Winning the third place at makeup competition

Petra and I had a really busy schedule this Friday and Saturday. International fair Dani ljepote (Days of beauty) took place in Zagreb from March 2nd to March 4th. Among other events, it included competition in makeup artistry for makeup artists without formal education on the subject and was organized by Profokus – a school for makeup artists, designers, costume designers, hair stylists and stylists.

At first I hesitated and wasn’t sure if I should apply as I’m quite critical when it comes to my work. However, I’ve gathered enough courage and applied for the competition and I’m really glad I did. It was really nice experience and a nice opportunity to learn.

Theme of the competition was “Like Lady Gaga” and the guidelines for the makeup were the following:
1. minimum of three eye shadows in intense shades
2. blush and lipstick were mandatory
3. additions to makeup such as false eyelashes and glitter were allowed

At first we were stationed in the backstage which was actually a very hot room with the mirrors. Lovely hostess took care of us and provided us with everything we needed – from drinks to some special requests such as duct tape and scissors. After we’ve settled we had 45 minutes to apply foundation. Then we were taken to the stage and had 45 minutes to do the makeup we’ve planned in front of the jury. I had just enough time do to everything I’ve planned and was pretty calm. Most of my calmness was due to the fact that I wasn’t expecting much from the competition.

However, when the time for the announcement of the winners came I was pleasantly surprised when the show host called out my name – I’ve won the third place! Yay!! I was (and still am) really happy and proud of it!

The second place was won by contestant Sara Marđetko – Profokus’s student, and the first by Jelena Bučić – a high school student from Slovenia. I’m really happy for the girls and I would like to congratulate them once again.

However, I would like to go back to what I’ve learned from this. Once again I’ve experienced a phenomenon not that unusual here in Croatia – rules appear to be guidelines and rare are the ones who seem to obey them. Why is that so? It’s hard to say. To be honest, I don’t know the answer to that one. The only thing I know is that it makes me sad. It spoils this beautiful memory and leaves the bitter taste. One thing that I keep questioning myself is – how is it possible that the student of the school for makeup artists (that’s also the organizer of this event) could won the second place when it was clearly stated that the contestants are supposed to be amateurs or high school students? Secondly, why are the rules for creating the makeup look omitted – where are three colors of eye shadows and how about some blush?

Be that as it may, I won the third place and that’s the only thing that matters. I would like to thank Ana Marija Kožuljević for being the best model I could possibly have and a great friend, Petra Gospodnetić for being the best sister one could possibly have, for taking all of the photos and giving me all the support I needed, Andrea Ćulafić and Renata Debartoli who found time to come and see me performing, Kristina Atletić for being welcoming and friendly while giving us all the information we needed and answering our questions. You are the one making this experience unforgettable. :)



Here are all contestant's looks: