If you haven’t heard of IMATS before and you’re a makeup addict like me…keep reading!

IMATS is the International Makeup Artist Trade Show which happens in LA, Atlanta, Vancouver, Toronto, London and New York.   Brands display their products, generally with quite generous discounts that perhaps are only usually available to professionals, and Makeup Artists show off their skills, especially in the Special Effects stands – they’re so interesting to watch!

My first visit to IMATS was last year and you can read all about my trip IMATS London 2017 – a day out with make-up!  or check out my IMATS Mini Haul.

In the post about the day itself I did finish it off by saying that Jess and I agreed it was good to experience but it was a little pricey for  what we did.  This year, as I now have a pro card, I was able to go to the pro event on the Friday and avoid the hustle and bustle of the public weekend days!  I took my Mum with me and after a lovely morning wandering to Covent Garden and having lunch, we made our way to Olympia.

Walking into the exhibition I got the distinct impression that there were a lot less stands than last year.  I did wonder if perhaps that was because it was the pro-day but I had checked whether the Friday event was the same as the weekend days and I was assured they were.

I wasn’t necessarily looking for anything in particular, other than festival glitter stands, of which, I only found one stand selling glitter and nothing in terms of body glitter or bulk pots that I could use for festival looks!

So, what did I buy?

Too Faced Natural Face Palette

As if I wasn’t tempted enough by the look of this alone, the texture is so smooth and silky it’s wonderful thanks to the inclusion of coconut butter.  The sturdy, pretty packaging houses two highlighters, two blushers and two bronzers – perfect for me or my pro-kit!

Too Faced Hangover Primer

I am yet to use this properly but I have been reading the hype over this primer and it sounds great!  At IMATS I tried this on the back of my hand and I was hooked onto it straight away.  Recently I have been using a hydrating primer from Marks & Spencer and was surprised to find my skin seems to prefer it to the silicone based primers that I would usually go for so I can’t wait to start using this with probiotics and coconut water…it sounds like I need to get on and try it!!

RCMA No Colour Powder

This is a repurchase of a setting powder that I bought last year at IMATS.  I still have my bottle of this (ok, it’s because I have a few setting powders on the go!) so as a Makeup Artist favourite, this is for my pro-kit.

Mac Paint Pot – Painterly

Mac paint pots again are another favourite.  They are great as eyeshadows on their own but also make a great base for powder eyeshadows.  I already use the shade ‘Soft Ochre’ both at home and in my pro-kit.  It helps to cover any redness on the lid and gives a good canvas ready for creating an eye look.  The shade ‘Painterly’ is a little more of a neutral shade whereas ‘Soft Ochre’ is a bit more yellow.

The Original Beauty Blender

This one really doesn’t need any introduction on this blog as I mention this a lot but The Original Beauty Blender is by far my favourite way to apply not just foundation but all other cream and liquid makeup.  They’re also great for applying powder too!

Glitter!

Adding more glitter to my kit was one of my aims for IMATS but as I mentioned, there were not many stands at all selling it!  Last year there were brands such as Wish Upon A Sparkle but they were not in attendance this year which is a shame!  I did however pick up a few smaller tubs of glitter to add to my festival makeup kit.

Stylpro Makeup Brush Cleanser

This is another repurchase as this was in my last IMATS post also but if you want to know more about the Stylpro brush cleanser check out one of my original blog posts: Make up brush cleaning….a little bit of OCD!  Inventor Tom Pellarau who is the genius behind this and many other inventions was on hand to give demonstrations of the newer version of the device which looks great.  He saw I was holding my Beauty Blender ready to purchase and he said he is working on something to clean those!!  I did of course reply that if he invents that I will be buying one!

Royal & Langnickel Flat Liner Brush

I have been needing one of these for my pro-kit as they’re great for tight-lining.  I am a brush-addict but this is the first Royal & Langnickel brush that I have bought so far and the quality seems great!

Urban Decay

Urban Decay don’t have a pro discount scheme online in the UK but at IMATS they were offering a 40% discount for signing up to their scheme available at their boutiques.  I of course signed up!  Their Razor Sharp eyeliners are my favourite as their brush lends itself to precise application but also the formula lasts ALL DAY!  I use the shades ‘Perversion’ and ‘Bump’ for dance competitions.  I cannot recommend them enough.  I also decided to get the Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Eden as I had a sample of this once and loved it.  It’s a great base for eyeshadow and really does improve the longevity of eyeshadow.

NYX Lid Lingerie

Again another product that I have only swatched and not used yet but I fell in love with this shade as soon as I saw it!!  How pretty is that green??  I can’t comment yet on how this performs as this is the first one of these that I have owned but I have seen lots of good reviews for these so I will review soon!

NYX HD Concealer – Green

Another one for my pro-kit as I didn’t have a green colour corrector for covering redness.  The green neutralises red issues on the skin so I thought I would give this one a try…not used yet so can report back how I find it.

So that’s my mini haul from IMATS.  Overall I still believe this is an event to be experienced however I was left feeling a little underwhelmed at the number of brands there this year.

Have you ever been to IMATS?

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