If you’re a music lover, warmer weather means one thing: festival season has arrived. These blowout annual events are a great opportunity to get together with friends and dance the day away to your favorite songs. But they’re also a chance to play around with unique festival makeup ideas—because where music festivals are concerned, there’s no such thing as too much. However, festival makeup also needs to be durable and able to withstand the heat, sweat, and long hours that are part and parcel of the festival experience. If you need inspiration, keep reading. Ahead, we’ll share some of our favorite festival makeup looks to try in 2025, plus tips on keeping your bold look intact all day (or night) long.
Should You Wear Makeup To a Music Festival?
You can absolutely wear makeup to a music festival (in fact, we encourage it). Festival makeup isn’t just about looking good—it's about expressing your individuality and having fun. Whether you opt for a vibrant, colorful look or choose to pile on the sparkles, festival makeup allows you to step out of your comfort zone and experiment with looks you may not wear in your everyday life. It's a chance to be playful, daring, and creative, all while showcasing your unique personality.
How Do You Make Your Festival Makeup Last All Day?
Given the all-day nature of festivals, it's best to use makeup products that are long-lasting and resistant to water and sweat. Always start by priming your skin to create a smooth, even canvas for your makeup application and create some grip for your products. The Face Glue Gripping Primer is an excellent option, since it’s non-comedogenic, breathable, and helps makeup stay put for up to 24 hours. Keep your face makeup light to avoid creasing and caking (try using a skin tint instead of foundation for a lightweight feel), and remember to set your makeup with a setting powder or spray. For the latter, we recommend The Face Glue Setting Spray, which is waterproof and transfer-resistant. If you have oily skin, you may want to stash blotting papers in your bag, too—you can use them to help absorb excess oil throughout the day without disrupting your makeup finish.
Up to 24h hydrating and gripping makeup prepping glue Up to 24h makeup lock and shield, waterproof setting spray A skin tint with a soft glow glazed finish in ten flexible shades A blurring primer sunscreen with no white cast and up to 18h makeup wear. Vitamin E Infused Eye Primer 
THE FACE GLUE GRIPPING PRIMER
THE FACE GLUE SETTING SPRAY
BUTTERMELT GLAZE SOFT GLOW SKIN TINT SPF 30
BLURSCREEN SPF 30 PRIMER
Ultimate Shadow & Liner Primer
5 Music Festival Makeup Ideas
Now that you’ve brushed up on the basics of festival makeup, read on to discover seven of our favorite makeup ideas for festivals, plus tips on which products to use to nail your look.
Festival makeup idea #1: Glitter freckles
Creating faux freckles with glittery eyeliner is a cute and whimsical look perfect for an outdoor music festival. Plus, glitter makeup festival looks are super easy to do, even for newbies. To start, prime your skin as usual and apply your skin tint or foundation, if desired. Then, lightly dab the Glitter Primer onto your nose and cheeks to create a grippy base for your glitter. Next, grab a small eyeliner brush and draw small “freckles” onto your face with the Face & Body Glitter. Use one color for a monochrome look or use a mix of hues for a playful rainbow effect. To tie your look together, swipe a glittery gloss onto your lips—we love the Butter Gloss Non-Sticky Lip Gloss in Dripped Out.
Festival makeup idea #2: Graphic metallic eyeliner
If you’re in the mood for a bold music festival eye makeup look, try metallic graphic eyeliner. To create this festival-ready look, you’ll need the Epic Wear Waterproof Eyeliner Sticks in a metallic hue, such as Turquoise Storm or Periwinkle Pop. Use the creamy pencil to draw an exaggerated wing shape above your crease for a ‘60s-inspired vibe, or play around with different shapes and patterns to create a bold and one-of-a-kind graphic look. The long-lasting formula is perfect for your festival makeup as it’s waterproof, budge-proof, and offers up to 36 hours of wear.
If you prefer liquid eyeliner, try the Epic Ink Waterproof Liquid Liner in one of the Glitz shades—we’re big fans of Denim Dazzle and Flashy Flare. The liner’s thin tip is perfect for creating more precise graphic liner looks, such as a colorful double wing or reverse wing. Plus, like the pencil version, it’s waterproof and provides vivid, all-day wear.
Festival makeup idea #3: Purple holographic monochrome makeup
There’s something incredibly cool about a monochrome makeup look, and a music festival is the perfect locale to experiment with the colorful trend. To start, swipe a shimmery purple eyeshadow, such as the Ultimate Glow Shots Liquid Eyeshadow in Plum Player or Feelin’ Grape onto your lids, blending the pigment past your crease for a diffused effect. Then, line your lower lash line with a periwinkle eyeliner—the Jumbo Eye Pencil in Donut is a perfect pick.
After completing your eye makeup, highlight the high points of your face with a vibrant lavender highlighter, like the Jumbo Multi-Use Highlighter Stick in Blueberry Muffin. For added glow, you can dust the Buttermelt Highlighter in No. 1 Butta onto your cheekbones, collarbones, and browbones. Finally, swipe a purple lip gloss or stain, such as the Lip I.V. Hydrating Lip Gloss Stain in Grape Gushin’, onto your pout to complete the monochrome look.
Festival makeup idea #4: Neon eyeshadow
Neon eyeshadow is a surefire way to stand out at any festival—the brighter, the better. To create an ultra-vibrant neon eye look, you’ll need the Ultimate Shadow Palette in I Know That’s Bright. It’s packed with 16 vivid, high-impact shadows that you can use on your eyes and face. Try a color-blocked neon look by sweeping the palette’s matte green shade onto your upper lids, then defining your outer corner and lower lash line with the deeper teal hue for dimension. If you want to give your look a little more oomph, use a stencil to create small star shapes around your eyes with the palette’s neon pink or glittery coral shadows.
Because this look is so colorful, we recommend keeping the rest of your makeup relatively low-key for balance. A swipe of sheer lip gloss, like the Fat Oil Lip Drip in Citrus Chiller, is the perfect finishing touch for this party-ready look.
Festival makeup idea #5: Simple festival makeup
Festival makeup doesn’t have to be glittery or full of vibrant colors to make an impact. You can also opt for a more natural look by leaning into the summery vibes with sun-kissed skin, bronze eyeshadow, and subtle lip gloss. After applying your base makeup, warm up your skin by dusting the Buttermelt Bronzer onto areas where you’d naturally catch a tan (usually, this includes the cheekbones, bridge of your nose, and temples). Then, add a hint of color to your eyes with a shimmery bronze shadow, like the Ultimate Glow Shots Liquid eyeshadow in Wow Cacao. Complete the less-is-more look with a long-wearing lip stain—the Lip I.V. Hydrating Lip Gloss Stain in Caramel Drip is perfect for this.
Shop Makeup For Your Festival Looks
THE FACE GLUE GRIPPING PRIMER
Up to 24h hydrating and gripping makeup prepping glue
THE FACE GLUE SETTING SPRAY
Up to 24h makeup lock and shield, waterproof setting spray
BUTTERMELT GLAZE SOFT GLOW SKIN TINT SPF 30
A skin tint with a soft glow glazed finish in ten flexible shades
BLURSCREEN SPF 30 PRIMER
A blurring primer sunscreen with no white cast and up to 18h makeup wear.
ULTIMATE SHADOW PALETTE
Pro-Level 16 pan Palette
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Ultimate Glow Shots Liquid Eyeshadow
Liquid Shimmery Eyeshadow
BUTTERMELT HIGHLIGHTER
Butter smooth glowy highlighter in eight shades.
Lip I.V. Hydrating Lip Gloss Stain
Hydrating gloss stain in sixteen shades
Epic Wear Waterproof Eyeliner Stick
High-impact, waterproof eyeliner pencil
Ultimate Shadow & Liner Primer
Vitamin E Infused Eye Primer
Next Up: 14 Fun and Flirty Party Makeup Ideas
We want to see how you use your favorite NYX Professional Makeup products to unleash your creativity. Share a pic of your favorite festival makeup look on social media and tag us @nyxcosmetics.
