Being an international student, I tend to be on a plane more than I'd like. I'm always travelling back and forth between Melbourne and Malaysia, and it's always a painful, 8-hour long flight.

I am never comfortable on a plane, so I refuse to sleep the day before a flight so I am too tired to not sleep on the plane. I have abnormally long legs for a Chinese, so that doesn't help my comfort level, either.

One thing I never complain about is my skin. I've never had problems with my skin on a flight, so I thought I'd share my skincare routine, as well as a few tips I picked up along the way, through magazines, and various articles about skincare on a plane.

So here are my skincare tips when on a plane:

Before the flight:

• Hydrate! It doesn't matter how dirty that bathroom is, just drink loads of water!
• Lightly exfoliate your skin on the morning of your flight. This unclogs your pores, and helps the absorption of moisture.
• Apply a moisturizing serum - I love Kosmea's Rosehip Oil
• Use moisturizing eye cream. Apply a generous layer.
• Apply sunscreen with a minimum spf of 15. Foundation with spf is not enough. You could also use a tinted moisturizer with built-in spf for some coverage
• Avoid makeup - if you need to, use as little as possible. Use a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, because most foundations tend to have a drying effect
• Moisturize the rest of your body. A good product is Elizabeth Arden's 8-Hour Cream - because little re-application is needed. They also sell travel-sized versions of this product now.
• Remember: airport regulations now allow only 100ml sized (about 3.4 ounces) products, and they must fit into a 1L sized clear, ziplock bag, or they will not be allowed into the cabin
• If you're really committed to saving your skin from the harsh cabin air, apply a moisturizing face mask before you board the plane, and leave it on throughout the flight.

During the flight:

• Keep moisturized! Continually re-apply your moisturizer so that your skin stays hydrated
• Do NOT use 'hydrating mists/sprays' - these only aggravate the dryness of your skin because they evaporate, and take your skin's own moisture along with them
• If you must use a spray, find one with a humectant in it (like hyaluronic acid). Once you spray, lock in the moisture with a moisturizer.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages, salty foods, and soda. These only serve to dehydrate and bloat.
• Make sure you have a bottle of water with you. Drink it constantly.
• Bring along a moisturizing anti-bacterial hand gel
• UV rays are most harmful when on the plane. Choose an aisle seat instead of a window seat, and keep the shades closed. If you don't have a moisturizer with built-in spf, remember to apply sunscreen after applying moisturizer
• If it is an overnight flight, remove all makeup with makeup removing wipes! You can reapply your makeup once you land, or right before you land.
• Do not use any hair styling products. Just use a lightweight serum, then put your hair up in a low twist.
• Bring a tennis ball to roll around under your feet to combat the common Deep Vein Thrombosis

After the flight:

• If you're worried about looking tired, just have on hand some large sunglasses and pink/red lipstick. Instant glam :)
• Once you get to your destination, use a mild facial scrub to clear away the dead, dry skin.
• Then, apply a hydrating mask.