IMATS Los Angeles 2015 Haul

Hello Lovelies!

The weekend of January 17th I was able to attend the IMATS convention in Pasadena, Ca and I was so excited to attend for the second time. I was able to take my mom, cousin and brother with me so they could see what it is all about and help me take in the exhibits and of course SHOP!!

The line for the show was crazy and stretched all the way around the block and behind the convention center. We did get there an hour and a half in advance. However everyone in line was super nice and once the line started moving we made it into the convention center fairly quickly and were able to check in!

The first booth we ran to was the Sigma Beauty booth because the last time we attended the show we ended up waiting for three hours before we could purchase anything. This year the line moved really quickly and I ended up buying the items below:

To purchase any of the items below visit: Sigma Beauty

The Extreme Complete Color Payoff Kit comes with six really dense and super soft brushes. The handles are really substantial and are comfortable to handle. These brushes are meant to be used when you want to pack on the color and can be used with Liquid, Cream or Powder products. The brushes that come with this kit are:

E20 - Short Shader (Great Smudge Brush)

E30 - Pencil Brush (Can be used to apply under eye color or apply color for a cut crease)

E44 - Firm Blender (Wonderful for buffing out the edges of a smoky look)

E57 - Firm Shader (This brush is great for applying packing the color onto the eyelid or apply brow highlights)

  E58 - Cream Color (This brush can be used to apply cream shadows, shadow bases, concealers or for foiling shadows)

E59 - Wide Shader (This brush can be used to apply lid color or highlight products to anywhere on the face)

The next Sigma products I picked up are new to their makeup line:

When we were in line waiting to sample and pay for Sigma products I asked one of their reps what was new and what would she recommend.

These were the first items she recommended...

Lip Switch - Double Whammy

 Double Whammy swatch

 Lip Switch - Otherworldly

Otherworldly swatch

Lip Switch applicator

These lip glosses are multidimensional and have zero stickiness. I tried these on after I finished filming my haul video and I loved the way it looked over my nude lipstick. The color wasn't as obvious as they appear in their swatches but rather gave the nude color a different hue. I will definitely be purchasing additional shades.

The next two products I purchased were the Lip Concealer and Shimmer cream.

 This product is pretty self explanatory. I wanted a product that was nondrying and would cancel out the color of my lips so I could wear lighter lip colors or blank them out for costume looks and this concealer fit the bill. The consistency is light weigh and non-greasy. However the feel of it is moisturizing and soft. I hope the staying power is equally as good...only time will tell. 

The Shimmer Cream is truly amazing. The sigma rep highly recommended this product and this shade specifically for my skin tone. It looks like a basic cream blush or shadow. But it's actually a cream highlighter. Don't let the deep rose color fool you. This highlighter has a light texture similar to a lip balm but is not tacky. I applied this to my cheekbones and I instantly saw the light reflecting where I applied the cream. It's not like my face looked greasy and I was pleasantly surprised at the number of places this highlighter can be used. I can't wait to incorporate this into a tutorial.

Those were all of the products I purchased from the Sigma booth this year and luckily I received two free gifts...

Eye Shadow Palettes sample card 

E21 Smudge brush

My cousin even stepped away with a new brush set and makeup.

The next couple of booths we stopped at I picked up only a couple of things.

 Graftobian High Definition Color Palette - Corrector Palette

 Corrector Palette Close Up

To purchase this palette visit: Graftiobian

I picked up a Graftobian concealer palette at IMATS 2013 and I've got to tell you that the formula is amazing! I was really excited to see that Graftobian also has a corrector palette and since the redness on my face becomes more obvious during the warmer months I wanted to have a product ready to counteract that redness. The consistency is very light but the coverage is good and buildable.

Crown Brush - SS032 Pointed Blender

To purchase this brush visit: Crown Brush

The last time we went to IMATS my Mom purchased her first brush set and she loves her little kit. When we stopped by the booth this year my Mom was looking for a new blush brush. Of course I couldn't just stand there and not find SOMETHING to pick up. But honestly I have been looking for a compact and dense brush to help blend my concealer in my under eye area. This brush looked like it would do the trick. It's synthetic and super soft. The bristles are densely packed and I think that it will do a good job blending out my cream or liquid concealers.

Next up...LASHES! I was hoping that Ardell would be onsite again this year and THEY WERE!

The deal they had going on this year at IMATS was any eight lashes for $20.00. I did end up with a couple of duplicates but ultimately these are the styles I picked up.

If you aren't familiar with Ardell lashes they are great quality, natural lashes that are reasonably priced. This is the brand I usually turn to for my everyday lashes. I am really excited to try out the individual lashes to see if I can achieve that really natural..."of course they're mine"...look. ;-)

If you would like to purchase these lashes visit: Ardell Professional

The next set of purchases I made were from Naimie's. I was really impressed at how this vendor set up their booths. There were smaller booths for each makeup brand and when you chose the items you'd like to buy, you didn't pay right away. Instead the vendor ran your merchandise to their check out area, give you a claim ticket and you're are free to shop another brand in their set of booths and repeat the process until you were done shopping. You then visit their check out area where they bring out a basket with all of your items and ring you up once. Below you'll see the floor map area and the three large booths I highlighted in yellow belong to Naimie's.

The had "mini booths" for Japonesque, Smashbox, Too Faced, Beauty Blender and many more.

The only problem is that it was very easy to lose track of what you've put in your "basket" and when you get to check out you may have a mini heart attack.

Here are the items I pick up that put a dent into my paycheck.

At the Japonesque booth I picked up this solid brush cleanser. The great feature about this cleanser is that I can take it on trips and not worry about TSA liquid restrictions. This product has a light citrus and floral scent. It's very clean smelling. Once I give this a try I'll report back you to.

The sales associate at the Japonesque booth was wearing this amazing burgundy lip color and I just had to have it. According to the associate the lip color has incredible color pay off that really lasts and the formula is really moisturizing. I can't wait to give it a try.

 Japonesque Pro Performance Lipstick in the shade 08

 Typical lipstick bullet and I have to say it closes tight so it won't become loose in your purse.

 The swatch comes off as raspberry in color but its truly a cranberry.

The next brand I purchased from was Smashbox...

My standby face primer is the Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting primer and knowing that I could pick one up at 40% off I was really excited. This is a great silicone based primer that allows your BB creams or foundations to glide over the skin and blend flawlessly.

Of course I could stop myself from looking at the eye shadow palettes and this one caught my eye...

I love eye shadows and when I spoke with the Smashbox sales reps I was excited to find the Double Exposure palette. Supposedly this palette allows you to use it wet or dry directly from the pan without ruining the shadows. It's guaranteed not to create a film after a damp brush is dipped into a shadow. This is great since it means that all of these colors can be turned into eye liners and highlighters for the entire face. I will be putting a tutorial together and reviewing this palette in the near future so stay tuned...

The next mini booth I visited was Too Faced. If you haven't realized I love this brand and have really invested in their palettes over the past six months. I was really excited to pick up their Better Than Sex mascara that I received with a few of my palettes and I was really disappointed to find out they'd sold out before I got there. :-( 

But that didn't stop me from looking at the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette. I've written in the past about the original Chocolate Bar palette and created a look using it. When I laid my eyes on this palette I wasn't disappointed. This palette also has the pleasant cocoa butter smell, which is delicious, but the colors available are really beautiful. There are many neutral shades and that are balanced with a few vivid shadows. I think someone could easily travel with this one palette and create a different look for each day they are gone.

Once I have some time to play with this palette I will write an in depth review and film a tutorial so stay tuned...

The last purchase I made at Naimie's was this Beauty Blender set. This set was called the "show special" and I was so impressed at the deal I received when buying this. Normally a single Beauty Blender costs $20.00. This set cost me only $35.00 and included all of the sponges below and a Solid Beauty Blender cleanser. This sponge is one of the items I'd like to have with me in my "deserted island" bag. It's just so versatile and really helps to achieve that flawless look. I highly recommend these.

If you'd like to purchase any of the above items please visit: Naimie's

 The next booth we went to search for was Appeal Cosmetics. We'd never heard of this brand before but while we were standing in line before the show opened we were approached by this vendor and told about the special they were holding for the show. Basically they are known for their mink lashes and were selling a pair for $20 and came with a free lipstick.

There were many lash styles that you could "try on" at their booth and I settled on the style interlace. This style has the flare at the outer corners that really help to elongate and give the eyes an exotic look. They are also really soft and light. According to the sales rep the lashes should last for 20 uses which really makes them only $1 a wear.

 Appeal Cosmetics Lashes in style Interlace

The free lipstick I chose is the nude color below. I had already picked up a deep shade earlier in the day and I hoped that this shade will actually show up with my complexion. 

Appeal Cosmetics Lipstick in shade Naked

If you'd like to purchase a pair of lashes or this lipstick visit:

Appeal Cosmetics

And the final booth I had to stop by was Parian Spirit. 

This is my go to brush cleanser...I do like to use Dawn dish soap and this cleanser to deep clean my brushes. This special show kit comes with the full size bottle of cleanser, a travel spray bottle of cleanser, a jar with an agitation screen and two brush cleaner travel wipes.

This cleanser has a great citrus smell and it cleans brushes on contact. No water is needed to activate this product which cuts down on the drying time. It is great for those times when you can only spot clean your brushes or if you want to use the same brush for two different colors. And the combination of the cleanser and jar make deep cleaning your brushes so much easier. It really allows you to agitate your brushes gently and doesn't require you to keep your hands wet. This has really help to save my skin when washing my brushes.

To purchase this cleanser visit: Parian Spirit

Well those are all of the purchases I made at IMATS 2015. I had such a great time and was so blessed to be able to share the day with my family. I can't wait until next year...I guess I better start saving now. Ha Ha Ha...See you next time!

If you'd like to watch this Haul please click on the link below.