So in approx 12 hours, we'll be on a flight home to the UK for a 2-week holiday at the best time of the year HALLOWEEN -So Excited!
We've been living in Dubai for 2 years and being an expat is an amazing experience but honestly, nothing beats the rush of excitement preparing for a much-needed break home to cooler weather, our own Edwardian house and our wonderful family!
Flying makes me pretty nervous, especially when you have just read a weather warning about a hurricane that's set to hit England just as we arrive (what's the chances) ... Anyhow all scariness aside, I love reading hand luggage blog posts, so thought I'd share my very own top 20 in-flight hand luggage essentials that help me remain as comfortable as possible, on the claustrophobic flight ahead!
✈ GENERAL
+ Travel Bag +
Choosing the right travel bag that can haul all your essentials around the airport is extremely important, but I do think that this part of the packing prep is usually neglected. For travel, I tend to stick to my beautiful vintage 1970's Peter Black Adidas tan holdall bag. Its big enough to hold all my in-flight essentials, pretty comfortable to lug around and looks pretty chic with my flight outfit. I do have my eye on a Vintage Louis Vuitton or Vintage Gucci holdall to add to my collection, what do you think?
1. Passport / Passport Cover
Ok, so your passport should always technically be No.1 on your essentials list as without it you ain't going nowhere! I always make sure that my passport is sticking out my travel wallet one last time just before leaving the house; In terms of a passport cover, I actually don’t seem to own one so now may be the time to add one to my shopping list and if you have any recommendations, please let me know your favourite passport covers in the comment section below.
2. Travel Wallet & General Wallet
My favourite travel wallet is by the lovely Swedish stationary brand Kikki K. My trusty pastel pink Kikki K travel wallet was a lovely gift from my mum and fits everything from your boarding pass / Tickets / ID / Passport and any additional paperwork you may need. This is an essential piece of travel kit and great for keeping all your travel bits safe and sound whilst navigating the crazy airport. My Gucci wallet always comes with me and contains my cash & cards including medical insurance;
3. iPhone / Laptop & Headphones
Just got my hands on the new iPhone 8+ - Love it and for the full lowdown check out my review - It's crazy how phones do these days and I use mine as my camera / to play music / to play games (namely Disney emoji - obsessed!) / writing quick blog posts and obviously checking my social media. I also carry my new gold Macbook, which is extremely light so no lugging impact. After a little nap onboard, I usually get set-up by purchasing the skyward internet bundle and begin writing a few blog posts.
So one of my favourite things to do when I'm onboard is creating a playlist ready for the long trip ahead, I don't watch too much TV so for me, music is really my top priority. I have my standard flight playlist memorised, which consists heavily of Leonard Cohen and Simon & Garfunkle and find this mix helps me relax! For headphones, I use my super kawaii crystal star edition sailor-moon headphones in pastel pink! They are actually really good sound quality, fold down neatly, look super cute and these gems accompany me whenever I fly.
4. Shawl
Plane temperatures can go from hot or cold in a heartbeat so my LV shine shawl is like my security blanket whilst on board. Its big enough to wrap around me as a blanket but I also use this as my scarf whilst away in cooler climates, so seriously an amazing all-purpose essential and all snags aside, it's a must-have item which I cannot travel without.
5. Cozy Socks
Ok so socks really don't make much of an appearance here in Dubai, I mean unless you're a hardcore sock lover as you wouldn't want to add any extra layers to your already hot feet here in the desert! Whilst onboard, I relish the chance to kick off my shoes and apply a good pair of fluffy socks which instantly help me get into a relaxed state of mind.
6. Neck Pillow
No memory foam neck pillow needed for me! I picked up this amazing super cute and super cheap Barbie pillow from Daiso which I use it all the time. Not only is it bright barbie girl style, it's really comfortable too and saves me from neck pain and uncomfortableness during the 7-hour flight from Dubai to England.
7. Sunglasses
I never go anywhere without sunglasses and flying is no exception to that rule, my lovely Gucci's in gold handled greatness covers a multitude of sins including flight morning face to cabin eye bag;
8. Baby Wipes
I already use baby wipes as part of daily routine, I stick to all natural baby ones and use Huggies sensitive. I use them for everything from freshening up my face and hands, removing my makeup, to cleaning grubby finger stains of my gadgets;
✈ BEAUTY & SKINCARE
The Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant is my favourite lip balm. Just like the miracle 8-hour cream, it helps moisturize, soften and smooth my lips and after travelling 7 hours in an air pressured cabin, keeps my lips nourished!
10. Facepack
I picked up a few Bio Cellulose eye masks to use whilst on the flight, I went with this brand as I liked it wasn't a full sheet mask and just undereye strips. Both I and hubby wear these eye strips on flights to reduce dryness and as they are not full face sheets, they are pretty inconspicuous so no scaring the trolly dollies in the middle of the night! We particularly like the timeless truth Gold Leaf Repairing Bio Cellulose Eye Masks that contains Gold leaf (yay) Bee Venom (arrgghh) and Snail Extract (yuck)
11. + Clinique’s Lash Power Mascara
Nothing is more endearing than blonde eyelashes, not! For me, mascara is my No1 essential beauty item. My mascara of choice is Clinique’s Lash Power Mascara which is great for sensitive eyes and ophthalmologist-tested. Having sensitive eyes, I have to be careful and struggled to find a good mascara until finding one and the brush is great that separates and lengthens my lashes.
12. + Rose Gold Elixir by Farsali
Long plane journeys are more drying than the Dubai desert, so to avoid dry flaky skin I love to use natural beauty oils - my favourite being Rose Gold Elixir by Farsali (MY Farsali review) It works for all skin types and helps keep skin look radiant healthy and hydrated, perfect for in-flight skincare.
13. + Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer
I am loving the Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer by Fenty beauty, it's a creamy shine-stopping, pore-diffusing primer. I'm a super fan of the core Fenty beauty line and would definitely recommend check out my Fenty review here
I'm also an avid lover of the Farsali Unicorn essence and use this as my first step before applying my makeup - my Farsali review here
14. + Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Foundation
As mentioned above Fenty is surprisingly good and I love the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in shade 170. I generally like to mix up my own foundation with a little Fenty Pro Filt’r and a little sensational Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation with a little Farsali Gold Elixir which makes the ultimate dewy foundation. For travel, I'll be taking the Fenty as mixed with the facial oil, it equally amazing on its own.
15. + Tarte Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder
I love this Tarte powder as it gives a nice matte soft dewy look without any irritation to my sensitive skin. I love this brand and the translucent powder is great and fits nicely into my onboard makeup kit. Hope I get no funny suspicious glances whilst walking through with this finely milled white amazonian powder sitting in my makeup bag!
16. + Clarins Hand and Nail Cream
I swear by a good hand-cream, no one wants to aged wrinkly hands so ladies start looking after your hands now if you don't already! I suffer from eczema on my left ring finger but find the lightweight moisturising hand-cream by Clarins doesn't irritate my finger and leaves my hands feeling soft and nourished.
17. Rollerball perfume
Nothing is better after having a little wash and applying a fresh face of makeup onboard, than spritzing a little perfume to make you feel a little more glam. For travelling, I like the small rollerballs and decided to pick up this light floral scent by Dolce by Dolce and Gabbana for this trip
18. + Evian Water Mist
I've been using Water Mists for years and go between Evian and Avene Eau Thermale and find that they really do make a difference to my skin. I like both brands equally but Evian is coming with me on this trip. The spray is hydrating and can be used as a setting spray for my makeup. I use this spray every day and living in Dubai it helps cool my skin throughout the day.
✈ OTHER ✈
19. Travel Pouches Travel pouches are really useful and I usually carry three in my hand luggage - one for my makeup/beauty, one for my Tech including iPhone and charging wire and spare apple headphone (just in case) - I found a gorgeous Alice in Wonderland pouch by the amazing typo that fits my iPhone perfectly. I use a clear panda case for my makeup, that I picked up from Daiso last year and saves me having to transfer my beauty bits into a clear baggie at the airport. My Zoeva pouch is great for my general bits - such as gum/hand cream and face wipes. I love using pouches whilst travelling as it keeps everything nicely contained and organized.
20. Book/Magazine
I picked up #Girlboss (ok yes I admit essentially this was for #flatlays) but looks like a non-taxing short read, so may give this a glance whilst on board. I don't watch TV in general (in real life situations) let alone whilst flying and can usually only muster one film max so have to entertain myself in as many other ways as possible, whilst in flight.
Always carry a vogue in my hand luggage and easy reading for when I have woken up the night flight need a little easy reading.
✈ ✈ ✈ Love to hear your thoughts on my top 20 and let's see what you pack in your hand luggage? ✈ ✈ ✈
Hugs
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