
I blame Kate Moss. I hear that sharp intake of minty-fresh fashion breath, but really, I do. BK or Before Kate the only thoughts a girl gave her festival wardrobe were; “Which achingly cool band t-shirts should I take? Should I risk transforming my favourite, lovingly distressed 501s into cut-offs? And will that charity shop, floral find make me look like Winona Ryder in Reality Bites or Wynonna Judd in a true-life, Channel 5 movie?” Then up rocked La Moss at Glasto, reimagining Anita Pallenberg for a Cotswolds generation and, voila, the ‘festival fashion’ article became a summer staple begetting boutique music events with gourmet burger stands and Pimms tents.
It’s safe to say that these days, just as the festival wardrobe of my youth would no longer cut it at Cornbury, neither would the wash-bag of my first Reading Festival; Johnson’s Baby Lotion, Constance Carroll Roller Cola lipgloss and bacteria-harbouring black kajal, anyone? So here’s how I merge my current, product-savvy beauty bag with that Nirvana- obsessed, inner grunge kid.
Festival-going is about forgetting our everyday lives and living the rock n roll lifestyle, if only for 36 hours. Don’t feel bad, hell, it seems even La Moss wants to be the former Mrs Keith Richards sometimes. However, being seen hitting the woeful washrooms to cleanse, tone and moisturise is just not very Miss Love, and try as I might to live through Courtney, I just cannot NOT look after my skin. Luckily, micellar waters with their no-rinse formulas provide the perfect in-yurt, portaloo-avoiding, cleansing solution. The pink-bottled classic by French pharmacy brand, Bioderma needs no introduction. It is suitable for the cleansing of the even the most sensitive and fragile skins and gains further kudos for its space-saving 100ml travel size. A luxurious alternative by fairtrade, sustainable brand S.W. Basics contains just three gorgeous organic ingredients – rosewater, glycerin and tea tree oil. This sulphate and paraben free product is also available in a genius 30ml spray, making it a perfect portable option. The only other thing you need to take the day off with these beauties is Organyc’s biodegradable 100% cotton, cotton wool pads.
Wipes are getting a bit of a bad rap in some quarters, so I’m here to say, as far as make-up removal is concerned, what happens at Bestival, stays in Bestival. Frankly, convenience-wise, as any stressed mum or seasoned traveller will tell you, wipes rock harder than a Stooges-era Iggy. They are great for skin cleansing, quick refreshes and make-up correction. A favourite of mine, are Kiko’s innovative Energising Pure Clean; each tissue is impregnated with surface micro grains and give the skin a revitalizing massage as they cleanse. Alternatively, the divine, rosewater-infused In Transit: No Traces cleansing pads by This Works leave skin feeling super clean and soft, and even get rave reviews from people who don’t like wipes.
When it comes to your festival make-up, my manifesto remains steadfast; keep it simple and keep it multi-functional. Inspiration-wise, there can be only two; the slutty-eyed, bitten-lip, urban cool of the low slung, skinny-jeaned Kim Gordon wannabes versus the doe-eyed, peachy-tinged Bohemian beauty of the high-waisted, flares-donning Birkin clones. And with just a few, carefully considered products you can emulate either. To maintain that perfect base with minimal effort, look to the new generation of BB creams that nourish as they cover. FACE Stockholm’s BB cream has the added advantage of coming in a handy, mirrored compact, perfect for those impromptu touch-ups. Or, if by Day Two you need a little extra help, blend the tiniest amount of Sensual Skin Enhancer from 90s make-up legend, Kevyn Aucoin into the skin and watch last night’s excesses disappear before your bleary eyes.
No festival make-up bag is complete without a smudgy black eye pencil. I repeat, none. Sooty, kohl-ringed Cobain eyes always look better the day after the night before and MAC’s Smolder or Benefit’s Bad Gal are old skool classics. Use your finger to blend the remnants of yesterday’s pencil into a shadow sticks in a suitably smoky shade by Eyeko or Charlotte Tilbury for a more intense, Brody Dalle effect. Or, if you are getting your Marianne Faithfull on, use the same products to sketch a graphic socket onto a nude lid and over-emphasis lower lashes for a doll-like, fluttery finish. The smaller brush of MAC’s double-ended Haute & Naughty is perfect for this. Complete your look of choice with lashings of carbon black, natch, mascara on the upper lashes. The decadently-packaged YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils is waterproof, volumising and pigment intense. It also adds a touch of glamour to the grungiest of make-up bags.To add colour to lips and cheeks I like Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge. Try Uber Beige, Fresh Melon and Chocolate Cherry depending on whether you are channeling Nico, Francoise Hardy or Joan Jett, respectively. RMS, Stila and ArtDeco have also developed similar, convertible colour products that are worth checking out.
Now all that’s left is a beauty first-aid kit to go with the anti-bacterial gel, loo roll and rusty razor. For a quick skin-hydration carry a mineral water spray such as Evian or Avene. Or truly relive your youth with a rite of beauty passage purchase from the Body Shop for an immediate, Vitamin E- based boost. Add an all-purpose ointment (Lucas’ cult classic Paw Paw ointment is great for bites and, ahem, nappy rash), balm (try One Love Organics Skin Savior Waterless Balm), cream (I love Weleda’s Skin Food) or oil (Melvita L’or Bio Extraordinary Oil) for any and all skin-saving and hair-taming
emergencies. Finally, for the sake of your fellow tent dwellers, if you can’t face a cold water bucket-wash; DEODORISE! With Nuxe’s Long-Lasting Deodorant and Guniot’s Deo Epil Smart Anti Hair Regrowth Spray Deodorant you really have no excuse for not having fragant and stubble-free armpits.
And if, after all this advice, you decide spending a weekend in the company stinky portaloos, inadequate tentage and, to paraphrase our favourite Jarvis, excess brain-cell loss somewhere in a field in Hampshire, really isn’t for you there’s always ATP.
2 Comments
Georgina, I think your approve of my festival (and gym) essential
I take a pot of cotton pads which I personal with Bioderma, Ta dah!
However I will try thisworks ones I love theirs perfect legs and perfect face creams
I think you’d approve of my pot of cotton pads soaked in Bioderma – I mean ! Brain cells are still at festival sorry 😉