Fashion

10 Things You Didn't Know About Deepica Mutyala

by Jillian Ruffo

Chances are, you've come across that video that shows you how to cover your dark under-eye circles with red lipstick. And if you are one of those 8 million viewers, you should remember Deepica Mutyala, the creator. As a long-time beauty junkie and expert, Deepica is up to date on every tip, trick, and product — and she’s great at sharing.

She originally started uploading videos for her friends and family. They were texting her constantly for makeup tips, so she decided to share her knowledge from a central location. Just a year ago, she uploaded her first iPhone videos, and the lipstick trick immediately went viral. Since then, she’s amassed almost 40,000 subscribers on YouTube, and she even shares her tips on live TV. (You may have spotted her on the Today Show!)

I pulled her away from her day-to-day hustle for our shoot. We chatted about our mutual love for Thanksgiving, how she got her start in the beauty biz, and all things NYC. It sounds like the Houston, Texas native rarely spends time in her West Village apartment; she’s constantly exploring the city, especially her neighborhood, to discover new inspiration.

Below, find out more about this beauty guru, including how she got to where she is today.

This post is sponsored by COVERGIRL.

1. She's Always Been A Beauty Girl.

"Since I was in my teens, I was the girl giving beauty tips to all my friends and family members. We’d stay in and have ‘Makeovers by Deepica' on Friday nights. (Still my favorite thing to do!) I wanted to create a space to share all the tips and tricks I’ve learned from growing up being a beauty junkie and from working with some of the most talented makeup artists in the industry."

Eyeshadow: COVERGIRL Eyeshadow Quad in Blooming Blushes; Eyeliner: COVERGIRL Ink It! By Perfect Point Plus in Black Ink

2. She Began Vlogging For Her Family And Friends.

"My thought was to simplify all of my learnings and share it in one place for all my friends and family to access — and to cut down on the the daily texts asking me how to contour! I did it at the beginning of this year, and I couldn’t have predicted that my second video (filmed on my iPhone) would go viral with more than 9 million views globally. Since then, everything sort of started falling into place, and I’m now a full-time beauty expert doing the YouTube thing and on-air beauty corresponding."

3. She Was Totally Shocked When Her First Video Went Viral.

"In the beginning, I didn’t get it why it was going viral! It was just a trick I had been doing for years that I wanted to share. It was (and still is!) getting covered by major publications worldwide. It still blows my mind. I think it resonated with people because it’s a universal problem that everyone of all different ethnicities and races can relate to. No one wants dark under-eye circles and so many of us have them."

4. NYC Gives Her Major Beauty Inspiration.

"I dreamed of living in NYC since I was a little girl, and I’m inspired by this city every day. Just walking down the streets and seeing all of the unique looks and meeting people with such different life perspectives — I try to take all of that in and create content that feels true to me."

5. Red Is In This Season. (Hint: It's Not Just For Your Under-Eye Circles.)

"I'm a lipstick addict, so my favorite thing for fall is a deep wine or red lip. It’s an easy way to run out the door, and it instantly makes your face pop. It was so fun to do bright lipsticks during the summer, but I’m excited to switch it up and go for brown shades, nudes, wines, and heavy cat eyes."

Lipstick: COVERGIRL Colorlicious Lipstick in Hot

6. Authenticity Is Key.

"In such a short timeframe, I feel like I’ve already learned so much, especially the importance of listening to my community. I love engaging with them and hearing their ideas on content they want to see. I’ve also learned the importance of staying authentic. I never talk about brands or products I don’t genuinely love or use. I think the second people start doing that, it shows. Followers are smart —they catch on to that stuff pretty quick."

7. She's So Excited For Fall.

"I'm so excited to dress in sweaters and comfy, lounge-y clothes. I have staple pieces that I’m able to throw on — big, oversized sweaters. And I live for Thanksgiving. I have the biggest family on the planet. We all get together in Houston Texas, where I’m from. In college, I never cared for football — but I love going back to Texas for football during Thanksgiving, when the leaves are changing."

8. She Loves Statement Necklaces And Statement Lips, Always.

"My style is structured with a little bit of edge — I’ll take a crisp crepe dress and throw leather jacket on top. I like mixing feminine with a masculine touch, like wearing ripped boyfriend jeans but with chunky heels, a statement necklace, and a bright lip. I also love the business professional look. Blazers and a power bag are my jam — they class up any outfit."

9. Beauty Is Her Favorite Hobby.

"This is going to sound so lame because beauty is my career and job but it’s also my hobby! My absolute favorite thing to do in my 'free time' is to experiment with new products. I’m a total kid in a candy store when I am at Sephora, and I feel so lucky that my job happens to correlate with my favorite hobby."

10. She Shares Her Love For Beauty With Her Mom

"My mom inspires me when it comes to beauty. She has skin that people dream of. I always say that if my skin looks half as good as hers when I’m her age, I’m set. It’s funny that every time I go home I see her doing something I would do with my makeup. I caught her putting on silver eyeliner on her waterline and when I looked at her confused she said, 'What? It makes my eyes pop.' Like mother, like daughter!"

11. The Key To Starting A YouTube Channel Is Simple — Just Start It!

"I had been talking about starting a channel for over five years but always found an excuse. I didn’t know the first thing about editing videos, and I definitely didn’t have a fancy-pants camera ,so I just used my iPhone. I felt like if I was going to do this, I had to be all in and it needed to be perfect. The truth is that it doesn’t need to be perfect but it does need to exist for it to ever get there."

12. She Has No Clue What The Future Holds.

"Right now, I’m focused on serving as an on-air beauty expert and growing my YouTube base. As for the future, who the heck knows! My life has taken a complete 180 this year — opportunities I could have only dreamed of (like, actually had dreams about... Vogue? Today Show? How is that real life?) are all happening in real time."

Images: Lauren Perlstein/Bustle; Makeup: Joy Fennell; Hair: Adam Maclay; Top: ASOS; Leather Jacket: Deepica's own