It's day two, and this damn wig is driving me nuts. Roughly 85 percent of the Benebabes have referred to me by my real name, but the charade is still on. I've been planting the seed that an influencer working with a publisher is great for notoriety because (a) it's true, (b) with the rise of social media, I'm not sure the campers understand its relevance or importance in terms of their careers, and (c) at this point, the campers know there is another "big prize," but they don't know what just yet. When I asked them what they thought it could be, one camper responded, "Merch?"
It should be noted that many of the finalists are aware I'm wearing a wig. Most haven't said anything, but I see the looks. Some have — but not in a "Why are you wearing a wig?" way. In fact, wearing a wig isn't abnormal for anyone in the beauty community, which has worked to my advantage.
There are two challenges the campers must execute before the top 12 are announced to test their artistry. First up: Build-a-Brow. Pick a prop, any prop, from a treasure chest and craft a brow inspired by it. There are a few different items to choose from: pearls, chain mail, sequined gloves, and flower crowns. This is where we get to see the contestants' creativity. Can they think on their feet? Can they design a cohesive theme? And will their execution be beautiful? Contestants have a full hour to construct the brow and photograph, edit, and post it to their Instagrams — many of which have now already been deleted from their carefully crafted grids.
"You could start the next viral squiggle brow," says one of the brand's brow artists.
"I couldn't. For the dignity of my page! I'm sorry," a contestant replied.
"I don't hate it, though," said Seals.
The next individual challenge: Arch and Crafts. Campers are tasked with creating a brow look out of items like pipe cleaners, pom-poms, crystals, and buttons. Imagination is rampant during this challenge, but the execution is lacking for most. And Houston, we have a problem: one of the girls brought gold leaf foil in her makeup bag and used it instead of the assorted crafts to create her brow. The judges say all is fair in love and brows, but this does not go over well with a few contestants. Luckily, it doesn't matter — Garrett Hahn ends up winning the competition with his crystal brow, blowing everyone out of the water.
