That’s pretty much what I said when I heard that the International Makeup Artist Tradeshow (IMATS) was finally coming to NYC in 2011. In L.A. and Toronto, it is usually a must-go event and I was excited! I love going to these shows for a number of reasons,
I get shop a lot of different makeup brands, especially those that are usually online only, at a discount.
I get to meet fellow bloggers and vloggers that I ‘stalk’ on a daily basis
And…I get to take classes taught by some of my favourite celebrity makeup masters.
So I attended last Sunday, which ended up being a great idea as I heard that it was just chaos on Saturday. I got to SoHo early so I was able to browse the booths with ease. Even though the show was hosted on multiple levels, there were less vendors than I expected. There were many of the most popular brands that were not there like M.A.C. and Make Up For Ever. I think that the organizers played it conservatively and limited the number of attendees and vendors.
I had a short shopping list and as soon as I get there, I headed to those specific booths. Here’s my mini haul!
But before I get to that, let me talk about the event held Saturday night by Erin a.k.a Scandalous Beauty. This was a meet and greet at the Taj II lounge in Chelsea. A very relaxed, chill event where I got to meet some people that I have been watching on YouTube since I discovered it, including Erin from Scandalous Beauty, Cindy aka DRBrooklyn730, Aina from Lacquerholic and Ivette from Girl Can Paint. Also met some fashion and music bloggers, photographers from all across the East Coast and it was great interacting with such a diverse crowd. This was just a preview of things to come!!
I was not 100% sure of what to expect of The Makeup Show, so I bought a ticket for only one of the two days. Note to self: Make sure yuh buy ah ticket for de two days nex’ year. It’s absolutely worth it!!!!!!!!
This is an event held yearly in NYC by the Powder Group and Michael DeVellis. There are other shows hosted in other cities like Miami, L.A. and Chicago. Check the Powder Group’s website for details.
The NYC version is the biggest trade event for makeup artists, makeup brands, bloggers and enthusiasts. I got there at about 9:20 am and there was already a line outside the Metropolitan Pavilion!!! Once inside, I literally was blown away! Many of the top makeup brands had booths: M.A.C. Pro, Make Up For Ever, Inglot, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Eve Pearl, Smashbox Pro. There were some lesser known brands like Yaby and Youngblood. Airbrush company Temptu Pro, well known professional lines Mehron and Graftobian, Crown Brushes and Nigel’s Beauty Emporium also made appearances.
This was an amazing experience!!!! So many people, all different styles of makeup, body painting. I was in awe!! I was able to learn a lot of little tricks and tips. I was able to see how other famous makeup artistes worked and watched them create, in my opinion, gorgeous results that seem so effortless. I hope that one day, I could attain that level of skill!!! I walked around in circles just looking at all that makeup and products. MUFE had a perpetual line for their cashiers, like 30 people deep! All day long….
