Music Festival Fashionable

I’ll admit it. I’m a hippie at heart. Not a “mother nature let’s go camping” hippie… but a “damn right I’d love to go to another music festival” hippie.

I love live music, and I LOVE the vibe you get at big fests. So far I’ve done Langerado, Rock the Bells, and the photo you see here is me on the hottest day of Lollapalooza. What’s next on my festival calendar? Hopefully Austin City Limits, Coachella, and the big one – Bonnaroo! I dare to dream.

In the few fests I’ve attended, I’ve picked up some tips for beauty loving bellas. Things can get pretty grody pretty fast. Here are my top 5 tips for surviving with your swag in tact.

1 — SUNSCREEN is a MUST. Festivals are always in the summertime, when the sun’s at its most scorching. If you don’t slather on the SPF you’re just ruining your skin. I saw so many beet red OMG you’re so gonna peel faces at Lolla, it wasn’t even funny. I came armed with Coppertone Nutrashield Faces in SPF 70 +, and emerged on the other side of these three scalding days relatively unscathed.

2 — Stay hydrated. Sure, the temptation at fests is to get inebriated, sure you’re gonna slurp down some cocktails before, during, and after the music is played. But it’s so important to drink non-intoxicants throughout.

I’ve seen people pass out before, and it doesn’t look like fun. Don’t let that be you! Lollapalooza was partially sponsored by Sweet Leaf tea, and the mint and honey blend kept me sustained. When I wasn’t guzzling iced tea, I was drinking water. Sure that means you’ll eventually have to experience the horrors of a portapotty, but that was already in the cards anyway. Hold your breath, it’ll be over soon.

3 — Don’t dress to be cute, dress to get down! Wear light, breathable fabrics. Pair those with shoes that make sense. I can’t tell you HOW many lonely, abandoned flip flops I saw mired in the muck caused by Friday’s all day rain at Lollapalooza. In crowds of that magnitude and heat of that temperature, sandals just aren’t smart anyway — your poor feet are going to get sunburned and possibly crushed by the madding crowd. Sneakers and socks are best. And take it from me, wear thick socks that come up high enough to protect your feet. I got quite the nasty achilles heel blister at Lollapalooza. Took days to heal.

I prefer to wear a dress or long skirt (doubles as a kind of blanket when you want to sit on the grass. I was comfy in a dirty skirt by night’s end, while my friends in shorts wound up covered in grass, mud, and crud).

4 — Think about your thighs. A friend of mine had to deal with the dreaded “chub rub.” You know, when you’re walking all day and your thighs rub together. Prolonged chub rub can lead to a vicious rash, and nobody wants that. I chose to wear spandex tights under my dress, but under those circumstances a little Gold Bond powder can be your best friend. Via the Plain Dealer I’ve learned about a product called Bodyglide, but I haven’t actually tried it myself. It’s not a fun topic, but it’s better to think about this before you feel the burn (so to speak).

5 — Wear makeup and beauty products that last. I am a big, big fan of Dove Clinical Protection — it lasts forever, and the wild rose scent is soft, subtle and pretty. And for makeup, I used all my make my makeup last tricks. Primer galore, followed by gel eyeliner, and lipliner. Finish it up with the score of all scores — in the kit for my latest Beautyfix, there was Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray, which made my look last all day long. I highly recommend it.

Have you done the all day music fest thang before? How have you survived? What’s the next thing-to-do on your concert schedule!