With Coachella behind us and Bonnaroo coming up fast, music festivals are in full swing. When we visited The Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores this past weekend, we found that certain things are, well, essential. Of course you need your jean shorts, but after the obvious, we put together this handy guide of our 13 must-haves to keep you looking and feeling your best, even in the heat and crowds of music festivals. 1. Deodorant - When thousands of peeps are putting their hands in the air, things are bound to get stinky. This is the time to go clinical strength and apply liberally in the morning to stay fresh through nightime!
2. Something to pull your hair back - These Marc Jacobs elastics are cute enough to wear as bracelets and add interest to a plain pony or messy bun. And if your hair is short, or long and you want to look cool and keep it off your face, a bandana always is in style.
3. Sunscreen - Apply BEFORE going out for the day and reapply every hour or so. A couple of cute local guys we talked to swear by Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Spray. And we know your mom told you to apply sunscreen to your face because you don't want wrinkles when you are older. She's right. Apply. Reapply. And reapply. We love Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer for our face because it is so lightweight and has 30 SPF.
4. Some Like it Hot Shampoo/Conditioner - If your hair frizzes in the humidity the first day but you don’t want to be tied down to a ponytail, braid, or bandana all weekend, pick up this shampoo and conditioner by TIGI and go long and loose all day.
5. Refillable Water Bottle - Festivals want you to buy their food and water so bringing in your own is a no-go. With bottled water costing at least $3 a bottle, this can very quickly eat into your cool festival t-shirt fund. Thankfully, there are usually water stations throughout where you can snag a quick refill. The ideal situation, of course, would be to have a boy with a CamelBack full of water that you can leach off of. But just in case you are running low on boys, water bottles from Sigg will do just fine, thank you.
6. Flip-flops - Your feet need to be cool and comfy but your shoes are probably going to get trashed. Cheap doesn’t mean you can’t be chic. Planet Flops and Cooei are classic styles, comfy and squishy… and all around great flip-flops. And they’re easy to kick off, rinse, and put in your bag if you want to slip them off and go barefoot in the sand/grass.
7. Lip Balm Sunscreen - Lips need sun protection, too but there’s no reason you can’t have a little glamour. MAC Hey Sailor! SunTints Liquid Lip Balm has the triple threat…color, shine and SPF. And everyone will be so jelly when you pull out the cute striped tube. And it's limited edition, meaning get it now 'cause it will be gone soon and gone forever.
8. Band aids - Boo-boos and blisters happen…and life’s too short to use plain Band-Aids.
9. Hand sanitizer/Travel Size Antibacterial Baby Wipes - Two words…Porta Potty. Need I say more? Grab a few from Bath & Body Works and hook them to your bag for squeaky-clean hands. Baby wipes are great to use after applying sunscreen and before eating.
10. Solar Phone Charger - Sure, there are charging stations…but the lines can get a tad ridiculous. And if you’re standing around while your phone is charging, you’re missing out! Amazon.com has a nice variety of solar chargers for many different phones. AND as an added bonus, they’re eco-friendly!
11. Face Wash - Dancing, sweating, dancing. All. Day. All. Night. If you want your skin to stay clear, then wash up morning and night. And we suggest a gentle wash because the last thing your skin wants is to be irritated. We recommend Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash in a bar or pump for travel.
12. Oil Absorbing Sheets - since you know you will be documenting those moves for Facebook and Instagram.. and Tumblr.. and... well everywhere, you need to make sure your skin is looking great throughout the day. Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets help your skin keep their healthy glow but help absorb excess oil. Now you are paparazzi ready!
13. Finally, because you need somewhere to store everything: a comfy, large cross body bag! It needs to big enough for a towel, cover-up, water bottle…EVERYONE seemed to have some variation of this cross-body bag from Target…including ME! I found it to be just the right size without weighing me down.
And that's what you'll need to be as prepared as I was for the Hangout Music Festival - you'll be prepared anywhere and everywhere this summer! Have fun, be safe, and enjoy! ~LISA, Music Editor