#cycle12week11

Allison and Aminat’s beauty shots were equally great to me so it came down to the commercial. Her take was pretty solid and a step up from her previous one in week 6. She got through her lines smoothly and her voice was expressive. However, I agree with Paulina’s critique that the expressiveness didn’t really reach her face; she sort of just had the same face during the entirety of her take and she could’ve brought up her energy a little bit. Allison’s print ad is lovely, it really gets the easy-breezy award for the week. The lean and neck extension make it stand out, plus the focus is still on the lip product. She brought her own uniqueness out while still producing a mainstream, commercial shot that would work well for the brand.

Aminat somehow manages to get first callout for both of the beauty shots. This is just ironic. Honestly this shot is beautiful, like I said last time her features somehow managed to photograph so softly. There is just such a caring and commercial exuberance coming from her eyes, it is the perfectly typical commercial look. Aminat really did put up a fight in the finale, but despite  giving her this position in my rankings, I probably would have made the same choice to eliminate her over Teyona this week.

Aminat completely nailed her beauty shot. She looks so warm and approachable, and her skin is glorious. This is the strongest her face has looked since the powder beauty shot; her eyes are connecting and I love her cheekbones. I think she did the best at selling the lip product as well. Aminat also had my favorite commercial. She was natural and conversational, and I like the little touches of personality like the shrug and how she leaned in on certain lines. Her diction improved from her first commercial too. Even though I agreed with her elimination wholeheartedly, Aminat had the best CoverGirl performance overall and I’m glad that she went out on a good, fighting note.

Teyona’s print ad is quite stunning. I love how she looks like a sweet commercial girl with some edge thrown in. Her eyes are connecting so strongly and angle works well for her features. I wish she was drawing more attention to the lip product, but it’s a great beauty shot overall. Teyona’s commercial was a disaster though. She was clearly super nervous and couldn’t get through the script without messing up every few seconds, plus defeat was all over her face during the tagline. Despite having the weakest performance of the Top 3, she earned her place in the finale with her consistent run through the competition.

If they had just found a way to cover up her old hair, then this shot would have been so much more satisfying, and probably would have gotten first callout. It is commercial without losing Allison’s quirky adorableness, her expression is just ethereal and beautiful. Maybe there is a slight lack of anything in the eyes, but given the overall vibe of the photo I think it works, rather than hinders the photo. Given the other aspects of the finale, I definitely think this photo should have helped solidify Allison as the winner, and it will forever be an injustice that she was robbed.

In the grand scheme of the Covergirl shots, this isn’t bad. It just feels awfully plain. Teyona’s face is as strong as it normally is. The slight smirk is cute and enticing, and would draw the viewer in. It is all perfectly fine but leaves you wanting more. It perfectly represents Teyona as a winner. A solid winner, but somehow underwhelming given how the competition went, and the fact Allison performed better overall. It does sadden me, as I feel Teyona would have been so much more accepted as a good winner if only the judges hadn’t completely lost their minds when it came to her.