Anokhi Fashion Lifestyle Entertaiment

Ever wonder how the rich come off flights looking flawless, with skin glowing, nails well-manicured and legs and feet looking like they’re walking the runway in sky-high Louboutins? With ANOKHI’s on-flight beauty guide, we will keep you flying high so you look like a starlet when you touch ground. Be sure to check your airline’s carry-on luggage policies to make sure all liquids and other items fall under their guidelines.

Dry Skin

From the dry, recycled air in the confined space to the salty processed foods that tag along to economy class, dry and dehydrated skin is a problem for many of us during flights. Drinking sugary beverages and sometimes, even over-consumption of alcohol and caffeine can all leave your face feeling tight and parched.

Secret Tips: Water, H20, call it what you want – I call it my wonder drink! Not only does water keep your skin well-hydrated from inside and out, it also helps the body feel less sluggish and less tired. Forgo those complimentary wines and overly carbonated drinks and opt for a glass of water.

Apply a thin layer of a creamy mask just after cleansing and toning preflight. Leave it on throughout your flight to shield skin from cabin air and keep skin soft and supple. The fruit enzymes will feed and slough off dead skin cells, leaving you glowing postflight. The mask will go on clear so no one else will know your secret apart from your radiant skin.

Dehydrated Hands and Nails

Soap in cramped bathrooms is not necessarily the most moisturizing. Also, hauling around luggage preflight can leave cuticles looking frayed and chapped. Like your face, the skin on your hands can become dry.

Secret Tips: Keep a small rich hand cream in your handbag that meets with your airline’s on-flight liquids rule. Apply a small amount every couple of hours to help keep hands and nails looking fresh. Make sure to massage cream in for a few minutes, paying special attention to your cuticles. Use a cream with ingredients such as vitamins A and E for antiaging and fruit acids to help keep skin exfoliating.

Swollen Legs and Ankles

Gravitational Edema is the proper name for when fluid accumulates in the feet, legs and ankles. For some, this swelling can increase their feet by almost two shoe sizes. Muscles and veins in the legs act as pumps to empty fluid upward and outward of the danger area to refrain from blood clots (thrombosis). However, when sitting on a flight for many hours, this becomes practically impossible.

Secret Tips: In normal circumstances, just walking empties the fluids, so during air travel, try to keep in motion. Walking around the plane every half an hour will help. Plus, flexing and stretching while you’re seated will also keep the fluid moving.

In addition, wearing support stockings will help massage fluid upward and out of the danger areas. Support stockings or socks should come right above the knee to make sure they work properly – a great investment that can be bought at any good pharmacy.

Vaidehie Mistry is a leading expert in the world of skin care. With the science of beauty at her fingertips, she takes a deeper look at the do’s and don’ts of that world. Vaidehie owns Sitamaa Day Spa (www.sitamaa.com) and regularly contributes to the lifestyle chat show CBC-TV’s Steven & Chris.

BY: VAIDEHIE MISTRY / PUBLISHED IN THE FASHION, STYLE & HOLIDAY ISSUE, OCTOBER 2011