When it comes to the beauty, influencers have completely transformed the industry and the way people search for and buy makeup products. Whether it’s a huge celebrity like Rihanna who has infiltrated the makeup industry and shaken it up with her inspiring message of diversity and inclusion or a millennial influencer using their platform to sway the opinions of millions of fans, the way beauty business operates has been irrevocably changed. If there was a time to be a beauty influencer, there’s no better moment than now.
So, what exactly is a beauty influencer? Well, they are normal people who happen to understand makeup and beauty products and have used their creative savvy to create engaging and exciting content in relation to these products. These people have used their infectious personalities and creative skills to build formidable online careers for themselves.
Because of their authentic nature, they have gained a huge following and as a result, many of these beauty influencers are known for their highly-subscribed YouTube channels with millions of views and Instagram accounts with millions of followers. They use their platforms to inform, educate and review with their makeup tutorials and beauty tips and tricks.
Beauty influencers from all over the world have carved out their respective niches and grown their following but these 3 Nigerian women are leading the pack and doing it for the culture!
1. Jackie Aina
You would be hard-pressed to find a beauty lover who hasn’t heard about Aunty Jackie. Jackie has been catapulted into superstar status with many women, particularly women of colour, following her every move.
Over the last 11 years, Jackie Aina has become a household name in the beauty world. Starting off as an army reserve with a penchant for makeup, Jackie has gone from playing with beauty videos to seriously investing in her creative skills and becoming one of YouTube’s top influencers. How you ask?
Well, what makes Jackie so special is she is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Jackie has been very vocal about the lack of diversity in the beauty industry and is not afraid to call out brands. As a result, she was given the chance to put her money where her mouth is and created a extended range of shades for beauty giant Too Faced’s ‘Born This Way’ range.
Although Jackie once believed that talking about these taboo subjects and calling out these powerful brands would hinder her career, since starting her YouTube channel in 2008, she’s gained over 2.8 million YouTube subscribers and 1.1m Instagram followers.
Jackie has proven that you can be wildly successful whilst staying true to yourself and standing up for what you believe in. For the millions of women of colour without a voice in the industry, Jackie is the mouthpiece.
Speaking to Fashionista.com about her success, Jackie said, ”Now, I think people definitely see me as the authority on diversity in complexion. And I think that’s what drew people to me, because I was saying things that no one else was saying. A lot of people have painted this picture that the whole diversity thing was a marketing ploy.
But, if anything, it did the exact opposite. It hurt my growth; no one wanted to watch that girl who only talked about black issues. Now, we’re seeing a shift in the industry in which people are actively seeking diversity, and people are just now starting to have conversations that have been very much so present amongst, not only just me, but other black influencers, too.”
2. PeakMill
What PeakMill doesn’t know about hair simply isn’t worth knowing! The Youtube hair sensation, whose real name is Khadijat, is blessed when it comes to the hair department and has made her name creating the most realistic, beautiful and seemingly effortless wigs and hairstyles.
The incredibly relatable hair and makeup guru has accrued more than 685k Instagram followers and 1.2m Youtube subscribers since 2011. Her easy to follow hair tutorials have gained over 103 million views to date. One could says that PeakMill is the official Youtube hair guru.
Speaking to Essence magazine about her success, PeakMill said, ”One of the main things [that drives me] is my desire to help other people. That’s one of the reasons that I started my channel as well. Being so curious is what made me start my own channel—and for people asking me to bring them more. I’m like, “I’m helping all these people, why not?” What more can you ask for? I’m helping people and also making a living from it. What really keeps me going is all the people coming up to me saying “I’m glad that you were able to help me”, “you inspire me”—and all that good stuff. That’s my main motivation to keep going.”
3. Patricia Bright
For many, it feels like they have followed Patricia Bright for most of her life and been there for the big milestones like her marriage and birth of her first child. Since 2010, Patricia has shared her life on Youtube and grown into becoming one of the biggest beauty influencers in the world.
Patricia became an influencer before it was even a thing and although the vlogging world has become heavily saturated these days, Patricia continues to stand out and be one of the guiding lights in the beauty space. The 31-year-old YouTube star who has 2.7m Youtube subscribers, a staggering 268m Youtube views in total and 1m Instagram followers, continues to charm her fans by releasing, funny, honest and original content.
Patricia, who has starred in a Bobbi Brown campaign and collaborated with brands including Maybelline and Fenty Beauty is one of the leading British beauty influencers and her longevity is testament to the quality of her content.
Recently, Patricia became an author, choosing to tell her inspiring story in her autobiography ‘Heart & Hustle’. Writing about how beauty changed her life, Patricia says, ”At university, for instance, I didn’t have any friends and shared a house with someone who was cold and distant. I found solace in the online world and escaped my reality on the computer, spending hours on forums for hair, make-up and beauty – things I’d always loved but never had anyone to talk to about. At that time this was a niche activity, but those people online provided me with a little escape and it has led to my career.”
