Festival Makeup Ideas to Keep You Looking Awesome This Season
Let’s face it, we ladies have more makeup than we would care to admit. I alone have at least ten different tubes of just red lipstick (all different brands; I NEED those subtle variations), so we are all guilty of owning way more than our fair share of beauty products. And we owe it all to cosmetic manufacturers, who know just how to create those perfect shades and formulas we can’t resist. When it comes to festivals, however, when we’re all sweaty and baking in the sun, finding the balance between looking good and staying comfortable—without packing a ton of beauty products to clutter your campsite—is essential.
When packing your gear and clothes, try to limit your makeup to one small cosmetics bag if at all possible. One foundation tube, a mascara, eyeliner, and a couple varieties of eye shadow and lip color should be plenty to get you through the event and still allow you to change your look daily. I have a small bag that fits easily in my purse that I take to work daily; it comfortabled stores all the essentials, and makeup bags can be found at any retail location for under $5 in a large range of cute and funky prints.
One major thing to consider as far as festival makeup goes is how to protect your face from the sun. Slathering your face with sunscreen, while always effective, can result in greasy skin. I like to use BB creams to get a similar affect without getting my skin as greasy. These foundation products come in a variety of shades to fit your skin tone but also contain SPF to help ward off the sun’s rays while still evening out your skin and helping cover blemishes. Most major makeup brands have a BB cream, but my favorite is made by Rimmel London, easily found at any drug or grocery store at an affordable price. Skip the blush and powder if you would prefer to have less makeup caking up as you perspire; the foundations should cover enough and smooth out skin tone well enough that additional products aren’t needed to make you look awesome.
Perhaps even more than red lipstick, I am obsessed with eye makeup. Creams, powders, liners, you name it; I have probably over 100 shades of shadow in my Caboodle carrying case, and somehow a new shade seems to slip into my shopping cart with every trip to Target. I love doing complex smoky eye looks and blending colors, but while at a festival, being practical is key, so unless you want to spend most of your time seeking a mirror to craft the perfect club-esque look, stick to the simple and easy. I always line my eyes on the bottom and then again UNDER the lash line in a technique called “tightlining” (which actually opens up the eye and can help you look more awake after a long night of rocking out) before moving on to the shadow. Try using fun glitter eyeliners to make your eyes pop with some extra glam; Urban Decay’s Heavy Metal Glitter liners have GREAT sparkle and can be used on their own or layered over a solid-colored matte liner for an added pop. Waterproof mascara is also a must to keep that pesky raccoon look from forming after a long day of dancing and perspiring.
For shadow, powders or creams will work just fine depending on your preference; just don’t forget to bring a brush to use for application! I tend to wear more earth tones during the day, such as browns or grays, before amping it up more at night with a much more colorful shade of shadow. Rimmel London’s Glam’Eyes Quads are among my favorites, and I’m fairly certain I own nearly every single color they’ve ever produced. “Smokey Brun” and “Royal Tea” are two excellent earth tone quad palettes that give a natural glow in the sun without coming across as overpowering during daytime activities. When it’s time to jam out at late-night sets, try Maybelline’s Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24-hour-wear eyeshadow cream; my best friend gave me “Tenacious Teal,” “Bold Gold,” and “Pomegranate Punk” a couple Christmases ago, and they are my go-to for a powerful pop of color that won’t run when I get sweaty.
Talking about lip color could get equally as long-winded as the eye shadow talk, but there really aren’t any rules as far as color goes at a festival. From matte nudes to baby pinks to wild shades like black or even lime green and blue, you can either tailor the lip color to match your look or go with what feels right to you. For earth tone eye shadows, sticking with a more subdued lip color is a good choice; try Maybelline’s Color Sensation lipstick in one of their buff shades or Cover Girl’s Colorlicious moisturizing lip gloss for a great shine. Bring out your nighttime funk with a shade you’d never wear to work or out with friends, such as a blue or green; check out NYX Cosmetics for an awesome variety of lipstick and glosses in the craziest shades you can imagine (their Macaron Lippies line has a wild grouping to choose from, including “Key Lime” and Blue Velvet”).
Keeping your face clean can be a challenge at a festival, but if you have access to water to wash off makeup, doing so will prevent clogged pores and unsightly blemishes. One of the single greatest inventions I have ever used for makeup removal is the Makeup Eraser; for $20, this handy little cloth will literally remove EVERY bit of makeup and leave your face feeling clean after. Tucking this in your bag along with some baby wipes will help you avoid having to bog down your packing with face wash soaps and creams, allowing you to pack lighter and utilize more space at camp.
Rocking an epic look for festivals isn’t hard at all, and keeping your gathering of products to a minimum is always a great way to make sure you have space for everything else that’s truly essential at your campsite. Comfort and glamour can go hand in hand with the right planning, so have fun experimenting and trying cool new looks or putting new spins on classic old ones! Share your favorite festival makeup tips with us as the season progresses, it’s always great to gain new ideas from our followers!