After Glow

The tal­en­ted con­tem­por­ary dan­cer is now based in Lon­don, with fest­ivals across Europe on her plate for the rest of the year — includ­ing two weeks in Bar­celona, work­ing with cho­reo­graph­ers from around the world.

“I’m anxious at the moment, because I’ve only ever lived in Wel­ling­ton, so it’s mov­ing my entire life!” the 24-year-old told Fish­Head, as she pre­pared to pack her bags.

Olivia glows up close and on stage, which she attrib­utes to the massive water intake that comes with her line of work. “Because we’re exert­ing so much energy and sweat­ing con­stantly, you end up hav­ing three or four litres a day.”

Team that with her num­ber-one product pick: any brand of almond oil, used as a facial mois­tur­iser before bed. “It’s $6 at the super­mar­ket, and I think because I am exer­cising so much, I feel like nat­ur­al is bet­ter. I’ve got this thing about tox­ins,” she says. “It’s good for mois­ture rebal­an­cing. It’s crazy, because it’s so cheap.” She also adores The Body Shop Coconut Body But­ter — call­ing it “a god­send” for dry winter skin.

The dan­cer admits she’s a little scared of break­ing her bag­gage allow­ance, but says all of her beauty products will be on the road with her. That includes Schwar­zkopf BlondMe Sham­poo “because my hair is a mousy brown, dull col­our, I guess that zhooshes it up!” and Schwar­zkopf Extra Care Strong Styl­ing Hair­spray — a must-have for any dancer.

A makeup min­im­al­ist when she’s not on stage, Olivia’s every­day found­a­tion is Eliza­beth Arden Flaw­less Fin­ish Mousse Makeup. “I’ve got this thing about andro­gyn­ous dress­ing at the moment, and that’s the light­est makeup that’ll give you a little bit of cov­er­age but not look like a cake-face.”

At $67, Olivia says it’s “an invest­ment” that’s worth every cent. “It’ll last four to six months, which is ideal when you’re a poor artist.”

Lancôme Khôl Hyp­nôse Water­proof is her go-to eye­liner while per­form­ing — “with the sweat factor, we need some­thing that’s going to last the show” — or for a night out, paired with the on-trend maroon of MAC Dark Side lip­stick and the nude shades of her Dior Eye Palette, per­fect for cre­at­ing a nat­ur­al look or blend­ing for a smoky eye.

Olivia says it’s scary but exhil­ar­at­ing to be leav­ing her home town, and the dance com­pany she joined nearly four years ago, fresh out of the New Zea­l­and School of Dance. She says she’s been incred­ibly lucky to forge a career in dance, and describes Foot­note as “an amaz­ing place to be”, espe­cially for dan­cers who’ve just com­pleted their training.

“I’ve grown so much in terms of what I’m inspired by and what I pro­duce. [At Foot­note], we work with a range of cho­reo­graph­ers who were born in New Zea­l­and and… have careers over in Europe.

“I’ve been intro­duced to a whole bunch of people who are based over there, and I’m really inspired by the work they pro­duce, so I’m keen to learn from like-minded people over there.”