Top Five: In Flight Essentials

As Summer rapidly approaches, thoughts are turning into dreams of distant shores and holidays. Sadly I won't be leaving the UK this summer however my easter trip to Sardinia inspired me to put together something that will hopefully help put pay to those long distance travel woes...

With the current restrictions on the amount of liquids you can carry in your hand luggage (this includes cosmetics), it is best to pack as much as possible into the hold. This is of course easy if you are just travelling short haul however when you are flying for anything more than four or five hours (what is generally considered the upper limit for short haul flights in Europe) you may find that you want to include some beauty essentials in your hand luggage too.

Now I am not a lover of flying, in fact I hate it and will try to find other methods of travel whenever possible (time and money permitting of course), however it has been known for me to cross the Atlantic and experience has taught me this...

• Don't bother wearing make-up during the flight - your skin won't thank you for it.
  
• Keep your fluids up and stay hydrated - your skin will thank you for this (mini bottles of Jim Beam Black/*insert tipple of choice* don't count!)
  
• Apply liberal amounts of lip balm - recycled air plays havoc on the delicate skin of your lips.
  
• Take the opportunity to apply a face mask or treatment. Not the ones that needs washing off but a leave-on one such as Tata Harper Moisturing Mask.
• Airline blankets are itchy (and often a little smelly) so pack your own.

Without further ado, here are my Top Five In-Flight Essentials...

Moisturiser

A good and hydrating moisturiser is essential; applied to hands, face or legs it can have a multitude of uses. Each of you will have your favourites but if you are looking for deep hydration then why not take a look at both ends of the spectrum with the luxury Spiezia Intensive Moisturiser and the more comfortably priced Super Intensive Daily Moisturiser from OrganicSurge.

Lip balm

I've already mentioned that lip balm is a vital component of your hand luggage. It doesn't take much for lips to dry out and crack so choose something a littler heavier duty for the flight. For a deeply hydrating experience try Living Nature Manuka Honey Lip Balm or Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salm from Balance Me.

Hydration spray

Recycled air is very drying for your skin so give it a pep-up every now and again with a spritz of hydration spray. For skin (and nasal passage - I'm not suggesting you spray it up your nose) reviving treats try D20 Hydrating Mist from Jane Iredale or Neal's Yard Remedies Frankincense Facial Mist.

Hand Sanitiser

I almost always carry a hand sanitiser and baring in mind that you are spending anything up to the best part of a day with a couple of hundred strangers and three or four very small toilets, I suggest a long haul flight is not the time to leave it behind. I share my love between Bentley Organic Hand Sanitiser, Organic Children Sticky Hand Sanitiser from Green People (yes, even for me) and Dr Bronners Lavender Hand Sanitising Spray. All are great for keeping mitts germ free!

Wipes

We all know that they aren't the proper way to remove make-up but they can come in handy whilst travelling, doubling/tripling-up as make-up removers, hand wipes, napkins and even (worse case scenario) as toilet paper. If I'm taking wipes with me I pretty much always go for Neal's Yard Remedies Facial Wipes but if I know they definitely aren't going on my face, I take a pack of JacksonReece Kinder By Nature Unscented Baby Wipes - much cheaper than facial wipes for cleaning up!

Of course, don't forget the obligatory ear plugs or headphones either!

With liquids limited to 100ml, it may be wise to decant products from larger bottles or tubes into smaller containers (these are available from drugstores for as little as 69p) or purchase travel sized products for the flight.

For current EU restrictions on carrying liquids in the cabin, visit the government website.

I've already said that make-up is best avoided during the flight, but if you must wear some then do keep it to a minimum. In a couple of weeks I will be posting a guide to in-flight make-up so stay tuned for this.




Main Image: Women's Auxillary Australian Air Force - State Library Victoria Collection via Flickr