Top 5 Coachella Must-Haves

For those of you who may not know, Coachella is music festival that takes place every April in Palm Springs, California. I was lucky enough to score tickets to Weekend 1 this year and I can't be more excited. However, planning for a music festival can also be stressful and since Coachella is officially less than a month away its can be really easy to forget to pack some essentials. This is my second year going and I thought I would share some essentials that really came in handy.

1. Sunscreen

So this one might sound like an obvious thing to pack because it commonly gets to be over 100 degrees in the desert, and while I recommend that everyone use sunscreen every morning in their moisturizer, it is really important to use a much higher SPF and to reapply daily. My favorite facial sunscreen is from La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 because it is really light and it doesn't clog my pores. The texture is super liquidy so it blends into the skin really. Another really great option is the La Roche Posay Athelios 50 Mineral Tinted Sunscreen. While this sunscreen has an SPF 50 which is still 10 SPF less than the first one, it is still really great at protecting the skin against UV rays. There is one shade that adapts to everyone's skin tone. It has incredibly light coverage, but it still does a really good job at covering uneven skin tone or redness.

Now, I also know that music festivals are a great time for funky and innovative makeup trends so another great way to protect your skin from getting sunburnt is to wear a foundation with a high SPF. The one I would highly recommend is the It Cosmetics CC+ cream with an SPF of 50. So not only does this have one of the highest SPF I have ever seen in a makeup product, it also has medium to full coverage so that you can still look incredibly flawless in all of your aesthetically pleasing Instagram photos. And while a medium to full coverage product may sound really heavy, because it is

a CC cream so it feels very light and airy on the skin.

Finally, the last tip I have about sunscreen is that it is crucial to reapply throughout the day. However, if you are wearing makeup, you can't put liquid sunscreen on top. So I recommend getting a setting spray with SPF or a powder sunscreen so that you can touch up your makeup and reapply SPF at the same time. My recommendations are the Supergoop Invincible Setting Powder with SPF 45 because not only will it reapply the sunscreen, but it will also set your makeup and keep it looking amazing in the heat..

2. A large portable battery

While you are busy taking all sorts of pictures and snapchat videos, your phone is probably losing a lot of battery. And since you are out the entire day until very late at night, a portable battery is crucial to keep your phone from dying. A normal portable battery should suffice for one person, but if you are able to find a portable charger that can hold more than one charge, that it ideal because you never know if you friend will need to charge their phone or if you just end up using more than usual one of the days. I know that it might seem a little inconvenient to have to carry around a heavy battery, but there are plenty that are quite small and won't get in the way or weigh you down.

3. Bandana

If you have never been to Coachella but have seen tons of pictures of people rocking bandanas, you might think that the only reason to wear them is as an accessory, but in fact they serve a super important purpose. There is a lot of dirt and dust on and around the festival grounds and at night, when it can get a little windy and people kick up the dust as they walk, tying a bandana around your head with be a life saver. It will protect you from inhaling too much dust, which might not sounds like its going to be a big deal, but I promise you would much rather have the bandana.

4. Sneakers

I know that as soon as the Coachella lineup comes out, the first thing that people do is head to Pinterest to create a vision board for their festival outfits. And while I am all for the aesthetically please Instagram pics that are sure to make all of your friends at home super jealous, they might not be worth killing your feet over. Whether you are someone that is at the festival from the moment it begins all the way until the end. or you just choose to hang around for a couple of acts, having comfortable shoes is super important. Besides the fact that you are standing up the entire day, the actual festival is not exactly close to the entrances so there is a lot of walking that has to be done. I personally chose to stick to running shoes because I knew that I would be comfortable the entire day, but overall, I cannot stress how much I recommend some kind go sneaker over an open toed shoe or a complicated boot. The main reason that I don't recommend an opened toed shoe, no matter how cute that scrappy sandal may be, is that there are so many people walking, jumping, and dancing around, that you are bound to get stepped on several times which is probably not the most fun thing to experience over and over in open toed shoes. Not to mention that the entire venue ground is one big dirt patch that is bound to end up stuck in your shoes.

5. Fanny Pack

Its really great that these are coming back into style because I cannot imagine an easier way to carry around your belongings, while still having everything in an easy to reach place. While I have seen people carry around a small backpack because it is probably more spacious, I have also heard many horror stories about people reaching into backpacks and back pockets and stealing phones and wallets. Mainly for that reason, but also so I don't kill my shoulders, I like fanny packs because of the security of having all of my belongings in front of me and on my waist.