I was very lucky to be in NYC at the same time as IMATS! So obviously I had to go and buy more makeup. Who could resist??For those who don't know, IMATS stands for International Makeup Artist Trade Show. It is where makeup artists can get their hands on products from major companies at a discounted price. The best part is that you don't have to be a professional to go. For any Aussies interested, IMATS will be coming to Sydney later this year in September. Check out the details here: http://www.imats.net/index.php
I had been to Sydney IMATS last year and was very excited to see what New York had to offer. Being the same convention, both Sydney and New York IMATS were very similar however New York was probably three times bigger.
I attended IMATS on the Sunday which was the second day the convention was open to the public. I had originally wanted to go on Saturday, however I left buying my ticket to late and had to buy a ticket for Sunday. IMATS is quite a popular event and I was quite worried about going on Sunday thinking that products would have been sold out. However much to my surprise (and good timing) all the products I had in mind were available. I ended up getting all the things I came to IMATS to get plus a little bit more. So I thought I would write a few handy hints on how to get the most out of your time at IMATS.
My first tip is on choosing the right time to attend IMATS. The thought of the crowds at IMATS are worse than the actual thing. From both my experiences, I would recommend going at these times;
- If you are going on Saturday I would head to the convention around mid to late afternoon. At the Sydney convention I went on Saturday and had got there around 10:30. There was a line outside but it moved pretty quickly. The doors opened at 8 and by the time I got there, there was already queues at popular stores such as MAC and Inglot. Later on in the day the queues died down, a lot! I actually wished I had done my shopping later without the pressure of all the people. And because the convention has another day of sales, I would presume that the companies will still have stock later on Saturday.
- If you are going on Sunday I would recommend going early! The doors usually open at 10 on Sunday and I would recommend getting there earlier. I got to New York IMATS at 9:45 and there was already a line outside. The line was long but after the doors opened it moved pretty fast and it was definitely worth the wait. I would estimate that there was about 400 people ahead of me in the line however because there was so many exhibitors inside the queues were very little or in some cases non-existent. The queues started to get worse about 11:30 and by the time I left, which was at 1, the queues were INSANE! Literally out the door! So go early get your shopping done or else you will be stuck in queues for a long time.
My next tip is to plan ahead! Go to places you know you want to buy stuff from then you can relax and browse other stalls. I knew New York was going to be busy so I had three stores that I really wanted to buy things from. Those stores were NYX, Makeup Forever and Ardell Lashes. As soon as I got inside I went to these stalls first and got everything I wanted in probably 30 minutes. It was surprisingly easy, which I think was a little bit of luck and good timing. But you seriously can relax and enjoy the rest of your day stress free knowing you have got everything you wanted. To check out what I bought, head over to my YouTube channel and check out my IMATS haul. http://youtu.be/Q7rZNpYVSJk
My next tip would be to bring water and a snack. Don't worry about the weight of your handbag because as soon as you get inside you can pick up a big bag for all your shopping which is also great for food and water bottles so you can quickly refuel. There is however a cafe inside and you can leave and re enter the event if you want to grab food.
The next tip is just to have both cash and card on you. It didn't happen to me but I have heard that some places only take card and others only cash.
Finally just enjoy yourself! It really isn't as stressful as it can sound. If you get caught in a queue for something you really want, don't stress, just think of the great products and deals you are getting. :)
Thanks so much for reading!!
