Inflight Beauty-Sunny Sun Protection

Hiyas! I'm blogging whilst out enjoying the sunshine in my back garden. I've a sun lounger out, cocktail in hand, a bit of reggae on and as I live quite close to the sea, i'm imagining myself on a beach in Barbados. It's working for the moment.

Sindy on the beach

This weather is a rarity in Northern Ireland, but being cabin crew, I am very lucky that I get to spend time in the hot sunny destintations that I fly to. So whilst sunbathing or sightseeing, a high factor SPF is a necessity. Now I'm a factor 45+ gal. I can't and won't go any lower. My skin burns first before tanning, so I prefer to use a high factor at all times. I very rarely actually 'sunbathe' I love to be out and about in the sun,I love how the warmth feels on my skin, but I usually prefer to sit in the shade and get my tan from a bottle. I don't want to resemble a Shanghai special Louis Handbag when I'm 40. Ya get me?

I like to use sunscreens on my face that are made specifically for the face. I've found that body suncreams are too heavy and end up causing horrible breakouts.When I want to wear makeup over the top,it slides off or just goes weird. My favourite facial sunscreen is Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour SPF 50. It doesn't cause any irritation to my skin and sits nicely underneath makeup. Its quite moisturising as well so great for dry skins.

For body suncreams, I love Australian Gold lotions. All Australian gold products smell divine and the scent reminds me of so many great work trips and holidays. They can be a little greasy but I think most suncreams are, and hey a little shin shine doesn't hurt anyone! They also are quite water resistant. You wont get that weird white residue after a dip in the sea. Plus but nobody wants to be posing at the Rehab pool party in Vegas looking like they haven't bothered rubbing their cream in!
I use Australian Gold SPF 50 and their SPF30 aerosol if I'm being bad. The aerosols are really handy if you're out an about as they are easy to spray on and don't really require much rubbing in. 

Photo courtesy of
australiangold.com

Photo courtesy of
australiangold.com

I asked a few hosties what suncreams they'd take when hitting the beach or pool down route.

P20 came out on top. It's a once only application cream that claims to last all day. I've never tried it as I was a bit dubious that it actually worked. But now that it has been recommended so much, I feel like i've been missing out! P20 comes in varying factors so I'm going to try and get my hands on the factor 50 version and get back to you.


2nd was Austrialian Gold. 

3rd Cheap and Cheerful Calypso. Apparently their dry oils are great and not greasy. I always see Calypso in Home Bargains so I will def be getting my mitts on a bottle of this bargainous stuff to try.


Other suncreens recommended included Clinque-Ive heard their city block is great for the face, Paulas Choice Hydralight SPF30-whch has be quoted as being 'ultramatte', Heliocare SPF50 Gel-Haven't heard of this brand before but it sounds really good, Sisley, and Piz Buin Allergy SPF15

If you've any suncream recommendations let me know in the comments below or tweet me @HeatherAllenMUA.

Hostie Heather X



Big thanks go to Aimee, Claire, Ross, Rhian, Paula, Carolyn ,Katy, Carrie, Zoe, Lucy and Siobhan for their recommendations.

Inflight Beauty-Top 10 Moisture Boosters

Ok so my other job besides painting faces, is that of a globetrotting glamourpuss. Well, at least thats what I like to think whilst sunning myself downroute in Barbados. 

Us hosties are well known for our love of makeup. The stereotypical flight attendant is caked in foundation. However underneath all that slap we have wonderfully moisturised skin.

Long haul flights can be anywhere from 6 hours to 14. Thats a long time to spend in dry recycled air. Sadly unlike the passengers we keep safe, we don't have the luxury of being able to watch the inflight movies with a face mask on or spend ages in the toilets applying lotions and potions. So crew need a product thats going moisturise, hydrate and keep on moisturising and hydrating our skin throughout the flight.

Here are my top 10 products that I swear by to keep my skin hydrated whilst flying.

1 Hydraluron-This is a gel containing hyaluronic acid. It claims to increase your skins below surface hydration levels and with continued use increase your skins ability to retain moisture over time. I use this before my normal moisturiser. Hydraluron hydrates and prepares the skin to absorb your moisturiser and maximise the moisturising goodness. 

2 Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair I don't know of any crew that don't use this. It's a preventative serum, so essentially you won't see the major benefits of it until your old and grey. Well you might be grey but you certainly will not be looking old if you've been using your ANR. It hydrates and plumps up my skin, makes any blemishes heal quickly without leaving marks, conditions, is great for sunburn on the face and helping skin to repair itself. If I had to pick one product it would be this. Buy the 100ml bottle when you're passing through duty free, you won't regret it.

3 Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster Another product with hyaluronic acid You can use this on its own, added to or before moisturiser. I usually use it before my Intensive Moisture Balance when my skin is really dry in the Winter.

4 Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance- This might be a bit much for someone with oily skin but for me who has dry skin, I love it. It doesn't feel too heavy so is perfect for a day cream, provides a lot of moisture and sits well under makeup.

5 Clinique Moisture Surge Intense. Again this wouldn't be great for acne prone oily skin, but for for dry skin its a lifesaver.  Its quite thick, but for night flights I prefer a heavier cream.

6 Origins Drink up Mask.Not pictured When my skin is really dehydrated, I like to apply some sort of mask. This is applied after landing when I'm tucked up in my hotel room with a Cheesecake Factory takeout watching Here comes Honey Boo Boo on TLC. TV so bad, its good. Instantly rehydrates my skin and takes away any tightness or dryness. This leaves my skin looking plumped up and glowy again.

7 MAC Mineralize Charged Water Eye Cream Takes away fine lines caused by dehydration,brightens the eye area, anti ageing and sits nicely underneath and on top of makeup. What more does an eyecream need to do?

8 MAC Fix+ If your hostie makeup begins to crack ie take on that dreaded dry cakey appearance, a quick spritz of Fix+ will get rid of that and add a boost of botanticals and moisture. Also fabulous if you put in in the fridge and use as cooling spray on the beach. 

9 Carmex. Not Pictured Besides my eyes, my lips are one of the first places to show any dryness. Carmex solves the problem and its easy to put on my lips underneath and on top of my red pout.

10 Water. We barely have enough time to drink it ourselves, but for you and us, its the best way to keep hydrated whilst flying. Leave the alcohol for when you arrive at your destination, not only will it dehydrate you even more, but the altitude will make that vodka and coke go to your head a hell of a lot quicker than if you were on the ground,and thats not a good thing.

I have a dry skin type, therefore not all of these products will be suitable for oilier skin. The aircraft environment has been compared to the dry air of the Sahara, so even if your skin is oily it will still need some form of hydration whilst in the air. Any excuse for a pamper session eh?


Hit me up with any products you think I should try.

Hostie Heather x