It feels like IMATS New York was ages ago! But here we are, 6 months later, with another IMATS is upon us.
This time I went on the Saturday afternoon, compared to my first IMATS, where I woke up at the crack of dawn to get into the convention first thing.
IMATS is always fun, for one, because you get to bust out whatever loud/colourful makeup that you want, and no one will even bat an eye. In fact, you’ll probably get complimented! This was the look that I put together for the day.
On my face:
- Inglot HD Perfect Cover Foundation #71
- Too Faced Brow Envy Kit
- Too Faced Sugar Pop Palette
- MAC Eyeshadow ‘Bowlerama’ (Review HERE), and ‘Coquette’
- Inglot Gel Liner #77
- Tarte Tarteist Mascara
- Clinique Cheek Pop ‘Berry Pop’
- Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder ‘Sunset Glow’
- Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed ‘Champagne Pop’
- Too Faced Melted Matte ‘Who’s Zoomin Who’
- Too Faced Bronzer ‘Endless Summer’
There were well-known brands like Kat Von D, MAC, MAKE UP FOR EVER, and Benefit, as well as up and coming brands like L.A. Splash, and Cailyn. In addition to the shopping, there was live costume makeup application, special effects makeup displays, and presentations (I checked out the “Facelifts with Makeup” presentation, with U.K. makeup artist, Siân Richards).
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| New lipstick with Miranda! |
I managed to only buy a few things. I finally got my hands on the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Palette, as well as the Studded Lipstick ‘Cathedral’. The Kat Von D purchase came with a mini Tattoo Liner in ‘Trooper’ and a mini liquid lipstick in ‘Exorcism’. I also have to mention how nice the ladies at the Kat Von D booth were. They were friendly, very knowledgeable about the products, and even opened up a new tester lipstick for me, so I could compare swatches – Shout out to you, Team KVD! My pal Kaitlyn picked up a few brushes from the Morphe booth for me (Thank you!), because she went in the morning, and went to the Morphe booth first. I also got a sample pack of micellar wipes from Clinique (they were handing them out).
In the evening I went to the NYX After Dark IMATS after party, and had a great time with my fab blogger friends (Ladies in the photobooth pictures: Steph, Zubie, Miranda, Kaitlyn, Chelle, and Jen).
Alright – let’s talk about the best times to go to IMATS. I always go on the Saturday, as I work on Sundays. As I mentioned before, I have gone to IMATS bright and early, compared to this year, when I went near the end of the day.
Going first thing, when it opens:
Pros
- Better stock – there’s a good chance that most items won’t be sold out (unless it’s a super popular item, that has a low stock – for example: The Kat Von D booth apparently only had 5 of the new Metal Matte Palette in stock, so it sold out very quickly).
- You can definitely beat a long lineup for your #1 brand of choice. If you get into IMATS right when it opens, you can book it to your favourite brand and maybe even be the first in line.
Cons
- Early wake up call. Since IMATS opens at 9:00 AM on the Saturday, you’ll need to wake up super early to do your makeup, and get in line (a big line forms just to get in, and people take it very seriously. I’ve gotten there an hour early, and there were still a bunch of people in front of me). Depending on your travelling time, this might require a 6:00 AM alarm.
Going in the afternoon:
Pros
- Less crowded. By the time that lunch has passed, the morning crowds have usually disappeared. This means that the convention as a whole is less crowded, and less “GO, GO, GO!”. It feels less like a mission, and more like a leisurely shopping trip.
- You get to sleep in. Feel free to wake up whenever you want, just be sure to give yourself enough time when you’re at IMATS to sop around, as it closes at 5:00 PM.
- Little to no lineups when picking up your ticket. Simple – I got to walk right up to the booth and pick my ticket. No one was in line!
Cons
- Items will be sold out. Some of the hottest items are definitely going to be sold out. I wanted to pick up some RCMA Powder, but when I arrived at 2:00 PM, they were long gone, with no plans to restock for the next day.
- You won’t get NEAR some of the booths. Some of the most popular booths will still have long lineups, even near the end of the day. Of course, this isn’t out of the ordinary, but what WAS out of the ordinary (and I didn’t know that brands even did this) was booths not allowing people to line up anymore. The Morphe booth apparently stopped letting people line up, after a certain point, so some people couldn’t shop, even if they were willing to wait in line for hours (photo of the Morphe booth above).
Did you go to IMATS Toronto? Do you plan on attending IMATS in the future? Let me know in the comments below.
I was given a complimentary IMATS Press Pass. The NYX products were gifted.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to avoid the crowds is spot on—I made the mistake of arriving later last year and it was overwhelming. I’m definitely using your haul and price notes to plan my budget for 2017.
This is such a helpful breakdown, especially the comparison of going in the morning versus the afternoon. I’ve always gone later in the day and missed out on some of the limited edition items, so I’m definitely planning an early start for 2017. Your pictures really captured the energy of the show floor!
Thanks for the detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to avoid the crowds is a game-changer for planning my trip next year. I can totally see how the afternoon would be overwhelming. Your haul photos have me even more excited to save up for 2017.
Thanks for this detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to avoid the crowds is spot on—I made the mistake of arriving late last year and missed out on a few popular items. I’m definitely using your tips to plan for 2017.
This is such a helpful breakdown, especially the comparison of morning versus afternoon. I went to IMATS LA last year in the afternoon and completely agree about the crowds and sold-out items. Your tip about planning a budget and a target list for the morning slot is brilliant—I’ll definitely be doing that for 2017.
Thanks for this detailed breakdown! I went in the afternoon last year and completely agree about the crowds and sold-out items. Your tip about going in the morning for better selection is great advice I’ll definitely follow for 2017.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to snag limited items is a game-changer for planning my trip to IMATS next year. I always went in the afternoon and missed out on some exclusives, so I’ll definitely be changing my strategy.
Thanks for sharing such a detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to snag limited items first is a game-changer for planning my trip next year. I always wondered if the afternoon crowds were thinner, but it sounds like the key deals are gone by then.
This is such a helpful breakdown, especially the comparison of going in the morning versus the afternoon. I went on a Saturday afternoon last year and completely agree about the crowds—it was overwhelming. I’m definitely planning an early morning trip for 2017 to actually have space to see the booths properly.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to snag limited items is a game-changer for planning my trip to IMATS LA next year. I’ll definitely be budgeting more after seeing those exclusive kit prices.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to avoid the crowds is spot on—I went in the afternoon last year and it was almost too packed to move. I’m definitely using your planning tips for 2017.
Thanks for this detailed breakdown! I went in the afternoon last year and completely agree about the crowds and sold-out items. Your tip about going in the morning for the best selection is great advice I’ll definitely follow for 2017.
Thanks for sharing such a detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to snag limited items is a game-changer for planning my trip next year. I’m already saving up based on your price list photos.
This is such a helpful breakdown, especially the comparison of morning versus afternoon. I went in the afternoon last year and completely agree about the crowds and sold-out items. Your tip about going early for the exclusives is going to be my strategy for 2017.
This is such a helpful breakdown, especially the comparison of going in the morning versus the afternoon. I’ve always gone later in the day and missed out on some of the limited edition items, so I’m definitely planning an early start for next year. Thanks for the detailed tips on budgeting too.
Thanks for sharing such a detailed breakdown! Your point about going in the morning to avoid the crowds is spot on—I made the mistake of arriving later last year and missed out on a few items. I’m definitely using your tips to plan for 2017.
This is such a helpful breakdown, especially the comparison of going in the morning versus the afternoon. I went to IMATS LA last year in the afternoon and completely missed out on some of the limited edition items, so your tip about morning exclusives is spot-on. Your pictures have me seriously considering a trip to the Toronto show next year.
Great recap! I went to IMATS Toronto last year in the afternoon and definitely felt like I missed out on some of the exclusive items. This year, I’m leaning toward going in the morning after reading your breakdown—do you think it’s worth arriving before doors open to beat the crowd, or is arriving around 10 AM still okay for getting the best deals?
Great recap! I went to IMATS Toronto for the first time last year and went in the afternoon—definitely regretted missing out on some limited items. Your tips on morning vs. afternoon timing are really helpful for planning my 2017 trip, especially with the crowds in mind. Do you think the morning crowd is manageable for someone who’s not a pro makeup artist?
Great recap! I went in the afternoon last year and definitely felt like I missed out on some of the limited items. Do you think the morning crowd is worth the early wake-up call for the average shopper, or is it mostly for hardcore collectors?
Great recap! I went to IMATS Toronto in the afternoon last year and regretted missing out on some popular items, so your morning vs. afternoon breakdown is really helpful. Do you think the morning crowd is significantly worse for navigating the booths, or is it still manageable?
Great recap! I went to IMATS Toronto for the first time last year and totally agree about the morning vs. afternoon debate—getting there early made a huge difference for snagging limited items. Your pricing breakdown is super helpful for planning my budget this time around.
Great post! I went to IMATS Toronto for the first time last year in the afternoon and totally regretted missing out on some limited items. Your comparison of morning vs. afternoon planning is super helpful—I think I’ll try a morning slot in 2017 to grab the good stuff before it sells out. Did you find the crowds significantly lighter in the morning?
Great recap of your IMATS experience! I went in the afternoon last year and definitely regretted missing out on the early-bird deals you mentioned. Do you think going in the morning makes a big difference for limited-edition products, or is it more about the discounts on staples?
Great breakdown of the IMATS experience! I went in the afternoon last year and felt a bit rushed, so your morning vs. afternoon comparison really resonates—definitely planning to try an early slot for 2017. How early did you line up to get the best deals on the limited items?
Great breakdown of the IMATS experience! I went in the afternoon last year and totally regretted missing out on some limited items, so your morning vs. afternoon comparison is super helpful for planning my 2017 trip. Quick question—did you find any specific brands had better deals early in the day?
Great post! I went to IMATS Toronto in the afternoon last year and totally regretted missing out on the early bird deals. Your breakdown of morning vs. afternoon timing is super helpful—I’m definitely planning to go in the morning next time. Do you think the crowds are significantly worse on Saturday vs. Sunday?
Great recap! I went to IMATS Toronto for the first time last year in the afternoon and found it pretty chaotic, so I’m leaning towards trying the morning session this time. Did you feel the morning crowd was significantly more relaxed for browsing, or were the lines still long for popular booths?
Great recap! I went to IMATS Toronto last year in the afternoon and found the crowds manageable, but the morning lines for popular booths were already long by the time I got there. Planning to try the morning session this year—any tips on how early to arrive for the best deals without feeling rushed?
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That makeup look is absolutely stunning, and I love that you had such a great experience with the KVD team. If you ever need to transcribe your makeup tutorial videos, you can use this Audio To Text Converter.
Loved the breakdown of morning vs. afternoon — the crowd and restock differences alone make the early trip worth it. And for anyone stuck in those long lines, a quick puzzle helps pass the time; Today’s Strands Hint at https://puzzlenudge.com/strands is a handy one.
That makeup look is absolutely stunning, and I completely agree about the fun atmosphere at IMATS. If you ever need to transcribe any of your makeup tutorials or event recaps, you could try using this audio translator.
It sounds like you had such a fun time exploring all those brands at IMATS. If your recorded interviews need better audio, you can check out Remove Background Noise.
I loved reading your comparison of morning vs. afternoon arrival — the point about limited stock really hits home, like the Kat Von D Metal Matte Palette selling out with only 5 in stock. Sounds like the trade-off is between snagging popular items and actually enjoying a leisurely shopping trip!
I totally agree that IMATS is the perfect place to experiment with bold makeup looks! It’s such a creative environment. Whenever I need a little mental break during the day, I love playing daily word games to recharge my brain—just like how you refresh your style with new palettes. Great haul and photos!
The comparison between going in the morning versus the afternoon was especially useful, especially with the photos showing the crowds and haul details. I’m planning to revisit those pictures while organizing my own event photos, and Free Photo Upscaler Online – Enlarge a Photo and Keep the De could help enlarge a few without losing too much detail.
The comparison between going in the morning versus the afternoon was especially helpful, since the crowds and shopping time seem to make a big difference at IMATS. I also liked seeing the actual prices and haul; for planning visuals or mood boards, ChatGPT Image Generator could be a useful resource alongside posts like this.
Great haul and such a helpful breakdown! I went in the morning last year and the lineups were unreal, so your afternoon tip makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing all the price details too, super handy for planning.
IMATS is truly the best place to embrace bold and colourful makeup looks without judgment! I loved your makeup choices; it’s so inspiring. Just as you need the right products for a flawless look, when planning home improvements, you need the right tools—like this concrete pad calculator to get precise estimates for your next backyard project before breaking ground.