The shopping type - what I bought at IMATS London 2013

I am so pleased about making it to IMATS London this year - this was my first IMATS ever attended.  My sister (Forsk and Brushes) and I bought tickets back in late February this year so you can tell how eager we had been waiting for this day to come.

For those of you who were less familiar with IMATS, it stands for the International Makeup Artists Trade Show.  IMATS took place in 6 cities internationally this year which included London, Vancouver, Sydney, Toronto, Los Angeles and New York.

I had an amazing day and have met many of my favourite beauty bloggers there.  Please click here for whom I met!

I had been making my wish list at least 2 months ago and it was a mixture of makeup products and tools, namely brushes.  In the end, I didn't buy any makeup items at all because the queue to my targeted stores (NYX and Inglot) were just way too long.  However I am so excited about adding 7 brushes by 3 brands to my makeup brushes collection.

Here's an overview of what I bought.....

Meet my most wanted item on my wish list - not only is it the most wanted item, it was also the priciest of all -----

A Kokutan Blusher brush by Hakuhodo.  I have heard really nice things about Hakuhodo's brushes, as well as the very steep price tags to them.  I kept hypnotising myself two months prior to IMATS, whatever happens, I will have to buy at least one brush from Hakuhodo (condition, provided that I can afford it.....)

They are also a rarity because it is not available in the UK unless you order them online from their USA base.  It really was quite exciting arriving at Hakuhodo booth.  They don't sell the largest amount of brushes compare to some other brands but what they have for sale were absolutely amazing.

They really ARE the softest brushes I have come across.  I have already given it a wash and when the brush was wet, it actually looked like a Chinese Calligraphy pen which made me think this is probably why Hakuhodo can produce such amazing brushes - because the Japanese also practice calligraphy using special pen and they probably have made used of the technology onto developing these makeup brushes.

This traditional looking brush, with a wooden handle and have 'Hakuhodo' imprinted on it cost me £51.  Expensive, yes I know but I see this as my investment and hopefully will last me a lifetime.  The brush was also made from Blue Squirrel hair.  You won't know how soft it is until you feel it for yourself.  I am planning to use this as a blush brush and am really looking forward to using it for the first time!

After buying one brush from Hakuhodo, I left with a tiny budget to buy a few more brushes and luckily, there are some good quality but affordable by the masses type of brushes.

I went to Crown Brush.  I didn't know anything prior but my sister said they are also good so I bought three brushes, plus a flat brush holder from them.

The brush holder was a real bargain which cost me £20 and has 15 slots.  As each slot can actually hold more than one or perhaps two brushes, it is more than enough for me at this moment in time.

The three brushes I bought was an Angle blush brush, a blending brush (possibly a dupe for MAC 217) and a mini concealer brush.

They are no comparison to my Hakuhodo brush however they are good enough for everyday's use.  They were very affordable, too - I don't remember the individual price but the three brushes and the brush holder came to a total of £32 - extremely impressive!

The handles of brushes tend to be a boring black or dark brown, so when I saw the brand bdellium tools, I was drawn to the various colour handles that are available.  bdelilum tools specialise in eco-friendly synthetic bristles which are suitable for vegan.  Although I am not a vegan, I support eco-friendly items.

There are three colour ranges: green, yellow and pink and I bought from its Pink Bambu range for another three brushes - a #776 blending brush (£5), #781 crease brush (£5) and #925 duet fiber fan (£6).

They are a little bit softer than the Crown brushes.  I have never owned a fan brush before so for £6, I thought that's not bad to give it a try!

When it comes to applying foundation, I have always been a firm believer in using my fingers.  I still haven't mastered the skill in using foundation brush to buff my foundation on to a satisfactory finish.  Since I've been introduced to a beauty blender, I have been absolutely obsessed with using one.  Here's a review I did on beauty blender.

When  I said I was obsessed, it's no joke about it.  I have been using a beauty blender religiously every single day for a month now and I cannot imagine life without a beauty blender.  Before my current one is gone old and unwanted, I have been planning ahead and wanting to get her a sister.

I'm glad I found something a lot more affordable.  It is from Maquillage paris berlin professionnel.

Forgive my ignorant about paris-berlin professionnel but as soon as I saw the word paris, I knew they wouldn't be bad - the French know their beauty products.  This beauty blender only cost £5!  What a bargain.  I have to say though when I gave it a wash the other day, it definitely didn't feel as bouncy and soft as the original beauty blender, however as it was soaked in water, the texture changed and became almost as soft as the beauty blender I currently own.  I am also looking forward to trying this and compare the experience.

So.... did you go to IMATS in London this year?  Or you went to the IMATS in other cities before?  Let me know because I want to know what have you picked up!