Ever wonder what the beauty secrets are to making Dancing With The Stars so hot and picture perfect? Check out what secrets the Makeup Director for the show, Zen Shteysel had to share with us!

DWTS is all about the glitz and glam! When it comes to the ballroom, what are some of the makeup rules you swear by?

Warming up the skin is important to give the individual a healthy and bronzed look on the show. Contouring/highlighting is a must to create dimension on stage with the heavy lighting. We avoid glosses when the female talent's hair is down to prevent hair sticking to the lips during a dance, but lips need to have color! Pale lips look great for photo shoots, but on our show they look unfinished. 

How do you choose the color palettes for each star?

The wardrobe and the dance inspire us on which color palette we choose. We tend to go more sultry and sexy for Latin dances, while the ballroom dances are more clean and innocent.

Do the celebs choose their own looks?

The looks for the show are a collaborative effort. We come up with an idea for the look and present it to the celeb/pro. However, the look comes down to the story the couple is telling through their dance. The pro dancers have a good idea of how they want their celeb partner to look in order to convey the story. 

Any colors that clash with the camera? Are neons and glitters piled on, or are they used sparingly?

We love glitter on DWTS, but we are strategic about placement. Glitter is applied on the lids of the eye for a pop. We also brush some on the body for extra shimmer on the décolletage and shoulders.

What do you do to make the bodies of the dancers look even hotter than they already are? Bronzer? 

The dancers get spray tanned every Sunday before the live show. Depending on the color, we may also darken them on the day of with the spray solution, but applied by hand. Everyone gets body shimmer that creates that DWTS famous body glow and helps hide any bruises that tend to happen in rehearsals. 

How do you keep makeup from running under the hot camera lights and steamy hot dance routines?

We use products that have staying power. This includes Stila Stay All Day foundations, long wearing lip color, waterproof mascaras and eyeliners, gel eyeliners, and touching up during every commercial break.

What's a makeup lifesavers do you use every show?

Z Palettes filled with products used for each talent to make touch ups on set quick and easy.

What tips from DWTS can we use in our everyday get ready routines?

Use products with staying power to keep your makeup looking good throughout the day. Use gel liners instead of liquid liners for lining the eye. They are a lot easier to work with to create a perfect eye line and they last all day. 
Condense your makeup to fit into a Z Palette. Not only will you have all the products you need at your fingertips, but getting ready in the morning will be a lot faster. They are great to take with you to the job for touchups during the day.  

Thanks Zena! 

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