THE show for make-up artists is making its way to Toronto in a couple of weeks. IMATS (International Make-up Artist Trade Show) will be setting up shop at the Direct Energy Centre on the weekend of November 21st-22nd.

A slew of vendors will be available for both make-up artists and make-up enthusiasts. I'm looking forward to picking up some more tried and tested kit faves...in fact, my list just keeps on growing:
FACE atelier - foundations
Crown Brush - brushes and disposables
Kett & Temptu - airbrush supplies
Make-up Forever - everything!
Nurturing Force - airbrush cleanser
Yaby - maxi-minimalist kit

Also looking forward to trying out some of the products by Eve Pearl - I've heard plenty of great things about the line from many a blogger, but ever the weary shopper, I always do like to try before I buy :)

Besides the awesome shopping, there's a full two days of great speakers, seminars and workshops available!!! Some presentations to definitely check out will be Hung Vanngo (celebrity fashion & beauty make-up artist), Kevin-James Barnett (industry expert and Emmy award winning artist extraordinaire), along with the bloggers/Youtube beauty gurus behind Pursebuzz and Enkore Make-up!

Get your tickets in advance here and save a few bucks that you can put towards some very important purchases!! See you there :)

t.o. style showcase! Out of all the make-up tips in the world, one of the most important things I tell clients is that with make-up, you have to do what works for you...and what fits into your lifestyle. Fashion is just like make-up - trends come and go, but style cannot be bought/taught! Check out Joe is the New Black - a site where the featured fashionistas have a style all their own! :)

Who doesn't love that lush lash look that a pair of good falsies provides?! I'm fairly certain that (unless you're endowed with full lashes a la Brooke Shields) you wouldn't think twice about wearing falsies...if they weren't such a hassle to put on! Fortunately for me, the generous folks at Revlon felt sympathy for my skimpy lashes and sent five pairs of their Fantasy Lengths lashes my way to sample! :)

I'll be the first to admit that I'm great at applying them when it comes to other people (the vantage point and overall control are just better when your viewing from above someone else!), but when it comes to applying falsies on myself...well, patience is the key. So yes, I know your frustrations all too well - there's too many variables that can make things go awry...like a shaky hand, a glue that doesn't stick, your carefully applied eyeliner/eyeshadow being smudged by the glue...

Revlon Fantasy Lengths Eyelashes (Self-Adhesive)
Enter Revlon's Fantasy Lengths Self-Adhesive eyelashes. Now in theory, these self-adhesive lashes seem like a godsend! But how do they measure up?

I love the idea of the false eyelashes already having a built-in adhesive so that you don't have to fuss with the glue. With Revlon's self-adhesive falsies, I find you get one chance to get the application right. For instance, say you've applied the lashes and try to remove them to readjust its position, the adhesive tends to lose its stick and it just never feels as secure as when you first put them on. Thankfully, the package comes with a second adhesive so you can either try again, or save your efforts for another day!

I would recommend these lashes to a lash pro - as long as you can apply it directly at the base of the lashes on the first shot, then these babies are meant for you. For those of us (like me) that usually like (or need) to tweak the lashes around a bit more, looks like it's still the good old-fashioned method of add glue and then apply the false lash! In terms of how long the built-in adhesive lasts, it withstood my usual 16 hour day of errand running without falling off...and for a person with typically oily lids, lashes that stay in place for that long always score high in my books! Overall, I do like this product and the idea of it, but I just wish the box came with a person/robot to help me apply the lashes to myself! :)

Last word of warning - be careful when trying to curl your eyelashes after the self-adhesive falsies are on...the adhesive is still quite sticky so be careful not to use the eyelash curler too close to the base of the lash. (I know this sounds like common sense in hindsight, right? ...believe me, it's just better to learn from my example than to experience this one first-hand!)

Here are a couple of product shots of the different self-adhesive Revlon eyelashes I tried out. My favourite of the two was #99500 in "Intensifying" - my skimpy lashes need all the love they can get! :)

Revlon Fantasy Lengths Eyelashes (Regular)
Revlon also generously sent over some of their regular Fantasy Length falsies (without adhesive). My favourite of the non-adhesives was #91128 in "Lush" pictured directly below - again my lashes need all the volume boosting attention they can get! :)
#503 is also a beautiful set if you're looking for full, lush lashes:
#91127 is a good option for natural volume - just adds enough filler that people will think you're wearing a new mascara :)
The mini-glue included with these Fantasy Lengths falsies lasted well throughout the day and the lashes still felt secure once the day was done. Again, that's bonus points for any product that's able to contend with the challenge that are these oily lids of mine! I always like the idea of the mini-glue as a "just-in-case" - you can easily pop the mini-glue in your purse and tote it around with you, in case you need a lash touch-up. Lush lashes with a back-up plan. Love it. :)

Where to get your hands/lashes on these? So far, I haven't seen the non-adhesive here in the Toronto area (do share if you know!), but the adhesive falsies are available on well.ca for a super deal! All you do is point, click and select - well.ca ships to you free of charge (Canadian residents only!). Check out the site for more beauty deals!