I have a somewhat unhealthy interest in what people take with them when travelling. It combines two things I find exciting: the taste of individual women and the process of editing. I’ve talked about my own travel essentials before, but this post is slightly different, geared towards long-haul flights and based on my trip to Martinique. For a short trip, I would carry my entire make-up and liquids stash with me, for a longer getaway, most of my stuff would be checked in with the luggage.

What I almost always do on a flight longer than 4-5 hours is take off my make-up (if I have any on, otherwise I just cleanse my face), put on a hydrating mask and keep hydrating throughout the journey. Then I cleanse again before landing and put my serum/moisturiser on and do my make-up, if needed. I try to avoid the last step, but if I have a meeting or an event to go to, I’ll do it. I’ve left the make-up (almost) out of this list, as I didn’t use any and I plan to do a separate post on tropical holiday make-up anyway.

This is what I had in my in-flight beauty bag:

– RMS ultimate makeup remover wipes: I tolerate wipes for travelling, as they are convenient, especially the individually packaged ones. These are not good for removing heavy make-up, but are nice and nourishing, as they are drenched in coconut oil.
– Omorowicza Queen of Hungary Mist: face mists really are helpful when flying, even J used it. This one is lovely and the travel size is great. Just keep spraying.
– Sisley Express Flower Gel: a nice transparent hydrating mask. Expensive, though, you could equally well use Clinique Moisture Surge or one of the ubiquitous sheet masks, if you don’t care about the neighbors.
– Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex: this is oil based and provides additional nourishment. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing this, but flying really does suck all the moisture out of your skin. I like that it’s a rollerball – easy to apply and it’s almost like a mini massage. And it’s not pictured, as I cannot find it anywhere!

– TonyMoly So Cool Eye Stick: I use all the abovementioned face products around the t if your eyes could use some cooling and calming. Again, the stick makes it easy to apply and the packaging is super cute.
– Lancome Visionnaire Nuit: this is meant for the night, but I used it as a serum. It’s a nice product, worth trying, especially if niche skincare is difficult to get where you are.
– La Roche-Posay Redermic C UV SPF 25: this is a good option for applying just before landing, as it combines moisturising and sun protection action. I like this cream a lot, although I have recently found that it pills in certain combinations, a major draw-back.
– Glossier balm dotcom: always good to have something balm-like with you for lips and any extreme dryness. I prefer this one mostly because the small tube is convenient.
– Marvis toothbrush and toothpaste: no explanation needed, I guess.
– Philisophy Hands of Hope: I’m not a hand cream person, but I usually have one with me when I travel.
– Mercy Handy Hand Cleansing Gel: another purely practical product, just in case.
– Chantecaille Just Skin in Bliss: a natural-looking tinted moisturiser that doesn’t require any tools and provides some additional sunscreen (SPF 15).
– Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfor Oil: another thing I apply just before landing – not really make-up, but improves the look and feel of your lips. Longer post here.

What do you think? Excessive? Definitely not enough? Completely wrong stuff?

PS The pouch was fuller during the flight, as it also included the container for my lenses, tissues and some other extremely uninteresting bits and bobs.