The Newest 'American Beauty Star' Has Officially Been Crowned
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Last night's live episode of American Beauty Star was full of gorgeous looks and shocking twists. The stakes were high: The winner was poised to take home more than $100,000 worth of cash and prizes, plus the opportunity to have their work featured in Cosmopolitan.
The season finale was different from previous episodes, not only because it was filmed live, but also because the judges didn't get to decide the winner—the fate of the contestants was up to the viewers at home, who could cast their votes via text, tweet, or on the ABS website.
When the episode began, it was anyone's game. Each contestant was tasked with putting together a look that told a complete story. First up was Lucy, who drew inspiration from the sky. She used an array of colors across her model's makeup, clothing, and hair. Judge Leah Wyar (former beauty director at Cosmo, hey girl!) was especially impressed with how Lucy incorporated the purple extensions into her model's hair.
Next up was Axel, who paid homage to Prince in his look. His model wore a sexy purple suit with a metallic bralette underneath, and the judges were in complete awe. Host and supermodel Ashley Graham had to basically pick her jaw up off the floor. Axel explained why Prince is one of his role models, noting that the pop legend had actually passed away on Axel's birthday. Judge Yu Tsai was especially impressed with Axel's use of multiple shadow colors on his model's lids.
Last but not least was Diana, who decked out her model with a lavish gold headpiece and white body paint. While the outfit Diana created for her model wasn't the most practical (she did almost trip a couple times), it successfully highlighted her out-of-the-box thinking.
After each finalist unveiled their look, Ashley had to break some bad news: One contestant was already going home. Diana had the least amount of votes and seemed completely blindsided by the news.
While America continued to cast their votes, Ashley and the judges looked back at some of their fondest moments from the series. This included a hilarious montage of the judges' harshest critiques (like when Christie said a model looked like she ate a canary...yikes!).
When it came down to the last few minutes of the show, it was clear that both of the remaining contestants were extremely talented, but as you know, only one could win: America chose Lucy to be the next American Beauty Star. Congrats, lady!
Need to catch up? Watch the entire season of American Beauty Star here.
Amanda Kabbabe Amanda is a video producer at Hearst Originals, where she produces content across all of Hearst Magazines' brands, and more!
