What’s in my carry-on beauty bag for long haul flights

How do you summarise your big beauty bag into one small carry on bag for long haul flights?

Living in Australia, I’ve had a lot of practice with long haul flights. I love travelling and I’ve had the travel bug for as long as I can remember.

My husband is English so we also travel a lot to visit family. Did you know we blog together at Mr & Mrs Romance? It’s a bit of a he said / she said blog and we share a lot of our travel tips and stories there.

At the moment we’re in Milan. I’m attending Fashion Week thanks to Schwarzkopf Australia and it was an epic journey to get here. I had to take a 14-hour flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, then another 8-hour flight to Milan. That kind of travel isn’t kind to your skin.

Now trust me, I pack a lot more than one small beauty bag when I travel, particularly for long trips away. Here’s what goes in my under-100ml carry-on bag that I keep within arm’s reach during the flight.

What’s in my carry-on beauty bag for long haul flights

Perfume

I keep a mini perfume bottle with me at all times. I love these purse size minis from Bond No.9. I discovered Bond No.9 last year in New York and they create fragrances inspired by different parts of NYC. I’m currently wearing The Hamptons. Another new discovery are the Aroamas solid perfume sticks that are perfect for travelling. Designed by Brooke Schoenman of Her Packing List, the solid perfume sticks apply like a balm and have a divine long lasting fragrance. They won’t leak and a small stick is equal to carrying a large bottle of perfume. A travel must-have!

Rescue Remedy

I’m not a nervous flyer, but if you are, you should always carry Rescue Remedy. This tincture calms your nerves instantly. I keep it with me just in case.

Hand cream

I always need to keep a hand cream with me and this Soshan mini tube is perfect. It’s extra nourishing for dry cuticles, which always happens when I fly.

Moisturiser

Organic rosehip oil is my plane saviour. It’s hydrating and soothing, which combats all the harsh air conditioning on board. I love Trilogy Rosehip Oil + antioxidants for that extra hit. I’ve recently discovered the Clinique Even Better Eyes. This dark circle corrector has a cooling metal applicator ,which helps shrink puffy eyes too.

Spritz

To freshen up my tired face when flying, I keep a facial mist in my bag. Avene Eau Thermale is a fine water mist that almost makes you feel like you’ve had a shower, when really you’ve been sitting in a chair for 24 hours.

Lip balm

A must! The air conditioning is so strong you can see yourself shrivel up. I keep a plain Maybelline Baby Lips on hand, plus a tinted Lanolips lip balm for a little colour.

Dry shampoo

Another way to fake a shower is with a little dry shampoo on the roots of your hair. I love this mini size Klorane dry shampoo to fake fresh hair. I’ll share more tips for how to manage your hair on a long haul flight in a separate post.

Bobby pins

I’m never without them.

Headache tablets

Because getting a headache on the plane is the worst. Drink more water to help avoid those dehydration aches.

Also in my bag:

CC cream

This trip I threw in a new L’Oreal Paris CC cream for tired skin and it did the trick for making me look brighter when we landed. A BB cream or CC cream is moisturising and evens out my skin tone so I don’t look dead when I walk off the plane. I also usually keep a lipstick or tint like Benefit Cha Cha tint to add a bit of colour to my face.

Eye mask

I also pack an eye mask so I can get lots of sleep. I can sleep anywhere, which helps on long haul flights.

Sunglasses

The ultimate beauty trick! Everyone looks better in sunglasses and you instantly feel more chic too.

Note: Carry on beauty bag restrictions

• It’s important to check the travel restrictions before you fly as they change frequently.
• Currently for all international flights you’re allowed a small bag of liquids and creams with no product over 100ml.
• On Australian domestic flights there are no restrictions. You can take aerosols but they must have a lid or lock and be scanned separately. I recommend not packing aerosols if you can avoid it as they will slow you down through security. In saying that, I did pack them this time and didn’t have any problems.
• On domestic flights in the USA the 100ml restriction still applies, although you can take more than a small bag of products. Sadly I didn’t realise this and lost my sunscreen and curl product when I was flying from San Diego to San Francisco! The woman in security had curly hair too so I told her to take home my products (they were practically new!) and how to use them.

Remember to check with your airline too as they may have specific restrictions for your flight or destination.

You can follow my travels on Mr & Mrs Romance, and I’ll also be on Instagram @hairromance and @mrandmrsromance.

What do you pack in your beauty bag when you fly?