Get Ready With DJ Lady Lane!

Remember DJ Lady Lane, whom we interviewed back in January? We were lucky enough to get ahold of her again to watch her get ready. Though in the process of moving out of the country (!), DJ Lady Lane was chill enough to let us come over amid suitcases to watch a Jersey Shore marathon on mute, listen to some music, and ultimately invade her space entirely to take some pics of her getting purty.

Her style fits her personality quite well–an eclectic yet easy blend of glamour and grunge. Her outfits are Saks Fifth Avenue meets American Apparel, Betsey Johnson meets thrift store. So take a moment with us to check out what we did a few weekends ago in Brooklyn as we Get Ready With DJ Lady Lane!

BEFORE

Retail DJ: Why are you into makeup now more so than before?
DJ Lady Lane: Now [makeup is] easier because I know how to do it. Before, it used to be so tedious. I used to not care about it as much, but then once I put on makeup, I realized that it looked nice, and I thought, “Why not do it?” So I don’t think there’s any problem with putting a little bit on. I like something really natural that’s fast and easy. My whole concern is that if it takes too much time out of my daily schedule, then it’s not worth it. My makeup routine really doesn’t take that long. I feel like it takes longer to fix myself up without makeup because then I spend so much time trying to overcompensate for some other dumb sh*t.

Whenever I’d go out to a party, I’d always put on mascara. My favorite mascara—my secret weapon—is one I have by Christian Dior. Typically, I don’t like spending a lot on makeup products, but then it seems like all of it starts costing the same—it doesn’t really matter what brand, especially if you’re getting something of quality. I used to just use Maybelline (you know, the pink tube), but then my mom gave me this, and I really liked it.

Retail DJ: What other makeup lines do you typically use?
DJ Lady Lane: I really like Smashbox foundation because it’s really easy and it’s not cakey. It’s also good for cover-up. I was given some Laura Mercier concealer as a gift from a friend Alex who used to be a makeup artist. It’s really great, especially for under-eye circles. Sometimes, I’ll have a late night, and I don’t want to wake up looking like I’ve been fighting people [laughs]. I like Nars for blush and eyeshadow. Alex gave me some really good Nars eyeliner too. I used to put it on with the pencil, but then I switched to applying it with a brush because I got tired of stabbing myself in the eye! I typically only put eyeliner on my bottom lid, like if I am going out at night.

Retail DJ: Your eyes are great for eye makeup because they are a bit bigger, so you can have more range, more fun with what you do to the lid, etc.
DJ Lady Lane: Yeah, when I was younger, I used to kind of mess around with eye makeup but never really took it seriously, but now it’s fun because I have real brushes that don’t have fibers that fall out in your face! [laughs].

Retail DJ: Do you have brush preferences too?
DJ Lady Lane: Yeah, I really like the brushes by EcoTools. They don’t cost too much, and they are made of bamboo and earth-friendly. I think I got them at Duane Reade. They come in a carrying case. One day, I saw them and I just thought, “Let me try these,” and they worked out really well.

Retail DJ: Is there anything that’s a must have in your makeup kit? Something you cannot live without?
DJ Lady Lane: There’s this really cool lipgloss that I have that has a little bit of color, but some menthol too, so it serves as a balm. It’s very light. I don’t like wearing lipstick. I also have a water-based blush I love by Alison Raffaele called “Inner Glow.” I really like samples too, because it makes it easy for you to mix and match products, colors, etc.

Retail DJ: What colors work best for you?
DJ Lady Lane: Actually, almost anything works. Before I used to be big into color on my face. I am not in earth tones; I’m just noooooot. I’m sorry [laughs]. People always try to put earth tones on me, and I’m like, “I really don’t think that’s for me.” I am still into colors, but in terms of eye shadow and stuff, I just need a light tint. I don’t like looking like I put on a whole bunch of sh*t.

Retail DJ: Do you think the colors you use are reflected in the music you play?
DJ Lady Lane: Yeah! There’s a subtlety, but it’s like a morphing thing. It’ll be like, “Oh, that’s my song, then ‘BAM!’ you don’t know what that was!” [laughs] it’s like, “Oh there’s a little pink in there!”
Retail DJ: The artists or the color? [laughs]
DJ Lady Lane: It’s a bit like a patchwork quilt. That’s how my music is sometimes. It all fits together, though. There’s a continuing line that goes through the story that I tell each time I spin, but those little underlying subtleties are always nice little surprises. I like to shake it up a little bit with the random songs.

Retail DJ: What do you think differs between the makeup routines you had when you were doing more modeling vs. now that you do your own makeup?
DJ Lady Lane: For photoshoots, the amount of makeup that is put on you is a lot more. They cake on the makeup—they put on a face for you, even though they say that the end result is going to be really natural (which is how it appears in the photos). It’s the makeup artist’s interpretation of you. They are dressing your face based on how they think you should look. And some of them get it, some of them do not. But I like doing things myself.

Retail DJ: How long does your makeup/hair routine typically take when you’re ready for personal vs. DJ outings?
DJ Lady Lane: I usually give myself an hour for both. With DJ gigs, I usually have something already set out to wear. The makeup tends to be a little different—i.e. if the event takes place at night, I do a little more with my eyes. I like to pick out a couple things beforehand. I don’t really like bumming it anymore. I did too much of that in undergrad, and now I just think, “eh, I can do that in the house.”

The biggest thing for me now is accessories. [pointing to earrings] These look like clip-ons, but I can’t wear them. They really hurt my ears after a while. I have a problem though – I like buying books, earrings, and sneakers. When I went to Nigeria, I bought a ton of stuff from there!

Mercury – They Used To Sing On House Music DJ MIX by Mercury (Switzerland) [we were playing this during the interview]
The music reminds me of like, some freakin’ vogueing music, which I LOVE. I love watching balls on youtube. That’s a recent thing that was introduced to me like, last year, and I love it.

Retail DJ: I know that you said when you went to California, you had to make quite a shift appearance-wise (i.e. in terms of hairstyles, etc). How did that move affect your clothing style, if at all?
DJ Lady Lane: At that point, I realized there was a lot of crap in my closet. I had a ton of ragtag pieces, and I wanted more quality pieces and less quantity. Bloomingdales is trying to make me poor—they keep having sales and putting that info in my inbox, so I’m tempted to buy sh*t (and I do)! [laughs] I also wasn’t really into heels for a while because THEY HURT and I am partial to flats. But I found heels that DON’T hurt, that are high, and that I can walk in. There’s a good pair of Miss Sixty shoes that I found. I still do thrifting here and there, but I realized that so I switched to more of a focus on quality.

Retail DJ: So can you tell us a little bit about what you’re wearing?
DJ Lady Lane: This is a dress I bought recently from Bloomingdale’s online, which is sometimes risky because you don’t know how it’s going to fit. It’s made by Aqua. I thought it would be great for a party or something. Another thing I really like about it is that it has pockets. When I first bought it, I realized it was a little big, but fortunately it came with a little belt. But I would have moments where I would be like, “Um, is my dress still on? Because it’s kind of breezy all of a sudden.” [laughs] I wore it once in Vancouver with some snakeskin high-waisted tights from American Apparel.

[Pointing at leggings] Sometimes I run around the city in these, even though I KNOW leggings are not pants.
Retail DJ: So the choice to wear leggings with a more formal dress. . . how does that work out?
DJ Lady Lane: It’s honestly more for the cold. Usually, I would wear stirrup tights, but not the baggy old school ones, but the tights so that they STAY ON! The only reason I wear them is because they are comfortable! I have slim hips, so it’s hard for the tights to stay on and the stirrup part helps.

In terms of the boots…sometimes I make inappropriate clothing choices, but they’re comfortable. I call these my “homeless boots.” My mom hates them and threatens to throw them out! I bought these for like $20. They are by Palladium. I haven’t worn something like this in a while, but I don’t have my real going out shoes with me right now. Typically I’d wear this with my favorite Miss Sixty shoes I mentioned earlier.

Retail DJ: When you’re getting ready, is there a specific type of music you prefer?
DJ Lady Lane: It depends on my mood. I used to like getting ready to “Marina Gasolina” [by Bonde do Role]! It would put me in party mode. But then, when you go out, it’s like no one plays that song!

I also used to like getting ready to “Good Life” [by Inner City ]. But again, it depends on my mood.

For a while, I couldn’t get “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath out of my head! That has a sick beat to it, though! [laughs] The composition to that song is amazing. Black Sabbath is awesome.

Retail DJ: Typically, when you are getting ready, do you have any weird idiosyncrasies?
DJ Lady Lane: I have a perfume ritual! I was told it’s a little strange, especially by my friends. I have a tendency to spray…you know! I think you need to spray all the “good parts”! I spray everywhere!

Crotch spray! [all laugh] My favorite is Bulgari. I love the smell of it. Sometimes in the summer, I get in a Betsey Johnson mood. I go by seasons, because I feel like you change every season.

This bag is by Michael Kors (a gift from my mom. I love my mom!). This works with the outfit because I don’t do mixed metals! Gold with gold. With pearls, you can get away with stuff, but not metals.

Retail DJ: What about when you’re dancing? What’s important?
DJ Lady Lane: If the music is really good, I forget what shoes I have on and then afterwards, I’m like, “Oh, I can’t feel my legs!” I can dance in anything, but comfortable shoes are important for the long haul! When I go out (because I don’t get a chance to go out that much), I GO OUT! But I like to comfortable. I don’t like going to frou frou places where it’s all about appearance. I feel like I have more fun where everybody’s more comfortable with themselves.

Retail DJ: Do you have anyspecific source of inspiration?
DJ Lady Lane: I am just a non-conformist. Don’t tell me what’s in and tell me what I’m supposed to be wearing based on what they say on, like, Good Morning America. I say dress comfortably. I just like to be myself. I say avoid trends and focus on quality not quantity. I just pick whatever I want. Whatever makes me feel good and gives off good energy, then that’s cool. Clothes sometimes find you in a way. . .

AFTER

 You can check out the entire Get Ready With DJ Lady Lane photosession here: Get Ready With DJ Lady Lane (on Picasa) 

- Retail DJ

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