We live in a climate that's humid year-round, with little variation. So when we travel — especially to dry climates such as Las Vegas, California, Arizona or Africa — our skin takes a beating. Not to mention the extreme dry air we enter as soon as we board the plane. Exposure to air conditioning, limited oxygen, cramped spaces and the stress of travel all conspire to make plane trips a nightmare for skin. We need to revitalize, rehydrate and soothe our skin both on the plane and at our destination.

What to do?

We asked several savvy Hawai'i travelers how they keep their skin looking fresh and moisturized when in transit, and after they arrive at their destination.

Candy Aluli of Maui goes to Las Vegas — a lot. Like, four times a year. She also travels to other dry climates such as Phoenix, where she is this week. She has a stash of "Mainland moisturizers" she keeps on hand. "My skin tends to be dry anyway, so dry climates can really wreak havoc with it. I can actually feel my skin starting to dry up on the plane. So my skin care regime starts on the flight. I always fly with a small tube of hand cream (a favorite: L'Occitane Shea Butter Dry Skin Hand Cream, L'Occitane stores and Sephora) and a good lip moisturizer that will really stick (a tube of Murad Smoothing Skin and Lip Therapy, Sephora, or Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment with SPF 15, Sephora), which is always in my purse, and reapply them throughout the flight."

Aluli's beauty regimen upon arrival in a dry climate is "Industrial-strength moisturizers! I have a completely different set of face and body moisturizers specifically for when I travel to dry climates. If I used those in Hawai'i, my makeup would slide off my face within an hour, but on the Mainland they are perfect. In the morning, before I apply makeup, I use a facial serum (Dermalogica Barrier Repair, at spas featuring the line) to provide extra moisture and protection, then a rich daytime face moisturizer. At night, after washing my face, I apply my heaviest night cream and eye cream, as well. The greasier the better. I can feel my skin lapping it up."

Also attentive to her skin from the neck down, Aluli has an arsenal of body products she saves for Mainland trips. "I slather myself with a rich body lotion morning and night (my favorite: travel-size tubes of Korres Body Butters, Sephora) and pay special attention to my heels, which can actually get so dry the skin will crack. I like Arbonne's Herbal Foot Cream (www .Arbonne.com) for this. I pack a small bottle of SolarOil (nail salons and beauty supply stores) to apply to finger and toe cuticles each morning. Otherwise I find my cuticles getting really dry by the end of the day."

Aluli also insists on keeping hydrated from the inside: "When offered a drink, my answer is always water, and I generally carry my own bottle of water with me on the plane for refills. At my destination, I stock small, carry-size bottles of water everywhere — in my hotel room, in my purse, in my rental car. In Vegas this is easy because you're constantly offered free drinks when playing in the casinos. My beverage of choice in Vegas casinos is always water, not alcohol. Maybe it makes me less 'fun,' but it keeps me hydrated!"

Jewelry designer Lynda Caris of Makiki travels nearly half the year, searching for beads for her latest collection and visiting friends all over the world. For many years, she worked for United Airlines so she learned a thing or two about how to save her skin while traveling. Her secret? Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Capsules. "They're about the size of an M&M and there are 30 in a tube so they're easy to pack in your carryon bag," she said. She applies one ampule of serum as soon as she gets settled on the plane.

Ronnie Cantor has homes in Honolulu and San Diego. When she isn't at home, she's often visiting family in New York or touring Spain or going on safari in Africa. All that travel could wreak havoc with her skin — if she wasn't so careful. On the plane, "I drink a lot of water and only water — no coffee, no caffeine, no alcohol," she said when describing her grueling 24-hour flights to Africa. "If it's a really long haul, I will wash my face and moisturize during the flight. I carry a teeny bottle I fill with my own cleanser and moisturizer."

Cantor has discovered that Oil of Olay Total Effects (sold in drugstores) is the best moisturizer for her skin. She uses it both at home (in Hawai'i and California) and away. "I've really seen a difference," since using it, she said. She also travels with a lip moisturizer such as Blistex and an Oil of Olay eye cream (also in drug stores). "I put on hand cream any time my hands feel dry. I like Origins' Make a Difference; it feels sticky but it absorbs quickly," she said.

MADONNA'S SECRETS

Gina Brooke's full-time job is artistic director for shu uemura cosmetics. However she is also a celebrity makeup artist, perhaps best known for her work with Madonna. She travels with the superstar when she is on tour or planning a media appearance. As Madonna celebrates her 50th birthday, we will be seeing her photo on the covers of numerous magazines, and most of the time Brooke will be the woman behind the star's flawless face.

Between her travel for shu uemura and her travels with Madonna, Brooke spends more time in planes than in her Los Angeles home. All that travel can take its toll, Brooke said in an interview during her recent Honolulu visit.

"Hydration is the key," she added. "The airplane takes all the absorption out of the skin." Her weapons of choice to fight the dry environment are, naturally, from shu uemura. "I get on the plane with no makeup and huge sunglasses. Well, I do use a little concealer, lip gloss and mascara," she added. A girl's gotta have what she's gotta have. Her on-the-plane regimen, which she shares with Madonna when they travel together, is: