Coachella vibes

Skip the flower crowns and let your makeup do the talking

What comes to mind when you think about Coachella? Music, the parties, the bohemian fashion, and the makeup that could put most unicorns to shame. But the one thing that people often forget is the heat — it is taking place in the Californian desert after all, where temperatures are similar to India’s summer. In either place, you could be dressed to the nines, but your makeup needs to last all day. Coachella regulars stayed true to their love of glitter and gemstones, but there were also noticeable splashes of colour, dewy breathable skin that lasted the night and braids for days, all of which can translate into summer looks for the sub-continent.

Think pink

Millennial pink is holding fort, both in makeup and hair. Kylie Jenner adorned an almost neon pink wig and Victoria Secret’s Lais Ribiero coordinated her lips, eyeshadow and hair in the same shade.

Daniel Sandler’s Watercolour Blush in Acid (₹1,200 on cultbeauty.com) is sweat resistant, and a perfect way to incorporate a bright pink into your look. L’Oreal’s Raspberry Syrup Matte Moisture Lipstick (₹950 on Nykaa.com) pairs really well with this blush, and gives you some pink tones to play around with to keep things looking natural. If you can’t commit to dyeing your hair, I would suggest BBlunt’s One Night Stand Temporary Hair Colour in Blush Pink (₹350 via Nykaa) for a short term fix.

Duality

Even if you aren’t someone who follows Coachella for the abundance of fashion and makeup inspiration, watching Beyonce’s performance was most certainly a game changer. Not only was she the first black female musician to headline the festival, she looked and performed like a goddess.

But the fact that her face remained flawless throughout comes down to her makeup artist Sir John’s belief in duality. He trusts in setting cream with powder and working in light layers. Cream blush was set with powder blush, the base was set with bronzer, eyeliner set with eyeshadow and so on. Not only does this guarantee that your makeup stays in place, it also ensures that it looks completely natural and flawless through the day/evening.

Body glow

Dewy, iridescent body highlights seemed to be just as popular on the ground. Fenty Beauty’s newly-released Body Lava – a body luminiser (₹3,490) came just in time for music festival season. Beyonce was covered in the Alleven London Color Shield (₹5,250) which airbrushed her body and did not move after application, allowing her to change as many times as she wanted without worry of the product transferring.

If you can’t be bothered to spend money on these single-purpose products, mix in a shimmer pigment with body lotion to get the same effect. However, it will not be transfer proof. My personal favorite is MAC’s Tan Pigment (₹2,000 on nykaa.com). You could also use a large fluffy brush and your favourite highlighter. I would personally use something like the Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette (₹2,200) on the shoulders, collar bones and legs.

Even if you aren’t at Coachella, there’s nothing to stop you from playing with your makeup and using some of these ideas for the next time you go on a night out. After all, the fun comes from unleashing your creativity!

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