Pole Dance & Beauty: My Stage Look Behind the Scenes

There's one moment I still love: I'm sitting in front of the mirror, the stage lights are already flickering behind the door, and I'm doing the last few brush strokes. This ritual has been part of me for over 20 years. Pole dance and make-up just belong together in my life. And I'm still up there.

How it all began

When I first started performing as a teenager, I always did my own make-up. Not because I knew how, but because I had to. And that's exactly where I got hooked: how colour, light and shadow can completely change a face. The stage taught me to think big. In dance and in make-up.

What makes stage make-up special

Stage make-up plays by different rules than your everyday look. Under the spotlights, soft colours just disappear. What looks too much in daylight looks just right on stage.

• •Intensity is everything: eyeshadow, liner and lips have to be bolder than usual, or the lights swallow them.
• •Staying power beats skincare: sweat, movement, heat. Your make-up has to last for hours without running.
• •Contour and definition: no "no-make-up look" here. Your features need to be visible from the back row.

My stage look – step by step

Every show is different, but my basics stay the same:

The base

• •A long-lasting primer that can handle sweat.
• •Full-coverage foundation, blended evenly with a sponge.
• •Translucent powder to set. Lots of it, especially on the T-zone.

The eyes

• •Strong, defined brows. On stage, they give your face its shape.
• •Bold eyeshadow: dark brown, black, or a smoky eye with gold.
• •Gel liner for a sharp line that doesn't smudge.
• •False lashes. Under the lights they make the biggest difference.

Lips and contour

• •Lip liner first, and fill in the whole lip. That's what makes it last.
• •Long-lasting lipstick in a bold shade: red, berry or a deep nude.
• •Contour and highlighter stronger than usual, so your face has structure.

The setting ritual

• •Setting spray as the very last step, ideally a long-wear one.
• •Extra tip: a quick blast of cold air from the hairdryer helps the spray set faster.

What the stage taught me about beauty

The biggest lesson? Make-up is there to show you, not to hide you. On stage you're allowed to be loud, dramatic, bold. I took that into my everyday life. My stage look taught me not to be scared of colour. And that confidence looks good on everyone.

If you ask me where my love for make-up started: right here, in front of the backstage mirror, with a lipstick in one hand and a brush in the other.