Notes
By now Coachella definitely feels like old news. Heck, it felt like people were over it after weekend 1. But I still wanted to jot down some of my thoughts about attending the festival as a non-influencer. I think a lot of the complaints and negatives you hear about Coachella are in the influencer space, with everything that happened at Revolve Fest, and stuff like Coachella being an “Instagram farm” or “manufactured fun.” There’s pop culture podcasts about it, articles, social media posts, the list goes on. But for those of us that visit as non-influencers, normal people with no brand partnerships or obligations, I’d like to say on record that Coachella is f*ck!ng fun.
First of all, the music quality is exceptional. And that’s what you’re there for to begin with. The sounds, the lights, the whole production at every stage (and I think there’s like 8 stages) is extremely impressive. We saw all the headliners and tons more and were blown away by every performance. So you definitely get your money’s worth from the music alone. But then there’s also the art installations which are super fun and interesting. Of course you can’t help but snap a pic in front of them!
Even as a non-influencer, social media plays a part in most peoples’ lives these days. And it’s not a crime to be at a festival having a great time with your friends, looking your best, feeling carefree, and then post a photo. That’s the difference between “manufactured fun” that influencers may sometimes create in order to sell something and actual fun that gets posted to a personal social media page. In the world of talking about Coachella, I think the fact that most people attend just to have a good time gets lost in the overexposed influencer scene. We don’t hear about us normal people and what it was like from our perspective because honestly no one cares. lol. That being said, social media is a slippery slope even for non-influencers. It’s important to remember that someone’s Facebook/Snapchat/Instagram/TikTok is just their highlight reel.
The other thing I love about attending Coachella is the fashion. You see people of all ages, shapes, sizes, races, sexual orientations, and identities wearing whatever the f*ck they want. And half the time, yes, that does mean their butt cheeks are out. lol. But in all seriousness, Coachella is an environment where you can dress however you want and express a different side of yourself. You can get out of your comfort zone (or you can wear shorts and a t-shirt, no one cares). It felt amazing to get to wear some things I wouldn’t normally wear and do some crazy hair and makeup. In a world of judgement, Coachella creates a space for people to just be, however that may look. It’s really refreshing. (Another thing I love about the festival is I’ve never personally encountered any creepy people. Everyone is chill and vibing and minding their own business.)
So yea, Coachella gets a lot of shit. I do think it’s worth being critical of the influencer space to some extent. But we can’t lose the fact that this festival is about the music, and it really delivers. I’d also say the majority of attendees are not influencers. We’re there with our friends to party and experience it all. We’re living in the moment and having so much fun. We’re not making money on any of our content, but the memories are priceless.
Photos
Wouldn’t it be ironic if I ended up influencing you to buy something? haha or if I swayed you towards booking tickets for Coachella 2023? I really love how all my looks turned out, so I wanted to show you everything that went into them here. It takes a whole village of products to make this all happen! I definitely did not wake up like this. lol.
Nails: My nails are the pink ones and they are Olive and June press ons. loved them.
Airbnb: Sun Palace in Cathedral City, CA. I’ve done Coachella once before in 2016 and camped in the parking lot. It was utter misery. Do not recommend. It is too hot during the day to be in a tent and too uncomfortable over the course of the weekend to sleep basically on the ground. If you’re gonna do Coachella, book a hotel with a pool at the very minimum. We went with a trendy Airbnb with a pool and loved it. Then you also purchase the shuttle pass to get in and out of the festival. But yea, pool and AC during the day and comfortable beds at night are musts!
Bathing Suit: Solid and Striped
Watermelon Floatie: Target
Day 1 Lewk
Makeup:
- Foundation: Nars Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare in Fiji
- Concealer: Nyx Bare With Me Serum in Vanilla
- Eyeshadow Primer: Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
- Eyeshadow Pallet: Colourpop California Love
- Bronzer and Blush: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Face Pallet – Universe
- Highlight: Saie Beauty Glowy Super Gel in Starglow
- Mascara: L’Oreal Lash Paradise
- Lashes: Ardell Soft Touch Trios
- Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Demolition
- Lips: Nyx Liner in Nude Suede Shoes and Milani Color Fetish Matte Lipstick in Secret (I’m also wearing a gloss but can’t remember which one, maybe Patrick Ta Major Volume Plumping Lip Gloss in Full Syringe)
- Setting Powder: Thrive Causemetics Soft Focus HD Setting Powder (I think? If not then it was Rimmel Stay Matte Loose Powder)
- Setting Spray: Urban Decay All Nighter
Hair:
Barefoot Blonde Extensions 21 Inch Classic in Honey Dipped, curled to blend in with my natural hair
Outfit:
Floral Denim Romper from Show Me Your Mumu, boots are old from Reef, necklace is Madewell, earrings are all Made By Mary, purse and cardigan (not pictured) also Madewell, sunglasses RayBan
Day 2 Look
Makeup:
I literally copied this exact eye look from Allie Glines (same pallet and gemstones she uses). All my makeup skills are owed to watching hours of her videos during lockdown and beyond!
Foundation, concealer, eyeshadow primer, setting powder, setting spray, bronzer, blush, highlight, mascara are all the same from day 1. I don’t have on any lashes or eyeliner with this look. Lips are just the Patrick Ta Gloss mentioned above (I think). Eyeshadow pallet is Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde.
Hair:
My friend did my hair with braids leading into space buns and then topped with glitter!
Outfit:
Shorts are AGOLDE, body suit is old possibly from Urban Outfitters, shoes are Doc Martins, fanny pack is Dakine, earrings are Made by Mary and Anthropologie, necklace I can’t remember where I got it but it’s not an original from the 90s lol.
Day 3 Look
By day 3 I knew I’d be over getting ready and taking photos, and I was correct. So I kept things more chill and comfortable.
Makeup:
Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer instead of foundation, same blush and bronzer pallet, same mascara, and for eyes I believe I used Dose of Colors Friendcation Pallet but just one of the browns for the transition shade and then E.l.f. eye glitter for the lid. Lips were a gloss but not sure which one.
Hair: literally just straightened it.
Outfit:
Santorini Set from RESA… this was so comfy it literally felt like PJs, shoes are my tried and true Madewell sneakers, body chain from Amazon (broke instantly but made it work for one night), other necklaces are Made By Mary as well as my earrings. Bag was my friend’s from Target. And I had a Taylor Swift sweater for night (not pictured).
