While everyone else is switching through new releases on seatback screens and ordering a second G&T (because time doesn’t exist on long-haul flights), I’m pulling out a toiletries bag that’s taken up most of my on-board luggage weight allowance.

From a Gracious Minds face mistto an Aesop serum applied underneath a reusable sheet mask, I’m pulling out all the stops at 30,000 feet in the air. Not only is it a relaxing way to spend an hour, but with virtually no moisture in cabin air, it’s also a flat-out attempt to arrive fresh at my final destination.

No serum, mask or face mist was going to be hydrating enough for my recent 16-hour flight marathon. My journey from Melbourne to Japan involved: a flight to Sydney, a 4-hour stint at an airport hotel, a 10-hour flight to Haneda, Toyko and then a final hour and a half flight to Tokushima Prefecture. All in all, 25 hours of travel after leaving home.

I used those stopovers wisely, slathering on Aotea’s Mānuka Honey Mask 500+ MGO at every opportunity I had. Yes, even in an airport bathroom.

This active face mask contains 500+ MGO mānuka honey, pure mānuka oil and kawakawa infused sweet almond oil. It feels as rich as it sounds and goes on thick. There’s some naturally occurring granules of honey, just like you might find in a jar of honey in the pantry, which gently exfoliate the skin. After a few minutes of application, there’s a tingling effect from the active, high-strength honey.

With just a handful of ingredients, I wasn’t expecting much. But 20 minutes after applying the mask and washing it off, my skin felt smoother, more hydrated and cleansed. It’s a feeling I usually only get after a double mask routine: using a clarifying mask and then following up with a hydrating mask to put the good stuff back in. Aotea’s supercharged mask did both at once, in less time than it takes to order an iced oat latte at Melbourne Airport’s only decent coffee shop.