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Thursday, January 10, 2013

My In-Flight Beauty Essentials

As you might know from my previous post, I was spending the Christmas holiday with my family at home - and home is Warsaw, Poland, at least15 hours of flight and exactly 9 hours time difference away from here. I'm sure anyone who has ever spent more than 2 hours on a plane knows how devastating the cabin air can be for one's skin and overall well-being - so imagine what I usually feel like by the time I reach our Warsaw Frederic Chopin airport. Which is why I've decided to put together a little S.O.S onboard beauty kit this time to take with me, and here's what's in it:
My in-flight routine is very much inspired by this video posted by Lisa Eldridge. I start by removing any face make-up I might be wearing to look more human at the airport, first by using a make-up removing wipe (a sample packet of Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes - I'm not a huge fan of wipes in general but they'll do in a pinch) and then by massaging a cream cleanser to get the last bits off; here I was using a sample of Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser and really liked how it made my skin feel. I leave my eyes alone - I was just wearing mascara at the time and wanted to avoid the hassle of getting it all off and then reapplying.
I then generally spritz my face with a toner; depicted is an Arcona toner but I was actually using some decanted Allafia toner in a little spray bottle. I am now all ready to apply my hydrating mask; here, as per Lisa's recommendation, I had a sample of Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque, which is pretty much invisible on the skin. Unfortunately, it's hydrating effect was also pretty invisible, as my skin was very tight and peeling badly by the time I reached Warsaw. I also keep a little tube of moisturizer for when I'm done with my mask, which I remove with my wipes again, as well as some hand cream and lip balm for added moisture.
I love that L'Occitane shea butter hand cream and this tiny tube is probably the cutest thing I've ever seen!
Just before landing, I apply some make-up to look a bit less tired. This time, I took with me a powder foundation (Physicians Formula Healthy Wear), a concealer I could use under my eyes and on blemishes (Becca Compact Concealer) and a tinted lip balm (Fresh Sugar in Passion).

Overall, I was pretty happy with what I packed in my little beauty kit but next time I would probably try to find a more effective face mask or even just use a good hydrating serum instead. The whole routine made me feel a lot more relaxed and I think I was looking a bit more fresh-faced at the end of our journey.

On a different note, I hope you guys are all well and happy in the new year and I'm sorry for my prolonged absence; I had big plans for blogging when I was away but family quality time had to take priority. I have however a lot of things planned out for you, starting with some personal and blogging New Years resolutions. Stay tuned!

15 comments:

  1. I hope you had a fantastic holiday at home! I really need to go back sometime soon - it's been over a decade, and I know so much has changed. :/

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  2. Some brilliant tips in there, too bad the mask wasn't great but I think taking a serum along would be a good idea. I take a few items like this when I fly as well, and agree that I can never be bothered taking my mascara off during the flight.

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  3. Happy New Year :) This post is super helpful and I think it's quite a realistic version of what an inflight beauty routine would be. Do you apply all your products at your seat or do you usually do everything in the bathroom? I guess that's a weird question but just wondering what other people do as I'm going on a flight soon and planning to tote along some treatment type products ^^ Also, would love to read and see more about Poland if you ever decide to feature it on the blog :)

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    1. Hello dear! I'm too lazy and too terrified of plane bathrooms so I just do everything at my seat and toss the used wipes/foil packets into a little plastic bag I keep in the pocket at the seat in front of me. Ooh, where are you going? Sounds exciting!

      You can look up the few posts I wrote about Poland under the 'Poland' label in the right column of the blog if you'd like :)

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    2. Ah, thanks for the tip :) I'm going to Amsterdam at the end of the month for a few months and I haven't figured out exactly what beauty products I want to bring yet XD The woes of being a beauty blogger/addict! Just took a peek at your previous post about Poland and it's definitely on my "to visit" list!

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  4. You should try Caudalie's vinosource SOS serum it i s a great hydrating serum, maybe the series will have a mask too. I usually use Clarins hydraquench mask but it is very visible at least for 10-15 minutes.

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    1. I've tried the Clarins mask too and wasn't terribly impressed; I'm testing two new hydrating masks at the moment and will let you know what I think very soon :) I've heard so many things about the Caudalie serum, it's on my shopping list!

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  5. Have you tried the dermalogica masque before? If so, did you have the same effect? I ask because I've heard that this masque has to be removed with water and doesn't work properly if removed with face wipes or creme cleansers. Maybe that's why it performed so poorly?

    Great post, I really enjoyed reading this :)

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    1. That was my first time trying it but I have a second packet, I'll try it again with water and let you know what I think! Thanks for the tip, dear :)

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  6. Happy new year! Hope you had a lovely time with your family. :)

    I loved this peek inside your travel bag. It's perfect and has just the exact amount of things that you needed. I never experience dryness on the plane, even when I was on it for almost 2 days straight last year. If I did, I'd totally make the airplane a personal spa!

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    1. You're so lucky, Liz! I always feel like a dried-out plum on the plane, awful!

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  7. Aw I'm glad that you had a nice vacation and got to go home and spend time with family :)

    I've never been in a plane for longer than about 6 hours, so I never thought to implement an in-flight skincare routine. But 6 hours or 16 hours, the recycled plane air definitely makes my skin feel icky, so I will definitely do one next time!

    I have tried the Dermalogica Hydrating Masque too and even for my oily (but dehydrated at the time) skin, it didn't do anything. Maybe you should go for a sheet mask next time? That would be easier to apply/remove anyway :P

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  8. That's such a well stocked little kit! My goto travel essential is little recharge towelettes from Giovanni. They're tiny little packets that are antibacterial yet moisturizing and refreshing. I get the peppermint sage ones and they smell sooooooo good! Bonus: they're organic too!

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  9. I was on the plane for 8 hours to Melbourne, and I adopted a similar routine because I also watched Lisa's video :-) Instead of using a hydrating mask, I piled on my Estee Lauder Advanced Night serum and then slap on Clinique Moisture Surge. I looked really shiny but didn't care. After I took it off before landing, I applied moisturizer instead of a base (winter at that time). Face looked absolutely fresh :-)
    *random* Awesome airport name. Chopin is one of my favourite composers :-)

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    1. Hello Lily!!! I have a mini size of that Estee Lauder serum, I really need to try that soon! Your little routine sounds great! Oh yes, Polish people tend to be really proud of Chopin (except that the French think he wasn't really Polish at all ;)

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