Jackie Aina’s Style Evolution: From Influencer to Icon

Jackie Aina is a popular YouTuber who has been able to carve out a niche in skincare and makeup. She shares beauty tips, product reviews, and makeup tutorials on her channel. The influencer also uses her platform and unapologetic approach to life to champion representation and inclusivity in the beauty industry.

Aina’s determination to embrace her whole self has enabled her to transition from the confines of being a simple YouTube content creator to a style icon.

Back in 2009, Jackie Aina decided to start her YouTube channel as a means of teaching other women who looked like her about makeup. She also used the channel as a welcome distraction from her life in Hawaii. While her earlier videos were bereft of her character, simply featuring what she refers to as “customer service Jackie,” she struck gold when she decided to let loose and open up to her followers.

She injected her personality into her content, sharing jokes, dancing around and opening up about her personal life – including details about her boob job and divorce. After figuring out the key to success as an influencer, Jackie started building a formidable community across her social media channels. She has

Jackie’s success as an influencer opened up many collaboration opportunities. With millions of followers on her social media channels, big brands were rushing to work with the fast-rising YouTube celebrity – laying the foundation for her to become a beauty icon.

Aina teamed up with the well-known makeup brand to expand their Born This Way foundation range. This was a very proud moment for the popular vlogger as it was one of the very few times that a major brand had reached out to a black influencer in this way.

Furthermore, Aina felt like her voice mattered as she had criticized the brand before the collaboration. In an interview with CFDA, she stated, “Mind you, this was a brand I had been critical of before the partnership, and I’d criticized their shade ranges.”

In 2019, Aina was tapped by another major brand in the beauty industry – Anastasia Beverly Hills. The collaboration brought forth The Jackie Aina pallet – a 14-shade offering that included sparkling hues, soft metallics, and matte tones. In addition to being a major win for people of color (who could access more makeup options as a result), this partnership represented Aina’s growing influence in the beauty industry.

Aina launched her next big venture in the world of beauty in 2020. During the pandemic, the shrewd entrepreneur decided it was the perfect time to launch her long-awaited self-care lifestyle brand, FORVR MOOD. The initial launch was all about a four-piece collection of candles. However, the brand’s offering has grown to include other items such as silk pillows. Speaking to Refinery29, Aina stated, “I want people to actually get a product that makes them feel good right now.”

As a true beauty icon, Aina decided to take things a notch higher by launching her new platform, Lavishly Jackie – complete with new accounts on YouTube and Instagram and a lifestyle website. The super influencer intends to use the platform to showcase her luxury and self-care interests outside the world of beauty.