In any given year, Toronto retail executive Larry Rosen will criss-cross the country several times, regularly hit major U.S. cities, spin through Europe at least four times and Asia twice.
“The reality of my business is that I’m making more big deals on the road than in my own office,” says Mr. Rosen, CEO of Harry Rosen, who perennially earns Air Canada Altitude Super Elite status.
When you’re heading to a client meeting right after a flight, he adds, you need a grooming routine planned well in advance.
“My goal – and the proper goal in any business setting – is to look professional, confident and authoritative. That is what any business leader wants. You have to be clean, well coiffed and well styled.”
With such a heavy travel schedule, Mr. Rosen keeps a stocked-up toiletry kit ready to go at all times. “I really think out what I bring. All the items are travel-sized because sometimes I carry-on and sometimes I check. I like to reserve that option.
“[The kit] is always maintained, so I am never out in the world saying, ‘Oh geez, do I have Polysporin?’ I have a full set of shaving soap and brush, a small bottle of my favourite cologne, everything from nail scissors to sunscreen, moisturizer.”
Mr. Rosen applauds the new world of dapper men who are as keen on skincare as they are on shoes. “I was never a Boy Scout, but my motto as a frequent traveller is to be prepared.”
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Mr. Rosen is also a big fan of airport lounges. “The lounge is important. Often I will plan time into my layover, say, at the hub at Frankfurt on my way to Milan, so I can shower and shave and then head straight into a meeting looking refreshed when I hit my final destination.”
To help him look good, Rosen says that, as much as it pains him he skips the alcohol and drinks water “fanatically” to stay hydrated. “And I get as much sleep as possible in flight and eat lightly.”
His most practical grooming advice is saved for last. “I always get a haircut right before I leave town. It keeps me from looking like a shaggy dog. You will be surprised at the extra polish it gives to your look.”
For women, beauty routines on a business trip are not always easy to pare down. But the founders of Gee Beauty salon, located in midtown Toronto – a family team comprised of Miriam Gee and her daughters, Natalie, Celene and Stephanie – are pros at business-class travel and good grooming.
The salon opened a second location in Bal Harbour, Fla., so the Gees know all about integrating chic into the work commute. They, too, say water is the traveller’s most important beauty weapon in transit.
Miriam Gee recommends drinking a litre of water for every six hours in the air. She also suggests incorporating two products into a traveller’s beauty regimen. Pack a hydrating spray – look for hydrating and firming ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, as well as calming ones like rose essence to soothe – for misting the skin throughout the flight.
And use a moisturizing or hydrating mask. Often these masks are clear in colour, so they can be applied discreetly in-flight and then removed with a makeup wipe or moist towelette.
Other key carry-on beauty products are a small-size container of eye cream that contains cooling, de-puffing and soothing agents such as cucumber extract and seaweed, and skin-brightening rice-bran extract.
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Miriam Gee says women should give themselves a light, stimulating eye massage when they apply cream to de-puff. Use light tapping motions or work in circles around the whole eye area, she adds, working toward the centre of the nose, down around and out to the brow bone.
The Gee women round out their carry-on list with the following multi-tasking items: tinted moisturizer (“polished and even-toned, but more natural and fresh”), hand cream, lip balm, makeup wipes, a brow pencil, a favourite lipstick and a cream blush or bronzer to dab on the cheekbones to freshen up, post-flight, and add some colour to the skin. Also, opt for a roll-on fragrance (the perfect overall freshener) instead of overtly spraying perfume on the plane.
Miriam Gee’s No. 1 Gee Beauty tip to instantly freshen up a travel-weary face off a flight?
“Just like a bright gorgeous scarf can lift your skin tone – and mood – on a cloudy day, the right lipstick.”
This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's advertising department, in consultation with Air Canada. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.