This was the first IMATS that I have ever attended in my 8 years of living in Vancouver.
Prior to attending the event I made sure I purchased my admission a month in advance online. Trade shows like these are usually cheaper when you buy your tickets in advance. I also made sure I downloaded to app for my phone and iPod touch.
Always do your research before the event. Which vendors will be there? Write them down in your priority order. Then write down a list of products you know you want and are looking for. You can also write a list of products you would like to try.
Which Guest speakers' presentation do you want to attend? Keep in mind these presentations may overlap in separate areas. Set a schedule of which seminar or forum you will attend and cross of the ones you are not attending. These schedules can always be found on the IMATS website.
Secondly, it's a good choice to go to both days of the event especially if some of the same guest speakers are giving a seminar. You can miss it one day and catch up the next day.
Always bring a pen and pad of paper when watching seminars. Educators will give you tips and tricks of their own, they even give you product recommendations. Always ask question when possible. White paper is good for makeup swatches too.
Always take swatches and compare the similar products prior to purchasing. You want to make sure you get what you are looking for.
Now for the fun part, my experience at IMATS was good. I entered the event at a quarter to Nine and the Makeup Forever lineup had already taken up the length of the entire venue hall. I quickly hopped into the lineup not knowing how long I would have to wait in line. 30 minutes goes by, an hour goes by, an hour and half goes by, oh no my forum is about to start. I was still at least an hour away from the vendor display. I left the lineup and went to watch the Once Upon A Time forum.
At the forum on the main stage there was a discussion about the special effect makeup and the creation of the characters' looks. In attendance were Toby Lindala, Sarah Graham, Ann McLaren, Lee Arenberg, Jeff Kaiser.
After this forum I had an up close chat with Lee Arenberg who plays Grumpy in Once Upon A Time. I had an opportunity to take a picture with Lee. He was super friendly and humorous too. He called it an occupational hazard that he had to talk to woman and take pictures with them. Too funny.
After that I wandered off to NYX Cosmetics, where you can buy affordable makeup with great quality. I picked up two blushes ($7.00/each), one lip gloss ($4.50), one eyeshadow palette ($10.00) and two eyebrow pencils ($2.50/$4.50).
NYX product list:
Blushes
PB05 Pinky - a rosy pink colour
PB25 Pinched - a golden peach colour
 |
| pinched |
 |
| pinky |
Lipgloss
STG19 Sweet Dreams - a nude pink
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| sweet dreams |
Eyeshadow Palette
ESP10C07 Versus - purples and neutrals
 |
| versus |
Eye/Eyebrow Pencil
904 Light Brown
AUTO Eyebrow Pencil
EP03 Medium Brown
I then headed over to Crown Brushes and found a new Kabuki Brush for my setting powder. I was being extremely picky with this one brush. I asked the sales lady to show me all the kabuki brushes she had and I fell in love with the second one. I looked around some more and this sales lady kept bringing me more and more options. But I finally settled for that second one. It was so soft and the bristles were sturdy and dense. Perfect for powdering my T-zone throughout the day and setting my foundation or BB cream in the morning.
My Crown Brush Kabuki details:
Syntho SS009
208-CR-SS009
$18.50
Vegan & 100% Animal Cruelty Free (which I really like).
I then went over to Royal & Langnickel and picked up a 13 piece full size brush travel kit. I love the Fuschia & Black combination, it makes it extremely girly and cute. $25USD
Overall I really enjoyed my experience at IMATS Vancouver. Too bad I only went the Saturday and not both days. I missed out on some good lectures. I hope to see more brands join the vendors next year. I would love to see MAC, Smasbox, Benefit, Coastal Scents or even a nail bar be a part of the event.
