If you’re one of the many that disembark from an overnight/early morning plane ride looking and feeling as you’ve been on a trip to Grotsville, you need to know how to stay fresh on a red-eye flight. It takes surprisingly little planning to leave the plane looking bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to go. Here are some useful tips for how to stay fresh on a red-eye flight.
Staying hydrated is the best advice on how to stay fresh on a red-eye flight. Drinking plenty of water in an environment where you and your skin are rapidly drying out is the best remedy for not feeling like the back end of a bus when you land. Most definitely stay away from any alcohol or you will feel like you have a massive hangover when you get there.
Lying back in your chair can make the fluid all rush to the eye area, and if you don’t want to look like you need shoes to match the bags under your eyes when you land, ask your friendly air hostess for some ice and a cool towel. Place the ice in the towel and gently put it over each eye. You will feel the swelling go down immediately.
Your skin can be a real give away that you’ve been traveling, so how to stay fresh on a red-eye flight must include looking after it. Moisturizing your skin will go a long way in helping you look refreshed when you arrive. Pack a light tinted moisturizer that is non-greasy, and just before you apply it to the skin, ask for a cool towel and place it over your skin before applying the moisturizer. The lotion will be absorbed quickly, and your skin will have a little energy boost it desperately needs.
It is a good idea to only apply minimal make up when boarding the red-eye. The last thing you want is to have it all smudge as you were sleeping or rubbing your eyes. If you want to keep looking fresh after a red-eye flight, touch up your make up before you land - a bit of tinted moisturizer instead of base, cream blusher and a flick of fresh lip gloss will have you looking and feeling better. It is an even better idea to leave the make-up off for the flight and apply on board (after steps 2 and 3 above.)
If your body has taken the red-eye literally and your eyes show it, it can be overcome. Firstly, use a peach tone or a shade lighter than your natural skin tone in eyeliner to line the inner rim of your eyes – this will brighten them. Then to open them, apply mascara to the top lashes only – ignore the bottom lashes – focusing on the outer corner and center. Ignoring the bottom lashes will reduce the risk of highlighting any darkness there.
You may not feel like tucking into a big meal while you are flying, as not everybody really likes flying anyway and a big meal might make you feel worse – especially on the red-eye. Instead, pack a few healthy snacks to keep your bloody sugar levels up; that way you won’t look and feel completely drained when you arrive at your destination.
Everybody’s hair looks a bit flat and all over the place after we have been half lying on it, running our hands through it, and sleeping on it for a good few hours. The best advice to looking great after a long flight is to spend a few minutes reviving a very tired hairstyle before disembarking from the plane. Small travel sized bottles of dry shampoo are lifesavers – just a small amount rubbed into the root area of your hair and a flick of a comb or brush and voila! body and bounce back where it should be. The other option is to combat the flat-hair syndrome by pulling hair into a ponytail or a messy bun.
Sitting down for long periods of time is the worst way to end up feeling as crumpled as your clothes. One of the ways to keep fresh on a red–eye flight is also an important health reason. Get up and stretch your legs regularly – and don’t sit still for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Get the blood flowing from your legs again, and don’t worry, you won’t be alone; everyone should be doing the same thing. (It’s healthy because it should combat the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis.)
These beauty tips for how to stay fresh on a red-eye flight should keep you looking good even if your body is telling you otherwise. Do you have any tricks to share that work for you?