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

Lipstick: Summer Selection

New lipstick. Theres nothing better than the thrill of twisting up the bullet of a newly purchased lippy and seeing that brand new untouched goodness! Ok well I can think of one thrill that is better but it requires a significant other.

I've always had a penchant for lipsticks, which more than likely comes from my mum. It was her vast collection of pink lipsticks that had had me hooked on makeup from around age 2. I could sit and play for hours applying lipstick to myself, even discovering that it could double as blush,shadow and even as a snack. My 2 year old self thought that if something smelt good it must taste good.I quickly learnt thats not always the case.

I am a sucker for bright lipsticks. I love bright statement lips and wear bold colours on an almost daily basis.My mum has always worn bright lip colours, so I was never 'afraid' of a bright lip. Grooming regulations at work insist on a red lip, so I've got very used to wearing red lipstick. Sometimes feeling very rebellious on days off wearing coral.

Pinks, Reds and Corals mostly feature on my lips during the Summer months. Here are a few of my favourites.

Pinks. I have a lot of pink lipsticks. Blame my mother. Some say they are variations of the same shade, but I insist they're all different. 

MAC Candy Yum Yum-Matte Barbie Pink

Rimmel Apocalips Stellar-Hybrid Gloss
Lipstick bright salmon pink

OCC Lip Tar Anime-Almost neon liquid lipstick
This is even brighter in real life!

Reds-Although fluro pinks are my favourite I love a good glamourous red.I have faaaar to many red lipsticks! As its part of my uniform, I love vintage reds, and nearly always sport a 50s inspired look for work. 

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural N45-
Satin Tomato Red

Inglot Freedom System 09-Slightly glossy
blue toned red

MAC Mac Red-My most worn red lipstick!
Matte true red.

Corals-My fair skin means I have to be careful with corals. They can look a bit odd with my colouring so I usually only wear coral when i'm a little more golden.

Rimmel Kate Moss 110-more orange toned than
shown here.Semi matte dark coral

Inglot Freedom System 95
Satin pinky toned coral

During Autumn and Winter months, I adore wine,deep plum and berry shades. But thats another post for another day.

Still on my search for a true neon pink and neon orange. Usually i use pigments to create my own neon colour. But a solid bullet form would be so much nicer.

Do you like to wear bright shades or play it safe with nudes? The brighter the better for me!

Perfect Pins with Sally Hansen

Well the sun has finally decided to shine over NI. The last few days have been very warm. So warm in fact that I've been wearing pretty little dresses and shorts. Now my skin is very light, not quite alabaster or porcelain, more of an ivory shade. Factor 50 is my friend whilst on work trips to the Caribbean and now this week in my back garden. I love being in the sun,just not baking in it. I envy those bronze goddesses with their beautiful golden glow, so fake tan has been a must have accessory with my chosen outfits this week. 

Airbrush Legs Lotion 'Tan'
Watch my Baby B Browne review here

Sally Hansen Airbrush legs has been my go to 'instant' tanning product for many years. Not only does it give your skin a realistic tan without having to wait for it to develop, it also covers any marks or blemishes you may have and makes your legs or wherever else you put it,look flawless. Then you just simply wash it all off with soap and water. 

 Sally Hansen has recently brought out a lotion version of their famous Airbrush Legs. I was eager to try it as anyone who has ever used the spray can version will know that the spray gets everywhere.yes you may be perfectly tanned but so is your bathroom by the end of it.

I tried the "tan" shade and well it was wonderful. I used a tanning mitt to apply it to ensure a smooth streak free finish. The lotion glided on to the skin making it easy to apply. I wasn't a fan of the shimmer in the spray can version so I was happy to see that the lotion was matte. Perfect pins were mine! Of course I applied the lotion to the rest of my body.I mean who actually only applies airbrush legs to their legs? You're seriously missing out if you haven't tried it everywhere else!

Left leg with Airbrush Legs lotion applied.
Photo makes the tan look a little lighter
than it is in real life.

Just like the original, the lotion is long wearing.Any encounters with water splashes or my 6 week olds baby sick (lovely) didn't affect the coverage or cause any mottling or weird streaky bits. Unlike Rimmel Sunshimmer which practically drips off you if you get caught in the rain. Removal was simple with a bit of a extra soap in the shower.

I prefer the Airbrush legs lotion over the spray version and will most definitely be repurchasing it. It is a thicker consistency than sunshimmer and definitely applies better. You could mix it with a bit if moisturiser for a lighter more even coverage. At around £13 a tube, its a little pricey but for me so worth it. I'll also be using this for bronzing up models in studio shoots as its transfer resistant and now that its matte will photograph better than the shimmery spray. 

This is going to be a permanent resident in my crew case. You never know when your quick trip to New York suddenly becomes a 4 night Barbados! I dont want to be too pale and interesting on the beach ;)

You can buy Airbrush Legs from most chemists and supermarkets.