Vanity must-haves for men and women

Apart from the conventional hand sanitiser, wet tissues and shampoo sachets, quick-solution vanity picks make for a smart ­traveller. Check out our five vital must-haves in your beauty box, for the ladies and for men, when ­in transit.

If you have lived your life out of a suitcase, you are sure to have an enviable collection of miniature shampoos, soaps and toothbrush kits all packed and ready to take off. But, what makes a smart jet-setter is the ability to be prepared and armed with vanity must-haves when you are in an alien city. Apart from the conventional hand sanitiser, wet tissues and shampoo sachets, quick-solution vanity picks make for a smart ­traveller. Check out our five vital must-haves in your beauty box, for the ladies and for men, when ­in transit.

For men
Balm solution: To turn up the confidence, keep a lip balm handy. If you are not comfortable with a lipstick-style applicator, invest in a mild-wax or salve balm, or just petroleum jelly. There are also balms in the ­market available solely dedicated to men.

Hair styler: A hair clipper or trimmer is an essential staple when travelling, as are the hair products that you essentially use at home. Go easy on wet-look gels and greasy ­products when handling ­unpredictable foreign climate.

Concealers: Pimples and dark circles are not only womanly concerns. When away from home, waking up to a bad skin day is a nightmare. Opt for a tried and tested concealer that goes with your skin texture and tone, or even a BB cream.

Lint solution: Do you get hassled as soon as you unpack and find unwanted fuzz stuck to your new jacket? Keep with you an angular make-up brush borrowed from your girlfriend or wife to get rid of lint.

Odour FIX: Carry pocket-sized perfume samplers to smell and feel good when on a trip. Also, remember you can just dab a little bit of the perfume on your pocket square to go that extra suave mile.

For women
Make-up remover: Late night meetings in an alien city, or dancing away on a beach holiday. Whatever the reason might be, a full face of make-up deserves a fresh start after it hits the sack at night. Don’t sleep with you make-up on, and don’t rely on your hotel freebie moisturiser.

Ittar: For your high-flying days, opt for non-synthetic fragrance. Oil-based concoctions add instant freshness. Choose your ittar carefully — while a geranium rose can be overwhelming for certain ­occasions, saffron or kesar ittar can provide a mild, pretty touch.

Pin-solution: Apart from safety crunchies for travel, keep tic-tacs and bobby pins handy, not only for flyways, but because of their utility factor. From cinching a too-loose shirt with the pin to using the glittery versions as collar tips.

Beauty Quickies: Go from sleepyhead-on-the-plane to ready-to-take-over-the-world by being armed with three easy revamp essentials: BB cream, champagne eyeshadow and your favourite shade of red lipstick.

Dry shampoo: When you rush for a heady breakfast by the sea or an unplanned meeting, carry with you a dry ­shampoo. The usually powder-based product helps combat greasy hair.