Happy Monday!
This past weekend Toronto hosted the International Makeup Artist Trade Show which happens annually. Therefore, you can imagine how excited I was to attend for the first time ever.
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| IMATS Toronto in full swing |
I thought I would start my blog with a big bang! A review and Haul of Toronto's IMATS 2015. A month before IMATS, I had been stalking blog sites that held reviews of IMATS so I could prepare myself for the beautiful chaos that I was so eager to attend. So, I thought as my first blog post, it would be great to share my experience with other makeup enthusiasts that want to know more about IMATS.
REVIEW:
This was my first time at IMATS. I opted to go on Sunday this year as I heard it is generally less chaotic than Saturday. Not knowing how long the line up to enter would be, I planned to be there an hour to an hour and a half prior to opening. I overestimated my timing and arrived two hours before opening (8am)! Fortunately, this worked out to my advantage as I ended up being second in line for non-pro members so the moment I entered there were no waiting times at any booths! The line to sign in and get a stamp started getting long around 9am (doors open at 10am) and I have to say IMATS could have done a better job communicating with their employees regarding the line up as they seemed quite a bit disorganized and confused a lot of the time. (However, this was a minor thing and it didn't hinder my experience in the least).
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| MAC pro booth |
At 10am, the moment I had been waiting for had arrived - they began letting people officially enter into IMATS. I had a plan in place and a list of items I wanted to spend my hard earned money on. I aimed to be in and out before it got too overwhelming so I headed to Nigel's Beauty Emporium first in hopes that I could snag a 6 pack of beauty blenders for $65. Unfortunately, they sold out of this deal on Saturday so I settled for Beauty Blenders idea of blotting papers - a blotterazzi. After Nigel's, I hit up Makeup Forever and managed to pick up the items I wanted while waiting less than two minutes to check out. Amazing, right?! My only regret was not snagging a few more items from Makeup Forever! I was able to walk around the convention centre while browsing the booths comfortably and without too much crowding. The only exception was the Morphe booth - the line began wrapping and extending about thirty minutes after opening. I didn't even attempt to wait!
There were several places to find brushes. Between Royal and Langnickel, Bdellium Tools, Crown Brushes, Hakuhodo and Morphe, I admittedly became overwhelmed. I was able to purchase several brushes but wished I had gotten a few more face brushes. Next time!
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| Crown Brushes Booth |
I was excited to see that Benefit had a booth this year as I browsed last year's exhibitors and they didn't attend. They were offering 35% off all products plus giving away one lip product with the purchase of three products from their booth! They also gave me a coupon to use at their uptown brow bar on Yonge street (20% off) which is fantastic as I get my brows waxed there already!
All in all, I had an amazing time. It was refreshing to be surrounded by people who shared the same interest as me. As I waited to enter, I felt like I was a little kid waiting to be let into a candy store! I cannot wait to attend again next year!
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| all that glitters |
Tips that worked for me:
- Show up early! There were hardly any lines and plenty of room to move around comfortably
- Wear comfortable clothing/shoes and layer
- Come with a budget and stick to it
- Have a plan. Make a list of items you want and what booths you want to check out
There are a couple things I would like to change next time around:
- If I can't attend both days, I would go on a Saturday. There were a few things I wanted to buy that sold out on Saturday.
- Have a prepared written list of everything I wanted at Makeup Forever. Once I arrived home, I realized there were a few more things I wish I had picked up that I didn't - you can never have enough lipsticks!
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| Stilazzi eye shadows |
HAUL:
Although I browsed all the booths multiple times, there were a few that I purchased from.
Below are the products I purchased and the booths I picked them up from. I will also list what I paid for each item since I find this super helpful when browsing other reviews.
I also stayed well under budget! Success!
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| IMATS Haul |
Benefit Cosmetics (35% off all products @ IMATS):
Dallas Powder Blush - $26 no tax
Crown Brushes (charged tax even with cash):
IB118 Spoolie - $2.50
IB106 Angle blush - $8
IB131 Stiff Brow/Spoolie - $3
B38 Design Fan - $4.50
C435 Large Contour Blush - $10
Make Up For Ever (40% off all products @ IMATS):
HD Foundation in Y235 (118) - $30 + tax (they had an IMATS deal - 5 foundations for $125)
Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick (#31 Satin Mauve Pink) - $13.80 + tax
Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick (N9 Copper Pink) - $13.80 + tax
Nigel Beauty Emporium:
Blotterazzi - $18 no tax
Virtzu Distribution:
Beauty Blender - $20 no tax
Solid Cleanser - $19 no tax
Stilazzi:
Pearl Shadow PS25 - $3 no tax
Matte Shadow MS38 - $3 no tax
Total: $174.60 before tax on a few items
Steals and Deals:
Benefit: 35% off; buy three products and receive one lip product for free
Make Up For Ever: 40% off all products
MAC Pro: 20% off all products
Product reviews will be posted soon time! Check back! xo
Did you attend IMATS Toronto 2015? If so, what did you pick up?!
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