Jackie Aina
Jacquelyn Aina | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 4, 1987 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Beauty YouTuber, social media influencer, makeup artist |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Known for | Promoting representation of people of color in beauty industry; collaborations with Anastasia Beverly Hills, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Too Faced, Sephora, Sigma Beauty |
Jacquelyn Lonje Olayiwola Oyeshola Bolayemi Aina (born August 4, 1987) is a prominent American beauty YouTuber and social media influencer. With an African-American mother and a Nigerian father of Yoruba heritage, she is well-known for promoting increased representation of people of color within the beauty sector.[1] Aina has partnered with leading companies such as Anastasia Beverly Hills, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Too Faced, Sephora, and Sigma Beauty, which has significantly boosted her presence in the cosmetics industry.[2]
Early career
After completing two years of college education, Aina enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and started her YouTube channel one year afterward. Initially, her videos served as a personal refuge during a difficult marriage that eventually ended in divorce. While stationed in Hawaii, she secured employment with MAC Cosmetics. As reported by Entrepreneur, Aina frequently encountered makeup professionals who discouraged her from trying certain trends, claiming they would not complement her skin tone. This motivated her to produce content that highlighted products and styles adaptable for all skin colors.[3]
Advocacy
Aina draws attention to the beauty industry's inadequate representation of people of color, especially criticizing the scarcity of foundation shades suitable for darker skin tones. She stresses that inclusivity should also cover eye shadows, blushes, and lipsticks, which are often not designed to be universally flattering.[4][1][5][6]
Despite some tensions with brands due to her outspoken critiques, Aina asserts that her intention is to offer constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.[7]
She also challenges the concept of "colorblindness," arguing it negates racial realities and hampers meaningful conversations. In one YouTube tutorial, she illustrated this by applying makeup in black and white before revealing the use of unsuitable colors.[4][8]
Following an influential speech on inclusivity by IT Cosmetics CEO Jamie Kern Lima, Aina confronted the company over its exclusion of people of color and questioned how effective criticism from a white woman could be.[9]
Collaborations
In July 2016, Aina collaborated with e.l.f. Cosmetics to release a highly successful eye shadow palette.
March 2017 saw Sigma Beauty introduce a five-piece brush collection designed by Aina.
By December 2017, she had partnered with Artist Couture to launch two highlighters named La Bronze and La Peach.
After publicly addressing Too Faced’s limited foundation shade options, the brand expanded its Born This Way foundation line from 24 to 35 shades by June 2018. Nine of these new shades were developed with Aina’s input. She incorporated suggestions from her followers and other influencers of color during the product creation process. Aina acknowledged that Too Faced had been aiming to broaden their shade range prior to her rise in digital influence.
In 2018, Aina revealed plans to introduce her own cosmetics brand in 2019.
August 2019 marked the release of an eyeshadow palette in collaboration with Anastasia Beverly Hills, focusing on tones tailored for dark and deep-dark skin tones while promoting inclusivity.
Awards
On January 15, 2018, at the 49th NAACP Image Awards, Aina was honored with the NAACP Image Award for "YouTuber of the Year." This award category was newly established in collaboration with Google during that year.
See also
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbustleJune2018 - ↑ "Sigma Beauty teamed up with blogger Jackie Aina with a brush set that you're going to need to add to your kit ASAP". yahoo.com. March 7, 2017. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedentrepreneur - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbustleOctober2018 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbustleSeptember2018 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedglamourJune2018SA - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedrefinery29 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedessenceJanuary2018 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbustleSeptember2017
- Living people
- 1987 births
- Beauty and makeup YouTubers
- YouTube channels launched in 2006
- American people of Nigerian descent
- American people of Yoruba descent
- Yoruba women in business
- Yoruba businesspeople
- American cosmetics businesspeople
- American women in business
- United States Army reservists
- Female United States Army personnel
- African-American female military personnel
- American make-up artists
- Fashion YouTubers
- Yoruba female military personnel
- Yoruba military personnel
- 21st-century African-American people
- 21st-century African-American women
- 20th-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American women
- African-American United States Army personnel
- YouTubers from Los Angeles