"Make-up for me is identity building" Interview with Stephanie Glitter, who needs no introduction
“I’m Stephanie Glitter. I live to transform myself, to tell stories through the body and the face, and to bring fantasy into everyday life: a mix of glamour, irony, and a little bit of chaos here and there.” That’s how our interview with Stephanie Glitter begins. Someone who hardly needs an introduction… except the ones she gives herself. A multifaceted creative who has turned herself not only into a character, but also into a form of “social art” (as she described it to us): communicative, entertaining, and strikingly effective. That’s why we decided to include her, as an honorary guest, in our Under the Beauty Radar series, which explores beauty in all its forms, including the unconventional ones.
Interview with Stephanie Glitter
This format is dedicated to make-up artists and beauty experts. Give us your pitch: why are you one of them too?
For me, make-up isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about identity-building. Every face I create becomes a character, an amplified emotion. I’m a professional make-up artist in every sense of the word, not only because I paint myself like a living canvas, but because I’ve worked in fashion for many years: runway shows, red carpets, international campaigns with luxury brands. Along the way, I became increasingly fascinated by artists’ visions, having the technical ability to express their desire to appear in their own theatrical form deeply inspires me. The projects I still carry in my heart are Dario and Veronica from La Rappresentante di Lista, and more recently, the new visual identity for Ditonellapiaga’s album Miss Italia. I love when work meets my highest aesthetic expression, it hooks me in the most delicious way.
Do you consider yourself your own make-up artist and hairstylist? What don’t you do yourself?
Absolutely, I’m my own laboratory. Make-up, wigs, styling, manicure… I do everything myself. It’s my obsession. Creating looks is almost a mystical moment: the research, going to shows already fantasizing about the next outfit I’ll wear, then finding myself back in my studio piecing everything together. It’s not just a fitting, it’s a bulimic dance of iconographic language. This with that, that with something else. I make a complete mess: shoes everywhere, wigs tangled with jewelry, earrings scattered on the floor, mountains of clothes hanging around. When a look works, I feel this rush of adrenaline running through me. The house is left devastated, and I keep the Polaroid to remember what to wear for the next occasion.
Let’s get serious again: how important is it for you to have total control over your look?
It’s essential. My look is my language and my calling card: every detail communicates something. Without clothes, accessories, high heels, make-up, and hair, I simply wouldn’t exist. Stephanie takes shape only through these elements, the same way a painting without color would remain just a blank canvas. Having total control means building exactly the image I want to project and enjoying it without compromise, bringing an almost rhetorical femininity into ordinary contexts, something that sparks a subtle intellectual itch in those who observe me.
How would you define it in three words?
Eclectic, distinctive, and slightly provocative. I like there to always be a subtle erotic reference hidden within the codes of the way I dress. I often aim for something elegant and playful, frequently colorful, but it’s that little secret mistake that excites me because it makes everything more interesting.
Tell us about your beauty routine in detail (and how long it takes)
It basically lasts 24 hours a day. Let me explain. Beauty, to me, is a ritual, a constant practice of self-care. Sleeping well, clearing my mind, eating healthy, and allowing myself the occasional indulgence are the foundations of my method. In everyday life, I pay special attention to my skin: morning and evening skincare, plus occasional treatments using next-generation devices to support skin regeneration. My cosmetic drag, on the other hand, takes about two hours of grooming from beard to doorway, ready to step out.
What makes the Milan drag scene unique? Tell us about your journey within it and how it differs from scenes in other cities
Milan is all about contamination: fashion, clubbing, art. The drag scene here is highly aesthetic but also experimental. I started performing in the most underground clubs and built my style by mixing fashion and pop culture. There’s a strong influence from fashion here. Everything has to be visually powerful, especially lately. Compared to the scenes I experienced in London, where glam-punk culture shapes its fluctuations, or Paris, where French cabaret dictates the most sophisticated and precise glam on the European scene (perhaps even internationally), Milan feels more carefree and fresh. It combines the city’s fashion spirit with clubbing energy, without too many layers of structure, allowing for an instinctive creative approach. I feel like I’ve translated a sort of drag encyclopedia into a personal language, distilled into a minimalism that preserves its essence while remaining permeable enough to truly coexist within contemporary society.
Where do you draw inspiration for your looks?
Everywhere: vintage magazines, runways, cult movies, pop icons, ‘90s advertising. Even people on the street can spark an idea in me. I like taking something real and pushing it to the extreme. I keep a folder filled with images, both for myself and for the clients I work with. Having a specific moodboard for every look is essential: it’s a process I love. The research phase allows me to have all the ingredients ready, just like in Asian cuisine. Unlike the way we usually cook, where ingredients are cut and incorporated as we go, in Asian cooking everything is already prepared, cleaned, organized, and ready for assembly. That’s the same approach I apply to my work: I arrive at the make-up or hairstyling moment prepared and organized, so I can fully surrender to inspiration and genuinely enjoy myself. First structure, then play.
Which make-up trends do you love, and which ones can’t you stand? Do you follow trends in general?
I love the return of gloss, intense black eyes, bold textures, and false lashes. What I can’t stand are overly “clean” trends. I observe trends, but I don’t follow them blindly: I filter and transform them. Don’t get me wrong, everyone expresses their beauty however they want, but I think make-up is far too fun not to get a little messy with it. People often say make-up hides or masks you. I believe the opposite, I think it reveals you. Embracing shades and nuances, not only in eyeshadow but also within your own identity, moving through them and accepting both their light and contradictions is, to me, the most authentic beauty routine we can give ourselves.
What does the future of your look look like?
In my future, I see an increasingly radical evolution. I feel like I’ve moved beyond a kind of stylistic adolescence. I experimented with everything: volume, hairstyles, clothing, hundreds of make-up shapes and colors. Now I feel a more authentic confidence with my alter ego, to the point where becoming Stephanie feels as natural as turning on a light switch. I want to enjoy this new phase. A more young-adult kind of vibe. I feel like I’m in my Carrie Bradshaw era. Through my new editorial project, Senza Zucchero, my free newsletter on Substack, I’m also exploring another side of my aesthetic and storytelling. One defining feature remains my hair: I still love impulsive transformations, but lately I’ve been feeling blonde like panic itself.