Glow Up season 5 is back with new host, model Leomie Anderson and a fresh batch of young makeup artists (MUAs) all hoping to be crowned Britain's Next Make-Up Star.
The ten contestants must master every creative brief in order to impress judges Val Garland and Dominic Skinner.
Let's meet the MUAs and host all hoping to demonstrate their makeup artistry in Glow Up season 5...
Glow Up season 5 contestants: meet the MUAs
Axel
27-year-old Axel is a computer arts student in Dundee and started experimenting with makeup as a teenager. Back then, they were influenced by creature design and were obsessed with turning themselves into monsters. Now, Axel loves drag and transforming themselves into interdimensional beings.
Howard
Howard is a retail MUA and assistant manager from London. He grew up in Malaysia and was inspired to get into the world of beauty when watching his mother put on her makeup. However, his parents were concerned that he wouldn't be able to make a career out of it.
After moving to London to study hospitality management, he quickly realized that glamour was his true calling. At 30 years old, Howard dreams of producing exquisite model looks and perfect magazine cover-ready makeup.
Keiran
Keiran, 23, will be swapping their hairbrush for a makeup brush as the award-winning hairstylist from Cheshire joins Glow Up. At the age of 13, Keiran realised they wanted to be an MUA and watching RuPaul's Drag Race made them discover the power of expressing their femininity.
Morgan
Morgan is a 19 year old freelance MUA and beautician from Durham. Morgan became a self-taught MUA after COVID cancelled her college course and was inspired by superheroes and the supernatural.
At 19, Morgan already has her own business as a freelance makeup artist, but that doesn't stop her from being a perfectionist.
On-May
On-May, who resides in Glasgow, is a student and retail MUA. She got into makeup after watching Michael Jackson's Thriller music video and seeing a classmate's perfect eyeliner.
A mixture of Halloween horror and flawless glamour sums up the 21-year-old's style perfectly. Although she works as a retail makeup artist, she loves creating bold characters based on what she's learning on her film and TV makeup course.
Roo
24-year-old Roo is a painter and decorator, whose parents worked in the theatre, which led them to study fine art at university. Roo realized that fine art wasn't their true passion and used another art form to discover their "strange" and "wacky" sides — makeup! This resulted in the birth of their drag king alter ego.
Saphron
As a child, Essex-based Saphron had struggles with her skin and suffered from acne that would flare up when she got anxious.
Saphron, 23, now works as a part-time makeup artist who has learned to embrace her skin. She also has a job as a pizza delivery driver when not working with clients and on film sets.
Sarah
25-year-old Sarah is a freelance MUA from Manchester. Growing up with three brothers, Sarah used the power of makeup to help her be confident and stand out.
She studied biomedical science but discovered her true passion was with makeup, so decided to become a freelance MUA. Sarah loves to work in a “very diverse” set of styles.
Taisha
Taisha's journey to becoming a freelance MUA began when her brother bought her a makeup palette for her 16th birthday, which led to her becoming a counter makeup artist.
In 2020, Taisha lost her brother to cancer and lost her job at the same time. The 23-year-old Londoner was prepared to quit makeup but decided to keep it up to honor her brother.
Wezley
Wezley began wearing makeup at a young age and didn't care what the residents of his hometown Weston-Super-Mare thought of him. He studied hair and makeup at college and now works as a freelance makeup artist with an extensive client list that features a number of glamour models. 20-year-old Wezley dreams of creating his own makeup line.
Glow Up season 5 host
Leomie Anderson
Taking over from previous Glow Up host Maya Jama, supermodel Leomie Anderson will be bringing her expertise to the Glow Up studios.
Since being scouted to be a model at the age of 14, Leomie has walked some of the most famous catwalks including Victoria's Secret, Vivienne Westwood and Calvin Klein. She has also done TED Talks about the modeling industry, spoken at Oxford University and even founded her own fashion brand in 2016.
Talking about hosting Glow Up to the BBC she said: “I wanted to bring something different to the series. I know the impact of having make-up on that doesn’t make you feel the best. So, this is a big moment for me."
She added: “The challenges are even more memorable this time around. I’m a huge Bridgerton fan, so having the first episode on set there was amazing. There is so much talent, it is through the roof. They all have such individual styles. What I love about Glow Up is that it lets people who might not usually get to be on TV have a place to shine."
Glow Up season 5 will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer on Tuesday, May 2 at 6am and BBC Three at 8pm. Episodes will then air weekly on Wednesdays.
