PMU Insider: WULOP Balkans 2024 – New Concepts, New Experiences
6 min read
Written by: Emily, PMUHub Editor-in-Chief
The end of June was a big deal for the regional permanent makeup community! WULOP Balkans, the regional semi-finals, united artists from all over southeastern Europe (and further!) for 3 days of competition, education and connection.
In 2024, the entire WULOP franchise celebrates its 5th birthday, so it’s a real jubilee for all those countries that have been competing right from the start – including the Balkans semi-final! So the organizer, Jasmina Babić, knew she had to make this one special.
And PMUHub was there to get all the stories – the second year in a row!
Here are the highlights:
For the First Time Ever, You Could Compete on Latex
Having organized as many as 4 semi-finals in the previous years, our host knows what worries potential competitors and makes them reluctant to sign up.
Since WULOP is a great opportunity for beginner artists to draw attention to themselves, a large number of competitors are new artists, some fresh out of their courses.
And sometimes they’re anxious about working on an actual person in a completely new, high-pressure environment, especially if they’re never competed in any PMU competition before.
So, this year for the first time ever, a latex category was introduced!
All the categories that were available on models were also available on latex: microblading, machine hair strokes, brow shading, lips and eyeliner.
The main benefit was, of course, less pressure on the artist. Still, there’s also the fact that, since not all semi-finals are offering this category in 2024, the competition in the finals was not that crazy. All the winners who are going to the finals actually have a really good chance of success!
More Chances to Win Than Ever
Many artists sign up for several categories every year, so they increase their chances of going to the finals.
If you’re a multitalented artist who does a wide variety of treatments, why not try your luck?
We’ll share a secret – in many cases, it works! We think Myroslava Rusnak broke some kind of record this year – she competed in 3 categories! And won first place for one of them.
With the introduction of the latex competition, this year there are as many as 10 categories – 10 chances to win first place and go to the finals!
With so many amazing artists who work in the region, it truly takes a lot to win, but many competitors used this year’s innovation to their advantage, and decided to compete both on live models and on latex.
In fact, thai year’s microblading champion, Semra Mujčinović, dominated her category both on latex and a model!
Here’s a full list of this year’s winners:
Microblading on Live Model: Semra Mujčinović
Microblading on Latex: Semra Mujčinović
Eyebrow Shading on Live Model: Danijela Gligorić
Eyebrow Shading on Latex: Sanja Mladenović
Machine Strokes on Live Model: Irena Nikolić
Machine Strokes on Latex: Lucía H Díez
Lipstick Effect on Live Model: Mina Nastić
Lipstick Effect on Latex: Edina Sušić
Eyeliner Shading on Live Model: Myroslava Rusnak
Eyeliner Shading on Latex: Danijela Mihajlovic
PMUHub congratulates all the winners and wishes them success in the finals in Turkey!
Education Through Discussion
An educational part is a must at competitions and congresses, but what you’re probably used to is a series of lectures from notable artists and educators. Which is cool, but you have to admit it’s been done a thousand times.
That’s why the organizer decided to do something different for this year’s WULOP. Instead of traditional lecture-style presentations, the educational part was a series of debate discussions on the hottest topics!
Moderated by Rada Švonja, a local artist and trainer who is always after the best PMU stories and isn’t afraid to ask tough questions, a series of discussions featured the best educators from various fields: different brow techniques, lips, eyeliner, but also business and branding!
All the discussions were super useful – you can see it on the attentive faces of the listeners!
What was so great was the fact that several professionals got to share their opinions on hot topics – and they didn’t always agree! It’s a whole different experience when you hear multiple angles.
We thought this concept brought a lot of value, since, in a relatively young industry such as ours, sometimes raising the right questions is more important than giving straight answers.
One of the discussions included a cosmetic dermatologist, who shared a doctor’s perspective! This was a clever move from the organizer, as the voice of medicine needs to be heard!
Doctor Ana Novoselac
A Special Bonus: A Lecture on How to Beat Stage Fright
If they decide to grow their careers, PMU artists inevitably find themselves in the role of public speaker sooner or later. And WULOP knows that a successful PMU professional has to have a whole range of skills, not just good technique.
That’s why the organizer, Jasmina, decided to treat the participants to a very practical lecture on how to beat stage fright, given by an established public speaking coach and tutor! Undoubtedly, we can expect all the speakers to be even more confident next year!
Ivana Branković, Public Speaking Coach
There’s No Growth Without a Community
But if there’s one impression that really stuck, it’s how much friendship and love goes around the WULOP community.
Being the 5th anniversary of the regional semi-finals, the group of regulars is growing! What’s so great about WULOP is that so many artists who first came as competitors kept coming back – as returning competitors, as live demonstrators, speakers or judges – so a real tight-knit community emerged around the competition.
And inevitably, they turned into a real little family that keeps growing every year!
No matter what academy you come from, where you work, or what language you speak, everyone is welcome, and that’s the biggest value you can get.
Every job is easier when your colleagues are also your friends, and if a sense of community is what you’re looking for, this one or your regional WULOP is the place to go!
See All the Photos
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WATCH OUR WULOP BALKANS 2023 REPORT
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