Best Tips for Traveling Beautifully

There is some pretty silly and often imprudent advice floating around on Internet sites and in fashion magazines offering beauty suggestions for traveling women. Traveling is challenging enough without having to waste time packing things you don’t need, or won’t help you get through security. The tips below will help you arrive looking gorgeous and feeling great! Here is absolutely what you need to do so you can be a happy camper anywhere you go:

Pack your carry on wisely. Do not try to get cuticle clippers, scissors, razors, or bottles over 3.4 ounces through airport security. Sharp objects of any kind are not allowed (I had a pointy pair of tweezers confiscated recently).Use a quart-sized plastic bag as recommended by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). You are only allowed one plastic bag, and because it can’t be said too often, the enclosed containers must be 3.4 ounces or less.Wear sunscreen! Not only are you going to be dry up there, you’re going to be exposed to intense UV light when the windows are open (it really helps to close those windows if your neighbor doesn’t mind).Wear shoes that expand. Your feet will swell up. Think brands like Clarks, Munro, Merrel, and Fitzwell.Forget the heels. Watching women all over the world teeter on heels trying to get through airports is just sad to see.Don’t wear flip flops. They offer no support which will make you feel and look tired and put your body into an unattractive and unhealthy posture (almost as bad as really high heels).Wear loose, nice clothes that expand and don’t wrinkle; you will look and feel great. Stretch jerseys are the absolute best. For high end, check out Misook at Nordstrom.com, and for less-expensive options check out MyShape.com! They have the most amazing collection of stretch jersey clothing ever!Whatever makeup you wear, be sure it is easy to remove for long flights. Sleeping in your makeup is awful for your face. You can end up with swollen, puffy eyes, breakouts, and dry, flaky skin.Wear lip gloss or a creamy lipstick. Lips dry out in an airplane and at high altitudes. You can also try a lip stain like Revlon’s Just Bitten Lipstain and keep reapplying the gloss that’s part of the packaging.Bring oil blotting papers. They help anywhere you are, but are especially helpful after a long flight.Do drink a lot of water and don’t have more than one cocktail. Your body and head will thank you for it.

What you should bring on the plane that can get through security:

Afrin or some other nasal spray for when your ears get plugged during landing. It can make all the difference and can be used in the moment when you start feeling uncomfortable pressure.Bring a travel size container of your favorite fragrance, but don’t overdo it. The person you are sitting next to might have a sensitivity or allergy to fragrance (I know I do).Travel-sized packets of your skin-care routine are a must, and include a toothbrush and tiny travel-size of toothpaste. At the end of the flight it helps to do your skin-care routine, brush your teeth, and apply simple makeup. It will feel wonderfully refreshing and look beautiful.All Paula’s Choice skin-care products come in travel sizes, and I’ve never had them questioned at security so I don’t pack them in my quart-sized bag.To get your makeup on the plane, pack your foundation in the quart-sized bag. Other than my foundation I’ve never had my lipstick, concealer, mascara, or other makeup products questioned at security.Include a travel-sized packet of a rich moisturizer for your hands. My Beautiful Body Butter is perfect. It is dry up there and your hands will feel it. And don’t forget to apply sunscreen as a finishing step.Lubricating eye drops—what a difference these make! Not only does your skin get dry, but so do your eyes!Hair does dry out up in the sky; a silicone serum spray can instantaneously put shine back in your hair and make it feel soft and silky. Garnier Fructis Brilliantine Shine Glossing Spray, $4.99 for 3 ounces, is perfect and can get through security, too.For more detailed information about security at the airport, check out www.tsa.gov, especially their travel assistant section. This is a thorough and easy-to-navigate site.

What you absolutely don’t need to do:

Don’t spray your face with water; what a waste of time! Water isn’t moisturizing, it just evaporates and leaves your skin feeling drier. What your skin needs is to keep the natural water content (which is about 30%) and healthy substances in skin so it feels soft, smooth, and looks radiant. Using a brilliant skin-care routine will get you through life anywhere you are.If you are flying first class or business, don’t use the hot face cloth they hand you on your face. I never recommend steaming the face (heat can cause spider veins to surface and create irritation).Don’t pack aerosols because they can drain out under the pressure of traveling at 30,000 feet up in the air.Don’t pack pumps that don’t lock down. They will leak.Some caps come loose no matter what you do. If you are packing a particularly greasy item put it in a separate plastic bag.Don’t pack full sizes of your skin-care or hair-care products in your checked luggage. Travel kits are the best. You can find them in drugstores, online, and Paula’s Choice will be launching one this fall!