Flying always leaves me looking worse for wear. Here are 9 beauty essentials I pack to keep me refreshed on a long-haul flight.
Melissa Wells
- When it comes to packing for a flight, I need my lip mask as much as I need my ID.
- My must-pack items include an under-eye mask, a lip mask, a face mist, and hair oil.
I think it's a universal experience that between TSA security lines and jet lag, long-haul flights can leave us not looking our best.
At least, that's the case for me.
But thankfully, following many long-haul flights across the country and internationally, I've found my holy-grail beauty essentials to looking and feeling refreshed. Here they are.
First on the list are some soothing cleansing cloths with hyaluronic acid.
These Neutrogena Hydro Boost With Hyaluronic Acid Ultra-Soft Cleansing Towelettes cost $7.19 at my local Target.
Once I'm on the flight and my skin begins to feel dry and tight, I start my routine by wiping off the day and prepping my skin for the long ride. These towelettes feel nourishing and make my skin feel soft while removing any ickiness sticking to my skin after traveling through the airport and onto the plane.
In my experience, it's one of the best carry-on items to bring.
A face mask makes my skin feel plumper, even in dry cabin air.
Next, I pack this Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, a vegan product that nourishes and hydrates dry skin, according to its manufacturers.
I only need to apply a thin layer to clean my skin, and then I blot it off with a tissue after 10 minutes — sometimes longer if my skin is feeling particularly dry.
Afterwards, my skin feels plump, even in that dry cabin air. The 1-fluid-ounce version, which I think is perfect for traveling, costs $26.
In my experience, this under-eye mask is a game changer on flights.
While I use the Summer Fridays mask mid-flight, I also apply the Sephora Collection Caffeine Clean Eye Mask under my eyes in a bid to combat puffiness or dark circles from lack of sleep or general tiredness.
What I like best about this product is that, like the mask, there's no need to rinse — I can just massage any excess serum into my skin, which makes it fuss-free when you're confined to a plane seat. I find it's especially useful when I want to rest my eyes and I can slip my sleeping mask right over the product.
Plus, you can't beat the $4 price.
Even in the crisp air from the plane's air conditioning, my moisturizer holds its own, leaving my skin feeling refreshed.
At this point in my journey — now that the face and eye masks have absorbed into my skin — I usually want to moisturize to lock in the hydration. I'm a fan of the Belif products available at Sephora or Ulta, and they carry The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb With Oak Husk and Vitamin B, which has a whipped texture that claims to give 26 hours of moisture.
I would agree: The plane's air conditioning may work hard, but this moisturizer works harder. When I use it, my skin feels refreshed, even through 24-hour travel days. After applying it, I can rub the excess on my hands to keep them soft, too.
Pictured is the jumbo version, which costs $65 for 3.3 fluid ounces, but the 0.84 fluid-ounce version, which is great for travel, is $22.
Coffee is another go-to on long flights, so I also like to carry whitening strips to ward off any staining.
I tend to brush my teeth on a longer flight, but I don't want staining from the excessive coffee I'm drinking to thwart my efforts to maintain pearly whites.
This one is a bit pricier — $39.94 on Amazon — but the Crest 3D Whitestrips includes 28 strips. I apply the whitening strips on my teeth for 30 minutes, and then they slide right off. I rinse my mouth to get rid of any excess product in the bathroom, and then my teeth both feel clean and gleam under the harsh plane lighting.
I also pack a sleeping mask to soften my chapped and cracked lips.
Once my mouth is clean, my lips tend to take the brunt of the dryness in the air, leaving them brittle.
This $24 cult-favorite lip mask is used by all kinds of celebrities, and I can't blame them. The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask Intense Hydration with Vitamin C smells amazing and traps moisture on the surface of my lips. Plus it has a light tint — depending on the flavor you choose — that leaves me feeling polished.
Beyoncé uses this face mist. Need I say more?
Last on the list when it comes to skincare is this face mist. According to Beyoncé's makeup artist, he applies this Caudalie Mini Beauty Elixir Prep, Set, Glow Face Mist to calm her skin.
If it's good enough for Queen Bey, it's good enough for me.
The $20 1-fluid-ounce version is travel-friendly and I find that just a spritz or two soothes and refreshes my skin throughout the journey. I reapply as needed throughout the flight when my skin needs a pick-me-up.
For when the frizz hits, I like to carry a hair oil that smooths and soothes my crazy curls.
With my skin glowing and refreshed, I can't leave my long curls looking like a mess. For $30, this Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Hair Oil looks and basically is liquid gold — it leaves my ends nice and smooth and calms any stragglers. This oil nips a bad hair day right in the bud.
Then, to keep the frizz at bay, I cover my hair with a satin bonnet.
To maintain the smooth texture I achieve with the bonding-hair oil on my unruly curls, I don't leave it to chance that it will stay looking smooth on a longer flight.
So, I make sure I pack a satin bonnet — extra long for my lengthy hair — and it even acts as a soft pillow to lay back on. The brand I like, Sent Hair, carries a variety of fun prints of the Extra Long Satin Bonnet for $13.76 on Amazon.
I take it off as we land, and voila! The frizz-free hairstyle stays intact.
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