Hey ladies,
Considering it’s the middle of July, it’s pretty much a given that no matter where in the world you are, a festival or outdoor concert won’t be far away! For any of you lucky enough to be heading along to one, here’s my ultimate Festival Survival Guide. From beauty and fashion, to simple tips for surviving such a messy weekend. For the rest of us poor souls who won’t be attending the likes of Glastonbury or even Coachella (…one day…), who says we need a festival as an excuse? Everything mentioned in this post can be applied to just a day at the beach or maybe even your summer holidays.
Fashion
First things first. A great outfit can set the mood for your whole festival experience. I love getting dressed up to the nines as much as the next girl, but there’s a time and place, and a muddy field in the middle of typical Irish weather probably isn’t the best place to debut your new Louboutins. (or in my case, my new €15 heels from Penneys). If you really want to enjoy yourself at a festival, it’s important to be comfortable in what you’re wearing. You want to concentrate on having a good time, not worrying whether or not you have a VPL.
Below are some outfit ideas for festivals I put together on Polyvore (http://thebeautyboutique.polyvore.com/)
that incorporate all different festival styles, like biker chic, boho, or dressy casual.
Denim & Red
Mellow Yellow
Bandeau Beauty
Maxi - Day2Night
Boho Biker
Beauty
When it comes to festival make up, less is more definitely more. The make-up should be fresh faced and energetic, not melting off your face Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz style!
- Base - I can’t recommend primers enough, you’ll soon be hooked. Promise! Primer aims to help minimise pores and create a smooth, flawless base for your make-up, helping it to stay put for longer. I have been using Catrice’s Prime & Fine for a few months now and I think it’s brilliant, AND it only cost about €3. The texture of it is honestly so velvety, it makes whatever foundation I apply after go on perfectly. I see now that Catrice also have introduced an illuminating Prime & Fine Primer which would be perfect for festival goers to give that gorgeous glow. Catrice is available nationwide in pharmacies and even in some Penneys outlets.
It seems that the beauty world has been taken over recently by BB and CC (colour correct) creams. I’m ashamed to say I have neither so I can’t comment much on either until I’ve tried and tested them for myself. However from what I’ve heard and seen, it seems that BB creams are basically primers that also contain some colour pigment, giving you a more even base, without the heaviness of foundation. Perfect for festivals!
Personally I think that maybe with a slight touch of concealer under the eyes, along with a sweeping of bronzer around the forehead, hollows of cheeks and the chin, and just a touch of a cream blush, you really could get away with no heavy foundation at a festival.
When you think about it, the less make-up you apply, the less there is to melt off, so the better the chance that you’ll look just the same 8 hours into the night as you did when you first applied!
Eyes & Lips - Festivals are a great time to experiment with some colours you wouldn’t ordinarily. Where else can you get away with bright green eyeliner in the middle of the day! Personally I think fake eyelashes might be a bit too high maintenance, you don’t want to be running back to a tent in a manic search for eyelash glue! So make the most of your eyes in other ways, colour coordinate your outfit or accessories with some crazy eyeshadows or eyeliners.
When it comes to buying items like this, which are great at the time but realistically you probably won’t get much use out of them, I think brands like Essence are perfect. The quality is great and you won’t end up spending a fortune on something you probably won’t use every day. Plus there’s great variety. Be sure to use a good eyeshadow primer before applying any mad colours, to avoid any clumping or fading of the colour.
You could also use some of your eye pencils to create festival face art like these:
Hair
Festival hair should be laid back and relaxed but still pretty. There's no point putting too much effort into a structured do as it will more than likely just fall out. Instead embrace your hair's natural texture! Use a curl enhancing mousse or even try a sea-salt spray to encourage natural beachy waves that don't need too much maintenance. If you want a bit more glamour, why not braid a few pieces, or even use some flowers as accessories!
I've been hearing a lot lately about "hair chalking" which is a brilliant, non permanent way to have some fun with your hair. You can use "soft pastels" purchased in any large art supply store, and you simply twist a piece of hair and colour it with the chalk. You can even use more than one colour to create a multicoloured, ombre effect. The chalk washes out easily and doesn't damage your hair, win win!
Here are some pictures of hair chalk from The Beauty Department, the website which Lauren Conrad is heavily involved in, if you haven't already you should definitely check it out!
Festival Look - Cara Delevinge
I really love this look on Cara Develinge. It’s perfect for festivals! It’s natural and fresh faced, but with a subtle pop of colour. After applying your base as usual, apply a heavy coat of Essence’s Long Lasting Eye Pencil in “I have a green”, or whatever other colour tickles your fancy, to the lower lash line. Apply a small amount of white pencil liner at the inner corners of the eyes to ensure to keep them looking large and open and not over-run by the green!
Apply a few coats of mascara as usual to the upper and lower lashes. Ensure your brows are neat and filled in if necessary. To give them a bit of extra staying power, spitz some hair spray on a brow comb and then brush them into shape. Dust a small amount of highlighter over the upper cheekbones for a natural glow. Again, I’ve been using Catrice’s Prime & Fine highlighter powder in 001, Fairy Dust, for the last few months and I really can’t fault it! Again it was only about 3 or 4 euros.
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Prep lips with a moisturising balm before starting to apply your make-up, then when everything else is done, apply a bright lipstain like Benefit’s Posetint which can double as liquid blush! A lipstain will last much longer than gloss, so you won’t have to keep topping it up!
Festival tips & tricks
- Bring a mini first aid kit with a few bandages and painkillers, you never know how handy they'll come in!
- Bring a ziplock bag to store your phone in. Even if the weather is fairly dry, odds are water will somehow find that precious iPhone!
- Babywipes and more babywipes. The perfect all round product can be used as toilet paper, make up remover and a substitute shower. You'll be amazed all the uses you'll find for them.
- Drink water and wear suncream. Boring I know, but dehydration and sunburn is no fun, simple as.
- Take a few bits of food with you should you find that you don't like any of the food on offer! Potnoodles and the likes are perfect and you're sure to find a kettle somewhere! And cereal bars are perfect for a morning pick me up!
- If you're wearing wellies with shorts, be sure to wear high socks! Ask anyone who's made this painful mistake, there's nothing worse than wellie-burned shins.
- Try avoid jumpsuits or body suits, getting completely naked to go to the bathroom in a portaloo is not something to look forward to.
- Test run putting your new tent up before you go as putting it up in the dark for the first time with a few MiWadi's in you won't be much fun!
- Bring dry shampoo. It's practically made for festivals.
- Enjoy yourself! Relax, have fun, make friends, and take lots of photos!
So there you have it! Hopefully I'll get away to a festival someday and I can do an "What I Wore" Series!
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