IMATS LONDON

[nanaify]

Hi guys! I have been wanting to go to the Imats show for the past few years but never got the time to do it. I checked and this year it is being held in June instead of February. Is anyone going? I was planning to buy the tickets and wanted to know about your experience. Thank God it's in june though! I have enough time to save up money for the things I want to buy. And oh, have any of you met any youtubers there and what was your experience with them. Are they as nice as the look. Do they bite ?

[Forever Eccentric]

I have never attended London IMATS but, I have some tips.
* buy your ticket early, the show always sells out.
* look at vendors that are going to be there and make a shopping list.
* Set a budget and do start saving earlier. ($100 isn't going to get you much.)

[BellaJane]

I have never attended London IMATS but, I have some tips.
* buy your ticket early, the show always sells out.
* look at vendors that are going to be there and make a shopping list.
* Set a budget and do start saving earlier. ($100 isn't going to get you much.)

Yes definitely ABSOLUTELY buy your ticket early. And keep in mind that they get very, very, very busy nowadays. I've seen some vlogs on YouTube and those halls get insane. It was never like that when I was there. I imagine the London IMATS will be even busier, too, since it is the only IMATS in Europe. You might want to invest in the two day pass instead of choosing either Saturday or Sunday. It's a little pricier, but at least you know if you spent 6 hours standing in line at NARS it's okay because you can still go back the next day.

Money is iffy. Some people go with a thousand bucks and blow it all Day 1. I took about $500 the first time I went, bought everything I could have ever wanted and still came home with almost half. I believe only very few vendors don't offer discounts nowadays, so you'll be saving a good bit of money on whatever you purchase. But tailor your savings to the type of booths you want to hit. $100 will get you a lot more at NYX or OCC than it will at Hakuhodo.

And don't just go to buy makeup and see gurus, either. I highly recommend checkout out some of the speakers or some of the demos/classes? They're fascinating. You'll learn a ton, you get to ask questions and interact with makeup artists and see new and different techniques and products. I think I liked those more than the shopping!

HAVE FUN!!!

[NextSupreme]

My personal foolproof plan:
-Buy your ticket right now, as we speak!
-Avoid brands which you can easily purchase in London/the UK such as MAC, Nars, etc - the queues are always ridiculous. I'm going to hit up the American brands first because shipping online is always so expensive, then I'm going to check out international/lesser known brands.
-Make a detailed list of what you want to buy - look at swatches beforehand, know the price of everything (especially if it's in dollars), and make a separation between must have items and things you wouldn't mind missing out on.
- Select one or two speakers who really grab your attention, find out what time they're due on and grab a great seat early. I'm taking a notepad and pen just because I'm a bit of a nerd, and I suggest you get involved in the Q+A sessions, because how often are you going to get tailored advice from the industry insiders?!
-Come prepared! Us Londonders know summers in the city can be stuffy, I would suggest leaving the jacket at home (so you don't have to carry it round with you all day) and taking the bare minimum - camera/phone, purse, water. You may have 10+ shopping bags, which is less fun with a huge handbag on your arm.
-Forget the Youtuber's. This may sound harsh, but I actually think it's pretty inconsiderate for "beauty gurus" to arrange meet-ups at these kind of events. Their fans are only buying tickets to meet them, which means less tickets for the serious makeup artists/enthusiasts, and having huge groups of excited kids in the middle of a popular professional trade show isn't ideal.

[nanaify]

Thanks guys for all your advice. I am going to buy the tickets as we speak :)

[nanaify]

Anyone else going? HI if you are!!! We can form a GG group and take unflattering pictures of 'GOOROOS' (jk) .

[blendingbrush]

Is the make up cheaper at imats than it is in stores?

[nanaify]

Yes i think so, most brands offer some discounts.