IMATS HAUL

If some of you follow me on Twitter and Instagram you'll know that I headed to the IMATS a few weeks ago now and for those of you that don't know what that is, it's the International Makeup-Artist Trade Show. It tours around the world and is in London at Olympia once a year, I have been wanting to go for a while so had to take myself off there this year. The tickets are around £30-40 so may be seen as a pricey day with travelling if you don't live in London but the discounts were worth it to me and I will be heading there again next year.

You get lots of big brands like Nars, MAC, Kat Von D and Urban Decay (although I wasnt impressed with UD since you didn't get any form of discount unless you help a pro-card or student card). MAC had a whopping 25% off and I do wish I'd gone a little more crazy but lots I wanted was OOS and KVD had 20% off but the queue was always massive! So here are the bits I picked up (prices below are full and not discounted)...

MAC Liptensity in Driftwood | £17.50

I did have this formula from MAC in Doe and its a big favourite of mine but I can't seem to find it, although I didn't repurchase as I'm still hoping to find it so went for Driftwood instead. The shade is a described as a soft lilac beige and the finish is satin and moisturising on the lips.

MAC Skin Base Visage | £21.50

One of my work colleague had this in the illumination version with a sparkle to it and I just had to have it. Its a gel like formula that smoothes on the skin nicely reducing any redness but also adding radiance. The way it smoothes out my skin also creates an amazing base for my foundation.

StylPro Makeup Brush Cleanser and Drier | £49.99

I was definitely suckered into this one after watching it be used and whilst when using it at home I find its okay but nothing that amazes me. Basically in the set you get a spinning motor that you attach brushes too and add cleanser to the bowl and clean whilst spinning, I also got some cleanser but prefer to use another one i'll mention later on in this post.The best thing about this is that you can spin your brush to dry it meaning you can use it straight after cleaning.

Lime Crime Diamond Crushers in Choke | £15.00

I had been waiting for this to come back into stock on Cult Beauty but of course I got a much better deal at the IMATS - it was around £11. I really love glittery lip toppers and especially the Jouer ones but this is so different as its a pop of colour. Choke is an iridescent pinky purple that I can't wait to add to a pink lip or on its own for a simple sparkle.

Lit Cosmetics Glitters and Liquid Metals | $16.00

This was one brand I was on the hunt for there after hearing Rach Leary rave about these and us it lots of her videos. I really want to use glitter more so I had to pick some up, I believe the deal was 3 glitters and glue for £35 which isn't that bad. I went for Champagne Wishes, a sandy gold with rainbow reflects, Margarita, an iridescent white and liquid metal shade, Addicted, a bronze shade with silver reflects. The latter can be used on its own or mixed with the glue for an intense metal look.

Naked Cosmetics Rain Forest Collection of Six | $59.99

This was a brand I hadn't heard of before but when the woman swatched it on my hand the pigment was so intense and then when mixed with water it was incredible! If you haven't already guessed these are pigments that you buy in packs of 6, although I wish I could mix across different ones. This set contains a champagne shade, soft bronzes and some earthy green shades. Expect to see these a lot more on my blog and creating looks with them on Instagram.

Stargazer Glitter Shakers | £3.00

In hind site I probably didn't need these after getting the other glitters and pigments but they were only £5 for both. I'm not sure these are safe for use on the eyes but they will be good for face glitter. I went for a icy white and milky neon coral shade.

Makeup Forever Empty Metal Palette XL | £12.50

I picked this up as I have almost finished my other palette and it was only like £7 compared to around £15 for the Z palette. This one is metal so its more sturdy that the cardboard ones but it doesn't have the window like others but that isn't too much of an issue.

Makeup Forever Ultra HD Foundation | £30.00

I have been wanting to try this forever and it was around £17 there so just had to get it. This is quite a full coverage foundation but literally makes my skin look flawless and also isn't really heavy. I also love that this comes in so many colours and tones to suit everyones.

Makeup Forever Pro Sculpting Duo | $39.00

I definitely did not pay that much for this and I think it was around £13 at the show. I got this as I wanted one of their new highlighters but couldn't find then so went for this sculpting duo with highlighter and bronzer. The highlighter is a soft powder pink and the bronzer is a deep warm brown, both are pigmented and play off so well on my skin.

I did pick up other bits like a new beauty blender and my favourite makeup cleanser, Parian Spirit, it literally brings my makeup brushes like new and it has this amazing citrus smell. I also picked up some Nyx bits as they has 20% off but some of the things I wanted weren't there. 

Did any of you head to the IMATS?

xo