a grimy puddle. Totally glamourous.
All the containers you carry onto the plane need to have a capacity of less than 100 ml. So even if you fill up a 150 ml container with just 10 ml of liquid, it's a no-go. Everything has to fit into a 1 L clear, resealable bag as well, though I'm not sure how airport security can tell that by sight. Still, better to be safe and have all your items with you than risk having them dumped before you get on the flight.
The one exception I can think of where you can carry on a bottle larger than 100 ml is if it's a water bottle. You know, for drinking water from. You do have to empty it before you go through security but once you're in and waiting to board your flight, you can fill it up at the many water coolers you'll find outside the boarding gates. If you're intent on keeping hydrated throughout your flight, or if you think that the water served on planes tastes funny, or if you're just too polite to keep bothering the flight attendants, a water bottle is absolutely essential. (By the way air pressure up in the cabins is DA BOMB. My water bottle literally spit at me when I twisted it open. You've been warned.)
Pull out your bag of liquids when checking in and place them outside your bag when going through the security monitors. There are signs asking you to do that placed in the waiting area before you check in but I know sometimes these aren't that strictly enforced. In any case, have your bag ready so that you don't fumble and hold up the queue when it's your turn, or better, empty your whole carry-on looking for the accursed bag, in the process showing the world where you throw your used tissues, ticket stubs, old receipts. mouldy sweets etc. Not sexy, I repeat, NOT SEXY. And it kinda throws off people's appetites too so...just don't.
So these were what I brought with my this time around:
(TR, L-R) The Saem Healing Mist in Clear Control, Missha Gemeaux Love Secret Hand Cream, Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Stick, a vial of perfume and It's Skin Ice Creamy Lip Bar in 02 Soft Vanilla
(BR, L-R) Mini Wet Wipes from Paseo, sample packet of Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX and Colgate Wisp in Icy Bubble
Missha Gemeaux Love Secret Hand Cream: This smells of Cherry Blossoms and sinks into my hands quite rapidly, though you can still feel it. No harm there though, since there aren't many things you can actually do on the plane anyways. Unless you're a busy busy business traveller of course, in which case, you probably don't have time for any of these things.
Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Stick with Broad Spectrum UVA-UVB protection and SPF 60+ : Hey a girl's gotta have her sun protection no matter what. I apply this before we land, to give it time to sink in. Of course you can use any other forms of sun protection but when I'm up in the air, it's just much easier to use something that's non-liquid, to minimise any spillages which air pressure may cause. This one works pretty well and leaves a powdery, non-oily feeling and hey if it's good enough for babies, it's good enough for me! Also, you can actually use a tinted sunscreen for some coverage while you're at it, if it rocks your boat.
 |
 |
Perfume Vial: 'Cos nobody wants to sit next to a musty smelling person. I filled this up with my Gucci Flower Garden Glorious Gardenia so I can smell all fresh and flowery! You know how these work right? You just stick the end of the vial onto the tip of the perfume nozzle and pump in the liquid. Easy-peasy.
It's Skin Ice Creamy Lip Bar in 02 Soft Vanilla: Confession - I don't remember which lip balm I brought on the plane. In any case, this one from It's Skin does an ok job, plus it's fun! It's actually a tinted lip balm and even though the bullet itself is yellow, it transforms into a pretty pink colour once applied. Perfect for a pop of colour if that's what you're looking for and hey since it moisturises your lips as well, why not? By the way this smells more like banana than vanilla, not sure if anyone else feels the same way?
Mini Wet Wipes from Paseo: Absolutely necessary. When you need to freshen up during your flight, or if you get airline food all over yourself. No that did not happen to me. In any case, each of these little packets holds 5 sheets, which is pretty convenient for a flight. Plus they are so pretty! Ok to be honest I got these primarily because of the packaging. Please don't judge me.
Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX: I got these from one of my previous Gmarket hauls and boy do they come in handy on flights. With this sleeping pack, you can leave the product on your skin for hours and I don't get the uncomfortable oily T-Zone feeling, even after I wake up. I don't usually use this sleeping pack at home but because of the more intensive hydration you require on flights, this works pretty well!
 |
Colgate Wisp in Icy Bubble: Oooh these I absolutely recommend! Some flights do provide toothbrushes and overnight kits but these are just so handy to have! Maybe you cannot be bothered to head off to the toilet, maybe you're totally immersed in your movie and don't want to leave the seat but there's a piece of meat stuck in your teeth, maybe you're sandwiched in between 2 sleeping people in the middle row of the plane; whatever your reason, get this. The Colgate Wisp is a waterless, disposable toothbrush with a toothpick at the end. How it works is that when you brush your teeth with the plastic bristles, the little bubble nestled in the brush bursts and a tiny amount of liquid/gel is released, which makes your mouth feel fresh and clean, as if you've just brushed your teeth the conventional way! The little toothpick at the end is tapered and slimmer and can fit into smaller crevices, so it works much better than regular wooden toothpicks which airlines give you with your meals. No kidding. I don't think it's currently available in stores in Singapore but you can get them easily online. I've also seen people selling them on Carousell so that could be a good place to start.
Image from BeautyBay.com
Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave In Conditioner: This isn't in the pictures above 'cos I only had a sample packet and I used it all up on the trip. It isn't obvious when dry but the ends of my hair are actually permed. I almost forgot about it myself, until I received this sample with one of my US skincare hauls. Ouidad is a brand which focuses on curly, wavy hair and I was actually going to give this sample away until I remembered my hair was curled too. In any case, I actually brought it along with the intention of just clearing out some of my sample-sized products, so I massaged it into wet hair the night before I left Australia and totally forgot about it. It didn't feel any different from the usual leave-in conditioners either. During flights, I usually put up my hoodie because I find that it helps in reducing the static in my hair and prevents it from going all frizzy, so that's what I did this time too. The flight back was pretty empty so I actually found a whole row to lie down to sleep in and when I woke up, my hair was uber soft and silky, as if it had been freshly washed and dried, even with all the tossing and turning around #truestory! It's probably a combination of the hoodie helping to reduce static and the product doing its magic. In whatever case, this definitely warrants a second try and I'm probably going to when I get the chance.
So that's it! I used to bring a bulging bag full of skincare stuff and in the end don't use half of them, that's why this time I've pared them down to just the basics. Let me know if you have any other skincare essentials you bring with you on flights!
0 comments