VIERI WOMEN: Stella von Senger

Dear Stella, you are a Make-Up artist, young mother and from looking at your Instagram account you are quite often travelling around world – how does your day-to-day look like and how do you manage to get everything done?

My daily life is so much less glamorous then social media might tell you. I don´t sleep a lot and I am surprised by how well I handle that (or sometimes I just don't) I have the feeling that if young parents just accept that fact, you are pretty much halfway there, because wasting precious time complaining about that, is just “wasted” time. My son Antonino is 9 months old now, far away from sleeping through the night and most of the time he wakes up at 6, which is a good thing because the call times at shootings now don´t shock me anymore. Without coffee and a good hot 1 minute shower I am not to be joked with. If I don´t have a concrete job, I spend my day hustling around all day, I write, collect inspiration, plan travels, the next jobs and so on. There is always stuff to do. I feel that I am completely back in my work life, which I do love. But without the incredible support of my family and my in-laws I would not manage to accomplish so much. Not long ago I was on my dream job without my son in Italy, which I just couldn´t have turned down. I was worried sick to leave my child alone. But thank god I realized pretty quickly that I didn´t leave him alone, but with his wonderful dad and his extra (grand) mother. It was a huge success.

How did you become a Make-Up artist?

After my IB (International Baccalaureate) I moved from Berlin to Paris and New York, to try out a lot of things. After an internship at the Bayreuther Festspielen I realized I wanted to do make-up professionally, to be able to transform people in every way possible. I went to Munich to study it, which is where I got to know Elizaveta Porodina and started doing wild shootings with her. Together we developed a beautiful pictorial language and during the years our friendship and our careers have solitified. On one hand I love extreme make-up and on the other I love to work very naturally. I did a masters degree in special effects in LA and with that I really like to work in the film business. Nevertheless I am always drawn to High Fashion.

Do you have a dream career wise or is there a look or a personality that you would like to work with?

I love make-up, I love people, I love to work with new people every day and to not know, what tomorrow might bring. My heart belongs to travelling and I can´t stand still for too long. I have a lot of professional dreams and every day another one comes along. I would like to write, I want to style, I want to do make-up on Tilda Swinton, I would love to design jewelry and shoes. I want to do art direction for shootings and own a store that I can passionately decorate. Additionally I would like to own a restaurant and a bar. Most importantly, I want so stay open for everything. I could move to Texas tomorrow.

What does one need to have to be successful in your job?

I believe a lot of creativity and discipline. You can´t expect to have everything handed to you. Be present and precise. Do every job as good as you possibly can. Always be professional. My whole career is based on recommendations. I often feel like being a make up artist is being at the end of the creative end. That´s not enough for me. I want to create and realize my own concepts. To be a part of a creative team, that created something unforgettable together. I want to be inspired by everything and create something, that maybe hasn´t been done before.

What do you think about organic cosmetic and do you maybe have some favorites that you would share with us?

I love sustainable cosmetic. To be honest, I rarely use something else nowadays. I just fell in love with Nude by Nature. Since I rarely apply make-up, I am intrigued by mineral make-up, it’s the perfect solution if you want to look like you are not wearing any make-up but still look fresh.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ingrid from amazingy.com not too long ago and to test out all the beautiful organic brands that she sells. The list goes on forever: lila Beauty creates wonderful lip colors. The highlighter and bronzer and the really creamy blush by rms Beauty are brilliant. The happy cream blush from Kjaer Weis is constantly on my cheeks and lips.

Kids might bring the biggest change with them – did everything or just some things change when you became a mom?

A lot has changed, I think. I do go out less and can´t just get on a plane the same day, like I used to love doing and often did. Since my boyfriend and I are both self-employed and our baby isn´t in the “Kita” yet, we do have to share tasks and work extremely efficient. Sometimes I write emails while sitting on the toilet because I finally have some quiet there.

One advice that you received and want to pass on?

You are worth it.

How would you describe your style and does jewelry play a big role in it?

My style can change from one day to the other. Some days I like to look natural and on others I fiercely combine, go out on the street without hesitance and attract attention. Sometimes I just don´t want to have any style and go out of my door in my PJs and Ugg boots. I don´t want to be fashionable at all times. Especially in the countryside at my in-laws, where we lived for six weeks just before we moved back to Berlin, I was so relaxed that I didn´t think about what I put on. It’s a glorious feeling I think.
Jewelry does play a big role in that. I often quickly dress up my outfits with earrings and necklaces, if I feel like it.

Do you have a VIERI favorite?

My fingers tingle when I think of the Clouds ring. Next year we will get married in Tuscany. My boyfriend had me made a beautiful ring after a piece that we saw in LA after the first week we have been together. I would never want to trade that ring for anything. But if I could choose a second engagement ring it would be the Clouds ring. Or maybe I just use it as my wedding ring?

Will you share your 5 favorite Instagram profiles/ blogs or places that inspire you?

I love to read Manrepeller, C´est Clairette and heywoman. The photo editor of Vogue Italia, Chiara Nonino, inspires me on Instagram everyday. LA and mostly Joshua Tree make my heart jump of desire on a daily basis. I would buy every single piece in LAs Mohawk General Store.
In the near future I would love to live in Topanga Canyon, Tuscany or Lisboa.
I can see myself outside of a city, which is truly unexpected. Only a year ago I could have sworn Berlin would be my home forever. But with a kid, I became my own stereotype, longing for quiet, green spacious hippie gardens.