Festival Edit (ish)

Right, so I haven't actually been to any festivals this year but I WISH I was so I'm playing dress up and styling a festival look whilst pretending I'm at Bestival... or End of the Road... or Sziget, or Wilderness, or Coachella, or SGP or ANY of the above where I can dress like a rainbow princess and run around covered in flowers and feathers without a second glance. 

Amazingly, quite a lot of festivals take place in September despite the temperamental UK weather which means its really a perfect way to round off the Summer and see it out with a bang. This outfit is definitely geared towards a warmer climate because lets not lie, it's quite revealing (for me anyway), so I felt it would be perfect for something like Sziget Festival in Budapest which I went to last year. Sziget was a DREAM. I absolutely hate camping but because Sziget is based on a tiny island with really quick and easy connections to the city, my pals and I just bought day passes and got a cheap taxi back to our hotel in the centre at the end of the night. Simples. That is my kind of festival. No collapsing tents, no dealing with portaloos in the middle of the dark night, showers galore, and no sharing sleeping quarters with an insane amount of mosquitos. And in England, an insane amount of mud and rain should you get unlucky with the weather.

Of course the weather in Hungary in August was beautiful so swimwear was definitely a must; not only does the festival have tons of great bands, DJs and food, but they also have watersports, craft tents, games, rides, everything you could think of. We didn't end up doing any watersports or swimming but I still stripped down to my bikini and shorts for a spot of sunbathing while listening to the Hungarian sensation that is Punanny Massive. I kid you not. I'm not as brave as a lot of festival-goers so felt this red lace dress (from the Coachella collection at H&M) was ideal for covering up a little especially when the night cooled down. Combined with the printed swimsuit and colourful headscarf, I felt like a magical unicorn and was ready to dance into the night (in my dreams).

  

My wonderful experience over in Budapest definitely inspired this outfit and I wore it to Sziget in spirit, and thought I'd share it with you incase you need some festival inspiration ahead of any taking place in your part of the world this month.

As well as this, I made a little capsule collection of make up and accessories which I feel are essential if you want to look (and smell) your best at a festival without having to worry about plastering on full faces of make up or faffing around with showers. Mini sample sizes are perfect for festivals or camping trips because they obviously weigh close to nothing and it doesn't really matter if you lose them; which in my experience is preeeetty likely. 

Festival Make Up & Beauty Essentials

Benefit Pore-fessional License to Blot - Blotting Stick

Sweat, oil, clogged pores - the curses of camping and not showering. I love this blotting stick precisely because it is a stick and as easy to apply as a chapstick - just swipe over your t-zone or any moist spots and within minutes you've got a lovely matte finish on your face and no visible nasties. It also minimizes the appearcen of pores, which is why I swear by it everyday as well as for festivals or trips away.

Label M - Shine Spray

Let's be honest, no one showers at festivals, and everyone gets smelly with greasy hair. Dry shampoo is definitely a great option, but if you want to give your hair back some of it's lustre this Label M shine spray does the trick. Quick spritz after dry-shampooing and your hair looks good as new! No one will ever know...

Bare Minerals - miniature foundation powder & brush

Festivals tend to be sweaty places, whether it's the due to the climate or the intense dancing and jumping around, make up rarely stays where it's supposed to. This loose powder foundation from Bare Minerals is super easy to dust over your face and absorbs any unwanted moisture (sweat) as well as not leaving your face feeling too sticky and warm in the sun which a lot of liquid foundations can cause. The tiny sample size pot and brush I have are again essential as they take up barely any space and you probably won't even need to bring it home at the end of the trip. 

LAQA & Co - Cheeky Lip

This lip colour stick is amazing for festivals - quick and easy to apply, it's a soothing balm (great for sun chapped lips) but with a lovely splash of colour that does actually last a while. Above anything, it almost combines lipstick with balm so you've no need for both.

Lush - Charity Pot

Lush sells these at the counters in all their stores, and as the name suggests the proceeds go to charity which is a good a reason as any to fork out a whole ONE POUND for it. This tiny little pot of goodness is sweet smelling mosturiser which you can use anywhere. The tiny pot is the perfect quantity for a couple of days away and as a multi-purpose mosituriser you don't need to worry about bringing multiple products to help out any sun damaged skin.

MUA - blusher

I can't actually see what this shade is called, but I'm sure it's one of the palest. I was dubious of MUA's cheap prices at first but this tiny blusher actually has very good pigment and surprisingly good staying power. Again, at only £1 (seriously!) it's not even worth bringing home again so it's excellent even if you do lose it. Why bring all your fancy bits with you if they might go missing in the mud!?

Right, I'm in Bristol for a few days now so I'm off to go to the zoo to visit my favourite bats and red pandas eeeeee. Hopefully I'll have another post up over the weekend, I don't have my camera in Bristol though so will have to make do with the good old iphone. Till then! :) x