IMATS Haul and First Impressions

This year was my first IMATS experience, I went with my best friend to IMATS London in May and it was such an amazing experience.  Of course, it was the perfect opportunity for some makeup shopping, but there were also lots of really interesting makeup and beauty masterclasses and the special effects makeup was incredibly realistic - brains falling out was sickeningly so! Many of the stands had really good discounts on offer which was rather enabling! Urban Decay was the only stand I saw not offering a discount, but most were 15-20% off. IMATS was the perfect opportunity to try out new things I'd had my eye on for a while so I've been testing everything out since the event, and I'm really pleased with all my purchases!

This is a beautiful blush that's perfect for summer, it really brightens the complexion and lasts well on the skin. There were only pans available at IMATS which wasn't really a problem, although I wish the pan looked perfect! 


This is another more summery shade that's verging on being outside my comfort zone. Applied fully the colour is on the brighter side which is again really summery. The lipstick can also be patted onto the lips which gives more of a hint of colour which I really like on a more daily basis. 


I'm seriously late to be jumping on the bandwagon with this one, but it's just so beautiful. I've tended to steer clear of golden toned highlighters, favouring more pink toned ones for my pale skin, but this has converted me and now I basically only use golden highlighters. This adds a beautiful glow to the skin without looking too dark on pale skin. It's also not chunky at all. 

Again seriously late to the party on, but I finally really get the hype. I've previously used primers which are good, but this is seriously good. The colours of my eyeshadows really stand out, and no creasing whatsoever, even after a mega long day. 


This is my perfect blush shade, nothing too bright just a simple natural looking blush. It's very pigmented, but a small amount is my perfect flushed blush which I find most flattering on my skin. It's also matte so there's no need to shy away from the highlighter. 


Most things I got from IMATS were planned purchases, but this was next to the blushers so thought I'd give it a swatch and was really impressed. It's a lovely matte bronzer, which for me works well for a soft contour. I don't like really harsh contours and so find a bronzing powder is perfect, and whilst this is called golden light, it's the lightest shade and somewhere in the middle of warm and cool toned. 


Another one I've wanted to try for a while but haven't wanted to order online in case of getting the shade wrong - and a good job too because I was well out!! So far I really like this, I find it best to press the foundation into the skin and then go over with a beauty blender for the most seamless coverage. As the name suggests, it's an incredibly lightweight formula with buildable coverage. I was a little worried that the luminous nature may mean looking shiny, but it's really a healthy looking glow to the skin. I do powder my t-zone, but I would with any foundation, and I do repowder during the day but again I would with any foundation. The colour match is perfect for me, it lasts well and my skin looks luminous without looking at all greasy - overall I'm really impressed.

Top - Bottom: Soft and Gentle, Tawny, Golden Light, Fleeting Romance, Fanfare


I've read several things online about various different colour switch tools so picked this one up whilst I was there. It's so useful for someone who doesn't have many eyeshadow brushes, and means I can use my favourites multiple times for the same look. I've already used it so many times, I underestimated its usefulness!

Z-Palette Medium

I've wanted to get my hands on a z-palette for quite a while. They're perfect for creating custom palettes and I really want to try some single pan eye shadows too. I think only being able to get to MAC blusher in a pan pushed me to buying it and I'm looking forward to filling it. 


I'm really impressed by all these brushes, they've quickly made it into my daily collection. They're all really soft, clean well and don't shed at all. The crease brush is exactly what I've been looking for from a crease brush, not too big but not too small and pointed so it really worked the shadow into the eye crease. Like I've previously mentioned, I'm not too big on full on contouring and so I wasn't too sure what to expect from a contour brush this shape, but it's made my soft contour much easier to apply as it really fits into the face nicely. I've not used a fan brush before, but not I can't really see what else I'd use to apply highlight. It picks up the perfect amount of product, and applies it where I want it rather than halfway down my cheek. 

I'm really pleased with all my purchases and definitely considering going back to IMATS next year. Of course the shopping is fun, but it was also really interesting to see makeup artists talking about what they do best and to see some amazing makeup skills. 




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