I like to think I’m pretty low maintenance. I won’t stamp my foot if I don’t get my own way, my typical answer to any question is ‘I don’t mind’ (I know, it’s annoying but I really DO NOT MIND) and could go for days without needing attention or company. Unfortunately, my sensitive skin did not get the memo. It is so high maintenance that the thought of hand luggage makes me panic, never mind the thought of a backpack in order to go to a festival. Add to this my beauty obsession, a fear of bugs and the fact that I won’t even pop to Tesco without a swipe of concealer and lashings of mascara and this girl is not camping-friendly. So how does a beauty addict with reactive skin survive a festival?
In the summer of 2014, I had to find out. A friend’s hen party at Latitude festival meant I had to embrace the backpack. (Actually, mine broke just as I’d finished packing so I had to take my large suitcase instead. I looked as high maintenance and diva-ish as you could get, dragging it along the field on arrival. Very Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone.) I had to face my fears and go camping; and to make matters worse, it was all in an uncharacteristically long, humid heatwave.
I had a great time (as did the bride, which is genuinely the only thing that matters on such occasions); sadly, my skin did not. While everyone else in the group threw on neon paint and soaked up the sun, I sweltered with some of the worst prickly heat of my life (I threw everything at it, including steroid cream, but it was not happy), a bizarre reaction on my legs that looked a cross between sunburn and cellulitis which my doctor refused to give me anything for even two weeks later, and a painful scalp because I kept forgetting to pick up my hat as well as my lotions, water sprays, illicit booze and antihistamines en route to the stage.
While I will never, ever go camping again (or at least not in a heatwave with no showers), I do love a festival - where else can you wear bright colours, glitter and headbands without anyone batting a sparkly eyelid (i.e., everything I would wear daily if I could)? So here’s what I’ll be doing at the non-camping festivals I’ve got in my diary this summer, and how I would recommend surviving if you have sensitive skin and a tent in a field to contend with…
Protect yourself
- Sun cream is a must; I useUltrasun SPF30, £26, for face (which is available in a tint so no need for makeup), and usually their Family SPF30 for body. You only have to apply it once a day so there’s no need to carry it around with you.
- A hat. Repeat to self: do not forget to take hat. A sore scalp is unbelievably painful, and sunstroke isn’t so fun either. Festivals, thankfully, are where straw hats can officially be declared cool. If it’s good enough for Kate Moss…
- Fragrance-free anti-bacterial hand gel. You will need this by the bucketload, but don’t rely on others as they will no doubt pick the most fragrant one, which you do not want near your skin.
- Keeping clean is vital if prickly heat is a problem; shower or wash whenever you can. In desperate times, I found the best alternative was a clean bucket of water with aJohnson’s Extra Sensitive Fragrance Free face wipe. However, I've since discovered the genius invention of the Wash Wizard - just add a drop of water and an aloe vera foam activates so you can wash, then air dry - you don't even need to rinse.
- I liked having a small can ofEau Thermale Avene’s spring water spray, £7, handy too, to freshen up safely.