IMATS Toronto 2012 Experience + Haul

Another Toronto IMATS has come and gone. As per usual it was a day filled with vloggers, bloggers and beauty lovers! For the second time the venue was at Toronto Congress Centre which is located in Etobicoke. I got there a little bit later in the morning (around 11) and was shocked at the sheer number of people which was there. I came with a direct game plan and didn't stray away from my budget. 

First on my list was bdellium tools!  After hearing several bloggers rave about them, I know I had to get a few brushes from the line. Then off to Beauty So Clean and lastly finish off at Face Atelier to see what's new.

This years exhibitor list was much smaller than the earlier IMATS that I have attended.
That didn't stop groves of people from coming out to enjoy the beauty deals and watch the seminars.

Believe it or not, the ATM's on site ALL ran out of money before 2pm!
I was so happy that I traveled with cash.

Check out some pictures that I took of the show on Saturday:

I finally got to see one of my favourite bloggers/MUA Joy from Makeup Junkie.

bdellium tools booth set up.

I was debating whether I wanted the 957 or 958.
I should have just taken both!

If you're squeamish look away!
I couldn't leave without taking a picture. It's actually a replica of a full-sized man.
It was like 5'10! He even had shoes on!!

End result from the Make-up as Art seminar featuring M.A.C. Pro artist Melissa Gibson.

 OCC Skin on display.
Such vivid colors!

Emmy-winning makeup artist Eve Pearl doing a seminar on
How to Turn your Career into a Thriving Business

Last but not least my Haul! 

• Opi Drop it- drying drops+ free nail polish
• Opi Chipslip
• Beauty So Clean 
• Mascara shield
• bdellium studio line brushes in 957 & 949
• bdellium green bambo series brush set
• FACE atelier lip glaze in Obsession

Such a small haul but honestly at this moment I have everything I want.

Did you go to IMATS this year?

IMATS TORONTO is here!

I remember when IMATS was months away, now it's here! My list this year is very small but specific. We all know that I won't stick to it but here are my top must buys:

Lit Cosmetics: They offer 4 different sizes and 4 different varieties of their glitter. I also need to get their glitter adhesive as well.

Royal & Langnickel: SILK GreenLine™ was developed for eco-friendly brushes without sacrificing the luxurious feel and precision of natural professional brushes (100% bamboo handles and chrome plated nickel ferrules).

Model in a Bottle: Model in a Bottle® Setting Spray will hold foundation and eye make-up in place throughout the day and into the night. This product is resistance to smudging, tears, humidity and water.

Model in a Bottle Long Lasting Eyebrow Sealer won't dust, shine or flake. It is easily removed with warm water and your favorite cleanser.

Faceatelier Cosmetics: Facade makes creams obsolete as its one-of-a-kind, silicone-based, liquid-to-powder formula provides translucent, non-streaking, buildable matte color that sets with a natural glow.

Eve Pearl: High Definition Foundation provides skincare with our CosmeNutrients® and sheer to full coverage in one step!

I will also be re-buying my Beauty So Clean bottles & OCC lip tars as well!

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Check out the exhibitors who are coming below:

Alchemy Center Makeup Art Studio & Boutique	104
Alcone	315
Bdellium Tools	319
Beauty Distribution MD	313
Blanche Macdonald Centre	303
Canadian Beauty College	116
Cinema Secrets / SKS Novelty Co. Ltd.	309
Crown Brush Canada	119
Crystal Works	408
Distribution Dinair Airbrush Makeup	114
Don's Hobby Shop	512
Embryolisse	115
Eve Pearl	108
Eye Kandy Cosmetics	318
FACE atelier	306
Graftobian / SKS Novelty Co. Ltd.	307
Grande LASH-MD	120
Hakuhodo USA	406
Jordane Cosmetics	219
Kett Cosmetics	104
LA Splash Cosmetics	418
Lit Cosmetics	206
M.A.C. Pro	100
Make-Up Artist magazine	425
Make-Up Artist magazine photo booth	518
Make Up For Ever	201
Model in a Bottle	208
Naimie's Beauty Center	413
Naked Cosmetics	412
Nars Cosmetics	321
Nigel Beauty Emporium	212
Nurturing Force	421
NYX Professional Makeup	125
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics	301
OxyLift Joanne Smith	419
Pari Beauty	113
Royal & Langnickel Brush Mfg.	101
Sculpture Supply Canada	214
Temptu Pro	107
Velour Lashes	209
Wolfe Canada	308
Yaby Cosmetics	207
Züca, Inc.	320

Have you tried any of these brands?

Fall Beauty 2011: Red Lip Edition MAC, Revlon & Face Atelier

Can you believe that Fall is already here!! Good Bye Shorts! Hello Scarves!

Instead of moping around, I'll share my favorite red lips for the season.

MAC Rebel

Face Atelier Revenge

Revlon Wine Not

 Which one is your favorite?

FACEatelier Lip Glaze Swatch in Shiraz- Perfect for fall

I have received a good amount of requests to see swatches of my IMATS haul. I'm going to start out with one of my favorite lip glosses right now- FACEatelier Lip Glaze in Shiraz.

This glaze was picked out for me personally by the President / CEO Debbie. After our talk about their gorgeous lipstick in Revenge, she suggested a glaze to compliment it or wear alone. Click here to check out my lip swatches of Revenge.

Isn't Shiraz such a fab color! This swatch is on bare lips

This is Shiraz layered over a Berry lipstick

(Click the picture to get an HD version)

So ladies if your searching for a great plum gloss check out FACEatelier.

HUGE IMATS Toronto Haul

I got three yes.. three Royal & Langnickel brush sets. First I got the 20 piece and a travel brush set. After debating I had to get another travel set because it's amazing!

These brushes are sturdy and there also labeled. This set will be added to my kit. I'm excited to use my first fan brush : D

Here is a close up of the Travel brushes. Double ended and FAB! This set gets thumbs up for having an amazing blending brush in it. Also there is a pocket with a zipper on the side.. So far I fit a mascara,liner, udpp & eyeshadow in there. It's like my little emergency kit LOL

I decided to get a makeup setting spray from Graftobian. This spray is waterproof,smudgeproof & moistureproof. In other words your makeup isn't going ANYWHERE!! This is great for long days.

Kett Setting powder for a perfect HD finish. Plus it works for ALL skintones. Don`t let it fool you just because it`s white.

I won a Purely Cosmetics Diamond Powder Perfect Finish Powder from Enkore. I read on the website that it's similar to MUFE HD powder. Can't wait to try it out!

Im excited to be able to really try out NYX! I have a few shadows but that`s it. I`ve dreamt about trying Black Bean forever! Smokey eyes here I come lol..

Also that bright blue liner would be GORGEOUS with a nude or fuchsia lip! I think that will be my next FOTD.

This OCC liptar needs no introduction. I`m happy that I got to swatch them and feel the actual consistency before I purchased.  I got Strumpet which is described as a red seedless grape... HOT!

Surprisingly I didn't get ANY brushes from Crown. I decided to get the 28 palette I have been eyeing for a while. Also an empty 28 palette is perfect whenever you`re in a depotting mood!

I really needed some beautysoclean for my kit and myself. This purchase showed me that shopping around is key. I went to one both and it was being sold for 14.95 with tax. I have nooo idea why I didn't buy but I`m happy I waited! I went to the alcone booth and they were 2 for 15.00 NO TAX. Score :) Plus she threw in a whole bunch of wipes.

Love this picture! Brushes and more brushes. I got a pack from rubber mascara brushes from Nigel Beauty Emporium. Also a lovely pencil brush I got from Cici fashion brush. Pencil brushes are great to deposit color evenly in your crease.

The ever so popular MUFE smoky lash. I`ve heard nothing but amazing things about this soo I had to try it :)

Also the brow corrector was a must! Its waterproof and will last me a VERY long time.




This was the greatest purchase at IMATS.On Sunday right before IMATS ended Evepearl announced that all lip products were $5.00! I got to the booth late but I managed to snag two great lip colors. The first one is called Vampire Kiss & the secondone is called Wet kisses.




This Faceatelier product was picked personally for me by Debbie the President & CEO. This color is gorgeous on it's own or ontop of a lipstick

Ladies: Please let me know if you want any reviews or swatches on any of these products!

I hope you all enjoyed my huge haul! I have a lot of pictures that I will be put into a flickr stream soon. For now enjoy these great pics.

IMATS 2010 coverage + Highlights

 I had one of the greatest weekend ever! Full of bloggers, vloggers, make-up & seminars. An IMATS Toronto weekend!

This year I went on both Saturdays and Sunday and I'm so happy because I have no regrets. I made great purchases both days and met amazing people.

Day one started off great I got there early and made my way to join the ever growing line.

As soon as the doors opened girls started to bolt to the Makeup Forever booth. Yes you heard me "bolt" rumors of long line up triggered me to join in on the action. I researched online and knew exactly what I wanted.

This year the venue was much better and the deals were pretty good....but I still shopped around to find out what booth had the better deals.The best brush selection & prices in my option was Royal & Langnickel for brush sets. The variety in the sets were a steal for the price.

For individual brushes the most popular booth was of course Crown brushes. I think the main reason for the is the gurus & bloggers who rave about them!

New to IMATS this year was NYX. They had a massive booth right in the middle. It had great selection and the individuals who worked there were quite helpful.They had a few males there who knew the products better than I did.

I was very excited to see the OCC cosmetics booth. I have been dreaming about lip tars since seeing them in YT videos & blog sites. I'm happy that I got to swatch them and play with the different colors. There is no way to describe them other than pigmented. Also a little bit goes a long way.

Through out the whole day I saw girls who were sporting pretty glitter liner. I inquired where they got it and I was directed to Eye Candy Cosmetics! Yana and I decided to get our eyes done.

I met Debbie from FACEateiler last year at IMATS. This year she gave me a sneak peak of the products that are coming out in 2011. I`m very excited for a blush called tangerine which she demonstrated on me! Definitely WOC friendly.

I got my first airbrushed face from Dinar. Loved it!

As a makeup artist I am always looking for ways to refine and improve my technique. IMATS had a lot of great seminars. This year I made sure I attended more than one.

Kevin-James Bennett gave us get tips on brushes & products for our kit. My favorite tip I received was about how he uses primers to reduce the consistency of cream foundations! Brilliant. Watch the video below for highlights.

Nadine Luke from MAC gave us a back stage pass on fall/winter trends. The model she used was extremely gorgeous and the gloss look is fab.Watch the video below for highlights.

Wanda from Cover FX talked about the art of concealing! Concealing is important if you want to be able to work with a flawless canvas. If your unfamiliar with Cover FX, click here to learn more.

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Through out the day I had the chance to meet these amazing people!

This post is long, so I will post my haul in another post! Overall I had a great time and I can't wait until IMATS 2011.