- London Fashion Week makeup artist Val Garland has created the definitive airport look, designed for long haul travel and inspired by Heathrow
- Air travel is seen as the most testing time for cosmetics due to low humidity, recycled air and stress-related factors
- Heathrow is preparing for its busiest Fashion Week ever with 1.3 million passengers set to travel through including industry execs, brands, designers and models
- Passengers will have a chance to get the look next week, as well as other immersive experiences as part of the Redefine Your Beauty campaign
Heathrow has partnered with legendary makeup artist Val Garland to create the ultimate airport-ready look ahead of London Fashion Week, which kicks off next Thursday.
Famed globally for transforming some of fashion’s most famous faces from Lady Gaga to Rihanna – and working with fashion’s hottest designers, photographers and magazines – Garland has turned her attention to Heathrow to create a look that works as seamlessly on the Fashion Week runway as the airport one.
Inspired by the airport and suitable for both men and women, the exclusive new beauty look is designed to withstand the stress of long haul flights and early morning departures while looking runway-ready.
Skincare prep and hydration is a key part of the look, as well as featuring nods to Heathrow and its classic purple colour palette to offer a chic, unexpected finish to the hydrating flight look. It is made entirely with cosmetics available in Heathrow’s World Duty Free beauty offering.
Air travel is punishing on skin; recycled air, low humidity and disrupted sleep leave passengers with dehydrated, dull and stressed skin. Ordinary makeup rarely survives the journey. Garland’s curated routine is built to combat these effects, combining skin restoring techniques with bold, fashion-forward touches.
The look features all Val’s WDF skincare secrets to keep hydration high on the flight – from Charlotte Tilbury Magic Serum and Instant Magic Dry Sheet Mask to Estée Lauder DayWear, and Elemis Superfood Multi Mist. To bring the glam from runway to runway, Val’s look uses Benefit Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer, Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer glow Tint Foundation Stick, Estée Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick, MAC Squirt Plump, and lashings of MAC Stack Mascara. It is then finished with a spritz of Garland’s favourite Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Eau de Cologne – perfect for men and women.
The curated routine is part of Redefine Your Beauty – a new campaign from Heathrow and World Duty Free celebrating all things beauty and travel. Running across all four terminals until 5 October, the campaign features immersive experiences, exclusive retail offers and masterclasses from some of the world’s most iconic beauty brands.
On Thursday 18 September, to kick off London Fashion Week, passengers travelling through Heathrow will have the chance to have Garland’s signature look applied by professional makeup artists.
Those applying the look at home can watch Val’s easy step by step tutorial on Instagram.
With thousands of industry execs, brands, designers and models passing through Heathrow during Fashion Week, the airport is a truly global beauty destination – whether for stocking up on luxury skincare or discovering exclusive travel collections. The airport expects 1.3 million passengers to travel through Heathrow during the week – its busiest ever and an 8% rise on 2024 – with those arriving from fashion capitals like New York, Milan and Madrid all driving higher footfall at Heathrow.
Val Garland, Makeup Artist, comments:
“I loved getting my teeth into this challenge, to create the definitive makeup look for air travel – The Heathrow Look. I wanted to create a look that withstands the cabin air yet feels at home on the runway.
“It begins with the skin – hydrated, radiant, alive. A polished, luminous base that feels fresh even after a red eye flight. It’s minimalism with a moment of drama, like spotting couture in a sky of suitcases.
“The Heathrow Look is about stepping off the plane with the same confidence you’d take to the front row. It’s chic, resilient and ready for wherever your journey takes you.”
Nancy Stewart, Head of Duty Free, Luxury, Fashion and Shopping Services at Heathrow, comments: “Heathrow is proud to offer one of the most extensive beauty selections in the world, giving passengers access to exclusive products and expert advice. Working with Val Garland to create a look that is both travel smart and fashion-forward showcases how Heathrow is not only a gateway to destinations worldwide, but also a beauty destination in itself.”
The initiative was inspired by the rise of ‘Get Ready With Me’ airport videos on TikTok, featuring people’s favourite looks for air travel. Garland designed The Heathrow Look to be the definitive version of this trend.
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