AR Creators Behind the Scenes: BBC Glow Up
Lights, camera, AR! Six AR Creators take us behind the scenes of the Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star on BBC3 The show follows 10 MUA’s who are tasked with a new challenge each episode competing to become Britain’s next make-up star. Season 7 premiered recently on BBC and in Episode 2—out now!—the MUA’s are tasked with designing looks for Snapchat Lenses inspired by their happy place.
Only the top 3 looks get to be transformed in Lenses, and only 1 will go live on Snapchat. Watch on iPlayer in the UK or Out TV in the US.
These six AR Creators paired up in teams to create the top 3 looks. Learn more about their experience and check out the winning Lens below!
“The collaboration was a cross-disciplinary effort between us two XR developers and the make-up artist Jamie Arnold. We created a dynamic AR make-up Lens that captures Jamie’s musical aesthetic through movement and interaction. Piano tiles cascade from the top and bottom of the face, meeting in the centre in sync with music.
Our process began with a 2D face diagram to map out make-up placement, inspired by Jamie’s real-life model. In Lens Studio, we used the Face Inset Mesh to ensure the make-up adapted across face shapes, and implemented a ‘mouth open’ trigger to activate a visual sequence. This included animated fireworks and the illusion of piano keys playing as the Snapchatter “sings”.
The biggest highlight was to develop the Lens together with these incredible and super talented women at the Snapchat headquarters. Seeing that our collaboration led to a Lens bringing such joy to the MUAs and judges was truly amazing!”
Mabu Yussif & Maria Lande Lund
Kate Mellett, Head of Creative Strategy at Snap, UK, is the one to thank for bringing this collaboration to life on Snap’s behalf. Here’s what she said about her experience and the idea of turning a real-life make-up look into an AR experience:
“We had the pleasure of collaborating with make-up artist Rahual Das, who brought a thoughtful and beautifully calm concept to the table: a meditative look inspired by inner peace and transformation.
The Lens we developed featured a blooming lotus flower at the center of the forehead, paired with subtle glow effects and soft animations that responded with the Snapchatter’s breathing. When the Snapchatter smiles or breathes in, the glow gently intensified; as they exhaled, it fades away.
Seeing the Lens in action on set — especially when Val, Dom, and Atarah Mayhew tried it on — was an incredibly proud and surreal moment. Watching ourselves on TV and getting to spend the day on set at Snapchat HQ made the whole experience unforgettable.
But equally special was working alongside four other brilliant women Lens Creators: Balraj, Josephine, Mabu, and Maria. Their creativity, support and energy made the day inspiring, empowering, and genuinely fun. The whole project was a celebration of artistry, collaboration, and technology — and we feel really lucky to have been part of it.”
Raag Harshavat, Augmented Reality Developer Relations at Snap, who connected these amazing Lens Creators to this collaboration, shared his perspective on make-up Lenses on Snapchat:
“We collaborated with the really talented MUA Jake Moran and his ethereal design based on bioluminescent jelly. The Lens is inspired by Jake’s happy place of nature and nature documentaries. It is a fully interactive and custom Lens that features glowing and bubbling bioluminescence to bring the ethereal design to life.
We made custom 3D bioluminescence which glows and bubbles on your face. These were hand-built and pinned to your face. The eyebrow raise interaction starts the magical glow and pulse animations. The Lens also has custom drawn eyeliner, lashes, lip gloss, highlights and glossy eyeshadow to complete the wet look.
The biggest highlight was collaborating as a talented team to bring a unique AR experience to life, especially getting to be on set at Snapchat HQ in London with the Wall to Wall production crew, and showcasing our lenses on the BBC show to help bring more exposure to this incredible technology.”
Balraj Bains & Josephine Miller
Once the Lenses were created, the Glow Up judges, joined by Kate Mellet, Snapchat’s Head of Creative Strategy, UK had to select the winner. Instant impact, interactivity, and flawless user experience were the deciding factors in choosing the Lotus Lens, built by Abbie Peach and Clara Bacou and designed by Rahual, MUA.
by BBC Glow Up
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