Beauty Fashion illustration Stories

Beauty on board

January 4, 2018
Alessia Landi beauty fashion illustration Al Draws make up skincare in-flight review ink digital

Since I moved to Singapore, my skincare routine has become very complicated. I am surrounded every day with commercials of beautiful ethereal Korean models seducing me towards an ageless world made of serums, toners, essences and creams (for the eyes, for the face, for the lips, for the top of your nose and whatnot).
How could I resist it?
Spoiler: I couldn’t.

So now every morning I need to get up 20 minutes earlier just to do the whole 7-steps Korean skincare routine. Or was it 10 steps? Honestly I don’t know, I basically just go crazy with all the bottles and the pots and that’s it. Far from being an expert, I still have to learn if the toner really should go before the essence and when is it that you actually have to put on the eye cream… But it works.

Seriously, I was the girl with the shitty skin in high school (there is at least one in every class and if you are that girl, I feel you sister) but now everyone looking at my Instagram stories is asking me what I do to have such a good skin… Top! My stars are finally starting to turn in the right direction!

But the peak of my fascination for all this skincare madness came when I started watching Chriselle Lim‘s Instagram stories, and I saw that she was doing the whole shebang on a plane.

ON.A.PLANE. How cool is that.

Chriselle, I could almost hear you going like: “Look at me, I am such a jet setter and a modern woman and I have a crazy busy life and I am also a mother but I look like a goddess because, my friend, I do a 24-steps skincare routine every day, all the time, even at 40,000 feet between L.A. and London. You can look like a goddess too! Follow my advice! *blink*”

And just like with the beautiful skin-perfect Korean models inviting me from the Sulwhasoo advertisement board, how could I resist the call of the siren Chriselle?

So I did it. I went to Laneige and Sephora and Etude House (there’s no Al without Etude House), filled my carry-on liquid bag with a bunch of travel-sized essentials (essential according to Al = 3 toners, 2 face creams, 1 eye cream, 1 essence, 1 night serum, 1 hydrating spray and a night mask) and boarded my SIN-BRU flight feeling like a bona fide Instagram star.

Except the sparkles and the Instagram star feels immediately died when I reached my seat, namely 92K, the far bottom of economy class signore e signori. I don’t know why, between the Estee Lauder booth in Sephora and the Laneige store, I forgot that Chriselle Lim actually flies business. I don’t.

So after my economy meal, somewhere between the strait of Malacca and Bangkok (sorry Chriselle, I know I should ban the plane food and bring my own Gr8nola and kombucha onboard, but I can’t resist airplane meals, it’s my favourite thing since I am 8 years old, it’s like unpacking gifts on Christmas morning… Please forgive me), I managed to take out my infamous carry-on liquid bag.
In the process, I banged my head on the seat in front of me, poked my neighbour a couple of times (that is why I always pick the window seat: I can only piss off one neighbour at a time) and lost one of the toners, which rolled all the way to seat 88J. But I made it.

Of course I couldn’t take Instagram stories of my in-flight skincare process, because I had to make hard choices: I could keep either my beauty products army or my iPhone on the tray table and considering what happened to my toner, now stranded at 88J, I went for the first.

But guys, it was amazing! I might have had a much worse trip than an Instagram star and a strained neck (courtesy of seat 92K) but my skin arrived in Brussels, after a 17-hours trip, as smooth as a baby’s and as bright as a Korean Sulwhasoo model.

I kept doing this on all my long-haul flights since then, and I can tell you the results I see after  landing are dramatic. I think it’s because the plane atmosphere is very dehydrating, so you really see the difference if you splash some goodies on your skin before dozing off compared to when you don’t.

And on a recent flight from Doha to Brussels I went even further, I broke all shame boundaries of the Economy Class Traveller and went all in: I did a sheet mask. Mainly because the two seats next to me were unoccupied and I had that extra business class feeling. 

The flight attendant almost had a syncope when she found a mummy in front of her, but man it was worth it… Totally recommended, if you are able to overcome the shame (a glass of wine helps. Yes, I know, we should only drink Evian on a flight… But I just can’t say no to free wine *poor student’s habits are hard to die*)

Bottom line: this was my best discovery of 2017. Korean skincare on long-haul flights forever. Sheet masks included.

And just in case you wondered, here are my in-flight skincare routine essentials:

Before landing I use again the Etude House toner (with a cotton pad) and the Sulwhasoo Ginger cream all over my face, massaging until it’s completely adsorbed.

What do you think, would you try this skincare routine on your next flight? Or have you tried it before? If there are any products you think I should try for my next flight, shoot!

And hey this is my first post of 2018, so it’s a good time to wish you all a very happy New Year… And many beautiful flights and trips ahead 😉

Love

xx Al

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4 Comments

  • Reply Anna January 6, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    It’s been a while since I took a flight longer than 2 hours. I’ve read about these routines, but I’m very lazy to do anything like that!
    For routines inspiration I suggest you check out Caroline Hirons’ blog. For K beauty I’ve come across the blogs Snow White and the Asian Pear and Fanserviced B which have routine suggestions.

    • Reply Al January 6, 2018 at 6:26 pm

      I remember you had a very beautiful skin, so you totally don’t need any complicated skincare routine, but I do suggest you try once 😉 it just gives that extra pampering feeling, I always feel like I’m taking extra good care of myself. It might sound corny, but it’s true :p And the skin is so glowy afterwards!
      Thanks for the blogs suggestions, you’re an endless source of good reading material! My bank account really hopes that reading them won’t make me buy even more stuff! :p
      Big kiss Anna and very Happy New Year!

      • Reply Anna January 6, 2018 at 7:07 pm

        Oh God I have to do a cost-benefit analysis before buying anything, or my bank account will suffer too. I’m trying some products from The Ordinary (have you heard the brand? It’s Canadian and very affordable as the focus on the active ingredients and not the fillers). My skin is OK but I have psoriasis (mostly on the scalp and a little bit all over the body the body) on my forehead which I try too keep away without relying to cortisone (it’s fine when you use it frequently, but when you stop it comes back).
        Have a nice Year Al! Looking forward to more posts (beauty related or not)!

        • Reply Al January 11, 2018 at 6:02 am

          I’ve never heard of The Ordinary, I will look if I can find it here in Singapore!
          I’m so sorry to hear you have psoriasis, it must be so annoying 🙁 A few months ago I had this rush problem on my face and arms. It was like insect bites, but non-insect related, I wanted to scratch my skin off and was so ugly!! I visited two dermatologists and weren’t able to tell me what it was, in the end I solved it just by chance, when I started to use a toner with acid pH (a miracle!). I really hope it doesn’t come back…
          xx Al

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