Emirates Airlines' Very Strict Beauty Tips for Male & Female Flight Attendants

Photo: Emirates arlines

This morning, the Huffington Post published an interview with two of Emirates airlines female flight attendants. The famously fancy airline might be the last bastion of glamorous travel: they’ll send a chauffeur to pick you up, there are on-board spas, and world famous chefs prepare the menus. But Maria Pederson and Laura Kellam revealed just how much work goes into presenting such a polished image.

“We do have one full day of training on grooming that focuses on image and uniform,” Pederson tells the Post. Her colleague Kellam ads, “There is a list of things we have to wear (like foundation), but we actually get a little manual with all the rules in it.” Those rules range from head to toe—literally. Nails must be painted clear, in a French manicure, or the same shade as their lipstick. It’s Clarins, by the way, their lipstick. Though it should match their signature pillbox hat, it should also flatter their specific skin tone. (And given that the crew hails from over 130 nations, you can bet every shade of red’s clocked a lot of miles.) 

But what about the men? We called Emirates to find out what kind of grooming routine their male employees have to follow. While they don’t have to wear makeup, men must keep their hair short and well-groomed. They must be clean-shaven upon boarding, with nails cut short (they can’t be over the skin), and no one, male or female, may have visible tattoos.

It turns out both men and women sit through serious skincare training, learning how to wash, tone, and moisturize. Emirates told us that crew members frequently use eye cream and Evian’s facial spray to keep their skin fresh. A radiant complexion is the airline’s number one requirement. The tip sheet Kellam mentions even says, “If you decide to sleep on one of Emirates lie-flat Business Class seats, use a makeup wipe to remove your makeup and keep your skin fresh. This will also avoid your makeup looking noticeably smudged or worn.” And when we asked Emirates why women have to wear foundation, the airline’s spokesperson said, “Foundation is just part of achieving the natural look of the cabin crew, to keep their look polished and uniform and keep them looking refreshed throughout the flight.”

Kellam says the whole routine takes her about an hour and 15 minutes, and that hydration is her key focus, from drinking a liter of water pre-flight to smothering her face in argan oil. “I use wet towels a lot and a spray that hydrates,” she says. When she’s not drinking water, Pederson says she and her fellow flight attendants gulp chamomile tea to help them sleep in whatever time zone they’re in. (The rules apply to the inside of the body too: “We’re not supposed to use sleeping pills or anything to help us sleep,” Pederson says.)

Such strict rules might sound outdated, but it’s a remarkable way to brand an incredibly diverse crew, not to mention great motivation to step up your own grooming game next time you’re airport-bound.

Britt Aboutaleb