A Surprise Visitor

This morning the Illamasqua store welcomed Tremayne Crossley, a builder from Newcastle upon Tyne; he took part in the Great North Run and completed the hardest half marathon in the UK in exactly 2 hours 32 minutes and 7 seconds. An amazing feat and to make it even more amazing, he ran for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation which is very close to our hearts here at Illamasqua. So far Tremayne has managed to raise around £560.

To get involved and raise even more money please follow this link http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/ and click on the 'donate' tab. Please mark your donation either TC or GNR.

A huge thanks and congratulations to Tremayne and to everyone that has already donated!

S.O.P.H.I.E

Today marks the third anniversary of Sophie's death.

Sophie Lancaster was a Goth. She was also an intelligent 20 year old woman with a bright future. She was beaten up and killed simply for looking different in August 2007.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was created to enforce a simple message; Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere.

The driving force behind the charity, Sophie's mother Sylvia Lancaster, comments "I want Sophie's story to be an inspiration to us all to live in tolerance and to celebrate everyone's right to be who they want to be. The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Illamasqua are intrinsically linked - both promote and fight for the freedom to self-express.”

To show your support, please donate generously via our website or by buying the S.O.P.H.I.E wristbands and the cult ‘Sophie’ pencil.

Last November, for what would have been Sophie’s 23^rd birthday, the following video was made. Please view ‘Dark Angel’ here.

Courtney Loves The Sophie Lancaster Foundation

For all those in the UK, you may have caught Courtney Love on the Jonathan Ross show last Friday. And perhaps the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed she was wearing the S.O.P.H.I.E bracelet.

I'll admit, I didn't but my sharp eyed flat mate did! I did a screen grab for you from a Youtube clip of her appearance.

Alex Box created the look on Courtney Love for the Jonathan Ross show using Illamasqua products including Powder Eye Shadow in 'Savage', 'Maybe' and 'Courtesan' as well Cream Blusher in 'Rude' and Medium Pencil in 'Vow' all over the lip with a slick of Sheer Lipgloss in 'Brilliant' on top.

Courtney is currently in the UK promoting the reformation of her band Hole and brand new album. If the track Samantha is anything to go by, it's going to be pretty good! The band will also be playing at the 02 Shepard's Bush Empire on Wednesday 17th February and be selling S.O.P.H.I.E bracelets with all proceeds going to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

The Making of the Sophie Film

For all of you who, like me, have been touched by the Sophie Lancaster: A Dark Angel film, I am delighted to bring you this video from the night of the film launch in Manchester Cathedral Gardens on 26th November 2009.

It includes an interview with Julian Kynaston, founder of Illamasqua, and other key figures in the making of the film.

Please follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2vUpZ-2bxI

Please leave us your comments about it if you feel the need to so and I will make sure that Sylvia and Julian see them.

Sophie: A Dark Angel Premiere at Manchester Cathedral Gardens

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to Manchester for the screening of the Sophie: A Dark Angel film, so I caught up with Claire from Propaganda who has been a pivotal figure in the creation and publicity of this film and has had close correspondence with Sylvia Lancaster.

Hi Claire. Can you tell me about the idea behind last nights event?

"We had been looking for somewhere to show the film not just to the UK press but also to the public as well as friends and family of Sophie and Sylvia to commemorate what would have been Sophie's 23rd Birthday."

Where was the event held?

"Manchester Cathedral Gardens was the perfect venue due to the tranquil yet poignant atmosphere right in the heart of Manchester City Centre. The news teams, including the BBC, ITV, Metro, Channel 5 and Sky News were there to film and interview Sylvia prior to the speech."

What happened?

"The crowd started to gather around 6:30pm whilst Sylvia went from interview to interview with a bunch of 23 black balloons.

At 7pm, after an incredibly moving speech where Sylvia thanked everyone for coming, Illamasqua for our donations and support and spoke about the Foundation and it's long term aims, Sophie's best friend released the balloons into the night sky. The film was then played and there was not a dry eye among the 150 plus people that came to pay their respects.

The film continued on a loop until 11pm and people came and went, but all were completely silent whilst the film played out. It was hauntingly beautiful. Afterwards, we had a candlelit reception for the press, family and friends of the Lancasters."

I also spoke with Julian Kynaston, Chairman and founder of Illamasqua, to ask him about his thoughts and feelings of the evening...

What were your thoughts on the evening?

"I enjoyed it very much. Whilst the film was playing, I didn't watch it but watched the faces of those who had not seen it before and half of them were in tears and the other half who knew her could not bring themselves to watch it.

I knew then that we had accomplished what we had set out to do - to show everyone the harrowing reality of intolerance and prejudice that exists in our society today. To see so many people in one place come together and to stir that kind of emotion up in them was important to me. We cannot let anyone forget the case of Sophie Lancaster or what her case represents in wider society."

Why does Illamasqua have such strong ties with the Sophie Foundation?

"The two are intrinsically linked - when Illamasqua was at it's very early stages, when we were just cementing the core values of the brand - the celebration of individualism and the beauty of the sub-cultures, from goths to punks to club kids to drag queens and everyone inbetween - along comes this innocent young woman who simply because of the clothes that she wore had been targetted by a group of youths and murdered. I was disgusted, outraged and absolutely heartbroken that the values we are trying to promote at Illamasqua had been used against someone.

Illamasqua encourages you to look different and yet here was this young woman who had been killed precisely because of that. I got in contact with Sylvia and vowed to help support the charity. There was never the "we are a company who must find a charity to make ourselves look good" mentality; it is part of our DNA now."

How much has Illamasqua raised for the Sophie charity so far?

"On the night, we presented Sylvia with a cheque for £5,000 which rounds up the figure we have raised through sales of our Sophie pencil.

We also had representatives selling the Sophie pencil and wristbands on the night. After the reception Sylvia, some friends and myself went out for dinner and Sylvia presented me with a framed picture of Sophie. Words cannot express the feeling that I felt at that moment.

I feel very confident that the Sophie Lancaster Foundation can only go from strength to strength."

The global media coverage, response from internet communities and the general public has been phenomenal. At last count, the film has had over 30,000 views on Youtube in little more than a day and last night saw the international premier on MTV. Thank you to everyone who has helped with the production of this film and to those of you who have watched and circulated it - let's continue our efforts to ensure that this moving film is seen by as many people as possible.

"This film is to mark Sophie's birthday. This film is not pulling any punches. The message is too important, it has to go out there." Sylvia Lancaster

New Trend?

Are the lower lashes the new upper lashes? When a style setter such as Agyness Deyn rock the look, you can guarantee that this is what all the cool kids will be up to over the Christmas party season.

I tried the look with our False Eye Lashes 23 - the ones with the green shot through. I think the effectiveness of Agyness' look is highlighted by that super dark, glossy blunt fringe to accentuate her blue eyes.


What do you think?

I also hope you are all rocking your Sophie wristbands today...

Sophie: A Dark Angel

At Illamasqua, our core values lie in our support of tolerance and celebration of individualism and personal identity. We are also proud to support the Sophie Lancaster Foundation - Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere.

In August 2007, Sophie Lancaster was kicked to death, simply for dressing differently. Two years on, and in tribute to the outgoing, bubbly girl who was denied the chance to live life her way, we have commissioned a short film by award-winning French director, Fursy Teyssier.

Produced by creative agency Propaganda, in association with iconic British band, Portishead [who very kindly donated the title track], Dark Angel is a beautifully haunting rendition of Sophies story. This video has been released today on Youtube as today would have been Sophie Lancaster's 23rd Birthday.

The aim of the film is to raise awareness of The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and generate £500,000 to help educate young people about tolerance. Since Sophie's death, we've been working with behavioral experts Huthwaite International, to put together an interactive youth workshop that does just that.

But this essential education programme can only be delivered with your help.
Please, please show your support watch the film and make a donation.

We're hoping to reach over 1,000,000 hits, so forward the link and help us spread the message. If you have your own website, blog, Facebook, MySpace or You Tube page, or a Twitter profile, please display a link to the film.

As well as the YouTube video and plenty of coverage on the BBC, GMTV, local newspapers etc, the short film will be getting an international premiere today, Thursday November 26th on MTV Europe - during an ad break of The Hills at 9:15pm UK time - everyone tune in!

I haven't actually been able to watch this video without bursting in to tears yet so if you manage to stay dry eyed, please tell me how!

Stand up for Sophie act now and buy an Illamasqua Sophie pencil, wristband or make a donation - £3 from every sale of the Sophie pencil will go straight to the charity.

Pixiwoo have also created a lovely tutorial video in memory of Sophie.

Manchester Blogger Event

Friday 4th September saw the Manchester Blogger Event at Ithaca in central Manchester. This fabulous location mirrored the Dystopia collection superbly!



As I have very little knowledge of Manchester, I asked Krystle and Lucy [two of our gorgeous artists from Selfridges Trafford] to find me a suitable location and they really came up trumps with the dark, edgy and sultry atmosphere of this exclusive Manchester bar.

With a mix of modern and traditional pan asian canapes and some seriously cool looking cocktails, the bloggers who attended got to chat with Leena, Krystle, Lucy, Alex Box and myself about the new collection and the hero products within it.

Alex Box created a dramatic Dystopia look on Mizzworthy using the directional products from the collection.

We also had a very special guest come to the event - Sylvia Lancaster. Sylvia is the Mother of Sophie Lancaster who was tragically killed in August 2007 by a group of thugs for simply looking different to them. As you all know, Illamasqua support the Sophie Lancaster Foundation by donating £3 from every Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' [our blackest black pencil] to the charity. Sylvia gave a touching speech on her life after the death of her daughter and what the charity is doing to raise awareness.

On a personal note, it was really lovely to meet Sylvia and I greatly admire her for the work she is doing and her selfless attitude. She is an inspiration to us all.

I would also like to thank the artists and the bloggers for attending and I hope you had fun checking out the latest collection!

Sophie Lancaster Press Release

As Monday approaches, I thought you might like to see the Press Release to mark the second Anniversary of Sophie Lancaster's death, written by the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.


A Unique Mark Of Respect For A Unique Woman
The Death Of Sophie Lancaster - Two Years On

Sophie Lancaster was a Goth. She was also an intelligent 20 year old woman with a bright future. She was beaten up and killed simply for looking different in August 2007. Now, two years on, to mark the anniversary of her death on Monday 24th August, make-up artists across the UK are celebrating the girl who loved to experiment with her looks.

Top make-up brand, Illamasqua - the UK based premium make-up brand that has rapidly grown a cult following worldwide after launching with Selfridges London in November last year - has supported the charity set up in Sophie's name, The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, since the day it launched.

And, to mark the anniversary of Sophie's death on Monday, the brand has announced this as its official day of mourning. All of the staff working on Illamasqua's seven national beauty counters - in leading department stores in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin - will be showing their respect and promoting tolerance by wearing black silk arm bands.

All of the counters will be showing bold and beautiful on-screen imagery of Sophie, with messages about the foundation's work. Anybody who buys the SOPHIE black pencil on the Illamasqua counters on this day will also receive a SOPHIE wrist band, enabling all who wear it to show the world they believe in tolerance and respect for all cultures - including sub-cultures.

Illamasqua, which has its roots firmly based in tolerance and self expression will also show its respect and support for Sophie's family, by closing down its website and web shop, which receives over 4,000 worldwide hits a day. Instead, the site will display the charity's haunting advertisement, with a smiling picture of Sophie and a poignant message that reminds everyone to be more tolerant of each other.


On this day, visitors will be able to purchase just one product online - the Illamasqua SOPHIE pencil, where £3 goes directly to the charity.

Sylvia Lancaster, Sophie's mother and driving force behind the Sophie Lancaster Foundation comments, "I want Sophie's story to be an inspiration to us all to live in tolerance and to celebrate everyone's right to be who they want to be. The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Illamasqua are intrinsically linked - both promote and fight for the freedome to self-express.

"I applaud Illamasqua on its day of mourning for Sophie. It is simply about reminding people that they must take a stand and be exactly who they want to be, whoever or whatever that is - and that is also one of the main ovjectives of Sophie's charity. She would be thrilled."

A Very Special Meeting

Today I went to a great meeting today between our PR Agency and representatives of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, who work for the creative agency, Propaganda. To read more about the Sophie Foundation, click here.

The plan was to discuss how we can get the Sophie Lancaster Foundation [and the work done by her Mother, Sylvia] into the media spotlight where it belongs. Sylvia has worked tirelessly since the murder of her daughter and met with influential politicians such as Jack Straw and Michael Gove to work towards changing the law that would see thugs who target sub cultures get sentenced under hate crime laws. I was astonished to discover today that most cases of violence towards people for looking different is not classified as a hate crime - ie, being attacked for your race or sexual orientation.

After the meeting, I went with Emma and Claire [who work closely with Sylvia and recently redesigned the website and the Myspace page, as well as launching a twitter] for a coffee to talk in more detail about the foundation and where the money raised goes.

"The bulk of the donations that the charity receives will be ploughed back into national educational workshops. The S.O.P.H.I.E workshops have been created to educate young people about subcultures and teach them how to be tolerant and accepting of everyone.

Money will also be spent on the promotion of tolerance via events, sponsorship and materials.
The Sophie Lancaster Foundation is actively lobbying parliament to drive a change in the hate crime legislation to support and protect subcultures, and some funds will also be used to facilitate this ongoing drive." Says Claire Anderson, charity representative.

Next week is the second anniversary of Sophie's death on Monday we will be focusing you will be able to purchase S.O.P.H.I.E wristbands and the Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' - our best selling black pencil.

I hope you will support us in promoting this wonderful charity in remembrance of a beautiful, innocent girl targeted for nothing more than the clothes she was wearing. To read more about this, check out this previous blog post.

*You can also purchase S.O.P.H.I.E merchandise here.*

S.O.P.H.I.E - Stamp Out Prejudice and Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere

It is my personal belief that whilst it's OK to enjoy the successes that creating a critically and comercially acclaimed cosmetic brand brings, it is important for companies [not just fashion and beauty] to use their exposure to promote worthwhile causes and charities. So much has gone into creating Illamasqua as a brand that champions empowerment, experimentation, individuality and tolerance that you have to truly believe in the values of Illamasqua as much as the product for the brand to realise it's full potential. To highlight what I mean about values, I would like to tell you about Sophie Lancaster:

Sophie Lancaster, a 20 year old gap year student and her 21 year old student boyfriend Robert Maltby were walking through a park in Lancashire, UK in the early hours of August 11th 2007, when a group of youths attacked them without provocation. The severity of the attack was such that both Sophie and Robert's injuries left them in a coma. After two weeks, Robert showed signs of improvement but it became clear that Sophie's injuries were such that her family took the overwhelmingly tough and courageous decision to switch off her life support machine and she died.

During the subsequent trial, the judge labelled the attack as "feral thuggery" and remarked that the behaviour of the attackers "degrades humanity itself."

It is widely recognised that the attack on Sophie and Robert was provoked simply for their belonging to a different subculture. As the prosecution team at the trial of the murder acknowledged; “Sophie and Robert were singled out not for anything they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently."

Sophie’s Mother, Sylvia Lancaster, has since set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation a charity that works to raise awareness of social prejudice and work towards a more liberal, less aggressive society. Illamasqua is a proud sponsor of this charity and we even have a black Medium Pencil called Sophie in her memory. This Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' is our best selling product - a rich inky black pencil that is super-blendable and the type of pencil that is irresistably strong and intense on the waterline. £3 of the selling price goes straight to the charity - I will find out how much we have raised so far and let you all know.

We also sell S.O.P.H.I.E wristbands for £2 [all proceeds go to the charity] so next time you place your Illamasqua order online, be sure to pick up one of these and show your support for an extremely brilliant charity.

Lazula80 wrote a wonderful heartfelt post about Sophie recently and I'd like to thank her for inspiring this post. Click here to read it.

Check out the myspace page for the charity here.