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Getting excited for festival season? Whether you’re headed to Coachella, Stagecoach, or another festival or concert later this year, it’s only natural to be brainstorming your beauty look ahead of time. After all, a once-in-a-lifetime experience deserves an equally unique hairstyle, manicure, and face beat. Today, we’re here to talk about the latter.
“This year, people are shifting back to maximalism, and we are seeing more people experiment and express themselves through makeup rather than following minimalistic trends,” says Euphoria head makeup artist Donni Davy, the co-founder of Half Magic.
Meet the expert
- Donni Davy is the head makeup artist on HBO's Euphoria.
- Mat Wulff is a makeup artist and Ulta Beauty pro team member.
Ready to feel inspired? Ahead, find over a dozen concert makeup looks bound to turn heads.
Disco Glitter Lids
According to Davy, sparkles are pretty much mandatory for concert makeup looks. “You must wear sparkle, shimmer, and gems to a concert because they are reflective and dip in and out of shadows and light,” she explains. While you can opt for sparkly eyeshadow, highlighter, and lip gloss, another (very popular) option is to rock gemstones.
“Half Magic’s Face Gems ($12) are the perfect low-maintenance way to create an easy yet impactful look,” Davy says. “We are seeing more of them on the red carpet, runways, and in everyday life.”
Gemstone Cut Crease
“Rhinestones can also be used to create more defined and delicate corners, angles, and tapered moments,” Davy says. For example, here they’re used to accentuate the crease.
Colored Mascara
Another popular concert-ready makeup staple is colored mascara. The vibrant turquoise shade here is the Half Magic Eyelectric Extreme Lengthening Mascara ($25) in Teal Widdit. It’s currently sold out, but a similar shade is the Shiseido ControlledChaos MascaraInk ($25) in Emerald Energy.
Purple Haze Lids
Concert makeup looks are the perfect time to play with color. Opt for something you wouldn’t normally wear, such as royal purple shadow. To create a similar look at home, use a fluffy eyeshadow blending brush, like the Morphe V204 Soft Pointed Eyeshadow Brush ($10) with bright purple pigment, like the shade Ecowas from the Juvia’s Place Culture 2 Eyeshadow Palette ($38).
Diamond Visage
Looking to go all out? Forget about eye gems—cover your entire face. Just keep in mind that rhinestones have to be glued onto the face, so if you have sensitive skin, this may not be the best bet for you.
Glitter Lips
Shimmer doesn't have to be constrained to the eyes—it can be applied to the lips, too. Pairing a high-shimmer gloss with a neutral base and brown liner makes for a fun take on the '90s classic.
Glossy Aura Lids
For an out-of-this-world concert makeup look, opt for all the colors and finishes. In this look by celebrity makeup artist and Ulta Beauty pro team member Mat Wulff, gloss lids, frosted lips, bold eyeliner, and picture-perfect pink blush is at play—and we have to say, we love it.
Sage Lids
Not a fan of shimmer? Make your concert makeup look pop with an unexpected eyeshadow color instead. This sage shade? We're swooning.
Subtle Lavender Lids
Not ready to rock all the colors and finishes? Keep it simple yet fun with a subtle lavender lid look. You can create a similar look with the Kylie Cosmetics Kendall Collection Pressed Powder Palette ($34).
Cutout Wing Tip
Cutout wing tips always add an eye-catching touch to any makeup look. For a similar look, use Stila’s Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($24) and Stay All Day Disco ArtiStix Graphic Liner ($24).
Mint Wing Tips
An easy way to transform your everyday makeup for a concert? Layer a bright eyeliner color, like the Ulta Beauty Collection Majestic Mint Color Punch Automatic Eyeliner ($8), on top of your regular black swipe.
Sunset Eyes
For a bolder concert makeup look, get inspired by nature. Wulff created this sunset/sunrise lid look with the Juvia’s Place Culture Eyeshadow Palette ($38).
Aquamarine Inner Eyes
This aquamarine inner-eye makeup look is downright ethereal. “I am currently loving the icy eyes makeup look for concerts, which is a fun throwback to the early 2000s,” says Wulff. “To achieve this look, use icy-colored eyeshadows like light blues, silvers, and whites.”
Powder Blue Lids
Of course, you can also opt to go full Paris Hilton circa 2002 with solid icy-blue lids. The Half Magic Daydreamies Eyeshadow ($12) and the KVD Beauty Super Pomade Vegan Eyeliner, Shadow, & Brow Pigment ($25) are two popular picks to get the look.