IMATS 2014

Hello! This is my extremely long overdue blog about my fist experience at IMATS. If you don't know what IMATS is, it's a makeup convention where there are competitions, shows, and my favorite part...discounted makeup! I went to New York IMATS in April of 2014 with a friend of mine. We had so much fun and bought so many amazing products, but I'll get to those later. 

IMATS sign when I first walked into the venue

Some tips if you're going to IMATS for the first time:

• Bring a Backpack- Taking a backpack with me was a great idea. I was able to carry everything I needed to have with me for the day, plus I was able to put some of the things that I purchased in it.
• Have a Plan- Before leaving for IMATS, my friend and I looked at the map of the venue and planned out what brand booths we wanted to visit. Even if you don't stick to this plan, you'll have a better idea of where you want to go.
• Don't Wear a Piece of Clothing That You Love- I wore one of my favorite dresses and by the end of the day, it was covered in eye shadow and other makeup products from swatching products and getting close to the sides of booths and other people.
• Bring Snacks- There is a lot of waiting at IMATS. You have to wait to get into the venue and at some booths you have to wait in lines to buy products. They do have a small cafe area, but I found it easier to bring my own snacks instead.
• Get There Early- You will have to wait in line to get into the venue, but if you don't get there early, brands could run out of products.
• Try New Brands- There are barely any lines at booths with brands that aren't too well known. It's the perfect place to try new brands because almost everything is discounted.

A man getting body paint for a competition.

While I was their I got to pick up some incredible products and great prices. Unfortunately I do not remember the exact prices because most vendors do not give receipts and I went so long ago. Most of the products were at least 75% off and some were even 50% off. Enjoy seeing what I found!

A photo of all the products I purchased at IMATS

 At IMATS, I was able to purchase some products from brands I love such as NYX and Lime Crime and also got to get items from new brands that I had never seen before. Please keep in mind, I am not bragging, just simply showing you what I got if you are interested. Also, I don't normally purchase this much makeup, but I saved up for the event and found many things that caught my eye. Below are pictures of what I got with descriptions and reviews!

Face Products:

The product to the left is NYX's Radiant Finishing Powder in the color 01. When I found this product at the NYX stand I decided to grab it because I heard that it was a great highlight. You can use this product all over the face, but I just use it on my check bones. It has a lot of shimmer and it's not colorful once you apply it. The palette in the middle is the Contour Effects palette from City Color.I haven't used this palette too much because the contour color is slightly too dark for me and the highlight is almost white with chunky glitter. I think it would be great if  you were a beginner in makeup though, as it has instructions on how to contour. Finally, to the right is a blush. I found this at a booth where I didn't recognize the brand, but I instantly fell in love with the color. This is a baked mineral blush from the brand Moulin Rouge in apricot swirl. This is the blush that I always reach for when getting ready for special occasions.

Brushes:

I feel bad because I cannot remember what booth I purchased these three brushes from. I love all three and use them all the time. I loved the brush on top because of the pink and gold. Also, this brush is so soft and it perfect for contouring . The next brush down is a blending brush. At first I didn't like using it because it shed everywhere, but I washed it once and it stopped shedding. The final brush I love using to apply cream eye shadows. It's really dense and it's perfect for summer since I wear cream eye shadows a lot.

Palettes:

I was surprised that I only purchased two eye shadow palettes. I thought I would end up with more. Both palettes include similar colors and have a very earthy feel. To the left is a palette from City Color that includes 12 shadows and 3 blushes. I haven't used this palette much. but I think I'll get some use out of it in the fall. The blushes are really shimmery and they are more like highlights in my opinion. On the right is a Dream Catcher Palette from NYX in golden horizons. The shadows are gorgeous and pigmented pretty well.

Lashes and Liner:

When I was at the NYX booth, I saw the eyeliner at the bottom of the photo. I had heard that it was good so I picked it up. It's the Two Timer Liner in jet black. I love how it has a kohl liner on one side and liquid on the other. I love this eyeliner for traveling because it saves a little space in your makeup bag. The lashes were a free gift from the Aldora booth. They are the H154 lashes. I'm saving them for a rainy day if I'm ever brave enough to try lashes.

Setting Spray and Spot Cleaners:

To the left is a setting spray that I purchased from City Color because I had never tried a product like this before. I can't compare it to anything because it is the first one that I've tried, but I really like it. The other two bottles are from Beauty So Clean. For Easter, they came out with Cake Pop and Chocolate scented spot cleaners. I use these to clean my eye shadow brushes. The chocolate one is my favorite and after I clean my brushes I get a major chocolate craving while doing my makeup!

Lipsticks:

I hadn't tried any products from Jesse's girl before so I decided to stop at their booth. Lipsticks were 3 for $10 and being a total lipstick junkie I had to get some. I picked up the colors Plum, Ruby Too, and Cruise Control (from left to right). These lipsticks are pigmented well and I'm glad I purchased them.

Before going to IMATS, I hoped NYX would have butter glosses because I really wanted to try them. I could not find any and the NYX booth was absolutely insane and full of people. I managed to find Butter Lipsticks instead. I grabbed the colors Fireball and Hot Tamale. They're both orange colors that I got because I didn't have anything like them. They're really moisturizing and I love them.

I saved my favorite for last! After I convinced my friend to stand in the massive Lime Crime line with me and we waited for about an hour and a half, I purchased two lipsticks. Unfortunately they didn't have 'Babette' which was the color I really wanted to get, but I loved these two colors as well. I got 'Geradium' and 'Retrofuturist'. These lipsticks are amazing quality. They're pigmented so well and they have good staying power. Also, they smell sort of like vanilla to me and I love vanilla so that makes them even better. A bit of a splurge, but totally worth it!

I hope that you have enjoyed my IMATS experience! If you made it through the whole post I applaud you because it ended up being extremely long. I loved going to IMATS and I will definitely be going again next year!