Cute Makeup Tips

Like many makeup junkies, I look forward to IMATS like it's Christmas. For a makeup artist and anyone who is interested in makeup and artistry, IMATS is makeup playground. It's the perfect opportunity to build your kit if you're just starting out or to replenish things like sponges, wands and other accessories. It's also a great event to score some amazing deals on foundations. I always stock up on foundations because the prices and packages are usually phenomenal. IMATS also hosts an amazing line up of key speakers where you can learn a thing or two from top industry artists. You'll also see models walking around painted in the most fantastical and eye popping designs. 

 Crazy right? I love it! This makeup artist from Make Up For Ever is amazing!

 Nigel's had 15 lashes for $20, cheaper sponges, and mascara wands plus the ZPalette was $4 cheaper than at Alcone's!

And of course there are the amazing vendors which keep getting better and better each year. The vendors that do really well are the ones that offer amazing discounts and promotions. I'm always surprised at brands that offer wimpy discounts or no promotions at all. I also found that you really have to comparison shop before purchasing. I was really disappointed that I purchased sponges and brushes from Crown when Nigel Beauty Emporium and bdellium were offering much better prices.

Another reason to attend is to meet up with other makeup artists and beauty bloggers so if you run into any don't be afraid to say "hi". My friend and I attended the show in the afternoon so I sadly missed out on seeing some of my blogger friends. But I did run into Arianne (The Glitter Geek), Anjali (Rock That Look), and Naomi (Styleyes). I was talking to someone else about how the blogger presence didn't seem that big this year, but maybe that's because we were all dispersed or came at different times. It would have definitely felt weird if I didn't see a single blogger.

I love meeting new vendors. I snapped a photo with Edward from bdellium tools. Edward and his business partner (forgot his name) were such nice guys and very helpful. I'm really excited about my brushes and look forward to seeing them again next year! I'm thinking of selling some of my current brushes and stocking my kit with bdellium! I know their Maestro line is a tad better because of the nickle-plated brass ferrule (lasts longer), but I adore the yellow handles! Maybe I'm just bored of all black - shocking!

It felt kind of odd not buying anything from Face Atelier this year even though I wanted to pick up their new Facade lip and cheek stain. I swore I would not get any colour cosmetics and I'm glad I stuck to my plan! But I still had to stop by the booth to see my girl, Eunique, working her magic! 

This is the MUFE booth later in the day. The crowd around them finally died down!

I love their Aqua Creams and wanted to pick up a few more, but I restrained myself. I'm not in total need of any, but wanted to pick up a few of the lip/cheek shades for my bridal kit. These work amazing in the humid heat!

These are the gorgeous founders and creators of my new favourite faux lash brand, Velour Lashes. Mabel and Angela were absolutely sweet! If you have a friend that loves faux lashes as much as you do, these mink fur lovelies make a perfect gift for the holiday. Or better yet, splurge on a pair (or two) for yourself!

This year, it was all about the shopping for me and my friend. With two kids each, it's hard for us mamas to get out and shop! I've made a promise to myself that next year I will do much less shopping and go to all the seminars and workshops. I usually miss out because I'm too busy shopping! Thank you to Makeup Artist Magazine for putting on another terrific IMATS! Until next year!

Check out more IMATS posts from these blogs! If you missed my IMATS haul click this link!

I added the prices to the special promos and HD Blushes were added! The MUFE booth is always crowded with people. I haven't been able to buy anything from the booth because of the crowds but that is about to change this year! Favourites: HD Blush, Aqua Creams, Aqua Liners, HD Primer.

Floriane David, Director of Education at the MAKE UP FOR EVER Academy in NYC will be doing body painting demos on Saturday Nov 12th between 12-3pm. She will also be hosting a seminar on Sunday Nov 13th at 11:30am.

Special Promos: 

1. $130 ($230 value) with the purchase of any 5 HD Foundations

2. $90 ($160 value) with the purchase of any 5 HD Concealers
3. $49 ($87 value) with the purchase of any 3 HD Blushes
4. $61 ($108 value) with the purchase of any 3 Full Cover
5. $74 ($131 value) with the purchase of any 3 Perfect Primers
6. $125 ($213 value) with the purchase of 10 eyeshadows Palette
7. $81 ($144 value) 15 Lipstick Palettes
8. $165 ($293 value) Brush Kit - 9 Brushes


The name "Eve Pearl" is a name that is well-known in the makeup industry. Emmy award winning makeup artist, Eve Pearl, and her team will be at IMATS Toronto and they have some amazing deals for us fans!!

Can you feel the excitement in the air?? IMATS is descending on Toronto November 12-13!! In 11 days, I will be shopping my favourite brands, listening and learning from the best of the best in the industry, and most importantly connecting with all my fellow makeup artists and beauty bloggers! It really is like a reunion. If you haven't experienced IMATS yet, you must! It's not only open to makeup pros but to all you makeup lovers! 

When: November 12-13

Where: Toronto Congress Centre, North Hall H
650 Dixon Road
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Hours:  Saturday, (General admission) 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, (General admission) 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Buy Tickets: Click here.

List of Exhibitors: Click here.

List of Speakers: Click here.

IMATS is a place to learn about new products and new makeup techniques. It's also a great place to score on amazing discounts. IMATS is my favourite place to stock up on quality brushes at insanely affordable prices! Here are some special promos from some of my favourite brands. To view more, check out my friend Arianne from Glitter Geek's page here!

The MUFE booth is always crowded with people. I haven't been able to buy anything from the booth because of the crowds but that is about to change this year! Favourites: HD Blush, Aqua Creams, Aqua Liners, HD Primer.

Floriane David, Director of Education at the MAKE UP FOR EVER Academy in NYC will be doing body painting demos on Saturday Nov 12th between 12-3pm. She will also be hosting a seminar on Sunday Nov 13th at 11:30am.

Special Promos: 

1. 50% discount with the purchase of any 5 HD Foundations

2. 50% discount with the purchase of any 5 HD Concealers
3. 50% discount with the purchase of any 5 Uplights
4. 50% discount with the purchase of any 5 Aqua Liners
5. 50% discount with the purchase of a Brush Kit

In addition, everything is 40% off!

Face Atelier is my go-to foundation! I love stocking up on their foundations. But this year I really want to try Facade, their lip/cheek stain which they will be debuting in Toronto! They will also be introducing their Ultra Matte too. 40% off for professional makeup artists.

What do I not love from CoverFX! If you're looking for some serious coverage be sure to visit CoverFX! I also love their primers. 

General show special: $70.00(value $165) - 1 Cover FX Trio, 1 Conceal
FX, 1 SkinPrep FX, #160 brush

Special for the Pro's- for the artists that want it all. The last day
special for $195.00 (value over $300): 16 pro pots (8 light to medium
and 8 medium to dark), Setting FX light 6.5gr, Matte FX Medium, SkinPrep FX,
#160 brush
Pro Pot Shades:

C - 10, 30, 50, 60

E - 0, 20, 40, 60

M - 20, 30, 50, 80 

B - 0,15, 25, 45

Other brands to check out: Crown Brush (amazing brushes), Alcone (for sponges, wands), yaby, temptu (for airbrushing),  Eve Pearl, Kett Cosmetics, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, and Zuca (the only makeup kit to have!). 

To read past posts of IMATS Toronto click here. I will be attending the Saturday show and hope to catch Eve Pearl's Flawless Bride seminar at 2:30 pm! I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and saying "hi" to some new ones!

UPDATE: Forgot to mention a THANK YOU to Arianne for the ride!

IMATS is like Christmas to me; I wait in anticipation all year for this one day! As soon as I strolled in with fellow beauty bloggers, Arianne and Michelle, I was giddy and instantly felt an exciting vibe in the air. Besides the makeup, makeup shows are always one big makeup reunion.

The Face atelier booth was our first stop. I was so happy to see my girl, Eunique, working and manning the swarm of girls. 

I think pretty much everyone I know went home with some Face atelier products. I wish I had bought more because the discounts were awesome but I mustered up the willpower to stick with my list!

Michelle and Arianne were a hoot to shop with! Check out some fun pictures from the event and all the awesome people I ran into. I didn't have a lot of time to really take advantage of the two days so there were a lot of people I didn't meet and workshops and seminars I didn't have a chance to attend but there's always next year!

Click here to view more photos. 

Overall, I had a great time hanging with other beauty bloggers and shopping the booths. The Toronto Congress Center was a great venue, although I don't think it was any bigger than last year at The Exhibition Place. As for location, I hope that IMATS next year will be downtown. Mississauga is just not central enough and isn't easily accessible by transit. On the upside, a shuttle bus was provided which I'm sure helped but I don't know how frequent it was. 

This year, waiting to pay for products was painful. The lineups at some booths were ridiculously long which deterred me from wanting to buy products. I know having a designated line for paying is meant to be efficient and keep order but at the same time it just wasn't. Then again, this year seemed much busier and that is a good thing. There was a few complaints from some bloggers about IMATS feeling "small" and the truth is that Toronto is on a smaller scale compared to other cities. This is only IMATS' second year in Toronto. I felt this year was better than the last and I'm sure it will get better every year. It makes sense to start out small and test out the waters so to speak. It's obvious a lot of money and time goes into a convention like this so everyone involved has to be confident that it will be worth it. This year new brands were added like M.A.C. and Stila, which is a good sign that more brands will jump on board the more exposure IMATS receives in Toronto. There is definitely a market for IMATS in Toronto thanks to our growing makeup artist and beauty blogging community! 

Thank you to the creators of IMATS for an amazing event! I'm already looking forward to next year's!  I had a great time shopping, seeing old friends and making some new ones. Oh, and if I can make one request on a must-have keynote speaker for next year, it would be the talented celebrity artist, Andrea Claire!

Some fab ladies I ran into and some I missed - be sure to check out their recap of IMATS!

Rasilla from In a Nutshell

My apologies if I missed anyone! What was your favourite or not-so-favourite part of IMATS? What must-have products did you stock up on?

This is one makeup event I look forward to all year! It's hard to believe that one year has gone by already. In case you aren't hanging with the cool kids, makeup's biggest event is almost here! The International Makeup Show (IMATS) will be coming to Toronto on November 6 and 7. It's a must-attend event for industry professionals but definitely welcomes anyone who LOVES makeup!

Besides the copious amounts of makeup and makeup accessories that will be available, I love going and meeting up with my fellow beauty lovers. Be on the lookout for a group of us Toronto Beauty Bloggers (TBB) perusing the booths and shopping (check the TBB blog to see when meet-up times and locations are)! You will also have access to many top industry experts that you can meet and chat with as well as seminars and workshops. 

I had a Twitter convo with makeup artist, Naomi from StylEyes, about how I decide what products to stock in my kit. I usually buy products only when I'm low or if it's something I don't have and absolutely need/want. I definitely depend on makeup artist reviews before making a purchase. With an event like IMATS, there is a temptation to go a little crazy so my advice is to make a list and stick with it. And if you're shopping with a group of friends like I will be, try not to get swayed into buying products you don't need. Here is what I'll be stocking up on:

Face atelier Ultra Foundation Pro ($32 CAD): This is the one foundation line I use on my clients 98% of the time. I always have brides coming back and asking me what foundation I used on their wedding day. What my clients love? Flawless, luminous coverage without the heavy feel. Click here to see my reviews of Face atelier Cosmetics.  

Embroylisse 24 Hour Miracle Cream ($25 USD): You'll see this dream cream in most makeup artist's kits. Love this stuff and so do my clients! I need an extra one to use on myself! I've been using this lately now that the weather is getting drier. Click here to see my reviews of Embroylisse.

CoverFX Conceal FX ($27 CAD): I only have one shade but want to collect the rest for my kit! Gives full coverage, HD ready, and covers all your imperfections. Plus, it's water-resistant and fits easily into any kit or makeup bag. Click here to see my review of CoverFX Conceal FX.

Kett Sett Powder ($22 USD): What setting powder to use was also a topic that came up on Twitter. Kett Sett Powder has been on my wish list for so long and yet it has never landed in my kit. I've been using my trusted M.A.C. Blot Powders over the years but one of my shades was swiped over the summer during a wedding gig. Accident of course! Good excuse to pick this one up.

Also on the list are disposable mascara wands and maybe one or two brushes (my brush collection is pretty stocked though). Have you tried any of these products? What will you be picking up at IMATS? 

I look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones! Stay tuned for my highlights of this year's IMATS! To read past highlights of Toronto IMATS click here.

For more information on location, dates, tickets and keynote speakers visit www.imatsshow.com/toronto/toronto_index.php.

One of the great things of being a part of a makeup artist community and attending events for makeup artists is meeting and learning about other brands. I had learned of yaby cosmetics a few years ago from other makeup artists in the industry. When I realized that Toronto makeup artist, Liz Yu, was the genius behind the brand I knew I just had to meet her.

Well, it took us almost 3 years to officially meet in person! I had the awesome pleasure of finally meeting Liz at Toronto IMATS this year. With all the success she's had with yaby cosmetics and as an artist, her sweet and absolutely down-to-earth personality was refreshing!

The concept behind yaby and the reason the line is so popular are for the customizable and compact palettes. Liz was searching for solutions to condensing her growing kit and decided if you can't find it make it yourself! These handy palettes not only save on space, but the planet as well. Every shade comes in a refillable pan!

A swatching frenzy began when I visited the yaby booth at IMATS. The range of colours were just beautiful and highly pigmented. The top swatches are of a bronzer and some blushes. I fell in love with the bronzer - the colour was so rich and deep. My other faves were the pearl paint shadows (swatch below)! The texture felt like a cream but had a powder finish. The shadows are also saturated with colour so what you see is what you get - very important when working with photography or video.

The palettes come in a range so you can customize to your needs. One palette can hold up to 40 eye shadows - a makeup artist's dream! Sigh...if I ever get back into makeup full-time I will definitely be snatching up a few palettes!

yaby, created for the makeup artist but is perfect for makeup junkies who have a love for makeup and are tired of overflowing makeup bags! Thank you to Liz for stopping to chat with Makeup Junkie!

For more information on the products and pricing, visit www.yabycosmetics.com.

Have you tried yaby cosmetics? Makeup Junkie wants to know!

For more coverage on IMATS, click here.

Yes, IMATS (International Makeup Artists Trade Show) has come and gone in Toronto and my post is over a week late. Better late than never?

I miss doing makeup. I miss the smiles and the happiness my beautiful clients would exude after I was finished their makeup. Life has a funny way of working, but I believe everything happens for a reason.

IMATS was an event I definitely could not miss. Being amongst makeup artists and some of my favourite beauty brands was exactly what I needed. As soon as I entered the building, I was hit with a buzz of creativity, excitement, and community. It was like I was seeing an old friend again. We picked up exactly where we left off.

One of my main reasons for going to IMATS was to meet celebrity makeup artist, Hung Vanngo, who I've admired for many years. We sent each other random emails here and there, but had never officially met. He was exactly how I thought he would be; super sweet, gracious, and utterly adorable!

To top off the night, celebrity makeup artist, Jackie Shawn, was sitting right beside Hung! I totally scored. Seriously, I get more excited meeting makeup artists than I do Hollywood celebrities! Jackie was so down-to-earth, super bubbly, and had amazing skin!

I'm a year late, but I've finally joined the Twi-hards as lame as that sounds. It was just a few weeks ago that I decided to see what all the fuss was about - Robert Pattinson. I'm not normally into extremely pale, blood-sucking men, but his mysteriously enticing character, Edward Cullen, made me want to give up my soul if only for just a moment.

Meeting Norma Hill-Patton, makeup department head for New Moon, for some reason made me a nervous, blubbering fool! Maybe it had something to do with her touching the face of a certain dreamy pale face. Yes, she would be the closest I would ever get to touching Robert Pattinson. Thankfully, she politely looked past my stuttering and blabbering and smiled for the photo anyways.

There were mixed reviews of IMATS with some feeling more underwhelmed than anything else. Many expressed that IMATS seemed smaller compared to last year's Canadian Makeup Show and not enough vendors were present. Despite these details, I felt renewed and energized again. As much as I love makeup, this year's IMATS was more about reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones.