How I Live: Uniiqu3

Uniiqu3 may have played her first international show just six months ago, but the Newark native's fingers have been on the pulse of bad bitch Jersey Club since she was in her late teens. The producer other producers want to be, Uniiqu3 has the best blends and sweetest vibes. "You definitely want to be at whatever party she's DJ-ing," Total Freedom told us back in July, when her ferocious mixtape The New Klassiks was regularly soundtracking the wilder nights of our summer. As part of Beat Week, FADER caught her on tour in Australia to tell us how she stays so fly, on the road and at home.

FACE

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A video posted by UNIIQU3 (@kweenniiqu3) on Mar 3, 2014 at 10:27am PDT

Uniiqu3: When I wash my face, I always use a warm towel to open my pores up and then rinse my face with cold water to close them. Proactiv's been working for me, but sometimes I'll use sulfur soap; it's really good if you're prone to pimples and have oily skin. When I'm not on tour, I make this avocado face mask with honey and eggs. My friends think I'm nuts, but I love it. I try to take my makeup off every night but I don't always make it. My hotel pillow has some on it now, but that's really bad, especially after you've spent the night sweaty in the club. When I'm performing I like to put glitter on my face, and I throw glitter into the crowd, and that just ends up everywhere.

MAKEUP

I've only been wearing makeup for about a year and a half. I've always worn lipgloss though: when I was younger I always had my lipgloss poppin'. The first time I wore eyeliner DJ-ing it wasn't waterproof and I wiped my eyes and had runny blackness all over my face. My friend didn't even tell me until after my set. But now I've got it down. When I'm performing, ‪I try to go for a clean face and a bright lip look. I always go really slowly with my foundation; it's the most important part! If you rush it you can look crazy. I use Maybelline's FIT Me Foundation stick and IMAN's Luxury Radiance liquid makeup. I'm a weird shade of brown so I blend the two. I wear a red or purple lip, glossy or matte, and I love MAC's lipsticks. Lately I've been using bright colored eyeliner from Wet'n'Wild to line the bottom of my eyes. It makes your eyes pop when you're wearing all black, but make sure the line is thin! Otherwise it can look like costume makeup.

HAIR

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A photo posted by UNIIQU3 (@kweenniiqu3) on Sep 9, 2014 at 6:55am PDT

I always had big, thick hair. My mom was the only one who could control it when I was a kid. I went to a cosmetology program at my school because I wanted to learn how to handle it myself. I haven't found that right stylist that can handle all of this. I cut it myself, using special shears meant for cutting hair. The only product I really use for my hair is this super strong gel, Edge Control, so I don't have any loose strands of this 'fro in my face. I don't use shampoo often but I do use coconut oil in my hair. When my hair is really dry I take some virgin olive oil and warm it up, lather it all in my hair, and leave it on for about 10 minutes. It gives my hair the best shine and makes it really lusty.

NAILS

I used to like them long but they'd get in the way when I'm performing and break. I like bright polish because it looks so cool when I'm DJ-ing. I own like two buckets of nail polish, it's ridiculous. I love FlossGloss, they're so hip. They're next up when it comes to nail polish brands. I def fuck with nail art, I'm down with any design involving glitter. I have a friend named Blizzy that owns her own nail salon in Philly called Tout Est Bombe. She always hooks me up!

CLOTHES

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A photo posted by UNIIQU3 (@kweenniiqu3) on Sep 9, 2014 at 4:20pm PDT

I always cared about clothes. Even when I was younger my parents told me I always wanted to wear specific shit! When I was a kid, I wore colorful clothing and lots of purple, my favorite color. As a teen I was a trendy girl that wore bright bangles and chucks. I have had my phases. I like to be cozy but creative now because I wear how I feel. When I'm getting dressed to go out, I usually get inspiration from music. I bump Rihanna or one of my mixes on Soundcloud. I also think about comfort and color. If I feel good, I look good and I perform good. When I'm planning looks for tour I'm like human version of Polyvore. I dress really festive on stage, so that it reflects what I play. I like my outfits to stick out and be memorable, but also wearable enough that if someone was inspired to copy it, it wouldn't be hard to achieve.