Often overlooked, the work of make-up artists can be exciting and extraordinarily creative. The International Makeup Artist Trade Show is simply a sight to see. If you are one that is keen about makeup and makeup artistry, then this is a perfect place for you.  Known to many as IMATS, the three-day event is one of the largest makeup tradeshows in the entire world. For years, Makeup Artist Magazine has produced this show (in a variety of popular cities like L.A., Sydney, Vancouver, and of course New York) to display the magnificent talent of professional makeup artists, and to allow smaller brand cosmetics to gain a start in the makeup industry. However, this is not IMATS’ only unique quality. Many beauty junkies gather at these events to get their favorite products from name brands at a discounted price. Labels like Stila, Illamasqua, NYX, MAC Cosmetics, and Inglot are known to gather a large crowd for 20-40% of their most popular merchandise, but this does mean that there are significantly long lines or a limited selection of products after a short while.

While IMATS does make good revenue, the main purpose of my entry to the event was to see the amazing talent exhibited by up-and-coming makeup artists that were competing at the event. The most interesting part of the event was watching a student makeup artist competition, where young makeup artists had a limited amount of time to transform a model completely using makeup. Not only did they have to do all of the makeup and any additional hair, the contest had a theme so each contestant was responsible for making a costume to complete their final look. Each of the entrants had been preselected to compete by submitting a portfolio.  At the competition they were given make-up and make-up prosthetics to use, and they had to figure out how to incorporate the various required elements into their predetermined vision for the competition. The winners received a cash prize. But according to a family member of one of the competitors, having the title of being an IMATS winner is much more prestigious than gaining a cash prize for their work. It was amazing to see the transformation from the beginning of the competition, which lasted 3 hours, to when the artists put the final touches on their work.  Although often the model was female, by the time the artist was complete you thought that the person was a male.  Each person was transformed into a character that was consistent with the “Wizard of Oz” theme.

Overall, IMATS was an experience that I will never forget. Though it had a small entry fee and there were lines too long to even contemplate buying anything, it was well worth attending. If you’re interested in art and want to see works of art being made in front of your eyes, I would definitely recommend going to this trade show. Additionally, if you keep up with with Youtube videos, many of the famous “beauty gurus” on Youtube attended New York IMATS to meet their fans. They signed autographs, took photos, and got to know their viewers. I was extremely glad that I got that chance to experience IMATS and I hope that people who are interested in pursuing a career as a professional makeup artist (or just like wearing it) get an opportunity to check out this annual trade show!