I spent 5 days in a field. Here’s what I learned about skincare

It wasn’t really a field. It was Glastonbury festival and I was in a bell tent with a bed

Glastonbury 2025. What a blast. When I was packing my bag I knew we had a lot of trundling about to do so was very considered about what toiletries to take. This was an interesting task as it really makes you focus on the products that you basically don’t want to be without. If you know me, you will know that kind of chat mostly does my head in - products I can’t live without! - my holy grail products for camping! - skincare essentials for festivals! - basically this extremist chat is nonsense because you can easily cope in life with no skincare due to the biological functions of our skin, having said that there is a skill to working out which products you like to use because, turns out, there is a point

So what is the point? The point is I realised something quite magical about skincare and beauty products between my bell tent experience and my time on Worthy Farm.

Ready…………….

It’s all about what you believe. That is it. If you believe the products you put on your face and body are doing something amazing then even if they are not doing anything amazing you are still having a positive experience from using them due to a number of different reasons, maybe the enjoyment of application or how the texture feels, maybe the lovely smells or you love the way it makes your skin look, perhaps the impact of the perfectly coloured lipstick raises your self esteem. Having less choice but having hand picked the few products I wanted was a good lesson in how little you actually need and I have realised what is most important to me which helps with my future choices in buying skincare. No more wasted serums or products going in the bin (this is probably a lie)

Allow me to elaborate

Day 1 at Glastonbury we left our friends house in Bristol for the short drive down to Glastonbury all showered, fresh and suitably cleansed. When we arrived at Glastonbury we had a sweaty traipse from one side to the other lugging all our stuff and arrived at our bell tent feeling pretty stressed and ready to go to bed. What did we need to feel better? A little refresh with a good ol’ wet wipe, a brush of the hair, a quickly applied skin tint, a wee dab of cream blush, a splash of red lipstick and I was absolutely the happiest person in the world and ready for party time. I believe I am clean from wet wipe, skin looks shiny and the red lips make me feel like I made an effort. Feels good

Day 2 - wake up in a tent that feels 100 degrees on the inside. Groggy, tired, face is puffy and I’m certain even my ears are swollen. Glug some water, grab my towel, shampoo, shower gel, facial cleanser, toothbrush and toothpaste and head to the showers. Emerge from shower feeling like a fucking goddess. Back to sauna tent and apply sun screen, a skin tint, cream blush and day 2 choice of a bright pink lip. I believe the shower is like a cleansing of not just skin but also soul, the sun screen will protect me from getting blisters on my skin and I believe that this pink lipstick with the pink top I’m wearing is a total damage combination

Day 3 - exact repeat of day 2 on the wake up. Head to showers with shower gel, facial cleanser, toothbrush and toothpaste. No shampoo cause hair is going up today. Back to tent. Apply sun screen to face and the sunscreen spray to body, no make up cause it’s feeling like the constant repeating of lipstick application is too much bother. Out the door believing less is better and this natural approach is in line with most of the other 200,000 people in the field

Day 4 - Groundhog Day on the waking up. It’s fucking boiling hot. We’re not in a hurry to get out today so I chill for a bit and get a sausage and egg muffin with a cup of tea from the wee stall on the campsite looking quite wilderness like. Wondering if I can be arsed even showering. Remember how great it feels so make the effort. So glad I did cause someone had left a really expensive shower gel (Necessaire) in the shower. I didn’t steal it cause that’s not cool but I did use a wee bit and it was pretty delicious. Back to tent - only sunscreen applied today with a little bit of a fake tan on my bare, blue, veiny legs. Today I believe in the power of a really expensive shower gel and as much as I want to embrace my blueness and veins, the leg make up makes me feel better

Day 5 - earlier start today so straight up to showers, did shampoo today, back to tent, applied sunscreen and some Vaseline on my increasingly flaky lips. Today I believe that my happiness is wholly down to having fun, being with good people, dancing and talking to strangers and smelling at least a wee bit clean. It dawns on me that as much as I bleat on about some of the negatives of skincare/beauty companies marketing to make us feel shite like there are areas to explore that can make you feel good

Day 6 - wake up with my handprint imprinted on my face. It stays there for hours as my entire body is very dehydrated and it will not bounce back. No amount of skincare will give me any bounce. Drink loads of water. We have to leave today which is ok but also not ok. Get up. Use a wet wipe to clean, brush my teeth and go cause we’re in a hurry. Don’t apply anything else to my broken body or my sun tingled face. In the car I feel mingin. We’ve left the field and with it my longing for the laidback life. Now I just feel mingin. Back to our friends house where I bagsy the shower and use shampoo, 2 different shower gels. Give my skin some barrier love with a big pile of Vaseline slathered over it, give myself a wee fascia release massage to remove handprint imprint finish with a wee skoosh of deodorant. Now I believe I am refreshed, reborn, ready to get back to urban life

I wasn’t trying to analyze my approach to skincare and beauty products but on reflection I can see that what matters to me most is that I feel cleansed, enjoy expensive, yummy smells in the shower, have fun with lipstick colours, use minimal fussy ingredients on my face and that I am most content with a minimalist approach

This may not be your style and you may disagree with everything I say, which is fine and probably means what makes you happy is very different from me. So, how do you know want your style is? Firstly, are you happy with the routine and products you’re currently using, secondly, is your skin feeling like it’s comfortable and healthy, thirdly, have you taken a minute to consider who your influences are and if they are aligned with who you are

I’d never have thought there was so much to consider about aligning your beliefs with your skincare purchases and that’s coming from someone who has been in the industry for 20 years. It makes perfect sense that this is why so many of us differ on our approach to beauty. What matters most is that you are aligned with your values and don’t force yourself to buy products or have treatments that you don’t feel fully comfortable with. Then you will believe that what you do is perfect for you. Winner. Winner.

If you need guidance on how to work out your happy place with skincare then please book Skin Coach 1-1 so we can work it out

Products I used listed below for paid subscribers

Love you ❤️