Starting her channel over six years ago, Jaclyn Hill is one of the OG beauty bloggers and trailblazers. Her five million strong subscriber list and videos are responsible for boosting the profiles of brands like Becca and more recently, Morphe, proving the power of genuine and honest product reviews.
But living a life online isn’t always easy, with Jaclyn almost quitting YouTube altogether earlier this year after feeling like she was ‘walking on eggshells’ and ‘not finding YouTube fun anymore’. But for now the eyeshadow queen is here to stay and we couldn’t be happier about it.
Here, she chats to GLAMOUR about how she stays sane on social media, her favourite career moments and her new sunglasses collaboration with Quay Australia.
Where the inspiration comes from
Appreciative always to her fanbase, Jaclyn says when it comes to thinking of new video content and keeping her channel relevant, she really listens to what her subscribers have to say.
“I make lists of videos my subscribers request and go from there”, she says. “I make it a priority to factor in all the video requests I get. I think it’s important to produce content that people want to see.”
That’s not to say that everything she films is planned; “Sometimes a product will inspire me, and I’ll film in the moment.”
And when it comes to remaining honest in her reviews, despite working with so many brands, Jaclyn says, “My loyalty is always to my subscribers. That’s just it.”
The videos that mean the most
With so many videos filmed over the years, picking a favourite is tough, but one proud moment Jaclyn says she’ll never forget was when she revealed the Jaclyn Hill Palette.
“It was such a long process to perfect all of those shades, and I was so excited to finally share it with my subscribers”, she says.
And in terms of celebrity collaborations, Kim Kardashian sits at number one. “It was such a fun and surreal experience”.
Like most YouTubers, other social media channels (Snapchat, Instagram etc) was a natural extension for Jaclyn.
“For the first couple of years I was addicted to it and quickly found myself mentally exhausted”, she says.
These days she finds social media breaks a must, “I finally found a balance and know when to disconnect now.”
Even with all the ups and downs of sharing her life online, Jaclyn is still supportive of those who wish to start a YouTube career.
“Start now and be confident in your abilities, even if everyone tells you otherwise. It’s such a fun outlet, and it’s so amazing to see up-and coming artists sharing their talents.”
Venturing from makeup to sunglasses
These days beauty and lifestyle go hand-in-hand, and recently Jaclyn collaborated with her first brand outside of the beauty world: Quay Australia.
“The Quay team is so bomb”, she says. “I was hands-on from day one and they really brought my vision for my sunglasses to life.”
“I’m obsessed with aviators so having the opportunity to design my own was great.”
The Quay x Jaclyn Hill sunglasses are available from November 15th via the Quay Australia website.
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