Ex-Shropshire student doing battle in BBC show for make-up stardom
A fashion graduate who studied at a Shropshire college is to appear as a contestant for the second season of BBC show Glow Up.
Ophelia Liu, 26, is a former student of Concord College in Acton Burnell and left in 2013 after studying GCSEs, AS levels and A-levels including fine art.
She will now be battling to become one of Britain’s next makeup stars.
Ten aspiring makeup artists will be appearing on BBC3 and BBC iPlayer tomorrow and in subsequent weeks aiming to impress judges Val Garland and Dominic Skinner in a series featuring a range of real-world and creative professional assignments.
The winner of the television series will secure a professional contract to assist some of the world’s top makeup artists.
Presenter Stacey Dooley said: “I was blown away by the talent and creativity last time and it was a pleasure to be part of the journey. I can’t wait to get to know the new makeup artists and get started.”
Ahead of the competition, Ophelia, who studied fashion design at Ravensbourne University in London, said: “I became interested in fashion when I was 13 or 14, through discovering music and fashionable trends.
“In Hong Kong, at that age, there weren’t many subcultures to embrace my interests, and the only time I really used dramatic makeup and dressed up was at Halloween.
"Music, fashion and Halloween shaped me.
“Along the line, after a disappointing first experience as a recent fashion graduate, the tables turned and an area manager for one of my favourite fashion brands spotted my makeup work on Instagram and offered me a job – I accepted right away.
“Since then, I’ve worked my way up and am now one of eight events team artists representing the brand globally.
"I also do freelance work and have my own clothing company.”
Speaking of how she became involved with the TV series, Ophelia, who now lives in London, said: “The auditions were not easy – many thousands of talented makeup artists.
"It took a lot of nerve and energy, especially to show your work, ethic and skills on television.
"You show yourself off as a person.”
She added: “I’m hoping my upcoming appearances and experience will bring me abundance in life; I want to be successful by doing what I love and make a living from it.”
Concord’s head of art, Anthony Hudson, posted on the department’s Instagram page: “I’m so proud to see Concord art legends taking their talent and creativity out into the world.
“We’ll be watching and supporting Ophelia in the new season of Glow Up!”
The series starts tomorrow at 7pm.
