IMATS 2016

Hey guys! I know, I have not posted anything on this blog for almost a year now and I find it funny how this post is about IMATS 2016 and my last post was IMATS 2015. I really don't have a good excuse for why I've been absent on here. If I'm going to be completely honest, my heart wasn't in it and I really couldn't force myself BUT things are different now, I'm more motivated to really be more consistent with my blog. So here I am! A year later but here I am!


And the more motivated driven me will start with a post on IMATS 2016  Even though IMATS London 2016 was like, in June.


This year I decided to go Saturday AND Sunday because ...
why not? And this year I really wanted to watch the demos ( it was hard deciding which demos I had to leave out because the ones I wanted to go to happened to be showing at the same time) and I have to say I learned some neat tips and tricks from them.


Before I This is only my second time attending IMATS but I thought it would be helpful to let you guys know what I brought with me to help you guys when/if you go. And this will be helpful to me too because I forgot what I brought but the pictures I took will help me recollect my memory.

I brought a decent sized backpack for both days and it was so much better than bringing a slingbag/handbag because 1) it was so much easier on my back and 2)it made shopping easier. 

Contents of my bag 

Obviously stuff like wallet, passport/id and tickets were important because I wouldn't have been able to get in without them so I'll leave those out and go through the other stuff in my bag.

• To save money I packed my own lunch, not like there weren't any places to eat in the area, there were snack bars and there was a Pizza Express too. I even brought a packet of crisps in case I got the munchies. 
• WATER!!! This was mucho importante, I always drink lots of water. 
• Phone charger - I don't think I used this at all because I couldn't find a plug point near me, I think an external charger would've been better but it wasn't a problem because my phone stayed alive until I reached home. 
• Pen and paper - This was handy for taking notes during the demos.
• Makeup wipes - To be honest, I didn't really use it a lot but I think that's because this time around I was focusing more on tools rather than makeup (which was what I did last year) 
• My makeup pouch - I have tissues, toilet wipes, painkillers, compact powder, lip balm, etc. I almost always have this pouch in my handbag with me when I go out because it's got everything I need/might need in it for the day. 
• Umbrella - It didn't rain on either days so was not useful and only made my bag heavier. 

Alright, let's move on to the event itself!


SATURDAY

Kevin James Bennett 

This was the first keynote demo I went for and I'm so glad I did! He's a makeup artist and has been in the industry for a long time. He was funny and sassy and I loved it. Out of all the demos/talks, I feel like his was the best because he had a lot of useful and helpful tips and he was brutally honest about the industry.

He teamed up with Royal&Langnickel to design the Revolution makeup brushes and used their brushes for his demo. I had never heard of him prior to IMATS but I immediately loved him and trusted his opinion about makeup products and brands. I mean, of course he was promoting his brushes and the brand but he was upfront about products and mentioned that as a makeup artist, you don't need a lot of product to create a flawless look and he proved that on stage. So after that I went to their booth and bought those brushes for the makeup course I enrolled for.

Urban Decay : Makeup the Urban Decay Way 

There were competitions going on 

Great turn out 

Bobbi Brown Pro presents Hannah Martin - Bridal Beauty

I enjoyed this keynote/demo too because there were three different bridal looks and she gave some helpful tips on bridal makeup.


Those were all the keynotes/demos I went for on Saturday. What I love about IMATS - other than spending all my money there - is seeing the artists transform their models ohemgeee I don't think I can get bored of it.

SUNDAY

Royal&Langnickel Brush Mfg. presents Mahealani Diego - The Best Tools for Working on Set 

Makeup Studio presents Paddy McGurgan - Game of Tones

Kryolan UK presents Paul James Merchant - Kryolan Trends for 2016

The last keynote/demo I went for was by Paul James Merchant (Kryolan UK) but I didn't take any pics of the demo because I was so far back and didn't have a good angle to take a picture. Paul James Merchant is such a creative individual and he really inspired me.


On to the artist and their models I saw that day 

Not as packed as the day before but still a good crowd 

When I saw this guy from afar I thought he was Stephen James lol but it wasn't. I still have no idea who this guys is, can't find him on instagram no one's tagged him  

This is cool because the effects you see here were not added using an editing software but it's a result of the pieces used on the model and lighting. So cool and crafty. 

OMG, this was my absolute favourite model.CAN YOU GUESS WHY?? She's like ariel the mermaid princess 

The model and the student from the makeup school that did the look. So good. 

Another one of No-Name-Hot-Pants 

I love and miss IMATS, the atmosphere, the makeup booths ,the keynote demos... I love and miss all of it.


*One thing that I kept hearing at the show and that I remember well was how the makeup artists commented on some of the outrageous makeup techniques on social media (ie, using a spoon for contouring ). It made me realize that there is a difference between makeup enthusiasts and makeup artists. And a lot of people on social media are claiming to be the latter without proper training. And not saying that you can't be a makeup artist without the qualification (Paul James Merchant is a self-taught makeup artist and look where he is now, working for Kryolan) but there's just so many people who don't really know what they are talking about when it comes to the beauty industry.


Hope you guys enjoyed this post! I got a few blog posts ideas written down too and I won't leave you guys hanging this time  I thought of doing a post on what I got from IMATS, would you guys be interested in that or nahh?


Till the next post! 

*This part was added after the post was published