Hey everyone!
Imats Haul!
Okay this is LONG overdue! IMATS in NYC was April 5th-7th this year.
My friend Bianca and I ended up only being able to go on Sunday the 7th because they were sold out for Saturday! This might have been to our advantage as there wasn’t as many people, that I thought would have been there, on Sunday. This was Bianca and I’s first time at IMATS! First I’ll post what I got and then I’ll go on to write about my experience. As you will see from this haul, I am a brush whore! lol Most of my purchases were brushes and I would have gotten more but I restrained myself haha (I won’t next year though!)
First Booth we stopped at was
Royal and Langnickel:
They were on the IMATS bags that were given out at the entrance for a good reason!
They have a huge selection of brushes which Bianca and I were a bit overwhelmed about at first. Finally though I decided on these three brushes.
Royal and Langnickel brushes
From left to right:
1) Silk Synthetic Eyebrow brush List Price: $3.99
Paid Price: $3.00
I got this brush mainly because I like to do eyeshadow liner along my lash lines (since I don’t fill in my brows).
2) Silk Synthetic Mini Smudger List Price: $5.99
Paid Price: $4.00
I plan on using this for smudging and applying eyeshadow on the lower lashline or more precisely on the upper lashline.
3) Silk Synthetic Smudger List Price: $7.99
Paid Price: $5.00
I got this for smudging! lol
Total Paid: $12.00 Savings: $5.00+Shipping
You may think its not a lot to save but I got relatively small brushes that were not discounted as much as sets, or larger brushes. Also, its never the same buying offline when you can actually see the size and the feel of the brushes before you buy them! I’ve made that mistake in the past haha
Now I don’t remember what order the next booths came in so here they are in random order.
Hakuhodo:
I have heard amazing things about these brushes and how soft they are and they are all TRUE! Their brushes are the softest brushes I’ve EVER felt!! These brushes weren’t discounted but I picked them up anyways because of the reasons I stated before: you can’t see/feel the brushes online plus no shipping fees!
Hakuhodo brushes which are MAC 217 dupes that are cheaper and softer!
Eyeshadow Brush Round & Flat: I got two of them. List Price: $18.00 each
Although I paid the list price this brush is an exact dupe for MAC’s famous 217 brush, However, MAC’s brush is $23.00 and not even close to being as soft as the Hakuhodo one. So I feel like I definitely saved more than just $5.00 there!
Total Paid: $36.00 Savings: $10.00+Shipping
Morphe Brushes:
Morphe brushes which are the same as Crown brushes
Left to Right:
1) IB116 Round Tapered Crease: List Price: $2.89
Paid Price: $2.00
I don’t have a brush this shape and this size so I decided to grab it!
2) IB119 Deluxe Crease Blender: List Price: $2.99
Paid Price: $2.00
I actually have this brush already which I brought from Crown Brushes. They are the same exact brush and are even labeled the same! Anyways I really like this brush for blending 😀
3) PP16 Mini Smudger: List Price: $1.99
Paid Price: $2.00
Yes, I paid one more cent than I should have! Like the brush above, I have this brush from my Crown Brush purchase a few years ago. I love it for applying eyeshadow on the lower lash line and even on the upper lash line for a subtle effect. It’s soft but not very stiff.
Total Paid: $6.00 Savings: $1.80+Shipping
Cici Fashion Brushes:
CiCi Fashion Brushes
From Left to Right:
1) Supreme Fan Brush- HM301: List Price: $15.25
Paid Price: $10.00
I love jumbo fan brushes to apply powder blush and contour. I was hoping I’d find the same brush that I bought from crown brushes called jumbo kabuki fan brush but they didn’t have any. This one and the one below were the only jumbo fans I found at IMATS!! I guess they are not popular enough. But I ended up with two because this one was softer, but less dense and the one below was denser, but not as soft. I’ll see how they perform, hopefully as good as the one I have!
2) Large Fan Brush-NYY001: List Price: $9.85
Paid Price: $7.50
Again this brush is denser but less soft than the one above.
3) Eye Blending Brush-NHY012: List Price: $3.65
Paid Price: $2.50
Just another blending brush very similar in shape and size to the round tapered crease brush above except made of sable hair rather than italian badger.
Total Paid: $20.00 Savings: $8.75+Shipping
Embryolisse was its own separate booth but it was being sold by the Alcone Company so I’m going to put them together.
Alcone Company:
Ben Nye Final Seal from Alcone Co.
1) Ben Nye’s Final Seal: List Price: $7.00
Paid Price: $7.00
Yes, NO discount which I am pretty disappointed about but oh well. At least I didn’t have to pay shipping! I have heard great things about this but have yet to try it. When I do I will do a full review! I was a bit disappointed they didn’t have anymore Ben Nye’s Banana Powder! All sold out.. oh well maybe next year.
Embryolisse Lotion Micellaire and Lait-Creme Concentre from Alcone Co.
From Left to Right:
2) Embryolisse Lotion Micellar No Rinse Makeup Remover: List Price: $32.00
Paid Price: $27.00
I was actually looking to get the famous Bioderma Crealine H2O but they didn’t have it and they said this one was very similar. I am still testing it and so far not sure about my opinion and if it really is worth the money.
3) Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre: List Price: $28.00
Paid Price: 2 for $50.00 or $25.00 each
I had tried a very small size of this from Birchbox using birchbox points and fell in love with it (even my boyfriend too!). So I knew this was one of the things I wanted to get most at IMATS. It is expensive mostly because it is not really sold that much here in the states. I feel like you could get it cheaper in France, obviously. But it is definitely a must have, especially for sensitive skin! It is marketed it as a moisturizer and makeup primer in one. I just use it as my regular moisturizer, but I think the reason it works so well for me is because it is also a primer. I feel like it may create a barrier between my skin and the environment, like pollution and other harmful environmental factors that my skin loves to react to. I noticed immediately the day after I started using this again that my skin was less irritated and so smooth! So for me its not just a moisturizer, which it is also amazing at hydrating, but a protective barrier from the harsh elements and pollution!
Total Paid: $84.00 Savings: $11.00+Shipping
And by now you may be wondering… where is any makeup?! here it is! last but not least is
Eve Pearl:
Eve Pearl
1) The Flawless Face Palette: List Price: $98.00
Paid Price: $58.00
Bianca and I were starting to realize we had NO makeup in our bags at IMATS and went all out at the Eve Pearl booth! It was really the best values at IMATS! We got one of the makeup artists to color match us to the concealers and then Bianca ended up getting the blush and highlighter as well, which sold both of us on the palette!
2) Problender: List Price: $20.00
Paid Price: 2 for $15.00
These are super similar to the Beauty Blender, which I was planning to hit up next with my birchbox points! They are latex free and come in three colors! Of course, we chose pink! haha
3) Kisses of Pearl Lipgloss in Hey Sexy: List Price: $26.00
Paid Price: FREE
Since Bianca and I, both paid exact change in cash for the palette and problenders, the lady gave us a lipgloss each for free! So nice!!
Total Paid: $73.00 Savings: $78.50+Shipping
Total Paid at IMATS (including the ticket which was $50.00): $281.00
Total Savings: $115.05
I think IMATS is amazing and if you love all things beauty you should definitely try to go! Do your research beforehand you can look out for price differences and where the best deals are. Also if you know what you want ahead of time, you know how much money to bring and where to go first. I didn’t get a chance to buy anything from Inglot or OCC because the lines were ridiculous (the whole time!) and I just couldn’t be bothered! Plus I wasn’t sure about the discounts and I had no idea what I even wanted. I think if you have never experienced IMATS before bring about $150-300. It doesn’t mean you have to spend it all but it’s nice to know you don’t have to hold back! Also, you don’t really HAVE to do research and look things up beforehand. You can and it might help out but I managed fine and I liked just taking it all in as I was there for the first time, but that’s just me haha. You can easily do a whole years worth of shopping here! I probably won’t buy anymore makeup until I see another huge sale (most likely black friday/cyber monday). So make your purchases COUNT when you go to IMATS. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed my haul and experience at IMATS! If any of you out there have gone I’d love to see your hauls!
Don’t forget to check out my friend Bianca’s IMATS Haul!
~~Andrea
Life through Andrea's Eyes 