Samantha Michelle — The Bare Magazine

Samantha Michelle is a DJ/actor and a girl w curls or as she says a Jew rocking her fro. She invited us to shoot in her rad pad in NYC…we chatted about her recent huge European tour as she tried different looks that speak her rockin gypsy style. Samantha has opened for legends such as Duran Duran, Mark Ronson, Miley Cyrus and spun for clients such as Dolce & Gabbana and Bulgari. Next month she’s producing her first ever party in partnership with Soho House with an all female DJ lineup. For Samantha when it comes to the work she chooses female empowerment and female alliances are high on her list of priorities. Scroll on down check our photos and get to know this fun free spirit including how she cares for her curly locks, toned body, personal style and her bare beauty essentials.

The Bare Magazine: How do you wear your curl most of the time and when you are DJ'ing?

Samantha Michelle: Au natural baby! I leave it to dry, and let it do its own wild thing. Especially if I'm DJ'g.. I'm pulling headphones off and on and jumping around, so I can't wear my hair in a way that feels too fussy. I gotta be able to play with it!

Bare: In what way do you see your hair as an expression of your style, ethnicity and spirit?

SM: My hair is irreverent and somewhat unruly... suppose the same might be said of my own spirit. Also, it's just as it naturally is. And for me personally and creatively, authenticity is everything. You gotta be true to who you are. I wear my heart on my fingertips and lead with realness in all I do, and my hair is a representation of that. I'm also a proud Jew rockin her fro... you should see it in the humidity!

Bare: Who is your go-to hair stylist? Have they turned you on to anything to help your gorgeous mane?

SM: Addam at Art & Autonomy in Soho is my mane-tamer. He turned me on to Milbon products, I love their conditioner! I also love Kevin Murphy's Young Again oil.

Samantha at home with her beloved pup Bear

Bare: How often do you shampoo? Diffuser or no diffuser? Air dry/Blow dry?

SM: I don't actually have any kind of hair routine. I shampoo probably twice a week; my hair usually tells me when it's time for a wash! I don't own a blow dryer or a diffuser! Was never able to get the hang of those things so I just let nature work its wonders.

Bare: Your arms and body are so TONED and we want the secret!

SM: Thank you, makin' me blush! My secret is SolidCore. It's loads of planking and probably the hardest version of pilates you'll ever do, but it'll rock your body. I also recommend hitting up Body by Fleur, my best friend's a former Olympian and has developed her own amazing sculpting method, she's an incredible force. And while we're spilling, I do believe we are what we put inside ourselves and I haven't eaten meat or dairy at all since I was a kid, reckon that makes a difference.

Bare: Please describe your eclectic, gypsy rock, sexy, personal style and are you into vintage or any particular designers?

SM: Music is the source of inspiration for just about everything in my life, and definitely this applies to my personal style. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Marc Bolan, Penny Lane... these sorts of glamorous rock gods & goddesses - be they real or imagined or a bit of both - are my style icons.

I'm big into texture: I love velvet, embroidery, exotic (faux!) snakeskins, furs, everything and anything fluffy. I want to feel that there's a hug or a cuddle available in my outfit at all times. My style's also a lot of fun, playing dress-up should be about play. I'm imaginative, so scarfs as tube tops, t-shirts as dresses! And I think it's also super important to feel free to embrace your own sexuality - there's a power there, one that informs my sort of daring approach to what to wear.

As far as favourite designers: L'agence, Amanda Uprichard, Cult Gaia, ba&sh, Zadig & Voltaire for silky dresses and DJ wear. I also love The Kooples and Sandro... the Parisians just know what's up. Big YES to vintage. I'm deeply nostalgic by nature and somewhat of a history-nerd, I actually used to own my own vintage shop in Toronto called The Treasure Chest. I'd source everything from London, where I was also living at the time. I'm an anglophile through and through. British fashion is just so brilliantly bold, which is how I like it...

Bare: Please share your top 5 bare beauty essentials.

SM: Smell is #1 - I get asked about my fragrance all the time. I mix Agent Provocateur's original perfume with Molecule, which is a really cool product that works with your natural pheromones, so it makes for an alluring whiff forsure.

Lip liner. I use Rimmel's 1000 kisses in Spice. You can get it at just about any drugstore, but it's my absolute top beauty secret! I line around the perimeter and then smush the line into a sorta makeshift matte stain.

Eye pencil. I love Mac's Eye Kohl in Feline. I line the bottom lid and the outer corners of the top lid, and then I smush it all over round the eyes to create a sweaty smokey eye look. For me, ease and speed is essential!! So doing my makeup is like a form of finger painting!

Blush. I'm a sucker for a popping rosy cheek. I love Korres' Wild Rose Brightening in Golden Pink.

Brows. Another drugstore hack here for you. Maybelline New York Great Lash Clear Mascara, I swoosh that through my brows. It gives a nice subtle shaping and scruffs 'em up a bit... I'm always here for some scruff.