Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star (2019–…): Season 4, Episode 6 - Episode #4.6 - full transcript

[Maya Jama] It's time to Glow Up

[poppy disco music plays]

[Maya] There are only five MUAs
left in the competition,

and they're about to get
the chance to go viral

[phone chiming]

- Ooh, got a message from Maya
- [all exclaim]

Hi, MUAs! Ding-dong, darling

I want you to grab
your phones and get creative

It's time to filter out the competition

Bring in the models!

- [all exclaim]
- We're making our own filter!



This week, the MUAs' work is going digital

as they create trend-setting looks
for social media

Grab your phones and follow me

It's about to get #major

Since first hitting our phones
over a decade ago,

creative face filters have become
a firm favorite on social media

[upbeat electronic music plays]

[Maya] Using augmented reality,
or AR technology,

the most popular filters are seen
and shared by millions

[cheerful music plays]

Morning, MUAs

- [all] Morning
- All right, final five

And another big assignment this week

Your makeup is going to be going global



Today, you will be designing looks
that will be turned into makeup filters

Ooh!

These will go live

on one of the biggest social media
platforms in the world,

Instagram

- [all cheer]
- Yes!

It's my pleasure to introduce you
to the platform's AR specialist,

Dan Moller

And digital makeup pro,

Paige Piskin

Hi

[Maya] Dan works for Meta, the company
behind Instagram and Facebook

His team has designed software

allowing anyone to create
and share their own filters

What I love about this AR makeup space
is it's just fast, it's flexible

It's furiously creative

I love how you can bring something
to life through this technology

that people could otherwise only imagine

[Maya] Paige Piskin is one of the world's
leading digital makeup creators

Her filters have been shared online
over 100 million times

I'm best known for creating effects
that fully transform a person

When I started creating filters,

I realized I could send them to friends
and family and see those filters on them

And it felt like I was doing
their makeup virtually

I think that's what really got me excited
and kept me creating

We want you to create a makeup filter look
that is innovative and share-worthy

My team will be making
your finished design digital,

so you have to think
about how your makeup filter

will translate and stand out
on the platform

The filter that we deem
to be the most memorable

will be shared by Paige
to her one million followers,

#dingdong

[all laugh]

I need your looks ready in two hours
to give me enough time

to turn them
into successful working filters

So, off you go!

- Whoo!
- Yay!

This is literally
the coolest industry assignment so far

I'm so, so excited for this one

I can't wait to see our makeup
like literally brought to life

[disco music plays]

I just have, like, a lot of ideas
bouncing up and down my brain

So, it's just trying to find one
that I stick to it

I always feel like a barber
when I do this

[Maya] First step for the MUAs,

think of a concept
that could blow up online

For my look, I'm kind of going
for a real graphic, paint-splatter effect

And then for the rest of the face, um,

I wanna go in
with like a really graphic black

and kinda make really graphic brows

Kinda follow the contours of the face
Then go over with white highlights,

so the whole thing'll look
really animated

I get anxious posting
to, like, my just-under-2,000 followers,

let alone it going out
to like a million people

I know, yeah

The MUAs will first map out
their looks on models

before the tech team
transform them into digital designs

Last week's winner Rachel's look
is taking shape

What's your filter, Rach? What you doing?

My look is influenced by, like,
monochromatic looks in fashion

But instead of just choosing one color,

I'm trying to do it as more of a metallic

And do you use filters
a lot in your day-to-day?

I do! When I was younger,
I actually got carried away

and genuinely forgot
what my face looked like

- It gets like that sometimes
- Yeah

Is this an assignment
that you wanna really win?

I feel like I've been doing quite well
with the industry assignments

So to make it three
in a row would be great

[Nancé] Close your eyes for me

I'd love to see something
I may have not seen before,

which might be tough

But I think they're gonna come up
with some really creative things

[house music playing]

- Fancy Nancé. How are we?
- Ooh!

[Nancé] Yeah, good

The trend I'm doing is...

like, '90s club kid
and a slash of graphic liner

[Maya] What are the dots?
Are those being used?

These are just basically gonna be liner
I'll use eyeshadows, creams

- Or whatever that's available...
- Okay

...to basically create that gradient

Look down

[Maya] While some of the MUAs
are focused on the eyes,

others are attempting
to transform the whole face

- Pop art. Straight away
- [Lisa] Pop art

- See, you knew
- You know what you're up to

Was it hard to come up
with an idea of what to do?

I mean, actually, I feel like it just came
straight to me, this one

I knew I wanted
to do something really colorful

And I love pop art
And I also love horror

Okay

So, I've got a little bit
of a, like, zombie element coming in

It won't actually be scary,
but it will be a fun, kind of, you know

- Yeah, I didn't...
- Brains hanging out

[Maya] Okay, good
Um, and social media, are you big on that?

I don't do too badly
I've got over 300K followers

You are flying
And what do you post on there?

[chuckles] Um, a lot
of transformation videos and things, yeah

[upbeat music plays]

I am a horror fanatic,
obsessed with all horror films

My first memory
of putting on makeup is in year seven

And we were just messing around with it
and it was quite near Halloween

Um, I remember we were watching
sort of a scary film

and just throwing makeup on our faces

So big green blotches everywhere

Big black swirls and things. [laughs]

And, yeah, just having fun with it

That would be the dream, really
To work on anything horror or sci-fi

or something where there's,
you know, crazy kinda creatures in it

[snarling]

[funky house music playing]

[Maya] Also planning
a bold look is Yong-chin

I wanna have all these, like,
bright, colorful swishing lines

And then I'm gonna have
these, like, silver panels

that I want to be my, like, 3D element
when they put it into the AR

Okay

So, it will have this, like, really shiny,
almost like this coating

of second skin like fitting in there

The assignment is really creative,

and it's an opportunity
for me to just go all out

I don't have to worry
about doing too much

And it's also, like, merging
makeup with technology,

which is something
I've always wanted to do

You're gonna look like some sort
of robot by the end of it. [chuckles]

[Maya] Dan and Paige will take pictures
of the looks throughout,

so their team can build
test versions of the filters,

and the MUAs can see
what is or isn't working

If you can just close your eyes for us
and just stay looking

kind of nice and neutral state,
straight forward

- [Rachel laughs]
- [Dan] That's our face shot

Rachel's is interesting
'cause she's headed off in a direction

of putting these kind of curls and swirls
around the eyes, which are cool

Uh, but it might be
a little bit understated

She's also putting most of her look
around the edges of the face

So from, you know,
a very frontal kind of selfie,

the coolest bits are maybe missing

[glitchy electronic music plays]

[Nancé] I just need to work out
and make it look good

with the eyes closed and open

I think that's probably just gonna be
the tricky part, but...

um, this is my idea
and I'm sticking to it

[Maya] And how about Nancé?

I think, uh,
the very kind of geometric pattern,

I have concerns that it may warp a bit
depending on the user's face

- I need to speed up like Speedy Gonzales
- [model chuckles]

[Dan] If you keep your eyes closed for us
and just looking straight forward

That's amazing. Thank you

[Maya] So, you've just captured
Kris's look

[Dan] This is very much
kind of a hand-painted look

I think he may need to add
some graphic lines or something

[Kris] Okay, let's start
adding the glitter

[Maya] As the MUAs add details
to help their looks stand out online,

Dan's tech team
have started building test filters

to demonstrate how well
they're working so far

MUAs, you've had one hour

It'll be 30 minutes
until you receive your testing links

[cheerful disco music plays]

[Dominic] Today's assignment is
really gonna test our MUAs' ability

to communicate their vision,

because they need
to be able to take their makeup

from the physical world
to the digital world

I'm thinking, um, I'm gonna add
some, like, white highlights

to this, like, brain part

And I'm wondering whether to make
the white highlights, like, glitter

- Cool. A sparkle on the brain
- Okay

Yeah, a sparkle on the brain

[Paige] Having an element
of magic, the supernatural,

something that can't
be achieved in real life,

will definitely make an effect pop

[Yong-chin] These are gonna be
these two silver panels

And I want them to be, like,
that cyborg sort of 3D mirror

- [Dan] Mm-hmm. Yep
- Um, yeah

So it looks like it's on the skin
And then the blues and orange

are very much, like, part
of the skin features

And what special effects
do you plan to add?

I'd like to try some of the sparkle
'cause I want the lines to be metallic

'Cause I think it might be all right
if it stands alone just as the metallics

Do you like filters? Do you use them much?

Actually, there's a few filters... [laughs]
...that I always steal from your page

- Really?
- I take photos of my makeup afterwards

- 'Cause it makes it pop a little bit more
- Mm-hmm

It makes, like, a great wallpaper

'Cause I'm the sort of person to have
my own face as my wallpaper screen

[Maya] The MUAs need
to ensure their looks are perfect

as any errors
will be reflected in the filters

[Nancé] I need
to fix one there, actually. Yeah

This is so annoying

'cause it's like I have
to do the foundation again

Ugh. Gosh, there's no room for mistakes

[Maya] But this assignment offers
the MUAs a rare chance

to improve their looks before judging

All right, MUAs

I have now sent you all
your testing links

You'll now have 30 minutes

if you wish to make
any further refinements

The moment of truth

[upbeat new wave music playing]

[gasps] Oh, my God

That is so cool

- Oh, cool. Okay, I'm liking it so far
- That's so cool

[gasps] Oh, wow! Look at the brain

[Maya] The MUAs have just got
their testing link

What things should they
be looking out for?

They should definitely be testing it out

on lots of different faces
around the room

- Oh!
- Ooh, sick!

Just to make sure
it's working sympathetically...

- Okay
- ...to all those different faces

Oh, my God

- I can't believe we've made filters
- Hey! [laughs]

The metallic down the center
of my nose is how I wish to live my life

Oh, my gosh. I love mine
[gasps] I love it

What are your thoughts on Nancé's?

It's a little bit understated

The dots are there. They may be
getting a little bit distorted

So, I hope she takes the opportunity
to really go around the room

and test it on lots of different faces

[gasps]

- Yong-chin, this is mad!
- I look fresh. I know, but I gotta...

Basically, I gotta add
another silver on the chin

[Nancé] Yeah, there

I made sure I tried it
on a few other people and Kris,

so I've got a boy's face as well
[laughs] And, yeah, it looks good

[Maya] Having seen the test filters,

the MUAs can start
to finalize their looks

- Do you wanna try it? [laughs]
- [Dan] Sure

[moody music playing]

There's maybe a couple of bits
that I think I need to bring out slightly

to bring in the balance here on the side

I'm also gonna put in
another chrome on the chin

just to bring it back
into that cyborg effect

'Cause I think, on this image,
that's the bit that's maybe missing

[Dan] I think Yong-chin's really starting
to respond to the testing link as well

She's thinking about what
might be missing, what she can add

[Maya] With minutes to go,
the MUAs must decide

whether to add more detail
or if they've done enough

[Lisa] Just making sure
that these white highlights

are more pure white

I'm just kind of starting to go in now
and bring out little bits of definition

to shape the face a little bit more

- Can I ask you to look over that way?
- This way?

Yeah

[Nancé] I feel good, really optimistic
I feel happy about my look

I was debating
whether or not I should use lashes,

but I don't think the lashes would work
It would make it...

It would make it too feminine

I think I'm quite happy with it
I love the sparkles as well

Um, yeah

- Excellent
- Do you like it?

Are you allowed to tell me? [laughs]

MUAs, you have five minutes left

[bold electronic music playing]

And to the right

Just need to look at this again

What else can I do?

Let's do bottom lashes quickly

MUAs, you have one minute left

Time's up, everyone
We need your models in the studio

- Let's go
- Thank you so much

- Thank you
- That was so fun

Was it good enough?

I know

[Maya] In the studio,
photos will be taken of every detail

The final makeup filters
will be built overnight

The next day at Glow Up studios,

the judges must decide
which filters made a big impression

and who's failed to engage

and will start the day
in the Face Off chairs

with a 15-minute time penalty
in the creative brief

So my team have been working
throughout the night, super hard

Uh, we're really excited to show you

the filters that the MUAs
have come up with

Uh, So, we'll start with Lisa

- Yeah!
- Ah, it's so good

Oh, my God. I actually love it

[Rachel] Oh, wow

- [Paige] It looks so cool
- Wow

[chuckles]

I have to say I really, really like this
just because it's such a strong image

She really nailed a really original look

It's definitely inclusive, uh, as well

It's something anybody could wear,

um, regardless of skin tone,
gender, face shape

You can see the attention
to detail is just great

So, next up, we have Kris

- [gasps] Oh, wow
- [Rachel] Oh, wow

- [Yong-chin] Wow
- [Rachel] That's good

- Oh, cool. I kinda like that
- [Rachel] Ooh!

It's really cool to see Kris's look on AR

I like how he outlined the lips
It's actually pretty flattering

And I like the way
that the lines contour the cheekbones

I think we could've had
a little bit more sparkles

Just something else
to make it pop a little bit more

But I feel like I see
two different looks here

and I like them both,
but I feel like I'd like them separated

[Dan] It did translate well as a filter,
but was it strong enough to punch through?

It would've been cool
to see it go a little further

'Cause, ultimately, this still is a look
that we could achieve just with makeup

So, next up, we have Rachel

It's really pretty

- It looks good
- Oh, my God

It proper moves with the light

- I know
- Do you wanna try?

- Oh, yeah
- [Rachel laughs]

It's something I could see wearing
to, like, a club or a night out

Technically-wise, I would've liked to see
a little bit more maybe... out of this

It could've gone a bit further
to make the makeup pop

Adding elements
like more chrome on the lip

could've been something
that helped with that

My concern is that the chrome effect,

because it's on the side,
you don't really see it

Very much from the technical perspective,

it didn't evolve too much, uh,

from the time
Rachel received her testing link

I think there was maybe an opportunity

to go a bit further and do something

that was a little bit more thumb-stopping

So, next up, we have Nancé

Ooh, yes! I like it

[artists] Ooh!

I would've liked to see
a little bit more pigmented, um, makeup,

like, so that it popped
just a little bit more

But I do like how realistic
it looks, and wearable

I don't know if it's something
that'd stop me from scrolling,

because it does looks so natural,
I might not know it's a filter

Is she really taking advantage
of the digital platform?

It's... It's debatable
on this one, I think

Next up, we have Yong-chin

- [Kris] Yeah!
- Yeah, yeah. I love a good chin

It's very robotic

- [Rachel] Got a cheat code
- Ooh!

Wow

This looks amazing

I really like that...
that she added the chrome

I feel that was very innovative

It's really cool to see
how she brought this together

[Dominic] I really like the way
that Yong-chin has used these colors,

the purple, the cyan, the magenta

They fit really easily together

It would make me stop and try it out

But mainly probably because of the chrome,
not necessarily the makeup

I think Yong-chin has really leant
into the digital aspect of the platform

She'd specifically requested,

uh, that the silver, uh, metallic makeup
she was using be treated

in a really smooth chrome

Obviously, this is pretty much
impossible to achieve,

uh, with traditional physical makeup

So, I think we're all in agreement

on who's going to be starting the day
in the Face Off chairs

And, Dan, thank you so much
for all your work

I mean, wow

I have not been to bed

- Oh, my gosh
- Thanks for having me

[pulsing music plays]

[Maya] All of the MUAs' filters
will go live on Instagram

But only the winning look
will be shared by Paige

If an MUA's name is on one
of the two red chairs,

they're headed
for the Face Off elimination

at the end of the day

There's only one way
to escape the Face Off

Wow the judges in the creative brief

and prove that they deserve
to stay in the competition

[Yong-chin] Nancé

Rachel. What?

- Oh, my God
- [inhales sharply]

[Maya] Nancé, Rachel,
you are in the Face Off chairs,

which means you'll have 15 minutes
less than everyone today

[Paige] Rachel, I thought
your look was gorgeous

I just felt that it could've been
a little bit more innovative

We would've liked
to see a bit more throughout the face

And, Nancé, I felt like
it looked beautiful on me

The challenge was
when we tried it on other face shapes,

the dots were stretching a little bit

So we saw that it had an issue there

[Val] Yong-chin and Lisa,

uh, you both created
engaging social media makeup filters

You stopped us in our tracks

And you made it very difficult
for Paige and Dan

The winner is...

- both of you
- [exclaims]

[both] Oh, my God!

[both laughing]

[applauding]

[Lisa speaks indistinctly]

Oh, my God. Thank you

Thank you

Congratulations
You guys did an amazing job

I'm really excited
to be sharing them with my followers

Yesterday, you designed
augmented reality makeup looks

Today, we want you to create a makeup look

that transforms your models
into a walking, talking, living avatar

We want you to produce

a bold and creative
digital representation of a person,

which has a clear story

Are you ready?

[artists] Yes!

Bring in the models!

[bold music playing]

- Hello
- Oh, hi

- I'm good. How are you?
- [Kris] How's it going?

- Hello! Nice to meet you
- How are you?

- Oh, my God. You're perfect for my look
- Really?

Okay

Nancé, Rachel,
I'll let you know when you can begin

The rest of you will have
two hours, 30 minutes

Best of luck

Your time starts now

[poppy new wave music playing]

I'll wrap this on you

- [Yong-chin] Where's the acetone?
- Uh, at the bottom...

- It's here
- Oh, yeah

Do you need it?
I'll pass you it after I've used it

- I think I've got one. Don't worry
- Oh, do you?

- Hey, hey. You all right?
- Hey, hey, hey

- You only have 15 minutes less
- Mm-hmm

You feel all right
getting everything done in that time?

When push comes to shove,
I do what I have to do

- You make it work?
- Yeah, I make it work

I mean, you haven't been
in this chair since the beginning

A long time!

- You've swerved it the whole competition
- Swerved

- [Kris] Trying to get everything I need
- Nice. [laughs]

- Hello, Rachel. Hello
- Hi!

- You okay?
- I feel okay

Yeah? You've never been here
before, have you?

I mean, I was hoping to avoid it

Semi-finals are around the corner

Does this dishearten you a bit
or will you use it as motivation?

I'm still happy with everything
that I've done up to now

- And I'm just gonna continue to do that
- I love that...

Ever since I met her ten minutes ago,
I knew she was the chosen one

[both laugh]

Well, that is good
You got a motivational model

- Yeah
- Lovely

[moody music playing]

[Maya] For the rest of the MUAs,
it's straight to work

My avatar is all about fighting back
against online hate

and, like, trolls, basically

I've got these prosthetic pieces

that are, like, a little bit armored,
a little bit tougher

So, giving her sort of a thick skin
against sort of the online hate

Um, and then also, she's gonna have

this sort of energy pulse
that comes from her heart

that is, like,
all digital symbols and things

that show, like, her positivity and thing

being spread, um, over the Internet

I've got a lot to do,
so I need to get on with it. [laughs]

- Yong-chin, the winner
- Hello

[Maya] Can you talk me through this look?

[Yong-chin] This look is based
off of a Beijing opera mask

So they first made these
to, like, resemble the characters

at one intense emotion
whilst they were performing on the stage

As a play on, like, social media,

it's to show how people just show
one side of their personality

Very true

I'm making these, like, gills

into these exaggerative smile lines
on the face

So super happy,
even when everything's really sad

Yeah, exactly

This is so satisfying to play with

[Yong-chin] I know

Whenever I take them off the models,
I always keep them

So, what Yong-chin has
to be mindful of here

is symmetry

Yong-chin needs to stand behind her model

to check for symmetry and balance

Because right now, she's off

It's 'cause this one's smaller,
but I can shape it up and around

So, let's see how this fits

[Maya] Kris is also using
prosthetics in his look

It fits perfect

[chuckles] Like a glove

Maybe Kris is creating
one of those lizards

- You know, that have got the big fan
- Yeah

What are they? What's that called?

I know there was a dinosaur
in Jurassic Park like that

Oh, yes, with the big thing
like that. [hisses]

- [Kris] All feel okay?
- Yep

[gentle music playing]

[Maya] What is this?

[Kris] I am sticking stuff
to my model as usual

Oh, my gosh. Yeah

[Kris] My avatar is, um...
It's all based around imagination

And I know you love
us naming our characters

- I do
- I've lovingly named him Imaginathan

- Oh, stop it! Imaginathan
- [Kris laughs]

So like, the whole idea
is kind of based around, um,

an Edison bulb as the concept

Like when someone gets
a bright idea, it's like, "bing!"

A light bulb on the head

So, the cheekbones that I'm using
at the minute are bought

However, the forehead
that I'm using is homemade

I've also got...

the big bad boy here as well

[Maya] Oh!

That is a big bad boy
How do you even make this?

It was made of expanding foam
that was then, like, a big lump

that was then carved down

Then sanded, then filled in,
and then coated

That's super smart
to think to create one of that

Thanks

[suspenseful percussive music plays]

Oh, sorry. [chuckles]

Surely it's been 15 minutes by now

Surely it's been 15 minutes,
but you got this one

Oh, God!

Nancé, Rachel, you can start!

[Rachel] Oh, yay!

Go, go, go!

I am gonna make you look like a bad man

- Okay. Ooh, they're going on
- [laughs]

I'm definitely not happy about getting
the 15 minutes taken away,

but I need to show...

Prove to myself, prove to the judges
that I... I belong here

I've never done a look like this before

But I should be okay. I'm an artist

I... I know what I'm doing

Nancé's just going straight in,
throwing on the color

I make content online
that I would like to go viral

So, the flame emoji represents that

[Val] So, this is going to be flames

Will this be a character, though?

Or will it be a picture?
Do you know what I mean?

- Mm
- Because we're looking for an avatar

- Yeah
- Not a landscape

[Paige] These days avatars
are all about transformations

People becoming cartoon characters
or creatures and stuff like that

The pressure is on

I'm just mapping out, um,

my lines on the face for the wires

Um, I've decided
to go in with a black pencil

Because even when I fill them in,

I want there to be
some depth between the lines

Um, and this will
kind of separate the colors

and also help me to add
to the three-dimensional effect

Uh, when the judges see the look,

I want them to see,
kind of, the tangled web

that we're all kind of living in now

The whole look,
I've named it "All Eyes on Me."

Rachel is mapping out in black

That can really cause
a couple of problems

Oh, yeah, how do you hide
the black if you don't wanna see it?

How do you blend?

I hope this look can get me
out of the Face Off chairs, of course

We shall find out very soon

[intriguing percussive music playing]

I do say that I'm good at symmetry

So I really don't wanna,
like, let myself down on that

[laughs] Oh, there we go

- Oh, I love that
- [laughs]

[coughs]

Is it catching a little bit?

That's one hell of an egghead

I need to cut the ears a little bit

Okay

The thing I love about Kris's
is there's a yogurt pot and a loo roll,

and somehow he creates magic

And that's what's really inspiring,
because it shows that you don't need

pre-made prosthetics
from the specialist shop

[Val] You know, he's quadrupled
the size of his canvas

So, he's gotta work fast
to get it all covered

Is he gonna get it finished?

- There we go. It's like it never happened
- [both chuckle]

[Maya] Nancé's adding
to her look with clay

[Nancé] The feeling's like...
It's gonna, like, feel

like your face is tightening up

I mean, you've used it before
It's just bentonite clay

Yeah

So, don't worry. [laughs]

Don't worry at all
It's actually good for your skin

- Is it?
- Yeah

- Nice
- For face masks and things like that

One hour gone!

An hour and a half to go

[spacey electronic music playing]

I'm trying to get the color on
as quickly as possible right now

[Lisa] You gotta make sure you go
over the shoulder as well

Because you don't want
any skin to show up in the picture

They're really hot on that

Lisa's gone in and she's colored
her base color on her model

It's exactly the same color as her hair

- I'm guessing you love purple as well?
- I love purple. [laughs]

- That's definitely representing her
- Yeah

That's her avatar

It's, like, taking elements of her,
but bringing it into this character

Oh, gods
Why am I using such a ditty brush?

[pulsing music plays]

What Rachel might find,
a face is actually quite a big canvas

Mm

If you're using a small brush
and doing lots of tiny little things...

She has made a lot of work for herself

I feel myself slowly transforming

[Maya] While Rachel
is hand-painting her avatar design,

Kris and Lisa have
a quicker way of adding color

[Lisa] I pick and choose when to airbrush

Um, I don't think it's, like,
the best choice for every situation

But, um, sometimes it's really good

for getting
a really nice, like, blended edge

An hour and a half gone! One hour to go!

[tense music plays]

That's actually gone so quick

I know

It's scaring me. [chuckles]

I am worried about finishing

Um, because I've not started my eyes yet,
and I wanted to do the eyes

and then come back
to do the detail on the wires

Yeah, so, I'm using
a little stipple sponge

just to add in a little bit of texture...

onto the face

I'm using, like, four different tex...

four different textures
and four different prosthetics, um...

They all have different textures

So doing this over the top
of them then helps

just kinda, like, melt
everything together

I'm just making sure
that all the areas of my look...

have got the color that I need on it,

and then I can work into the detail

and make sure
that everything's like really finessed

[Maya] Half an hour left

Final 30 minutes

[suspenseful music plays]

I was originally practicing
with my paintbrush,

and it was taking me
a while to make the circles

But then I got here today
and I knew I needed to speed up

And I just thought, "Actually,

get the cotton buds out
for those dots." [laughs]

[Maya] Are you okay?

- No
- No?

This is a lot of paint
I was gonna say you look finished-ish

- No
- Not at all?

The type of eyes
that I was drawing in practice

are not even close
to the level that I'm doing right now

Don't know if I'll have
time to actually paint on

the lashes that I wanted to

Feeling the 15-minute penalty for sure

Fifteen minutes left

Heart attack. [chuckles]

One-five on the one-five

[Lisa] Okay, this is fine,
this is fine, this is fine

[Yong-chin] So, in 15 minutes left,
I need to do the gold accents

All-around finishing touches, I guess

Gold is like a really royal color,

and they do use it quite a lot
in the opera masks

And I think it's just a really nice way
to add highlights and definition

I did beading across the hair

Just gonna add more texture to the rocks

Sometimes when fire lights up,

it has, like, little sparkles
and bits that sparkle

I hope it's enough to avoid a Face Off

I'll just do your water lines
if you just wanna look up for me

Two minutes left

What?

They're quite hot on the water line

Shake it lightly, like... Okay

Stop. Okay

Imaginathan's got
all the desirable features

you look for in someone

Poppin' cheekbones. Big eyes

An enormous head

[cheerful ethereal music plays]

I'm not getting everything done
that I did want to

[chuckles]

Ten seconds

[imperceptible]

[Maya] Eight, seven, six, five, four...

- [exclaims] Okay
- ...three, two, one

- Brushes down, please
- [sighs]

[Maya] Take your models next door
to be photographed

Come on, then. Let's go

[groovy percussive music playing]

[Rachel] Obviously, there were
still stuff that I needed to work on

I just don't know
if it's quite good enough

to beat the chair or not

[Kris] My biggest challenge
this whole competition has been

my finesse and my polish

Fingers crossed it's enough
to get me through to the semi-finals

Lisa, please come forward

So, tell me what's the story
behind your avatar

So, my avatar is a digital warrior
for online positivity

and fighting back
against hate and troll culture

Lisa, I love the message behind your work

I think it's really meaningful
and it's so important today

I think it's just absolutely stunning,
and I love how it represents you

in a way, in the fact
that you have this purple hair

and I see that color there,
it just really...

I feel like this is your avatar

And I just... I love that

I mean, I'm not one to be lost for words

- Am I, Val?
- No, Dom

[Dominic and Lisa laugh]

It's just stunning

Magenta and cyan are just... Ah!

And when you mix them,
you create this gorgeous purple

You know how to handle an airbrush
to get that seamless finish

- Thank you. [softly] Yes!
- [applauding]

Nancé, please step forward

[gentle piano music playing]

[Nancé] My digital avatar is based
on the fire emoji and going viral

The fire represents the passion
and the love for makeup,

and the... the... the want
to share my work with everyone

The volcanic lava comes in
because it represents,

sometimes some people do end up
going viral for the wrong reasons

It also reminds us
that we should stay grounded

and true to ourselves
when we do face hard times

What a beautiful story

I'm not sure
if you've really pulled this off

What you've given me,

I feel, is a landscape or a picture

[Nancé] Right

Rather than a character

When you were putting the orange on,
I was like, "Eh, it's a patchy orange."

But then you went back in
and you threw in some reds,

and you threw in some yellows

And what it created was
this almost bubbling lava effect

The trouble that I have with this image,
though, is it feels quite childlike

We have never seen
this level of skill and talent

in this room with a top five

And the problem with that

is that it just means
you have to dig deep to deliver

- Thank you so much
- [Dominic] Thank you

Kris

Come forward

[intriguing music plays]

[Kris] So, may I introduce you
to my avatar,

who I lovingly named Imaginathan

[all chuckle]

And he uses his bright ideas
to light up the world around him

I used a Edison light bulb
as one of the main points of reference

What I love is the fact
that this is basically you in a makeup

- [laughs]
- It is a kind of a "have a go" attitude

And what I also love is the coloring

And I'm glad
you explained about the light bulb

'cause I didn't know what that was,
but it's the element. It makes sense

But the refinement in it is just lacking

I love the creativity
that you bring to your makeup

But, you know, you need
to know how to use an airbrush

It was a bit splodgey

And the prosthetic
that you applied to the cheek,

could've bled it
a bit closer to the cheekbone

instead of leaving
these folds round the nose

We are picking at everything now

So, you gotta bring it

- Thank you
- Thank you

Yong-chin, please come forward

[gentle melancholic music plays]

[Yong-chin] So my avatar
is based off the concept

behind a Beijing opera mask,

and how they use them to portray
the character's one intense emotion

So, I wanted to use that

as to how people only show
one side of their personality online

[Paige] All the colors
you chose are just...

They look so powerful together

I love how you have the prosthetics used
to show the example of a false smile

So I think you really did an amazing job
of capturing that in your avatar

Thank you

It really is a stunning piece of artwork

This sky blue,
and then fading into this ultramarine

that just is used
to add shadow is really beautiful

You could've got your symmetry perfect
if you had mapped it out

It's all just slightly off

But I think it's an incredible makeup

- Thank you
- Thank you

Rachel, please step forward

[Rachel] So, my avatar is inspired

by how I feel
being visible on social media,

which is, like, all eyes are on me

But at the same time,

I feel like I spend a lot of time
looking at other people too

So, um, my avatar is made up of wires

to show all the tangled connections
that we have

You did such a beautiful job
Like, it just looks like pure art to me

And I love the message behind it
Like, all eyes on me

- It's super cool
- Oh, thank you

[Val] Beautifully executed. But...

did you finish?

I wanted to do some lashes on the eyes,

and I was actually gonna add some shadows

underneath the wires
that are kind of crossing

The competition is so tight

And the smallest detail,
we are gonna pick up on

So if you forget the water line,
we're gonna see it

If you forget the nostril,
we're gonna see it

- So just find the details
- [Rachel] Yeah

Finish them off

- Thank you
- Thank you

[all applaud]

Thank you, MUAs

If you'd like to take yourselves next door

whilst Dom, myself, and Paige

decide who is going
into the Face Off elimination

[Rachel] I would love to beat the seat
today because I don't wanna go home

It's just so, so close now

I think we've got
the five strongest artists

we've ever had
at this point of the competition

Amazing. The talent is incredible

[Dominic] So should we talk about Rachel?
Did she do enough to beat the seat?

[Val] It's a beautifully executed makeup

[Dominic] But was that what we were after?

For me, it feels two-dimensional

Although flawless,
it doesn't feel finished

Let's have a look at Nancé

Too much naivety with this makeup
The blending isn't good enough

The shapes of the flames is really basic

I would've loved Nancé
to have brought out those flames more,

make them more 3D

They're just not technical enough

I think we also need to talk about Kris

[Dominic] He's got incredible imagination

But the quality of the painting

is so... basic

And I think it's wrong

that we shouldn't talk about him
going into the Face Off elimination

when we've got other artists
that are potentially going in

that actually can deliver
better makeup jobs than Kris is giving us

It's an avatar. It's something
I'd expect to see online

For me, it hit the brief

[Val] For me, Kris created a character

Tick

He created an avatar, tick

There are four prosthetics

It's brightly colored

Tick. What more do you want
from an avatar?

You know, it's the semi-final next week

We have to make the right call

Hi, judges

[both] Hello

- Have you made your decision?
- [both] We have

Today, you blew us away

Your looks were spectacular

But we don't take this decision lightly

Nancé, Rachel, you started today

in the Face Off chairs,
but have you done enough to beat the seat?

Nancé, you gave us
a simple adaptation of a look

We expected more from you
because we know you have it

So for that reason,

you will be the first MUA
going into the Face Off elimination

[suspenseful music plays]

Rachel, you created
a beautiful piece of art

But it was two-dimensional,

it lacked texture,

and it was unfinished

Unfortunately, for that reason,

you'll be the second MUA
going into the Face Off elimination

- [Maya] Thank you, judges
- [both] Thank you

[sighs] Okay. Rachel, Nancé,
say your goodbyes,

as only one of you will be continuing

- [Kris] Hush
- [Nancé sobs]

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay

[Lisa] Oh, God

Whenever I've had to do this before,
I just put my emotions aside

and just do what's in front of me
and try and do well in it

So, I'll just go in with the same mindset

I'm definitely not gonna give up now

I can do this
I've shown that I can do it twice before

So, I guess we'll have
to make it three times

This is my first time in the Face Off,
so I really don't know what to expect

I'm just going in with a clear mind

I'm just gonna listen
to everything they say

and make sure I give them exactly that

[Maya sighs] Ay, ay, ay, yep

[tense music plays]

[Maya] To level the playing field
and decide who leaves the competition,

Rachel and Nancé will face off
over a set of identical twins

For a place in the semi-final,

this week's Face Off challenge

is going to put
your key makeup abilities to the test

We want you to create
a perfect midnight blue vinyl lip

Skill, a steady hand, sharp edges

These are key to creating

a sultry midnight blue vinyl lip

Use a lip pencil to create
a balanced, precise shape

Fill in the lip with lipstick,

remembering to keep
within the borders of the lip line

Go back with your pencil

to finesse and perfect your lip shape

Finally, apply a generous amount of gloss

concentrating on the center of the lip

We are looking for shape and precision

Shiny, not sloppy

You'll both have ten minutes

Best of luck

Your time starts now

[suspenseful music plays]

Nancé was quick off the mark,
she got that lip liner on

But she's filling the lip with lip liner

Stop what you're doing
Get that lipstick on quick

[Val] I mean, they both need
to get the lipstick on

Once that lipstick's on,

you can then look at the shape
and fill it where needed

- Let's have a look
- Let's go

That's five minutes gone now
Five minutes left

[Rachel] Just part your lips again
Thank you

One minute left now

[suspenseful percussive music playing]

[Maya] Thirty seconds

Brushes down, please

Judges, I know you want
to take a closer look

- Sure
- Absolutely

[gentle music playing]

[Val] Mm-mm

It's definitely not my best lip

Yours looks much better,
on this side anyway

- Does it?
- Mm-hmm

- Oh, my God
- [chuckles]

- I'm too stressed
- Blue, you know

Conflab?

- Conflab
- Let's go

[tense music plays]

Neither MUA delivered
on precision and symmetry

[Dominic] Rachel delivered,
actually, a very good shape

[Val] But Rachel's lip
was very see-through

It felt more like blue gloss
than a midnight blue

[Dominic] Yeah

[Val] Whereas Nancé
delivered on pigmentation

There was a lot more saturation
in color on her lip

When I compared Rachel's lip to Nancé,

Rachel's lip had
less imperfections in the shape

But what are we looking for?
Are we looking for...

a see-through navy glaze?

Or are we looking
for a midnight blue vinyl lip?

I think it's clear that one MUA
delivered more than the other

[suspenseful music plays]

Have you made your decision?

- We have
- Yes, we have

So, today's Face Off was all about

a place in the semi-final

Now, neither lip was perfect

Nancé, you delivered
a full lip with strong color

Rachel, you gave us a good shape

But your gloss was more navy glaze

than it was a midnight blue vinyl lip

So for that reason, Rachel...

pack your kit

You're going home

We are so sorry to see you go

[softly] It's okay

Coming into this competition
was obviously a massive change,

leaving my science background behind
and everything that I knew

So, it was just such a massive risk
and I feel like it definitely paid off

I've learned so much
I've had such great experiences

I think I've taken
the judges' comments onboard

And I've definitely seen myself
grow in the last few weeks

So, I'm gonna be doing makeup
full-time, hopefully

[driving electronic music plays]

- [artists gasp and cheer]
- Nancé!

[all laugh]

[Yong-chin] Group hug!

- I'm back
- Oh, my God

[Nancé] I know. I did it

I'm excited. The judges know
that I can do more than what I did today

And I know that myself as well

So I'm just gonna keep my mind in the game
and make sure I smash it every time

- Congratulations, Nancé
- Thank you

And congratulations all of you
You're in the semi-finals!

[all cheer]

But get some beauty sleep, as next week,

you have to be runway ready

- [Nancé] Ooh!
- It's Fashion Week

- It's Fashion Week!
- [screams]

[groovy percussive music playing]