Is your frequent flier status destroying your skin, beauty, and sleep regimen?

Whether you’re flying for business or pleasure, looking and feeling great is a must. Yet there’s really nothing spa-like about cruising at 35,000 feet confined to a small cabin filled with crying babies and dehydrated air.  {We bet just reading that line gave you anxiety, right?}

Luckily, with a number of flights under our belts, we’ve perfected the art of air travel.  Follow our stylish and savvy flying guide and you’ll step off the plane looking and feeling energized and refreshed, no matter what in-air obstacles you face.

Stylish Flying

PRE-FLIGHT PREP

Choose the ideal seat – Grab the aisle seat to avoid excess UV rays and for easy mobility about the plane.  Visit Seat Guru to find the perfect location by learning the specifics of your plane and finding where the amenities are located.   Seat Guru will tell you where to find the good, standard, and poor seats, and which ones have some drawbacks.  You’ll also find the location of power ports, overhead TVs, and the bathrooms to help you better make your seat selection.

Bring your own headphones – Don’t rely on the airline’s headphones which mess up your hair and rarely ever fit your head.  Plus, who wants to waste a couple dollars on a pair of crappy headphones that you’ll never use again?  Bring noise canceling headphones {Bose makes an excellent set that are well worth their hefty price tag} and not only will you be able to hear the movies better, but you’ll also drown out the crying baby in the seat behind you, the constant dinging for the flight attendant’s attention from the over-anxious grandma across the aisle, and the incessant chatter of the new BFF teens in the two seats to your left.

Bring a Snack – Unless you’re flying Virgin America, the food offered on airlines isn’t what we would call desirable.  Check Airline Meals before you fly to find out what’s offered on your flight and if it’s necessary to pack your own meal (which it usually is).

Entertainment – Bring gossip magazines, your ipod, a book & a book light and you’ll never run out of things to do.  If you have an iphone, check out AppAdvice to find the latest and greatest in the app world.

Sleep Easy – Ear plugs and a neck pillow are a necessity for dozing.  The BEST neck pillow we’ve found to date is Brookstone’s n•a•p® Travel U-Pillow.  On a long international flight it might also be a good idea to take a sleeping aid—we recommend something natural like Melatonin, which you can find at any health food store or online at  The Natural Store .

IN-AIR PAMPERING

Drink lots of water – We all know that airplanes act as a drying agent, leaching water and moisture from your skin and body.  Avoid a large consumption of caffeine and alcohol, which could result in even greater dehydration.  Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water!  Buy a large bottle before you board (post-security, of course) and you won’t fall victim to dehydration – the requisite bathroom trips are worth it {trust us}!

Eye Serum – Put on a moisturizing eye serum like just before the flight to help battle the often unavoidable eye puffiness.  Try all-natural JURLIQUE Herbal Recovery Eye Gel.

Moisturizing lotion - Airplanes have ultra low humidity creating a moisture vacuum in the cabin air that sucks your skin dry, depleting if of all that plumping moisture.  Can you say wrinkles??  Bring a moisturizing lotion and reapply often.  Try Skin & Bones Power Of One.  It’s unisex and multi-purpose, so you can use this single product for all your skin care and body needs—it’s a natural choice for travel.  Share it with the man in your life or play the “angel of the air” and save the skin of the hot stranger sitting beside you.

Exercise – Ok, so we get that busting out a downward dog might be infeasible in Economy (and, well, also extremely awkward for the other passengers), but that doesn’t mean you can’t get some activity while in-flight.  The best exercises involve stretching and flexing your muscles and anything that let’s you move your joints—check out Boeing’s guide to super easy in-seat exercises.

UPON ARRIVAL

Concealer – A must for hiding those “I had the middle seat” dark circles under your eyes.  We like theVincent Longo Duo concealer–it offers two shades in a compact, travel-friendly tube {it looks like lipstick}, so you’ll be prepared to cover dark circles and anything else that might pop-up mid-flight {pun intended}.

Dry Shampoo – To combat oily or limp hair that routinely is the result of a long international flight spent with your head pressed against a polyester headrest.  Try Bumble&Bumble hair powder.

Make-Up Remover – If you were able to get some shut-eye in the air, chances are you’ve awoken to find your mascara and eyeliner smudged and smeared across your face emulating a batman mask.  Use skyn Iceland’s Glacial Cleansing Cloths to combat blotched make-up.  With a non-drying formula, they’re ideal for your in-flight needs.

Visine – No one wants to walk off the plane looking like a vampire with red, bloodshot eyes, just another consequence of parched air.  A couple of drops of Visine should help you get your eyes back to human-like whiteness and alleviate any of the itching or discomfort that can result from the arid cabin conditions.

Bon Voyage!

~Lauren & Ashley