Heading to Glastonbury this weekend and looking for fun festival make-up inspiration? From subtle skin gems and pink glitter lips, to all-out 3D crystal eye make-up à la Pat McGrath, there’s a festival beauty look for everyone. Yes, that includes you.
It’s time to whip out those glitters, reach for the eye shadow shades that have thus far been untouched and snap open the lipsticks you’ve left firmly in the ‘too daring for me’ pile. Festival season 2019 is upon us and with it comes a whole host of opportunities to get experimental with textures, tones, shapes and painterly colour pairings.
Need inspiration? We’ve rounded up 20 of the best festival make-up looks for 2019 as seen on celebrities, Instagram and fashion week. Whether you’re coveting a high-sparkle pink lip à la Jeremy Scott SS19 or a glossy candy eye conjured up by the queen of make-up playtime Katie Jane Hughes, there’s an idea and expert how-to for everyone. We’ve even thrown in some speedy 10-second tricks for the time-poor, colour-shy amongst you.
Coachella, Glastonbury, Wilderness or that festival-themed wedding you’ve been fretting about – consider it sorted.
3D crystal eyes at Valentino SS19
There are glitter eyes and then there are Pat McGrath glitter eyes. Models at the Valentino spring/summer 2019 show oozed festi-glam vibes with the latter.
“They’re very eccentric but in a completely modern way,” says McGrath of the hand-applied Swarovski crystals, glistening in rich jewel tones.
Some models were embellished with dramatic wings sweeping towards their temples (think a high-fashion, sparkling superhero). Others, like Kaia Gerber (pictured), wore them lining their lower lash lines and extended up through their brows.
Cheat either with the self-adhesive Kryolan Rhinestone Body Jewels in Pastel and Emerald Green, £5.60, that can be re-used by fixing to skin with eyelash glue.
Peach and blue eyes at Paul Costelloe SS19
Benefit head make-up artist and brow expert Lisa Potter-Dixon served up all kinds of dreamy peach goodness for the Paul Costelloe spring/summer 2019 catwalk. It’s a look that would work just as well in a field as it did at fashion week.
“Fresh clean skin and full brushed-up brows were the perfect base for a vibrant pop of colour. The peachy hues brought out a flirty and playful side to the look,” explains Potter-Dixon who swept Benefit GALifornia Blusher, £26, on as an eye shadow.
The pièce de résistance? Colour-clash electric blue lashes courtesy of Benefit They’re Real! Mascara in Blue, £22.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s glossy lilac eyes
Wet-look lavender eyes à la Rosie Huntington-Whiteley represent the perfect choice if you favour classic glam with a hint of added sass.
Make-up artist Katie Jane Hughes used a trio of purple products including Shiseido Paperlight Cream Eye Colour in Shobu Purple, £22, Tarte Limited Edition Clay Pot Waterproof Shadow Liner in Crystal Ball, £19, and Glossier Lidstar in Lily, £15.
She added Surratt Beauty Artistique Eyeshadow in Amoureux, £18, to the inner corners then glazed the lids with MAC Clear Gloss – a US-only clear gel – for a vinyl-like level of shine. A thin swipe of Vaseline, £2.99, will deliver a similar aesthetic.
Multi-dimensional glitter eyes at Halpern SS19
There was no shortage of glitter make-up inspiration on the spring/summer 2019 runways. If ‘more, more and more again’ is your mantra, you’ll want to make the models at the Halpern show your poster girls.
“We’re treating the eye like an accessory this season. So we’re loading it up with two layers of glitter mixed with eyelash glue so you get a really dense pressed foil,” make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench explains.
She used MAC Fluidline Gel Liner in Blacktrack, £17, for the graphic outline. Then MAC Dazzleshow Liquid in Blinking Brilliant, £16.50, acted as a shimmering canvas.
And for that DIY embellishment? It was Duo Striplash Adhesive White Clear, £5.99, and MAC Glitter, £16.50, in shades Gold, Emerald, Pink Hologram and Silver Hologram although we’ll be opting for EcoStardust Biodegradable Glitter Pots, £7 each.
Ellie Addis' glossy skin and gems
Festivals are the perfect time to get busy with textures. Enter: Brit model and make-up artist Ellie Addis’ ethereal pink wonder.
Showing how to give crystals a 2019 upgrade, she paired an eBay selection with lustrous mirror-like shiny accents. Try pressing on Hobbycraft Gold and Clear Assorted Round Gems, £3, with lash glue.
The buttery Color Pop Cosmetics Super Shock Cheek in Spellbound, $8, layered with Art Deco Cosmetics Luminous Skin Stick, £19.50, added a juicy highlight. For that perky lip? She plumped for Lime Crime Wet Cherry Gloss in Extra Poppin, £18.
Esmerelda K's pumpkin lips and shiny lids
Freelance make-up artist Esmeralda K ‘pick and mixed’ her textures, too.
Her burnt orange lip was the star of the show thanks to Lime Crime Matte Velvetine in Pumpkin, £18. And while Esmerelda’s eye shadow of choice – the muted tan ‘Illusion’ from the Nabla Dreamy Eyeshadow Palette, £32.50 – was understated, she added interest with a über-sheen.
Do the same with 3INA The Eye Gloss in 500, £12.95, finished with fluffed-up brows.
Candy-floss pink eyes at Marc Jacobs SS19
Make-up artist Diane Kendal opted for a bevy of Easter egg-inspired hues on eyes at the Marc Jacobs spring/summer 2019 show. Complementing models’ sweetie-toned manes, she washed their lids with puffs of pastel pink, green and blue. Recreate it with the matte shades from Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Longwear Eyeshadow Palettes, £39.
To maintain definition, each look was anchored with a dark Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner, £20, stroked along the upper lash line. Pair with a nude glossy lip and minimal blush and base for a main stage-worthy get-up.
Burnt bronze cheeks at Altuzarra SS19
Not all festival make-up looks need to come with a side serving of colour. The Altuzarra spring/summer 2019 show makes for the perfect inspiration if subtle boho vibes are more your bag.
Models looked sun-burnished with desert tones of sandy taupe, bronze, terracotta and burnt orange veiled across their cheeks, nose, eyes and temples.
“There’s a flush on the face and it’s very feminine,” comments make-up artist Tom Pecheux.
A multi-tonal bronzer like IT Cosmetics Confidence in Your Glow in Instant Nude Glow, £26, offers everything you need for the look. Team with an apricot or deep brown tinted lip balm.
Silver dashes of sparkle at Simone Rocha SS19
And the award for ‘easiest festival glitter eye make-up’ goes to… Simone Rocha spring/summer 2019. Make-up artist Sam Bryant conjured up an achingly cool look that consisted of little more than a smattering of sparkle.
Skin, brows, lashes and lips were practically bare, letting the nonchalant arc of silver through the eye socket do the talking.
Achieve the same effect with Disco Dust London Fine Silver Biodegradable Glitter, £10. Just add a little eyelash glue to the space then pat it on with your fingers. There’s no need to be neat – it should look like you finger-painted it on, partied all night then slept in it.
Katie Jane Hughes' aqua blue eyes
If you ever need to get your beauty juices flowing, take a scroll through make-up artist Katie Jane Hughes Instagram grid. She makes experimenting with make-up look seriously easy and will have you craving shades you never thought you’d touch.
This teal blue masterpiece is the perfect example and just the ticket for adding life to a partied-out festival face.
While she kept her complexion radiant and dewy (add illuminator to your foundation for the same effect fast), her eyes were doused in a contrasting matte powder shadow.
A Huda Beauty product was her secret weapon – we’re betting it was the delectable shimmer-free teal in the Huda Beauty Sapphire Obsessions Palette, £25.
Statement glitter lips at Jeremy Scott SS19
Over at Jeremy Scott things were dialled right to the top of the glitz-o-meter. Here, make-up artist Kabuki gave models’ lips an opaque sheet of shimmering pink.
“The look is a bold foil-like lip in neutral shades. The metallic edginess is in keeping with the brashness of youth,” he explained.
MAC Lip Pencil in Edge to Edge, £14, was used to contour the edges. Then he used MAC Mixing Medium Eyeliner, £13, as a clear adhesive, quickly topping with a loose glitter. We rate Festival Glitter Biodegradable Pink, Gold and Silver Fine Metallic Glitter in Candy Cane Lane, £3.50.
Romee Strijd’s lime green eyeliner
Fluoro colours are big news for summer 2019 and we’re looking to model Romee Strijd to show us how it’s done. For last year’s Coachella, she sidelined black eyeliner for a zesty lime green, offering a subtle nod to the neon trend without stepping too far out of her comfort zone.
Tempted? Wield NYX Vivid Brights Liner in Escape, £6 – a margarita-worthy shade of green. All you need is a stripe across your upper lash line. Tight-lining your upper waterline with a black pencil will subtly add definition if you’re worried about looking tired. Beef up your lashes with a little mascara and keep everything else suitably fresh and glowy.
Punchy tangerine pouts at Fyodor Golan SS19
If you’ve only got five seconds for a speedy festival face, make models at the Fyodor Golan spring/summer 2019 show your muses. We’re obsessed with their zingy orange lip that acted as the perfect plus-one for their aquatic-themed ensembles.
Make-up artist Jenny Coombs was behind the look but you don’t need a pro on hand to mimic it. “It was important to maintain a soft feeling as if the girls had done it themselves,” Coombes said of the slightly blurred finish. Sleek MakeUP Lip VIP Lipstick in Flaunt It, £5.49, is just like theirs.
Coombes finished with a dash of Jilian Dempsey Cheek Tint in Scarlet, £26.50, across the nose, cheeks and temples for a sun-pinked effect.
Ceelyc's rainbow lip liner
If ever there was a time to rip up the beauty rule book, festival season was it. This six-shade technicolour work of art by make-up artist Ceelyc for ASOS Face and Body might not stay put past your first few drinks of the day but it’s a sure-fire winner when it comes to Insta-likes.
Recreate it using Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils, £16, that work just as well on lips as they do on eyes and come in a staggering 40 different shades from flouro pink to mustard yellow.
For your clear glossy topper, carefully add a slick of Glossier Clear Lip Gloss, £11.
Oversized metallic green cat eyes at Versace SS19
Models at the Versace spring/summer show got the Pat McGrath treatment, too. Their eyes were laden with shimmering emerald and black mega-wings for a look that was both sexy and cool in equal measures.
Imitate it with Pat McGrath Labs Mothership II Eyeshadow Palette: Sublime, £115, using a cotton bud dipped in micellar water to clean up your feline flicks.
Then skip the heavy foundation and overly-groomed brows. Just brush them up and pop on a dab of lip balm to avoid looking too polished.
Lottie London's sparkling faux freckles
We’ve long cooed over faux freckles that frequently crop up on the summer catwalks. But most require a steady hand – not to mention the perfect skin-true shade – to look more sun-draped than school-girl.
For maximum ‘ooh’ factor with minimal effort, we’re stocking up on Lottie London Freckle Tatts, £9.99, instead. They work in the same way as a transfer tattoo, leaving a sprinkling of glittering stars, dots and hearts on the skin. Adorn the top of your nose, cheekbones or temples.
Wear with fluffy brows and a flawless, radiant base.
Joan Smalls’ teal and purple eyes
Who said models always need a make-up artist on speed dial? Some of our favourite looks are done by the girls themselves as Joan Smalls’ colour pop combo proves.
She grouped a dazzling blue liner with purple for a scene-stealing look that accentuated her almond-shaped eyes.
It’s a pretty fool-proof choice. Just use Stargazer Neon Liquid Eye Liner in Blue, £3, from your inner corners to the centre. Repeat with the shade ‘Violet’ to fill in the other half.
Colour clash eyes and lips at Rodarte SS19
While floral headbands are staying in our festival no-go pile, the Rodarte spring/summer 2019 make-up look is high on our to-do list.
‘Anything goes’ was the only rule on the colour pairing front. While all models wore the same siren red lipstick – NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Don’t Stop, £23 – their eyes starred a rainbow of unexpected shades.
NARS Single Eyeshadows, £17, in Baby Jane (a turquoise blue), Domination (fuchsia pink) and Douro (yellow) all delivered a painterly splash of colour. To really make the hues pop, NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, £21, was used as a base. Bonus: it’ll help keep your festival eyes on lockdown ’til the encore.
Taylor Hill's OTT jewel embellishments
What’s a festival make-up round-up without some face jewels? Model Taylor Hill knows just how to make them look cool not contrived.
For last year’s Coachella, she paired hers with minimal make-up – minus heavy contouring or a cut crease eye. Instead, buff on a little bronzer and one of the aforementioned peach tones over your eyes, keeping brows full but not meticulously carved out.
The Gypsy Shrine is still one of the best one-stop shops. It looks like Hill wore The Gypsy Shrine Irridescent Aura Face Jewels, £10 - part of the brand’s Coachella-inspired Desert Heat collection.
Sara Sampaio’s studded smoky eye
Make Sara Sampaio for Moschino Resort 2019 your festival inspiration if you favour a dark sexy eye.
The perfect way to pep up a classic smoulder, simply conjure things up as normal then accessorise with pale pink diamantes.
Charlotte Tilbury Rock ’n’ Kohl in Bedroom Black, £19, works brilliantly for the dark smoky base. Rim your top and bottom lashes, working up towards your lid then blend, blend and blend some more.
Festival Face Muobu Reuseable Festival Jewels for Face and Body in Pink 1 Diamantes, £2.50, are just the ticket for that added pizzazz.
Main image: Getty Images
Other images: Getty Images and courtesy of Instagram
undefined
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.