Flight attendants have shared their top tips for passengers who want to emulate their classy makeup looks – and revealed how they stay looking perfect for hours despite their punishing work schedules.
On anonymous forum Reddit, they weighed in with their top tricks and advice in response to a curious holidaymaker.
Reddit user ‘TinaTina8’ asked: ‘Can flight attendants share their beauty and makeup routines?
‘Not sure if I am the only one who thinks that flight attendants have the most amazing makeup! Even on long-haul flights I have always seen them looking flawless.’
They continued: ‘Yesterday, I caught the last flight of the day and the flight attendant looked as fresh as a daisy with impeccable foundation, perfect lipstick and mesmerising highlighter.
Flight attendants have shared their top tips on Reddit for passengers who want to emulate their classy makeup looks. It came in response to a question from a user who asked: ‘Can flight attendants share their beauty and makeup routines? Not sure if I am the only one who thinks that flight attendants have the most amazing makeup!’
‘I couldn’t ask about her routine though. Please share your secrets – and actual products – for long-lasting beautiful makeup.’
Crew members were happy to comply.
One flight attendant revealed how long-haul flights prompted her to change her makeup techniques.
The poster, ‘Kathernemay’, said: ‘I used to work long-haul and the main things I would say were different to my normal makeup routine were that I would use powder, especially around my eyes, to keep eyeliner on for the whole time.
‘I used to use gel eyeliner from Bobbi Brown (found it lasted better) then bring a liquid one to top up any faded edges.
‘Then to refresh the makeup I would use a face mist every hour or so to stop makeup looking cakey.
‘For my lipstick I would wear the Fenty liquid lipstick that literally stays on for the entire flight even after eating and drinking.’
Good to know!
Other cabin workers offered their advice, too, with ‘Flamepintbros’ stating: ‘I personally never wore foundation or powder because of the dry airplane air.
Emirates (file image) offers flight attendants living in Dubai access to its ‘beauty hub’, with a fleet of experts on makeup, skincare and hair
‘I cared more about my skin health, so I constantly slathered my face with layers of occlusive moisturiser.
‘At the end of the day no makeup is going to look good after 16 hours in a desert air tube sucking the moisture out of every pore.’
Flight attendant ‘Viskel43der’ advised: ‘Bring a small hairspray or gel and a spoolie [a mascara wand with no product] to tame unruly hairs.’
Next, another crew member admitted that not everything was as it seems.
‘Wontshowyoumyface’ noted: ‘It doesn’t really last the entire day, we touch up our hair and makeup several times a day.
‘Sometimes, if the makeup looks cakey because of the dry air in the atmosphere we take it off completely and redo it.’
The flight attendant looked as fresh as a daisy with impeccable foundation, perfect lipstick and mesmerising highlighter.
Reddit user ‘TinaTina8’
Meanwhile, ‘smalltown_dreamspeak’ explained that it’s not just what you apply that makes a difference.
They said that flight attendants are ‘religious about drinking water, hydrating their skin, and using sunscreen’.
The poster added: ‘You know those big bottles of water on a lot of flights? A ton of flight crew aim to drink at least one or two of those a day, and take leftover bottles for their layover.’
They continued: ‘A lot of flight attendants will use downtime on the plane or between flights to touch up their makeup. It’s not an all-at-once thing, it’s maintaining throughout the day.’
Plus, they noted that cabin crew can get their hands on beauty bits that are out-of-reach for most people.
The crew member added that they ‘can fly to other countries to get products and procedures that would otherwise be inaccessible or unaffordable’.
Some airlines have strict requirements that cabin crew must abide by when applying makeup and doing their hair, which may be part of the reason why flight attendants are often so well done up.
British Airways cabin crew rules state: ‘Women need to have a styled look, with hair and makeup that would be appropriate in a professional environment and complements our uniform.’
Emirates even offers flight attendants living in Dubai access to its ‘beauty hub’, where they can see an ‘in-house team of consultants… to learn about makeup application, nutrition, fitness, skincare, haircare tips’.
United Airline’s rules state: ‘Apply makeup conservatively in order to achieve a natural look and in shades that are compatible with individual skin tones.
The rules stipulate that ‘extreme colors are not appropriate and may not be used’.
Some airlines have chosen to update these requirements, such as Virgin Atlantic, which has eradicated its mandatory makeup rule. But almost all cabin crew are required to meet a certain working standard when it comes to their appearance.