A beauty blogger's guide to camping

A tent is not my natural environment. Far from it in fact. Give me a comfy bed, a nice little spa break and an en-suite bathroom and I’m a happy lady. My boyfriend on the other hand is Mr. Outdoors and loves a good camping trip, so once every couple of years, I take one for the team and agree to a week in a tent.

Having just arrived back from a week in Cornwall under canvas, I’ve been putting together some of my top tips for camping trips – whether you’re heading off to a festival, or simply taking a break from it all al fresco style.

Always go heavy on the SPF - England isn't always the sunniest of places, and it's easy to think that you won't burn, especially when it's cloudy and not that hot. Wrong! You'll be spending a lot of time outside when you camp, so even if you think it's not very sunny, always protect yourself. Pack a decent SPF for your face and one for your body - Bioderma and La Roche Posay do fantastic ones that won't break the bank.

Bring layers - tents are their own weird little micro-climates; they can get super hot in the day time and freezing cold at night. Bring plenty of layers and expect to sleep with your winter PJs on. Oh, and then have to fling them off at 6am when the sun comes up and starts to turn your tent into a sauna. 

Pack multi-purpose products - space in a tent is limited, so make the most of it by packing products that can be used for lots of different things. Trilogy, Lanolips and 1001 Remedies all have fab multi-purpose balms that can be used on dry patches, for smoothing fluffy tent hair and soothing insect bites (plus a lot more uses!). I'd also recommend saving up your travel-sized products and taking them camping - you won't have to lug around a massive toiletry bag this way, which is a definite bonus when the nearest bathroom is a good five minute walk away. 

Take ear plugs and/or an eye mask - it's never 100% dark when you're camping and there are lots of strange noises around, so ear plugs and an eye mask can be a lifesaver at bed time. It always takes me a night or two to get used to sleeping outdoors, and I've found both of these really help give a restful night's sleep.

Plan your bathroom trips - most camp sites have full shower/toilet facilities, but that doesn't mean they're always near your tent! If you're lazy like me, you'll want to minimise your trips to the shower/toilet block, so try to combine trips to the loo with your morning shower or when you brush your teeth. And when you have a good five minute walk in order to pee, you'll never take your toilet at home for granted again! 

Use skincare that doesn't need water - depending on your camp site/festival, you might not be that close to a bathroom (see above). I'd recommend taking skincare that you can use without the need for running water or a flannel as it's not always convenient to just 'pop down' to the bathroom. Avoid face wipes if you can and stick to something gentle like La Roche Posay's Toleriane cleanser which works just as well when used with some cotton pads.

Most of all, just enjoy it! Camping can be great fun, even if you're normally an indoors person like me. There's nothing quite like sitting outside your tent, watching a gorgeous sunset and sipping on a (lukewarm) gin. Just make sure you go prepared!

Are you a fan of camping? What are your top camping tips?