#cycle23week11

Virtually everything that I said about Courtney’s shot applies here, without seeming as forced. India’s features look so gorgeous. The shape of her eyes really pop here, with the parting of the lips highlighting those too. Then you have her the shape of her jaw, which is so angular, yet soft. I also love how perfectly in frame it is; it may be a preference thing, but I prefer covers to be cleaner. This feels like magazine cover introducing the next big name, and for that reason India got first call-out for me.

While having incredible bone structure will always be an advantage, in this shoot it was kind of required. Courtney’s face is definitely the kind that could sell a magazine, and with her hair slicked back it is all we see. The definition of the cheekbones is wild, and I love the slightly parted lips. The eyes too are so intense, they are virtually burning through the page. Nothing about this shot is subtle, it punches you the moment you look at it. For me it might even be slightly too much, to the point it borders on intimidating. I might have relaxed the eyes slightly, or not pushed her bone structure so hard. One or the other is great; together they are perhaps too much.

I’ve seen some people criticise those who love this, but hate Tash’s, as they are “identical”…but like, are they? There might be some slight similarities with the eyes, in that they aren’t lifeless, but aren’t exactly brimming with life either. Beyond that the two are polar opposites. The bottom half of the face looks gorgeous; her bone structure has photographed beautifully, and I love the relaxed, slightly parted lips. I think it was slightly overrated by the judges this week, but it is still a stunning shot, with tonnes of potential as a magazine cover.

Courtney should’ve been in the top spot this week and no one even came close to matching her performance. I was completely blown away by how she managed to convey so much feeling in her face without losing any of her beauty. Seriously, she looked stunning from start to finish. She also delivered such a wide variety of emotions; most of the girls just went manic/angry, but Courtney also showed pain, fear, even a bit of lust. All of her movements were fluid and totally on point, and she worked the angles of her face to perfection. I loved the badass way she put on (pulled off) the wig and that final stare at the camera actually gives me chills. Courtney deserved so much more credit for this!

While I don’t totally agree with her FCO, India delivered an undeniably strong motion editorial. She clearly knows how to work her face in motion and played with her angles well throughout the take. I loved the wild yet elegant motions she did with her arms, and she transitioned so smoothly from the madness in the first half to the calm and fierce demeanor at the end. The finale was probably her strongest moment, her bone structure looked incredible and her eyes were so powerful. India continues her streak of terrific performances!

Cody’s performance was much more reserved than the rest of the girls, and while I wish she had let loose a bit I still think her approach was effective. She didn’t go all out with her movements; instead she let her face convey all of her fury and insanity. She definitely excelled with bringing the emotion to the table without compromising her beauty, and her face looked especially gorgeous in that last shot (though her eyes were somewhat weak). I think Cody could’ve done a lot more but she got the job done. I think the only reason Cody was sent home is because her storyline was wrapped up after Tash was eliminated the previous week, which was total nonsense since her overall body of work should’ve kept her in the running. 

I don’t think Tatiana’s more commercial look really suited this concept but she still pulled off a decent performance. Her crazy expressions in the first section were well done, and I loved the way that she pulled at her hair and stared menacingly at the camera. The middle portion where she was rubbing on the makeup did nothing for me though, there just wasn’t enough intent behind her movements. She did pull it all together at the end at least, that moody side eye and shoulder grab were great. Tatiana did a good job, I just wish she had been more consistent throughout the take.

I liked all of the performances this week; the bottom 3 were pretty much equal in quality and not much separates them. I commend CoryAnne for going balls to the walls on this. Her emotion and passion were totally believable and she nailed the crazy part of the brief (I also loved the way she tore off her wig!). Unfortunately she completely forgot to maintain her beauty. She was so focused on smearing the makeup that she covered her face too much in the beginning and her expressions were too contorted and pained. I also think she looked more tired than regal in that final shot. A for CoryAnne’s effort but the final product didn’t quite match what she gave on set.