By Mona Ismaeil
Don’t you just envy those women who have been on the same ten hour flight as yours but look like they just stepped out of their homes? I do! If I did before and after shots of myself while travelling to the homeland, you would think I had walked all that distance from how disastrous I look when I disembark at my destination airport!
Let me paint you a picture of what I usually look like: my hijab is a total mess, wrinkled clothing, a blotchy face… and … I’m sure you can imagine the rest. On my last trip to Egypt I decided I had to find a way to leave home and arrive there looking somewhat decent. I hated feeling like I had to put on makeup and fix my hijab in the last 20 minutes of the last flight and if luck really wasn’t on my side there would be a huge line up for the lavatory and I’d have to get to the first bathroom before clearing customs. As if travelling with a kid isn’t stressful enough!
Here are some tips that I learned on my trips to make your next long haul trip an easy breezy one, insha Allah.
Keep colors simple
Since accidents happen while travelling, try to stick with darker colors; black, grey, navy, forest green, maroon, etc. Patterns also help detour the eye from the juice your daughter spilled on you.
Comfort over style
I tend to travel in jeans and a solid long sleeve top. Sounds boring? Add a cardigan and a hijab/scarf and your outfit is complete. I’ve also travelled in yoga pants and an athletic jacket. These are great because they dry quickly in case of spills.
For shoes, I wear boots, flats or some cute sneakers. No need to do a heel!
Keep Makeup Basic
Unless you have a very short flight, it is not the time to play around with exciting shadow colors and liners. Keep your make-up as basic as possible. Wearing too much can start to look quite bad when it starts to wear off. Instead stick to a base product, a light-weight foundation or tinted moisturiser, maybe a bit of blush and your favourite lip product.
Easy Breezy Hijab
All those tutorial videos you have been watching should not put into play during travel. Keep your hijab style as simple and ways as possible. That way, if you have to adjust it or redo it in the lavatory, it’ll be quick. You won’t be spending forever trying to re-create it while frantically searching for your pins because the seat belt sign just came back on.
If you want a super simple option, you can do a one or two piece Amira hijab. These are perfect slip-on and go hijabs. They are comfortable and look great! If you are more of a Shayla kind of girl, try a nice cotton jersey hijab. These are very easy to wrap and most often do not need pins.
Jewelry?
Nothing is more embarrassing than beeping your way through security because you piled on those bangles. Aside from perhaps your wedding band, keep your jewelry to a minimum. I sometimes slip on a cuff or bracelet but I like to do wood or plastic beads. Also, you don’t want your favourite necklace to get caught on something in the travel chaos and lose/damage it forever.
These tips are not just applicable to airport travel. This would be the same for car or train trips as well. Keep travelling and keep looking fabulous while doing it!
About the author:
Mona Ismaeil, the associate editor at MuslimMoms.ca is a teacher turned blogger and writer. She’s the owner of Modern Hejab and stay-at-home mom to a sweet little girl. She loves to travel and see all the world has to offer with her family.
What tips do you have for looking great while travelling?
