IMATS London 2012 Pro Evening

As a professional makeup artist I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the pro evening at IMATS on Friday.

I'd never been to IMATS before so I was exceptionally excited to have been invited to attend, not only for free but also a day before the exhibition opened to the general public meaning the crowds were at a bare minimum. Having worked at exhibitions before I'm very aware of just how busy they can be and I've heard IMATS weekend can be even busier!

The event ran from 2pm to 7pm and I arrived at around 3pm and stayed for about an hour which gave me more than enough time to browse all of the exhibitors and pick up the pieces I wanted. The event itself was quite quiet when I was there, there were a few talks held but I missed most of them - I had plans for Friday evening so I couldn't stay until the end and I was worried the snow would arrive and I'd be stuck at Ally Pally!

Here's a look at what I bought...

Essentials

L-to-R: Bioderma Crealine H2O, Real Techniques Core Collection, Real Techniques Stippling Brush, Embryolisse.

Bioderma Crealine H2O - I picked this up from the Guru Makeup Emporium stand and I've used it every day since. It is absolutely brilliant and so far it's the only thing I've found that completely removes Benefit They're Real! mascara.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre - I've been meaning to pick some of this up for ages but I couldn't find anywhere that stocked in so when I saw it on the Embryolisse stand I pounced! I've used it a few times since Friday and it's a beautiful moisturiser. 

Real Techniques Core Collection (contains - contour brush, angled foundation brush, detailer brush, buffing brush) - apologies for the dirty buffing brush; I used it this morning and have used it since Friday and I really like it. I love how it creates a truly flawless base. I've yet to wash it so I don't know how it washes and I haven't used the other brushes yet so I can't comment on them either.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - I've yet to try this but it feels beautiful! The bristles are really dense and stable.

Illamasqua Kabuki - I've had my eye on this for so long yet even with my pro discount I've felt unable to justify the price so when I saw it was only £10 at IMATS I practically sprinted to the till!

Eve Pearl Black Eyelash Adhesive - I'm yet to try this but I've wanted a black eyelash glue for a while and as this was £4, I couldn't resist.

Makeup

NYX Lip Liners (L-toR; top to bottom) - Fuschia, Pale Pink, Plush Red, Rose.

Lovely lip liners and beautifully pigmented, I wore Plush Red on Friday night along with another product I bought at IMATS at it lasted all night despite drinking/eating. 

NYX Jumbo Pencil - Milk

NYX - Condealer in a Jar (Green)

NYX - Glitter in Disco Ball

NYX - Salon Formula Nail Polish in 215 Multi Glitter

OCC Lip Tar (L-to-R) - Pagent, Harlot, Memento.

These little beauties pack a serious punch, they're super pigmented and you only need the tiniest amount of product. I wore Harlot out on Friday night over the NYX pencil and it did not budge. Amaze!

Did you attend IMATS this year? What did you think/buy?

Vicky xoxo

Sleek Pout Paints: Swatches and Review

 Shades (Clockwise from top): Cloud 9; Pinkini; Milkshake; Peek-a-Bloo; Rosette; Minx.

Applied with: Crown Lip Brush

Price: £4.99 each.

I've seen a lot about the new Sleek Pout Paints lately and whilst having a mooch in Superdrug at the weekend I saw they were currently on a 3 for 2 offer, with this in mind I snapped up four shades plus the two 'mixing' colours.

There are 11 shades to chose from, including Cloud 9 which is a white paint used to lighten colours and Peek-a-Bloo which is a blue paint used to add depth and warmth to shades. In a way only I can, I went from the four most similar shades!

The paints have a precise little nozzle and as with all products of this nature, you only need the tiniest amount.

Believe it or not, the top picture was taken in exactly the same light as the others... strange camera.

The first thing I will say about the Pout Paints is they can be bloody awkward to apply! I'd like to think I have a pretty good technique when it comes to making up my lips but you'd never see it in the above pictures! The packaging says to apply the product directly to your lip brush but as always, I opted for the back of my hand; I can only imagine the mess I'd have made had I applied it as directed!

The pigmentation is a little hit and miss; whilst Rosette, Pinkini, Minx and Peek-a-Bloo were all very opaque, I found Milkshake to be watery and streaky. Whilst the other shades certainly have a good deal of 'slip' to them and apply easily, Milkshake just would not stay in place nor enable me to build an opaque colour and I noticed Cloud 9 is of a similarly watery consistency and also streaks. Has anyone else had this issue or did I buy a dud? 

I've tried these out a few times now and they've got pretty good staying power and they smell divine. They don't feel drying on the lips however it takes a good 10-15 minutes before I feel secure that the product has 'set' and won't slip all over the place. 

For anyone wanting to mix a unique lip shade for a night out or a photo shoot or whatever, the Sleek Pout Paints are a great bargain buy; the range of shades on its own is excellent and there is no limit to the colours you can create -- I would suggest you keep colour theory in mind however as I got a bit mix happy and came up with about 10 shades of purple due to my over enthusiasm with Peek-a-Bloo!

Positives

• Range of shades
• Good staying power
• They smell divine
• They're fun!

Negatives

• There doesn't seem to be any consistency with the erm, consistency of the products Ive tried
• They're awkward to apply - not great if you're in a rush
• You can buy a lipstick for the same price and save on the fuss 

Overall I think they're a fun product and they're good for what they are however I doubt many people will want to fuss about mixing shades or painstakingly applying this with a brush for a night out when you can buy a lipstick for the same price and know that you're good to go all night.

If you've tried the Sleek Pout Paints, let me know what you think :)

Vicky xoxo