IMATS Toronto 2014 + Haul

As I continue looking back at 2014, I am also posting all of the things that got lost and found in the great computer disaster of 2014 (Long story short, my recently-bought, 4 month old computer stopped working, the store I bought it from tried to charge me an extra $100 to save my files, and my pops managed to get my computer to work long enough to retrieve my important files, like my pictures).

My files are safe and sound, so let’s take a look inside IMATS Toronto 2014…

It was my first time at IMATS, and I went with Laura from Lipstick and Laura, and her beauty-enthusiast friend, Sheila.  First stop had to be Starbucks, because we woke up really early, to try to beat the long line-up.

We gave in our tickets, got our stamps, then proceeded to a line, where we waited for the doors to open.

After being in line for a little while, more people started to join us.  Here’s the line-up that was forming behind us.

We had a plan of attack – we knew that Make Up For Ever and MAC would be packed, and we didn’t necessarily need anything from those brands, so we decided to check out the Morphe booth first.

I didn’t end up buying anything from Morphe, because of the prices – I know, Morphe is one of the cheaper brands, however at IMATS, the items are supposed to be at a discounted price, and everything at the Morphe booth was more expensive than it was online, so I passed.

Here are some more snaps from inside the trade show.

I was pleased to see NYX and L.A. Girl products, but again, the prices were jacked up to the high heavens.  I believe a NYX butter gloss was something ridiculous like $8.99.

Sheila and Laura playing with some Velour lashes.

Sorry for the blurry picture.  Just squeezing in to get a photo at the MAC booth was a battle.

Fun fact, this is what the Morphe booth looked like by the afternoon.  Jaclyn Hill, you’re responsible for this 😛

The CBB photo op – love these ladies.  But apparently, I was the only one who heard the phrase “do a fun pose”.

L-R: Jen from Vibrant, Vivacious, Veracious Beauty Blog , Jenn from A Beautiful Zen, Steph from Fun Size Beauty, Laura from Lipstick and Laura, Julie from Swatch and Review, Rachelle from Make Up Your Mind, and myself.

And now, time for my haul.  I didn’t buy too much, which is okay, because I set a budget, and tried to end up below it.

I was happy to grab the last set of O.P.I. Sheer Tints, which I had been wanting to try out for a while, but wasn’t willing to spend the money on full size bottles.

I grabbed 2 lipsticks from The Lip Bar, a brand that was new to me, but they commented on one of my Instagram photos, to come check them out at IMATS, so I stopped by.

It finally happened, y’all – I got a beauty blender.  I wasn’t planning on buying one, but when there was a pack of 6, plus the cleansing solid, and Laura offered to go halfsies with me, AND let me have the cleanser, I couldn’t say no.  Shout out to Laura for being generous.  I’m still figuring out how to best use it/how to use it without sheer-ing out my make up.

And finally, the Sigma E75.  I had just made my first purchase from Sigma, previous to IMATS, and got a few of the ones that Jaclyn Hill always uses, however, one of the ones the recommended in her videos (the E65), didn’t work in person, like it did on her videos – it applied a very thick and messy line, for my winged eyeliner.  In another video, she mentioned that for gel eyeliner, she uses a Sigma brow brush, so I picked this one up, because it was thinner and firmer than the E65.

That’s all for today, folks!  Stay tuned, because next week I’ve got a new Reviews-Day Tuesday post, as well as your look inside Dave Lackie’s VIP Calvin Klein Fragrance Dinner.