IMATS: Retail Therapy & Guilt Free Haul

What crazy girls would do for makeup: wake up at 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning, leave the house at 6:50 AM, speed walk/run twenty minutes to catch the first bus just to get to IMATS by 8 o'clock, then line up to get in at 8:30 AM. There were a few hiccups along the way so I got there with my friends at ~9 AM instead. Anyways, true passion for makeup and a makeup addict? Yes sir, that's me.

A little bit of a story; two years ago when I went to IMATS for the first time, I was bitter over the fact that they were sold out of the Beauty Blender by the time I discovered it's existence. So this year, it was my first purchase as soon as I passed by the Nigel Beauty Emporium booth and laid eyes on the Beauty Blender. I picked it up right away along with two pairs of lashes. The Beauty Blender I bought is actually a two pack set selling for $22 in which I shared it with my friend (because a single Beauty Blender costs $14.50). We also shared the eyelash deal 7 for $10. I didn't pick up a lot of lashes this year because I feel like I already have enough at home....but now I kind of regret not stocking up on more.

Top to Bottom: Nectarine, Blushing Bride, Dusty Pink, Vintage Rose, Pink Bliss, 

Fresh Coral, Golden Amber, Victorian Rose

L - R: Nectarine, Blushing Bride, Dusty Pink, Vintage Rose, Pink Bliss, Fresh Coral,
Golden Amber, Victorian Rose

The Ben Nye Fashion Rouge Palette is the most expensive purchase out of my haul ($34). But it is worth every penny of goodness. The blushes are incredibly pigmented, soft, smooth, and velvety in texture. All you need is just one tap of the blush and blend it out on the cheeks. I love all the colours in this palette and they are super wearable and suitable for any look or occasion. Love, love, love, loveeee!

Crown Brush: Italian Badger IB116 Round Tapered Crease Brush, Syntho SS011 Deluxe Oval Shadow Brush, Studio Pro C405 Contour Blush Brush, Syntho SS010 Deluxe Chisel Powder Brush

I'm quite impressed by the quality of Crown Brushes. The bristles are very soft and the overall quality of the brush itself feels really well made. By comparison to the Royal and Langnickel brushes, they are definitely better in quality. However, I think the Royal and Langnickel brushes are still decent and acceptable at the price they are offered. The eyeshadow and concealer brush are only $2 each. The blending crease brush is $4 but I'm slightly annoyed that it feels a bit scratchy on the lids. 

Royal & Langnickel: BBE-17 Crease Brush, BBE-14 Concealer Brush, BBE-06 MD Eye Shader

I never expected this, but Ben Nye had a glass bowl offering free samples. As soon as they ran out, they'd refill it with different product samples. It's too bad that the Sheer HD Foundation is too dark for me though; while I was there swatching it on my hands the colour seemed to match my tanned skin. The Lumiere Creme Colour in Perismmon looked a bit intimidating in the jar because it's a bright bold red, but when swatched it's actually a nice sheered out tomato red with golden shimmers. I think this can be used as a lip or cheek colour, but correct me if i'm wrong.

The last item I picked up from IMATS was the OCC Lip Tar in Lydia. I swatched a lot of pinks before discovering this colour and they were all either too bright or blue based pink that wouldn't suit my skin tone (I was aiming for a neutral pink). The only reason why I found/discovered this colour was because I saw another girl swatch it on her hand. I instantly fell in love and excitedly asked her what colour she just swatched hahah.

Lydia a gorgeous berry colour that goes on the lips with a nice shine. The formula is extremely pigmented (a little goes a very long way) and it doesn't dry out your lips while lasting a very long time. It is also labeled on the packaging that it is 100% vegan and cruelty free. Aside from the YSL glossy stain that I bought, this would be the runner up to the next most expensive lip product I've ever purchased. For a small tube it costed $13.50 (before tax) after a 25% discount from the original price of $15. But I think you'd definitely get the bang for your buck with the OCC Lip Tars, because this will last you a life time.

Ben Nye Lumiere Creme Color LCR-15 Persimmon, Ben Nye Sheer HD Foundation Beige Natural 2, 

OCC Lip Tar in Lydia