Michaela Jaé on Grecian Goddess Makeup, Tending to Her Curls, and Glamming With Joan Rivers

Night Moves explores going out through the lens of beauty. Here, discover how your favorite stars get ready to paint the town red, including what music they’re playing to set the mood, the essentials decorating their vanity, and which must-have products are taking up precious real estate in their evening bag. In the latest installment, InStyle spoke to actress and musician Michaela Jaé fresh off the release of her debut album, 33.

Describe your perfect night out.

I’m usually a girl that’s at home, but when there is a night out, my perfect night involves a DJ set—two, maybe three hours and then I take my butt home, get ready for the next day of work. The night, it is young, but it can get real long. And you can forget it. I don’t want to forget it anymore because I’ll be on the ground.

What are your top getting-ready tracks?

I’ve been listening to a lot of new, up-and-coming artists. I love Doja Cat. I love Doechii. I try my best to keep in contact with Doechii as much as I can on social media, and I’m always promoting her and always lifting her up, so I’m happy for this trajectory that she’s on. She’s really getting the flowers that she deserves right now. I love Chloe x Halle. I have followed their career avidly. Those girls are so talented. I love FLO from London—they’re my favorite girl group right now. I’ve been a very big, avid fan of K-pop, so I’m listening to STAYC, KAACHI, XG. Check out XG—those girls are no joke.

If you could get ready with any famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Joan Rivers, child. I would love to get ready with her because she was obviously very racy, but when we're thinking about beauty and glam, she was very keen on that. She made sure her hair was done. She made sure that her hair was always a specific style that she was accustomed to. Her makeup was always on.

Describe your process for choosing a look for the night.

The inspiration for [the Clooney Foundation's Albies in New York in September] was Grecian goddess. We wanted to look royal, but we also wanted to give an ode to the gold peplums that go with the toga and just make it look really elevated. For the hair, I needed it to be long and look luxurious and still give flow-y and ethereal. She walks through the world as an oracle! I wanted to feel special that night because the Albies are special; George and Amal Clooney do some really prolific work. I wanted to feel strong walking in there.

Describe your going-out beauty in three words.
Sophisticated, sexy, and sick.

As you're getting ready, what products are guaranteed to be on your vanity and why?

Charlotte TIlbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder. I need it because it’s such a great finish. A Hollywood Beauty Light Wand is crucial. Her Peachgasm Beauty Light Wand is my favorite. Sometimes, I use it with a full beat; sometimes, I don’t. That’s how good it is. It really meshes well with your skin. The Magic Cream is crucial before you put on any of the makeup.

When it comes to hair, my hair is naturally a 4C texture, so it’s quite coily, it's very, very gorgeous, and it’s a tight curl. Shea Moisture is my favorite—it activates the curls and makes it easier. They have all different types of conditioners that are really suited for girls with textured hair. I use it faithfully. I use a lot of their products. There’s also this tacky holding cream for edges and edge control, and it’s so good. It has this beautiful vanilla kind of syrup smell and it’s so healthy for the scalp. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used it and seen my edges grow.

If you’re carrying an evening bag, what makeup or hair essentials do you keep on you?

I'm going to bring a lip. I'm going to bring a Charlotte Tilbury Cheat Lip Liner in Foxy Brown—that’s my favorite liner to use. It goes with almost any lipstick she has. I’ll always bring the Candy Chic Candy Pink Lipstick with me, too. It’s so faint and pastel but not too abrasive. It’s subtle enough and so soft, too. Also, I’ll have a lip gloss. If I want to have a matte lip, great, but if I want to change it up and let those lips get a little moistened, I’ll have her Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir in there. And lastly, powder. Powder is the main thing I have to have. You have to set, all the time.

For skin care, In the morning, we do a fresh, clean face. We exfoliate, and then we use the hydrating oil to make sure I get the extremities and the impurities. I will also use her Magic Crystal Elixir Serum to make it locked in and loaded. I’ll use Magic Cream to make sure it gives a smooth finish for the makeup. My Pillow Talk go-tos are Plumgasm. Also, Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder. Last but not least, the Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Foxy Brown. It’s so important for my specific look.

What fragrance do you mist on before you run out the door?

Charlotte Tilbury Joyphoria I use almost every day, and Love Frequency I use almost every day. I like spritzing it because it’s so rich yet still sexy and sophisticated. I mix both, especially if I’m trying to be more youthful and fun with a little bit of sophistication. More Sex? That’s the one I’m going out with, and I’m like, I want y’all to smell me! When I walk through the room, I’m feeling va-va-voom!

After a night out, what's your routine once you're home?

My skincare routine is like when you have a dance rehearsal, and then you have a show, right? After the show, you have to do a warm-down. I do something similar to the beginning, but I use all of Charlotte Tilbury’s night products. She has a Magic Night Cream that can hydrate your skin in the morning. Before that, I make sure to go through a clean, purifying process for my skin so that none of the makeup is left over. Then, I’ll sleep in her Night Cream and wake up feeling refreshed.

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