Working out what to take to a festival, beauty-wise can be a blooming nightmare. Picture this, Glastonbury 2015 and me stuffing all of the beauty products I could ever need (for about 10 times longer than I'd actually be there) into the biggest wash bag you've ever seen (and in every spare space in the bag I packed). Long story short, I over packed and after heading to a couple of festivals since, I've narrowed down the products that you actually should think of bringing along.
Keeping Clean
Keeping clean is a necessity, you're going to be camping for several days so it'll be worse than your usual day-to-day life. Some festivals have showers readily available. I went to Bilbao BBK festival this year and you could play €1 for the use of a regularly cleaned bathroom with toilets and showers. This was a dream as camping in hot and sticky weather made it a necessity. However if you're not so lucky, and you're at a festival a little more like Glastonbury then face wipes will become your new best friend. You'll need a few packs. In fact, this is something I think I'll forever overpack - but just imagine not having enough with you? As you'll be using a tonne each time, it can be worth just picking up some more affordable ones. My go-to for budget face wipes are the Superdrug Cleansing Facial Wipes*, £0.99. You get a lot in the pack and they're under a pound. You can't go wrong! If you're after something a little more specific from a better skincare brand then I'd recommend looking into the Burts Bees White Tea Facial Wipes, £5.99 the Dermalogica Precleanse Wipes*, £14.75 or the DHC Make Off Sheet*, £7.95. They are all great and a little better suited if you were to use it on your facial skin than the Superdrug ones.
If you're still concious of your skin, the REN Anti Pollution Mist*, £24 is great for keeping your skin in tiptop condition all festival long - this was a saviour for my city break festival in Bilbao. It's refreshing, and great for post-cleansing if you don't want to just stick to face wipes (but great for it if you do too). I love bringing along minis of my favourites, like the Garnier Micellar Water, £1.99 and the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, £6. Now it's not always possible to use them in the best way possible - I definitely never can get the hot water I'd prefer to wash my face with, but the product still works pretty well and is great for rescuing your skin in any meltdown.
On another note, I'd recommend picking up a pack of the Femfresh Pocket Wipes, £1.69 to keep your ahem, downstairs fresh all festival long. They usually have some fun designed packets that add to the festival spirit too.
Keep a hand sanitiser on you at ALL times. You'll need this after you see the state of the loos. I mean I know everyone says they're bad, but once you see them... Oh boy. You'll be slathering the stuff on like you've never done before. I always chop and change with the hand bac I use, but this time I've been using the Superdrug Strawberry Antibacterial Hand Gel*, £1.25. It's a bargain, it smells delicious and it works a treat. Bring a mini hand cream along too, I always find my hands feeling super dry at festivals (probably from the excessive antibac gel I'm using) so a hand cream is a must-have. The Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy Hand Cream*, £6 was my go-to this year for urgent hand hydration.
After you've had a wipe down and got dressed. You're going to want to give yourself an extra spritz with a little something something (or just a fragrance, who knows) to make sure you're smelling your very best. I usually take a tonne of the impulse sprays with me but honestly I'm not too much of a fan of the scents. This year I opted for the Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Body Mist*, £15 as it smells blooming incredible. It's a super refreshing and fruity scent, perfect for giving you a postive fragrance boost in the morning (and throughout the day, cause you know, festivals).
Makeup
One of the best things about a festival is the fun you can have with your makeup. You can wear things that you may want to give a go but may have never been brave enough to wear in day-to-day life and it's so much fun (you know I just mean glitter, all day every day, everywhere). Colour is one. Glitter of course is another. And if you go wrong, you don't really have to worry about it too much (though the DHC Olive Virgin Oil Cotton Swabs*, £5.50 are perfect for this - and they're individually wrapped so perfect for travelling with).
My go-to festival glitter is always from Topshop. They have the most beautiful range of glitter, and I always find myself going back to pick up another shade pre-festival. It's easy to apply, just dab on some of their glitter glue and pop the glitter on top. And your festival makeup look instantly looks a billion times better. A glitter liner also works incredibly. Check out our team reviews of the glitter liners we at Get The Gloss gave ago for the best. If that's not enough, I also really recommend giving Glitter Lips*, £12.50 a go. Maybe leave this one for day-wear but after you've finished your dinner, pop back to your tent and slap some of this on. It looks INCREDIBLE.
Glitter aside, the days at a festival are long and you need your makeup to last. You don't want to be having to head back to your tent in the middle of the day because your liner isn't quite on your eye anymore and is in fact half way down your cheek. The Clarins Waterproof Cream Eyeshadows*, £18 were my absolute favourite for this. I love a smokey eye, no matter how subtle it may be and these are a god send. They can be worn on their own or can be used as a base for something a little more intense. If you want your mascara to last a little longer (and not to be rinsed off in the pouring ran - Glastonbury, I'm looking at you) then the Clarins Double Fix Mascara*, £20 is a god send - it can also double up as a clear brow gel to keep your brows in place too.
Saving space is an essential, and if you've got a multi-use palette in your stash then I'd recommend popping that one in your bag. I've fallen in love with the Clarins Summer Bronzing and Blush Compact*, £30 since bringing it with me to Glastonbury. I'm usually a total bronzer-phobe but after welcoming this into my life it has changed everything. The compact not only looks beautiful, but what's inside is just as incredible two. It features 3 bronzer shades including a gorgeous shimmer shade and one beautiful peachy blush shade too. When used together the shades look incredible and I've been using this all summer long too - so that's just a bonus.
Hair
I feel like dry shampoo goes without saying. I used to love the John Frieda Volume Dry Shampoo but it's since been discontinued leaving me with a hole in my heart for a new favourite dry shampoo to be welcomed into my life. Currently I'm loving the Colab Dry Shampoo, £3.49. It is the best I've tried lately and is the one I'm forever packing in my festival bag, but it's just not quite as good as the other so I'm still on the hunt for a new favourite.
You'll want to tie your hair back when it gets a bit too much (or a bit too dirty) and I love using something fun and colourful for this while at a festival. The Oh! K Ribbon Hair Ties*, £5 are super cute, and they don't leave any horrible dents in your hair. The Oh! K Spiral Hair Ties*, £6 are also great if you're an invisibobble fan. They are super pretty flecks of glitter inside and I'm obsessed.
Adding a little something fun into your usual beauty routine is what it's all about. If you want to cover your face in glitter, do it. If you want to add that colour into your eye look that you've been dying to try, do it. A festival is fun and so should your beauty (just make sure you don't pack too much. You'll regret it once you're carrying your incredibly heavy bag on the way there).
What are your festival beauty essentials?
Lorna x
