#FestivalFun | What Beauty Products to bring?

As I've already mentioned in my #FestivalFun series, less is more when it comes to grooming at festivals. You don't want to have too much stuff to carry or too much work getting ready in the mornings either. So below I've broken down the types of products I would recommend bringing and how to make the most of each product you choose. As much as possible if I can find more than one use for a product, all the better!

This is probably obvious, but from the outset I would like to specify I would not bring anything to a festival that I would be devastated if I lost. So (in my opinion) this is the not the place for your €40 foundation or your €25 concealers. Cheap and cheerful is key. If you absolutely cannot live without your favourite Chanel lipstick, my recommendation is to keep that in your day bag, so it's on you at all times.

Skincare

For the cleansing water and moisturiser, I will decant these into smaller containers for the weekend.

- Face Wipes

- Cleansing Water

- Moisturiser

Make Up

I would majorly reduce the number of tools I use compared to if I was at home, a brush to apply my foundation and that is it, everything else I can make do with my fingers. Firstly because then my favourite brushes are less likely to get lost and secondly I'm not as concerned about precision. This is of course a personal preference and just a guide, just bring what you're most comfortable with. The only product I have excess of is lipstick, just to make the looks a little different (so I have a bright pink, deep red and natural option).

- Bourjois Health Mix Serum Foundation (#51)
- Real Techniques Brush (Buffing)

- Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (Cool Medium 2)

- Soap & Glory One Hell of a Blot, has a sponge inside (one shade only as it is translucent)

- Bourjois Blusher (#37 Pompom Rose)

- Rimmel Scandleyes Eye Liner (#001 Black)

- Topshop Mascara (Black)

- Inglot Eye Shadow Palette (shades: #355, #405, #452, #421, #07)
- Essence Eyebrow Pencil (#04 Blonde)

- Maybelline Super Stay 14 hours lipstick (#160 Infinitely Fuschia)
- Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick (#111)
- Rimmel Apocalips (#101 Celestial)
- Dior Addict Gloss (#684 Mervelle)

Hair Care

Day 1 you'll have beautiful hair, so for day 2 and 3, dry shampoo and clips/hairspray will be your friend. Some simple styling techniques such as high ponytails, braids, etc. will keep you going until your safely in the warm embrace of a proper hot shower back home at the end of day three! You can always jazz your look with clip in multi-coloured hair pieces or using chalk to temporarily colour your hair. Now is the time to go wild!

- Dry Shampoo (Batiste Original)

- Hair Spray / Texturising Spray (V05 give me texture)

- Hair Clips & Hair Ties

Extra Beauty Tips

Nails 

I would always paint my nails the day before I head off with a tried and tested polish that I know will easily last me the three days (and works with my outfit choices). You don't really have the same luxury of allowing it to dry when you're camping in a field!

Sun Protection

Remember although the weather may not necessarily be scorching, you'll be exposed to probably more sun than usual. It is really important to bring adequate sun protection for the duration. As well as sunglasses and hats.

Hopefully these product lists have given you some ideas on what you should bring yourself and highlighted how few products you should be aiming to get away with! If you have any other tips, please leave a comment!

For my other posts in this #FestivalFun series, please see below:

What's in my Bag?
Making the most of your Time
What to Bring - The Basics

#FestivalFun | What's in my Bag

Ok so you have your general luggage all packed up and ready to go, but of course when you're actually in the festival, you'll be leaving most things in your tent, so below I've included what I have in my day to day bag, the essentials that I need to keep me going all day and night! I have a little paragraph on each, but for quick reference I have also included some bullet points. I would definitely keep it small and light.

I also usually prefer a small over the shoulder bag, since then when you're in a crowd of people, your belongings are in front of you, as opposed to in a backpack behind you!

This small satchel would be perfect 

(New Look, €13, Autumn 2013 collection)

Valuables
Of course you don't want to leave your phone, money or camera behind in the tent. Most obviously as you'll need all of them throughout the day, but also I wouldn't recommend leaving anything of value in the tent, ever. I've never had a single problem to date with things being stolen, but that's no reason to be too lax. As with any other situation, do not leave anything valuable sitting unattended in a field!

- Phone
- Money
- Camera

Hygiene
A mini hand sanitizer is an absolute must. Portaloos are bad enough without coming out of one to realise all the sanitiser is gone, be safe, bring your own. In the very same vein, be sure to bring some toilet roll in case of an emergency. All the loos are being re-stocked and cleaned on an ongoing basis yes, but when you have hundreds of people using them every hour, it's inevitable you'll need your own supplies at some point.

- Hand Sanitiser
- Toilet Paper

Skin / Hair / Make Up Basics
Some sun cream and a lip balm with SPF are a great staple for your bag. Then depending on your preferences you might like to keep a lipstick, concealer or powder on you to freshen up throughout the day. You know best what you'll need to re-apply. If you're pretty easy going about your makeup, leave everything behind! Definitely don't carry around anything you know you're not going to use. I wouldn't imagine you would need to bring any hair care products out and about. However there is certainly no harm in having a few hair ties and hair clips at the bottom of your bag should disaster strike!

- Sun Cream
- Lipstick
- Powder
- Hair Ties / Clips

Miscellaneous
After that you might want to ensure you have on your persons, your sunglasses or a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes, to save on space, just wearing these, means you don't need to fit them in your bag. You might want to bring along a bottle of water, but be sure to check the rules of the specific festival you're attending. For Electric Picnic specifically you are allowed to bring 500ml sealed bottles of minerals into the arena from the campsite, so you could save a little money by bringing a six pack from home. But as per my first post, bare in mind that's now three extra litres of weight when travelling from the car to the campsite on day 1. You may prefer to just pick some up inside the arena.

- Sunglasses / Hat
- Water (optional)
- Jacket/Hoody for when it gets cooler (you can just tie it around the strap of the bag)

#FestivalFun | What To Bring - The Basics

I am SO excited to be heading to Electric Picnic again this year, it will be fourth year in a row! In the lead up to EP, I thought I would do 5 part series on festivals using the hashtag #FestivalFun. Some general tips and hints. Whether you're an old timer or it's your first festival, it's never any harm to pick up some extra ideas on how to get the most out of your time! So there'll be one post each day from Wednesday to Sunday!

Ok to start the series off, I thought it would be most practical to start with  the essentials to bring along to a festival. To make this digestible, I will break it down by section.

Camping Equipment
Ensure you have adequate camping gear, at a minimum a tent and a sleeping bag. Now over the years I have seen people bring pillows and duvets, etc. My tip here is make use of bags/clothes when it comes to needing a pillow, trust me the less you need to haul from the car the better. I always try to bring everything in one trip from the car, the more trips you, the more you miss out on the festival itself. Also I'd take tent sizings rather loosely, if there's 2 people you're going to realistically want a 4 man tent unless you want to feel claustrophobic. This is me at EP 2010 in what is classed as a 4 man tent, but comfortably fits two with all your belongings I reckon!

Electric Picnic 2011

Then depending on your own preferences you can choose to bring deck chairs or inflatable mattresses, etc. But beware, this definitely adds a large amount of bulk to your already full hands when trekking from the car to the campsite. Depending where you're parked and where you're set up, the trip could be 30-40 minutes one way!

Clothes
I know festivals have their own dress code now and you might feel a little under pressure to dress a certain way, but trust me while on paper this all sounds great, the reality is often something very different. I cannot stress this enough, comfort, comfort comfort! You are sleeping on the ground, in desperate need of a proper shower and a decent toilet, don't add to the misery by feeling awkward in what you're wearing. If festival chic is your usual get-up, then great! If it isn't, don't force it. You will honestly find all sorts of people wearing all sorts of clothes, trust me, whatever you wear, you'll fit in fine!

Definitely try out new things and exciting looks but keep some key things in mind:
- Does it transition well from warm day time, to cold night time?
- Are you suitably covered if it starts lashing rain? (especially if heading to a festival in Ireland)
- Does it sit comfortably? (you'll be too busy dancing and having fun to spend your days fixing your outfit)

On top of whatever outfits you decide on make sure to include a rain coat and some cosy hoodies. It's amazing if you get great weather for the weekend, but do not underestimate just how cold it can get in the evenings and at night!

Beauty Products
This probably seems obvious but keeping it simple is key. Like clothes, I would recommend going with the tried and tested products here. Keep it all relatively natural and low key. The last thing you want to be doing is spending hours on your hair and makeup. The more time you spend faffing around in the morning, the more amazing experiences you're missing out on

Skincare
Although they're a cardinal beauty sin, this is the one occasion where everyone agrees face wipes are handy to have on hand. Another absolute must is hand sanitiser, I don't think that needs much explaining. Then think travel bag on everything else, decant a small bit of your cleanser, moisturiser, etc. Again the less you have to carry the better. This is definitely not the time to break out the face masks and body scrubs. Whatever the absolute minimum your skin can live on for 3 days is all you're bringing. That will differ for everyone, but once you have something to remove your makeup and something to put the mositure back in afterwards, you should be able to survive! If you're at a festival for a full three days and need to make use of the showers, a mini shower gel is also essential.

Make Up
Keep it basic, bring only the bare necessities. Bring your tried and tested products and make life easy on yourself by only bringing one of any given item. There is definitely no need for two types of mascara. And unless you're a pro at applying a full face of make up in a few minutes, I would definitely recommend scaling back your routine. It's definitely a matter of personal preference, but I reckon less is definitely more in this instance.

Hair Care
If you haven't noticed the theme yet, it's minimalist. Whatever you can do without, don't bother with. If you will need to use the shower, a mini shampoo and conditioner will be needed. Otherwise a small can of hairspray and then some dry shampoo/texturising spray should do it. I would of course recommend having a couple of hair ties and hair clips in the bottom of your bag. It at least gives you some options each day in terms of hairstyles.

Electric Picnic 2012

Other Random Essentials
Some other helpful random items that don't necessarily fit into the above categories

- A small day bag (for all your essentials)
- Sunglasses
- Toilet Paper
- Plastic bags (keeps things separated/dry, also handy for dirty clothes/shoes)
- Raincoat
- Scarf
- Hat
- Wellies & Thick Socks
- Back Up Phone / Battery
- Phone Charger (most festivals have charging facilities, they usually do cost money however)
- Towel (for shower or just in general, in case it rains heavily, etc)

Chatty Post | General Catch Up

Yet another inexcusable break was taken here at Beauty Baggage. Okay, let's jump right in with a chatty post, ease myself back in nice and slowly.

Instead of boring you with details, lets focus on something more fun, look at my new custom made logo? I'm so excited to have my very own logo, finally! It was made by my boyfriend's brother, he came up with the entire concept from start to finish, checking in with me as he went to make sure everything was okay. He's currently studying product design and is definitely one to watch! Looking forward to seeing what else he comes up with in the coming years.

Beauty Baggage's NEW Logo

In general my summer has been going well. I'm trying to wrap up the last of assignments for my masters, so that hasn't been terribly fun. But I've still managed to fit in plenty of socialising over the summer months so far, it hasn't been all doom and gloom, plenty of days and nights out! I also have some nice plans in August, with Electric Picnic at the end of the month. However what I'm definitely most excitedly looking forward to this year is my 2 week trip to China in September, I cannot wait! If you've ever been, be sure to leave suggestions in the comments for what I should get up to! I'm also heading to Brussels for a weekend in November with a few friends too. So while it's been relatively quiet year to date, I have lots of things to look forward to!

Some pics from my Summer so far...

I have also really started to try improve my eating and general health in the last few weeks. As part of that I'm trying to get a little better at cooking and making things from scratch. The berry smoothie above is a perfect example of that (it's delish in case you're wondering!), with some more examples below. I have also taking to walk 3 or 4 times a week, nothing too crazy, just maybe 5.5km. However I'm working on building up speed, and have done some very small jogging spurts in the middle. It's going well so far and definitely a case my whole mind and body (not to mention skin) are feeling so much the better for it. That's not to say I haven't fallen off the bandwagon here and there, but life is for living, so that's allowed. I'm using my impending trips and all the sight-seeing induced walking as motivation! So far, so good.

Homemade guacamole, fresh watermelon, homemade pizza & basil plant

So that's a general catch up on what has been going on with me and my summer so far! What's new with you? What have you been getting up to? Has anyone been on holidays or planning any get aways? I'd love to hear from you!