Pick-Ups & Deliveries: November 2014 — IMATS + One of a Kind Show

Okay, last and final haul post from November. (Errr, yes, I realize it's a week into December now. November was an intense shopping month.) I went to IMATS a couple weeks ago with my friend (and fellow make-up artist) Vivian. I didn't really have a set list of things to buy there, nor any particular brand that I was really intrigued on checking out which, I'm sure you'll all agree, is when it's the most dangerous to go. And as expected, I ended up spending way more than I expected to.
Make Up For Ever Large Palette + Artist Shadow Refills(Top: ME-700 Amber, D-750 Frosted Peach, I-730 Pumpkin, ME-740 Magma, and M-820 Dark Purple PinkBottom: ME-912 Orchid, I-922 Electric Purple, ME-930 Black Purple, D-308 Aquatic Khaki, and ME-230 Peacock Blue)
Now, I've never been huge on Make Up For Ever, nor have I ever previously bought anything from them (and I usually bypass their booth during IMATS, come to think of it). But when their Artist Shadows were launched earlier this year and all the rave reviews started rolling in, I knew I had to check them out at some point. And when I finally swatched them at Sephora, I was immediately smitten. Which is extremely dangerous, since there are over 100 shades and they retail for $24 each. Weirdly enough, I didn't end up getting any of them during Sephora's VIB Sale, but I'm glad I didn't, because they were offering an exceptional deal on them during IMATS: 18 Artist Shadows and one XL Palette for $228. So, basically, they were 50% off. Since Vivian and I went on the Sunday in the afternoon, they had run out of the XL Palette (which holds 18 shadows) and were offering two L Palettes in place of it, so Viv and I decided to split the deal and each get one large palette and nine shadows. Since the L Palettes hold ten shadows and it annoys us greatly to have just one empty space in a palette, we each got a tenth shadow at the regular show price (which is $16).
Sleek Makeup Blush by 3 Blush Palette in Pumpkin and Blush in Life's a Peach and Flamingo
I hadn't been planning on buying that much make-up at the show since I had bought more than enough during the VIB Sale, but when I saw these Sleek Makeup blushes there, I couldn't resist. I've been wanting to try Sleek for a while now, but it's not easily accessible here in Canada (Sleek is a UK-based "high street" brand) — like NYX, it's a brand that has always held interest in my mind, but I continually get distracted by other lines. Unlike NYX, however, I'd only be able to get their products online, and I wasn't sure if I liked them enough to put in a big order to get free shipping. I'm not sure which booth I went to that sold these (it was one of those vendors that sold a variety of obscure brands), but I picked up a Blush by 3 Palette (which is what made them really popular) in Pumpkin for $19, plus two more single blushes in Life's a Peach and Flamingo for $10 each. So, actually, it was more expensive at the show than ordering them online, but at least I didn't have to pay for tax or shipping...
Hakuhodo Brushes (from top): J5529 Eyeshadow Brush Tapered, B J142 Eyeshadow Brush Round, J5522 Eyeshadow Brush Tapered, and J511 Highlighter Brush Angled
Sigma Brushes (from top): F35 Tapered Highlighter, P84 Precision Angled, F80 Flat Kabuki, F82 Round Kabuki, and F84 Angled Kabuki
I usually stock up on brushes when I'm at IMATS because they carry brands that aren't found here or there's insanely good deals on them. Of course, I had to stop by the Hakuhodo booth, which never has sales or promotions at IMATS, but it's also the only time you can get Hakuhodo here. They are more expensive than most other brush brands or brands that sell make-up brushes, but they also make some of the best make-up brushes I have ever used so I always carve out part of my IMATS budget for Hakuhodo. I picked up four brushes — three for eyeshadow, one for highlighting. I've been using them for a couple weeks now, and let me tell you, blending is positively dreamy with these, as if they were made from cashmere unicorns and angel wings. I am going to buy at least two more of each at next year's IMATS. Finally, I picked up five Sigma brushes. I was actually going to put in a huge order online, but decided to wait until IMATS to see if there would be some there. Sigma didn't have a booth there, but there were a few vendors that were carrying Sigma brushes, and I found one that was selling them at 40% off (and tax-free if you paid with cash!). So I'm overall extremely pleased with my purchases at IMATS.
Froosh Dead Sea Salt Body Polish in Key Lime, and Body Butter in Green Tea & Cucumber and Coconut Lime
Whipped Cosmetics Cherry Soda Sugar Scrub, and Au Naturel and Lime Margarita (sample) Soaps
I finally went to my first One of a Kind Show last Sunday with my friend Cynthia. I'd been wanting to check it out for a while, and honestly, I can't believe I'd never been. There is so much to see there (over 800 artisans, in fact) from food to cosmetics to ceramics to clothing — all Canadian, all handcrafted. Obviously, I had to pick up some fun body products because I am a cosmetics junkie. Seriously, every single skincare/bodycarebooth I went to, I was like, "I want all the things!" I ended up narrowing it down to Froosh, where I picked up a jar of Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub in Key Lime (that smells exactly like key lime pie, so fucking good) and two jars of Body Butter in Green Tea & Cucumber and Coconut Lime, and Whipped, where I had a lovely chat with Angela Filbert (the founder of Whipped) and ended up with a tub of Cherry Soda Sugar Scrub (I'm not a huge fan of cherry scents, but this smells uncannily like the taste of a cherry Icee, which is ridiculously awesome) and a bar of Au Naturel Soap. I had originally wanted to get the Lime Margarita Soap, but she convinced me to get the Au Naturel one (made with ground oats and honey) because of my hand eczema (she has the same thing, and was like, "I know it's not as fun, but it's so much better for your hands"), and then gave me a thin slice of the Lime Margarita, anyway, because she knew how much I wanted it.
Demo Soap Macaron Gift Box
Demo Soap Handmade Glycerin Macaron Soaps in Avocado Mint, Pomegranate, Grapefruit, Raspberry, Lemon, and Green Apple
Demo Soap Handmade Glycerin Donut Soaps (clockwise from left): Lemon Raspberry, Lemon Lime Grapefruit, Mango Coconut, Green Tea Cherry Blossom, and Very Peachy
And then we went to Demo Soap, which has some of the cutest bar soaps I have ever seen. I saw a box of their Macaron Soaps on display, and was immediately like, "Mine!" I didn't even smell them yet, and didn't care. I could not leave without them. And when the girl working there said I got the last box, I felt an irrational surge of relief and accomplishment. It was kind of ridiculous, like, going crazy over soap. And like real macarons, they were pretty expensive at six for $20... but at least they'll last longer than the 30 seconds it takes for me to eat an actual one. While we were there, we both got some of their donut soaps (which they're known for) as well, at 5 for $20. Because how can you resist donuts, you know? I was tempted to get some of their Pineapple Upside Down Cake soap as well, but then reality hit and I was like, "What the hell am I going to do with this much soap?"
Grey Matter Handmade Chunky Herringbone Oversized Weave Fleece Scarf
Grey Matter Adjustable Length Fleece Fingerless Gloves & Arm Warmers
Moving on from cosmetic items, I also picked up a couple things from Grey Matter, who specializes in "handcrafted large weave adornments," which includes scarves/wraps/shawls/cowls, and now also wrist warmers (which are new), made out of Arctic fleece. I was intrigued because it's such a simple idea, but so ingenious. Basically, you "pull the scarf anywhere through its weave and create innumerable looks: cowls, shrugs, wraps, even infinity styles, an all-in-one scarf." Amy French, the founder and creator of Grey Matter, was there to teach me how to create a bunch of different styles with this scarf, and I was like, "Yep, I have to have one. It's genius." So I chose a scarf/shawl/cowl in two-tone grey (thought it'd be more fun than black, but will still go well with my mostly-black wardrobe) for $65, and also fingerless gloves/wrist warmers in black for $25. Those fingerless gloves are seriously a smoker's best friends in the winter. Depending on where you stick your thumb through in the weave, they can completely cover your fingers, or have your fingers sticking out to say, smoke or use your iPhone. And you won't lose them, either, because you can just pull them back to become wrist warmers if you need to use your hands. Been wearing both of these since I got them, and they are so warm and so indispensable in my wardrobe now, that I wonder how I lived without them before. Seriously, genius.
Tealish Dessert Collection Herbal Loose Leaf Tea in Toasty Almond and Lemon Meringue
And then we bought some tea. Kinda random, because I'm not really a tea person, let alone a loose leaf tea person. But we stopped by Tealish and they had samples (fucking samples, man, get me every time), and these two were so tasty that I couldn't leave them. They were having a promotion of 3 tins for $40 or 4 tins for $50 (one tin is usually $14), so Cynthia and I split two and two. The Toasty Almond has overtones of "rich, aromatic almond and decadent vanilla" and undertones of "sweet apple and a hint of cinnamon spice." This is the one that really got me interested, because it reminds me of one of my favourite desserts (the apple pie with toasted almonds and maple ice cream at JOEY), and is therefore amazing. The Lemon Meringue has overtones of "zesty lemon custard and luscious bourbon vanilla" with undertones of "naturally sweet rooibos and a dollop of whipped cream." I love lemony teas, but like that this one is a little more... mellow and creamy. And lemon meringue pie is my favourite pie of all time, so I had to. I guess their whole spiel on their Dessert Tea collection is that you can indulge calorie-free, but let's be real, I'd probably have these while eating dessert.
Did you go to IMATS or the One of a Kind Show this year? If so, what'd you pick up?