Winning looks

With the Professional Beauty Awards 2017 now open for entries, we take a look back at some of the looks created by during the Make-up Specialist of the Year category this year. 

The finalists of the Make-up Specialist of the Year category gathered in London to show our team of expert judges exactly what they could do. With the theme “A wearable spring/summer 2016 look”, finalists Anne Bowcock, Sita Gill, Stacey Kilpatrick and Paddy McGurgan had one hour to transform their models. Sadly, finalist Pamela Moss had to pull out at the practical judging stage.

Having created mood boards and face charts ahead of the live final, the artists got to work prepping their models’ skin under the watchful eye of our judges, a crack team of experienced professional session make-up artists that includes Aimee Adams, Armand Beasley, Sarah Brock, Ema Doherty, Antonia Hawke and Alyn Waterman. The day was held in the well-equipped training rooms of London College of Beauty Therapy, with all four make-up artist finalists at work in the same room. While half the judges roamed the floor, scoring the finalists on everything from creativity and application to hygiene and client care, the other half acted as "curtain" judges, scoring the finished looks without knowing which finalist created which.

Following the test, each finalist was interviewed and got a chance to tell the judges why they chose their look and how they adapted it to the model they were allocated on the day. They were also quizzed about their careers and aspirations and how they would represent the industry if they won.

The winner was freelance make-up artist Stacey Kilpatrick. Read her guest blog on "When to follow a make-up trend". 

Images L–R: Stacey Kilpatrick, Sita Gill, Paddy McGurgan and Anne Bowcock