Illamasqua Matte Veil

If you are a regular Red Lip Reader you'll know I recently fell head over heels in love. Right now, I am one smitten kitten.

The object of my desire? Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation.

But now there is even more reason to get excited- as Illamasqua reveal their latest product, Matte Veil Primer.

Following the huge launch of Hydra Veil last May, Matte Veil is undoubtedly going to follow in its predecessors successful footsteps. Designed for people like myself, who suffer from oily-combination skin types, Matte Veil ensures your base stays flawless and shine free all day long.

Featuring hero ingredient Butyelene Gycol, this little beauty dissolves excess oil production, whilst its partner in crime Sodium Hyaluronate, keeps the skin feeling balanced resulting in a matte, yet glowingly healthy finish. 

After trying Matte Veil today, alongside Skin Base Foundation and Skin Base Lift Concealer, I can confirm it does just that! Plus you need the most minuscule amount, so a little goes a long long way!

Suffer from a drier skin type? Don't worry, help is at hand in the form of the original life saver, Hydra Veil. This lightweight gel packed with anti-oxidant marine algae, instantly re-hydrates skin and reduces the appearance of redness. A light application of Hydra Veil helps foundation from 'catching' in drier areas, or the dreaded creasing around the nose and under eyes. It even helps keep skin youthful, with  Collagen fibres to help stimulate the production of elastin fibers to make the skin firmer and smooth.

Matte Veil is launched on May 8th and Hydra Veil is available now.

Im sure you'll be joining me on adding these beauties to your make up bag, because what's not to love?! 

OPI AW14 & Coca Cola Launch

Well what a day I've had!

Bright and early this morning I made my way from the beautiful (but rainy) banks of Kingston and headed to the swanky St Martins Lane Hotel, for the official OPI AW14 and Coca Cola launch.

Featuring a stunning video presentation from OPI Artistic Director Suzi Weiss-Fischmann and a plethora of manicurists on hand to enable us to try the shades before anyone else, the event was attended by a whole host of beauty journalists and fellow bloggers.

Suzi began her presentation with some interesting facts, all of which came to light through the Pink Report 2013-2013 'Nailed: The allure of nail colour. 

For example, can you believe 99% of women asked, admitted they were addicted to nail lacquer? (I am DEFINITELY in this group) 


Or that our favourite shades are pink, followed by muted beige's or hot reds?! 
This survey also found that 75% of women voted OPI their favourite nail brand- so it's nice to know I'm in good company!

Right! Lets start with the Coca Cola Collection, which I touched on last week. With 9 shades that represent Coca Colas best selling drinks, it's easy to see why these two brands collaborated- they both provide 'Happiness in a Bottle'.

Up first is my favourite, the classic 'Coca Cola Red', which is a creamy gloss shade like the muted cream ' You're So Vain-ill a' , bubblegum pink 'Sorry I'm Fizzy Today' and bold tangerine 'Orange You Stylish!'.
For your purple lovers, they also have the gorgeous grape tones 'Get Cherried Away' and the deeper vampish 'A Grape Affair'


For those of you who really like to make a statement you'll LOVE metallic green 'Green On The Runway', striking silver 'Turn On The Haute Light' and the blackened red sparkle 'Today I Accomplished Zero'.


I've heard on the 'grape vine' that when I launch this collection on QVC
 next month, we may even have  a special set of miniatures too- perfect for taking your salon mani on your jolly holidays!



So, what will we be wearing come AW?! Well, if you're like me, a different manicure shade per week- I am absolutely in love with every shade in the Nordic Collection and want to wear it ALL. And I want to wear it NOW!!

Suzi introduced the collection through a stunning video, featuring ethereal looking goddesses, their long blonde locks pulled back into plaits and braids. Dressed in a palette of soft, earthy tones in sheer fabrics teamed with gunmetal 'armour', they provoked thoughts of Nordic Warrior Princesses, as they ran through dampened Greenland and deserted beaches.

The palette of colour used in the Nordic collection is inspired by nature and the visual surrounding of the Nordic region, including the famed Northern Lights and the iconic pastel painted houses found in Copenhagen, Denmark.








My absolute favourites are the pastel tones, mint green 'My Dogsled Is A Hybrid', feminine pink 'Suzi Has A Swede Tooth' , the vivid coral 'Can't AfJord Not To' and the deep indigo 'Do You Have This Colour In Stock-Holm?'. These shades are perfect for Summer too, so make sure you grab these early when they launch in August!














For the colder winter months we have a warming palette of spicy browns, rich wines and warm golds.

The sparkly wine 'Thank Glogg It's Friday' , deep burgundy 'Skating On Thin Ice-Land and 'dark plum 'Viking In A Vonderland' are to me, the perfect Christmas shades- whether I'll be prepared to wait that long, we will see!

Finally we have metallic gold 'OPI With A Nice Finn-Ish', super sparkly 'My Voice Is A Little Norse', cinnamon coffee 'How Great Is Your Dane',  iced caramel 'Going My Way Or Norway' and the rich chocolate 'Ice-Bergers And Fries' 

Wow-What a collection! 

There was just enough time for a cheeky manicure from OPI Nail tech Lee, and a quick pose in front of the gorgeous Nordic Images with my colleges Niki and Siobhain before I headed back up north...... Luckily for me, with two both collections in toe.

Why do I have a feeling a lot of my female friends may be popping in this evening?! 

Something a little different..

As most of my regular readers would have guessed by now (or so I hope!!) my little corner of the Internet has always been dedicated to all things fashion and beauty. I'm lucky enough to live out my dream career in the beauty and fashion industries, and as a lover of putting pen to paper, this blog has been the perfect hobby, and a way to relax after a heavy day of lugging around my immense kit.

But, today I've decided to share a little more with you.  So please bare with me if it feels like I'd led you astray!

I've been 'lucky' enough to always get the job opportunities I have wanted- even if I haven't gone after them in the first place. But then, actually, I don't really believe in being 'lucky', I believe that we make our own 'luck' through working hard and constantly striving to improve. And a generous dollop of ambition doesn't go a miss either.

For example, I have always loved passing on my make-up artistry knowledge, and could see teaching in a local college to those who could not afford the teaching I was blessed to have, in my future. Then, last year I receive a phone call from my post-school beauty college, offering me the fashion make-up teacher role. No application, no interview, no hard sell presentation. 

The job was mine.

And this is only one of many things that have occurred in my 27 years- seriously the list is endless. It's only now I'm realising it.

More recently, I've been reading the widely discussed book 'The Secret'. After downloading it first last summer, I read and re-read the first few chapters before putting it down utterly confused. But, a few weeks ago everything changed. I had a bizarre urge to start reading it again, and I honestly have no idea where the urge came from.

And boy I'm glad I did. Coincidence or not, I have been feeling like the happiest girl in the world since. And no, I haven't come into enough cash to get my own place, had a handsome man fall head over heels in love with me or won a Range Rover Evoque (although all these things ARE happening this year) 

If you have ever read Rhona Byrnes books, I think you might agree that at times is quite OTT and a little hard to take in- probably the reason I put it down so frequently last year!

However, after reading fellow scouser and beauty lover Scouse Bird blog on the topic, my mind for Asking, Believing, Receiving was set.

Well, back to the here and now.

 I have been desperate to go to Glastonbury for the past few years, and always told myself I'd never be 'lucky' enough to get tickets. So last autumn, Myself and my bessie, both fresh as daisies, set up camp ready for the ticket release- 6 computers, 4 phones and a hell of a lot of determination. Two hours later- no tickets.

Cut to the scene in my living room last weekend- not long out of bed, hangover from hell kicking in, alone, 2 computers, 10 minutes and re-sale tickets booked and paid for.

Say what you like about having a Positive Mental Attitude, but if it's helping me make a life my dreams are made of, then long may mine continue!

Behind the scenes of Doodah Farms first music video

A few months back the lovely lads from the Liverpool based band Doodah Farm booked the So Coco Rouge team for their first ever music video- but when we first agreed to get out magic make-up brushes out, we didn't expect to end up being in it too. Although,with my camera loving ego- I obviously didn't need asking twice, and jumped at the chance!

With a plot based around the dreaded 'beer goggles' some of us (yes me included) suffer from time to time, the video also 'starred' the gorgeous Alice Barlow who I've worked with on many occasions including her time on The Voice. 

As the tale was set in a busy nightclub, we could really go to town with Alice's make-up. I created dark, sultry smokey eyes using rich charcoals and black finishing her look with a neutral lip.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the delightful tones of the Doodah Farm boys- oh and don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for a certain ginger Rougette....

PS- Yeah, my hands still killing me from that heck of a slap! 

A sneak peek at the OPI Coca Cola Collection

So, we've had the Gwen Steffani, Mariah Carey and even Muppets collection, but now it's time for a completely new collaboration from nail giant OPI.

Early this summer we'll see the launch of a 9 piece collection inspired by the Coca Cola brand.

Coca Cola I hear you cry?! Well what's more iconic than a refreshing cold drink on a hot summers day?! And every Summers day needs a salon worthy manicure doesn't it!

Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI co-founder and executive vice president said of the collaboration - “These two iconic brands truly deliver happiness in a bottle – whether it’s a refreshing, invigorating sip of Coke, or a set of fingers and toes perfectly polished with OPI nail lacquer.”

I couldn't agree more Suzi!

This limited edition collection features inspiration from The Coca Cola Companies best loved brands, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and Coke Zero. So we can expect a wide shade range, with one to suit us all!

After last weeks QVC TSV shows, the team released a sneak peek of the shade swatches on their Instagram page- and I must admit I was dying to get my hands on them!

But soon my wait will be over, and I can share my favourite's with you all. In a short few weeks I'll be attending the collection launch before launching the collection LIVE on QVC on June 21st- so make sure you tune in for my FIRST EVER hour long show.

(Butterflies are kicking in already!!)

My Skin Base U-Turn

If you regularly catch up with my blog, you'll know how much I love Illamasqua products. From their cream pigments to their gel eyeliner, Illamasqua feature heavily in the So Coco Rouge kit box. 

Well, that is except our foundation box. 

When Illamasqua first launched in Manchester, I purchased their original foundations- Light Liquid and Rich Liquid- and I can hand on heart, honestly say, I was not a fan. In fact, they lay dormat at the bottom of my kit bag, squashed by my staples of MAC Face and Body, MUFE HD and Smashbox Studio Skin, until I finally threw them into the bin a few years later. 

When Skin Base launched in June 2011, I was unindated with squeals of declaration of love for it from my fellow MUA's. So, I half heartily popped into the Liverpool store, grumbling that I would certainly not like it, and deciding after around 30 seconds of blending the lightest shade into the back of hand, that Illamasqua foundations just 'weren't for me'. 

But, this Spring I have come to my senses and realised how wrong I was. 

Being dragged back to the Liverpool store after around 6 weeks of nagging from Robyn that we should give it one more chance, we were greeted by the absolutely lovely store manager, Rachel Murray, who told us a little more about this MUA favourite.

Illamasqua say- " Inspired by the cult Asian market Beauty Balm creams, Skin Base Foundation is a brand new, refined formula unlike anything on the UK market. Easily bendable, it effortlessly creates a perfect complexion, and like the entire Illamasqua foundation range, is undetectable in a professional HD environment. Suitable for all skin types, it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage."

So, I let Rachel suggest a shade to suit my skintone (and luckily Robyns too- we are both practically transparent naturally) and headed back to the salon to try it out once again.

Grabbing my two favourite foundation brushes- a Crown Brush Dual Fibre and a Sephora Precision Brush, I swiftly buffed skin base into my combination complexion. Looking into the mirror 2 minutes later, I expected to be met with a cakey, dry looking finish. Instead, I found myself in awe of my flawless complexion, with a natural glow. 

Crown Dual Fibre

Sephora Pro Precision Brush

Three weeks on, and I am seriously obsessed with Skin Base. So much so, that we are planning on purchasing another 5 shades of Skin Base, Hydra Veil Primer (which we've heard makes skin base glide onto drier skin types) and hopefully the Skin Base Mixers which British Beauty Blogger featured on her site recently!

The moral of my story? Don't give up on a product. Especially when the hype is still buzzing three years on. Keep persisting, because you never know when your going to fall head over heels in love! 

Karla Powell Nail Art Charts

As you'll know if you read this weeks blog, last weekend the amazing Karla Powell was in the So Coco Rouge salon, teaching lots of make-up artists her Lip Art techniques.

Karla brought along her famous Face Charts, which are available in both A4 and A5 sizes from Crown Brush, and her new Nail Charts, which haven't even been launched yet! 

As I'm not the most artistic girl in the world, I've never really used face charts, but the nail charts really intrigued me! When I'm prepping for each QVC show for OPI Nails, I usually use a blank nail wheel, which allows me to play with the products and see the true shade. However, by the looks of it, these A5 Nail Charts would make carrying my own back catalogue of OPI shades even easier!

Karla says- "My Nail Charts are ideal for experimenting with hard wearing nail varnishes, different types of pens to draw nail art designs. The sheets work well with all wet nail varnish formula's, drying to the nail varnishes true colour. Perfect for swatching nail varnishes too! Each page features a minimal hand outline with short nails , with ample space for notes and the chance to extend the nails into a desired shape." 

Now, I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the best at staying between the lines when 'colouring in' so I was a little worried my nail charts would look like a 5 year old had got their hands on them- but for my 1st and 2nd attempt I'm pretty impressed with myself! 

These charts feature 1 quick coat of polish- please excuse my mini smudge!

The specially designed paper makes painting gloss and textured glitter polishes really simple, and they dry pretty quickly too.

Definitely a must buy for manicurists, and make-up artists prepping for artistic shoots- and certainly one of my favourite buys of the year so far! So next time you tune into one of my QVC shows, remember backstage will be  my little book of OPI nail swatches!