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Music Festival Beauty Essentials: What to Pack in Your Makeup Bag

Alright, so now that we’ve gone over what to wear to Coachella, let’s talk about what beauty products to pack in your makeup bag. After more than four years of attending music festivals, I’ve learned that it’s best to pack light and only take your beauty essentials. For me, it’s all about minimal makeup, glowy skin, and a matte finish.

All the items on this list are TSA-friendly because I know many of us fly from out of state or out of the country to attend festivals. Even if you’re attending an event in-state, I highly recommend taking travel sizes of your favorite beauty products to cut down on weight. Plus, if your makeup products get ruined during the festival fiasco, it’s easier to part with a mini version than the full-size product.

Let’s dive into what’s in my music festival makeup bag.

1. Cactus Makeup Bag

AOA Clear Cactus Makeup Pouch ($1.00) For those of you who don’t know, I am obsessed with cacti, so naturally, this is my music festival makeup bag of choice. Plus, I love how it’s clear so that both my friendly neighborhood TSA agent and I can see exactly what’s inside. For a dollar, you really can’t beat the price.

2. Gel Moisturizer

H2O+ Beauty Drink It Up Oasis Mini Favorites ($25.00) I took a sample size of the Oasis Hydrating Treatment with me to Miami for Ultra last year, fell in love with it, and ended up ordering the full size after I got back. This quickly absorbing moisturizer has a water-gel consistency that feels so cooling and satisfying on a hot festival day. All day hydration has never felt better.

I also took the cleanser from the Oasis Mini Favorites kit with me and it was so gentle on my skin while removing my makeup. My face felt so fresh and clean afterward. This set is perfect for festivals.

3. Sunscreen

Drunk Elephant Umbra Sunscreen SPF 30 ($30.00) Sunscreen is an absolute must to protect your skin! Premature aging? Sunspots? Darkened acne scars? We don’t know them thanks to sunscreen. I highly recommend using a physical sunscreen instead of a chemical sunscreen, especially if you have oily and/or acne-prone skin, because it’ll bounce the UVA and UVB rays away from your face instead of trapping heat on the surface of your skin. One of the last things you want at a music festival is to overheat. If you walk away from this post retaining nothing other than making sure to wear sunscreen, then my job here is done.

4. Mattifying Primer

H2O+ Beauty Rapids Probiotic Mattifier ($22.00) To all my oily skin peeps, listen up. This primer will change your life. No, really. I apply a pea size amount of this primer to my T-zone and give it a minute or two to set from a gel to powder consistency before doing my makeup. It keeps my skin looking flawless and shine-free all day, which is exactly what I need at a music festival where I’ll be hot and sweaty! I don’t even use powder to set my makeup when using this mattifier. A 2-in-1 that cuts down on my makeup routine? Give. It. To. Me.

5. Concealer

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer ($27.00) If I’m breaking out or having a bad skin day and want some coverage, I lightly dot this concealer all over my face and eyes, blend it out, and I’m good to go. No cakey look or heavy feeling here! This is the only concealer I’ve tried that keeps my face matte and looks great all day, and even the next day. Yes, I’ve slept in it while camping at a music festival. Not my proudest skincare moment but moving on…

6. Mascara

Stila Huge Extreme Mascara ($23.00) For festivals, I prefer to stay away from eyeshadows since they’re more likely to crease and melt off on my oily lids. This has been my holy grail mascara for the past six months because it makes my lashes so long that I always get compliments on them and people mistake them for falsies. I don’t apply mascara on my lower lashes to avoid smudging, so a few coats of mascara on my upper lashes is all I need to complete my eye look.

7. Brow Gel

Benefit Cosmetics 24-HR Brow Gel ($24.00) My brows are already naturally full, so I’m skipping the brow pencil and using only a clear brow gel to shape and keep my brows in place all day. I have pesky brow hairs at the front of my brows that have a mind of their own and tilt inward, so I love having a product that helps them stay straight. If your brows need some extra color, Benefit’s Gimme Brow is a great alternative!

8. Lip Balm

Pixi Beauty Nourishing Lip Polish ($12.00) Dry, desert heat meet chapped lip central. To keep my lips smooth and hydrated, I like using Pixi Beauty’s Lip Polish, which has an exfoliating applicator that stimulates circulation and plumps up my lips. Between eating food and dancing all day, I can’t be bothered to constantly check if my lipstick has worn off and try to find a mirror to touch it up. Lip balm is the way to go.

9. Highlighter

H2O+ Beauty Rapids Probiotic Champagne Illuminator ($22.00) This jelly highlighter has a lightweight consistency and adds a natural, desert-ready glow to my skin. I like to use my ring finger to dab this along my cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, and bridge of my nose. You can even apply it to your inner corners to make your eyes pop. The best part? It’s made with champagne. Cheers to that!

10. Fixing Spray

Pixi Beauty Makeup Fixing Mist ($15.00) This one is optional, but so worth mentioning and packing because this mist extends the wear of your makeup and helps it stay intact all day. Also, it’s fun and addicting to keep spraying all over your face because it’s so refreshing. Tip: Store it in the fridge before starting your makeup for an cooling sensation.

Bonus Products

Here are some of my favorite skincare must-haves to reenergize tired and dry festival skin. Put these on after a long day of dancing and your skin will thank you.

What are your music festival beauty essentials? Let me know in the comments!

This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. Lindsay McGlamery

    Thanks for the tips! I will definitely use them whenever I go to Music Festivals.

    1. Queen Shirin

      You’re welcome! Glad to help.

      xo Shirin

    1. Queen Shirin

      Sunscreen is a definite must have! Right? I love that cactus makeup bag! Such a steal for $1.

      xo Shirin

  2. maria

    I have recently been seeing H2O+ brands getting good reviews. Soo tempting to try out your recommendations.

    1. Queen Shirin

      Oo that’s so exciting more people are speaking about H2O+ Beauty! They’re seriously so underrated. Definitely try out the Probiotic Mattifier if you have oily skin!

      xo Shirin

  3. Samantha M

    Great post!! My husband and I are going to an all day outdoor concert in July, so these are great ideas for me to have. Definitely going to get some of that sunscreen.

    1. Queen Shirin

      Thanks, Samantha! Oh, how fun! Yes, definitely gotta have sunscreen. The Drunk Elephant one is really nice and blends into the skin so easily. I hope you and your husband have a blast at that concert!

      xo Shirin

  4. Stormie

    Loved this post! That gel moisturizer sounds like it is everything! I will definitely need that this summer since I live in Texas! XO and Stay FAB!

    Stormie J | http://www.sofabulouslysweet.com

  5. Chloe

    I’d definitely say a setting spray is a must! It can get so hot and sweaty at a festival! x

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