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Having an in-flight skincare routine is not just for beauty junkies. It can be an oasis of self-care as your body slowly turns into a desert over hours of travelling.
Besides sucking moisture from your being with its low humidity, flight life messes with you in other ways. Tomato juice, for instance, is generally a quirky choice of beverage. But the drink is strangely popular in the air, according to a 2010 survey commissioned by Lufthansa airline.
The umami notes in tomato juice are more pronounced on board a plane, while the sweet and salty receptors in your tastebuds are reduced. And if you find yourself unaccountably blubbering while watching Wonder Woman on the plane, don’t despair. Someone else is probably sniffing away under that thin, standard-issue blanket too. Pundits theorise that feeling vulnerable and far from home adds to the phenomenon of crying on planes, which is strong in anecdotal evidence. Last year, Virgin Atlantic issued “emotional warnings” before in-flight movies that might leave its passengers weeping. When you can’t trust your senses and feelings at high altitude, what can you trust?
Photo: Instagram / sonia chew
Well, tending to your skin is something positive you can do for yourself, at least. I plump for solid basics with a touch of perkiness. Staying cheerful helps, especially when your mind strays to that old Twilight Zone episode, where no one believes the man who saw a Creature sitting on the wing of the plane. Besides, there is no point going the luxe route when the guy in front is reclining his seat back into your face. (Elites of business class and beyond, carry on swigging your champers and dotting on your travel-sized La Mer, see if I care.) But which flight-friendly 100ml bottles make the cut?
Clinique 3 Step Introduction Kit (above, $39, available at Sephora) is a fuss-free way to cleanse, tone and moisturise your face, whether on board an A380 or after you land. Suitable for combination skin types, it comprises Liquid Facial Soap (50ml); Clarifying Lotion 3 (100ml), which is said to strip off residual grime efficiently; and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (30ml), the last a fan favourite that is justifiably adored. My skin laps it up like it’s parched, even on ground level.
If you crave a hit of product mid-flight – perhaps when artificial night descends in the cabin with lights out – try Fresh Sugar Chocolate Hydrating Lip Balm (above, $27, available at Sephora). Moisture seems to sink into your lips with this lip mask, unlike other lip balms that simply sit on the surface. What I like best is how it looks like that square of chocolate mousse you had for your ridiculously late, in-flight meal. If cocoa is not your thing, there are four other faux dessert flavours to choose from, including coconut and peach.
Next, apply some Pixi Beauty Sleep Cream (above, $36, available at Sephora), a night cream that comes in a squeezable 35ml tube. Although it’s best applied after a serum for greater absorbency, if you can’t be bothered to faff about with yet another fiddly container, it’s comforting and hydrating just as it is.
Make sure your pre-departure prep includes a good body lotion like Citron & Coriander body lotion (above, 50ml) from Crabtree & Evelyn’s affordable, travel-friendly collection. Apply liberally, aiming for the reassuring impression that the velvety ointment seals your body against the dry cabin air. Its orangey scent is calming yet refreshing.
Citron & Coriander 60 Second Fix for Hands (above, $23, available at Crabtree & Evelyn stores) encases an invigorating scrub and a soothing lotion. It’s like a spa for your hands and a promise of the good times you’ll have, just a few hours later when you land.
This article first appeared in The Straits Times.
Want more skincare tips? Check out our 10 skincare secrets from gorgeous K-pop stars here:
https://www.herworld.com/style/beauty/skin/fuss-free-skincare-beauty-airplane-travel-moisturiser/
Skincare tips from 13 gorgeous Korean stars
Seo Hyun-jin: Yes to moisturisers and oils
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The ex-M.I.L.K singer and actress has always been known for her supple, clear skin. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Korea a couple of years ago, she mentioned that moisturisers and facial oils are a must in every skincare routine. Plus, it’s important that you choose the right products that work well on your skin type.
So, for instance, if you’ve got parched, dry skin, grab a moisturiser and a facial oil that help retain moisture and ensure that the products used are packed with extra hydrating and nourishing benefits.
Instagram/seojuhyun_s
Jessica Jung: Heat it up
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Glowing skin that looks poreless – Jessica Jung achieves her skin perfection by “heating” up her skincare products after application to encourage absorption. Just rub your palms together to generate a little heat and hold over your face without touching your skin. How this works is that your body heat opens up your pores slightly and makes your skin cells more receptive and responsive to your beauty products.
Song Ji-Eun: Hydrate
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As a singer, Song Ji-Eun understands the importance of drinking water in order to keep her vocal cords hydrated, but she also emphasizes hydration in her skincare regime. She drinks up to four litres a day and cites it as the secret behind her glistening, radiant skin. Water helps to flush away the toxins in your body, and as your body is made of about 60% water, it is crucial in maintaining healthy skin function and oil-to-water balance.
Song Joong-Ki: Milk it for all it’s worth
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Literally. The Descendant of the Sun actor owes his enviably smooth and fair complexion to his nightly routine of washing his face with milk. While it might sound a little strange, think about the last time you had a milk bath at the spa – didn’t your skin feel luxuriously smooth after?
Some dermatologists even recommend it, as milk reportedly helps to remove oil-soluble impurities with the help of the fat-soluble enzyme lipase and protein-based impurities and dead skin cells with lactic acid. It also great for soothing sunburns and calming skin, but be sure to use raw or unpasteurized milk.
Irene Kim: Banish Zits
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Pimples are just the worst, but this is especially so for models. Irene Kim shares this helpful hack for those annoying zits that appear right before an important event: blast hot water to steam up your shower, and soak a cotton pad with some toner and apply directly onto your breakouts. The steam opens up your pores and allows the properties of your toner to absorb better. For this tip, look for toners that contain ingredients like witch hazel or tea tree oil as they are known to help reduce inflammation.
Ha Ji-won: Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise
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For popular actress Ha Ji-won, nothing is more important that moisturizing. She values it above all other skincare tips, and ensures her skin does not stay dry for more than 3 seconds. After washing her face, she immediately applies a jelly pack (from her skincare line J-One) to restore moisture lost during cleansing. She is so strict about this that she recommends always having a facial mist within reach if your skincare products are away from your shower.
Song Hye-Kyo: DIY Perfection
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Actress Song Hye-Kyo is all about DIY masks, despite endorsing one of the biggest K-beauty brands. Her favourite recipe is a simple blend of egg whites and honey (ideally an active honey), applied fortnightly.
Simply massage onto your skin until dry, and rinse off with warm water. Honey is a natural antibacterial agent and is great for acne treatment and prevention, and is also chock-full of antioxidants and moisturising properties which help to slow down signs of aging and visibly plump your skin.
Meanwhile, egg whites help to shrink your pores by tightening the skin – the perfect mask, in our opinion.
V (Kim Tae-Hyung): Travel smart
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Member of popular boy band group BTS is no stranger to skin complaints (who says men don’t take care of their skin), and is particularly concerned about the elasticity of his skin. A frequent traveler, he recommends dampening cotton pads with toner and double moisturizing to avoid losing too much moisture and arriving at your destination with beautiful, glowing skin.
Pony: Green Tea Wash
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She is one of Korea’s most famous beauty gurus, with over a whopping 3 million subscribers on Youtube, so you can be sure any tips from Pony are 100% legit. She swears by washing her face with green tea water, made by soaking bags of green tea in warm water. Green tea has an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin that can help to reduce redness and puffiness. Pony recommends doing this twice a week for best results.
Bae Suzy: 424 Method
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Actress, singer and all-round idol Bae Suzy owes her glowing skin to what she dubs as the “424” method, which entails 4 minutes of rubbing a cleansing oil over her face to remove make up, followed by 2 minutes with a foaming cleanser and a final 4 minutes of with water.
Also known as ‘double cleansing’, this method ensures you’ve truly removed all traces of makeup and dirt that have accumulated over the course of a day, which provides the foundation for flawless skin and drastically reduces the chances of breakouts.
Go Hyun-Jung: Cleanse Smart
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Are you cleansing your skin the smart way? According to actress Go Hyun-Jung (whose skin looks positively radiant despite her hectic schedule), she recommends cleansing the T-zone area first, followed by your cheeks. This is because the former area tends to be oilier than the latter, and by cleansing your cheeks last, you ensure the drier areas are not exposed to cleanser for too long.
Over-cleansing = drier skin = more sensitive skin that has been stripped of its moisture, which makes your skin compensate by producing more oil. You do the math.
Krystal Jung: Take It Off
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Krystal tells us in a previous interview, “The most important thing for me is to remove all the makeup completely before I go to sleep. I put on a lot of moisturising cream before I go to bed. That’s how I take care of my skin – nothing special. I never skip removing my makeup. Never! It’s really important. [And] I always ensure I drink a lot of water and work out as much as I can.”
Son Ye Jin: There's No One-Size-Fits-All
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Everyone has different skin types on different days, and Son Ye Jin understands this very well. The Korean actress told us, “I believe there’s no one product that fits everyone or serves their skin concerns and purposes, so I try to allocate which products to use for when my skin is sensitive or dry, etc.”
Additional reporting from Cleo (Cheryl Lim).
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