UCB wins National Student Make-up Competition

UCB students won big as they showcased their creativity and flair in the live final of the fourth jane iredale National Student Make-up Competition, taking both first and third place.

Level 3 Theatrical Make-up students Joanna Davies and Jenny Owen made it to the final six, which were selected from more than 150 entries received from beauty therapy and make-up students representing more than 60 colleges nationwide.

For the live final, students were tasked with re-creating their own interpretation of their favourite music video using only jane iredale cosmetics.

The judging panel, comprising brand principal Jane Iredale, renowned make-up artists Sarah Jagger and Karla Powell, jane iredale brand manager Danielle Bookatz and iiaa College Programme manager Jennifer Edwards scored each entry on interpretation of the theme, use of advanced techniques and overall look.

Joanna won the day with her entry, which was inspired by Freddie Mercury’s red eye shadow and flamboyant costume decorated with eyes and feathers in Queen’s ‘It’s A Hard Life’ video. She won a £1000 make-up kit for herself and a £500 kit for UCB, plus invaluable work experience. Each finalist also won a further four-day training make-up course with iiaa.

Joanna said: “I’m in complete shock! I would like to go on and teach the course I’ve been doing but first I’m going to go freelance in creative fashion and avant garde make-up and enjoy the opportunity that winning this competition will bring.”

Jenny Owen secured third place, having used Robbie Williams’ Rock DJ video as her inspiration to craft an outstanding dual-faced representation of both ‘muscle exposure’ and glamour. She cleverly created the pink and red shades that she needed by blending various lip and eye products.

Beauty journalist and TV make-up expert Sarah Jagger, commented:  “It was a hard decision to make because all the finalists created incredible work. However, Joanna's work ticked every box for me, demonstrating talent, creativity, clear interpretation and a very impressive use of jane iredale products. Joanna had clearly designed her work with face and body paints yet managed to adapt the design using the range ingeniously.”

UCB’s success has been picked up by a range of beauty sites, including Professional Beauty.