'Glow Up' season 6 2024: who is in cast of BBC Three beauty series including contestants, host and judges

Aspiring make-up artists (MUAs) are once again going head-to-head in the hope of being crowned Britain’s next make-up star in the sixth series of BBC Three reality TV show ‘Glow Up’.

The show follows amateur MUAs from across the country as they compete in a series of challenges in a bid to impress industry professionals and kickstart their career in the beauty industry.

Each week, eight of the most talented aspiring MUAs will be judged on their creativity and ability to thrive under pressure, in intense professional assignments, from pop star led social campaigns to global gaming body painting, West End theatre looks to mastering gory TV special effects.

At Glow Up Studios, the talented artists will push the boundaries of their creativity and technical prowess, aiming to captivate the esteemed judges. They all hope to win a career changing prize – assisting some of the best MUAs in the world. Those who fall short, face off against each other in a nail-biting showdown, battling to avoid elimination.

So, what will viewers see when they tune in to series six of ‘Glow Up’, how can you watch it and who are the contestants, the host and the judges? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Glow Up about?

‘Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star’, which is often shortened to ‘Glow Up’, is a reality television competition aimed   at finding new makeup artists. The contestants take part in weekly challenges to progress through the competition.

Each week, they each have to take on two different tasks: a professional brief which is usually set in the moment by a guest judge and a creative brief which they can prepare for in advance. At the end of the professional challenge, the judges will choose a provisional bottom two MUAs before they all go into the creative brief.

Those two people are asked to sit in symbolic red chairs, while other contestants sit in blue chairs, and they are given a 15-minute penalty to complete their creative brief. If an MUA in a red chair impresses the judges then they have “beat the seat” and another MUA who performed less successfully will be up for elimination instead.

Two MUAs ultimately end up in the face off, where they are each asked to show they can complete one make-up technique in just 15 minutes. They each have one of two identical twins as models to make the contest fair. The MUA who performs the worst is eliminated, and the other progresses onto the next episode.

Over the course of six intense weeks, the ultimate MUA will emerge victorious, securing a contract to assist the world’s leading make-up artists and earning the coveted title of Britain’s next make-up star. Prepare for a gripping, high-stakes competition that promises to keep you riveted from beginning to end.

Who are the judges of ‘Glow Up’?

The judges are Val Garland and Dominic Skinner. Val Garland is L’Oréal Paris Global Makeup Director and also British Vogue Contributing Beauty Editor. She has worked on various projects, ranging from highly conceptual catwalk shows for the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, to commercial celebrity shoots with Kate Moss. Dominic Skinner is a Global Senior Artist for Mac Cosmetics. His job has taken him all over the world.

Garland and Skinner will be joined by an array of guest judges on series six including:

• Sarah Tanno, Global Artistry Director, Haus Labs & Lady Gaga’s MUA
• Mitchell Halliday, Creative Director, Made By Mitchell
• Isamaya Ffrench, International renowned Make-up Artist and owner of Isamaya Beauty
• Aimie Aitkinson, Actor, singer and original cast member of ‘Six The Musical’
• Slavka Jancikova, Vice President of Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Foot Locker
• Alexis Stone, Drag artist and transformative Make-Up Artist
• NikkieTutorials, Make-Up Artist and founder of Nimya
• Kirstie Stanway, Casualty Make-Up Designer
• Sherlina Nym, Social Media influencer and content creator
• Talia Mar, Singer and songwriter
• Yammy, Gamer and YouTuber
• Hung Vanngo, Celebrity Make-Up artist

Who is the host of ‘Glow Up’, Leomie Anderson?

Leomie Anderson is a 31-year-old fashion model, television presenter, and activist. She has walked in four consecutive Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows from 2015 to 2018, and became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2019. A year later, she was included in a 2020 Forbes '30 Under 30' list for the art and culture category. 

As a women's rights activist, Anderson gave two TEDx Talks, and spoke at Oxford and Cambridge universities and has spoken out about racial discrimination in the modelling industry. In April 2021, she debuted her podcast, ‘Role Model with Leomie Anderson, in which she speaks to international superstars who are breaking boundaries and shaping culture.

This is the second series she has hosted of ‘Glow Up’, replacing Maya Jama, who hosted series three and four, who herself replaced Stacey Dooley, host of series one and two. TV viewers may also recognise Anderson as a guest judge on series four of ‘RuPaul's Drag Race UK’ and 2022. She also appeared in series five of ‘Celebrity Gogglebox’ in 2023.

Anderson said: “It’s so exciting to be back. I really missed being on set and having the pleasure of getting to know these amazing artists and watch them grow in the show. And of course I’m excited to pull out more looks of my own!” She continued: “I’m a lot more comfortable and know what to expect which feels good. I also feel better prepared to support the MUAs as their sort of friend on the show.”

Who are the contestants of series 6 of ‘Glow Up’?

These are the eight contestants taking part in this year’s show:

Connor

Make-up hadn’t always been Connor’s dream career as he originally trained as a dancer. The 27-year-old, from Kent, used to watch the girl’s putting make-up on and wanted to do the same. After he finished his dance training, he then realised that a career in dance was not him when his love for make-up began, and he began to pursue this as a career instead.

Ella

Growing up Ella, aged 20, from Leicestershire, didn’t feel like she fit it in and felt like an outsider. Due to this, she often didn’t feel comfortable wearing make-up in public but as a teenager, she enjoyed playing with make-up at home in her bedroom. It was when she was in a creative environment at art and design at college that she felt she could open up and express herself.

Finley

20-year-old Finley’s love for make-up began in his teens, but he has been creative and artsy his whole life. He admits his first experience of make-up wasn’t actually that great and he thought make-up had to be conventional, “pretty” and “feminine” until he realised how creative it could be. With that realisation, Finley, of Dorset, started messing around with make-up more using colour and unconventional materials and just seeing what stuck.

George

George picked up his first make-up brush in lockdown and after giving make-up a serious go, it then grew into a passion. In just three years, George has been promoted from an amateur make-up artist in his hometown of Birmingham to now working as an assistant manager at Morphe. The 27-year-old has always been creative and has loved fashion and now wants to keep elevating himself in the make-up industry.

Jess

For Jess, aged 24, from London, the motivation to want to be a make-up artist was down to her drive to create and collaborate in the artistic sense. She is very artistically driven when it comes to everything in life. Make-up was one of the things where she felt she could reach new heights compared to other artistic mediums and wishes to be able to create art that she can share with the world.

Reem

Reem’s passion for make-up began she was 17. As an only child, make-up would keep the now 22-year-old, from Birmingham, entertained and gave her creative freedom. Even with her love for all things beauty, Reem was fascinated about studying Medical Biochemistry which she graduated in this year, but make-up is now her dream career.

Rossi

21-year-old Rossi started make-up when he was 13, stealing his sister’s make-up and playing with it at his home in Surrey. He loves doing make-up and is professionally trained, doing make-up professionally for six years. He loves the feeling that it can transforms someone’s day.

Shania

Shania began using make-up when she was 14. When she turned 17, she realised she had a true passion for make-up and then decided to take it more seriously. She loves that make-up can make her feel like a completely different person, in the best way possible. Shania, now aged 24, from Coventry, has built a community of over 100k followers on TikTok and it is her goal to help people when it comes to make-up and make it more accessible.

When is series 6 of ‘Glow Up’ on TV?

Series six of ‘Glow up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star’ begins on BBC Three on Wednesday April 10 at 8pm. Episodes will air at the same time every week. The final episode is expected to air on Wednesday May 15. Each episode will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

Can I watch other seasons of ‘Glow Up’?

Yes, you can also watch all the previous episodes from the first five series of ‘Glow Up UK’ on BBC iPlayer now.