little white truths

Choose carefully when it comes to cabin luggage

I don't know about you, but if I let my skin get dehydrated and dry while I'm flying to my destination, I'll spend the rest of the trip trying to undo the damage done. This is partly because my skin is dry and dehydrated already, but I know that others with different skin-types swear by using certain products during their flights too.

So think carefully about your cabin allowance and what products you want to bring with you on the flight. You'll have plenty of time in the air to use them so you may as well pack a few trusty favourites to play with along the way. You may also prefer to apply your makeup towards the end of the flight, if you find that makeup can dry out your skin. Not only will this help pass the time, but it will mean that your skin can breathe for most of the journey and that your skincare will be able to work to its best ability because you're applying it to a clean canvas, rather than one that's already done up.

Stay hydrated and rest

This applies no matter how long your flight is, no matter your skin-type and no matter whether you're going to a warm destination or a cold one. Travelling can drain the moisture from us all and it's worth managing this not only from the outside but also from within.

Drink water throughout the journey and steer clear of too much caffeine, too many salty foods or anything else that might dry out your skin or puff you up. Use the journey as an opportunity to drink plenty of fluids and rest your eyes. Even if you can't sleep on planes (few can!), it's worth closing your eyes whenever you can so that you're well-rested for the trip ahead.

Do you need to pack your best stuff?

When it comes to skincare and some makeup like loose powders, as mentioned above you can put your products in smaller containers so you're not exposing the full-sizes to the perils of travelling. But other products like high-end blushes and eyeshadows aren't so easily compacted, and it's worth asking yourself if you really need to bring them at all. Travel can expose your goods to humidity, knocking around (risking breakage and 'bruising') and other terrors (like lost luggage), so can you bear being without a few favourites while you're away? You may find that you can.

If we're going away for an event like an overseas wedding in a moderate climate, I may well decide to take along my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette because I couldn't imagine being without it, but otherwise I'm leaving that one at home. It cost me too much and I care about it too much to take it away with me on a stock-standard family holiday and risk having it damaged or lost. Which leads me to my next point...

Pick things that travel well

If I look at the full-sized makeup items I've brought with me on this trip, they're all things that come in sleek, sturdy packaging and didn't cost the earth, so they don't take up a lot of room and there's nothing here that I would rush out to replace if it got broken. Eg I've brought my Hot Mama Blush and Bahama Mama Bronzer from theBalm - decent products in slim cardboard packaging - and ones that wouldn't break the bank if I had to replace them. And indeed I've managed to drop them both during this trip, and that cardboard packaging has softened the blow when they've fallen on the marble tiles in the bathroom so they haven't shattered. Phew!

Bring something that has a great mirror

This might be an obvious one but it took me a while to work out (!). I have a Coastal Scents Eyeshadow Palette (in Cairo) and I never use it when I'm at home because I have so many shadows I prefer, but I always take it with me when travelling now because it has such a great mirror in the lid and I'm always pleased to have it with me. On top of that, it's better than bringing a separate, stand-alone mirror because it contains twelve eyeshadows that can be used for different things (eg not just as shadows, but also for my brows), so I've saved myself some space by bringing it.

Bring multi-purpose products

While we're on the space-saving topic, it's worth bringing products that can be used for more than one purpose. So the Bahama Mama Bronzer from theBalm that I've mentioned above works not only as a bronzer, but also as a contour product because it's neutral in colour and it's matte. This also means that it makes a great shadow for my puffy upper eye area (since matte colours can retract those a little), and I've also been known to use it on my brows and to set the brown eyeliner I use on my waterline. Handy!

Other good multi-purpose items include lip/cheek tints and creams, and blushes that work well as eyeshadows. You can also cut down on skincare by bringing eg a hydrating primer that doubles as a moisturiser, or a tinted moisturiser that doubles as a facial sunscreen. Make your products work as hard as they can : )