Well, another year, another IMATS. That’s right, I spent this past weekend at the NYC IMATS. If you’re unfamiliar with this increasingly popular event, it stands for International Makeup Artists Trade Show, and it happens around the globe at various points throughout the year (click here for more info). Since I’m not a makeup artist, I am thrilled that it is still open to the public because it means I can attend! J There are speakers of all sorts on tons of different topics and, particularly in NYC, there are ton of vendors that are difficult to find in person, and often more theatrical in nature. It’s a really fun event filled with makeup professionals, bloggers, YouTubers and makeup enthusiasts from all over. If you ever have a chance to go to one, I’d recommend trying to go just for the experience!
This year the tickets sold out pretty quickly. Fortunately I ordered a 2-day pass relatively early and was able to attend both days! I had a great time, though it was so crowded! I’m not a huge fan of crowds and I don’t like waiting in line, but if that’s what it takes to get around at IMATS, so be it! J
I’m going to start with Sunday because I didn’t simply wait in lines all day. I left the house a bit later than I had planned and then ran into more traffic than I expected (yup, I prefer driving to NYC over a train!). The timing worked out really well though because right as I got there, Liza from Makeup Matters by LNC was just sitting down for lunch with her cousin. That made for a perfect chance to finally meet in person! J Liza’s even nicer than I imagined, if that’s possible! J So we had a chance to chat for a bit and then wandered around the Stila booth before parting ways. It was so nice meeting a fellow cruelty free blogger and, since I seem to go everywhere by myself, it was nice to have someone else to chat with for a bit.
Liza from Makeup Matters by LNC and me
In addition to Liza, I managed to stumble across a few YouTubers. I spotted Rachel from RachhLoves from afar because she is quite tall and thin, which tends to stand out in a crowd. I think she was waiting for someone else, but she was just standing by herself, so I decided to go say hello. I just recently started watching her videos and I really like her natural, easy, sometimes goofy way of talking. She was incredibly nice and friendly and I was quite proud of myself for saying hi. I feel pretty uncomfortable talking to new people, and I feel really awkward talking to people who have some sort of following. I know that they’re just normal people and I want to respect their privacy. I was proud of myself for overcoming my shyness though and it encouraged me to keep going!
FleurDeForce & Stefanie from EleventhGorgeous in back
Stefaine & Tracy from EleventhGorgeous
Me with FleurDeForce
Me blinking with Stefanie & Tracy from Eleventh Gorgeous
Tati from Glam Life Guru
The rest of Sunday, I just wandered around and stood in a few lines again. I didn’t buy much on Sunday, partly because the vendors I went to were sold out of a lot of things! So, on to Saturday….
Wolfe Face Art & FX - so pretty!
Bdellium Tools Green Bambu (Sunday)
Bdellium Tools Pink Bambu (Sunday)
Inglot
Saturday I spent wandering around and shopping. Shopping was standing in really long lines in hopes of making it to testers, only to then wait some more to place an order! J I knew what I wanted to look at and looked around to see which booths would be easiest to navigate first. So, I started with Bdellium Tools because I love their brushes!!! J They were mobbed, but I really wanted to get there before the popular brushes were gone, so I waited and it was not too hard to find what you wanted. I tried to take pictures, but it was so difficult to get close to some of the booths that I didn’t do a very good job. Like I said, I didn’t really listen to any of the presentations, which I’m a bit mad at myself about. I saw Beauty Broadcast, or EmilyNoel83 from YouTube, but didn’t say hello. Her husband is so tall and she’s so tiny! J But he made it impossible to miss her! She was busy shopping, so I wanted to let her actually have a chance to browse, plus there is my aforementioned fear of approaching people. J And that was pretty much Saturday. Bags full, wallet much lighter! J
Lit Cosmetics - stunning glitters!
Lit Cosmetics
OCC Airbrush Makeup
OCC Nail Polish
If you’re interested in what I bought, I can try to do a haul as well, but it may be pretty long! Let me know if you’re interested in a haul post in the comments. I will tell you the places I purchased things from were: Bdellium Tools – mostly Pink Bambu brushes Cailyn Inglot – I bought a ton there and they were out of most of what I wanted to add on Sunday! OCC Makeup (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) Stila – the discounts weren’t much better than 20% off coupons at Sephora or Ulta, so I decided to wait a bitI think that’s it! But, like I said, I bought a lot at Inglot and Bdellium.
So that’s pretty much my IMATS NYC 2013 experience in a nutshell! The highlight was definitely meeting Liza from Makeup Matters by LNC. I hope anyone else who went had a great time, and if you ever have a chance to make it to an IMATS, I would definitely recommend going at least once! It’s an interesting and fun experience. I can’t wait for next year! J
Amazing makeup looks being done around the venue:
Some stunning Student Competitors work from Saturday - Fantasy / Beauty:
Some amazing Student Competitors work from Sunday - Character / Prosthetic
