Up In The Air? Essentials For Skincare

I like to feel and look my best always, but especially when traveling. Unfortunately, time spent up in the air presents a direct challenge to this simple preference of mine.

First impressions matter! Typically, I book a flight to either meet with a client, visit with a friend whom I haven’t seen in a while or vacation with my husband. Somehow my contoured cheeks and rouged lips, perfectly applied prior to boarding, disappear. Upon deplaning my face has lost any sort of glow and instead appears dull, sometimes even with an unwelcome blemish or two.

Determined to rise above, I’ve ascended to discover what the best skincare actually is when you’re traveling up in the air!

First off, why? Why is it that the more effort I put into my makeup pre-flight, the more my face seems to look exactly how I DO NOT want it to look post-flight? Well, with cabin humidity levels averaging less than 20 percent, your skin’s biggest challenge up in the air is its limited ability to retain moisture. Dry skin tends to get drier, and oily skin gets even oilier to compensate for dehydration! Heavy foundations tend to clog our pores, already blocking moisture from entering the skin. Combine this with extremely low cabin humidity, and your skin is left gasping for air!

Now then, what to do? Well, most experts say to forego foundation altogether. However, if you’re anything like me, the terms foundation and face are interchangeable. A woman never travels without her face!

Skipping ahead to the next best solution, I stumbled upon some helpful advice in CN Traveler. The morning of your flight, start your makeup routine with “SPF-infused primers, foundations, and lip balms to protect against UV rays and infrared radiation, which are more damaging in-flight due to a higher altitude and thinner air.” Intensifying your moisture routine prior to boarding, rather than your makeup routine, also helps deliver the best results. Using non-pore-clogging oils or cream based makeup, such as BB creams and tinted moisturizers, will forever be your best option!

Here are a few of my favorite products I never go without when traveling!

La Mer describes their Treatment Lotion as “liquid energy” for the skin. It drives moisture into the skin, equipping your it to handle any turbulence.

For normal to dry skin, I love Aveda’s Botanical Kinetics™ Toning Mist. It’s the perfect pick-me-up mist to refresh, hydrate and balance your skin when the low cabin humidity has your skin feeling a little too tight!

For oily skin, Shiseido’s Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper is the perfect flight attendant to maintain quality control throughout your flight!

Whether you’re here to stay or preparing to take-off from vacationing in Palm Beach, stop by Colorist Studio & Spa to find Aveda products or visit Neiman Marcus, for all things La Mer and Shiseido -- all located on the grounds of the Esplanade!