Glow Up: What Season 2 Winner Ophelia Liu Is Up To Now

A new group of 10 MUAs (makeup artists) faced off in the second season of BBC’s Glow Up that dropped on Netflix on August 14, 2020. From the first creative challenge, this season’s winner Ophelia Liu stood out from the pack. She wowed us with her creative and intricate designs, received an abundance of well-deserved “Ding Dong!” exclamations from judge Val Garland, and earned herself the coveted contract to assist some of the world’s top makeup artists. After becoming Britain’s next makeup star, fans are wondering where is she now.

Ophelia’s rise to the top was an inspiring journey and one that had us rooting for her from the beginning. Born in Hong Kong to parents disapproving of makeup, she had to teach herself the skills to be a MUA. While she loved painting her face with bold designs and colors, her family insisted that makeup was only to be worn on Halloween. Throughout the season, she talked of the continual resistance she faced from her family after she revealed her desire to pursue a career as a makeup artist. This led to an arduous uphill battle for Ophelia in her pursuit of doing what she loved, and it made her participation (and eventual win) on the show that much more rewarding.

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world, makeup artists, like most other professions, have been grappling with the changed working environments. Makeup artists face their own challenges during this time. Since most people aren’t going to or hosting events, and doing someone’s makeup definitely requires being within six feet, it’s been a challenge for them to move forward in their careers. For Ophelia, she is using this time to leverage her Instagram page to channel her creativity, grow a following, and show off her new makeup designs, according to The Cinemaholic. “I have been using my time to work on my Instagram page, connecting with photographers, brands, and artists and working together, and really just working around the lockdown rules,” she told Refinery29 via email. “It has been tricky to work as an MUA during the pandemic due to the government rules. I feel like we have taken normal for granted and this really sets professional makeup artists at an even higher level,” she added.

While her parents didn’t fully support her aspirations, Ophelia didn’t let that hold her back from wowing the judges and viewers with her imaginative and precise make-up creations. She was known for her affinity for gory and horror-themed transformations, namely when she used prosthetic boils for eyeballs. Her talent even made her the only contestant not to make it to the dreaded face-off elimination chairs! Her first creative challenge (pictured above) received rave reviews from Garland and judge Dominic Skinner. Though her talent was evident from the get-go, she still faced some competitors that gave her a run for her money. Placing third, Eve Jenkins shined during the professional assignments and shocked everyone when Hunger Magazine asked her to return for a six-page spread. Contestant James Mac Inerney, on the other hand, struggled with the professional assignments. It was his colorful and textured makeovers in the creative challenges, though, that put him in second place in the end.

Although this season’s Glow Up winner Ophelia Liu has encountered a slight setback in her career, there is no doubt she  stillhas great things in store. She undoubtedly will soon be working her way up from assisting the world’s top makeup artists to becoming one herself. In the meantime, maybe we can learn a few of her tips and tricks while she takes her art to Instagram.

Season 2 of Glow Up is streaming now on Netflix.

Sources: Refinery29, The Cinemaholic

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