The 12 best festival beauty products to rock at Glastonbury 2022
Glastonbury is back and with it the opportunity to indulge in the type of festival beauty we've been craving during the pandemic: glitter-embellished cheekbones, perfectly undone hairstyles and painterly bright makeup that’s the equivalent of dopamine dressing for your face.
But a little planning goes a long way when packing your beauty arsenal for a couple of days spent camping in a field. Less-than-stellar shower facilities, weather conditions that can switch from hot and dusty to torrential rain in the blink of an eye mean you need to hit that elusive sweet spot of packing light and still managing to pack for all eventualities.
From vibrant colours to funky symbols.
A two-year hiatus due to Covid-19 cancellations has also given us pause to rethink how sustainable our festival beauty essentials really are. One report has revealed that UK festivals alone create a staggering 23,500 tonnes of waste each year (with most of it going to landfill). Given that thousands of wet wipes and face wipes litter UK beaches and waterways each year, you won’t find either in our edit of the best products to add to your festival beauty kit. But what you will discover are some game-changing sustainable alternatives to your usual festival fare – think an innovative mist that turns tissue (or loo roll) into a body wipe!
If you’re feeling out of practice with exactly what beauty essentials to pack, or the thought of mastering tent-proof hair is making you break out in a sweat, we’ve got you covered.
Ahead our edit of the best festival beauty essentials that are travel-friendly, multi-tasking and all-importantly make you feel your freshest and most glamorous for whoever’s playing on the main stage, even if (whisper it) the great British weather doesn’t play ball.
The best festival beauty buys to keep your hair, skin and makeup game strong:
Eleanor WilsonThe body wipe in a bottle
Luna Daily The Everywhere Spray-to-Wipe, £8, Asos
Trust us, this product will change your life. The eco-alternative to single use cleansing wipes, a few spritzes of this soap-free mist instantly turns any tissue into a biodegradable wipe. Developed with gynaecologists and dermatologists, it’s charged with mineral-rich thermal water, vitamin E and prebiotics, and is suitable for freshening up the whole body, including intimate areas.
Save when you shop with these ASOS discount codes.
The waterproof mascara
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara Waterproof, £11.49, Look Fantastic
Whether you’re crying tears of joy at seeing Billie Eilish or dancing in a rainstorm, you’ll want a waterproof mascara in your rucksack. This one went viral for a reason: it mimics extensions for super long lashes you can see in your peripheral vision and won’t budge all night.
Save when you shop with these LookFantastic discount codes.
The do-it-all palette
Nars Summer Unrated Blush/Bronzer Duo, £37, Nars
This multi-purpose pocket-sized compact does half the work for you. Use the pink shade as eyeshadow and blusher, while the bronzer breathes new life into the most tired skin and easily doubles up as brown eyeliner to define your lash line.
The colourful eyeliner
NYX Professional Makeup Epic Wear Semi Permanent Liquid Liner in Sapphire, £9, Cult Beauty
Whether you opt for graphic or winged liner, the only rule this summer is make it colourful. Waterproof and smudge-proof, this liquid liner dries down to a punchy matte finish that never drags uncomfortably over your lids.
Save when you shop with these Cult Beauty discount codes.
The glow-giving sunscreen
Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ Luminising Serum Skinscreen, £36, Cult Beauty
Sunscreen is mandatory whatever the weather forecast. Remember it’s not just sunburn you need to worry about but UVA rays, which are present even on cloudy days and are the main cause of pigmentation and ageing. Highlighter is also a ubiquitous festival must-have so imagine a product where the befits of both are wrapped up in one bottle. Queen Screen has a featherlight serum-like consistency, vitamin C-rich kakadu plum and SPF filters – plus it makes your skin look like you mixed a few drops of highlighter into your skincare. It even smells like roses, so reapplying it will be sheer joy.
Save when you shop with these Cult Beauty discount codes.
The hand sanitiser
Aesop Resurrection Rinse-Free Hand Wash, £7, Cult Beauty
This is hands-down the OG of hand sanitisers for cleansing on the move. There’s no overpowering smell of alcohol, just the spa-like scent of mandarin rind, rosemary and cedar wood. It’s a small but worthwhile luxury to invest in when you’re feeling a bit grubby.
Save when you shop with these Cult Beauty discount codes.
The oil-blotting Beautyblender
Beautyblender Blotterazzi, £17, Beauty Bay
When you’re sitting on your boyfriend’s shoulders in front of the Pyramid Stage the last thing you want to be worried about is mopping your oily t-zone with a powder and brush. Used dry, this washable and reusable alternative to blotting papers, helps to set your makeup and absorbs excess sebum in the heat. Bonus points for the handy mirror in its carry case.
Save when you shop with these Beauty Bay discount codes.
The all-in-one dry shampoo and texturising spay
Hershesons Zhoosh Foam, £14, Hershesons
When queuing for the shower block isn’t top of your list of priorities, rub this all-in-one dry shampoo and texturising spray into dry hair for a cool lived-in look. The innovative powder-to-foam technology disappears in seconds, eliminates greasy roots and restores volume and shape to limp strands with zero stickiness or crunchiness.
The monodose skincare kit
Wo Skincare The Skin Hero Set, £53.60, We Are Wo
These 28-day portion-sized doses of cleanser, serum and eye cream mean you can still use serious targeted skincare on the go without packing multiple bottles. The Daily Base Comfort Balm can be used as a cleanser and moisturiser morning and night. The Intense Hydrating Essence steps in to re-plump parched skin and the Eye Contour Perfecting Essence minimises the look of dark circles after sitting in a field with friends all night. Oh, and if you thought monodosing was bad for the environment, think again – not only are these sachets recyclable, they’re also made from recycled PET.
The toothpaste tabs
Toothpaste Tabs, from £8, Parla Pro
You may be at Glastonbury but that doesn’t mean oral hygiene takes a backseat. Instead of wasting time squeezing out the last dregs of toothpaste from a tube, try this game changer. Tooth paste tabs are essentially a dehydrated form of toothpaste that foams up in your mouth after a few seconds worth of chewing and brushing with a wet toothbrush. Better still, these ones contain both vitamin E and vitamin B12, both of which are intrinsic when it comes to supporting a healthy immune system. And we all know how important that is after days gorging on fast food.
The eco-friendly hair wipes
Sam McKnight’s Lazy Girl Hair Cleanse Cloths, £17, Sam McKnight
Dry shampoo is great for second-day hair, but after three or four days in a trot you may want to reach for something a bit more, well, cleansing. Simply swipe these vegan wipes across your roots, fringe or hairline to mop up oil and dust, then toss them in the bin with a clear conscience knowing that they’re made of tree pulp cellulose that biodegrades in six weeks. The scent deserves a special mention, too. Who needs perfume when a single hair flick release puffs of fresh herbs, watery flowers and grounding woods into the air?
The biodegradable glitter
EcoStardust Super Chunky Holo Biodegradable Glitter, £7, Eco Stardust
No festival beauty look would be complete without a smattering of glitter on the face, body and hair. Luckily, we're not the only ones who think the only shimmery things in the sea should be a shell's mother-of-pearl finish. EcoStardust is the world’s first-ever plant-based freshwater holographic glitter, meaning it biodegrades quickly and safely in freshwater environments.
