IMATS LONDON 2016

Last weekend Olympia London held the annual IMATS makeup convection which is the International Makeup Artist Trade Show where the industry get to meet, swap skills and big makeup brands offer great discounts to professionals.
IMATS is a fantastic 3 day show and I am so glad that I had the chance to go this year.

Being a budding makeup artist and makeup student (not for long now- I qualify in a week.. eee!), IMATS is the place for me and I have dreamed of going for years. It is full of people with the exact same interest and passion which gives you such a buzz for the industry.

Shopping at IMATS was a great experience, there were so many great brands including MAC Pro, Bobbi Po, Urban Decay, NYX, Zoeva, Inglot and many more. I managed to pick up some products with big discounts which is always helpful when building up a makeup artist kit!

Aside from shopping, I also enjoyed listening to the guest speakers and watching the amazing demonstrations from talented artists. One of my favourite talks was from Kevin James Bennett who shared his tips and tricks to becoming a successful makeup artist for photoshoots and red-carpet events whilst also sharing his hilarious opinions on 'Instagram makeup'.
I also loved watching prosthetic artist, Neil Gorton and MAC senior artist Rebecca Butterworth unite to create a unique, high fashion editorial makeup look.

Back to the shopping, I could not resist sharing with you the amazing makeup that I picked up .....

MAC PRO
MAC is the ultimate makeup artist brand and they have just a handful of special pro stores across the UK which hold exclusive products that are only available in those stores. The PRO stores are all in London which means that it is extremely difficult to get your hands on these exclusive products here in and around Manchester where I live.
Fortunately a handful of the pro products are now available to order online, however I personally don't think that shopping online for makeup is easy and I much prefer to see the products in person before I buy. The MAC Pro counter at IMATS was massive and I could not resist picking up a few bits!

Glitter, 3D Platinum & 3D Black 
Anyone that knows me will know that I love glitter and I very rarely believe a makeup is complete without a touch of sparkle. The MAC glitter's are a pro product which means that they are only available in pro stores or online so I knew that I had to pick some up when I visited IMATS. The glitter's are in the same packaging as MAC's loose pigments which is a generous sized pot with enough product inside to last you for forever.

I decided to pick up 3D black glitter which has a black layer with multi tonal small flecks of glitter. I think that this would look stunning ontop of a deep smoky eye or pressed over a dark lipstick.
3D Platinum is a silver with blue tones and I can imagine it to be the perfect addition to any creative festival inspired makeup.




Mineralise Skin finish Natural, Light Plus 
The mineralise skin finish natural powders are a kit staple for me and I use them on almost everybody. I love these powders because they give a small amount of coverage which is buildable, they mattify the face and never look cakey.
I use the shade Medium the most in my kit although I wanted to pick up a lighter one to suit paler complexions.

Cream Colour Base, Hush 
I am constantly hearing other beauty bloggers and makeup artists rave about MAC's Hush cream colour base so I decided to pick one up myself to see what all the fuss is about.
MAC's cream colour bases are a creamy multi purpose product that you can use on the eyes and face. I already use and love Pearl cream colour base which is a silver pearl and looks beautiful on the tops of cheekbones to give a subtle glow.
Hush is a rosey pink shade with a golden glow. It reminds me of NARS Orgasm blush which I love so I can't wait to start using it.

Eyeshadows, Coppering & Steamy & Swiss Chocolate 
I have a serious love hate relationship with MAC eyeshadows because for the price, the quality isn't always the best and I know I can get a better quality with another brand for cheaper. Having said that, I do love the colour selection that MAC have and some of the colours are very well pigmented.
MAC have a fantastic selection of bright coloured shadows which I think makes them really stand out from other brands who often just have a plain choice of nudes which are always the same. 


The eyeshadows that I decided to buy were Coppering, Swiss Chocolate and Steamy.
Coppering is a beautiful burnt orange copper shade which is very different to any other copper shadows that I already own. I have already used Coppering and it is extremely easy to wear and is the perfect colour to wear during the upcoming summer months.
Swiss Chocolate is a boring brown but I was missing a nice matte deep brown that wasn't too warm or orange and Swiss Chocolate looks like the perfect one for the job.
Steamy is a pretty mermaid blue that is very well pigmented and has a pearly metallic finish. I love this colour and can't wait to use it for a bright summer makeup!

NYX 
Glitter Primer 
As much as I love glitter, it can be difficult to apply without covering your whole face in it so I was on the hunt for a good glue to use underneath glitters to make them stick in place.
I decided to try the NYX Glitter primer which comes in a funky holographic tube and I am excited to see how it performs.

ELDORA
H160 & H155
Everybody always raves about Eldora false eyelashes so when I saw their stall at IMATS I knew that I had to pick some up and see what all the fuss was about. I decided to buy 2 pairs; h160 and h155 which both look very wispy and wearable which is what I love.

MAKEUP FOREVER 
Ultra HD Foundation 
Makeup Forever isn't easily accessible here in the UK so I was happy to see that they had a stall at IMATS this year. I haven't tried any of their products before, however I had heard a lot of good things about their Ultra HD foundation, so I decided to give it a go- especially when it cost me just £17 instead of the original retail price of £29 (what a great deal!)

I have already tried this foundation a few times on myself and so far so good... I love how lightweight it feels on my skin whilst still giving a good medium coverage. Stay tuned to see my full review soon!

URBAN DECAY
Heavy Metal Glitter Liners
Urban Decay is one of my favourite makeup brands and just a few weeks ago I bought their Heavy Metal Glitter liner in the shade Distortion and I have not put it down since. I love how easy it is to apply, the effect is amazing and I have received so many compliments whilst wearing it.

I loved the shade and formula of Distortion so much that I knew I had to buy more when I was at IMATS ....  I ended up buying the whole collection!!!

These glitter liners are super easy to apply and they give off such a great effect. You don't need a glitter glue or primer and the colour lasts all day- what's not to love?!
Glamrock is a true silver which will look great paired over any eyeshadow.
Amp is a pretty mermaid blue and Spandex would look stunning applied over a deep smoky eye.
Finally, Junkshow is a gorgeous pink with iridescent flecks on milti coloured glitter running through- I love how this looks on the eyes. (See picture below of me wearing Junkshow applied over Urban Decay eyeshaodw in the shade Salazen Grum from the Alice pallet)

(Left to Right : Glamrock, Amp, Spandex, Junkshow)

All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray 
Whilst at the Urban Decay counter I had to stock up on my favourite setting spray that I swear by and recommend to almost everyone.
If you want your makeup to stay in place all day/night long without having to do any major touch ups then you NEED this stuff in your life! I mist a few sprays of this after applying any makeup and I love it.

INGLOT
AMG Eyeliner Gel 76 (White)
Inglot is another brand that is difficult to access here in the UK so I enjoyed having a look around their stall at IMATS. I like creating high fashion editorial makeup looks and I thought that this white gel eyeliner would be a great addition to my kit.

CHARLES FOX 
Small Set bag 
I have recently been working on a few photoshoots and I have found that having a set bag makes life a lot easier. After applying the makeup to your model at your station they will then move away to be shot on location and as a makeup artist, you must be on set keeping an eye on the models to see if they need any touch ups. Instead of carrying powders, brushes, lip glosses etc in your pockets it is useful to have a small set bag which you can carry with all of your products inside.
I saw a lot of large makeup set bags at the show which weren't ideal for what I needed it for but then I came across this small set bag from Charles Fox which is perfect. This bag is the perfect size and has a good amount of handy compartments-  I am so excited to start using it.

Did you go to IMATS this year? What did you manage to pick up? 
I had a really great time and will definitely be returning next year!