5 Easy Beauty Travel Tips

Other than the year that my now husband lived in Boston and I was stuck in Minnesota, I wouldn’t consider myself a frequent flier. I love to travel, but other things (like paying off school loans —anyone else in that boat still?) have been priorities save for maybe a once a year, middle-of-winter getaway.

But this year, I’ve happened to leave on a jet plane more frequently for work and I’m currently planning a two-week European vacation that takes off in late May. Airline fees and obvious liquid restrictions have made me get savvier about my cosmetics, and the more regular flying has give me insight into how to actually deal with my skin pre- and post-flight.
While my tips may not be anything profoundly new, there are five things I’ve now taken to doing every time I travel.
Pre-flight: Packing non-liquid makeup. Like most, I hate paying extra for a checked bag, and as I’ve gotten more travel-savvy, I’ve cut down my makeup routine so that I can stow my cosmetics in my carry-on without having to separately send them through the security checkpoint in my liquids bag. Mineral makeup is my savior here. I pack mineral foundation, bronzer and blush to avoid cramming liquid coverup into my Ziploc. If I need to be bolder with my makeup looks (hello, fancy dinner), I stick to one color scheme and try to make that as mineral-based as possible (and limit myself to only bringing two lip colors… which is really, really hard). Then I can reserve that small, clear bag for my skincare, which is way more important anyway.
In flight: Wearing little to no makeup. This maybe seems like a no-brainer, but I’ve never employed this oft-recommended travel tip until recently. And I’m glad I finally did. While I still swipe on a little concealer or tinted moisturizer to cover up whatever blemishes my skin is throwing at me, I forgo mascara, blush and full foundation. Skin can get dry and flaky on flights, and no matter how hard I tried, I always ended up an oily mess post-plane. Less makeup avoids creasing or flakiness, and lets my skin breathe. I still swipe on a little just before landing, but it’s helped keep my pores clear and skin more dewy than oily.

In flight: Hydrating (with more than just water). Another no-brainer. The air on a flight is drier than dry and it just circulates around the cabin, looking for moisture to steal, usually from your skin and hair. Enter hydrosols or facial mists. I love the Evan Healy ones because they come in little travel sizes and you can easily fit them in your liquids bag. And, just like when you’re at home, sipping water constantly keeps your skin and hair and body from feeling hungover post-flight.
Post-flight: Essential oils + yoga. This could technically be in the “in flight” section too. The lovely Hope Gillerman is not only a genius at EO blends (the whole NMDL team travels with them), but she also offers travel tips. Like Putting her Travel Remedy blend on your legs before getting on the plane (I just inhale this whenever I’m feeling blah on the flight). Post flight, she recently told me to do legs-up-the-wall pose with a heat pack on my stomach to get blood back into my core. Helps tired limbs immensely. Her Sinus Blend is also an essential (ha) EO blend for me post-flight: It clears up any sinus congestion or pressure being 30,000 feet in the air causes.
Vacation: Exfoliation. I usually skip my usual skin exfoliation process while traveling, for the sake of trying to cut down on the number of skincare products that tag along. But Ive come to realize that this contributes to any breakouts I get while away (especially if I’m in a warmer locale). Skin dryness caused by flying leads to my skin getting flaky, and flakiness, if left unaddressed, can cause clogged pores and breakouts. Plus, if I’m beaching and sweating, dirt and grime that’s not usually on my skin can get caught and contribute to an uptick in blemishes. Lesson? Don’t stop my regular exfoliation game because I’m on vacation. The more regular my skin routine can be, the better.

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