There were no TV cameras or millions of viewers around the country voting for their favorite contestant, but Sephora did hold a company-wide competition for eight coveted spots on the Sephora Beauty Expert Team. Assembling this team of highly talented makeup artists is Sephora’s latest effort to brand itself as “The Beauty Authority.” The team will be used to represent Sephora in the press and at in-store events, fashion shoots, and on the Home Shopping Network.

A pool of 500 contestants, all Sephora makeup artists, where reduced down to 170 after a “complexion perfection” challenge. The contestants were then further narrowed down to 32 semi-finalists after another makeup challenge and personal interviews. After another series of challenges that included creating haute couture looks and various in-store events, the field was narrowed down to 16 finalists who took their beauty battle to the runway.

The contestants had 45 minutes to makeover their models and send them down a runway in front of nine judges and a live audience. The judges included representatives from Sephora, HSN, and various cosmetic brands. Unlike the American Idol trio, however, these judges met all the final makeup looks with rave reviews.

The elite eight looks ranged from subtle and natural to wild and high-concept — one winner used eye makeup to paint orange and yellow flames that extended all the way up to the model’s hair.

I would have loved to have seen this and I definitely would have watched it if it was on T.V. While I don’t think a makeup artist competition like this would exactly work as an American Idol competition, I definitely think it could have its place among shows like Project Runway and Top Design.