Hi, soap007! I agree with soapbuddy - I'd mix the powdered oxide with a bit of glycerin, rubbing alcohol, or your fragrance oil before adding it to your base. (I usually use rubbing alcohol for M&P, glycerin for CP.) Mix it really well so you don't have clumps. If you have a mini whisk, that helps. Sounds like the dark green spotting was where the oxides clumped or didn't get fully incorporated. If you use the liquid colors, make sure you shake the bottle well because the oxide and the glycerin tend to separate.
It is tough to get a good red color. The best I could ever get out of the non-bleeding red semi-liquid was pink. BB's Merlot Sparkle mica (
http://www.brambleberry.com/Merlot-Spar ... P3064.aspx) is a nice, deep red color with a bit of shimmer. The Liquid Red Oxide (
http://www.brambleberry.com/Liquid-Red- ... P4484.aspx) is nice, too, but it's more of a brick red than a bright red.