By Kiekie Stanners & Tara Young

It's about two weeks into winter and we're already dreaming of sitting idly on a lounger by the sea with tousled wet hair and a cocktail in hand.

As we near the annual European summer sojourn, we're either thinking about dining al fresco or the impending tidal wave of Parisian cobblestones and coastal Italian scenery flooding social media like the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

By now, tickets are booked and bags will be tentatively packed in the lead-up to departure. Alongside the outfit planning and cool (but appropriate) footwear comes the beauty kit. A pared-back version of your daily necessities like non-negotiable skincare, minimal/multi-use makeup, and essential hair products. But before you reach your anticipated destination comes the long-haul flight, complete with layovers and (love it or hate it) plane food.

The question is, what goes in your carry-on and what gets stowed away? What is going to make the flight more comfortable?

Once upon a travel, the clear plastic liquid bag and travel-sized necessities were at the ready, it was enough to carry you through until you landed safely on the other side and beyond. These days nothing is spared, and hey, there's no shame in some in-flight skincare - no one wants to show up red-eyed and fully frazzled.

These are some of Kiekie's long-haul flight must-haves to help get your mind in the travelling mood:

A cute alternative to a lunchbox ziplock bag for all your liquids, that really feels like you are a frequent flyer when you pull this out at security.

I’m not sure about anyone else, but I have a pre-flight routine of a perfect blow-out so as not to feel like I have greasy hair on a long-haul journey. Seems like as soon as you hit mid-way transit, your hair is annoying as hell and it’s time to tie it up.

Cue that chic silk scrunchie to neatly secure your hair out the way and still allow you the possibility of reclining and trying to sleep on the second leg, without a bulky bun in your way.

It’s around this same time mid-flight that all traces of makeup needs to be removed. Go for any supermarket water-based wipe - they don’t seem to leave an oily residue that feels greasy while travelling.

Gone are the days of being embarrassed about a mid-flight skincare routine. I love watching fellow passengers pull out their face masks and skin treats while next to me to compare notes and see what they love to travel with.

Once the lights get dimmed, a cooling eye mask is so comforting and helps to make looking in the mirror at the other end of the journey that much easier. Foile's reusable Eye Jellies paired with a Skin Sponge Serum travel pouch will lock in deep hydration and depuff tired eyes and skin, over and over again.

Keep a couple in your cosmetics bag - the single-use drops are amazing as they don’t expire as quickly as a bottle, and you can keep them in your clear case ready for next time.

When your brows are all over the show, it’s a fast track to make you feel even more dishevelled, so carry a brow set to quickly set them in place before landing. It’s a bit like brushing your hair - brushing your brows instantly seems to make you feel put together.

Goes without saying, that it must be placed instantly in the seat pocket in front of you for easy access at all times during the flight because you don't want to arrive at your destination with ashy, dry lips.

Grown Alchemist Vanilla Watermelon lip balm is a hydrating, fruity treat for shiny lips and Maryse roll-on Bio Boost Serum is enriched with antioxidants and vitamins to revitalize the lip and eye area, we love a multi-functional product. Pick your player, and keep it on hand.

There's nothing quite like a mid-flight refresh or the feeling of a cooling spritz before you hop off the plane after 8+ hours with a dewy, healthy glow. Always a must-have item, but unfortunately you can run the risk of using a whole bottle in one trip. Maybe pack two.

Perhaps the only time a hand-creme gets as much of a workout but dry cuticles are not it on a long-haul flight. Leif Buddha Wood Hand Balm is our go-to, or for that iconic Oi scent, try Davines Oi Hand Balm.

Yes, this bottle will most likely be sitting at your feet for most of this flight, demanding to be drunk and regardless of how hard it may be to clamber into the aisle, it truly makes all the difference.

Apparently you can lose up to 2 litres of water from dehydration on a long haul so no wonder everyone can be a little crabby at the end of a flight.

I don’t love the feeling of starchy aeroplane food, especially after over 12 hours of flying or boring layovers.

Pack a snack to while away the boredom or to reduce the desire to eat the bread rolls, which isn’t ever really a good idea on long-haul. Crafty Weka snacks are a carry-on favourite.

I'd rather have this in my carry-on than stuffed away in my suitcase so may as well pop it in. A cute, pastel, pocket-size hairbrush is a must-have. You could keep your hair wrapped in your scrunchie or brush it out with your Mason Pearson before disembarking.

I’m not sure how anyone travels long haul wearing boots - there’s no way I can comfortably get a boot back on with swollen cankles, so it's a carry-on pair of All Birds Sugar Sliders with Wynn Hamlyn socks every time.

Take one or both; handy aeroplane slides can be comfortably stuffed into your carry-on without worry of scuffing them, or if you're in socks, pull the aeroplane socks over your nice ones when it’s time to shuffle down the aisle and avoid sticky bathroom floors.

If you have a thing for sparkling clean hair and have multiple layovers plus room in your bag, a GHD flight kit could be just the ticket to pulling it together in between flights or upon arrival. Plus there's absolutely no chance of a bad hair day if your luggage gets lost along the way.