IMATS Toronto 2016 Review + Haul

I haven’t had a chance to blog in awhile (life!), but I did make time this weekend to attend IMATS Toronto for the second time. This year I attended on Saturday instead of Sunday, which is what I did last year. I didn’t think I could be as excited as I was last year, but I was so, so wrong! Knowing what I was getting myself into, I prepared for the battle of a Saturday at IMATS.

 Anticipating an incredibly long line (like Apple product launch day long line), I thought I would do the same thing as last year – show up 2 hours before opening. I was a bit disheartened to see that others had the same plan in mind; the result being about 50 people sitting in line ahead of me. I bet they slept in line overnight to grab those few desired spots in the front of the line! I was super happy I came at the time I did because the line started forming soon after I arrived and quickly wrapped around the convention center.

Maddox Lu (Benefits Cosmetics) - Taking Brows from Now to Wow

After I picked up my wristband, we were ushered into another line but by the time 9AM came around, all the organization that happened earlier disassembled almost instantly. People started rushing towards the escalators in hopes of being the first to arrive at their favourite booths. I made my way calmly and still had time to hit up all the places I wanted to see before the lines became out of hand.

I wasn’t as overwhelmed as I was last year and there were some great deals that I was able to take advantage of. New vendors like Kat Von D, Lime Crime and Clinique added to the excitement felt the entire morning and the deals made it all worth-while for me. Let’s jump in!

Kat Von D Booth

The first thing I’ve learned is if you want a chance at picking up some Morphe brushes without waiting in hour long lines, head to Morphe first think in the morning. Half an hour after the convention opened, the line was already unfathomable. Fortunate for me, my priorities laid elsewhere – at the Make Up Forever (MUFE) Booth.

Longest Line at IMATS - Morphe

By the time I arrived at the MUFE booth, it had already started to fill up. Working quickly, I was able to place my somewhat standard order in super fast and picked up and paid for my items within 10 minutes. I would have selected more products but wanted to check out the other booths first. By the time I made my rounds, the MUFE line was too long for me to wait again.

MUFE was offering 40% off all products and 50% off when you purchase 5+ foundations. Last year, I regretted only picking up one so I decided to take advantage of the 50% off and picked up quite a few products I like to keep a stash of. I’ll post everything I picked up down below.

The most colourful booth at IMATS - Lime Crime

Last year, I saw that people who attended on Saturday were able to grab a bag of 6 Beauty Blenders and a cleaner for $60 from Nigel Beauty Emporium. I was literally on a mission to find this again. I was unsuccessful, as Nigel Beauty did not attend this year. Virtzu had a great selection of Beauty Blenders ranging from singles to a bag of 6 (sans cleaner).

Next place I checked out was the Benefit Cosmetics booth. This year they had 40% off their products and since I started to rekindle my love for their Porefessional primer, I thought I’d pick one up. This booth also got pretty busy mid-morning with a fairly long line just to put in your order.

I loved the NARS booth. It wasn't anything special, I just get excited looking at their beautiful products. Last year they had no discounts on their products so sadly, I decided to hold off until the Sephora VIB sale came around. This year, they were offering 20% off on two or more products and luckily for me/unlucky for my wallet, I happened to be out of my Radiant Creamy Concealer and have started using the NARS Skincare line.

Liquid Blush by Inglot

I was happy to see new vendors attend the show like Kat Von D, Buxom, Bare Minerals and Lime Crime mixed into the event with consistent brands like MAC Pro, NYX and Inglot. I have promised myself that next year, I will try a brand I've never heard of and pick up a blush or two from Inglot. They were stunning!

I mentioned in my 2015 post that I wanted to experience a Saturday at IMATS and believe me, I did. I've never been so tired after a day of shopping! It was a great experience but the lines that began to form mid-morning were insane! After waiting 2 hours just to get my wristband, I couldn’t be bothered waiting hours again just for a few products here and there. Next year, I need to attend both days! Saturdays for the “early bird” deals and Sunday for the standard products I would like to stock up on - without the incredibly long lines.  If you want to read up on my tips for attending IMATS, check out my 2015 post here.

 Now onto the Haul!

HAUL:

So, I spent more than I should have. I wasn’t anticipating that NARS would be discounted or that I would have picked up 5 HD MUFE foundations. Such is life! Like my last IMATS post, I will post prices for each item as this always helped me prepare a planned budget for attending shows like this.

Make Up Forever (40% off all products, 50% off 5+ Foundations/Pressed Powders)

• HD Foundation in Y315 - $130 for 5 ($26 + tax each) (originally $52 + tax each)
• HD Translucent Pressed Powder - $21.50 + tax (originally $43 + tax)
• 160 Blush Brush - $31.50 + tax (originally $52 + tax)

Virtzu Distribution:

• 6 Beauty Blenders - $100 no tax (originally $28 + tax each)

NARS Cosmetics (20% off 2+ products):

• Radiant Creamy Concealer in Honey - $28.80 + tax (originally $36 + tax)
• Gentle Creamy Cleanser - $30.40 + tax (originally $38 + tax)

Benefit Cosmetics (40% off all products):

• Porefessional Face Primer - $23.40 + tax (originally $39 + tax)
• They’re Real! Mascara - $18.60 + tax (originally $31 + tax)

Total Savings ~ $250 (factoring in ticket cost too!)

Steals and Deals:

1. NYX: 20% off all products
2. Kat Von D: 30% off all products
3. NARS/Buxom/Bare Minerals: 20% off 2+ products
4. MUFE: 40% off all products, 50% off foundations/pressed powders
5. Benefit Cosmetics: 40% off all products

 If you’re planning to attend IMATS Toronto 2017, I’ll see you there!