Referred to as the “It Girl” on social media to her thousands and thousands of followers, Recent York native Aaliyah Jay is expanding her resume as a beauty influencer into the style lane. As she prepares for the discharge of her upcoming clothing line Twisted Saints, the Los Angeles-based beauty is learning more concerning the fashion industry and herself as she spreads her wings into the world of fashion design and correspondence. The 27-year-old YouTuber is just not abandoning her followers who know her for makeup tutorials and “Girl Talk” vlogs, but she’s at all times known that her passion for fashion has burned within her and been a type of creative expression.

“That is going to sound really cliche, but I believe it’s me. I’ve inspired my style as of recently,” Aaliyah Jay told ESSENCE when asked about her personal style influences and the way she fell in love with fashion. “As of recently, I’ve really found myself and I’ve been doing plenty of self-work and I’m like, ‘Why don’t I express this on the skin?’. I’ve been really trying to try this and I sort of just placed on whatever I need.”

While the influencer lives her life publicly and shows the Instaworld the glitz and glam of a day within the lifetime of Aaliyah Jay, she does experience the dreaded imposter syndrome and finds ways every day to balance her mental health. “I experience it on a regular basis,” 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 of the things that she has. “I’ve actually needed to discover with it as of recently because…self-awareness may be very essential.”

To look at ESSENCE’s full interview with Aaliyah Jay, try the video above where the sweetness influencer and associate editor D’Shonda Brown talk more about Twisted Saints, what the sweetness industry has taught her, and her experiences with social media and imposter syndrome. Have a look!