Face of the day - IMATS 2015 Edition

Hey guys, I am back with another post from my adventures in Sydney for events, shopping and IMATS! I decide to devote this post to my makeup of the day / face of the day I wore for IMATS! these posts are still new for me and on my blog so let me know what you think? hope you enjoy and its not too rambley! ha 

All Products used for my makeup of the day : 

'The Body Shop- Insta Blur' - My base of choice lately has been this wonderful newish product from 'The Body Shop' "Insta Blur" is described by the brand as an "All in one" & "5 Action Perfecter"  and with that I would definitely have to agree! I find it lightly hydrates, evens out my skin texture and tone, helps to minimise pores, and provides a clean and clear base for even my heavy or full coverage makeup products I choose for the day! I chose to use my 'Too Faced - Born This Way' foundation - for the perfect coverage, finish and also the happy fact that this colour is the best colour match I have ever had! (Thanks Mecca Maxima staff!) I set this as always using my 'MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural' as I love beautiful finish and that it helps my makeup stay put for an entire day! 

conceal / highlight / under eye products

The little combination of products above have become my dream team of late helping me look & feel beautiful, fresh faced and awake! 'NYX - Dark Circle Concealer' - another firm fave product I have been depending on lately, I applied a generous amount of this quite heavy concealer under and around my eyes only in areas where a darker tone can be found most of the time on me, to further aid in concealing my unsightly dark circles I chose my 2 fave drugstore / affordable beauty brands concealers 'Maybelline Fit Me - Concealer' & 'Covergirl Ready, Set Gorgeous Concealer' - 

I have been using this combination of concealers under my eyes to conceal and highlight and to conceal any spots on my face for quite some time, choosing a darker shade in the 'Maybelline' brand specifically for concealing and a much lighter shade in the 'Covergirl' range to brighten. To set I have been relying on my 'Laura Mercier - Secret Brightening Powder' - I must say that since using my concealer and highlight combo above and now this amazing product I only very recently picked up my makeup has never looked better! I use this beautiful product to set under my eyes and even with my novice hand, still trying to figure out the perfect brush to use with this product - I am LOVING the effect! 

<3

I really wanted to tie in the colours from my outfit somehow in my makeup, without going too overboard and I was wearing ORANGE of all things so I chose to contour minimally to define my features with my beautiful 'Sephora Shimmer Bronzer' & 'Essence Blush Up' blush!  r I feel it worked out well and was a nice compliment to my outfit, without being too bold!

YES, I am wearing clothes! ha

For eyeshadow I decided to bring out the big guns! I have been LOVING finally using my 'Urban Decay - Naked 3 Palette' this being my first ever anywhere near high end eyeshadow palette purchase, I find the creamy, super pigmented quality formula to work a dream even for someone like me with little to no skill! I have been favouring an eye look featuring : 'strange' as an all over base shade 'limit' as my crease colour or transition shade, 'factory' in the outer v to help my eyes to standout more by forming a frame around my mobile lid where I place 'dust' all over, I find it really stands out with the lovely white base from the first shade in the palette and I love a little pop of glitter! I curled my lashes and applied a generous amount of my current fave mascara - 'Maybelline Lash Sensational' (#LustyLashFiles review to come!) I went minimal for my brows as they had only recently been reshaped and tinted perfectly so I set them in place with 'Maybelline' Brow Drama in Translucent I finished of course with my fave highlight at the minute 'MAC' Soft & Gentle' I didn't go to over board with this product as I normally might because I knew I would be walking around a lot and as I am an oily skin gal I didn't want to end up with too much shine all over my face.

A little lip combo I am loving at the moment

For the lips with quite a bold eye look, for me anyway, I chose 'MAC' Velvet Teddy  my current fave nude lip, I feel goes with everything but for the day I wanted a bit more gloss and moisture because its always a full on day of waiting in line, shopping, socialising and walking at any trade show! so i paired it with 'NYX' Butter Gloss in 'Tirimasu' 

Thanks so much for reading! I would ove to hear your thoughts on this post, the make look I wore and the products used in the comments below! 

LLx 

IMATS Sydney 2014

This weekend I was in Sydney for some work commitments and for IMATS! For those that don't know, IMATS is short for International Makeup Artists Trade Show. This is an extremely popular international event for makeup artists and enthusiasts alike and runs in New York, London, Sydney, Vancouver, Toronto and LA. Held over 2 days IMATS is usually held on the third weekend in September for Sydney and is an event open to the public so if you're interested in going next year you can get all the info and buy tickets from December 2014 on the Sydney portal of the website here. 

I primped, polished and painstakingly straightened my hair, made maximum effort with my makeup and hurried to get out of my hotel and into the city super early. Keen to see the bigger, better, new location for IMATS this year I was also a bit anxious about figuring out which bus to catch. As it turns out all my worrying was for nothing as the buses to Moore Park were so frequent! 

Selfie getting ready for a big day ahead!  My my ootd post : #LustyPlus

The Royal Hall Of Industries: This year IMATS was held at a brand new location, The Royal Hall Of Industries - a short bus or taxi trip from the city in the entertainment quarter of Moore Park. 

 

The Royal Hall Of Industries 

 

Beautiful

Welcome To IMATS Sydney!

When I first arrived I walked through the park surrounding the hall which was delightfully picturesque with ample seating and lots of shady spots to relax.

 Many people attending IMATS and other events in the area where relaxing, having coffee and catching up in big excited groups.

I tried to arrive as early as I could but as we all know it takes some time for a girl to get ready for these things, so when I finally got to IMATS the line was already hectic! This only added to my excitement however and I happily took my place at the back of the queue.

The layout of both The Royal Hall Of Industries and Moore Park were fantastically conducive to the trade show aspect of IMATS; the hall itself was definitely bigger then the old location and there seemed to be a lot more space on the show room floor and more exhibitors than last year. 

 

All the stalls were busy and everyone was excited making it a bit hard to get around but I think everyone was so happy to be there and the shopping endorphins were pumping so people were still friendly and polite despite the hustle and bustle!

MAC Pro: I, like many, many (many) people made a bee line for the MACPro stand as soon as I walked through the IMATS doors. As the line was HECTIC I decided to wait it out for a little while and check out some othe stands. This did not help however so upon my return I took my place in the line and spent much of the morning waiting to look at products while trying to decide what I wanted. After an excited wait I finally got to see the great display of products available and was able to purchase a little haul! lol Nothing was going to make me miss out on the chance to get discounted MAC Cosmetics!

Lime Crime!

Lime Crime: My next stop was the Lime Crime stall and can I just say I was thrilled to see that they had a much bigger stand at IMATS this year! The line wasn't too bad either so I was able to swatch some of their gorgeous lipsticks and eventually walked away smiling ear to ear, clutching a giant green Lime Crime bag, having picked up a new fantasy palette and some products from their gorgeous new nail polish range!!

Crown Brush Australia 

Crown Brush Australia and Royal & Langnickle: One of my fave things about trade shows such as IMATS is the chance to visit brand such as Crown Brush Australia and Royal & Langnickle in order to peruse their collection of brushes and buy them in person rather than online. Im sure any makeup enthusiast, professional or not, would have to agree that the tools we use to apply our makeup are extremely important! I loved having the opportunity to get hands on looking at their vast collection ad pick up some new brushes for my kit at a great price!

Inglot: I waited in line at Inglot for a little while, determined to make a blush palette using the brands freedom system. Though I already had in mind which shades I wanted to buy, after much consideration I decided to pass on purchasing the palette as the stand was just SO busy! Although disappointed not to have been able to snap up some Inglot goodies I reasoned with myself that, hopefully, Inglot would be at Pro Makeup & Beauty Show again next year and I could make sure to go home with ample goodies then! 

I had such a wonderful long weekend in Sydney and a fabulous day at IMATS! I was so happy to meet some of you throughout the day also and hope everyone had fun and bought some awesome new makeup and beauty products! 

What did you think of IMATS Sydney this year and the new location? 

What did you buy while at IMATS?

LLx

#LustyPlus - IMATS Sydney 2014 Day 1 Edition

Selfie - Getting ready for IMATS Day 1

OOTD : For me, and I'm sure many people will agree, when deciding on an outfit for an event such as IMATS centred mainly around shopping, networking and socialising its all about what makes you feel Confident and Comfortable. 

I was loving the lighting in the hotel bathroom!

With that in mind I chose my outfit for the day to play to my strengths and show off the parts of my body I love, as a tall woman and of course a proud plus size woman I am always going to stand out, So I take charge of that and enjoy being noticed. As long as I feel good I know my outfit is working!

OOTD : IMATS Sydney Day 1 

Top : City Chic - $69.95 - Size XL : I chose this top from a recent collection from one of my fave plus size brands City Chic  for this event because when I tried it on I loved how it complimented my fair skin and new lightened locks. Peplum is a no brainer for me, the flattering feminine lines it creates even on a bustier woman are exactly what I need to put a spring in my step and feel glamorous and sexy. I am in love with the ornate and revealing detail on the front just for that extra glam factor.

Skirt : Target - $35.00 - Size 22 : I love the quality that is available at Target even in the plus size and a comfortable black, knee length skirt is a staple in my wardrobe. I went for a plain black skirt that wasn't too fussy as to not draw attention away from this gorgeous top!

Shoes : Target $40 - Red Pumps :  I didn't want to be too plain because thats just not me. I think it worked really well with the pale tan colour of my top  I chose to wear my favourite red pumps and match it up with a pop of colour lipstick ( I chose MAC's Ruby Woo!) for a little bit of colour! however these shoes did not last long and after a few hours on the show room floor I swapped them over for my super comfy black ankle boots!

Jacket : City Chic - $30.00 - Black City Chic Jacket : I got this beautiful Jacket in the mid year sales, It was an absolute bargain at only $30 and has been my best friend ever since. First of all its black and goes with everything and this little number is warm with nice long sleeves, I must admit because of this it stayed in my bag most of the day because it was such a pleasantly warm day. The thing I love most about this jacker if has adorable frill that sit perfectly in the small of my back, I love wearing it as it adds a bit of feminine fun to any and every outfit I have worn it with. 

Not sure what this pose is all about - but I like it!

Thank you so much for reading, I would love to hear more about your personal style, your thoughts on this post and of course this outfit in the comments below! 

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and IMATS and I look forward to seeing plenty of haul posts!

LLx

IMATS 2013 TAG

Hi Lovelies, as you may already know (from my many many tweets!) I will be attending IMATS in Sydney in September this year. I found this awesome tag and thought I would fill it out in an effort to express some of my excitement! (now even more excited!) 
I would love to see your answers to these questions and hear all about your plans for whichever city you are attending IMATS in, please feel free to comment below. 

LLx

http://www.imats.net/index.php

1.Which IMATS are you attending?

I will be attending IMATS Sydney 2013

2. Have you ever been to IMATS before?

No, this will be My first time, VERY EXCITED!

3. How are you getting there?

As I am a Gold Coast gal, I will be flying to Sydney and relying on public transport to get me around!

4. Are you bringing anyone along?
I am going to IMATS with my best friend.

5. Is there anything else in the IMATS host city that you want to see?
EVERYTHING! This will be my first visit to Sydney, I have a lot planned and a lot to fit in.

6. What days will you be in the city that IMATS is in?
I arrive on Thursday the 19^th of September and leave Monday the 23^rd. 

7. Who do you want to meet?
Anyone and everyone, I am so excited to chat to people with the shared interests of beauty & makeup!

8. What companies exhibits are you most excited to see?
I am looking forward to checking out MACpro, Royal & Langnickel, Inglot, Lime Crime, Rae Morris, Model Rock Lashes and many more!

9. What products are you looking for?
I have a super long shopping list for the day but if I walk away with some new Royal & Langnickel brushes, some Inglot shadows and some mac shadows I will be more than happy!

10. How much do you plan to spend?
I’m not sure yet!

11. What do you want to get out of IMATS?

I hope to explore a new city, have the privilege to hear Rae Morris speak on the Saturday, learn some new things, buy some new products and meet some new people.