There are plenty of cut off round ups and festival fashion recommendations out there, but how do you survive a festival, and still look fabulous while doing it?
As seasoned festival goers for over a decade, we’ve made the struggles year after year, to festivals all over the world, and perfected a kit of go-to items we simply could not survive without. We’ve mastered all the tricks of the industry, to stay clean, happy, and chic for an entire day, and are pumped to share them with you!
See you out there this summer!
Hunter Original Short Fringe Rain Boots, $200
Whatever the weather forecast shows about a week out, pack your boots. Trust us. You never know when a tropical storm can hit and make for a muddy disaster for your favourite strappy sandals. Even the driest of music festivals aren’t without their patches of mud!
Our favourite boots this season are from Hunter. They’ve really come leaps and bounds ahead since their original wellies first took everyone by storm in North America and these original fringe boots are not only fashionable with a fun fringe detailing on the front, but bonus, they also pack way easier than a tall boot will!
Mophie Powerstation $79
Music festivals suck for cell reception, so if you want to document your every move on instagram, you’re definitely going to need more than one full charge for your phone. We like a portable charger rather than one that comes within a case because you can generally get a couple extra charges.
We never leave home without our Mophie powerstation travel battery. It’s doesn’t weigh much more than a phone and can charge you up at least twice in about half an hour, plus they come in a range of cool colours and can also charge tablets and digital cameras. Power hungry iPhone 6 Plus users should opt for the largest variety available.
Diptyque Philosykos Travel Spray, $60
Music festivals aren’t the best smelling places, never mind the sweaty folks around you, but a girl has got to stay fresh! We like to carry our favourite refreshing Diptyque fig scent in travel form, small enough to conceal inside any bag, no matter how tiny. You’ll have to invest in the canister for these babies (which you can get here), but believe me, there’s nothing more restoring on a hot summer day, than a cool spritz of figgy goodness from Diptyque.
DUBS Acoustic Filters, $25
Not everyone can shell out the big bucks for custom ear buds like the rockstars wear, but that’s no excuse not to protect your precious hearing. According to the NIDCD one in eight people in the US has hearing loss in both ears already, that’s a scary statistic when you’re standing next to that speaker at a festival. DUBS makes some pretty amazing ear plugs, for the price, which they call acoustic filters which unlike most traditional earplugs filter the sound mechanically by Dynamic Attenuation. Instead of distorting and muffling sound, DUBS developed a proprietary combination of high and low pass filters to reduce volume while preserving the proper balance and clarity of the sound. Plus they come in four fun colours and look more like a blue tooth headphones.
Moscot Miltzen Crystal Sunglasses, $280
This may seem like an obvious one, but there is nothing worse than forgetting to throw on your sunglasses, especially when you only realize when you arrive on an island and the journey back (trust us, we’ve been there). Contrary to most lists like this, we suggest investing in a great pair of sunglasses that fit your face well and keep your eyes well protected. You’re going to be wearing them all day, so you don’t want a shitty throw-away pair that have your eyes hurting after a few hours.
We adore Moscot for their classic, vintage style frames, like these super iconic Miltzen Crystal shades first introduced in the 1930’s, made famous by Ghadhi, John Lennon, and Andy Warhol, to name just a few.
SUNSCREEN x 2
Because it’s almost always hot and sunny at a festival, it’s important to have, not one, but two sunscreens you absolutely love! There’s nothing worse than applying a stinky oily coconut something you absolutely hate, wishing you didn’t get it on your new dress, only have to re-apply later in the day all over again. Invest in a great sun screen that you’re going to want to put on, because forgetting isn’t fun when your skin is peeling off later.
For the face we just love RoC’s SOLEIL PROTEXION+ Velvet Moisturizer in SPF 30. With SPF 15 at the minimum, this lovely lightly scented SPF 30 goes on more like a moisturizer (after your face moisturizer, and before you make-up), without event the littlest of grease, you’ll hardly notice you’re fully protected from all those harmful rays. It’s also a nice compact size, so you can pack it in your carry-on and not get it taken away, like other bulk sized bottles. All that for $30 at the drugstore – pretty rad, right?
For the body, we like Kiehl’s Sun Protector Lotion Spray with SPF 30 SPF. It goes on clean, yet somewhat greasy, even though it’s a non-greasy formula, which we like for sunbathing and keeping your skin hydrated, without forgetting you’re protected all through the day even if you’re swimming for up to 80 minutes.
Be careful packing this one though, it comes in an 143ml size which isn’t huge in the suitcase, but it does violate the 100ml bottle limit when crossing boarders.
Sephora Express Cleansing To-Go Wipes, $5
Music festivals are dirty places so prevent the grime by carrying these handy to-go Sephora wipes with you. There aren’t always napkins around, and you never know when you’ll accidentally fall or get something super gross on your leather boots. These wipes can be used pretty much anywhere include the face, eyes, and lips, that means it’s perfectly acceptable to use on your dusty ankles and tidy your shoes after.