A North Kent College student is currently dazzling audiences as a contestant on a hit TV show.
Jamie Arnold (pictured above), who is studying Level 3, Theatrical, Special Effects and Hair and Media Make-up at the College, is one of the stars on Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star, the BBC reality competition that puts the UK’s most talented makeup artists to the test, as they compete for the coveted title and a £10,000 prize.
Here Jamie gives us a behind a scene glimpse of what it was like being on the show that’s redefining the beauty industry:
Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star
I'm Jamie and this is my Glow Up story, straight from the hit BBC series that changed everything!
I took a leap of faith in September 2024 and auditioned for the show because I felt that it was time for my makeup to reach beyond my class and my Instagram, I was ready to show the world what I could accomplish with my creativity and makeup skills.
During the show I had the pleasure of working with world-renowned makeup artists, the judges Val Garland and Dominic Skinner are two industry professionals overseeing our makeup looks, and the amazing host Leomie Anderson leading the competition.
What is Glow Up?
The BBC series consists of 10 MUAs (make-up artist) competing against each other to win the cash prize of £10,000 and to be named “Britain's Next Make-Up Star”, in every episode there is an industry assignment and a creative brief, the best MUA in the industry assignment wins a chance to assist the lead MUA in a later date.
The two MUA’s that did not meet the judge’s standards face the red chairs for the creative brief with a 15-minute deduction on the overall time frame, if you continue to not meet the judge’s expectations for the creative brief you are put in a mini challenge that determines which makeup artist will be eliminated from that episode, based on a specific look that you have to re-create in a set time.
Even though Glow Up is a competition and we were all chasing the same dream, along the way I found something more valuable, I found a family. The friendships we built and the support we gave each other, the laughs and the late nights, that connection goes beyond the show, no matter where the show takes us, I know I have a family for life!
If this has given you a taste for studying something similar, we offer a wealth of courses at our Dartford and Tonbridge campuses. To find out more visit the Beauty Therapy subject page of our website.
Keep your eyes peeled for a full interview with Jamie in the coming weeks on what it was like being part of the show!
You can follow Jamie’s progress by watching Glow Up on BBC iPlayer.