Known as the "It Girl" on social media to her millions of followers, New York native Aaliyah Jay is expanding her resume as a beauty influencer into the fashion lane. As she prepares for the release of her upcoming clothing line Twisted Saints, the Los Angeles-based beauty is learning more about the fashion industry and herself as she spreads her wings into the world of fashion design and correspondence. The 27-year-old YouTuber is not abandoning her followers who know her for makeup tutorials and "Girl Talk" vlogs, but she's always known that her passion for fashion has burned inside of her and been a form of creative expression.
"This is going to sound really cliche, but I think it's me. I've inspired my style as of lately," Aaliyah Jay told ESSENCE when asked about her personal style influences and how she fell in love with fashion. "As of recently, I've really found myself and I've been doing a lot of self-work and I'm like, 'Why don't I express this on the outside?'. I've been really trying to do that and I kind of just put on whatever I want."
While the influencer lives her life publicly and shows the Instaworld the glitz and glam of a day in the life of Aaliyah Jay, she does experience the dreaded imposter syndrome and finds ways daily to balance her mental health. "I experience it all the time," she admitted about her experience with imposter syndrome. In times when she finds herself in bouts of negative self-talk, Aaliyah reminds herself that she is deserving of all the things that she has. "I've actually had to identify with it as of recently because...self-awareness is very important."
To watch ESSENCE's full interview with Aaliyah Jay, check out the video above where the beauty influencer and associate editor D'Shonda Brown talk more about Twisted Saints, what the beauty industry has taught her, and her experiences with social media and imposter syndrome. Take a look!