IMATS Toronto ’16: Was it worth going??

*WARNING: LONG READ*
** SPOILER ALERT: Scroll down to cheat and see what products I picked up hehe**

IMATS Toronto was here at the Metro Toronto Convention center last weekend and girl was it ever a zoo! Now for those who do not know what IMATS is, it is the International Make-up Artist Trade Show. It’s basically a giant make up convention for all beauty babes to come together and share the love of make-up by purchasing some of their fave brands and checking out professional artists. One characteristic is that it only travels to London, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, LA and New York. I’ve been wanting to go for the past few years but never did and this year I said screw it I am going. I was supposed to go with one of my close girlfriends but when she went to go by her ticket, the day I was going was sold out. So SOLO adventures for Steph it was. If you would like to continue to hear how the show was then grab a drink & a snack, get comfy and lets gooooo….!

Still super excited the day of I woke up early and put the best full face of makeup on I could possibly do and I was off. Mike dropped me off at the subway because no way was I going to drive downtown on a Saturday (all you Torontonians out there…you feel me). When I arrived at the convention center, all I had to do was show my ticket, receive my wrist band and I was in. After having a venti Caramel Machiatto in me, I was prepared to do this….then I saw all of the people! TONS!!! EVERYWHERE!! Now I knew it was going to be busy but 11 am and there were massive lines for basically every booth going. Taking deep breaths I managed to locate the reason I came.. MORPHE…I thought I would suck up the wait…its worth it right? No crazy shipping price.. no taxes…. until I saw how long the line up was, and were told that it was going to be a 3 hour wait. I felt so overwhelmed and defeated, I called Mike thinking that its I’m done throwing the white towel in. But I decided to walk around a little and check out the places that didn’t have lines before going home. My mood instantly changed (still overwhelmed, just not defeated) got into my groove and I picked up some things.

 (This was only half of the line for Morphe)
I am pleased with the items I picked up as I would not have thought to order them online although I have admired them. My over all impression of IMATS was it is a cool experience, but without a fellow buddy to go with it can become overwhelming quickly. At least with a friend you can tackle things together as well as switch off during line waits. As for benefits there are not many perks besides no taxes or no shipping costs. UNLESS you are a pro card holder, then there were special booths and discounts dedicated to just them. *I must say, ordering online is so much easier…darn them shipping fees though*

Some vendors included: Kat Von D, Limecrime, Benefit Cosmetics, MAC Pro, Morphe, NYX Cosmetics, NARS, Make Up Forever and Velour Lashes. (See why there were so many lines).

For those thinking of attending next year, here’s a couple of recommendations:
1) Have a friend join you (for reasons stated previously)
2) Rise & Shine…get there first thing when it’s just opened to avoid long waits and first serve
3). Save or Budget money out…going in with a list of desired product or prepped budget. There’s lots of beautiful things and money will go quickly so if you are savy or watching what you spend this is a major tip for you.
4) Pack light… its gets hot quickly in venues with many people, avoid heavy jackets if possible & Bring Cash…..you will get checked out faster than those with card payments.

I hope you enjoyed my IMATs story…the ride home on the subway is a whole different chapter (Typical subway crazies). If you attended this year I would love to hear your opinion of it. What did you pick up?

Scroll down after this blurb to see what I managed to pick up from my trip.
Until next time,
Love Steph xo