Glow Up - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agreed with the judges about who was in the top and who was in the bottom for the music video challenge. Jack's pink makeup with winged lines was bold and graphic so it looked good in the long shots (and honestly, how many close ups do you get of a backup dancer's face in a music video?). Sophie's big smoky eye with gold flakes was also bold and easy to see from a distance.

In contrast, Dolli's was too literal and too detailed. Who the hell is going to see those tiny birds on the model's temples? And the makeup was supposed to complement the background, not look the same. Hated the orange lipstick. But I do give her credit for staying calm and making changes when she was told by Rankin that the makeup wasn't working. Craig's metallic green eyes looked very dated but generic.

But weird that the places were completely reversed for the second challenge. I've never gotten the feeling that the creative challenge is significantly weighted more than the first challenge (unlike GBBO where it's obvious that the showstopper is weighted much more heavily than the signature and technical challenges to the point where they will completely ignore someone failing at the first two if they do something amazing in the showstopper) which made me think that since each of them did well in one challenge and badly in the other challenge, they should have had all four of them do the face off. I guess the only problem would have been finding quadruplets, but I would have been fine with two sets of twins since this was a full face of makeup and it was really just about blending to get a good gradient.

I thought that Jack and Sophie's makeups looked pretty similar - black foreheads, green/red from the eyelid down. Neither of them did much ombré with the black and other color in the middle. But Sophie had more of a gradient within the red so she won by default. In the yellow example, there was no gradient in the yellow itself. The gradient was all in the black/yellow mixture in the middle of the face which neither Sophie nor Jack did.

[TVbitch]

I felt the same about Dolli this week, @BellaR. I've been waiting and hoping she would live up to her initial splash, but she just hasn't. I was like WTF?!!! when she immediately went clouds/birds after Rankin insisted they NOT be literal! Based on the looks she creates in her packaged bits, I think she could get gigs doing makeup for people going to clubs/parties/occasions, but I can't see her as an all-rounder professional MUA. 

I was disappointed by all of the "secret pleasures" looks. I would not have guessed any of them, except that Craig's had something to do with music and Jack's was Japanese look. Dolli's did not say "time alone," nor did it look anything like a black hole! Even if Sophie had finished, that hardly said kid's cartoon show to me. These looks should have been way more creative and fun! Frankly, I would rather have seen Val's "potato chips and caramel apple" look or Dominic's "Murder She Wrote." I bet those would be a blast! 

While neither MUA really met the face off challenge, I actually liked Jack's result better than Dolli's. Although his forehead was mostly just black, he had more black coming all they way down through his green, whereas Dolli's was just a black forehead with red that then gradated to less red. It looked more striped to me than Jack's. I hope Jack does give Rankin a call. He was a natural on set.

PS. I noticed at least one of the models in this episode was featured on the last episode of Rankin's "Great British Photography Challenge." 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

36 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

These looks should have been way more creative and fun! Frankly, I would rather have seen Val's "potato chips and caramel apple" look or Dominic's "Murder She Wrote." I bet those would be a blast! 

Ha, yes, I would love to see both of those!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

S3.E8

Quote

It’s the final of Glow Up, and three MUAs still have the chance to be crowned Britain’s Next Make-Up Star. After seven weeks of industry assignments, the judges have opened up their personal black books to put the finalists in front of a global panel of industry heavyweights. To help further the MUAs' careers after the competition, the judges ask them to present their signature make-up styles in a masterclass to industry giants such as Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty, beauty influencers and professional MUAs. If they impress, the panel could book them for jobs in the future.

The guest judge this week is masterclass mogul Lisa Eldridge, who joins Val, Dominic and the panel to watch the MUAs present individually. each must showcase their USP by creating a signature look, be engaging, explain their techniques and deliver great make-up under pressure.

The next day in Glow Up Studios, the MUAs take on their final Creative Brief. They must show the judges a look that demonstrates what makes them unstoppable as a MUA, encapsulating how they have grown throughout the competition. One MUA’s interpretation of unstoppable is based on crystals, which have helped her get to where she is, using the colours as well as unconventional items such as dried lavender and crystals. Another MUA draws inspiration from MRI brain scans and endorphins, hoping his positivity pays off and showing that if you put your mind into it, you can be unstoppable. The last finalist lights up her model with UV paint, in her daughter’s favourite colour, showing her inner warrior that signifies she will always be by her daughter’s side.

Once the Creative Brief is over, the judges must decide which MUA has fallen at the last hurdle and which two head into the final Face Off, with only one being crowned winner of Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star.

Original air date: 6/8/21

Edited June 7, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[BellaR]

The final three did so well in their master classes. Sophie showed that she is incredibly knowledgeable about makeup and special effects makeup. Craig did the same when it comes to skin, and makeup for men. I love that Dolli was so confident and professional. She did a great job of expressing her style. I liked Dolli and Sophie's creative looks more than Craig's, but Dolli has had a habit of not being precise in her looks. That being said, her model was a close second to Sophie's. I loved Craig's inspiration, but I think that he was just missing a step or two.

Based on the final face off brief, the right person won, but all three finalists have bright futures. I am so happy that Dolli received so may job offers. She deserves it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

All three of the finalists did well in their tutorials/presentations!

For the final challenge, I liked the colors Dolli chose but once again, she was just a bit too messy. Craig also had some very vivid colors which I loved. Sophie's was much more of a beauty makeup than I expected from her but it was so beautiful. Her finished makeup was really striking.

In the last face off, I was distracted by the orangish color that Craig chose for his model's foundation. I wished that Sophie had filled in her model's eyebrows a tiny bit because there was a small gap between where the top of the eye shadow color ended and the bottom of her eyebrows.

Congratulations to Sophie!

If Craig decides to keep doing tutorials, I hope he takes some kind of voice lessons so that he can knock it off with that super annoying vocal fry. It drove me crazy most of the season but it was even more apparent in the last episode because there were only three of them left.

 

[TVbitch]

I was not rooting for Sophie going in, cuz I'm just not that into the gore/special effects looks, so when she said she realized she hadn't done a lot of beauty and wanted to show that she could for the final challenge, I was like, ooh, is she gonna win me over. ...She did! That was a WOW. Dolli and Craig did okay, but Sophie's look was beyond! Glad they will all be getting some professional opportunities from this, cuz that is the real prize of the show. 

[Leeds]

I don't care how successful Val is professionally, I find her, her voice, and her pretentious comments unbearable.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Leeds

[Darian]

I love this show and was so glad to see it back. I'm only up to The Crown episode, but spoiled myself early on, read the whole thread, and go back and read the comments for each episode as I watch. You all make it even more enjoyable. I'm loving the challenges, Dolli's a favorite, but I'm not rooting against anyone and just enjoying it. I don't mind "ding dong," though I can see how it grates. I just feel like I learn a lot and love seeing people do what they love well. 

When I watched the first episode I couldn't remember if they specified pronouns for each MUA in the first two seasons (I have memory damage), but I'm happy to see it. I'm cis-het but always use mine in online profiles and conversations, and am such a goof, because that first episode, I was trying to memorize their pronouns like I was going to run into them on the street (I'm also homebound) and didn't want to get them wrong! 

[RoxiP]

On 12/11/2020 at 3:57 PM, Ciarrai said:

Not a fan of the winner of either season but especially season 2. I didn't like a single thing she did all season.

And I thought if she didn't win the whole show was a travesty.  Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

[Aulty]

There is a charity episode of Glow Up in support of Red Nose Day. Its available to UK viewers on BBC Three (via the iPlayer). As is the Irish version of this show: Glow Up Ireland, which already aired last year on RTE in Ireland (be careful if you google the show and don't want to be spoiled)

Edited March 25, 2022 by Aulty

[Aulty]

Series 4 of Glow Up starts next Wednesday at 8 pm on BBC Three!

[Aulty]

I wish the dermatologist was given the chance to explain in a couple of sentences how to correctly apply make up to the gym.

Purple haired girl had a really good week and she seems a really good sport all around.
Was it Ryan who asked about his model's pronouns? And someone else inquiring about allergies or sensitive skin or something like that.
Good catch by Val that the lass with the peeled off skin missed an eye on a piece of her lose skin.

Why did Charly not do the face off challenge? I'm not sure if he didn't know what to do, or if he had planned to do this all along? I don't know if his message is what people will take away from this.

[TVbitch]

Not sure what was up with Charly. If it was some kind of statement or protest, this show (and I imagine its audience) is not really a venue that displays any kind of prejudice, so it was maybe misplaced. 

[TVbitch]

Okay, I know the younger generations are all about self-expression, but I do not think the contestant showing up to a professional assignment wearing elf make up, complete with pointy ears, was appropriate. I also found Mikail (?) to be disrespectful to the visiting professional in that he clearly did not give a hoot about her input.  

 

[Aulty]

I am not that good at nor that invested in make up, but the  bright eyeliner and mascara trend is something that I really love - yellow and green are my colours. The first challenge was right up my street and I might even check out that brand's products.
Even I knew Lisa was in trouble before the judges said it out loud - girl, why didn't you just put two seperate lines of eyeliner instead of mixing it.

I am probably in the minority, but the 'tell us your story' creative briefs are starting to bore me.

[TVbitch]

I was glad the first challenge was a simple beauty challenge. I watch more for that than for the creatures and prosthetic stuff, and I also am starting to tire of the "your story" creative briefs. A lot of them are not that attractive or engaging to look at. I want to see gorgeous or magical looks. I don't think this crop of MUA's is quite up to the previous standards. 

[oldCJ]

On 6/4/2022 at 10:42 AM, Aulty said:

I am probably in the minority, but the 'tell us your story' creative briefs are starting to bore me.

I completely agree. Worse is how often a contestant pours their heart into their incredibly personal idea and the judges tear it apart. 

I think it’s very telling that the two MUAs who excelled at the makeups for the largest worldwide audiences don’t do as well in the creative briefs. This show feels more like Face Off with special effects and prosthetics as the emphasis rather than actual makeup. 

[Aulty]

I wasn't mad keen on any of the rave inspired looks, they all felt pretty save. The expert judge was great though - not that I know who he is, but the Rhianna looks were damn good, and he came over as really knowledgeable and pleasant.

The creative briefs are like Skin Wars challenges.
How many of those bark, moss and plant looks have we had this season? At least one every week.

I think I would get rid of the Face Off and have a weekly masterclass instead, maybe with a technical challenge - teach them those tricky  techniques that they can use in their professional assignments and give the audience a chance to take away a tip or two.

[Aulty]

Wee donkey, that face off challenge was brought to us by Julia Fox's thirst tour of early 2022.

[Aulty]

I thought Lisa had it in the bag, but I am not mad about her being pipped by Yong-chin. For me, YC was better in the face off, but Lisa's creative challenge was the strongest of the 3 by a mile and a half.
They wheel Rankin out on every competition show nowadays, he's gonna be on Bake Off next, shooting cakes.

[TVbitch]

I love this show, but this was not a very entertaining season for me. The over emphasis on prosthetics and creatures was not my jam. Even the female judge observing the final creative brief sighed... "I'm getting bored with all the prosthetics!" Yeah, me too. Hopefully next season they will tweak things and get back to more challenges/briefs that involve glamour or period looks and emphasize make up techniques/artistry. 

It seemed obvious throughout the competition that only YC or Lisa had enough talent to win, but then in the finale Lisa clearly won the creative brief, and she arguably did better in the demo challenge, yet she lost to YC. Granted, YC did better in the face off, but I didn't care for her frog look at all, so the finale felt kind of awkward. Let's hope next season is better! 

Edited July 1, 2022 by TVbitch

[Kroliosis]

Maybe the 90s rave scene in London was different, but none of those looks were 90s rave looks by US standards.  I went to many back in the day.  I wouldn’t describe them as “grungy” either. 

[xander874]

Not much talk about Season 4 so I will toss in my 2 cents. I am happy that Yong-Chin won although I thought Lisa was overall the most consistent with her looks. I will again throw out my annoyance that this show has become more a Face-Off than a make-up show. It's mostly about body paint and prosthetics, which is nice but I wish they would mix up the main challenges to include traditional make-up looks. I do appreciate they do them for the mini-challenges and final cuts but they don't spend enough time getting into the actual techniques of these big paints and I would like some more of that.

Ding-dong baby! (sigh...)

[BusyOctober]

I am not in this industry, but my teen and I enjoy(ed) watching over the years.  This batch of MUAs is…meh.  I am also over all the repetitive prosthetic work & the whacky body painting.  I get they can’t do “beauty” every week, but too many extreme makeups is not enjoyable IMO.  Theatrical looks, editorials, a few ‘out there’ looks to push them, but if these MUAs are not shooting for careers on a SciFi production, maybe throw in some real life challenges?  A wedding party or a prom?  Showing young teens how to apply makeup as a form of expression? I love the idea of including master classes to show a technique, then making them execute it.  The final could be asking them to use 2-4 of the techniques learned in one grand masterpiece.

[Aulty]

I don't know if this is going to come to Netflix, but Channel 4 (on E4 or All4) has that new hair styling show - The Big Blow Out. Its a similar structure to Glow Up, but for hair stylists. They managed to get some big brands for challenges and so far the show has also had hair colouring and a cutting challenge (if anyone remembers the short lived show Hair on the BBC, this is a lot better). And the judges (Sam McKnight and Lisa Farrall) are pleasant enough, and AJ Odudu is gorgeous and brings good positive energy as presenter.

I just wish they would explain their techniques a bit more.

Edited October 15, 2022 by Aulty

[Aulty]

New series of Glow Up starts tonight at 8 on BBC3, but the first episode is already available on iPlayer.

[TVbitch]

Hope it is not all monster makeup this season! So far, looks like some promising talent and a couple very cool looks. Is this yet another new host?  I wonder why they can't find someone who sticks. 

[Aulty]

Gotta say, she is my favourite host by far and she is gorgeous. But, I've decided to remove this show from my watch list after the first episode. I am just not interested anymore. There is nothing relatable or educational in this show for make up noobs like me.

I will leave you with a massive 🙄 for Val's 'I used the vacuum to make my lips look like Kylie's' glasses.

[rollacoaster]

The show is back! Season 5 has eight episodes, and the MUAs are tasked with doing makeup for some highly recognizable shows and brands!

[RoxiP]

I binged this entire season this weekend and there were some amazing makeups done (not going to even mention the winner because I want somebody else to watch it and discuss it with me!).  I have no clue who the host was - she was very nice and beautiful but the woman definitely never wore an entire outfit...never seen so much skin in my life in a show where people wear clothes (however if I looked like her in next to nothing can't say I wouldn't walk around like she did...LOL!).

[anniebird]

It almost never happens, but my favorite 3 made it to the finals. I don't know who won yet but I'm good with any of them. What makes me laugh about this show is how the contestants greet the person who survives the face-off -- you'd think they were coming back from the dead. 

[xander874]

I think Roo was talented but the last couple of episodes she gave off this superiority vibe which I didn’t love. It obviously bothered her to not get a ding dong towards the end. But having said that, she did deserve to make it to the finals as did the other two. Saphron deserved the win and am happy for her. 
 

And speaking to stank attitudes, Wezley annoyed me a bit too. He was way too cocky at times and I actually laughed when he was so confident in that faceoff with the Smokey eye and then got cut. He did not see that coming. 
 

Overall an okay season. I feel they keep veering into FX as the primary makeup and I love the glamour looks. 

[RoxiP]

I agree that Saphron was the clear winner.  She consistently delivered good results in both the glamour and the special effects makeups and had great communication skills with the clients.  I think Roo has great skills (and the world's most unattractive hairstyle - sorry - JMO) but I don't think she listened to her clients as well.  The other guy (sorry, it's been a few weeks and chemo has decimated my short term memory!) did surprisingly well...I wouldn't have picked him to make final 3 but he came up surprisingly strong the last few episodes.

Edited October 2, 2023 by RoxiP

[Ancaster]

I've just started watching this season and, OMG, that stupid woman judge doesn't get any less ridiculous.  How can she even see through those astonishingly hideous glasses.  And how can she not know that the whole ding dong thing has not a single redeeming aspect?  She may be a highly respected professional in the industry (I have no idea because I know nothing about this world) but she comes across as a complete dick in terms of personality and style.

[RoxiP]

I do agree - those are ugly glasses - but her schtick seems to be working for her.

I like that these contestants get exposure to the professional world in the first challenge - I wonder if some of the contestants who might not win the challenge but who do very well are utilized by the client, or even whether the winner has been given employment opportunities after their initial reward for winning.  

[Texasmom1970]

I hate to sound like a dumbass, but is the ding dong crap she says popular in England. Is it a real saying or is she just trying to make it happen? 🙂

[Ancaster]

8 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

I hate to sound like a dumbass, but is the ding dong crap she says popular in England. Is it a real saying or is she just trying to make it happen? 🙂

Not a real saying, and I can't imagine it ever "happening".  In fact, I think the harder she tries, the more likely it is to just become a source of mockery.

[RoxiP]

It seems to have not bothered the powers that be on four iterations of this show so I guess it is working for her...I agree - it sounds like she is trying to channel The Wizard of Oz or something - but getting her affirmation seems to be desirable to the contestants - something like a Paul Hollywood handshake I guess.  

[Texasmom1970]

On 10/4/2023 at 7:54 AM, RoxiP said:

It seems to have not bothered the powers that be on four iterations of this show so I guess it is working for her...I agree - it sounds like she is trying to channel The Wizard of Oz or something - but getting her affirmation seems to be desirable to the contestants - something like a Paul Hollywood handshake I guess.  

In my opinion and my preference is to get a Paul Hollywood handshake. And to be close enough to look into those mesmerizing blue eyes. 😁

[BryroseA]

I liked that they switched up the finale order and did the master class last, announcing the winner in front of the audience - it felt like a better arc. 
 

This was a fun season to watch, as always, but I do feel the creative looks - like last season - continue to feel very “same-y.” Same kinds of prosthetics, same placements, same color blends, someone adds moss, etc. I really don’t think the show has ever managed to hit the artistry levels of Season 2 - particularly Ophelia. Her Bangkok neon lights look, or the full moon / dark face look were so stunning I remember them today - just with makeup. 

[redpencil]

I always wonder with this show how far ahead of time they're able to prepare for their creative briefs. Could they do challenges where they're not allowed to prepare ahead? Maybe just give them 30 minutes or whatever to sketch and plan. Other competition shows like this have always done that, and I feel like this show sometimes suffers from lack of spontaneity. I know that would mean they can't create prosthetics or whatever ahead of time, but might be more interesting. Maybe not every challenge, but at least sometimes!

[Ancaster]

I just finished watching season 5 and I'm glad Saphron won because, though I know nothing about makeup, it seemed to me like she was the best, plus she was likeable!  I was bothered every time her name was onscreen though because of the spelling.  It did seem like Axel was really picking up steam by the end.

I thought Roo should have been out earlier because of her time management issues.  She was like the Dawn of Top Chef, if anyone watches that.

I wasn't engaged the way I had been in previous seasons, in large part I think because if I want to see prosthetics I'll watch Face Off.