IMATS Toronto 2016 + #NYXCosmeticsAfterDark

Hi, everyone! This past Saturday was one of my favourite makeup days of the year- IMATS Toronto! The International Makeup Artist Trade Show comes to the city every Fall (I was also lucky enough to attend IMATS New York this year in the Spring) and with it brings some amazing shopping deals, incredible makeup artistry inspiration and education, and the opportunity to completely geek out with my fellow blogger friends! I mean, what better combination is there?!

Photo courtesy of Samantha's camera!

The Venue

As with the past two years, this year's IMATS was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This time around, the hall was a bit smaller, but also brighter and more open, which made for a cheerier, less claustrophobic shopping experience, which I appreciated! 

As  with the past two years, I was able to obtain a press pass that granted me free access to the show and allowed us to be the first to enter at 9am. I will never not find that exciting! 

The Vendors

There were dozens of vendors at this year's show and, while some of my favourites from years past like Frends and Nigel Beauty Emporium were strangely absent, other brands totally stepped up and caught my interest! 

The MAC booth is a staple at IMATS, yet never one that draws super intense lines. And that's fine by me- easier access! MAC was offering 20% off all products at the show, so I was happy to indulge. I was thrilled to see their new Liptensity range there- which I clearly went to town with (see swatched-up hand below). 

The NYX booth is always bustling and this year they were offering a 25% discount. While I'm a huge fan of the brand and their displays are always fun and colourful, I was able to resist, especially as NYX is now quite easily accessible here in Toronto. 

Inglot had quite the sizeable booth this year (much larger than last year) and were also offering a 20% discount off all products. I was able to resist since they tend to do 15-20% off sales semi-regularly, but boy was their Fall 2016 What a Spice collection beautiful! 

I'm no longer a supporter of Lime Crime as a business, but there's no doubt that their booth is always ultra adorable. They also had the best bags of the day- popcorn pop art perfection! 

The BeneFit counter was also bustling, as they were offering a 40% off discount booth-wide, including their brand new brow product range. 

New to this year's IMATS Toronto was Alcone, who I didn't realize until show day is a vendor of several amazing makeup brands like Viseart and Kett Cosmetics. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this booth for next year!

I am always happy to pop by the Kryolan booth, as their professional makeup products are so colourful and intriguing! This year they also had Halloween makeup kits, which was pretty genius, especially given the time of year. 

While I was taken with the booths I mentioned above, the counter that totally stole the show for me was Kat von D! This the brand's first year at the show and they really went all out. They offered discounts on their entire product range (including a 30% discount for makeup artists and press) and their booth was equipped with a giant liquid lipstick-adorned throne and live makeup demos. They even gave away free mini products with each purchase and while waiting in line! 

The Kat von D booth was also staffed by several amazing makeup artists, including a few of my Instagram faves kelseyannaf, risadexter, and swampsnacks. I had a bit of a fangirl moment ;)

The Artistry

Aside from the exciting discounts, it's the bold, creative makeup artistry that really draws me to IMATS. I'm always  pumped to see what unique, colourful creations the show has in store!

There is always beautiful work happening at the Mehron booth:

It was neat to see this feline creation coming to life: 

This red body paint with prosthetics was stunning in person and it was cool to see the airbrush in action! 

It was also fun to watch life makeup applications at the Kat von D booth, which brought to life the brand's signature gothic, yet colourful flair. 

As always, there was also an impressive selection of special effects props and sci fi creations. This monster was particularly cool and terrifying...

... and this zombie was so life-like, I was convinced it was going to grab me!

The Experts

IMATS is also amazing at bringing together makeup talent from around the world to educate pros and hobbyists alike. This year I got to watch an animated, informative brow demo from BeneFit's bubbly and adorable Maddox Lu...

... and a tutorial on how to create supernatural, dreamy skin with celebrity makeup artist Jordan Liberty using Veil Cosmetics. 

The Fun

IMATS is always made extra special by the amazing company! There were about 15 gals from the Canadian Beauty Blogger Network in attendance this year and I'm proud to call them my friends! 

This year's IMATS was also much enhanced by coffee, as it was an early morning and this grandma had a few too many drinks the night before! 

This shirt was the source of my new life motto. I didn't snag it, but I might still. It's perfect! 

I have already asked Adam if we could find room for this throne in our condo. It was made for me. 

The After Party

Following some serious afternoon naptime, I met up with Shawna, Chelle, Steph, Zubie, Kaitlyn, and Miranda to head to the NYX Cosmetics After Dark event, which was a post-IMATS party held at the edgy, trendy, (literally) underground Wildflower nightclub at the Thompson Hotel near Wellington and Spadina here in Toronto. The club was wallpapered (also literally) with NYX logos and was playing a fun selection of dance and R&B with an open bar and colourful lighting. Being able to drink and dance from 7-10pm was seriously this granny's idea of a perfect night out! 

There was also some amazing body painting happening throughout the evening- this model was one brave and stunning woman!

NYX also set up an ultra fun photo booth that let us take (increasingly drunken) photos throughout the night and gave us printouts and digital copies to keep. Such a nice touch! 

So  this might be my longest post ever, but Saturday was such a fun day that I wanted to document it in full! Attending IMATS will always be fully worth it for me, as it brings new brands to the city, amazing discounts, creative and informative makeup artistry, opportunities to learn from the pros, and a proper excuse to get together with all my blogger besties. If you ever have an opportunity to attend, I fully recommend it! 

A special thanks to IMATS for the press pass, to NYX Canada for throwing an amazing party, and to Chelle for bringing me as her date! 

Stay tuned to my next post to see what I snagged at IMATS this year!

Thanks so much for stopping by! xo

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**IMATS provided me with a complimentary press pass, which allowed me to enter the trade show for free. All items I purchased at the show were fully paid for by me.