Dry airplane air, late nights, red-eye flights, travel stress…. All of these can wreak havoc with your skin and hair. For me, looking my best helps a ton with confidence when I’m super stressed or busy.  That’s why it’s so important to have the right supplies on hand. With that in mind, here are the things I need the most for grooming while travel.

1. Moisturizer. I use Eminence Organics Caramel Latte Tinted Moisturizer SPF 25. It works amazingly well, plus it’s organic and smells amaaaazing. My skin just drinks it up after a long flight.
2. Mascara. It was hard to pick my favorite cosmetic! I love my Makeup Forever Aqua Cream eyeshadow, but if I had to pick one thing I would pick my mascara,  Lancome Hypnose in Black. It turns my short blond lashes into long, thick, eye-framing lashes that wake me up even more than a Venti Americano.
3. Curling iron. My hair is curly. Mostly. Well, it’s kind of in the middle–there are straight pieces and curly pieces. After years of trial and error, I’ve discovered it’s much easier to curl the straight pieces than straighten the curly pieces. So now my Revlon curling iron is MVP in my suitcase. One time I left it in a rental car trunk and didn’t realize until I was on the plane. I freaked out, and my first stop once I landed was Target to replace it.
4. Shampoo and conditioner. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I can’t use 95% of hotel-provided hair products–my hair is just too sensitive! I pour small amounts of my home products into refillable bottles and bring ‘em with me. Right now I’m using Aveda Be Curly shampoo and conditioner, and I love it.
5. Hydrating mist. For any flight over two hours, I make sure I have my Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist on hand. It refreshes my face, keeps me from getting dried out, and smells nice.
6. Honorable mention: For long-haul flights, I’ve got to have my Korres Pomegranate face wipes on hand. I love being able to get my face clean without using airplane bathroom water, which just feels kind of icky.

Okay Readers, now it’s your turn! What are your top five grooming necessities?

P.S.: I am guest posting on Corporette all week!! Check out the fun clothes I picked out for the morning TPS reports.

One of my favorite charities is called Bead for Life. Except it’s not a charity, exactly. It’s a group from Colorado that sells jewelry made by Ugandan women out of colorful recycled paper. There are necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, with different lengths and sizes of beads available. The necklaces, of which I own several, are beautiful, well-priced, and (of course) travel friendly. Plus you get to help women beat poverty! What’s not to love? They also make great presents–last year I bought ten and gave them for Christmas to my female relatives (of which I have many). You would never look at my turquoise necklace and think, Those beads must be made of paper. Instead, compliments come from all directions, because it is unique and lovely. I highly, highly recommend Bead for Life.

Earlier this week I went into Sephora to get a new deal of my long-time eye shadow, Urban Decay Eye Cream. I have been using it for years and love it. But for some reason, my local Sephora store has stopped carrying it. (And now that I’m looking, the website doesn’t have it anymore either. Sad!)  I was basically out, so I needed something for my trip to Boston this week.  Always on top of things, the fabulous staff at Sephora recommended Makeup Forever Aqua Tint. It is also a shimmery eye cream, plus it’s waterproof. It can even double as a cheek or lip tint. I put it on yesterday morning at 430am, and when I washed my face last night at 11pm it looked exactly the same. Now that is some makeup I can get behind! This isn’t a two step process like what I’ve done in the past; you just use your finger or a sponge to slide it over your lid and it’s ready to go. It comes in a range of colors from neutral to bright, and at $22 a pop isn’t a bad price either. I have the color Pink Beige, and I love it. Highly recommend!

ETA: Okay I love this stuff even more now. I managed to tweak my back on Friday morning, so I stopped at a chair massage place on the way to my meetings. My face was pressed into a massage chair (with paper towel in between skin and chair) and moved around during the vigorous fifteen minute massage. I was pretty freaked out to see how much damage had been done to my makeup, but when I looked in a mirror it had not moved. Not one bit. This makeup is amazing.

There are a lot of things I love to write about. Shoes, bags, and etiquette come to mind, as well as travel beauty and being eco-friendly. The Prive Concept Vert Travel Kit combines those last two, as a fabulous travel beauty shampoo and conditioner kit that uses recyclable containers to boot. The great folks at Prive sent me a set to try out, and I have to say I’m in love.

(Note: This week, for some reason, most of my posts are about something eco-related, from re-usable water bottles to re-using hotel towels, and now green travel beauty. Didn’t do it on purpose, just happened. Interesting.)

First, let’s talk about the products themselves. Prive is extremely high quality to start with, and the Concept Vert line is no exception. Because my hair is so dry, I will typically only wash it two to three times a week. As I’ve recently added swimming into my fitness routine, I need to wash it more often, and have been concerned about what effect that will have. Not to worry! My hair has never been this soft, and the conditioner is incredibly moisturizing and gentle on my color-treated hair. Also, the shampoo and conditioner come out like shaving cream , so you need only a very small amount which then expands. It’s also really fun!

The packaging is also really cool. The kit comes with full size bottles and complimentary travel sized bottles. Using the included “link”, you can easily fill and refill the travel bottles. Both the large and small bottles are recyclable, so when you’re done using them they won’t go in the landfill. The travel bottles are 3fl oz exactly, so they will go through airport security with ease.

In addition to their environmentally-conscious packaging, Concept Vert products themselves are eco-friendly.  They are not made with commonly used artificial ingredients such as sulfates, gluten, phthalates, DEA, TEA, mineral oil, paraffin, PABA, paraben, or artificial coloring.

I have used Phyto products exclusively for years, but am likely to  switch permanently. The products work incredibly well, and with no harsh chemicals and recyclable containers, you have yourself a winner. I highly recommend!

Available at salons and spas for $58 (a $68 value).

One of the questions I get all the time is, “Does concealer count as a liquid?” Or, “Can I take foundation onto a plane?” The answer to both of these, of course, is yes. Yes, concealer counts as a liquid, and yes you can take it and foundation onto a plane. However, if you don’t want to worry about it either way, give mineral makeup a try.

Mineral makeup is powder makeup made from earth minerals. Typically, it doesn’t have preservatives or parabens, and it’s pretty high quality stuff. You can use the loose powder as a concealer or foundation by adding a little water and using a specific brush, then fluff  powder over the top with a kabuki brush and you are good to go! So not only do you not have to worry about it being a liquid, but it is basically three makeup items in one. And as you know, multitasking products are an important part of efficient packing. You can also get mineral blushes and eye shadows.

You can pretty much get mineral makeup anywhere now, from department stores to Sephora to drugstores, at almost any price point. If you want to learn how to use it, go to a department store or Sephora for a tutorial, or look on Youtube. Honestly, this stuff is really cool. If you haven’t jumped on the mineral bandwagon, check it out!

I get a lot of questions about makeup. Can I take it on the plane? Does it have to be in the liquids bag? What about concealer, or blush, or mascara? Regular liquid concealer is supposed to be in the liquids bag. But here is a very clever pencil concealer that doesn’t have to be! This Concealer from The Body Shop is a wax based pencil. It comes in 8 shades, is only $11, and won’t take up more than a tiny bit of valuable suitcase space. And best of all, it can go anywhere, in any of your bags! The best kind of makeup to have is the non-liquid kind, since it doesn’t have be taken out for security. Watch for a post coming soon about another great travel secret: mineral makeup.

Ah, New Years. That time of year when we evaluate how the past year went, and how we would like for the coming year to go.  One of my goals is to continue to make my beauty routine even more eco-friendly. As a result, I have been perusing The Body Shop for some products, as they are very eco-focused. And as a result, I have found yet another fantastic way to minimize the liquids.

I have long been an advocate of facial cleansing wipes. They are handy to have around, especially on super long flights where you need a bit of freshening up. But recently I have begun bringing them in place of face wash on trips where I know I will be getting to the hotel late. It keeps me on my skincare routine, when all I really want to do is pass out in bed without removing my makeup. If I am traveling alone, I will actually use it while driving to the hotel to minimize the time between me and my bed. They don’t take up a lot of space, will clean my face more than adequately, and free up room in my liquids bag. What’s not to love?? The Tea Tree Cleansing Wipes from The Body Shop are ideal for normal to oily skin, and come infused with Community Trade essential oils. They work really well and smell fantastic. Highly recommend!

The clever folks over at Delight have done it again. I swear, they find the most interesting, most fun things to sell. Their travel toys have made my Christmas list for several years, including the travel toiletry containers, travel jewelry case, and luggage tags.  But this makeup palette? I have got to try this. It could possibly revolutionize the way I travel with makeup. Okay, maybe I’m getting overexcited, but seriously, how freaking cool is this thing? The UNII Makeup Palette is basically a magnetized makeup holder. You take all of your makeup out of their current containers and keep it all here. This could save so much space, especially if you use a lot of bulky single eyeshadows. The video below gives you a good idea about how it works. I have ordered one and will have a review soon. Today it is 20% off, and you can get an additional 30% off with the code HAPPYNEWYEAR (case sensitive). That makes it $16.52 plus shipping, which is a steal. Can’t wait to get it!!

In the comments to yesterday’s post, reader Nancy brought up a good question.

Are lipsticks and lip balm considered liquids? I always stick them into my ziplock bag, but never sure if I have to.

I have some excellent news for you, Nancy! According to the TSA blog, normal sized makeup does not have to be in the the liquids bag.

Common size facial cosmetic and medicinal products in a tube, for example mascara, lip gloss, and lip balm are not required to be placed in the 1 qt. bag.

I think this is very exciting. I prefer my lipstick to be in my purse at all times, not in my liquids bag which gets left at my hotel, leaving me without lipstick at the office should I forget to put it back in my purse….. Anyway, makeup is free to be wherever you want it.

I have a question though. The blog does not specifically state foundation though as being exempt from the liquids bag, as it does mascara and lipstick. However it is still definitely considered makeup. Anyone have any insight?

Business Travel 101 is a weekly series about making that first business trip as easy and successful as possible. Packing, security, comfort, and etiquette are all factors that, with a little planning, can contribute to a smooth and efficient trip. If you think of a topic I should include, email me at RoadWarriorette@gmail.com.

Travel is a fact of life for many of us, and heading to the office right after a flight often an unfortunate necessity. There are things you can do to avoid the travel-worn look so many road warriors have. Tricks abound for both short and long flights. Obviously, for a red-eye or other long flight the strategy is a little more intense. But don’t worry! No one has to know you got up at 4am or that you commuted six hours for your meeting.

For all flights:

• Wear comfortable, wrinkle resistant clothes. The easiest way to look good during and after travel: clothes that don’t wrinkle.  Nothing says, “I just got off a plane,” like a crumpled shirt and creased skirt.  There are plenty of wrinkle-resistant, non-iron clothes out there.  TravelSmith has a great collection, as does Brooks Brothers. Trust me, this is not the time to wear your new linen suit, no matter how cute and professional it is.
• Stay hydrated. This is important for comfort, health, and looking good. Drink at least 8 oz of water for every hour you are flying. This will keep you from getting dehydrated, which in turn keeps you feeling more alert and prevents your skin from feeling like sandpaper.
• Freshen up upon arrival. Once you land, head to the ladies’ room to repair any damage that may have occurred to hair or makeup during the flight.

For longer flights:

• Put your hair back. If you have long hair, keep your hair in a low ponytail. This keeps your hair controlled, gets it out of your way, and minimizes the crimp that can happen when you have a higher ponytail. It also allows you to comfortably rest your head against the seat. Another good option is a braid.
• Moisturize!! Use lip balm and hand lotion often.  There are also great face sprays that you can use to keep your skin hydrated. I like the Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist.
• Get some rest. Use an eye mask and earplugs if necessary, or even a Tylenol PM, so that you wake up feeling (and looking) refreshed.
• Avoid mascara. This doesn’t work for everyone, but if you feel comfortable going without mascara for the flight I highly recommend it. It’s an easy way to avoid the raccoon look on a red-eye. Or, you can…..
• Do your morning routine. Wash your face, brush your teeth, brush your hair, and refresh your makeup before landing. Once you wake up, nothing feels better or more eye-opening than washing your face. It helps get rid of the travel grime, and gives you a fresh canvas for applying makeup. I like to use face cleansing pads like these from Korres. For brushing your teeth, you can use your normal toothbrush or one of those new disposable ones. Finally, going through an airplane friendly (possibly slightly abbreviated) makeup routine will make you look your best and feel ready to take on the world, and hide the fact that you slept on a 757.
• If that’s not an option….. If you’re flying in Economy and you don’t think you can get a few minutes in the lav to freshen up, use the face cleansing pads at your seat. You can chew gum to make your mouth feel fresh, and probably even apply minimal makeup.
• Put on fresh clothes. Some people like to wear something very comfortable for sleeping on the plane, and then change into their business outfit for the day immediately before arriving. It’s definitely one way to avoid the wrinkles you get when sleeping in your clothes, but may not be feasible for everyone.

I know, travel hairdryers aren’t the most exciting thing to talk about. And if you’re staying in a halfway decent hotel, you should have one as an amenity right? But if you want consistency with your hairdryer, your budget doesn’t run to halfway decent hotels, or you just like to be prepared, this vintage-look hairdryer from Urban Outfitters is for you. Not only is it adorable, it’s tiny, comes with a case, and is extremely affordable. I first found it on The Frisky, where they called it “Betty Draper’s Hairdryer.” What’s not to love?