Beautycon is like a big thank you party for makeup and beauty enthusiasts of every level, age and background.

Last year was my first time going to any sort of makeup trade show—not because I wasn’t interested in going, I just didn’t know how great of an experience it truly was. I had the opportunity to go to both IMATS & Beautycon last year, however there were a few reasons why I decided to skip IMATS this year and go to only Beautycon instead.

Beautycon VS IMATS

IMATS & Beautycon are probably the 2 most talked about makeup trade shows (considering Beautycon counts as a trade show). After weighing my options (mainly because the two occurred 2 weeks apart) here’s why I chose Beautycon as my event of choice.

Beautycon was now 2 days instead of 1 day this year

Two day passes with ton of  cool photo-ops, meet-ups and free FULL SIZED products was definitely worth it to me ($70). Even with Beautycon being just 1 day last year, I had a ton of fun and got SO many freebies. Yes, I freakin’ love free sh*t–especially when it’s beauty related.

Influencers and talent

The best part (for me) of attending Beautycon NYC was getting to meet so many Youtuber’s and bloggers that I LOVE. There were a number of times that I was just casually walking around and “bumped” into one of my favorites.

Don’t get me wrong, talent does show up to IMATS however at Beautycon there’s an overload in the best way. IMATS typically has a ton of professional makeup artists that I’ve personally never heard of (not to discredit their work–that’s just the truth).

Beautycon talent is geared more towards the millennial world of beauty that consists of influencers, bloggers and the self-taught artists and creatives that we watch everyday and have built relationships with in our heads.

Variety of ticket options

As I mentioned, Beautycon NYC this year was two days. General admission was $59.99 for two and the other packages (which includes a gift bag and exclusive meet-ups with some of the bloggers/talent) starting at $199.99. I personally opted for the general admission passes (again). Getting around to the different booths and doing the legwork to get freebies and meet people is absolutely NOT beneath me–it’s actually the fun part for me.

I may consider doing one of the higher passes next year but I won’t be spending my time in a lounge or VIP just chilling–that’s for sure.

Freebies on freebies on freebies

 

Now about all the free sh*t–at Beautycon there’s literally free stuff left and right to the point that it gets overwhelming. To put it into perspective, last year at IMAT’s I spent about $300 while I only spent about $75 at Beautycon and went home with just about the same amount of stuff. In addition to the freebies at Beautycon, there’s an option to purchase the hauler bag for $99 (large gift bag with products that comes with some of the other ticket options. There are a lot of discounts at IMATS but pretty much no freebies.

From my own experience, IMAT’s is targeted more towards professional MUAs in the industry looking to build their kits, learned from the pros and network with other professionals in the industry. A lot of the brands at Beautycon don’t even sell products, they’re just trying to connect with consumers. In a way Beautycon is like a big thank you party for makeup and beauty enthusiasts of every level, age and background.

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Free .99? (yes sis, for the free)

In total I got over 30 free FULL SIZED products totaling (roughly) $$404.99 (yes I sat down and calculated because I just had to know and tell you). Over $400 in free product with my $59.99 two day pass–IS THAT NOT INSANE?

The brands are a mix between prestige and luxury. Here are just a few of the products that I’m SUPER stoked to try (some of which I was going to purchase before Beautycon but I felt in my gut that I shouldn’t)

Maybelline Urban City Lights, $11.99

Urban Decay All Nighter Spray, $34

Urban Decay HiFi Lip Gloss, $20

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Sin), $22

MAC Grand Illusion Liquid Lipcolour, $21

Loreal Lumi Loose Highlighter, $11.99

Don’t forget the deals

Not all of the brands present were selling products. However those that were had some great deals that I couldn’t pass up on.

MAC 25% off

Ricky’s 25% off

Anastasia Beverly Hills 20-40% off

Eden Bodyworks 3 products for $20

Catrice 3 products for $10

Moda Brushes 40% off

Makeup Eraser 2 for 1 $20

Honestly, if you have been wondering if Beautycon is worth attending I say HELL TO THE YES YES YES. Besides the fact that you’ll more than likely come home with a ton of stuff without breaking your pockets, it’s truly a very fun and exciting event. Exhausting but fun nonetheless.

If you have a chance to attend Beautycon this year or next definitely jump on the opportunity. It’s getting bigger and bigger each year so attend while the going is good.

What are your thoughts or questions about Beautycon? Let’s chat about it below or on Twitter (I don’t bite)