If you’re of a certain vintage, there’s one iconic look that immediately springs to mind when you think about festival beauty: Gwen Stefani circa 1995 with a bejewelled forehead, blue hair and astonishingly skinny brows. Happily we’ve all moved on from those days, in so many ways. But one thing has stayed the same: when it comes to summer festivals, we want beauty looks with extra pizazz, that are easy to apply, have staying power and won’t leave us looking ridiculous in photos 20 years on. —Aileen Lalor
what’s trending now? Yes, boho elements remain. “You’ll see the flower crowns that are so Snapchat filterish,” says Maddox Lu, national brow and trend artist for Benefit Canada. “But festival looks have evolved and incorporated a lot more street style. It’s not so far off what you’d see day-to-day, but everything is elevated. Now people are more interested in the craft of the look: whether the brow is beautifully executed and whether the contour and highlight are on point and lasting.”
keep it casual. We won’t see many looks that need precision and that tend to get sweated and smudged away, like smoky eyes and winged liner. Instead, Lu’s tipping no makeup/makeup, for which the essentials are a good concealer, lip/cheek tint, brow gel and mascara. How to take it up a notch? “Highlighters on bare skin can give a very natural, believable radiance,” he says. “The cutest thing ever is using a brow pencil like Precisely My Brow Pencil ($32) to do the brows but also freckles on the nose and cheeks. It’s 12-hour waterproof so very festival appropriate.”
colour me good. If no makeup/makeup has you stifling a yawn, how can you get a flashier festival look without it being high maintenance or OTT? Coloured eyebrows! “This is a fantastic way for people who want to dip their toe into something more adventurous without doing fuchsia eyeshadow or blue lipstick,” says Lu. “3D Brow Tones ($32) give just a subtle glimmer that can be built to a nice pigment, and they come in very festival colours like magenta, fuchsia, indigo, teal and copper. They go great with festival fashion like jewel-toned clothing and accessories, too.”
makeup for all. The best news? Lu says there are no age constraints on who can wear these looks. “They can really apply to anyone,” he says. “Maybe the more irresponsible younger generation might not consider SPF, moisturizer and cleanser—though they should—but, other than that, I say good brows, nice lashes and freckles for everyone!”
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