Festivals pose the ultimate beauty challenge, so we’ve identified the key beauty busters and how to avoid them
Festival beauty buster #1
Greasy Hair
With access to running water limited at festivals, greasy locks are a major issue when it comes to looking your best. Your hair’s best festival friend is dry shampoo, and with most brands now offering them, you can choose one that suits your specific hair needs or favourite fragrance. Bastiste Dry Shampoo comes in a range of scents and even offers different variants to suit your hair colour, with Light & Blonde, Medium & Brunette and Dark & Deep Brown to revitalise hair between washes while offering a hint of colour to blend with the hair tone. Dry Conditioner is also a hair saviour when showering isn’t an option; Charles Worthington Front Row Soft & Smooth Dry Conditioner create instant smoothness and shine, leaving hair super soft and sweet-smelling.
Festival beauty buster #2
Clogged pores
Cleansing your face is even more important at a festival than at home; all that dancing makes you sweat more, which can lead to clogged pores, while the lack of showers and sinks means removing make up and grime can be a chore. The easiest way to rid skin of dirt and debris is to use cleansing wipes. Ensure you choose a variant designed for your skin type and needs. If you prefer to use a more moist product to cleanse, micellar water is a great option and can be used with cotton pads to cleanse and condition skin. This Works Clean Skin 5-n-1 Water gently cleanses, balances, brightens and refreshes skin, and removes all traces of make up to keep skin clean and minimise the risk of breakouts.
Festival beauty buster #3
Limp locks
Many festival goers find flat hair is an issue once away from their home styling appliances and products. A good volumising powder can help, and their dry format means there’s no risk of spillage in your bag. Schwarzkopf Got2b Powder’ful Volumizing Powder comes in small pot but packs a powerful volumising punch; simply sprinkle into roots then massage in with fingertips for a plumping effect. Styling sprays are another option and have the added benefit of adding a light scent. V05’s new Plump It Up Dry Backcomb Spray and Give Me Texture Dry Texturising Spray add texture and volume to flat styles, and offer great value for money – recommend that customers purchase both so they can achieve a variety of looks throughout the festival without breaking the bank.
Festival beauty buster #4
Minimal make up
With so many things to remember to take to a festival, there often isn’t room in a rucksack for all the make up products your customers would usually use at home. The buzzwords for festival-friendly make up are multi-tasking and long-lasting. Instead of opting for big foundation pots or bottles and a brush or sponge to apply it with, try a tube of BB Cream, which can also double as your daily moisturiser. A multi-tasking BB Cream like Superdrug’s new BB Cream 5-in-1 Day Cream comes in two shades (light and medium) and imparts a light, creamy coverage that conceals imperfections, boosts radiance and smoothes the complexion. With SPF15 it also helps to protect against sun damage and premature skin ageing, while providing 24 hour hydration to boot. Add concealer where needed and set with powder for a flawless complexion that is also protected and nourished. For eyes, a palette featuring multiple shades like one of Sleek’s ingenious iDivine Palettes will provide enough shades for the duration of the festival. Opt for a long lasting, waterproof eyeliner and waterproof mascara to prevent smudged panda eyes, and add a multi-tasking lip and cheek tint like Benefit Posietint to complete your festival face.
Festival beauty buster #5
Dirty nails
While dirty fingernails are hard to avoid when camping in a field, they are easy to hide. Choose a bright or dark nail polish shade, rather than a pastel colour, to hide the dirt, and top up when necessary. Alternatively, opt for nail wraps; these add a funky finish to any outfit and are less likely to chip or peel than nail varnish. There are so many styles available, from metallic hues, to Aztec patterns, to cartoon characters. Nail wraps normally come in flat packets that will hardly take up any room in a bag, so you can take spares to revamp your look while you’re there, or to replace existing wraps if they start to look less than perfect.
Festival beauty buster #6
Panda eyes
If your chosen eye make up doesn’t cut the mustard when it comes to withstanding rain, sweat or general partying, at a festival is the worst place to find out as it’s harder to remove make up without running water. If in doubt, fake it! False eyelashes will keep peepers looking perfect without any risk of dark smudges, while Glam Republic’s festival-proof Eyeliner Appliqués are dance and weather-proof! Simply peel the backing off, position onto eyes and press down. They can also be re-used and come with their own adhesive. For a more radical festival look, Eye Rock Eye Tattoos can be applied like transfers then removed with a cleansing wipe when desired, for a super cool make up look that ensures stand-out in the crowd.
Festival beauty buster #7
Less than fresh
Lack of showers at a festival combined with all that dancing can lead to embarrassing body odour. Ensure your customers are armed with a hard-working deodorant to see them through the festival experience. Sure Maximum Protection, designed for heavy sweaters, features scientifically proven wetness protection and encapsulated fragrance technology, and offers twice the protection against sweat than a standard deodorant. To freshen up throughout the day, opt for a bodyspray. Impulse or So…? offer value-for-money variants, or choose the bodyspray variant of your favourite fragrance. When it comes to fine fragrance, nobody wants to travel their favourite perfume bottle around with them; instead, fill up the innovative Travalo Touch refillable fragrance wand with a chosen scent. Its rollerball technology makes topping up fragrance on-the-go easy and mess-free, while the integrated flow regulator means there’s no chance of leakages.
Festival beauty buster #8
Lack of sleep
Sleep deprivation is a major beauty buster at any overnight festival – camping surrounded by thousands of other people is never conducive to a good night’s sleep! Add to the mix alcohol consumption and festival food, and the result is often dull, tired-looking skin and eyes. A good brightening eye product is essential; try a roll-on variant like Garnier Caffeine Eye Roll-on, with its cooling rollerball applicator and refreshing, hydrating formula, or for an instant brightening effect, dust Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder under eyes. For skin, add a drop of Soap & Glory Hocus Focus to your moisturiser or base,which brightens skin and diffuses the appearance of flaws and pores, or try Stila One Step Illuminate, a serum that instantly illuminates, primes and nourishes the skin while improving skintone, evening out the complexion and smoothing fine lines.