How to Look Fresh While Jet-Lagged

Today we have a great post from our friend Samantha Rivers of Upward Onward.  She’s going to tell you everything you need to know about how to not look as jet-lagged as you feel after a trip!

Traveling across the country, or the world, is so often an incredible experience…minus the jet-lag of course. While it’s amazing that we can hop on a plane and be in California one day and Japan the next, jumping between time zones can have a toll on the body, leaving us feeling less than human and certainly less than fresh as a daisy when we reach our destinations.

Although jet-lag may be unavoidable, you don’t have to look like you just landed from a 15-hour travel day. Look fresh and feel rejuvenated while jet-lagged with these tips:

Get Your ZZZs

Getting a few hours of uninterrupted sleep can do wonders for both looking and feeling refreshed, but getting any sleep on a cramped, noisy airplane can be quite a challenge. Create a calm and quiet space and shut out engine noise and the chitter-chatter of fellow passengers by packing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Get an even better rest by blocking out light with a molded eye mask. The mask by Flight 101 even has traditional shaped eye masks in not so traditional designs because who says you can’t look good while sleeping? Throw in an inflatable travel pillow, and you’ll be able to get some solid ZZZs on any flight.

Refresh Your Skin and Feel Revitalized

Recycled airplane air can do a number on your skin, leaving it feeling dry. Keeping your skin moisturized during your flight can help keep skin hydrated, helping you feel refreshed when you reach your destination. Try using something that is hydrating and nourishing at the same time. Amway’s Hydra-V collection is available in gels, serums, and creams, making it great for any traveler’s skin type. Another way to revitalize your skin is to use facial cleansing wipes—they are perfect for refreshing the skin. Tired, puffy eyes are often a dead giveaway of jet-lag, but you can make your eyes look awake and refreshed with a tinted eye cream similar to the Covergirl + Olay D-Puffer.

Fake it with Makeup

Makeup can do wonders for faking a fresh glow when the signs of jet-lag have left your face looking less than bright and perky. Tinted moisturizers, like Bobbi Brown’s Nude Finish, are great for traveling since they’re so quick to put on, and give coverage while feeling lightweight. Add a little highlighter, to the cheekbones, brow bone, and down the bridge of the nose, for a dewy glow. Rejuvenate your look even more with a light sweep of mascara to make the eyes look awake, and prevent chapped lips while adding a hint of color, with a tinted lip balm.

Tame Unruly Hair

Being on a long flight can leave your hair messy and untamed. Freshen up unruly hair with easy, no-fuss styles, like a ponytail, braid, or bun. Add some quick style to your ponytail with accessories like a metallic headband, or craft a fast and simple bun without the need for clips or pins using a tool like Revlon’s Sophist-O-Twist. Besides looking messy, sometimes hair will look flat, dull, or oily after a long flight and can’t be saved by a braid or ponytail. Dry shampoos and volumizing hairsprays can help add new life to your hairstyle. The Bumble and Bumble brand carries their Prét-à-Powder, which is an all-in-one hair powder that works as a dry shampoo and volumizer, making it great for throwing in your carry-on for a little hair pick-me-up when you’ve reached your destination.

Pack Some Essentials in Your Carry-on

Packing some essentials into your carry-on can be a lifesaver, especially if your checked luggage goes missing, and can help you feel like a new person when you’ve reached your destination. Pack a change of clothes so you can get out of your sweaty, slept-in travel outfit and some toiletries, like deodorant and a toothbrush and toothpaste to feel clean and refreshed. The Colgate Wisp mini-brushes are a great disposable alternative to carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste around in your carry-on. And don’t forget to pack a pair of sunglasses just in case makeup isn’t enough to hide your tired eyes.

Don’t let jet-lag hold you back. It’s easy to overcome the jet-lag slump with just a little preparation and care. Getting a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, keeping your skin hydrated, faking a rested look with makeup, and changing your hair and outfit can have you go from feeling like a zombie, to looking like a queen!

Samantha Rivers is a freelance writer who lives in Chicago (Go Cubs!) and loves writing anything in the lifestyle, beauty, parenting, and career realm both online and print. When she’s not running the Upward Onward blog, she enjoys reading, finding new restaurants, being active outside, and indulging in a glass of wine or two.

Follow her on Twitter!