Saving Face on the Plane

Makeup artist Patrick Ta has a loyal following of clients that includes the Kardashians and Ariana Grande.

Based in Los Angeles, Ta spends more time traveling than at home, flying around the world to create what he calls the “selfie-look” — makeup that looks as good on camera as in real life — for his celebrity clientele.

He uses the hours on the plane to beautify. “I’ve always heard my clients or my friends telling me, ‘Oh, put on a face mask when you’re traveling,’ but obviously that’s embarrassing,” he said. “But I just got over that embarrassment and I did it. Even though it tells me to leave it on for 30 minutes, I’ll leave it on for six hours, and I’ll wake up and my skin will feel like it’s protected from that dirty airplane air. Moisturizer, plumper, whatever mask that you’re putting on, you get that full, maximum effect.”

He’s no longer concerned with looking strange on the plane. “I basically have to go straight to work and I do not want to look like I’ve been traveling all day, so I will usually put on a face mask and I honestly think it’s genius,” he said. “It does look odd, but once you get over that factor, you’re like, I’m going to look a little bit better than you when I wake up, so who cares?”

He recommends travelers bring three things in their carry-on: concealer, lipstick and eyebrow gel.

“So, basically, comb up your eyebrows, put some concealer on and put some lipstick on,” he said. “And you’ll look like you haven’t been traveling all day.”

Why eyebrows? “Eyebrows are such a big part of the face, so if you have wonky, ugly eyebrows then people just like me are going to be judging you,” he said.

Here’s what he packs for every trip: