FREE Super Fruits Eye Balm with $130 or more purchase

Monday 18 April 2016

IMATS NYC Haul!

Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Mine was one part lazing, one part yoga, and one part brunching and strolling with friends. Not too shabby in my books! If you saw my last two posts or follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I was lucky enough to attend IMATS in NYC two weekends ago. It was an incredibly fun experience and I'm so eager to attend more New York shows in the future! IMATS is usually a place where my wallet goes on a free for all, but this year I was attempting to stick to a budget. I did end up going a *teensy* bit over, but overall am super pleased that I was able to snag a fab selection of products without going off the financial rails. 


Here's a peek at everything I purchased all boxed up, then open for all to see! 



In terms of my shopping game plan, I aimed to stick to brands that are ultra hard to find in Toronto, have silly expensive shipping to Canada, and/or had ultra good deals on the day. I think I kept to that quite well! 

I ended up purchasing two incredibly beautiful, exciting eye shadow palettes at this year's show, the first of which was a complete lemming, peer-pressure sort of buy. I'd heard great things about Violet Voss as a brand (they had a booth at last year's Toronto IMATS), but it wasn't until a couple days before the show that I was alerted to the hype and hoopla around the Holy Grail Pro Eye Shadow palette. When I saw snaps online, I agreed that it was super pretty, but I dismissed its necessity initially ("I don't need another warm eye shadow palette). When I saw it in person, however, I could not resist. It's utterly stunning, with a perfect mix of shimmers and mattes and everything from shimmery ivory to flame orange and in between. 




Not to be outdone, I took the plunge and purchased some Natasha Denona eye shadows as well. I'd been drooling over these uber-pigmented shadows for months, but had only seen the brand's giant palettes, which go for a whopping $200+ price tag. They offer a payment plan on them, for goodness sakes! But when I was told  by the Beautylish rep that the Eye Shadow Palette 5 range (5-pan palettes) were retailing for $48 USD, I was pleasantly surprised and decided to bite the bullet. I opted for Palette 10, a magical mix of taupe, plum, wine, ultra metallic gold, and violet. I gasped out loud when I swatched them at the show, so I knew it was true love! 



Perhaps my favourite booth at the show was from Besame Cosmetics, which was completely decked out in the brand's glamorous, vintage aesthetic. I didn't yet own any of their lipsticks, but after swatching several of their iconic red shades (each with an amazing pigmented, smooth matte texture), I knew that had to change. It was a very tough decision, but I ended up selecting Carmine, a bold, warm orange red inspired by the early 1930s. I wore it out the same night and fell completely smitten. 



Finally (although backwards, as this was the first booth I visited), we have two killer Lip Tars from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. Their new Magnetic Fields collection for Spring 2016 is absolutely incredible, rife with punchy greens, bronzes, blues, and purples. I chose the two purple-toned lip shades of the bunch- Indrid, a completely unique purple-grey with pink iridescence, and Lily (my niece's namesake, yay!), an opaque lilac. OCC do weirdo lip shades so very well, and I'm totally loving both of these. 



Here are swatches of the three lip products I purchased (in natural sunlight, against my NC15 skin tone):

(L-R): Besame Cosmetics Lipstick in Carmine, OCC Lip Tars in Indrid and Lily


I did not swatch the eye shadow palettes here, as each will be earning its own separate review. Keep your eyes peeled for those soon!

I could not be happier with my little(ish) lot of beauty goodies from IMATS NYC- not a single regret among them and I've been having loads of fun playing with everything! Some of the best souvenirs from NYC I've ever snagged :)

Have you tried anything from Besame, OCC, Violet Voss, or Natasha Denona? What booths are on your must-visit list at IMATS?

Have a wonderful week! xo

30 comments:

  1. NICE! Awesome haul of hard to find products in Canada! You did good girl! And don't ya just love the shape of Besame Lipsticks? I think they are so cool!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, I was sooo impressed with the Besame lippies- both the shades and the formula. I could have bought them all!

      Delete
  2. What a great haul! I especially love the look off that palette, my eyes are attracted to the shades 'Wine n Dine' and 'Teddy Bear'.

    Would love to see these shades on you!

    X

    Anjelique

    http://www.anjelique.com.au | snapchat: anjeliquetv

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! The Holy Grail really has some amazing warm, deep shades. I'll be posting a review of it soon! xo

      Delete
  3. That Violet Voss palette makes me have so many feelings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't plan on snagging it, but when I saw it in person, I melted. It's perfection!

      Delete
  4. You are so lucky! What great purchases! I've been eyeing these brands, but have never tried them. IMATS sounds really nice! Lots of benefits to attending. Can't wait for your reviews.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So worth attending if you can! My reviews will be coming soon! Thanks for stopping by :)

      Delete
  5. So stunning! I like this so much.

    ** Join Love, Beauty Bloggers on facebook. A place for beauty and fashion bloggers from all over the world to promote their latest posts!


    INSTAGRAM @BEAUTYEDITER
    BEAUTYEDITER.COM

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great haul! I am desperate to try some Natasha Denona products! xx

    Beautylymin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't bring myself to splurge on the huge palettes, but the 5-pan I purchased really is top-notch! :)

      Delete
  7. What a great haul! The Violet Voss palette looks gorgeous! And I'm very tempted to try one of the 5 pans Natasha Denona palettes to see what's the fuss about it :) x

    Mummy’s Beauty Corner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the Holy Grail palette really is worth the hype! And the 5-pans are a great way to try Natasha Denona- as the huge palettes are so intensely priced!

      Delete
  8. Wowwww stunning picks all around!! I can't wait to see you play with them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jodi! I'll be posting some looks and reviews soon! xo

      Delete
  9. Those eyeshadow palettes look stunning! Love the look of those lip creams from OCC. I'm going to IMATS, London this Summer for the first time ever so I'm not a hundred percent sure what brands will all be there. I shall be heading straight to Nyx, Kryolan and Bdellium Tools though.

    Toni. X

    http://www.sheergloss.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, I'm sure the London show will be amazing! Those are some great brands to stalk :)

      Delete
  10. All these products look lovely!

    www.themakeupaficionado.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm happy with everything! :)

      Delete
  11. The two eyeshadow palettes are beautiful! Can't wait to see looks with them. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm loving them both so much! Looks and reviews coming soon :)

      Delete
  12. Holy crap, Carmine is freaking stunning and the pigmentation is out of the world! Natasha Denona's eyeshadows are making a huge splash all over the beauty world recently, I am tempted to pick up the 5 pan eyeshadow palette!

    Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmine is incredible! I wore it the day I bought it and haven't looked back- it's a perfect orange red! And I was pleasantly surprised with the cost of the 5-pans- totally do-able :)

      Delete
  13. Oh my gosh, all of it looks so stunning!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ann! I'm really happy with everything :)

      Delete
  14. Oh my gosh, all of it looks so stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I keep seeing the Holy Grail palette on Instagram - it looks absolutely gorgeous! WANT! xx

    Jasmine Talks Beauty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was skeptical at first, but it's so worth the hype! I've been using it almost daily :)

      Delete
  16. i hauled a besame lipstck for someone else and now i sort of want one for myself too...but i'm staying strong b/c i know i don't wear opaque reds that often.

    ReplyDelete

All of your lovely comments make my day! Thanks for taking the time to share your musings, ideas, and opinions. Feel free to leave a link to your blog- I'd be happy to check it out :)