At the ripe age of 16, Texas native and now beauty maven Deepica Mutyala had set a goal—that she would move to New York City and ignite her dream of working in the beauty industry. And that’s exactly what this University of Texas, Austin graduate achieved. After stints with companies like L’Oréal USA and L Brands on Victoria’s Secret PINK, Deepica now works as a Senior Manager in Brand Development at Birchbox in NYC. Getting makeovers by Beyonce’s make-up artist (!) and being exposed to the biggest brands in the beauty biz is all part of typical work day for this gal (sounds terrible, right?).
We caught up with this makeup maverick for a quick tete-a-tete on the best beauty trends for Indian women, common mistakes, must-have products and more! Pssst…she even threw in some cool insider trade secrets!
Luxemi: What are the most common beauty mistakes Indian women make when dressing in traditional wear?
Deepica Mutyala: I don’t think there should be any rules with makeup. It should be about your mood and how you feel whether you’re in Indian or western clothes. Indian girls tend to stick to red lipsticks as their go-to with Indian ensembles but mix it up and have fun, I say! You can completely change the way your outfit looks by just changing your hair and makeup, thus allowing you to repeat that sari at the third wedding of the season (that is, of course, if you haven’t already discovered the beauty of Luxemi!).
What are the latest beauty trends that will lend themselves beautifully to Indian wear?
- Plum lips and bold brows! I especially love plum lips with white Indian outfits and I am definitely not a believer in the ‘no white after Labor Day’ rule.
- Braids: I don’t think Indian girls play with braids enough because they fear that it’ll look too traditional. But there are so many ways to experiment with them. My current favorite is a voluminous messy fishtail. It’s a great way to stand out in a room full of straightened or curled hair.
- Contouring: Contouring is still having its moment and lends itself perfectly to Indian wear. Who doesn’t want defined cheekbones and glowing skin, right?
5 must-have beauty products a desi girl’s kit ought to have?
- A brow pencil: You know how threading your eyebrows completely changes the look of your face? Filling your brows lends the same effect! It’s a product most Indian women don’t realize they need (because they already have dark, thick brows) but can’t live without once they see the difference it makes.
- A bold lipstick: I am loving plum lipstick right now. A classic, high pigment plum that I love is M.A.C Cosmetics’ Rebel, but if you’re looking for a light berry shade, I recommend the Cynthia Rowley Beauty creamy lip stain in Dahlia. It’s layerable, so you can add coats for intensity and personal preference.
- Concealer: I think if you surveyed all Indian women and asked them what their number one beauty concern is, we would say dark under eye circles. Since I battle this problem too, I like using a heavier concealer that also has brightening properties. My current favorite is the Vasanti Instant Pick Me Up Color Correcting Illuminator in shade CC 4. It has the glowing effects that everyone loves from YSL’s Touche Eclat with the coverage power of M.A.C Cosmetics’ concealers—the best of both worlds!
- Highlighter/Illuminator: If you want radiant skin, I have two tips: drink tons of water and find a killer highlighter. I especially love the way highlighter looks when I’m in Indian clothes. You can instantly tell the difference in pictures when you do and don’t wear it. I use a cream highlighter because I have dry skin. My current favorite is the Bio Brightening Stick from W3LL PEOPLE. The stick format makes it really easy to apply.
- Beautyblender: I’ve never met a makeup artist who didn’t have a beautyblender in their kit. The difference in how your makeup applies is unreal with/without it. It’s especially helpful when you’re contouring to blend with zero streakage. I can’t go back to using any brush again now. Make sure to wet the brush to where it doubles in size before using.
Indian celebrities who nail desi-dressing makeup according to you?
I love the versatility of Deepika Padukone’s beauty looks. She always mixes it up, from dramatic smoky eyes/bold lips to more subtle natural glows. She also gives me major brow envy.
It’s also really exciting to see Mindy Kaling’s makeup looks evolve. I love that she’s not afraid to experiment with different looks across both fashion and beauty and you can tell she’s having fun with it.
Insider beauty tricks you’d like to share with us?
If you have extreme dark circles, use a bright red or orange lipstick as a base under your eyes before applying concealer. The bright pigmentation of the lipstick evens out your skin tone. We work with celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin at Birchbox and he mentioned that this is one of his favorite beauty tricks to use on Mindy Kaling. Major game changer!
Most people apply mascara outward going towards their ears to create a sort of cat eye look. But for a more wide-awake makeup look, apply your mascara inward. By re-directing the lashes this way, your eyes will pop and look more refreshed. I learned this trick from Mally Roncal who has been the go-to makeup artist for celebrities like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez and now has her own beauty line called Mally Beauty. The products are all extremely brown-girl friendly (high pigments)!
Want more fun tips from Deepica? Follow her on Instagram @deepicam
What do you think of Deepica’s tips and tricks? Tell us in the comment box below!
Praachi Raniwala for Luxemi
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