Flying from New York to Japan is taxing. Making the round trip in three days is unthinkable. Then taking on a trip to Morroco right after that is sheer lunacy. This was stylist Danielle Nachmani's month of May, from which she has finally arrived home in one piece. (The reason for all the travel? The Louis Vuitton Resort show in Kyoto, followed by the Bronfman/Fallis wedding in Marrakech, with a quick stopover in NYC in between.) Here at ITG, we're happy to have her home safe and in the same timezone, but what we were really concerned about was her skin. How can you possibly put your face through 30+ inflight hours (and countless movies and rounds of tomato juice) and have it not fall off? Thanks for asking! Here's the answer:
Thursday, May 11
It's the day before I leave, but I'm already starting to hydrate. Recommendations come by way of my friend Nicole, who runs the wellness site Bonberi: She recommends I start my day with watermelon and coconut water and include cucumbers, romaine lettuce, and bell peppers throughout my lunch and dinner. Top it off with aloe water at night. I oblige, forgoing my typical routine of cold brew in the morning and a dirty martini and a burger at night. I sleep with the Kiehl's Hydrating Overnight Mask with a layer of the Midnight Recover Concentrate underneath it. I wake up extra dewy and ready to embark on the first 14-hour flight.
Friday, May 12
My day doesn’t start until I put on moisturizer. I've been using Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer since high school. That goes on before I leave for the airport. Before I board, I pick up two 1-liter bottles of Smart Water because not even face cream can help you when you're dehydrated and 10,000 feet up. Of course, even though I know that, I also bring the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery Power Foil Mask with me to my seat. It makes you look like the tin man—screw the stares across the aisle—but it's a must. I slap my sleeping eye mask on top of that, pop a sleeping pill, and 12 hours later I'm in Japan.
Saturday, May 13
The sleeping pill and the mask do their jobs, and I arrive refreshed even though it's already late in the day. The first thing I do is wash my face with Joanna Vargas Vitamin C Face Wash—the scent is a pick-me-up. It's likely I'll have a few drinks later, so I brought the Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Night Concentrate with me. I love the packaging for traveling and I always wake up with an extra glow when I use it.
Sunday, May 14
Sunscreen is a must in Kyoto (and all places). MD Crème Mineral Beauty Balm in Medium-Dark is one I swear by after years of trial and error. We spend the day exploring shrines, eating our weight in fish, and finding the perfect vintage Courreges shirt, before returning to get ready for the Vuitton show. The hotel amenities are from a brand called Kotoshina and I'm officially a convert—the body wash doesn't make me feel sticky or dry, and the packaging is super cute. I stuffed the bottles in my suitcase to bring back to New York, and they weren't even mini.
Monday, May 15
Last night there was a lot of sake so I wake up and use some Rodin Face Oil during a makeshift steam before my second flight. I have a few hours to kill before takeoff, so I start upping my water content to prepare for another 15 hours in a metal tube. If you do the math, that's 30 hours of flying in one weekend. Once I'm in my seat, I slap on a Mary's Medicinals patch—they are my favorite all natural sleeping aid—and another Estée Lauder Foil Mask. I am pretty positive two small children were fascinated, but then terrified, that a robotic monster was on their plane, but I woke up at JFK looking more refreshed than when I had boarded, so I'll take the stares.
Tuesday, May 16
I have a day in NYC in between flights. When I get home, I immediately apply the Kiehl's Overnight Mask, stop by Pressed Juicery to pick up the Aloe Water, and stop by Juice Generation for my weekly ginger shot series—The Vital Shot, The Defender, and The Cure. I like to think the trio keep me from getting sick especially when I travel. I go to bed with a layer of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Oil and start planning out what I need to pack for my flight to Morocco tomorrow afternoon.
Wednesday, May 17
The flight to Morocco is more or less a repeat of my face series en route to Tokyo: a Mary's Medicinals Patch and a hydrating mask—except this time I use SK-II. This mask is a total splurge, but I love it and always see glowing results after I use it.
Thursday, May 18
We arrive in Morocco and its a cool 103 degrees out. I slather on the MD Crème Mineral Beauty Balm and spray any of my exposed body with Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist spray SPF 30. The heat is dry, as we are in the desert, so my water intake is triple the amount it was last week. Simultaneous poolside rosé begins as well.
Friday, May 19
The heat has not let up, and although the sun is beautiful, I was forced to to purchase a hat because no SPF can protect against this. I also slept with a Ouai Hair Mask last night and am really feeling the effects.
Saturday, May 20
I sleep with locally sourced and bought argan oil on my hair and skin and in the morning I've never felt softer or looked glowier. The light in Marrakech is also always in a constant haze so any photo you take your skin is luminous. I use the argan oil that night to slick my hair back in a low bun since 103 degree heat is not a curly-haired girl's friend. It stays put the entire evening!
Sunday, May 21
I wake up with loose waves, and am actually considering going back to the Souk to buy their entire stock of argan oil. I am flying back tomrorow and am slowly preparing for my skin to go in to fully freak out mode as soon as I land I use Dr. Colbert Illumino Oil that night before bed and make sure to drink more water and less wine.
Monday, May 22
I have to say as I write this from home, I've come down with a bit of a cold from the last 50 hours of travel. However! I am pleased to say, not only did my skin survive the last 10 days, but I seem have taken on a bit of a glow from the Moroccan sun. A bonus!
—Danielle Nachmani
Still have space in your suitcase? Here is one more thing you can bring for an even better trip.
