5 Beauty tips on preparing for a long flight & looking airport-ready

Deciding what to wear to the airport and how to pack your carry-on bag can be one of the most annoying things when it comes to travel. You want to keep your skin plump after 14 hours in the aircraft and look just as good as you get off.

Here are 5 tips on preparing for the long haul flight, and how to go through airport security as smoothly as possible!

#1 BARELY THERE MAKEUP
Try not to put on any makeup when you leave for the airport. For lazy girls like me, think about all the cleansing you have to do on the plane in the tiny toilet cubicle. If you can’t live without your makeup, do what the K-Stars do and use a base product that’s lighter, such as a BB cream or a tinted moisturiser.

These are products you can apply very easily with your fingers or a convenient cushion puff to blur imperfections on your skin, but still letting it breathe.

Most of these K-Stars also skip the eyeliner (hence the sunglasses). They mostly fill in their brows and apply a glossy lip tint for a fresh-faced look.

#2 GET READY TO CLEANSE
Before your skin can soak in all the goodness from the nourishing cream you bring on the plane, you need to get rid of all the makeup. Pack sample sized cleansers into your carry-on bag. I love buying the 100ml version of Bioderma’s Micelle Solution, or cleansing wipes like Koh Gen Do’s Cleansing Spa Water Cloths for this. They’re gentle on the skin and will not agitate it like some cleansing wipes do. Take note that you should not be too rough with the cleansing wipe and don’t rub it on your skin.

Bonus tip: K-Idol Kim Jae-kyung from Rainbow once showed on K-beauty programme, Get it Beauty, a neat trick on how to make your own cleansing cloth for the flight. Put some cotton pads into a ziplock bag and pour enough micellar water into the bag to moisten the pads.

Another product that’s really good for travelling is Laneige’s Trouble Relief Cleansing Tissue. The cleansing tissues are dry in the packet. All you have to do is to lightly wet the tissue and it will soften into the usual moist cleansing wipe! It’s great for reducing the amount of liquids to carry on board.

Remember: Sample sizes are always the best! Find out how you can avoid wasting precious skincare with these beauty packing tips.

#3 BRING A SLEEPING MASK
Beauty vloggers are all about masking on the plane, but no way am I sitting in my seat with a sheet mask on my face! (I already felt conscious putting on pimple patches!) So opt for a sleeping mask instead.

I like the Innisfree Green Tea Sleeping Pack and Glamglow Thirsty Mud for my combination-dry skin. Go with the former if you feel that you have slightly oily skin, while the latter is a lot better for those with drier skin.

#4 GO ALL OUT ON SUNSCREEN
The thing I dread the most about any flight is having to leave the window shields open for takeoff and landing. (Imagine all the UV rays hitting my skin!) Instinctively, I grab the safety pamphlet and shield my face, but you cannot control where the light comes from (usually in all angles). So go all out on the sunscreen and apply it not just on your neck and face, but your hands and other exposed parts of your body, too. Your skin will thank you for it 20 years later.

#5 USE A TRANSPARENT POUCH
With restrictions on liquids getting tighter all around the world, some airports may request that you declare all the liquids you are bringing on board. I was once flying out of a country in Europe and was asked to take out all my toiletries from an opaque navy blue pouch. Then, I was given two tiny ziplock bags (only because I said I was travelling with someone else) to stuff all my toiletries inside, toothpaste, bath soap and shampoo included. (Thankfully they were kind enough to spare me two bags, imagine if I travelled alone!)

So save the trouble (and embarrassment) of having to repack all your beauty items into a ridiculously small ziplock (those are the only ones available) and pack your toiletries into a transparent bag. You can find them at Muji or Daiso stores.

Of course, be reasonable about the amount you bring up the plane; no one is going to let you go up the plane with two big pouches full of liquids. Limit yourself to just one pouch with all liquids below 100ml, because you really do not need that much anyway. (You normally take a few months to finish a 30ml serum) To be safe, always double check on the limits with the airport staff!

Now you’re ready for takeoff! Check out how you can get beautiful skin even after a long haul flight with some bonus beauty tips from GaryPepperGirl.

Bioderma Sensibio Micelle Cleansing Solution, $15.90 for 100ml is available at Guardian Pharmacy, Robinsons, John Little and Nishino Pharmacy outlets. For more information, visit www.bioderma.com and follow the brand on Facebook.