Easy Neutral Look

Originally I’d planned a smokey blue look for today to match a navy blazer I was wearing.  But for some reason, my brushes gravitated towards my brown shades, so I went with it.  it amazes me how my eyebrows look fine in person, but once I snap picture, I see how badly in need of some TLC they are.

Primer – Urban Decay Primer Potion
Base – Kat von D eyeshadow base in Skin
Inner Corner – MAC Cuddle shadestick
Lid – MAC Modest Tone eyeshadow
Outer Lid/Crease – MAC Handwritten eyeshadow
Crease – MAC Mulled Cider eyeshadow
Outer Corner (lightly) – Inglot Pearl 434 eyeshadow
Upper Lash Line – Stila Stay All Day liquid liner in Brown
Waterline – Korres Petrol Blue liner

Sparkly purple look

I'm generally a fan of purple looks.  It's an easy way to wear color without going over the top but can be easily punched up (hello, MUFE #92) for added effect.

This look was the result of wanting to try out my new Mehron palette but not wanting to wear anything too outrageous (like that gorgeous teal!) since I have to keep my makeup toned down at work for the next few days.  I also got to try out one of the detail brushes I bought at IMATS for my upper lash liner.  I liked the thin line it gave me, but found it a little too flimsy to actually achieve a thicker wing.  I'll keep trying though.

Please allow me to apologize in advance for my scary brows.

 

 

Primary base – NARS Smudgeproof eyeshadow base
Secondary base – Mehron pastel palette light purple paint (mixed with water to activate)
Inner Corner – MAC Pure White pigment
Middle of the lid – MAC Viz-A-Violet pigment
Outer corner and crease – MAC Stacked!1 dark purple metal pigment
Crease (layered over Stacked!1) – MAC Later pigment
Highlight – MAC Vanilla pigment
Upper lashline – MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Lower lashline – Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Lust

NYC IMATS 2011

I had the distinct pleasure of attending the inaugural IMATS in New York City.  After hearing tales of fun and fancy from IMATS LA, I could barely contain my excitement - visions of amazing product selection and infinite discounts had me giddier than a kid on Christmas morning.  And while I'm certainly glad I made it to the first day, I was unfortunately disappointed by the small scale and lack of brands on display.  Crown Brushes pulled out at the last minute and brands like MAC and MUFE chose not to attend.  However, this did give me a chance to check out brands I don't normally give a lot of attention to.

My first stop was the Royal & Langenickel booth.  I'd never heard of this brush brand before but they were giving out shopping bags to everyone waiting on line to get a wristband and, since they were the first booth I came across, I decided to browse.  Thirty minutes and a full basket later, I had a handful of useful brushes, some new to me, others duplicates of others I already own but can't seem to get enough of.

 

$7 kabuki brushes?  Yes, please

 

I was sorry to have to skip the Inglot booth.  I really like their brand and the discount at the show was 30% (compared to 20% for the pro discount).  But I couldn't bare the thought of waiting on the line!

That didn't stop me from snapping a few pictures though ...



Hello wall of nailpolish!



Freedom palettes as far as the eye can see!



Another booth I only stopped at long enough to snap pictures was OCC's.  While they have amazing products, I'm not much interested in their pigments and I already own a dozen lip tars.  Getting near the table was a nightmare!

   

I spent a lot of time at the Mehron booth.  They were a brand I'd always been interested in but, with limited access, it was difficult to decide on what to buy.  One of their artists was also doing an amazing transformation on a patient model so I found myself wandering back there time and again to check in on the progress being made.



Look at those metallics!



I walked up just as she was getting her nose applied.

 



 And finally, my modest haul.  Brushes, one Mehron palette and lipstick and a few Stila items.

The indigo liner was given to me by mistake - I really intended to
buy the green glitter liner.  I didn't realize the sales rep sold me the
wrong item until after I got home!

 

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That red brush is the biggest kabuki brush I've ever seen!




 

Overall, I'm glad I went.  Sure, it wasn't quite the experience I'd been hoping for, but at least it was a new experience.  Hopefully next year, now that it's been an established success in NY (first time ever the show sold out - ANYWHERE!) there will be more vendors, a better space, and some good deals next year!