Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star (2019–…): Season 4, Episode 1 - Episode #4.1 - full transcript

[theme music playing]

Come on, guys. We haven't got all day

Let's go

Ding-dong, darling

[Maya Jama] The search is back

From thousands of aspiring makeup artists,

ten of the best MUAs have been chosen

Strap yourselves in

Ooh, okay

- [artist] You're like my first-ever model
- Aw!

[Maya] They'll be judged
by industry heavyweights...



- [gasps]
- It's too much!

- Oh, yeah. That's great
- [softly] I'm scared

This looks amazing. It's really cool

[Maya] ...working
on professional assignments...

The shape is still not there
She's not getting it

[Maya] We need to get a move on, move on

- [sighs]
- It is fierce

[Maya] ...and demonstrating
their talents in the creative briefs

- Sometimes you have to shout!
- [model exclaims]

[mimics explosion] My mind's just blown

- I look a bit like Piglet, innit?
- You have definitely dinged my dong!

- [gasps and squeals]
- [cheering]

[laughing]

- Nearly wet meself
- Please don't



[voice breaks] This is the power
of makeup to tell a story

[Maya] Each week,
the two who fail to deliver...

If you're not careful,
you're gonna fade into the background

[Maya] ...will go head-to-head
in a Face Off...

[gasps]

...until just one remains

to win the contract assisting
some of the biggest makeup artists

in the business

It's going to be a very big statement

It's time to Glow Up

This year, for the first time ever,

we're dropping our brand-new aspiring MUAs
right into the thick of it,

on location at their first-ever
professional assignment

[funky music plays]

This is Birmingham, home to Gymshark,

one of the world's
fastest-growing fitness brands

[artists laughing]

I am buzzing! Like, game on,
game face, everything. I'm ready

[all exclaim]

- Hi
- Oh, my gosh

Welcome, MUAs

It is so lovely to see all of your faces

Who's excited?

[all cheer]

Yeah, I could hear the "yas"
from down the corridor

- That was me. [laughs]
- That was you?

Well, first off, congratulations

You are all this year's chosen ones

As you know, there is no Glow Up
without the two legends,

Val Garland and Dominic Skinner

[cheering]

[Maya] L'Oréal Paris
global makeup director Val Garland

has been creating iconic looks
for industry heavyweights

in music, design, and fashion
for over 25 years

Dominic Skinner has spearheaded
global campaigns for MAC Cosmetics

and created showstopping looks
at fashion weeks across the world

Today, you have been booked
to do the makeup

on a social media campaign
for a global fitness brand...

Gymshark

[all cheer]

Go, team

[Maya] Since it launched in 2012,

Gymshark has become
one of the most influential

fitness and apparel brands
of the 21st century

The power of social media
has been key to their success

We really want to engage our followers

We want to harness new audiences

But also, we really want to inspire them

This week's guest judge
is Ivy Weir-Ikpeme,

who is the styling manager
for the campaign

For our latest campaign, we want you
to create a natural makeup look

that is durable for a workout,
that keeps health at its core,

and ultimately keeps
our 17 million followers

from scrolling by,
and get them looking at our campaign

To achieve this, I want you
to include one fitspiration feature

that puts your stamp on the look,

whether that be accentuating the brow,
having a bold eye, or a fierce lip

[Val] The winning MUA's look

will go live
across the brand's social media channels

- This is huge, right?
- Yes

Just 17 million. [laughs]

I will need the models to be ready
to be photographed in two hours

So go and get your kits,
and I don't mean a gym kit

- [all laugh]
- So, off you go

[all speaking excitedly]

[groovy music playing]

Wow, this is like Christmas. I love it

This will be completely out
of my comfort zone

I've just done beauty campaigns
This is, like, fitness,

so it's a whole different vibe
that they're looking for

Ooh, okay

This is so exciting. Love a fresh palette

- Ooh! These are lit
- Ooh! Look at the colors

I'm just so excited. It's like a kid
in a candy store. [chuckles]

[Maya] The MUAs have
each been assigned a model...

Do you wanna have a seat?

[Nancé] Ooh, you're mine. Oh, my God

[Maya] ...and given a mood board

to help inspire their natural look
with a standout feature

What's your pronouns
by the way, just so...?

- She/her
- She/her? Fab

Over the past couple of years,
the whole world has gone online,

which suited makeup artists perfectly

In their bedrooms, all over the world,
people have been playing with makeup

But we have young artists
joining the industry,

who've only ever done makeup
on themselves

This is really exciting
You're, like, my first ever...

- Aw!
- ...model. [chuckles]

[Val] That's why we have
the professional assignments

Feel like a little chef in his kitchen

Only thing is I'm in the gym

It's a brand-new situation that will test
whether they've got what it takes

[Maya] Hiya, Ryan

Hi, Maya. You all right?

I'm good. How are you?

Belting! I'm excited

- Is this something you're used to doing?
- Yeah

But, in general, like,
I do avant-garde looks, though

- You like the more fabulous stuff?
- Definitely

So, I definitely had to tone this down
a little bit more than usual

[mellow music plays]

[artist] Your skin is so nice
that you don't even need

a lot of stuff going on on your face

[Maya] For elementary schoolteacher
and self-taught MUA, Lisa,

the natural look
is anything but child's play

I'm worried about sort of getting
the skin right, mostly,

because, obviously, only having
ever done skin on myself,

I want to get it looking
really nice and dewy

without looking, like, oily
or sweaty. [chuckles]

[pulsing music plays]

I teach any age group
from Reception to Year Six

When I was talking to the kids in my class

and telling them that they could
be whoever they wanted

and achieve whatever they wanted,

I realized that I hadn't
really listened to my own advice,

and it made me think

I need to actually, like, try
and follow my true passion

and get into makeup as a career

I have always suffered
with anxiety and low confidence,

and I think that is partly why
I didn't go into makeup straightaway

The thing that I most hope
that I get through Glow Up

is showing myself
that even though I have those doubts,

that actually I can do this

- I'm just gonna massage your skin as well
- Mm-hmm

[Rachel] With the less is more,

what you'll find
is it's actually a lot harder,

because you're adding product

but it's meant to look
like they're not wearing any product

This is my first experience with a brief
like the one that we've got today

Your hair's so soft

[Maya] Also stepping out
of their comfort zone

is 22-year-old self-taught MUA, Charlie

[sing-song] Hi

- Hi, angel
- How are you doing? How are you?

- I'm gorgeous. I'm okay
- Looking stunning

- Oh, thank you
- I'm not gonna lie

I've been watching you in those heels,
and not one trip or slip

- Almost
- Really?

- Yes
- You're carrying it off perfectly

[upbeat music plays]

[Charlie] I do suffer
from gender dysphoria,

a condition where your own biology
makes you uncomfortable

Makeup has been a huge step
in being somewhat at peace with myself

The ability to alter my presentation
and present as femme

is... is amazing

I'd like to raise my beautiful daughter

to not even think
about gender presentation

as such a strict thing

I just hope that she's
a well-rounded, progressive human being

I'm just focusing on skin at the moment

I'm trying not to get carried away

I keep saying,
"Do you think it's too heavy?"

It's hard with the brief, isn't it?

'Cause you want to stand out,

but then it's stripped-back makeup
at the same time

Oh, unreal

[gentle dreamy music playing]

Let's talk about Ryan
How is he getting on?

[Ivy] The base that he's using
is a bit too heavy for the model's skin

It's interesting, 'cause he started
to work on the neck

So clearly, his color correction
wasn't good from the get-go,

because if he got it correct,

he wouldn't have to start
blending the whole neck

So sorry. I'm just gonna pick
this little bit of hair off

How do you think Lisa's getting on?

So, I really love how her skin
is looking at the moment

She's got these lovely freckles,
didn't try and hide them

I'm pretty happy with it so far
I think it looks pretty natural,

but it still looks, like, nice and glowy
and even, so, yeah

MUAs, you've had one hour

You've got one hour to go

[Charlie] That was fast

That was way quicker than I thought

[Maya] Once the MUAs have completed
their stripped-back base,

they can move on
to the second part of the brief

Creating a fierce fitspiration design

that accentuates
one of the model's features

We want a look that has a bit of a pop
of something just a bit more

I feel like this line is quite sporty
It just gives it that extra dimension

[Ivy] We want our followers
to look at it and think,

"That's amazing. I can rock that."

I'm doing, like,
a really thin graphic eyeliner

in the shape of, like, a heartbeat

[Adam] I'm just adding
a subtle contour in the eye

I'm being quite minimal with it,
trying to strip back

[Maya] While some of the MUAs
keep things subtle,

Nancé's taking
a totally different approach

Right now, I'm just changing
the brow color to something bold

I'm trusting my gut

[uplifting electronic music plays]

I've been a freelance makeup artist
for almost ten years

I was born in Congo,

and I moved to the UK
when I was nine years old

I did not know a word of English. [laughs]

I've definitely had my struggles

I don't think
there's enough representation

for people of color
in the makeup industry

There's so many girls like me
who want to do makeup,

but it's scary not seeing
people who look like you

doing the things that you want to do

So, I definitely want
to be a face for that

Purple bleeds easily

I would hate for the purple
to bleed into the skin

Nancé, over there, she's doing
some stuff with the brows at the moment

We want them to engage,
but also sort of feel like

this is inspirational and it's achievable

And I'm not sure

that that look is going that way
at this present moment

I think what some of our MUAs
need to remember

is that this is a brief about the brand

Some of them, they're kind of doing
their own personal take

It concerns me a little bit

He got really nice eyebrows

So, I asked him,
what are his favorite colors

And, yeah, we came up
with red and turquoise

So, yeah

Right. Let's have a little gander

Yeah, I'm happy with the lip

[Ivy] MUAs, tick, tock

You have ten minutes to go

Seriously?

[bold electronic music playing]

Judges are here!

MUAs, one minute to go

Make it work

[suspenseful music playing]

Super happy with it

Brushes down! Stop it, Ryan
You're touching it too much

Noice

Glowing, natural, hydrated

Time's up, everyone

I need your models photographed

I think I dried up my skin too much
I'm so scared now

I want to hear the feedback now

[upbeat music plays]

[Maya] While the MUAs wait next door,
their looks will now be photographed

and a winner will be chosen
for the global campaign

All right, well done, everybody
You've completed your first assignment

How are we feeling?

- Ecstatic. Buzzing
- [laughing]

[Rachel] Seventeen million followers?

Like, they threw us
straight into the deep end. [laughs]

So, this is Rachel's model

It looks a tad too glamorous
for what we wanted from the brief

It doesn't have this essence of healthy

[Maya] Joining the judges to check
that the looks are skin-friendly

is the campaign's dermatologist,
Dr. Anjali Mahto

It all feels and looks a bit heavy
on the skin, you know

I wouldn't want somebody
wearing quite this much makeup

if they're about to do a workout

Here, we have Ryan's model

My biggest concern is, actually,
if you're going to the gym

and you have this much base on you,

you are likely to end up with spots

He's just missed the mark completely

[Val] So, this is Charlie

I was out of my comfort zone
I just hope that they enjoyed

what I created, I guess

I think this has all the elements
of an amazing beauty campaign shot

But we're looking for a shot

that, when you're scrolling
through on social media,

that you're like, "Oh, my God."

So, this is Nancé's model

It's just not keeping to the brand

It's engaging the customer
in the completely wrong way

There's too much makeup

This is Sophie's model

Maybe I went a bit overboard
I don't know. You never know

[Dominic] It could've been
just the orange,

it could've been just the blue,
just the highlight

By putting everything into the mix,
it ends up becoming too much,

so you can't really taste anything

Yeah. Here, we have Adam's model

[Val] Great skin,
great brows, great lashes

I am so bored

This is Kris's model

I think the dynamic nature of the eyeline
just doesn't fit with the model

Mikaél's model

I think it would've looked far better
if it was just the red

This is Lisa's model

I love that we get
to see our model's freckles

[Anjali] The skin looks healthy

There's that rosy glow,
like she's just had a workout

I actually like the eyes as well

So, this is Yong-chin's model

It's really, really beautiful

I really feel that fulfills
what I was looking for

[Val] I like the heartbeat

I just think it's in the wrong place

Overall, I think we've got
some really strong images today

But I definitely think there's one

that I would want
for our social media campaign

[tense music plays]

[Mikaél squeals]

- Hello, judges
- [Ryan] Hi

- [Dominic] Good evening
- [Maya] Hello

[Ivy] Hello

Well, congratulations, everyone,
for completing your first assignment

The brand asked for a natural makeup look

with a fitspiration feature

Some of you fulfilled that brief

However, others didn't

And your looks...

The makeup just looked too heavy
on camera

The MUA who's gonna be

shooting our global campaign

is...

Lisa

- [cheering]
- Oh, my God

[Nancé] Congratulations

- [Ivy] Congratulations. Well done
- Oh, my God!

[Ivy] So, Lisa, no time like the present,

we're gonna go off on set now
and shoot the campaign

- Follow me
- [Ryan] Congratulations

[all cheer]

Oh, my! This is crazy

- [Ivy] Well done
- [Maya] Well done

- [Val] Well done
- Thank you

[energetic music playing]

[camera clicking]

- [photographer] You happy?
- Yeah, I'm happy

[photographer] Okay

I literally can't believe it

I mean, you know,
it's the first model I've worked on

I've never done anything like a campaign
This is huge

- Looks good on the big screen
- It's absolutely crazy to me

The detail, and I love
her freckles coming through

[gasps] I'm looking forward
to telling my mum

She's just, like, my biggest fan ever,
and she's definitely going to cry

[laughs]

- [model] Congratulations
- Thank you

[intriguing music plays]

[Maya] Before the day is done,

the judges must decide
which two MUAs least impressed today,

and will start the creative brief
tomorrow in the red Face Off chairs

Let's start with Nancé

The eyebrows were just too much for me

We just could not
possibly put this image out

Ryan?

I wouldn't want somebody
wearing quite this much base

if they're about to do a workout

[Val] Too much makeup

Rachel?

- [sighs]
- [Dominic] This, to me, is blind panic

Rachel just threw everything at it
hoping it was going to stick,

and, pfft, it does not

I think we know who's gonna start
in the red chairs tomorrow

[gentle music playing]

[Maya] The next morning
at Glow Up studios, it's crunch time

If an MUA's name is on a red chair,

they're heading for the Face Off
at the end of the day

- [sighs]
- [Rachel] Okay

Oh, no. Not this

[groans]

It's okay

We'll just be all zen and cute

[Maya] There's only one way
to beat the seat

Wow the judges in the creative brief

and prove they deserve
their place in the competition

Ryan, Nancé, you are
the first MUAs in the Face Off chairs,

which means you'll have
a 15-minute time penalty

at the start of today's creative brief

Nancé, you took a risk with the eyebrows,

but we felt that your look

just didn't engage with our audience
in the way we would have liked

Okay

And, Ryan, if you put
that amount of product on your skin

whilst you're going to the gym,
it could actually damage your skin,

and that's a complete no-no for us

Today, we want you to create a look
that tells us your hidden strength

We want you to produce
a bold, dramatic makeup look

Push your creativity to the limits
and showcase your talents

So, Ryan, Nancé, I'll let you know
when you guys can start

The rest of you
will have two and a half hours

Your time starts now

The MUA's have been allowed
to prepare for today's brief...

[sighs] Let's go

[Maya] ...collating all their ideas
onto an inspiration board

[Mikaél] Have you seen a primer?

[Maya] The Glow Up studio
is stocked with everything they need

to bring their looks to life

The creative brief
tests our MUAs' imagination

It shows us how expansive is your mind

Are you an original?

I want to be blown away

I'm just happy I have all the time
I need to create this look

[Maya] Sophie's planning
to impress the judges

with an alien warrior
and their secret weapon

[Sophie] I'm quite a sickly person,
so my hidden strength

is based on stem cells
They're really important

to help build our tissues again
and fight infection

I'm sticking down my eyebrows

because aliens don't really have eyebrows

[chuckles]

[Adam] I'm feeling a little bit nervous,

but I'm definitely going to try
and go all out

[Maya] Adam's drawing inspiration
from a matter close to his heart

My hidden strength is taken
from the bravery of a lion

Shortly after my father passed away,
I had to really become strong,

look after the family,
just like a lion would

I don't have much experience
in doing my own makeup

So, let's just see how this goes

- Nancé. You all right, my love?
- Oh

We're here now
I just have to make it work

Talk me through your look

So, my hidden strength
is resilience and persistence

So, this situation right now
fits really well

Yeah. What kind of techniques
are you gonna be using?

- So, um, bald cap and...
- Oh, wow! Bald cap on the hair, though?

Yeah, but I'm taking a different approach
This represents my hair

I'm poking a hole on the bald cap,

my hair's gonna come out of it,
and then, yeah

- Good thinking
- Yeah

'Cause I'm like, "That's a lot of hair
to fit under that cap, honey."

- [Nancé] Yeah, it is
- Okay, good

15 minutes less time,
you could still blow it out of the park

- Exactly
- Yeah

If Nancé or Ryan can dazzle the judges
with their designs and beat the seat...

You can do this,
you can do this, you can do this

[Maya] ...then another MUA will take
their place in the Face Off elimination

Fashion graduate Yong-chin is hoping

her special effects
and dramatic use of color

will be enough to wow the judges

[Yong-chin] My hidden strength
is my focus

I always am trying
to pull new ideas together

This look shows
that I'm, like, manifesting

as this, like, atomic explosion,
like, on my face

[Maya] Yong-chin isn't the only MUA
experimenting with prosthetics

- Kris
- Hey, gorgeous

- We've got cotton ears
- Uh, that's cotton wool

- It's just to flatten out the ears
- It feels quite nice, though, doesn't it?

- I feel cushioned
- Mind if I stroke your head?

- Oh, sure. A little pet?
- A little stroke

- [both laugh]
- Tell me what you're doing

So, my hidden strength, I'm basing it
around my ability to transform

- [Maya] Mm-hmm
- My look is inspired by a chameleon

[Maya] Okay

[percussive music playing]

Ryan, Nancé, you can start now

Finally

Right!

[Maya] Ryan's drawing on inspiration
from a difficult time in his life

My look is all about light
overcoming dark times

In 2017, I was at the Ariana Grande
concert in the Manchester terror attack

The community come together,
and instead of focusing on the dark,

I try to, like, just look at the light
and just be around the light

I haven't done something
as big as this before,

but I have an idea of what I'm doing

If she doesn't get it nice and clean,
it'll look like a pair of old knickers

Ooh, okay, let's cut this,
so I can see what I'm doing

Oh, my God. Did you just see...

- What?
- Like, she's gone way...

She's just cutting away on that bald cap

- Going to be nothing left
- Just hack

- Hack away. Yeah
- It'll be a headband

Oh, my bald cap is ripping

There's a fold there. She's...

- Here we go with the scissors
- Don't!

[Val] Really close to the eyes
Oh, I can't bear it

Don't. Stop... stop! I'm sorry

[bold instrumental hip-hop music playing]

I've shaved half of my face,

'cause I want this side to be
sort of my altered presentation

I want it to be hyper-femme

[Maya] Charlie's concept is
a half-masculine, half-feminine look

[Charlie] My hidden strength
is that I can alter my presentation

to mimic how I feel on the inside

and to sort of settle my dysphoria
when I go through these...

these episodes

- Did you take the big lashes, Lisa?
- No

- No
- [Charlie] I want to make a lash quickly

[Maya] Having won yesterday's assignment,
teacher Lisa is hoping

to stay top of the class with her design

[Lisa] The concrete is the barriers
that I, like, put up for myself

And then there's going to be, like, cracks

that show my perseverance
at breaking those barriers

So, I'm just trying to use paper to, like,
guard as much of my skin as I can

so the speckling stays on the statue part

I've kind of put myself in the mindset

that I am just in my bedroom
creating content,

just so that I don't panic

[Maya] Like Lisa,
glam MUA Rachel is also creating

a cracked-surface effect for her look

[Rachel] My hidden strength
is my positivity

I have been through depression

When I came out of it,
I just became this being of light,

so my look is kind of showing
the broken pieces

and how I've transformed

I've got this part,
this part, and this part

that are gonna be
with the multichrome flakes

But they're really hard to tame,

and I've already got
some in my hair. [laughs]

So, you can't speak right now
because we have a mouthpiece

[laughs]

[Maya] Right
So how are we gonna communicate?

Maybe, like, a blink technique?

So, if I'm like,
"Are you worried about the time?"

Mm

- Mm-hmm
- No, blink

Can you hear me?

- I can hear you, yeah
- Yeah

Okay, so talk me through your look

So, this look signifies me
unmuting the Black voice within me

I'm incorporating African symbol

For the mouthpiece, I'm gonna use,
like, a thread to go through it

So, yeah

I mean, that is so impressive,
what you've got there

I know, right? It's surgery

- Give it to me, honey. Mm-hmm
- [laughing]

[tense music playing]

All right, lovelies. Forty minutes down

Okay, I need to get going with this, so...

- Oh!
- Ooh!

Reminds me of a date I once had
It didn't end well

I just really want to make sure that I'm
not rushing on one aspect at the end,

or running out of time
and can't complete it

Now I'm starting
to stress out a little bit

These flakes are a lot harder
to work with than I thought

It shouldn't have taken this long

What you do is,
you put the glitter on first

- Clean up all the fallout...
- Mm-hmm. Yeah

You then go in with the beauty

She's wasting time
by not thinking through the process

Now I'm worried
about the time, definitely

[Nancé] Why is it messy here?

Oh, dear

Oh, God. What the hell is going on?

This bit didn't glue,
so I don't want that showing

I can't look

It's stressing me out

She doesn't know what to do

I just need to move on
and deal with that later

It's looking good, Ryan. What do we think?

[Dominic] I really like
what is going on here

I like the fact that he's in the zone

One hour gone, one hour and a half to go

[Sophie breathes deeply]

[mellow music playing]

[all gasp and exclaim]

[Ivy] Likey, likey

- [Val] That's gone somewhere else
- [Ivy] Yeah

Are we a nebula? Are we tie-dye?
Are we an eyeball?

Want a nice big one here

Yeah. Pop a little bit
of a skin-safe adhesive on the back,

and then a little bit on my skin

And then I can pop it on

Yeah, pretty. [chuckles]

I'm just laying down
some flat-back pearls along the mouth,

and that is to try and replicate
the chameleon's scales

And then once that's on,
I can get started on painting

Everything I touch is sticky

I am concerned

quite a few of our MUAs
are gonna run out of time

[Dominic] Yeah, there's a lot of faffing

[Val] This is not at home in your bedroom

You're not doing this for social media

No. I'm really worried about Mikaél

I'm really worried about him

[Mikaél hums]

[suspenseful music plays]

I've just added a few more lines
to the face

It was originally just a round circle

I just hope I can get the symmetry great,

you know, up to the standards
that would impress Val and Dom

I think this is a really beautiful makeup

You know what?
It's giving me modern Bowie

- [Val] Yeah
- [Dominic] I like it

Oh, my goodness, me

I'm a little bit stressed. [sighs]

I've got some rhinestones to add

I hope I can get them done on time

I'm just whacking all the color on
The latex does take a little bit of time

I want it to be really detailed,

so I'm gonna move on to that really soon

What Charlie's done
is, like, basic beauty

- [Dominic] It's not enough
- [Ivy] No

I'm really disappointed

I think I need to do more
with the left side

I'm just unsure... what,
and I don't want it to look messy

Half an hour left

- Oh, my God
- Thirty minutes

- [Adam sighs]
- Thirty minutes

[laughs]

In this last half an hour,
take a look around the room

If this is what we're getting week one,
I am so excited

[tense music plays]

This part is still... [laughs nervously]

It's still a issue

But I'm not gonna...
I'm not gonna, um, give up

I'm gonna keep trying to glue it down

She's brought it back

- She is looking like an underwater avatar
- [Ivy] Yes

Oh, God

I'm literally done, like... [laughs]

I'm literally finished. What do I do?

Fifteen minutes left

Oh. [sighs nervously]

[dramatic classical music playing]

I was gonna do another, um, missing piece
with the light shining through it,

but I don't think
I have the time to do that

I'm just sort of adding the pearls in now

It gives this, like, real illusion
that it's, like...

there's a lot of depth in the design

Five minutes to go

[cheerful ethereal music playing]

Stress. [chuckles]
My hand's getting a little bit shaky

I'm putting the wires in my hair
[chuckles] I'm rushing

Gosh, I don't know
how I'm gonna do this. Go...

Oh, my gosh

All right, time is up. Brushes down

Oh, my God. I hope that's enough

Please go next door
to have your looks photographed

[groovy percussive music playing]

I feel relieved that I've done the look
and I did it in two hours and 15 minutes

I'm proud of myself

[Charlie] Comparing yourself
to other people is inevitable

But I'm proud of my look,
it's personal to me,

and I hope that they can see that

[Ryan] I think
I've definitely redeemed myself,

and hopefully,
I get a ding-dong, fingers crossed

Ryan, I would love you to tell us
what your hidden strength is

[spacey music playing]

In 2017, unfortunately,
I was at the Ariana Grande concert

in the Manchester terror attack

Uh, and that time
was very, very dark for me

So, my hidden strength is getting light
to get through dark times

Wow. This is quite astonishing

Thank you. [chuckles]

You've somehow
got this orange and yellow glowing,

and it's just like... [hums] You know?

And then the clay that you've used
helps to make that orange

just so much more punchy

I really must commend you
for actually knowing when to stop,

because you were
definitely the first to finish

And I like that you were like,
"Actually, I'm done."

- Yeah
- I think it's a really strong look

Thank you so much

Rachel

This look is kind of representing
the skin kind of fading away

and me coming into the light

It's very hard to apply glitter
without it going everywhere

You've packed that glitter on beautifully

The way you've used
that lighter shade of foundation

gives a real sort
of three-dimensional feel to the makeup

But to really pull your story out,

you could have added in
maybe some darker glitter

- We're looking for more
- Yeah

Lisa

[Lisa] My hidden strength
is my perseverance

The concrete statuesque forms represent
self-made barriers that I put up,

and the cracks and the wildflowers
represent pushing through those barriers

I loved the technique
to create that concrete effect,

and it really does look like concrete

It's brilliant

Well done, I'm really impressed

This is a work of art

The attention to detail

You'd stuck the flowers on,
but it's so clever

With the shading,

it really married
the whole painting together

You lot should be very, very scared

Thank you

- Thank you so much. Thank you
- [applauding]

What? I can't believe

Charlie

[intriguing electronic music playing]

[Charlie] My hidden strength
was my ability

to battle my dysphoria
through presentation. So, on the...

Well, the right side here,
a bit gross and uncomfortable,

and the other side is high femme,
sort of how I present

on days where, you know,
I do need to settle my dysphoria

Thank you for sharing your story
Really amazing

I think that the exploration
of your narrative is there,

but I definitely would have liked
to see just a bit more coming through

I appreciate that

We asked for a big, bold dramatic look,

and when we think
about what else is going on in the room,

it is a little simple

You just need to dial it up

Yeah

- Thank you very much
- I appreciate that. Thank you

Yong-chin

[gentle melancholic music playing]

[Yong-chin] My hidden strength
is my focus

This makeup is a visual representation
of all my ideas

coming together in the center of my face

Wow. I mean, what an explosion

There was so much going on,
but I have to talk about the chest

The way you have created
that sort of nebula

is just telling me everything I love

Oh, my days. This is a beautiful look

Thank you

Was that prosthetic... Is that homemade?

[Yong-chin] It's just, uh, liquid latex
and cotton pads

Exactly!

- [laughs]
- It's just liquid latex and cotton wool

Good golly

I was just absolutely blown away

I mean, the way the colors blend

right into your center focal point

- Ding-dong, darling. Ding-dong!
- [artists cheering]

[Yong-chin] Thank you

[softly] Thank you

Adam

[Adam] My hidden strength is bravery

You haven't stepped out
of your comfort zone yet

You've got it. You've got it in there
You need to show me that you're brave

- I'm going to show you. Yeah
- You need to show me that you're brave

I'm gonna show you

Sophie

[gentle piano music playing]

[Sophie] So, my hidden strength
is based on a stem cell

I'm quite a sickly person

I drew on these inspirations

and tried to make
the strongest look I could

I was watching you,
and you were working with pencils

I never saw you use a cotton bud,
and it was perfect, straightaway

- [laughs]
- That is so lucky, right?

Or it's incredibly skilled

- Well done. You've arrived
- Aw

So, thank you

Thank you

- Sophie. I'm obsessed
- [Sophie giggles]

- [laughs] Yeah?
- I love this

- [squeals]
- I honestly... I love this

The colors are really beautiful

It's really intelligent. Well done

You've really made
a very strong impression

for your first look

[laughs] Okay

Kris, would you like to come forward?

[Kris] So, my hidden strength is based
around my ability to transform

Growing up, I had
a lot of issues with self-confidence

I discovered makeup
It really made me feel

completely empowered
and completely in control

This is a massive undertaking
in two and a half hours

That is a hell of a job,
and you've accomplished it

[Kris] Thank you

[Dominic] It's a little rough,
but I love it

Start polishing up
those... those little things...

- Yep
- ...and that's when I really feel

you're gonna go
a long, long way in this competition

- Thank you
- [Val] I loved the guppy mouth

I loved the sort of chinny-chin-chin

For me, you have
become your hidden strength

Wow! That...

That is pure art

Thank you

Mikaél, please tell us
your hidden strength

Growing up as an African Black man,
I became muted

I have finally found the strength
to unmute my voice

I think initially,
I understood that there was a nod

to, like, the Black Power movement,
and I, like, commend you for doing that

But I just felt like it could
have been neatened up a bit more

- [Mikaél] Yeah
- [Dominic] The symmetry's a little iffy

[Mikaél] Off

- We have a bit of a glam lash going on
- [Mikaél] Yeah

[Dominic] We have
these jewels on the forehead,

and I don't think it actually relates
to what you're trying to say

- You have tried to do too much
- [Mikaél] True

[Dominic] But at the same time,
it doesn't look like you've done a lot

It might have been better
if you'd taken one or two elements

Maybe that was enough

It's a bit hard to focus

Thank you

Nancé

[Nancé] I wanted
to create a celestial being

that represents persistence
and resilience

You were able to disguise
a really bad bald cap

The color was fantastic
I... I got the Avatar

Your embellishments were on point

You gave me the whole package

with 15 minutes less
than other makeup artists in the room

That's the kind of makeup
that gets you out of the red chair

[artists cheer and applaud]

Thank you, MUAs

Now, please go next door

whilst we decide who

is going into the Face Off elimination

[tense music playing]

[exhales heavily]

[laughing] That's literally how I feel

[exhales] Release. I'm so happy

I think we're all in agreement

Ryan and Nancé have done enough
to beat the seat

[Ivy] Yep

So, who's gonna fill them?

Mm, definite contender has to be Charlie

I just don't feel
like Charlie delivered enough makeup

This is a look that should have
taken, max, 40 minutes

Someone else I think
we need to discuss is Rachel

We asked for bold, we asked for dramatic,
and this is lacking

It needs to be a lot bigger

I'd like to talk about Mikaél

I just don't think the execution is there

[Ivy] Yeah

There's almost too much story going on,

so you don't really know
what he's trying to say

Ryan and Nancé, you were
our first MUAs in the Face Off chairs

And despite a time penalty,
you both delivered fantastic looks

Double ding-dong, darlings,
you've beat the seat

[artists applaud]

Now, this means we have two seats to fill

Charlie, your makeup
was just a little too simple

For that reason, you'll be the first MUA
heading into the Face Off elimination

So, we have one more seat to fill

[suspenseful music playing]

The second MUA

going into the Face Off elimination...

is...

Mikaél

Okay, thank you, judges

Mikaél, Charlie, say your goodbyes,

as one of you
will be heading home tonight

Bye, diva

Join hands

[Maya] To level the playing field,
the MUAs will face off

over a set of identical twins

To succeed in this industry,
you need to know

your technical makeup fundamentals
inside and out

The Face Off is a test
of technical skill under pressure

There's nowhere to hide

For your first Face Off challenge,

we want you to master a trend
that is really hot on social media

The reverse cat eye

The key to achieving this look

is a fierce hand
with a confident brush stroke

Using gel liner,
apply along the bottom lash line

This is a bold line,

with one end reaching past the tear duct

and the other stretching
to an upward flick

We are looking
for clean lines and symmetry

Okay. Charlie, Mikaél, you'll have
15 minutes to complete your look

Your time starts now

[suspenseful music playing]

Halfway through now

You know what?
Mikaél picked up that pencil

- He went straight into the waterline
- You know, I'm really excited

Because so far, we haven't seen
anything precise from Mikaél

And straight off,
I'm seeing symmetry, precision

[Dominic] We're halfway through
and Charlie hasn't even started

- What is going on?
- I don't know

Why is Charlie wasting time?

One minute left now

Brushes down, time's up

Judges, I presume you want a closer look?

Absolutely

[gentle music playing]

[softly] What did you do?

- [Val] Conflab?
- [Dominic] Mm-hmm

Wow, this is unexpected

I know, I know

I mean, it looks like Charlie wants
to bow out on their own terms

I agree. But Mikaél, he's delivering
some really great symmetry,

and that shape on the end is beautiful

- Have you reached your decision?
- We certainly have

We asked for a reverse cat eye,

for clean lines,

and symmetry

Charlie, you didn't deliver
what we asked for

Mikaél, you did

So, congratulations
We'll see you next week

Thank you

Charlie, it's just really sad
to see you go

because you are
a really incredible creative

Thank you, Dom

And I was so excited to see

what you could have done
in the forthcoming weeks

Just give me a hug?

What I've done,
I just hope that I haven't...

no one feels disrespected,
because it's not...

it's... it's nothing of the sort

I can love you forever

I know people may be confused,

but I just wanted
to get my one message across,

and I'm proud of my Glow Up journey,
short but sweet,

and... and I'm proud
of what I've done, honestly

[artists scream and cheer]

[laughing and cheering]

I am feeling so great

Y'all thought
you're gonna get rid of me? Ah...

So now, in the next challenges coming up,
you'll be expecting a lot

of weird and wonderful from Mikaél

[all laughing]

[groovy percussive music playing]