Two of our House Art Event winners have been given the amazing opportunity to go behind the scenes of the TV show ‘Glow Up: The Next Make-Up Star’.
It was a wonderful reward for Aadhya, Upper III, who won the make up design competition and Liza, Upper VI, who was commended for the quality of her make-up work.
The fantastic prize was thanks to the generosity of Abbey alumna Laura Marston (class of 2007), who is a producer on the show. We are so grateful to Laura for arranging the tour of the set and the chance for Liza and Aadhya to meet the judges!
Liza, Upper VI
“Having won the makeup competition during House Art 2024, The Abbey gave me the amazing opportunity to visit backstage of the Netflix show ‘Glow Up’. Having always had a love for makeup and a keen interest in the TV industry, I was thrilled with this prize. We were told that these exclusive tours are only given once a year (once a season) and to a very small number of select fans, making the experience even more special. We were taken around two of the main filming studios – the makeup space and the photography space, as well as backstage, to have a look at the production technology and team. We got to speak to an amazing crew of makeup artists, workers, judges, models and more. As a fan myself, I was beyond excited to meet the guest judge and a huge makeup influencer Nikkie Tutorials (with a huge platform on TikTok of over 8 million followers).
This was an amazing tour which lasted a few hours, allowing us to really experience the whole space and take pictures. Lastly we were given a present of a makeup kit and a Glow Up notebook (same ones as what the judges use), which was equally exciting!
I am immensely grateful for such an opportunity, and had the best time! This has fuelled my love for makeup and I hope to one day be a part of such an amazing team.”
Aadhya, Upper III
“As the winners of the House Art Event, a very kind opportunity was given to myself and Liza – we got to spend an amazing day at the Spring Studio! It was fascinating to watch the live recordings of Glow Up happen in real-time. The energy in the studio was so dynamic, with everyone working seamlessly together to create these incredible looks. It was cool to see how much attention goes into each detail, from the lighting to the product choices.
The highlight of my day was definitely meeting the host of the show Leomie, judges Dominic and Val Garland with Gina, the production manager and Melissa. The judges were so approachable and gave me some really insightful behind-the-scenes tips about what they look for during the recordings. Melissa gave us a detailed tour of how everything is planned and coordinated,and making sure the set is perfect. It was amazing seeing the people who run the whole show in action and hear about the challenges they face to make everything flow smoothly.
One of the best parts of the day was meeting the producer of the show – Laura, who is an alumna from The Abbey! We had a great conversation about how she got into the industry and she shared her journey. It felt so encouraging to see someone from my alma mater doing such amazing work and thriving in a field like this.
I was really grateful for the opportunity to have spent the day at the Glow Up studio and meet such incredible people, especially Laura. It was such a unique experience, and I appreciate being able to see everything first hand. It truly made me feel more motivated and connected to the industry. Thank you so much for this chance—it’s something I’ll never forget. Definitely a day to remember!”
