#FestivalFun | General Tips & Hints

Ok to conclude my #FestivalFun series, I'll leave you with a few top tips to get the most out of your festival experience

- Do your Research!
Doing a little research in advance of a festival can make a world of difference when you get there. While not absolutely necessary, it can be nice to know your favourite acts stage times or what types of food options there are so you don't miss any. Otherwise it is possible to completely miss some niche activity that's happening. If you don't know to look out for it, you can often miss it altogether!

- Have fun!
Everyone has their own expectations and plans for a festival, so even though you might go with a group of friends, don't be afraid to head off on your own and immerse yourself in whatever interests you. Don't just go with the crowd!

Ferris Wheel, Electric Picnic 2012

- Stay hydrated!
Between all the singing, dancing and general sun exposure you'll probably need to consume more water than you usually do. If you're not a big fan of water, you can always bring a small bottle of cordial with you, so you can turn any boring bottle of water into something a little tastier.

- Protect your Skin!
Even if it's cloudy or doesn't seem too warm, you're going to be out in the sun for lengths of time. It's important to make sure you're protecting your skin from the sun's harmful rays. You can bring a bigger bottle for the tent (you can even co-ordinate to share with friends), but it's definitely no harm having a small travel bottle in your day bag too!

- Drink Responsibly!
While a lot of people drink at festivals and that is perfectly fine, know your limits. Have fun, try lots of different drinks, but be sure to drink sensibly. You're not in your usual surroundings, so you're more likely to get lost or disorientated with a few drinks. Keep up with water at the same time to make sure you're pacing yourself. Not only is good to keep hydrated anyway, but your head will thank you the following day. So you can straight back to dancing around the next morning!

Biergarten, Electric Picnic 2012

- Be safe!
Ensure to keep all your valuables on you at all times, a tent isn't exactly impenetrable. Don't leave anything of value behind. More importantly of course, make sure you yourself stay safe. All the usual rules apply for looking out for yourself and be sure to keep friends abreast of your plans so they will realise if you've been gone too long, etc. It's also helpful to have some pre-planned meeting points throughout the festival should you get separated or your phone battery dies, etc. Use food stall, flags, etc. for reference.

Body & Soul @ Electric Picnic 2012

- Find a good camping spot!
You want to make a few observations before setting up camp. While you want to be relatively close to everything, there are a couple of things you ought to be aware of. Do not set up too close to walkways or toilets as a basic rule of thumb. You run a higher risk of having your tent trampled on. You also don't want to camp too close to the periphery either, the male population will use the fencing as an over-sized urinal. Additionally while it can be handy to camp near some kind of reference point like a tree (so with a few drinks later on, the spot is easily identifiable), you want to be careful as yet again, this will become a popular urinal spot. So use your surroundings as a reference point for sure, but try be in the middle of other tents. This year I'm really looking forward to trying out eco-camping, there's no additional cost, but we along with our fellow eco campers have agreed to leave no trace behind, so it will be a nice change from the usual messiness we have to wake up to!

Andy Warhol Campsite, Electric Picnic 2011

So all that's left to do now guys is pack! Are you all ready to go? Do you have any final tips?


For the rest of the #FestivalFun series please see below:

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

#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)

First Impressions | Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Why hello there. Apologies for the delay in getting my next post up. I've had somewhat of a blogging break. I thought nothing better to get back in the swing of things than skin care, back to basics.

Without further ado, I present the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This is Garnier's answer to the cult beauty cleansing water from Bioderma. However lucky for those of us in Ireland, the Garnier alternative is much easier to get your hands on (and much cheaper).

Firstly lets look at the product itself, it is a little over €6 to buy a 400ml bottle (although at the moment it's one-third off in Boots). It is an all over cleanser, so you can also use it to remove eye make up too. It is suitable for sensitive skin and is fragrance free. It states you get 200 uses from 1 bottle, I think that is definitely overstating, the price is excellent for the amount of product!

Now onto my impressions. I have used this for a few days now, so I mean I don't think my view is going to change all that much. I absolutely love this cleanser. It doesn't feel as drying as some cleansers while also not leaving that oily residue behind either. I find it easily takes off all my makeup. Of course as I'm sure you can imagine, if I'm wearing waterproof mascara, I will need to give it an extra bit of attention. But I find that this product does not irritate my skin or my eyes, which is of course very important.

I have now added this to my skincare routine as the first step before I cleanse my skin with my favourite cleansing balm. I don't see it ever leaving my routine, unless something revolutionary comes along in the meantime. While this cleanser may not re-invent the wheel, it is a winner for me. It's a speedy way to remove my makeup, does not irritate and I do not need to use a separate eye make up remover. What more could a gal ask for?

How about you, have you tried this water?
What's your first impression?

Best of Beauty Blog Challenge | Beauty Treatment

Ok this week (the penultimate edition) of Best of Beauty Blog Challenge looks at your Favourite Beauty Treatment, be it waxing, facial, massage, etc. In this instance, it was no contest for me, I definitely prefer a relaxing facial. There's nothing like it as far as I'm concerned. It's relaxing, it's rejuvenating, it brings your skin back to life. I don't know, I just feel properly looked after once I've had a facial. And there's usually a massage element in it for your face, neck, arms and sometimes even hands. It's just uber relaxing and you feel incredibly replenished afterwards (I promise all the alliteration isn't intentional).

As I have dehydrated skin, I love how soft and supple my skins feels after a good facial. This post along with the pamper products post, made me realise I do need to pamper myself a bit more. So I expect to book myself in somewhere in the coming weeks. Since I was really happy after getting my hair done at Burgundy Beauty, I may get something extra done with my next hair appointment.

I have actually done a recent DIY pampering evening myself, so I'll pop up a post about that tomorrow, be sure to check back! If you want to see everyone who is taking part, be sure to check out the post on Samantha's page over on All The Buzz.

So that really sums up my favourite treatment. What about you, what's your favourite treatment to have done at a salon?

Best of Beauty Blog Challenge | Princess Product

Welcome to Week 5 of the #BOBBlogChallenge. Over the half way mark now, only 3 more weeks to. So another relatively short one this week as it only focuses on 1 high end product (whether makeup or skincare) that you would consider a princess product.

So if you saw my recent haul post, you will recognise this Chanel Hydra Beauty Serum. So I've been using it for about 3 weeks now and I'm in love!

After I've cleansed my face with Clinique Cleansing Balm, I put 2 pumps of this onto my face and let it soak in before applying my moisturiser. As the name would suggest it's for hydrating your skin, I have always said I have dry skin, but I've discovered it's quite possible I just have dehydrated skin. My skin has literally never felt so good, I don't have the same tightness or my makeup drying into my skin in patches anymore. This product has honestly changed my skin like no other has before.

Now as the title suggests, it is a princess product, so as far as serums go, it's pretty expensive. You can pick this up at a Chanel counter for €78. But I think it's worth every penny.


Have you ever used this serum?
Perhaps you have some great recommendations for a hydrating serum at a more affordable price?

Best of Beauty Blog Challenge | Skin Care Saviours

I'm very excited to be getting involved in a Blogger challenge as this is my first one ever. It is the brain child of the fabulous Samantha over at All The Buzz. It is an 8 week challenge, and as the title of this post suggests, it's the "Best of Beauty Blog Challenge". You can find everyone who is involved through Twitter via the hashtag #BOBBlogChallenge.

For this post I am going to talk about my one true Skin Care Saviour and that's the Clinique Take Off The Day Cleansing Balm. It has changed my skin care routine forever. I have been using it for 6 months now and I can't imagine how I ever went without.

I first heard about it from the YouTuber, A Model Recommends and have never looked back. As with all cleansing balms, it is quite a lard-like consistency. Once you take an amount into your hands however, it melts from the heat of your skin. So when you massage it into your face, it is more of an oil-like consistency. Fear not if you suffer from oily skin, this cleanser is suitable for all skin types. It does not leave your skin feeling oily, just incredibly refreshed.

When I've finished massaging it all over my face (including my eyes), I use a damp piece of cotton to remove the balm. I know a lot of people use cloths of various kinds, but to be honest I have an excess of cotton pads at home and the nice lady at the Clinique counter actually suggested dampening a cotton pad, so I went with it and it works a treat so far anyway. One of my favourite things about this cleanser is that I can use it to remove waterproof mascara, which means the cleansing process only requires one product instead of an extra step using eye makeup remover. In summary, I would recommend this product to everyone. It retails for €28 in boots and lasts for over 2 months. An excellent investment as far as I'm concerned!


Have you ever used cleansing balms, what is your favourite one?
What is your holy grail skin care product?