Episode 5

Rock duo Nova Twins, who count Elton John and Rage Against the Machine amongst their fans, are trusting the MUAs to do their dancers’ make-up for their latest music video: Soprano.

The pressure is on to impress, especially with this week’s guest judge, Mei Pang, a make-up influencer who has worked with the biggest brands in the business. Not only do the MUAs have her to think about, the prize is also set to be a scorcher – the opportunity to do both Nova Twins' make-up at the Mobo Awards, where they will be the first alternative artists to perform live at the event. With such a huge prize up for grabs, the MUAs are keen to give it everything they’ve got.

With some of our MUAs finding their feet and enjoying branching out into new realms of the industry, others feel the pressure despite having some experience under their belt. Will one MUA's bold decision making give them the edge, or will a lack of cohesion prove to be their downfall? With each MUA's look scrutinised by Nova Twins and Mei Pang, who will have aced the brief and who will be asked to retouch their dancers before recording begins? With a tight schedule to stick to, our MUAs must be able to take on and execute feedback to perfection.

The next day at Glow Up Studios, the MUAs find out who failed to deliver, landing themselves in the two red Face-Off chairs, costing them 15 minutes less for their creative brief looks. For this brief, the make-up artists must deliver transformative looks inspired by their favourite childhood toys, from Russian dolls to alien eggs. The judges are looking for creative and bold interpretive looks which showcase the MUAs' imagination, and two of the MUAs draw battle by choosing the same toy as inspiration! Risks are taken, and all is up for grabs at this stage of the competition as our MUAs push themselves even further to demonstrate their capabilities.

Two MUAs battle it out for their place in the competition during the Face-Off and are challenged to create a bold reflective foil lip in only ten minutes. With two very different approaches, one MUA remains firmly in the competition whilst the other packs up their kit and says goodbye.