Jakia Khanom describes YouTube as “hard work, but the best decision I made”, as she chats to TenEighty about her love for beauty, the YouTube community, and simply having a laugh.
Everyone has a different YouTube story, and Jakia‘s started with a little bit of encouragement from her loved ones. “Friends and family encouraged me to get back into blogging as I used to blog whilst at uni, and so I finally decided to start YouTube instead,” she says. “It’s hard work but the best decision I made.” Six months down the line, we have to say we agree!
Her videos make her love for all things beauty very clear, as she chats about trends in lipsticks, eyeshadows, foundation, and skincare (she recently reviewed the coveted Huda Beauty foundation which has been making waves within the beauty world, as well as giving charcoal face masks a try).
She acknowledges that “not everyone appreciates the beauty community and I can see why”, but adds that she has nothing but love for it. “I think beauty is important not just to look good but to feel good and, with YouTube being so easily accessible, it’s great for people that want to learn new techniques and styles. I have definitely learnt a lot from there.”
She mentions that her passion for beauty came from having older sisters and, as a result, her love affair with cosmetics began when she was very young. “Being the youngest of five sisters, I was always a doll for them to dress up and I have loved makeup since age ten or 11,” she tells us. (Speaking of family, she’s introduced us to relatives in her videos and refers to them often in her daily vlogs, and we love having that insight into her.)
Something we gathered quickly from talking to Jakia is that she loves to have fun. She is not afraid to be silly and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Being partial to a good challenge video ourselves, we love seeing her take on some of our favourites including the Bean Boozled Challenge and the chicken nugget challenge. While she is keeping her next challenge a surprise, she has completely ruled out the “eat it or wear it” one!
What we love most about Jakia’s channel is that, while she is fun and likes to have a laugh, she also isn’t afraid to get serious and have a heart-to-heart with her audience.
She comes from a Muslim background and speaks about how her religion and ethnicity are very important to her. In her video My Hijab Story, she shares how choosing to wear a hijab impacted her life, while also being very open about her life before wearing it, describing herself as a “rebel”.
Chatting about how wonderful it is to see other Muslim creators on the platform, she says that “when I was younger there weren’t many Muslim YouTubers, but now its amazing to see so many incredible Muslim women on [the platform]. I’ve learnt a lot of different hijab and make up styles from watching YouTube and I think that’s great.”
She’s a fairly new creator, with her first video having been uploaded just six months ago, but Jakia has already fallen in love with the YouTube community, mentioning that “it’s so diverse and there’s room for everyone and everything”.
What is on the cards for Just Jakia in 2018? “I want to enjoy it and see where it goes,” she shares. “I am not very big on forward-planning but all about living in the moment, and right now I love filming and creating content.” We cannot wait to see what she has planned!
A refreshingly wonderful, fun, and empathetic soul, Jakia’s videos will leave you in a good mood after a long day.
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