L’Oréal Paris Launches ‘The Brush Contest’ Online Makeup Artist Competition

L’Oréal Paris announced on Jan. 20 “The Brush Contest”, the world’s first-ever online international makeup artist contest happening exclusively on YouTube. The Brush Contest is the latest expression of the brand’s Makeup Designer Paris platform. This platform goes beyond just a new signature for the brand. It was created to highlight the expertise and creativity of every woman.

L’Oréal Paris is giving aspiring talent the unparalleled opportunity to compete for a 100,000€ (a little over $115,000 US) prize and title of the 2015 L’Oréal Paris Makeup Designer. This global search for the brand’s 2015 makeup artist will gather contestants from 13 countries including the USA, France, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, China, Thailand, Italy and Turkey. The Brush Contest is open to all over the age of 18 years old that consider makeup artistry a true passion point and are obsessed with makeup.  

Those talented enough to make it to the final round will meet in Paris, France for the final global competition. The grand finale will broadcast from Paris on YouTube on May 1st 2015.  This star studded evening – hosted by L’Oréal Paris spokesperson Eva Longoria – will celebrate the national finalists, herald the L’Oréal Paris Makeup Designer Paris vision to empower women to effortlessly create makeup looks on themselves at home, and announce the global winner.

The global winner of The Brush Contest, to hold the title of 2015 L’Oréal Paris Makeup Designer, will be awarded participation in incredible celebrity beauty shoots, how-to video tutorial creation, press interviews, the exclusive Cannes International FilmFestival, and much more.

Applicants are invited to showcase their makeup expertise in a 3-minute video tutorial accomplished by either uploading new, original content, or choosing a video from an existing YouTube channel.  Registration opened on January 19, 2015 and closes on February 15, 2015; all official rules and guidelines can be found at The Brush Contest!

A superstar judging panel consisting of L’Oréal Paris Celebrity Makeup Artist, Claudia Betancur, Global Nail Artist, Tom Bachik, YouTube beauty creator, StyleHaul network, Stephanie Lee (@BeautyByLee), YouTube beauty creator, StyleHaul network, Alicia Collinge (@XSparkage) and Senior Vice President of L’Oréal Paris Marketing, Malena Higuera will determine the candidate they feel have what it takes to represent the United States in the global competition.

Selecting a National Winner: Primary judging criteria includes creativity, originality and skillset, and a national winner will be revealed exclusively on L’Oréal Paris’ social platforms March 15, 2015. A national winner will then be flown to Paris for a beauty bootcamp, where they will be mentored by the brand’s makeup color experts and experience L’Oréal Paris on deeper level.  When in Paris, the national winners enter for a chance to compete in the finale to showcase their skills by making over the industries top models from our L’Oréal Paris roster of spokespeople.

On February 16, 2015 a voting period will open digitally for fans to narrow candidates down to potential national winners.  To join in on the voting and take part in the conversation, subscribe to @LOrealParisNYC on YouTube and follow @LOrealParisUSA on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook using #TheBrush.

The Grand Parisian Finale, Unveiling the 2015 Global Makeup Designer: The grand finale will broadcast from Paris on YouTube on May 1st 2015. The broadcast will feature a series of exciting events filmed in Paris and hosted by actress, model, activist and L’Oréal Paris spokesperson, Eva Longoria.  Attendees in the broadcast will include national winners from each of the participating countries, and the events debuted will encompass an exclusive makeup show, concerts, interviews with finalists, and appearances from some of the most famous models from around the world.

Finalists will showcase their talents on world-class beauties and L’Oréal Paris spokespeople like Doutzen Kroes, Karlie Kloss, and Lara Stone as they take the original makeup creations to the runway.  The spokespeople will cheer on contestants throughout the selection process via videos and pictures shared across YouTube and their respective social platforms.

L’Oréal Paris’ cutting-edge beauty app Makeup Genius will showcase exclusive looks from the competition, offering insights into contestants’ color expertise and highlighting the bold looks created by the brand’s makeup designers.  A global winner, the 2015 L’Oréal Paris Makeup Designer, will be announced during the YouTube broadcast, just in time to attend the Cannes International Film Festival, an event that the brand has long since served as official makeup sponsor.

The Experts Guide To Flattering Colors For You

Skin tone fluctuates throughout the year. Therefore, the hues that looked amazing on you throughout the warmer months could easily make you look tired and washed out in the winter. And, we all have experienced the challenges of choosing flattering “change-over” shades for our hair color, nail polish and lipsticks. Fortunately, Kari Hill, Tom Bachik and Billy B. -- Experts from L’Oréal Paris -- have shared some tips on how to choose the most flattering shades … along with product recommendations to make the seasonal color transition a little easier!

Kari Hill, L’Oréal Paris Consulting Hair Colorist – Expert Tip: Instead of using the face, I look at the forearm to determine a more precise and unaffected matching of skin tone. When choosing hair color, in addition to skin tone, you should also consider your natural eye color, present choice of makeup, desired maintenance/upkeep and the time of year.

Cool haircolor tones look best on skin with cool undertones, which can range from blue or pink on fair skin to even an olive undertone for darker. On fair skin, L’Oréal Paris Mousse Absolue in Lightest Icy Blonde or Feria Absolute Platinum typically looks great. For darker skin, consider L’Oréal Paris Mousse Absolue Icy Dark Brown or Superior Preference Luminere Black Sapphire.

Warm haircolor tones look best on skin with golden or yellow undertones, regardless of dark or light skin. Some at-home hair color options that look good on warm skin tones include, L’Oréal Paris Mousse Absolue Lightest Golden Blonde, L’Oréal Paris Excellence Crème Medium Golden Blonde or L’Oréal Paris Feria Dark Gold Blonde.

Neutral toned haircolor is the closest tone that could complement a wide variety of skin tones. I liken a neutral color to the tone of a child’s hair. Here are some haircolor options for accommodating varied skin tones: L’Oréal Paris Mousse Absolute Pure Dark Blonde, Feria Very Light Natural Blonde, or Superior Preference Natural Blonde.

Tom Bachik, L’Oréal Paris Global Nail Artist – Expert Tip: When choosing nail shades, keep it simple and think in warm or cool tones. The easiest way is to look on the underside of your arms. If your veins are mostly purple in tone, then you’re more cool skin toned. If your veins are mostly greenish in tone, then you’re more warm skin toned. Another tip – think about the colors you like to wear and the same palette will likely work for nail shades.

For cool skin tones look at rich berries (L’Oréal ParisColour Riche Nail in Violet Vixen), deep purples (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail in Paparazzi Pleaser) and Bright Blues (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail in Not a Cloud in Sight).

For warm skin tones, I like burnt reds (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail in Red Tote), warm dusty rose tones (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail in Spice Things Up) and rich corals (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail in Tangerine Crush).

Billy B., L’Oréal Paris Consulting Makeup Artist – Expert Tip: When it comes to choosing a good lip color, I not only look at skin tone, but also pay attention to eye color, hair color and what my clients are wearing.

Generally, I used the below guidelines for skin tone and lipsticks:

• Olive – nudes (L’Oréal Paris Extraordinaire by Colour Riche in Nude Ballet) pinks, oranges (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lipcolour in Volcanic) and reds (L’Oréal Paris Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain in Endless Red) 

• Fair – bold shades in pink and red (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Balm Pop in Bold Blush and Fiery Red,) 

• Darker skin tones – Bold, rich colors like burgundy, browns (L’Oréal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour Compact) berry colors (L’Oréal Paris Infallible Le Rouge in Enduring Berry) and deep reds (L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Glossy Balm in Petite Plum).

For more information about L’Oréal products, or to find a retailer near you, visit L’Oréal Paris.