The Damage! (Or Dani's IMATS 2012 Haul) + Tips For The IMATS Newbie

And here we have the somewhat anticipated haul post!

I... Spent a lot of money this year... Though in my defense, I needed to get a lot of brushes for the two weddings I'm doing this weekend (eek!). I have 5 bridesmaids to make up in one of the weddings, so I'm sure you can all understand the necessity for buying as much as I did. At first, I briefly considered buying some online (Bdellium was my number one choice); but in the end, I decided against it and here's why: 1) I want to be able to feel the brush prior to purchasing. I'm particular with certain brushes: i.e. blending brushes have to be tapered and not be too stiff, while blush brushes have to be flatter and more tapered. Only I can be the judge of that, since what's tapered to me may not be tapered enough for someone else and vice versa. 2) I had put off purchasing brushes for so long that by the time I was seriously considering purchasing online, they wouldn't have arrived to me on time. And let's not even talk about what would've happened if the brush was not to my liking... I had some serious anxiety over this, you guys! :p

Long (and unnecessary) story short, I decided to purchase brushes at IMATS and I'm so glad I did. They make me happy and so have my other purchases... Speaking of which, here they are:

From Royal & Langnickel: 20-pc Brush Roll ($20 CAD), 4 MASTER Pro Blush brushes, 2 Brush Essentials Crease brushes, 5 Pointed Lip brushes, 3 SILK Pro Crease brushes, 3 SILK Pro Taklon Brow brushes, and 1 SILK Pro Concealer brush.

From Crown Brush: 4 Studio Line Angle Liner brushes, 3 Syntho Series Deluxe Medium Foundation brushes, 4 Italian Badge Series Angle Blush brushes, 3 Luna Series BK02 Unique Pointed Dome brushes, 3 Luna Series BK15 Large Chisel Fluff brushes.

I told you guys, I needed a lot of brushes!

I wasn't expecting to get that many blending brushes, but when I saw the ones from Royal & Langnickel's Brush Essentials line, I knew I had to have it. I've worked on some women who have such small lid spaces that my regular blending brushes would literally be too big on them. So having these small ones will be perfect for those clients.

Also, the Badger Line from Crown Brush came recommended by Arianne (a.k.a. The Glitter Geek).  I really can't wait to try these brushes out at the weddings I'm doing this weekend!

The prices were amazing, as well. The cheapest brushes I got were around $2.50, which were the eye brushes. Meanwhile, the face brushes ranged anywhere from $7-$14 each. I'm so glad I waited to get my brushes at IMATS.

From Ben Nye: 1 Fashion Rouge Palette ($32 CAD), 1 Ben Nye MediaPRO Sheer Foundation Palette ($49 CAD), and 2 Contour Powder Rouge powders (which were given to us free from the Ben Nye booth).

I was really excited to purchase these products from Ben Nye. I've wanted a foundation palette for some time now and I'm so excited for this new addition to my kit. As for the Fashion Rouge Palette -- I wasn't originally going to purchase it, but I just fell in love with all the shades. I'll be reviewing both these products in the blog soon... Well, at least I hope it'll be soon. :p

From Cover FX: Clear Prep FX ($23.50 CAD).

This face primer for oily and acne-prone skin was also recommended by Arianne (she's a fountain of makeup knowledge, that one). I only have one skin primer at this point, which is Make Up For Ever's HD primer, but it's caused breakouts for some people and I wanted something specifically for oily skin. 

From Naimie's Beauty Centre: 1 hot pink large Z Palette ($15 CAD) and 1 small mixing palette ($5.50 CAD).

From Nigel's Beauty Supply: A large, clear plastic bag for my kit ($8 CAD) and 1 larger mixing palette ($5.50 CAD).

I knew I wanted another Z palette and I like hot pink, so I obviously had to pick this one up. As for the mixing palettes -- I bought the Naimie's palette before I decided to brave the line at Nigel's. At first I considered returning the smaller palette at Naimie's, but then I thought it would be perfect for mixing lip products (the larger palette will be used for mixing foundation or concealer).

The large bag was a disappointment, though. I wanted a medium sized bag with a strap so that I could bring a few products with me for touchups when I do on location photoshoots (like the engagement shoot I did last week). However, I foolishly just grabbed this one instead of checking to see if it had a strap. I can still use it, obviously, but it wasn't the bag that I wanted. =/

From Nigel's Beauty Supply: Lashes galore! (7 for $15 CAD or 15 for $20 CAD)

Nigel's had an awesome deal for lashes, so this is a no-brainer, right? I kinda wish I got another 15 pairs, though. Makeup artists can go through lashes so quickly, so stocking up is always a good idea.

From Nigel's Beauty Supply: OCC Lip Tars in Queen, NSFW, and Demure ($9 CAD).

I was so excited to see that Nigel's was selling OCC Lip Tars! I've wanted to get some for so long, but I've always been hesitant because I wanted to swatch them myself and feel the consistency and texture firsthand. I'm really happy with my shade choices, too; I can't wait to take these babies out for a test drive!

From Make Up For Ever: 5 HD Foundations (5 for $130 CAD), 2 Aqua Brows ($6 CAD), 2 Mat Bronze Bronzing Powders ($22 CAD), and 2 eyeshadows (I believe they were $12 CAD each).

(L-R: 115, 127, 128, 140, & 153)

I wasn't completely convinced that I should get 5 of the foundations, but I decided that it was such a good deal and I needed to avail of it. I decided to stick to the light-medium spectrum of the range, as I foresee myself working on those skin tones quite a lot. I figured I'll purchase these shades now and then purchase other shades as needed (this is also where the foundation palette comes in). 

Now, I know the 3 shades in the middle look pretty similar, but if you look at these two photos of MUFE HD Foundation swatches from Karla Sugar, you will see that they look very different. In fact, I was so surprised at how vastly different 127 and 128 are from each other and they're right beside each other on the colour spectrum. 

These 5 foundations join the veterans of my kit: 120, 155, and 177. I think with 8 MUFE foundations, plus my Ben Nye foundation palette, my kit's pretty much stacked in terms of base products. 

(L-R: Metallic Taupe 127 & Iridescent Brown Black 139)

I wasn't originally intending on getting any eyeshadows, but I was just drawn to these two shades and I kind of fell in love with them. I've become a bit of a neutral lover in the past few months; plus, these will fit in nicely with my bridal palette.

(L-R: 30 & 40)

Another craymazing (crazy + amazing. It's a thing... Not a new thing, but it's a thing) deal from Make Up For Ever -- these new Aqua Brows were on sale for 50% off at IMATS and sold for $6 each. The Aqua Brows are pretty much the rebranded version of the Waterproof Eyebrow Correctors; they have the same formula, but there are more colours available (I believe there are 2-3 more colours available). I decided to stick to the 2 darkest shades as I feel like the bulk of my clients will be Asian women, at least at first (hence, sticking to the darker shades), but I'm kicking myself in the butt for not getting all the other shades now. >_<

(L-R: 20 Honey & 30 Cinnamon)

As I was making my list for IMATS, I realized that I didn't have a bronzer in my kit (shock horror!), so I decided to pick up 2 of the MUFE Mat Bronze Bronzing powders. I chose the two medium shades and they're both lovely.

And now, a few tips for the IMATS newb...


1) Get to know the vendors - Some booths will be beauty supply stores, therefore you wouldn't know right away what they will be selling. Each IMATS vendor that has a website will be linked to on the exhibitor list page on the IMATS website. Click on each link to see what products they offer, this will help you with the next point.

2) Make a shopping list - Some booths will be crazy busy, so sometimes it's better to get in and then get out right away. The combination of me coming early and me having made a list prior to going to IMATS meant that I was at the MUFE booth for less than 10 minutes (MUFE has a system in place where they give you a piece of paper for you to write your "order" on and they simply grab it all for you while you wait by the cash register to give your payment). It may not sound like a big deal, but you will appreciate it when you walk by the MUFE booth later on and you see the long ass line up.

3) Make a game plan - Make sure to get the busiest booths out of the way first, that way you can spend the rest of your time browsing the other booths at a more leisurely pace. I made the mistake of not going to Nigel's Beauty Emporium after MUFE and I ended up waiting in line for more than 30 minutes. But this will only really work if you come early, so...

4) Come early - Seriously, showing up half an hour before the doors opened made a world of difference! Did I mention that it only took me 10 minutes to go to the MUFE booth, pay for my purchases, and move on? Coming early is a good thing, yo!

And that concludes my IMATS posts... Can you believe I considered condensing it all into ONE? It would've been the post that never ends (yes it goes on and on, my friend)!

Anything catch your eye, lovelies?

I Heart New York! (Warning: Photo Heavy)

Well look who's finally back with a blog post!

Firstly, I must really apologize for my absence these last few weeks. Life was kicking my butt prior to leaving for NYC, so I decided to take a bit of a break to just focus on what needed to get done. Unfortunately, that meant blogging needed to be put on the back burner for a little bit. But hopefully, I'll be getting back into the swing of things very soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would regale you all with some stories from my amazing trip.

This trip was definitely very spur of the moment; my friend Kim and I literally did not book anything until the Tuesday before we left! Still, everything worked out for the best, and we were able to spend 4 glorious days in beautiful New York City.

Friday morning was spent lugging my suitcase around NYC (up and down subway stairs, too!), checking into the apartment, buying groceries, freshening up, and eating breakfast. Then we headed to TKTS to buy tickets for our first show - Seminar with Alan Rickman.

After we purchased, our tickets, we took the subway to the NYU area to meet up with none other than Xiao of Messy Wands! We ate at this amazing place called Ippudo (it's so amazing, people start lining up to eat there half an hour before they even open) where the employees like to yell... A lot... They were very enthusiastic about their yelling!

I'm so glad I was able to meet Xiao! There was a lot of laughing and fangirling involved and we had so much fun that night!

Me and the "fiancée"

The most amusing tip box sign I've ever seen

After helping Kim's friends with Godspell lottery (more on that later), we headed to the John Golden Theatre on 45th Street for our show. 

It. Was. UNBELIEVABLE!

When Alan Rickman walked out onstage during the second scene, the 3 of us girls literally clutched each others hands! His stage presence is incredible and he was so intense in one scene in particular that I felt like I was holding my breath. It was so personal, I felt like I was intruding on a very private conversation and I thought that I should probably walk out to give them privacy or something :p.

The other actors (Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Hetienne Park, and Jerry O'Connell) were also fabulous. I especially loved Lily and I think I have a girl crush on her now. The writing was hilarious, too!

Yes, that's Alan Rickman. Yes, he stood right in front of and looked right at me. He's quiet, but very nice in person. We mentioned that we came from Canada to see him, which he was appreciative about. Then he asked us where in Canada we were from; we answered with Vancouver and he said he loved Vancouver (come to Vancouver, Alan!!!). So if you're at stage door, let the performers know you're from out of town, they will love it!

"1, 2, 3 - Wait... Why am I counting?" 

If there's anything Xiao now knows about me, it's that I can be unintentionally hilarious :p.

Kim went to see her family in Long Island on Saturday, so I roamed around Times Square and the Theatre District until the matinee show of Sister Act. It was during this time when I was mistaken for a New Yorker by a fellow tourist. Not only that, she also said I looked like "a young star going to work."

... She became my favourite person ever after that exchange...

Sitting on the red steps in Times Square

Inglot! 

"We'll start with the riding crop..." My fellow BC/Sherlock enthusiasts will get this :)

Fell in love with this show!

Sister Act was amazing! It was so funny and the songs were so fun and catchy! I think I was stupid-grinning through the whole thing. So many amazing voices on that stage, too <3.

After Sister Act, I lined up at TKTS again because Kim and I wanted to watch Seminar (again). It was here that I realized that I basically lose all eloquence when speaking with a good looking man. Must work on that ASAP. :p

Seminar the second time around was actually even better. Alan Rickman's monologue was INSANE on Saturday night! Way more intense than the previous night; in fact, he was practically growling! O.O

Stage door'd again

<3 :)

Jerry O'Connell was so lovely at stage door! He offered to take a photo with me (I feel awkward asking performers for photos, so I never do), which was so nice of him, and even crouched down while I tiptoed so we could even out our height difference! :p

I raved about Sister Act enough that Kim wanted to go see it, too. So we watched a matinee performance on Sunday and it was just as amazing as the performance on Saturday. Gosh, I love this show! 

Later that night, we decided to try our hand at the Godspell lottery... For those who are unfamiliar, most (if not all) theatres will reserve the front row seats for lotto. You have to enter your name and email address and are then given a ticket stub. After all entries are received, a staff member will pull up X amount of tickets and if you "win," you get to purchase up to two tickets at a ridiculously good price. I paid around $64 for two tickets, which is less than one ticket bought at TKTS. 

I must say, I was incredibly surprised by Godspell. I saw the first few minutes of the film and wasn't intrigued by it. But I went along because my friend wanted to ogle Hunter Parrish (who wouldn't, though?). The show was fantastic! The cast's energy was amazing, the songs were so catchy, and it was much funnier than I expected it to be. I would gladly watch it again and again, actually.

After Sunday comes Monday (after which, comes Tuesday), which meant we were leaving #SadFace. So we took the time during the morning and afternoon to just roam around the city. We walked to 60th, through Central Park, up to the Lincoln Center, and back to the apartment before heading to JFK.

Tangent: I'm no animal rights activist, but some of these horses looked so sad and defeated, 

I just wanted to free them! </3 :(

If you are ever in NYC, you *need* to go to Serendipity 3 on 60th and try their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. It is so flipping' good! <3

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that this is a beauty blog!

Of course, I couldn't leave New York without getting a few things... Well, technically I could, but... Ah, never mind...

So excited about these latest purchases! I'll be testing them soon and I can't wait to share my thoughts with you guys!

Anyway, that is my ramble of a post about the city that I luuurve <3. I hope I haven't bored you all too much!

Happy weekend, lovelies!

Checking In...

 

Hello, lovelies! I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas.

Still laptop-less, but I've figured out a way to blog here and there until I am able to afford a new one. In the meantime, I thought I'd share my post-Christmas haul with you guys. All my photos were taken on my iPhone, so please bear with the quality :p.

Steve Madden Bandditt Boots

 

Steve Madden Dynemite Platforms

 

Bumble & Bumble Tonic Lotion

 Caudalie Premières Vendanges Moisturizing Cream

MAC Blush in Subtle Breeze (from the Naturally Collection)
Funny tidbit: the SA at the MAC counter in Nordstrom pronounced it
SUB-TUHL. Forreal... I had to stop myself from giggling.

  MAC Blush Ombré in Azalea Blossom (from the Daphne Guinness Collection)

 Burberry Beauty Lip Mist Natural Sheer Lipstick in No. 07 Camelia Pink

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 2.0 in The Vision

 Sultana of Soap, Lust Soap,Golden Wonder Bath Bomb, Cinders Bath Bomb, Abombinaball Bath Bomb, Lil Lush Pud Bath Bomb & Three Gold Rings Bubble Bar.

 What does your Boxing Day damage look like?

My IMATS Haul!

If you saw my last post about IMATS, you would've noticed something completely lacking... What would that be? Why, my IMATS haul, of course!

I spent more than I intended to; but really, who can help themselves at IMATS? Certainly not me...

Large Z Palettes in Zebra & Fabulous Pink

Royal & Langnickel Kabuki & Baby Dome Brushes

Ben Nye Powder Rouge Refills in Golden Amber & Natural Blush

NYX Eyeshadows in Dune, Tropical, Root Beer (which I managed to completely MANGLE 
while de-potting last night. FML) & Jazzy Pink

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural

NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Velvet Rope

NYX Matte Nail Polish in Orange

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Black

NYX High Definition Eyeshadow Base

NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Plum Purple

NYX Matte Lipstick in Angel

So there you have it, my very first IMATS Haul! I saw some pretty awesome train cases as well & was sorely tempted to buy one but then I remembered, I'm not a makeup artist. At least not yet! I actually plan on going to school for make up in January (unless other things come up). I mean, as my father says, "you might as well put your obsession with makeup to good use!" Haha! 

I've actually wanted to become a makeup artist for some time now and family members were even telling me that I should study to become one way before I considered it as an option. So hopefully, that'll be my career while I continue to pursue my dream of performing =).

Anyway, I can't wait to dig into these babies! But alas, I must wait til I can photograph them individually before I can even think about touching them. Ahh, the life of a beauty blogger...

Have you been to an IMATS yet?