Reading Fest 2016 Packing and Makeup!

I've never been to a festival before, so of course I've done so much research concerning what to pack and what makeup is best, and I thought I'd pass on the info I've collected onto any of you who might be interested!

Clothes

While the festival might only be for 3 days but my friends and I got early entry passes so we'll be there from the wednesday til monday, which means I'm gonna need way more stuff, so I've had to plan my outfits carefully to reduce the amount of stuff I'm gonna have to carry.

A staple piece that I'm bringing is a pair of Levi's recycled black high waisted (not sure if they're meant to be high waisted but I'm 4'10 so I have no torso) shorts that I bought from Urban Outfitters in the sale. They no longer have them on the website but they still have the blue denim version here - Urban Renewal Vintage Originals Blue Raw Edge Levi's Shorts - £36. They were meant to be £36 but were reduced to £10 in the sale, and then I got 10% student discount to make them £9! They're so comfy, and because they're black I can wear them with pretty much any top, and with tights underneath if it's too cold for bare legs.

Photo from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk
Black Levi Shorts

I then have a bunch of different crop tops that I can pair with the shorts to make simple outfits.

Blue crop top from Zara

Stripey black and white top from Primark

As stand alone items I have a floral dress (super old from H&M), and a floral playsuit from Boohoo that can be found here.

Boohoo Bell Sleeve Playsuit - photo from www.boohoo.co.uk

I'm also going to take an old pair of jeans. I know everyone says not to take jeans but I have some really comfy old ones that I'll happily burn afterwards, it could get cold and I'll be the one laughing when I have toasty denim covered legs. I'll wear them on the train there as they'll be the heaviest clothing item so I don't have to carry them. Going with the theme of old bottoms - leggings. Comfy, versatile, comfy, cheap and comfy. Wear them outside, wear them in the tent when it's too cold for one layer. I'm going to steal one of my boyfriend's hoodies that I can wear to keep warm or to use as a makeshift pillow (thanks Adam). Also many pairs of socks, I hate cold feet, and in wellies you need some nice thick socks so you don't get blisters. One thing I don't have yet but need to get is a waterproof coat/rain mac.

Speaking of wellies, lets get onto shoes. When I first looked at the weather, it said that during Reading it would be pure sunshine and rainbows. Now the weather is apparently leaning towards showers and thunder, which is ideal if you hate life. So, I'll be opting for a classing pair of wellies, which I'm borrowing from my mum (lol) because she has a snazzy pair of green Joules wellies, something like these.

photo of the snazzy wellies from https://www.shoetique.co.uk/

 In case the rain subsides for a while and the grass is dry, then I'll be opting for a pair of these converse-style low tops from New Look that I've had for ages and are wrecked already, so I won't mind binning them afterwards. Yes, they're on the teens section from New Look, and yes, I'm a 20 year old with feet smaller than my 10 year old sister. (I'm a size 2 for those of you who are interested - it's cute but try getting nice heels).

Mine are exactly the same as these but covered in grey/black smudges.
Photo from www.newlook.co.uk

And last but not least, it wouldn't be a festival without a bumbag! Found this beauty on the Skegness market for a fiver, what a treat.

#BringBackBumBags

Toiletries

While some people might be able to embrace the filth and enjoy being muddy for 5 days, I just dont think I can do it. So, I'm bringing a little travel bag with the essentials. I got a little set of travel bottles from Primark to decant things into. I have:

- Shower Gel (Superdrug)
- Shampoo (Wilkinsons Passionfruit and Green tea)
- Conditioner (same as shampoo)
- Facial Cleaner (Simple Kind To Skin Moisturising Facial Wash)
- Toner (Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner)

Mini travel set in the bag from Primark (£1)
Extra spray bottle for toner from Wilko (50p)

- Toothpaste (Whitening toothpaste from Primark)
- Toothbrush (obvs)
- Disposable razor
- Moisturiser (Talika Photo Hydra Day)
- Serum (Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum)
- Hairox Hair Brush
- SPF 15 from Ladival
This looks like a lot but I'm guessing my skin is gonna need all the help it can get.
I'm also taking paracetamol (hangovers suck), my contraceptive pill, some tampons (be prepared for anything), and spare toilet roll, as well as hair bobbles and sun glasses.

Make-up
The best part. I know that by day 2 I'm gonna be too tired to care what my face looks like, but that doesn't mean I won't do it. I know I won't want to spend forever on something that I also have to maintain throughout the day however, so I'm going for simple with minimal products but still bright and festival themed. I'm also taking stuff that I'm not scared to lose or break because it can and will happen, so the naked palette is staying at home!

Base products
Primer - Freedom Pro Mattifying: it could get very hot and I don't want to sweat my makeup off so this will ensure that doesn't happen.
Eye Primer - Freedom Pro Eye Primer (you need this for glitter eyeliner)
Foundation - I've used a mix of the Caudalie Vinoperfect Broad Spectrum SPF15 Day Perfecting Fluid (which minimises pores and corrects skin tone to create a flawless and radiant but natural looking finish) with the GOSH Foundation Plus+ to add a little coverage and darken the Caudalie product which is a little too light for my skin.
Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection: those eyebags are gonna be huge
Powder - Makeup Revolution Radiant Light Powder in Breathe - mattifying but still pretty and glowy

Brows
My brows are a hairy mess right now so I went with Benefit's Goof Proof brow pencil to attempt to define and fill, and then Primark's £1 brow gel to set them.

Contour/Blush/Highlight
All done with the MUR Ultra Sculpt and Contour kit in Ultra Fair. Sprayed my RT Fan brush with toner to intensify the pigment of the highlighter.

Eyes 
- Set the primer with a light base powder, then used a mid-toned brown to deepen the crease slightly. Can use the contour palette and face powder for this if you're planning to bring less makeup.
- GOLD GLITTER EYELINER (yes I'm excited about this part). I bought a cheap one from poundland so it's a bit more work but layer up until you're happy with your wing. Do it thicker than you would your regular black liner. I found that it was easier to use a shimmery gold eyeshadow as a base to get a more opaque line with the glitter.
- Black liquid liner - applied over the top but a thinner line than the gold
- Black WATERPROOF mascara - pls do use waterproof unless you like being a panda, in which case use whatever you like. I used the Icona Milano Emotion Allowed mascara.
- smoke the lower lash line out a little using a brown shadow
- highlight the browbone and inner corner

Lips
Basically use whatever works for you! I'm going bright lips here because I rarely use bright lipsticks, so what better time to experiment. In the photos I've used Freedom Pro Melts in No Heroes (a deep pink colour) and then an I Heart Makeup Lip Lava in Tremor which is a lighter pink. I'll also probably go with a nude lipstick too just for easy upkeep.

It was really hard to get a close up of the glitter eyeliner as I don't have a fancy camera but you can kind of see it! 

After taking the photos with the Freedom Pro Melts and changing the lip colour I also threw caution to the wind and used the glitter as a highlight too, and I think it looks pretty cool! I threw my wild hair in some space buns which looked pretty cute and that was the finished look!

Glitter on your whole face is the best and only way.

I'm obviously going to take food, drinks, a tent, a sleeping bag, money, my ticket and my ID. I'm also taking powerbanks for some sneaky on the go phone charging.

Gosh this post was long! It's probably too much but I had a lot to say! Hope you enjoyed it anyway.

See you again soon!

Paige x