It was all about pageboy haircuts, pink streaks and gothic blacks in last night's episode of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model, as the 11 remaining contestants underwent a makeover. For some lucky model wannabes, their transformations involved adding some beautiful extensions or soft layers with a delicate, highlighted hue. For some unfortunate sods, there was no choice but to make the most of their helmet hair and Ozzy Osbourne dos – which, of course, resulted in tears by the bucket load.
Our Irish beaut Hannah appeared to fare best when it came to 'operation transformation' as her healthy chocolate locks were blended with a more subtle brown and styled to accentuate her face. I am afraid to say that I wasn't impressed with Stacey's (our second Irish cailín) ice-blonde overall colour. It was far too pale for her skin tone, making her look gaunt and washed out.
Poor Juste definitely got a raw deal when it came to changing her look, and I could understand why she had a bit of a meltdown. As her luscious hair fell to the ground, even judge Julian couldn't help but state that he "felt bad for the girl", while Ufuoma was quick to pitch in that she "looked like a boy". Initially I was sceptical about Juste's drastic cut and extremely dark tint, but her perfectly asymmetrical face saved her (phew). If anything I reckon Juste's new edgy look is very high-fashion and will make her stand out from the crowd.
I couldn't help but cringe when the overly confident and cocky Tanya began to sob as Grace Woodward revealed that she would soon be sporting a bowl haircut. From the get-go she was the only model who stated that she didn't care what the stylists did to her as it was not that big of a deal. (Ahem, bet she regrets saying that now!) In my opinion, Amy received the worst makeover. Her gothic crop had so much potential, but it ended up looking like she had been dragged through a bush!
I was surprised by Anastasija's positive reaction to her stripy pink do – it reminded me of the colour hairspray that you buy in Euro stores at Hallowe'en. The highlight of the episode had to be Juste's Ken and Barbie joke, referring to herself and Anastasija. At the end of the day it was refreshing to see Juste joking about her traumatic ordeal. Although if she had walked in on the other girls' bitching about her new look, I don't think that smile would have remained on her face. Meow!
Next it was time for the naked truth (quite literally) as the anxious models were forced to bare all in their first nude shoot. I was so proud of Jessica who managed to disregard previous negative comments that she had "a man's body" and insinuations that she was "bigger" than the other girls. Her positive attitude and strong self-belief had the judges eating out of her hand as she pulled incredible, natural poses. A well deserved winner of 'Photo of the Week'.
Hannah also went down a treat with the judging panel as Elle was only delighted to comment on her "fabulous body". At this stage it looks like Hannah may be able to take over Fearne Cotton's narration job if her modelling career doesn't work out. But why don't they ever show any of the other models talking in the diary room?
My heart sank for Stacey when her unbelievably slim figure was unveiled. No matter what angle she posed, her bones and ribcage protruded. She admitted that it was a hereditary trait in her family and that her mother has a similar fragile-looking frame, but as Elle said, her slight figure does not give off the right impression in the fashion industry.
Juste nailed the shoot and had several impressive shots to choose from, but Tanya's six tattoos made it difficult to even choose one. Elle, meanwhile, was slightly over-dramatic with her two-minute breather. The majority of models seemed over-the-moon when they arrived home to their special treat – Chipmunk singing in the living room. (Apparently this is a big deal!) Despite Imogen's flirty banter, Chipmunk declined her invitation to swap Blackberry information. Oh dear!
As I began to ponder whether the contestants actually pack their bags before elimination every week, I was soon distracted by George Lamb's beautiful face. As expected, he brought a dollop of cheekiness when critiquing the models' best shots. However, at times I thought he was a bit too harsh with his feedback.
Following a long rant from Grace, where she showered Elle with compliments about her elegant toes, it was time for the bottom two to be announced. I wasn't surprised when Stacey found herself up for elimination, but thankfully our Irish gal was kept to fight on for another week. Unfortunately, it was the end of the catwalk for Ufuoma, but at least she was sent home with a stunning portfolio to help continue her journey.
Next week: It looks like love is in the air for Imogen as she gets her flirt on (again). Tanya and Anastasija's relationship finally reaches breaking point, while the rest of the ladies get their claws into the next photo shoot.
Not to be missed!
Laura Delaney
