A Practical Guide to Festival Beauty

[afflink][prsample]

Products marked with an asterisk * have been kindly provided by the brand for review purposes. 

It’s less than two weeks until we leave for New York & Governor’s Ball and I. Am. So. Excited. Like, last day of school excited. So obviously I’m already obsessively planning what to take with me, because that’s just what I do. It’s tempting to think I’ll be loading up my makeup bag with every speck of glitter and funky-color lipstick I own, because what better opportunity do you get for that kind of stuff? But being completely honest with myself, I know I’m not going to spend an hour every day creating elaborate makeup looks. For one thing I enjoy sleeping way too much, and I’d rather be out doing stuff. Not to mention we’ll have five people in an AirBNB with one bathroom. So instead of a ‘be a unicorn’ guide to festival beauty, this is my advice on the stuff you need to actually take for a multi-day music festival.

Sunscreen

I know, it’s not exciting, but we’ll be outside for the better part of three days so sunscreen is absolutely required. Aside from the whole skin-cancer & premature aging thing, being sunburned would absolutely ruin the fun. Also, lobster-colored skin doesn’t coordinate well with any of my outfits. Most of us have appointments to get new tattoos at some point during the trip, so staying unburnt is doubly important (those deposits are non-refundable, after all).

I’ll be taking my standby Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46 for my face since I know it plays well with makeup and doesn’t leave a white cast. Airplane carry-on liquid restrictions mean I can’t take a big enough container of body sunscreen with me, so once we check into our apartment we’re going to buy a huge bottle of sunscreen for all of us to share.

Sweat-proof staples

So far it’s looking like the weather should be pretty mild while we’re there – high 70’s/low 80’s – but being outside all day + dancing + walking around means there’s a potential to get pretty gross.

One of my go-to’s at home now that I’m walking/biking to work full time are Whish Deodorant Swipes. They’re excellent for freshening up when you’re feeling a little sweaty and the single use packets are way easier to stow in a clutch than a travel-size stick deodorant.

Also necessary: foundation that won’t drip right off your face. Hourglass Immaculate has been my long-time favorite for that, but recently I also discovered Oxygenetix foundation* (I wear the color Taupe) and have fallen in love. It’s a light-coverage foundation that feels extremely natural and breathable on the skin. Even better, the first ingredient is aloe so it’s really soothing and moisturizing too. Stay on the lookout for a full review & swatches of that soon! I’ll be taking both along with me, probably in travel containers to save room in my TSA-mandated liquids bag :-P

Skin rescue

I don’t know about you, but every time I travel I reach a point where the constant activities, short sleep and good food/good drinks catch up with me and I start looking a little worse for wear! I don’t see any reason why this trip should be different so I plan to come prepared.

I have two big enemies when I’m traveling, especially when airplanes are involved – baggy eyes and dry skin. I’ll be tackling the first one with the Kerstin Florian Correcting Eye Rescue* pads. They’re incredibly hydrating and cooling, and the neroli water smells so nice. It was so tempting to use them all up after the first time I tried them, but I’ve been resisting so I can hoard them for the trip. For the rest of my face I’m taking along a travel pot of the REN Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask* because it does exactly what the name says. Again, really hydrating, and it also takes down the redness and irritation that I get around my nose and cheeks.

My lips and nail cuticles also suffer badly after a few days, but luckily Glossier’s Balm Dotcom* is a fantastic multitasker for those spots. I have the rose one (which smells so nice!) and I kind of want the coconut scented one too. I’m hoping to have time to stop by their showroom while we’re there, but we’ve got a ton of stuff planned, so we’ll see.

Hair routine hacks

Here’s a bit of trivia about me that seems to really gross out some of my guy friends – I don’t wash my hair more than I absolutely have to. For me, that translates to once or twice a week. But anyone with curly hair, you understand. Washing too much makes my hair all dry and frizzy, plus getting it wet turns into this whole production of partially blow-drying/partially air-drying and then styling. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Instead I’ll turn to two of my favorites – a shower cap & dry shampoo. I just use whatever shower caps from the grocery store right now, but I’m very tempted by the Shhhowercap because it’s so much cuter. But whatever works – mainly I just want to be able to shower (I’m sure my friends will appreciate that) without re-fixing my hair afterward.

My current dry shampoo obsession is Bumble & Bumble Prêt-à-Powder because not only does it make my hair not-greasy, it also adds some volume and doesn’t make my hair a weird whitish color.

Unicorn gear

And yeah, most of this guide is about the practical stuff, but seriously, take your fun makeup too! Most of the time I’m a subtle-makeup kind of girl, but for this trip I totally plan on busting out my super-metallic highlighters (like the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops) and non-pink lipstick colors. My Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick in Pandemonium (bold purple) is going for sure, and I’ll probably take advantage of NYC’s extensive shopping options to pick up some other things too.

What are your must-have beauty products for festival season?