7 Tips for Glowing Holiday Skin

The holiday season is nearly upon us and many of you will be looking forward to taking a break and recharging. Hooray!

Whether you’re taking a long dreamed of vacation to an exotic destination or packing up the car and the kids for an adventurous road trip, the journey itself can be a source of heightened stress, and stress is a known contributor to skin damage including inflammation and ageing.

Before you head off on your journey, make yourself a cup of green tea and take a moment to browse our top glowing skin tips from three skincare experts and frequent travellers:

1. Maintain Your Moisture Levels

This one seems like a no-brainer, but once you’ve relaxed into holiday mode and switched off from your regular daily routine it can be easy to forget to replenish your water and moisture levels. 

• Apply hydrating products such as moisturisers and serums during the journey
• Keep your water bottle full and use the need to refill it as an excuse to get up and stretch your legs if in transit or take a break from sightseeing
• Consider investing in a deep moisturising mask or hydrating facial mist (find out more about mists including how to use them the right way in this article from Byrdie)
• Avoid diuretics like alcohol, tea and coffee

“I love science-based ingredients such as hyaluronic acids, peptides and ceramides as well as natural favourites like aloe vera and rose water to keep my skin hydrated. I've never gone as far as wearing sheet masks on a flight but I will always regularly apply serums and mists and tap them into the skin to boost circulation and oxygen to the skin. Ingredients I always stay clear of are alcohol and foaming agent SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate), both strip the skin of its protective barrier which can make it prone to irritation and inflammation.”
Amy Saunders, natural acne treatment consultant at Sky Therapy

2. Forget the Makeup While You’re in Transit

Wearing makeup on long flights or journeys can be a recipe for flare-ups and clogging. It’s best to go bare and apply a fresh layer just before you arrive.

“I like to keep things really simple. On a long flight I usually board the plane with zero makeup and religiously apply hydrating products throughout the flight. When it comes to landing my skin is looking plump and glowy, so a couple of layers of mascara teamed with a slick of natural hued lip tint is all your need to look fresh-faced when stepping off that plane!”
Amy Saunders

3. Keep an Eye on Your Peepers

If you’re planning a long journey (and you’re not driving), consider taking a cooling eye mask to help reduce puffiness.

“To look after your eyes, make sure you get enough rest, stay hydrated and have good eye drops handy. Use a cool compress for several minutes and pat dry before applying your eye crème.”
Karen Meiring De Gonzales, Skincare expert at Skin Correctives

Nourished Life sells the 100% pure bright eyes mask for under $10, while the Black Chicken ICU intensive eye drops, which contains milk thistle and cucumber seed oil, are a bit more of a purse stretcher at $77

4. Perfect Your Skincare Edit

Some of us are planners when it comes to packing our travel bags, while others (me included) leave it all to the last minute and end up with a panic pack full of mismatched outfits, too many shoes and the wrong sized beauty products for our hand luggage allowance.

Take some time in advance to perfect your edit of holiday beauty products and invest in some compact, reusable containers to take a small amount of larger products with you.

“Make sure you take great skincare with you. It's best to use something you know and trust that is formulated well rather than taking a gamble just before and during a trip.”
AMPERNA^® founder Kiri Yanchenko

Hands up who’s made a last minute emergency purchase at the airport only to find it didn’t suit your skin, or had to throw out an expensive bottle of your favourite cleanser because it was too big to take in your hand luggage?

Kiri’s hand luggage self-care edit includes:

• Ear plugs
• Unscented lip balm
• AMPERNA^® Travel Size Ultra Gentle Soothing Cleanser
• AMPERNA^® Lightweight Soothing+ Emulsion moisturiser (because it doubles as her hand cream in-flight)
• AMPERNA® Probiotic+ DS Soothing Serum in case she has an allergic reaction or gets a rash from the dry air
• An empty 750mL water bottle
• PJs
• A muscle massage ball
• A small face towel

Priceline sells the Manicare travel boarding set at $14.99

5. Plan your protection from sun damage

Sunburn can contribute to premature ageing of the skin as well as putting you at a higher risk of developing skin cancer. You may think you’re safe because you’re going to a cooler climate, but skin can burn even on cloudy days.

• Check the UV levels each day when you head out (if you’re staying in Australia you can keep on top of the day’s UV levels wherever you are by downloading the Sunsmart app to your phone)
• Take an SPF 30+ minimum sunscreen with you
• Apply sunscreen at least 20 minutes before you head out into the sun as it takes a while to sink into the skin and provide adequate protection
• Reapply your sun protection every 2 hours

“If you are prone to pigmentation and are planning to be outdoors or will be in a very hot climate, you will need to take a melanin inhibiting product and high protection sunscreen.”
Karen Meiring De Gonzales

“Choosing a quality sunscreen that doesn't harm aquatic life or coral reefs is essential for any trip abroad.”
Amy Saunders

• For more recommendations on sun protection, head to the Cancer Council website.
• Looking for an Australian brand of natural sunscreen? Check out what Sarah Wilson has to say in her article ‘How to choose a toxin free sunscreen’.

6. Brace Yourself Against Pollution

According to a recent article in Vogue Australia, pollution is the second biggest aggressor (next to sun damage) when it comes to ageing your skin. Many skincare experts agree, with studies citing traffic-related air pollution as a major cause of facial lentigines (commonly referred to as age spots).

Many travel destinations have greater levels of pollution than your skin is used to, so it’s a good idea to be prepared.

• Apply products with antioxidants (which can help to fight external pollutants) and probiotics (which can act as a protective layer on the skin)
• Consider using a face mask when out and about, and protect your skin with long pants and sleeves

“When microscopic pollutants come into contact with the skin they can create ‘free radicals’. Luckily, antioxidants have been clinically proven to effectively fight free radical damage and helping to prevent dullness, fine lines, ageing and skin inflammation. Antioxidants are abundant in natural skin care but one of my favourites for acne prone skin is Green Tea extract.”
Amy Saunders

“Our Probiotic acts as a protective layer on the skin, and can help to reduce the impact of external aggressors such as pollution and pathogenic microbes. If the destination is really polluted I take extra precautions by having anti inflammatories in my bag and wearing a face mask. Keeping covered up by wearing long pants and sleeves is a great idea too.”
Kiri Yanchenko

Our Pro+ Vitamin C Hyaluronic Serum contains a high percentage of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, which is an excellent anti-pollution skin care product to add to your regime.

7. Don’t Forget that Diet Plays a Part in Skin Health

It’s always tempting to take a healthy food break when travelling, however our diet is really important and integral to skin health, as well as our general well-being.

There’s nothing wrong with diving into the breakfast buffet, as long as your choices are balanced.

Great foods for healthy skin include:

• Brazil nuts
• Grapefruit
• Spinach and leafy greens such as kale
• Blueberries
• Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines)
• Tomatoes
• Coconut oil
• Green tea
• Avocado
• Pineapple
• Chia seeds
• Cinnamon
• Beetroot
• Turmeric
• Chillies
• Dark red grapes
• Dark chocolate

Do you have any fab holiday skin tips you’d like to share? Email us at info@amperna.com, we’d love to add them to this article.