Well, it’s almost time for IMATS in NYC this year, so I thought I would share what I learned from my experience last year! For those of you who don’t know what IMATS is, it stands for International Makeup Artists Trade Show. The event is held multiple times each year in various places around the world and it is open to the general public. There are speakers, demonstrations and tons of vendors selling all kinds of goodies, typically at discounted prices. For anyone who loves makeup, it’s just kind of fun to wander around and see all the new products available, as well as some of the amazing work from makeup artists working for various companies. There are student competitions as well, which showcase the amazing talent of some up-and-coming Makeup Artists. For some tips, tricks and suggestions for those attending IMATS, keep on readin’! J
It seems that most people go mainly for the shopping, so that’s what I’m going to focus on. Most places offer a pretty nice discount and, depending on how busy they are, the staff will be really interested in showing you everything about their products. This can make it incredibly easy to start impulse buying. To help avoid this, and also to just make navigating the venue easier, I would recommend looking at the vendor list on the IMATS website. If you’re not familiar with a company, check out their website to see what types of products they have and their price ranges – they’re usually linked right on the online list of vendors. Now you can start to think about what you’re most interested in investigating further!
This next step might actually be best to do first, but I find it easier to do second when I know what new things are available. You want to take stock of what you already have. Make a list of what you need and, perhaps, a list of things you don’t need. If there is a company attending IMATS that you already own some products from, make a list of what you already have to help avoid buying duplicates. Lists are your friend! I should also add that it may be difficult to check out any lists in the sea of people, but I would still recommend having them and trying to check them as best you can.
Set a budget!!! If you’ve investigated the items you’re interested in before hand, you should have some idea of what your dream budget would be and then you can try to make it a bit more realistic. Paying with cash is probably a good idea because it can be really easy to loose track of credit card charges. Try to stick to your budget the best you can.
To aid in sticking to a budget, you might want to wander around a bit before purchasing anything. This way you can get a sense of what kinds of products are available and what kinds of discounts are offered. For instance, there are tons of brush companies with a variety of prices, so if you’re not looking for a specific brand, you may want to look at a variety of them before actually purchasing that new foundation brush. You can also swatch anything and everything to get a better sense of whether or not that product is something you really want to purchase.
Now it’s time to buy!!! Be prepared for long lines and cramped quarters. Because of this, try to keep any bags – be it handbags or shopping bags – to a minimum and opt for the smallest handbag you feel comfortable using. This can be tricky because there are a number of items that can be helpful to have with you (I’ll get to these shortly)! Take whatever you feel you need, just be mindful of others while in lines – try not to jam your hard-shell laptop case into someone else’s stomach, for instance (why you’re bringing a laptop would be beyond me, but you get the idea). Lines that were insanely long last year included OCC, Inglot and NYX. As the day wore on, the lines died down a smidge and, on Sunday they were much more manageable. By the same token, the longer you wait, the more apt things are to be sold out. It’s a balancing act! J
This was a slow point at the NYX booth!
Now for some things to bring with you!
Some kind of Wet Wipes! These are essential. Not every booth has tissues and, by themselves, they don’t really get rid of swatches all that well anyway. I took some Wet Wipe single packets last year and I was so glad I did – especially at the OCC booth. Note: Lip Tars are tough to remove! J
I would take some kind of paper and a pen or pencil. You never know when you’ll need to write something down. If you attend some of the lectures, you may want to take a few notes and sometimes it helps to swatch products on paper so you can compare multiple items or items from different booths.
If you’re a blogger or YouTuber, bring business cards! You never know who you’ll meet or when an opportunity to share information about your blog / channel may arise. The cards should at least have your name and URL. If you’re comfortable doing so, include an email address and maybe a picture so people can put a name to the site. The rest is up to you. Social media links are always good to add as well.
Also for bloggers / YouTubers, bring your camera(s), of course! You’ll probably want to share some aspect of the experience with your readers / viewers. Take as many pictures as you can, but don’t forget to experience the event too! J
Finally, listen to some of the speakers, or watch some of the demonstrations if you have the time. Shopping is fun, but so is learning! And, let’s face it, your feet will probably get tired at some point and you’ll want to sit down once in a while. What better time for a speaker or a demo? J Again, look at the schedule ahead of time and try to plan a break around an interesting topic.
Most important, HAVE FUN!!! J
I hope any of you headed to IMATS found this helpful. Obviously, these are just my suggestions from my own experience. You should do whatever works for you. If you’re headed to any IMATS this year, I hope you have a spectacular time and maybe I’ll see you there!!! J