Weekly Challenge: Arab Inspired! Winners announced!

[Londoner M.U.G]

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners in particular the winner chosen for best look, there is no doubt you are incredibly talented and creative. I have no problem with the fact these contests are open to everyone because talent is found in both professionals and amateurs, But I feel that the contest's need to be more specific with what is being asked for because I feel that those who go more for the theatrical or artistry looks win all the time, and contestants like me (which are the majority) kill ourselves to stick within the boundaries of what is being asked for, in this case a makeup look of an arabic theme, including the extravagance, colours, and lots of liners but remaining WEARABLE. Im actually not trying to insult anyone so please forgive me if I do but Im trying to make a point for future contests in order for all contestants to believe we actually do have a chance of winning

[neonlemon]

I completely agree with you. The winners level is waaaay beyond anything that was posted. And personaly I think that's because the make up was for a photoshoot. There is a model which is very important for a make up look in a photoshoot. I don't think the winner is fairly chosen. Yes she's good and probably she's a professional make up artist which is not a bad thing but comparing to other peoples looks it's not fair. Most of the people didn't even have a nice camera and they shot their looks with a crappy mobile phone camera. I think the rules should be more specific because let's face it there is no real chance for anyone with a crappy camera to win no matter how good their skills may be. And also I think the winner should be someone who isn't a long time pro at makeup artistry. Pros earn money more quickly. They can afford more expensive make up. Beginner and amateiur make up artists on the other hand are a completely different story. I think the prize for this week deserves someone that will realy appreciate the brushes.

[msmakeupobsessed]

Congrats to the winners!!!!

[anikkicreation]

Well done winners and thanks for the contest it was a lot of fun! Thank you for inspiring us to get creative.

[Solacevy]

Congrats to the winner, she deserved it because her work is way too good. I feel so small now to join the contest next time there are a lot of good artists in here

[kristaselene]

Congratulations to the winners and all the entrants for their creativity! I agree with a lot of other posts saying it would be fantastic if there could be a pro section and an amateur space. If I were a professional mua, I'd love to participate in these contests- I don't think they should be excluded at all. We can learn so much from their work. But at the same time, I think amateurs benefit more from the type of prizes given and the chance to be creative and really hone their skills. You can't fairly compare the work of a pro who has access to every tool and product (plus the experience and raw talent) to that of a girl who might only have a drawer full of products. I don't want to be critical because the point of these things is to have fun but I did agree with some of the other mugs.

[LiLDevilGrl1587]

Is the second winner posted anywhere...? Or am I just blind?

[Makeupaddict1]

I agree with most of the girl and the look that she did didnt love like a arabic makeup.

[DropDeadMandy]

LiLDevilGrl1587 The second winner was posted. ox0xbarbiex0xo was the other winner in this challenge. I kind of wish they would have posted her look as well. I know she was chosen at random but it would still be nice to see her look as well. Everyone in this challenge did such a great job and there were so many entries. Congratulations to EVERYONE who entered. It takes a lot of courage to post pictures of yourselves especially when its out of your normal comfort zone. I know I had fun doing this and I hope the rest of you did too. Can't wait to try the next one. : D

[jmgodden]

WOW! I love her look but she clearly didn't do this make up.I feel like tutorials should be amust for these contests with such great prizes. It's unfair that someone can just get a friend to do their make up or for us to not even be able to prove who did it.

[whitney23]

I'm not trying to be a sore loser. I entered the V-day contest and didn't win that either and I understood why. This one however, not so much. The girl that won is obviously extremely talented. Her look was beautiful. I just don't feel that it had anything to do with arabic makeup. It looks more like flowers. Obviously she was in a photo shoot and just decided to send the pic in. It's gorgeous, i'm not trying to take that away and I'm happy for her. I just wish I had known that it didn't have to be arabic makeup. I agree with some of the others that there isn't a chance for those of us just starting out. Not that it will matter much to any of you, but this will be the last contest I enter. Congrats to the the winner!

[lonelyness46]

Ok...I'm not trying to be rude or something but that photo is edited in PhotoShop that's clear...is a makeup made for a shooting she wears a bride dress and her hair is done...obviously she didn't do the look for this contest like other girls here, and i don't know how did they check her if she doesn't have a video making it...I know that there are professional makeup artists but they should prove their work...

[Lauraleiwhit]

First of all Congrats to the winners!!

Second, I'm really disappointed at what some people have said about this being an unfair contest.

I just want to point out a few things. Marlena maintains this site as a place for people to learn how to apply makeup and to give you options that are more affordable to get the looks you are trying to attain.

I know that it seems unfair to amateurs that professionals are included in the mix. But you have no way of knowing who is a pro and who isn't. I know many "pro" level makeup artists that are not actual professionals. Its a hobby for some.

I agree that if you don't take a good pic you probably don't stand as good of a chance. But all of these things are correctable. Take the time to practice with your camera to find the best lighting or setting to take your pics. Look online for tips on picture taking. If you are putting all that work into an awesome makeup look you should also be putting in a little work to get the best pic you can. I had a crappy camera for my first entry but I took lots of pics to get the best photo I could.

As far as level of skill for makeup... that is why you are here... to learn. Take pointers, ask Marlena how to get that flawless look. Ask how to graduate your colors. Ask what store brands are comparable to the pro brands. Learn and practice and do better. You may not win now, but you could in the future with practice.

I love to see all of the looks from the simplest to the most elaborate. It is all inspiring and gives me new ideas. I am an amateur and almost never wear makeup outside of the house... its just too much effort for me on a daily basis. But I love to play with makeup... to learn and perfect looks that I like.

For all of you that don't want to enter the contests anymore... please don't give up... lets all learn together and keep trying.

Have a wonderful day everyone! Can't wait for our next challenge!!

[JessicaAllison]

Though it is less than gracious for contest winners to be so openly criticized, it is blatently clear that many of you feel you need explanation of why this particular entry was chosen as the winner of this week's contest. Since many of those being the most vocal on this issue are new users to the forum, let me fill you in on the contest particulars.

This contest is something Marlena chooses to host out of the kindness of her own heart and love for the community that has been forged on the Makeup Geek Forums. Recognizing that we have a wide range of skill levels competing, including both professionals and non-professionals at an extremely high skill level, the decision was made to award a prize to one entry based on skill and another randomly chosen entry. This gives all who enter an equal chance to win. Eliminating this random winner in favor of a separate "amateur" category would likely decrease chances of winning, since we have many users who have professional level skills but do not work as a makeup artists. Additionally, there is nothing that we could legally require as proof of entry that would ensure that those that say they're amateurs truly are.

Many forum users have pointed out that Azin's makeup is far beyond the skill level of most entries. However, if you look through the "Show Your Face" forum and previous contest entries, you will see that we have many users on this forum (both professional and amatuer) who are at a very high level. To suggest that this one entry was far and beyond the skill level of others on the forum is not only inaccurate, but offensive to other artists.

Second, weekly challenges are a contest of SKILL. I was asked to help with judging because I, like Marlena, am a professional makeup artist and am able to use my education to evaluate the entries on that level. Since many you have stated that the winning entry was a level above other entries, then it should be obvious that that is exactly why she won!

I've read posts that seem to suggest that as judges, we should essentially "throw a bone" occasionally and choose an entry at a lower skill level as winner. This is not only contrary to the idea of the contest, but is unfair to everyone who spends hours designing, applying and shooting a look. You all deserve honest evaluation, and that is what we attempt to provide when judging these contests.

When judging the Weekly Challenges, we take into consideration many factors- first and foremost, skill in application. This means things like cleanliness of lines, care in blending, and consideration of facial anatomy and skin tone. We also consider creativity, originality and adherance to the theme. It's been suggested that we tend to favor the more dramatic, theatrical entries. I can understand why one could have this perception, looking at the last few winners, but I assure you, Avante-garde is in no way a criteria to win. As a matter of fact, the runner up for the Valentine's entry was a very classic look; easily wearable and one that many of you could recreate. What set that particular entry apart was expert choices in shades along with clean, flawless application. The scales were tipped in the winner's favor because we felt the winning entry simply reflected the theme of the contest better.

While this week's contest was a bit more open in theme, we looked for traditional "Arabic inspired" hallmarks. Favoring a cut-crease, liquid liner that meets at the inner corner of the eye in a point, as well as a dramatic angle on the outer edge are common markers of Arabic inspired makeup, and Azin's entry included all of these. This is not to say those elements were necessary to win, I'm just pointing out why this entry fit the parameters of the contest.

Finally, in regards to contest security: as you're all aware, there were several illegal submissions to this contest. We appreciate all of the help forum users provided in politely reporting suspicious entries. Please know that we are as concerned as you are about this problem, and are taking such issues into consideration for future contests. The fact is, the world wide web is a huge place- there are an almost infinite number of images contained therein. We do our best to filter out illegal submissions, as was the case in this contest. Several contestants were asked to validate their entry, including the winner, and many submissions were removed for failure to prove that the work submitted was their own. Of course, any competitor in a contest like this could hire a makeup artist and professional photographer to complete their entry. Considering that the cost of such a project would far outweigh the prize given for winning, it's highly unlikely that someone would go to such lengths. The only 100% accurate way to ensure that work submitted was completed by the hand of the person entering it would be to require video submissions. Aside from time and technical constraints, such a restriction would be unfair; many forum users simply do not have the equipment or time necessary to film and edit a video.

We sincerly hope this helps to clear things up for those of you that had questions or issues about this decision. We remind you that this forum is meant to be a place for open sharing of ideas and thoughts; for that to happen, discourse must remain civil. Attacking other users, over this or any other issue, simply will not be permitted. If you are unsure of what constitutes proper conduct in the forums, please read this before further use:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3696

Thanks for your time!

[JessicaAllison]

Well i agree with you , but you can see in her profile picture that it's her.
When i saw her post for the first time, i already knew i didn't have a chance at winning anymore, unless they diskwalified her..
I just hope Marlena checked her entry for being real.. because this work looks professional

Azin's entry was verified; as you mentioned, you can see in her profile pic that she is plainly the person in the winning entry. There are many users on our forums who are professional makeup artists, and many others who aren't professionals but have very high-level skills; all are allowed to compete in Weekly Challenges. This is the reason we choose not only a winner based on skill, but also a winner at random- it gives everyone an equal opportunity to win.