For those of you going to IMATS LA next month, first of all you must visit me and say hi at the Purely Cosmetics booth! Then of course you must shop your brains out. Because that is what we do at IMATS. ;)

The coolest part about trade shows like IMATS is getting to discover lines you normally do not have the opportunity to see in person. Here are some of the exhibitors I’ll be making a bee line for…

Cinema Secrets – CS is known for amazing face products (primers and foundations especially), but I’m interested in trying out their brush cleaner. I have heard it cleanses as well as Parian Spirit but smells way better for those of you who aren’t fond of the orange scent. Apparently this one smells like vanilla, so you know it’s on my must try list.


Crown Brush – If you have heard of Crown Brush, you know why I say this. Crown Brush is the source for great inexpensive brushes. Any kind of brush you can think of, Crown Brush has it. The prices are SO affordable, too. They have experts on hand to help you choose brushes too. The only downside is because so many people know about the awesomeness of Crown Brush that their table is usually a mad house! :)

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics aka OCC Makeup – I kind of got off on the wrong foot with OCC and I want to give them another shot. They have come up with a lot of new shades of their signature lip tars and a lot of them look much more wearable than the first shades they introduced, so I want to try those out. There’s also one of their loose pigments that is calling out to me, and I have yet to really take a look at the nail polishes.

Embryolisse – This cult product has a huge following due to a lot of high praise from various YouTube gurus (including the Pixiwoo girls who I LOVE!). I kinda gave it a look-over at The Makeup Show when it came to LA, but at the time I didn’t have much money to spend and wasn’t looking for any new skincare products. However, I’m still searching for my miracle for my feet/heels that are perpetually terribly dry no matter what I do, so perhaps I’ll give Embryolisse a try if they have something to recommend. However, Embryolisse products are quite expensive, so unless I find something earth-shattering or at a great price (many exhibitors offer show specials), I won’t purchase.

FACE Atelier – I have raved about FACE Atelier many times on this blog and I am delighted to visit the brand again at IMATS! They’re a Canada-based brand and although they do have an online store and a pro discount program, the shipping is expensive so I want to try things in person and buy in person whenever possible. If you are a working makeup artist you need to check out their foundation line. It is one of the smartest, most useful brands I’ve ever seen because of their Plus/Minus products:

Zero Minus – Pure white foundation to be mixed with foundations that need to be lightened.
Zero Plus – Dark brown foundation to be mixed with foundations that need to be darkened.
Zero Plus Plus (NEW!) – A deeper, darker foundation to be mixed with foundations that need extra darkening.
Heat (NEW!) – A warm rust foundation color to mix with foundations that need warming up. Also works on its own as a blush!

FACE Atelier has also recently added 3 new darker shades to the foundation line, giving them one of the biggest shade ranges around whether you are pale or dark.

I am also really looking forward to swatching and trying out more of their eye products. Their eye shadows are really gorgeous quality and the pans are the same size as MAC, so they will fit in my palettes. However, FACE Atelier also has some really snazzy clear 12-pan palettes that I love (I have 3 of them).