What’s up, Beautiful Blossoms? I hope you’re all alive and reasonably well in spite of all the craziness that’s happening all over the planet. But I’m not gonna make this into a political rant (because there’s just an oversaturation oozing from pretty much every major media outlet in existence) because even I’m tired of it. And I’ve always been keen on keeping BBA strictly about makeup (and the occasional skincare that works across the board regardless of skin type).

Thankfully, I was able to come home with some energy to spare from work to write about my excitement for this year’s IMATS. Februrary already starts tomorrow and the event itself is held in April and I had a reasonably good time last year when I went for the first time ever. The only reason I found out about IMATS was because I was desperate to find a convention for makeup. We have Comic-Con, Winter-Con, Pax East (okay, not held in NYC but still), SXSW (South by Southwest), DragCon (West Coast only), but none that really caters to a makeup enthusiast.

Sure, I could have bought a plane ticket for DragCon since there are, no doubt, makeup brands that will be setting up shop there. But the thing about conventions that nobody ever points out is the fact that they are very expensive. A plane ticket alone would cost me more than one of my paychecks and that doesn’t even include food, hotel, and transportation.

Not to mention the fact that my boss would probably fire me because it inconveniences him (but that’s for another time and another entry).

And yeah, GenBeauty gets hosted in NYC. But I don’t like it for the facts that they charge at least $100 for one day and hoards of tweens will be meeting their favorite beauty YouTuber and flood the event site from all gates available. And I hate crowds.

IMATS only charges $65 per day for general admission attendees. And the venue is big enough that I never feel like I’m going to be squished. I saw some interesting brands pop up last year, but this year has me excited because a few of my favorite beauty brands are coming back (BH cosmetics, Ardell, ABH, Royal & Langnickel come to mind). The game changer this year though?

KAT. VON. D. Like holy shit, for the first time ever, Kat Von D is actually going to set up shop outside IMATS LA. As far as I know, she’s never sponsored all other IMATS events outside LA, so I’m excited to see what’s gonna be showcased. My main objective is to buy makeup brushes (they tend to be on good deals during events) and I know Royal & Langnickel is going to come up with something (I did buy one of their brush sets. The durability left me wanting much but the MODA line turned out to be well worth the upgrade from e.l.f brushes).

I might also invest in some indie brands because I’ve never tried indie products but I hope to swatch from those who are setting up shop.

Are you going to IMATS this year? It doesn’t have to be strictly NYC – there are other IMATS events being hosted in other cities and countries, so be sure to check if they’re being held close to you! If you did go to IMATS, did anything go uphill? Downhill? Or never been to one?