The summer's set to come to a close with Electric Picnic. Here's how to rock the festival look to the max.

What do Lily Allen, Drew Barrymore and Bat for Lashes's Natasha Kahn have in common? Okay, so they're all kooky gals with a very definite sense of their own style, but that's not it. Nope, while Kahn may have kick-started the trend with her rainbow-inspired eye make-up a couple of years ago, Allen and Barrymore have been following her lead at music festivals this summer.

The Bat For Lashes singer's signature eye look has been updated in the form of Allen's glittery, sparkled Glastonbury peepers, and Barrymore's been experimenting with colour and pattern too, most notably at Coachella and Bonaroo, where she rocked Adam Ant-inspired metallic stripes of colour across eyes and cheeks.

And this is not just any festival beauty feature. Oh no: you'll get no advice about clever cosmetic packing here, because a) you know it all already (babywipes, dry shampoo, yada yada) and b) those three days in a field are probably the only time you really do get to abandon all the fashion and beauty rules.

As Electric Picnic is the swansong of the Irish summer festivals calendar, I say give it socks.

Statement

Dean Rudd, a pro trainer with MAC, agrees. "Anything goes," he reckons. "At a festival, no one judges and you can really make a statement." Rudd has clocked a trend for a really ramped-up, kohl'd eye this summer: "It's way past smokey," he reveals. "It's deep black, graphic and angular and it looks amazing when you add product on top, such as MAC's amazing Electric Eel shadow."

Anything else the festival-bound should keep in mind? "Glitter!" he exclaims. "I am so glad it's back, it's such a trusty favourite, and if you 'stick' it in place with a creamy shadow, it'll stay put."

Hmm. That all sounds pretty high-tech, not to mention high maintenance. Are we really going to have to lug a pile of products and make-up brushes to Stradbally to keep on top of this year's hottest festival beauty looks? "No," says Rudd, adding, "this is hands-on stuff and you don't have to get a perfect finish."

Most of all, don't fret if you don't get your look right first time around. With that in mind, let's leave the last word to the creative director of statement beauty brand Illamasqua, Alex Box: "Never be afraid to experiment with make-up -- it washes off."

THE ONES TO TRY

You'll be the belle of the ball with these shocking shades, glittery goodies and long-wear liners. Accessorise with lashings of mascara (Lancôme's battery-powered Oscillation, €35, is ideal) and false lashes.

1. GLITTER BOMB MAC's Glitter and Glitter Reflects products, €20, are pots of sparkly gorgeousness. This trio will debut on counter on September 3 (just a day before the Picnic off) plus a shimmery fuchsia, so you're spoiled for choice. Load up all over the eye area for the full-on Lily Allen experience.

2. SOLID GOLD Channel Drew Barrymore's metallic stripes with Illamasqua's Liquid Metal, €20, from the Sirens collection at BT2, Grafton Street. You have to try this stuff to believe it: a special process imbues the blendable cream with an über-metallic finish that really delivers on its promise.

3. CRYSTAL EYES Collection 2000's Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liners are a mere €4.20 each, which means you can bag a few of the 12 shades on offer. Use as a liner or mix with powder eyeshadow for extra staying power, plus that all-important sparkly finish. Available at Boots.

4. GEM OF AN IDEA They'll only hit beauty counters in September, so you'll have to be hot off the mark to bag some of Urban Decay's Urban Rocks face crystals, €19, at department stores. That buys you a kit containing 24 silver, gold and iridescent stones that can be glued in place, and they're reusable, too.

5.LINE 'EM UP Candy-coloured and oh-so-easy to use, MAC's new Technakohl liners, €18, are ideal for festivals because they'll deliver that much-appreciated slick of bright colour, without the need for complicated screw-top pots of gel liner and associated brushes, which you'll lose down your welly at the first opportunity. At MAC counters from September 3.

6. RAZZLE DAZZLE Can't afford pricey pigments? Barry M to the rescue, as their Dazzle Dust range contains billions of colours (well, nearly. . .) and each one costs a mere €6.95. That means you can buy as many as you need to really rock that rainbow eye. Find 'em at Boots and Superdrug.

7. LASH BACK If you're a bit of a shrinking violet who'd like to add a little colour, then a tinted mascara is ideal. Estée Lauder's new Sumptuous Coloured Mascara, €23, comes in five shades -- pick the purple or green for maximum impact. At department stores.

8. LINE BACKER Urban Decay's new liner offering, Ink For Eyes, €20, comes in a slimline case with a really good brush and a little mirror in the lid, making it quite possibly the best bit of festival beauty kit you could bring. Use the black to get that on-trend angular eye. At department stores.

9. PRIME POSITION Stick it all in place with a primer. It'll ramp up the pigment in your pots and ensure sparkle and shine sticks around for the longest possible time. Too Faced Shadow Insurance, €17, at department stores, is the one to go for.

- Kirstie McDermott