Well, that was loud. 🤘 Download Festival 2026 stormed Donington Park from 10–14 June, and the spiritual home of British rock and metal did not disappoint. Whether you were caked in mud at the barrier or living vicariously through everyone's stories, here's our Jolie recap — the bands, the moment that made history, and the festival makeup that actually made it home in one piece.
The headliners
Three nights, three titans. Limp Bizkit kicked things off on Friday with a nu-metal nostalgia trip, Guns N' Roses rolled back the years on Saturday, and Linkin Park closed it all out on Sunday — and that Sunday set was a big one. With Emily Armstrong on vocals, Linkin Park's headline slot marked the first time a woman has topped the Download bill in the festival's 22-year history. A genuine landmark moment, and the crowd absolutely knew it.
90+ bands and not a dull stage in sight
Beyond the top of the bill, the line-up was stacked: BABYMETAL, Bad Omens, Architects, Trivium, Electric Callboy, Halestorm, Ice Nine Kills, The Pretty Reckless, Cypress Hill, Pendulum and rock royalty Tom Morello all brought it across the weekend. From breakdowns to singalongs to one very muddy circle pit, Donington reminded everyone exactly why it's the home of Download.
And yes — Jolie was there too 🖤⚡
This one means the world to us. For Download 2026 we teamed up with the festival itself on an official Download Festival x Jolie Beauty collaboration — a three-piece collection we developed together: the Eyeshadow Palette, the Lava Lip Kit and our Mosh Proof Setting Spray — sold exclusively in the official Download Megastore.
And then… you completely floored us. The entire collection sold out in the Megastore within two hours — two days before a single band had even played. We're honestly still processing the numbers from those first couple of hours. This collab was a Donington exclusive, so whether it ever comes back — bigger, with more to go around — is genuinely in your hands as the fans. The love you showed it is everything, and we don't take a second of it for granted. To everyone who grabbed one, and everyone who tried: thank you, from the bottom of our black little hearts. 🖤
Just to clear one thing up — we didn't have a general-admission store this year. Jolie was stationed in the press area, running our Mosh Proof Booth: mini makeovers for anyone with a press band (artists included!), finished with a spritz of our festival-proof Mosh Proof Setting Spray to lock the look in for the pits. We ran lucky-dip lipstick giveaways too, and it was so lovely meeting everyone who came down to say hi.
One moment we'll never forget: we were lucky enough to gift some of our favourite artists — including Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, one of Jolie's all-time favourite artists, which was an absolute dream. Lzzy was gifted pieces from our Ozzy Osbourne x Jolie Beauty collection, and it felt like a true full-circle moment — the last time Jolie saw Lzzy was at the Back to the Beginning show, the very week our Ozzy collection launched, before Ozzy's passing. A really special, emotional one for all of us. 🖤
Oh — and we had a little main-stage moment, too. Jolie Beauty popped up on the big screen, in a video featuring Kate Reynolds. Pinch us. ⚡
Want first word on where we'll be in 2027? Sign up to our newsletter — we'll share all the details (plus a WhatsApp broadcast) closer to the time.
The festival makeup verdict: built to survive the pit
Three days in a British field is the ultimate test for any look. Forget anything too precious — Download makeup is grungy, smudgy and a little bit feral by design. Here's the proper pit-proof kit, much of it straight from our FestivALT festival range.
Smudged black liner
The backbone of any grungy festival eye. Our Smoulder Eyeliner Pencil in Black goes on creamy, smudges out into the perfect dirty smoke, then sets so it won't slide off mid-crowd. Tightline it, smoke out the lower lash line, and leave it gloriously imperfect.
Lashes that take a beating
Big lashes balance all that shadow and survive the chaos. AMPLIFIED Mascara piles on serious volume without the flaking — exactly what you want when you're three bands deep and it's started to rain.
A smoked-out eye
Rock festival eyes are meant to look a little destroyed by the end — which makes a smudgy smoky eye the perfect choice. Our Smokeshow Palette of greys, charcoals and jet blacks gives you that lived-in, been-in-the-pit intensity, and only looks better as the day goes on. Pack it on, blend, and don't worry about perfection. Find more in Eyes.
A bold lip that won't budge
For a lip that survives screaming every word back at the stage, you want serious staying power. Demise is a pitch-black Air Matte tested up to 16 hours, while our SANGUIS Electric Lip Gloss brings a blood-red hit of shine for the vampires among us. Browse the lot in Lips.
Lock it all in
This is the real MVP of any festival kit. Didn't manage to grab the sold-out Download collab Mosh Proof spray? Good news — the original Mosh Proof Setting Spray is a permanent fixture on the site, so you never have to go without. A few spritzes and your whole look is locked in for the pit, the rain and the 2am chip run.
Already counting down to next year
2026 set the bar sky-high — history made, riffs for days, a sell-out collab and a sea of incredible alt looks across every stage. If Donington's calling your name for 2027, get your kit (and your stamina) ready early — and keep an eye on your inbox for where we'll be next.
Did you do Download this year? Tag us @joliebeauty in your festival looks — muddy, smudged and gloriously feral all welcome. 🖤🤘
All Jolie Beauty makeup is vegan and cruelty-free, always.