makeup musts during a music festival

I'm a huge music junkie.  I love seeing live music and jamming out (yes, I'm that cheesy girl that jams out) to my favorite bands.  And with the increasing popularity of music festivals spreading, there are plenty of opportunities to make some great musical memories.  In the past year alone, I've been lucky enough to camp out at +Bonnaroo, attend one of the +Gentlemen of the Road stopovers, and rock out at the +SweetWater 420 Fest...  So what does this have to do with makeup?!  Well, being the major makeup lover with a hippie heart that I am, I feel the need to share a few survival tips for when you inevitably attend a music festival (although this applies to all concerts, sporting events, and general outdoor shenanigans)...

• WEAR SUNSCREEN! I can't stress this enough. +Bonnaroo is held in June in the middle of a field in Tennessee... hello, sunshine!   There was no escaping it.  We had to keep reapplying the sunscreen in order to prevent serious burn.  You want to look young for as long as possible, don't you?!

• KEEP IT SIMPLE!  There really is no need to pile on layers of foundation in an attempt to look cute at a sweaty, stinky rock festival with a ton of other peeps just as sweaty and stinky rubbing up against you.  Let's face it. You're gonna sweat. So my suggestion is to opt for a light concealer (only where needed) and a BB Cream or tinted moisturizer to lightly even out skin tone but still look natural.

• HYDRATE!  This will not only do wonders for your skin but also help delay the hangover (we all know it's true) from hell that often endures long after the music stops.  But a key factor in maintaining young, supple skin is lots and lots and just a butt-load ton of water.  So remember to down a few bottles of water in between those brewskies.

• WATERPROOF!  As in everything...  mascara, eyeliner, brows.  If you do choose to wear these key makeup items during a  music festival (or hell, just a hot summer day) it is a really, really, really good idea to go for the waterproof (or water-resistant) choices.  I personally am so fair skinned that if I do not "put on" my eyebrows and eyelashes, they simply don't exist.  So at the very minimum I add these so I don't look like the walking dead as I display my sweet dance moves to my favorite songs.

And that my friends is just the basics.  Really, isn't it all about the music and the memories?!  Have fun and be prepared to enjoy whatever comes your way...  the sunny, warm days just as much as the rainy, wet ones!

SweetWater 420 Fest

SweetWater 420 Fest

Gentlemen of the Road Stopover

Bonnaroo

Bonnaroo or BUST

I feel like most people think I'm a total high maintenance chick because I love, LOVE makeup.  Don't get me wrong.  I can throw on a pair of heels and lashes and work it (for the girls).  But the reality of it is that I am pretty low key.  I prefer nights in with my BF, my mom is my best friend, and I would rather cook a meal at home than go to a fancy restaurant.  As a perfect example of this, the BF and I went to +Bonnaroo this past weekend. What exactly is +Bonnaroo you ask...  well, it's a giant hippie music festival of 80,000 people that is spread out over four days and I believe something like 700 acres in Manchester, TN.  At the Roo, I witnessed several of my favorite bands ignite the masses, saw some more than interesting things/people, wore zero makeup, slept in a tent, showered using a 5-gallon bottle of water... you get the idea.

  

So even though my life can be seem rather glamorous with photo shoots and beauty makeup, my love of live music and the simpler things in life put me in check as to what really matters in life... the people in our lives and the little moments that we experience on the daily.  I use makeup as an outlet for my creative side and I'm lucky enough to have it as my job.  I also love how makeup can empower women by enhancing self-esteem... something I strive to have as the basis of my career at all times.  Consider this a friendly reminder to stop and smell the roses from time to time...

life is best enjoyed with great people, great food, and great music!