#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 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)

Best of Beauty Blog Challenge | Hair Heroes

Ok so we're on to Week 2 of the #BOBBlogChallenge started by the amazing Sam over at All The Buzz. This week focuses on Hair Heroes.

So when it comes to hair maintenance I wash my hair with shampoo and then condition (the ends) with whatever brand I have on the go. So far I have yet to be tied down to any particular brand. It's moreso the after shower maintenance where I've made some long term commitments! Once I've towel dried my hair, I spray it with Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner and comb it through. It's perfect as a de-tangler and helps to give my highlighted hair some shine. Not to mention it smells fabulous!

Next I use TRESemmé Heat Protector. I find it works well for me and leaves a nice finish on my hair. What I particularly like is the spray you get from the product. I have found a lot of other brands, the spray fire out the spray in a concentrated line, thus giving you spots with loads of product and other areas with none. The fine mist with this product is perfect.

When it comes to combing these products through my hair, I couldn't be without my Tangle Teezer. While I feel more like I'm combing a horse's mane than a head of hair (due to the lack of a handle), I cannot argue with the results. I absolutely love this comb. I don't know how I did without one before, as I only have it less than a year, but I certainly won't go back. The version I have here is the travel one, so it's perfect for taking with you on the go, as the little cover stops the bristles from being bent or damaged. I would recommend this to everyone, I find it much less stressful on my hair than a wide tooth comb. It is also amazing for detangling my hair, which used to be quite the nightmare as I have highlights.

So while some of the other products I use change week in, week out, these three are consistently part of my hair care routine! And I don't see that changing for some time.


So what are you hair care heroes that you cannot be without?

Blogtober #23 | Hair Care Essentials

Only a week or so to go now left in #Blogtober! I thought I would share with you a couple of my hair care essentials. Outside of shampoo/conditioner, what items I use in my daily hair care routine.

The first two products I use after the shower, Aussie Leave-In Conditioner & TRESemmé Heat Protector. I adore the smell the conditioner and it's perfect as a de-tangler. Then the heat protector works wells, leaves a nice finish on my hair and I really like the large spray. I have tried a few that fire out in a line and you find you have lumps here and there of product. The spray on this leaves a fine mist over the hair, it's perfect!

Then on the right I have the ever popular Batiste Dry Shampoo. It's of course great for in between washes, but on top of that, you can use it to help build volume in your hair. Finally I have the Alberto V05 Hair Spray. I think this spray is great for holding my hair without leaving too much residue or making my hair flaky.

Do you use of any these products?
What's in your essential hair care collection?

April Favourites - Hair Care

Summer is finally here, the sun is starting to make an appearance, yay! So I'm sharing with you my favourite hair products from April 2013.

I am only recently getting into using products on my hair, despite many many years of blow drying, bleaching and straightening it. I am finally giving it the love and attention it deserves!

Alberto V05 - High Volume Hair Spray - Extra Strong Hold

I think this hair spray is great for getting the achieved affect without being too heavy or clumpy in your hair. It holds a style in place without leaving too much product sitting on top of your hair. It also doesn't make your hair feel hard or give it that wet look. I find it allows me to create a very natural looking style that lasts.

Batiste - Dry Shampoo - Original
Dry Shampoo is a genius invention. It's great for a pick-me-up, when you want to re-style your hair or when your hair is looking a bit greasy. You can use it to volumise your hair to create a fuller look. At the end of a long day,  you can spritz it into your hair to allow you to re-style it. As I find over-handling your hair can make it look greasy, even if it's only freshly washed that morning. And of course when you're hair is looking a bit greasy and your stuck for time, it is a great alternative. I will usually try wash my hair every other day to allow the natural oils a chance to do their job! This is a great option for that middle day. If I have time, I leave it in for a few minutes before brushing through, but if time is of the essence, I will make sure to properly distribute it through my roots using my fingers.

TRESemmé  - Styling Spray - Heat Defence
As someone who always blow drys and straightens their hair it is criminal that I have not been using a heat protection spray before now. Now that I've discovered TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray I won't be looking back. I find once I've used my straightener now, my hair has a much softer finish. Even after the first use I found my hair looked healthier and less damaged. The ends don't look so dried out. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who using heated tools on their hair!

Star buy: TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray

So what hair care products have you been using lately? 

Do you have any product suggestions for me?