Could I be classified as a travel accessory hoarder? Possibly ; ) It all depends on your personal definition of what classifies as a travel essential. I have written a couple of these posts before - if you’ve read them, you’ll know that I take my onboard comfort seriously. Along with bringing along my water and drinking at least 1 litre per every 12 hour stretch, I always sanitize my hands after going to the bathroom with tea tree or some sort of natural hand anti-bacterial solution to cut out germ spread. If I really want to minimize jet-lag, I don’t drink any alcohol on the plane ( even though, having a couple of those little bottles of red and then watching movies whilst either laughing loudly or outwardly weeping is one of my favourite past times - ’ cause: all the feels ; ) ).

They say one drink on the ground is worth two in the air, so that explains a lot about feeling like a dog’s breakfast if I imbibe too much. I also don’t eat any reheated plane food if I fly economy because usually it is full of preservatives which make me feel tired once I reach the other end ( even though once in a while; the stodgy lasagna with wine is soooo good). It all depends on if I’m flying for work, where a day of crippling jet-lag isn’t an option or if I’m going on holidays where it doesn’t matter, but as a rule, I try to eat a big, healthy meal before I leave, then take with me a whole bag of snacks such as fruit, cut up veg, nuts, turkey or beef jerkey, kale chips, popcorn and dried seaweed. If I am doing a 24 hour flight, I will eat on my stopover- most airports these days have some healthy options like a salad, stir fry or grilled fish. I also bring along melatonin and try to sleep on my destination’s timeline– this greatly aids recovery time. 5grams of vitamin C, magnesium, Armaforce and vitamin b complex are a complete must – cause getting the dreaded cold is the pits.

As far as my current favourite cosmetics and accessories, aka: the fun stuff, read on!

From back to front:

-My TDE carry on bag is big enough to carry everything I need, whether it’s for a weekend getaway or stop over. In black leather with gold monogram it’s all about understated cool

-This Gucci tote has become my go to beach, city and travel bag . I keep all my documents , wallet and cosmetics in there so I can reach them fast

-A Neo-preen pouch is great for all my essentials. I use it for cosmetics or sometimes to store fragile things like my camera. I love how roomy it is

-Hourglass foundation and concealer in one hides a multitude of sins

-I’m really into natural skin care and this Sukin hand and nail cream is deeply moisturising

-Lepaar lip balm and face oil are another example of beautiful ,organic ingredients that truly work. This combo is so incredibly luxurious, it’s such a treat to use

-Charlotte Tilbury beach stick in Moonbeach adds just the right amount of pink so I look fresh on arrival

-Grown Alchemist : Hydra-Mist Desert Lime& Amino Peptide : a yummy smelling all natural face mist for those parched plane moments

-Ayu perfume: a blend of rose, jasmine, musk and sandalwood in a base of jojoba and traditional Ayurvedic herbs, this beautiful smelling oil is a deliciously natural blend of scents

-Elizabeth and James Nirvana– banish oily locks and arrive at your destination sporting great hair with this travel sized dry shampoo

-Iphone with TDE custom cover : shuddup they now do handwriting?

-Last but not least; my Silk Slip eye mask for sweet dreams

Make up is a special weapon us women have in our arsenal to keep ourselves looking fresh ( men were blessed with facial hair to cover their imperfections)  but this coup can quickly become a curse when it becomes a tedious, time sucking routine . It took me a long time over my long modelling career to work out what make up works, what doesn’t and in which order, but now, I have this daily ritual down to 10 minutes flat - which is always a blessing when all you want to do is savour your morning coffee a little longer before rushing to work.

Step 1: Apply Hourglass Veil primer over moisturiser -this luxe,mattyfying primer will help foundation glide on easier and keep it on for longer -use it sparingly for best results. Lightly dot multi performing Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation on the face, then rub in with your fingertips. The warmth of fingers will help blend the foundation seamlessly into the skin.

Step2 : Fill in eyebrows with Anastasia’s Perfect Brow pencil then brush out with the brush attachment for a natural look. Doing this first frames the face and lets you easily identify the high and low points you would like to highlight in the next step. I have fair eyebrows, so filling in all those light hairs really helps me find my features!

Step3 : It’s all about reverse contouring! I find this is the most natural way to highlight/lowlight a face. Simply apply YSL Touche Eclait to the bridge of your nose, chin, under the eyes , under the arches of the eyebrows and just above the cupid’s bow to gently highlight these areas, erase dark circles, smooth lines and make the lips appear more plump. Finish off with a super light dusting of gorgeous, light Ilia translucent powder.

Step 4. Curl eyelashes and apply lenghtening mascara such as Giorgio Armani ‘s Eyes To Kill. Take an eyeshadow shortcut by using Clinique’s eyeshadow chubbies in Lots o' latte to the eye sockets, then add a little of the lighter shaded Ample Amber just above it. Blend until edges are softened.

Step5. With a soft wide brush such as all vegan Eco tools , swipe a light dusting of Natio bronzer in Sunswept just under the cheekbones, temples , hairline and jawline for added lowlights. Follow up with a little bit of Nars blush in Deep Throat on the tops of cheekbones for a healthy, rosy glow.

Step6. Apply a lipstick like Tom Ford’s lipstick in Blush Nude or a grown up lipgloss such as Dior’s lip plumping Lip Glow Colour Reviver Balm and voilá!

Tools of the trade: (clockwise from left) Nars bronzer in Sunswept, Ilia translucent powder, Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara, YSL Touche Eclait, Anastasia Perfect Brow eyebrow pencil, Eco Tools brush, Clinique eyeshadow chubbies in Lots o’latte and Whopping Willow, Tom Ford lipstick in Blush Nude, Dior’s Glow Colour Reviver Balm, Nars’ cheek colour in Deep Throat, Hourglass Veil mineral primer and Georgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

Wearing: Uniqlo x Ines de la Fressange shirt , Tiffany & Co necklace and Cartier bracelet

Photographed by Kasia Werstak