Monthly Archives: December 2012

RED MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF RED’S HOT WOMEN AWARDS 2012

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RED MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF

RED’S HOT WOMEN AWARDS 2012

in association with euphoria Calvin Klein

 

LIVIA FIRTH CHAMPIONS ETHICAL FASHION & LIVING

 

STARS OF LONDON 2012 NICOLA ADAMS, ZOE SMITH AND CLARE BALDING AWARDED FOR THEIR OLYMPIC CONTRIBUTIONS

 

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEUR KATHRYN PARSONS LEADS THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY WITH TWO AWARDS

 

 

Red magazine is delighted to announce the winners of its annual Red’s Hot Women Awards 2012, in association with euphoria Calvin Klein. The awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate British women in the workplace.

 

This year’s awards see an impressive range of inspiring working women being recognised. Livia Firth, Creative Director of eco-age.com and co-founder of The Green Carpet Challenge, is presented the ‘Eco’ award for using her profile to give ethical fashion a celebrity platform.

 

The prestigious ‘Fashion’ award goes to Caren Downie, ASOS Buying Director, for her remarkable vision for the ASOS brand. Fashionistas Erin O’Connor, Debra Bourne and Caryn Franklin are recognised in the ‘Pioneer’ category for their campaigning work with All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.

 

Flying the flag for London 2012 are Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams, Boxer, who is awarded ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ and Zoe Smith, Weightlifter, who is acknowledged in the ‘Woman to Watch’ category for sport. Clare Balding wins the ‘Media’ category for captivating the nation with her BBC Olympics coverage.

 

Kathryn Parsons, co-founder of Decoded, is the first winner to receive two awards in the ‘Digital’ and ‘Start-Up’ categories for her visionary digital business aimed at demystifying the world of computer coding.

 

In addition, Martha Payne, a 10-year-old blogger, is awarded ‘Woman to Watch: Blogger’ for Never Seconds, the blog she set up to report on her school dinners, and which has so far raised over £120,000 to provide school meals in Africa.

 

The awards ceremony also recognises impressive female talent in the restaurant scene, with Monica Galetti, Chef at La Gavroche, winning the Rose Gray Food Pioneer Award and Florence Knight, Head Chef at Polpetto, being awarded ‘Woman to Watch: Food’

 

The ‘Community / Charity’ award this year goes to Doreen Lawrence for the inspiring legacy she has created in memory of her son Stephen Lawrence. Christie Watson comes top in the ‘Creative’ category for her award-winning second novel Tiny Sunbirds Far Away and Helen McGinn, author of the Knackered Mothers’ Wine Club blog, is awarded best ‘Blogger’. Further accolades for truly impressive women include geneticist Dr Pia Ostergaard, the ‘Power Part-Timer’ who has made ground breaking discoveries to identify life saving gene mutations – and done it while working flexible hours. Shabana Mahmood, Higher Education Shadow Minister, is also recognised in the ‘Woman to Watch: Politics’ category for being one of the first Muslim Asian women in Parliament.

 

The categories were judged by some of the most inspirational professional women in Britain including; Red magazine Editor-in-Chief Sam Baker, Public Relations Director for Coty Prestige UK Kirsty Dale, Vice-Chair for West Ham Utd FC Karren Brady, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, CEO / Chairman of Shine Group Elisabeth Murdoch, Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, bestselling author India Knight, founder of Timewise Jobs Karen Mattison MBE and Chief Merchant for Harrods Marigay McKee.

 

The winners were announced at a champagne reception hosted by Lauren Laverne at One Marylebone.

 

Sam Baker, Red Magazine Editor-in-Chief, said:‘‘We are thrilled to be celebrating the achievements of some this country’s most inspiring working women. This year’s Red’s Hot Women Awards, in association with euphoria Calvin Klein, have recognised some truly amazing women and I congratulate everyone on their success.’

 

 

Why have they won?

 

Blogger

Helen McGinn, 39, Knackered Mothers’ Wine Club – What started on a whim has now become a popular blog and a book deal – proof that a love of a glass or two of wine is never a bad thing.

 

Community / Charity

Doreen Lawrence, 60, Founder, Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust – For challenging the British legal system and inspiring a nation with her vision of a community-based legacy for her son.

 

Creative

Christie Watson, 35, Author & Resuscitation Nurse – For winning one of the most coveted and respected awards for new writers, whilst also holding down a day job in nursing.

 

Digital / Start-Up

Kathryn Parsons, 31, Co-Founder, Decoded – For championing the agenda of women in technology, specifically encouraging women to be code-literate, in a way that is manageable and practical.

 

Eco

Livia Firth, 42, Creative Director of eco-age.com – For using her profile to give ethical fashion a platform and proving it’s a good business to go green.

 

Fashion

Caren Downie, 51, Buying Director ASOS – At a time when the retail sector is struggling, Caren’s vision has resulted in triple-figure sales growth.

 

Media

Clare Balding, 41, TV presenter and Olympic anchor – For her widely praised TV anchoring of the BBC’s London 2012 coverage and making her mark as a female sports broadcaster in a field that remains stubbornly male-dominated.

 

Media (Posthumous)

Marie Colvin, 56, award-winning journalist – Killed in Syria whilst reporting from the frontline, the judges created a special award this year to honour Marie’s groundbreaking journalism.

 

Pioneers

Debra Bourne, Erin O’Connor & Caryn Franklin, 48, 34 and 53, Founders of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk – For using their collective experience in the fashion world to campaign for a more diverse representation of women.

 

Power Part-Timer

Dr Pia Ostergaard, 42, Geneticist – After taking a career change, Pia has made groundbreaking discoveries to identify gene mutations, which will help save lives. And she’s done it whilst working part-time hours.

 

Rose Gray Food Pioneer

Monica Galetti, 36, Senior Sous Chef at Le Gavoche – For her unflinching resolve to make it to the top and to be treated as an equal in a male-dominated industry.

 

Sportswomen of the Year

Nicola Adam, 29, Boxer – For winning her way into the history books as the first ever female gold-winning Olympic boxer. Next stop Rio.

 

Woman to Watch: Food

Florence Knight, 26, Head Chef of Polpetto – For climbing the ranks in a male-dominated industry to run the kitchen of one of London’s leading restaurants, at only 26.

 

Women to Watch: Sport

Zoe Smith, 18, Weightlifter – For setting a new British record in the women’s 58kg at London 2012 and overcoming Twitter critics with her brave blog posts.

 

Woman to Watch: Politics

Shabana Mahmood, 31, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood – As one of the first Muslim Asian women in Parliament, Shabana is an inspiring force for more diversity amongst our MPs.

 

Woman to Watch: Blogger

Martha Payne, 10, Blogger – For inspiring hundreds of children in Britain to create their own blogs, scrutinising everything from fashion to their school sports days, and for raising over £120,000 for charity

The Lowdown on Molton Brown

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Molton Brown are a quintessential British brand. They make classic and excellent products. And they do much more than just hand washes. The more beauty savvy of you will also know that they also make candles, fragrances and anti-ageing skincare. No more so was this obvious than at Vanilla in central London where Handpicked Media and Molton Brown showed a handful of beauty bloggers their new range of beauty goodies.

They have launched some new additions to their Fine Fragrance range and a new anti-ageing range to go with their candles, body creams, shower gels….

Their Fine Fragrance range has four different scents for four different continents.

Molton Brown do not test on animals and they are big on sustainability.

On the night I also had a hand massage. I highly recommend you go along to a Molton Brown store and get one yourself.

The truth is I love Molton Brown. They make me proud to be British. I love their new range and old classics.

The World’s First Chocolatiers’ Convention. What’s Hot in Chocolate

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Frost recently got a golden ticket to The World’s First Chocolatiers’ Convention, and yes, we were just as excited as the kids in the Wille Wonka film. The convention was organised by Kennedy’s Confection Magazine and we heard the best and most impressive chocolate makers talk. A.Boyd Tunnock was a particular favourite. I had a good chat with Boyd who invented the Tunnock tea cake in 1960. He is as nice as he is brilliant.

Here are my highlights.

Pekka Rantala, managzing director of OY Karl Fazer, talked about Fazer becoming a €1.6 billion company. Fazer have teamed up with Angry Birds to make some really cool Angry Birds sweets. Okay, they are not chocolate but they are bang on trend. Check out the cool video below.

Next up was Peter Meadows from California Raisins. Peter says that raisins are just dried out grapes. The grapes are picked and layed out to dry. They are harvested in late August and there is a two-to-three week drying process. Raisins are 1 £500 million industry. In Tesco raisins are the second biggest bagged snack after Maltesers.

A. Boyd Tunnock CBE is the grandson of the founder and the inventor of the Tunnock Tea Cake. Tunnock’s was started in 1890 by Thomas Tunnock. They expanded in the 1950’s. Tunnock’s makes 9 million biscuits a week at their Uddingston factory and Boyd says, ‘When success comes you have no idea how, you just keep going.’

Boyd’s eldest gandson, Colin, works for Cadbury. Boyd says that he has a toy store compared to them but he is happy with it.

9 out of 10 people eat chocolate.

Sophi Tranchell MBE, managing director of farmer-owned Divine Chocolate. Average income for a cocoa farmer is £328 per year. 80% of the chocolate industry is owned by three companies. When a survey was done in West Africa only one child out of 250 wanted to be a cocoa farmer. Divine Chocolate are impressive. They aim to improve the livelihood of cocoa farmers in West Africa. Chocolate for those who want to buy ethically.

Francisco Redruello is a senior food analyst and had some great information and Willie Harcourt-Cooze. Willie is a well known chocolate maker and entrepreanur who came to fame in Channel 4 documentary Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory. We tried some of his chocolate and it is good.

Body language expert Judi James then turned the lights on and gave us all chocolate. She gave an excellent talk on chocolate and body language and then said what our chocolate eating habits meant. Judi says we only share chocolate to make ourselves look good, but I don’t believe her. Do you?

Predictions in the chocolate industry from Angus Kennedy.

Personalisation of the product.
Bolder tastes like cheese & wine, pumpkin, chilli, olive oil, bacon and carrot.
More indulgence. Chocolate with an indulgent appeal.
Smaller packets. As the recession kicks in, packs get smaller but stay the same price.
Sharing. 56% of people like to share.
Healthier chocolate. For people who are lactose intolerant for example. Did you know that 90% of people in Africa are lactose intolerant and 70% in United Kingdom and 20% in all of Europe.

Jessica Ennis, Andy Murray Make Who’s Who

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Who’s Who in 2013?

The new edition of Who’s Who is out with some exciting new entries. Including some of Britain’s brightest athletes.

The 165th edition of Who’s Who brings together over 33,000 autobiographical entries from people of, influence and interest in every area of public life. Featuring just over 1,000 entries new for this edition, Who’s Who 2013, published on 3rd December 2012, celebrates the achievements of British Society. An invaluable research tool and a unique way of measuring social change, it is the longest established and most comprehensive general biographical reference book. An invitation to appear in Who’s Who recognises lasting distinction and influence. An entry in Who’s Who is for life.

Preface by Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief at the Huffington Post Media Group, is a new biographee for the 2013 edition. She has written this year’s foreword, in which she considers the ways in which technology is rapidly transforming the media.

Olympic Idols

Included for the first time in the 2013 edition is Heptathlon darling, Jessica Ennis, who won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games. At just 26 years old, her impressive resume includes an Olympic gold, two World Championship medals, two World Indoor Championship medals, a European Championship medal and a Commonwealth Games medal.

Double Olympic gold medallist, Mo Farah makes a welcome entry this year, as does professional tennis player and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray. Born in 1987, Murray is the youngest non-hereditary new entrant.

Entertainment

Presenter and journalist, Gabby Logan is a new addition to Who’s Who 2013. She represented Wales in rhythmic gymnastics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, before carving out a career in broadcast where she recently presented at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Included in the 2013 edition is author and Times columnist Caitlin Moran, who was named Critic of the Year and Interviewer of the Year at the 2011 British Press Awards. She lists her recreations as ‘hair biggening, cava, eyeliner, The Struggle’.

Comedian and songwriter Tim Minchin, who composed the music for Matilda the Musical is included in Who’s Who for the first time, as is fellow comedian Richard Ayoade. Richard starred in The IT Crowd and has directed music videos for the Arctic Monkeys and Super Furry Animals, amongst others.

Cooking Sensations

Two star Michelin chef, Michael Caines is a new biographee for the 2013 edition. Head Chef at Gidleigh Park in Devon and Bath Priory, Michael appeared in Celebrity Masterchef 2011 and is one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs. He is joined by Nathan Outlaw, another South West based chef, who enjoys ‘collecting cookery books’. Star Wars fan Nathan is a two star Michelin chef who has two restaurants at the St Enodoc Hotel, in Cornwall.

Family Connections

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s brother Leo, Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Sustainability and Climate Change and sister Rachel, Editor-in-Chief of The Lady, are new names for 2013. Boris, another brother Joseph and father Stanley are already in Who’s Who making them one of the most successful families in the yearbook.

Another well-connected new entrant is Rachel Wolf, Director of the New Schools Network, who began her career as a researcher for Boris Johnson and whose mother and father are both already in Who’s Who.

Trivial Pursuits?

Lord Haskins, former Chairman of Northern Foods and Express Dairies plc, has updated his recreations to include ‘only-in-emergency harvest tractor-driver’, while Zai Bennett, Controller of BBC 3, and a new entrant for the 2013 edition, reveals his pastimes to include ‘impersonating primates for baby daughter’.

Writer and broadcaster on architecture and design, Thomas Dyckhoff’s recreations include ‘gluttony, staring out of the window, butchery and pie-making’ and Antonia Romeo, Director General of Transforming Justice at the Ministry of Justice, enjoys ‘Star Wars, Lego’. Host of Radio 2’s The Art Show, Claudia Winkleman, is another welcome addition to the 2013 edition. She lists her recreations as ‘sleeping, cuddling and bothering the children’.

Who’s Who in Numbers

4.5 tonnes – the weight of Who’s Who if all the UK’s inhabitants were in it (the weight of an Asian elephant!). It would be 94 metres thick, which is the height of the O2.

6th – where Who’s Who would have come in the medal table if it had been a team at the London Olympics (12 golds, 4 silvers)

80 – the number of jumbo jets it would take to transport everyone in Who’s Who

91 – the age of the oldest new entrant in Who’s Who 2013, Professor Yoichiro Nambu, Emeritus Professor at the University of Chicago

Who’s Who 2013

Published by A&C Black, 3rd December 2012

Hardback £235.00

Print-and-online edition £325.00 (available from Oxford University Press, visit www.ukwhoswho.com

Circle of Revenge | Film Review

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Circle of Revenge started as a web series, and was so popular that it has now been made into a feature film. I went to the screening at The Electric on Portobello Road without seeing any of the web series. The film is a low budget British feature film. Shot on a Canon 60D (which is the same camera I am making my film Prose & Cons on) and a shotgun microphone, what the crew and cast lack in resources and money, they make up for in enthusiasm and talent.

A true depiction of urban life in South London, Circle of Revenge has a strong cast and a sleek, gritty, real-life feel to it. Circle of Revenge has all the makings of a cult classic.

Circle of Revenge The Movie is based in the urban jungle of London bringing what happens on the streets to the big screen. Revenge is a vicious circle that often involves violence, drugs, guns, gangs, the police and the disloyalty that they can generate. Many can relate to the situations in Circle of Revenge. Now their story will finally be told.

J. Valentine & D. Adams directed and also star in the film, a common theme in the film as producers Darren Baba and Katherine Evans, as well as the assistant to producers, Sue Henry, also have roles. This does not mean the roles have been filled in by non-actors though. The parts are played very well. Darren Baba in particular has a very good supporting role and is great in his role. Though it is not really fair to single a cast member out as everyone is great in their role.

Circle of Revenge is a very good British film by a talented production company who have something to say. Go see.

@circleofrevenge @officialbantah

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet | Film Review

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This documentary is about something that you would think is a depressing subject: one of the best guitarists in the world, with a glittering career ahead of him full of fame and fortune instead gets what is possibility the worst disease a person can get with has a staggeringly high fatality rate attached; Lou Gehrig’s Disease, an incurable and fatal neurodegenerative disease. But the documentary is far from depressing, instead what you get is a film of hope, and perseverance against all of the odds.

When I put the screener into my computer I braced myself, I though the film would be very sad, and there is sadness in it of course, but Jason Becker and the people around him are the best that humanity has to offer. Jason looks great and his father came up with an eye sign language so he could communicate with his son. For someone who had such riches in front of him he does not seem bitter, he just seems like an incredibly talented man who has made the most of his life, who has an amazing family and who did not let a terrible disease stop his talent for making music.

Jason was told he would not make it past his 25th birthday, but he is still alive 22 years later.

This film should be seen by everyone who thinks there life is hard, and definitely seen by anyone who is full of self-pity. A wonderful, joyous film that should be seen by all. I hope it becomes a classic.

‘Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet’ is a feature-length documentary that tells the extraordinary story of Jason Becker, a musical prodigy and guitar legend, who has been battling with ALS for 22 years. A paralyzing, terminal illness with no cure, the disease has trapped Jason inside of his body rendering him completely paralyzed. Using an eye communication system invented by his father, Jason is able to escape the confines of his body and release the music that is trapped inside of his mind. ‘Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet’ is a story of dreams, love and the strength of the human spirit.

The year is 1989, and all the dreams of Jason Becker, a down-to-earth teenager from
California, have just come true. Jason has just landed himself the biggest rock guitar gig
on the planet. He’s on the cover of every rock guitar magazine and is being hailed by
critics as a musical prodigy in line to become one of the all-time greats. Jason and his
family have found the American dream and are about to start living it.
One week from now, during an examination of his leg, their dreams will turn into a
nightmare when Jason is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and given just 3-5 years to live.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is an incurable and
fatal neurodegenerative disease. In just a short time, victims of ALS become completely
paralyzed while their minds remains 100% in tact; essentially trapping them inside their
own bodies. In most cases, ALS affects people in older age but Jason was just 19 when
he was diagnosed. There is neither a cure nor any real treatment available, and the
majority of sufferers die within 2-5 years. Jason was diagnosed with ALS 22 years ago
and is one of the longest known survivors.

Jason Becker grew up in an artistic family from Richmond, California, a lower income city
located in the San Francisco Bay Area, where his parents Gary and Patricia Becker
nurtured his interest in music. Jason started playing guitar at the age of 5 and his rare
talent immediately began to show. Jason’s true brilliance became apparent when he was
able to play Eric Clapton solos note for note at the age of 12 and was shocking audiences
at his school and local open mic shows.

At the age of 16, Jason answered a call for demo tape submissions by local Shrapnel
Records label founder, Mike Varney, who was looking for the best new guitar talent.
Mike was blown away by Jason’s tape and gave him a recording contract. Jason
graduated from high school early to record his first record and to tour the US and Japan
where he dazzled audiences with his incredible guitar playing. After releasing three
groundbreaking and influential records for the genre, Jason began looking for his next
big challenge.

In 1989, ex-Van Halen singer David Lee Roth was looking for a new lead guitarist for his
band. Mike Varney played Jason’s demo tape for Roth over the phone who immediately
sent Jason a plane ticket to come audition in Los Angeles. Shortly after the audition,
Jason was offered the biggest rock guitar gig on the planet. At the age of 19, Jason was
set to become the hottest guitarist in the world.

A week later, Jason went to the doctors to have them check his left leg that had been
limping for the past few months. After a series of painful tests, doctors confirmed that
Jason had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and gave him just 3-5 years to live. Jason’s
parents were devastated but Jason shrugged off the diagnosis as he had big plans for his
future. He was going to tour the world and live out his dream of being a rock star. But
during the course of recording the new album for Roth, the limp feeling in Jason’s leg
worsened and began to spread to his hands making it difficult to play. Luckily Jason
finished the album (which went Gold) but he was unable to make the tour and had to
leave Roth’s band

Jesse Vile, the director says: I’ve wanted to make a film about Jason Becker since I was a 15-year-old kid trying to learn, rather unsuccessfully, all of his songs on the guitar. Jason is the most amazing
human being I’ve ever known and, like many others around the world, he has been a
personal source of inspiration for me for many years. I’ve always felt that his unique
and powerful story needed a much wider audience and I felt compelled to be the one to
tell his story.

Although I’m a fan of Jason’s music, I didn’t want to make just a fan film as I think that
would be selling his story short. I wanted to make a film that was universal and that had
a human story at its core that many people could identify with. Jason’s story is an
interesting one in that it isn’t your typical rock star tale. It isn’t a “musician-becomes-
famous-gets-hooked-on-drugs-nearly-dies-and-then-redeems-themselves” kind of story
you hear so often. Those are all fine but Jason’s story goes so much deeper than that. It
is really a story about love, family and the strength of the human spirit.

This film is also a chance for Jason to tell his story and to show the man behind the
legend. This is an authorized documentary and a collaborative project with Jason and his
family. Their involvement has been key to the film’s success

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet [DVD]

http://jasonbeckermovie.com
Facebook/JasonBeckerMovie
@JasonBeckerFilm

Londoners Life 48 – Overheard by Phil Ryan

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One more week of stuff to do and then I’m taking December off! to do my own thing if possible. But as usual I’ve been pinging about the place so in great position to get this week’s offerings. My brief overheard phone conversation line I got from the Food Hall at Selfridges where I was waiting for a friend. I was loitering by the bakery section when I heard a woman behind me yell into her phone “There is no way I am cooking fish Simon it stinks the house out. We are having pasta and if you’re mother doesn’t like it then the old hag can go swivel!” Obviously a close and harmonious relationship there then!
Anyway here we go for this week’s Overheard.
I was at a Pan Asiatic restaurant and it was quite a noisy place so I had no problem hearing the shouted conversation to my left.
Three young women clearly celebrating one of their numbers forthcoming marriage. Girl 1: “But the office hasn’t changed at all so that’s lucky considering I thought we’d all lose our jobs” Girl 2: “Frankly I was shitting myself. I just bought my Golf and the payments aren’t great I can tell you what with Dominic not getting any bonus for the 3 months” Marriage Girl 3: “I know it really freaked me out. But according to Mr Reese our department uno one its fine. There’s no redundancies apparently and income is back on track. If I couldn’t have had my horses and coach I’d have been beside myself. Two grand to be a fairy princess it’s shocking” Girl 1: “But you’ll look so cool won’t you. It looks gorgeous. Just like Cinderella” Girl 2: (Laughing) Except she doesn’t do the cleaning and I mean any cleaning, washing or cooking” They all laugh very noisily “. Marriage Girl ”No no. I don’t. Craig knows what he’s getting into. I’m high maintenance I admit it. But he said he doesn’t care. Mind you he’s not getting me into any of those funny positions he likes anymore. Honestly I nearly cricked my back again. He’s on heat I tell you. He’s like one of those little clockwork jumping dogs and his face gets all screwed up….” They all laugh noisily again “Girl 2: You wouldn’t think it to look at him? Isn’t he an accountant?” Marriage Girl 3 (interrupting) “There’s one bit you should see. It’s like a banana every morning” They all screech now “Girl 2 “A banana?” Girl 1: “I saw him in the pool last year, Banana. More like a bunch” They all broke down screaming and after more descriptions of poor Craig I moved table.
Very upmarket but I feel sorry for Craig. No more funny positions mate!

James Read On Launching His Own Self Tanning Range and Self Tan Tips

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James Read has launched a brilliant and stylish self tanning range. The range is beloved by celebrities and beauty writers alike. Read on to find out how he launched his brand to success and to learn his top tanning tips.

Tell us about the brand.

The brand has been out for eight months now. It launched in Vogue, since it has been out it has been in Vogue four times already this year alone. For a brand to get in Vogue four times in one year is pretty amazing. It has been in The Sunday Times five times this year, it has been in every monthly, It is the most written about self tanning brand. It has had the most press.

I have worked with a lot of celebrities around the world. They all use it. Mariah (Carey), Lady Gaga, Lara Stone. Jessie J used it for the Olympics. Ellie Golding and Rita Ora use it.

It has been a real labour of love, it took two years to develop. The packaging is all based on the 1970s. I was born in 1976. It is quite retro. The 1970s was all about gold.

I wanted something iconic that stood out on the shelf. We wanted something that people would be proud to have on their bathroom shelf. I wanted people to look at it and think, ‘That is amazing’ rather than just hiding it away. We wanted it to look nice and stylish.

We came up with a new concept, we have the liquid, the gradual tan, we have the BB cream which is a bestseller, It comes in a pen tube. It gives a really nice natural colour, and it has a BB foundation in it as well.

The liquid tan is really nice and natural. We have new products coming out and new products being made all the time. The thing with the BB is that we wanted to do something that had never been done. We don’t want to just bring out the same things every year. We are coming up with ideas and evolving it and stepping outside of the box.

We are bringing out things that actually had never been done before. We think of what we want, I speak to my friends and I do research. We love to incorporate skincare and tanning into one.

We are launching in America in January and then Australia in March.

Top tips for tanning.

If you want to layer on tan then apply it the same day. Don’t do it the next day. If you apply it the next day you get build up on your skin and it can get too dark.

This is a good trick: before you put tan on your face get a moisturiser and then put the moisturiser on your face and neck. The moisturiser will stop the face getting too dark. If you are applying tan on certain areas, like you hands and feet, always use excess tan from the arms. These areas go too dark.

One thing that people do is they wash their hands after a couple of hours. Don’t wash your hands for at least eight hours or you will get that tanned body, white hands look. You want it to all match.

A good one that I always tell people is to rub an ice cube all over your face to seal your pours and then you put the tan on. It stops your pours from blocking. It seals the pours.

James Read Self-tanning range is available from QVC

Blemish Balm Gradual Tan for Face Medium 25ml

Liquid Tan Medium 250ml

Gradual Tan for Face Medium 50ml