If you ever felt rejected when the ‘universal’ concealer shade made you look ashy instead of well-rested, you’ll find hope on influencer Deepica Mutyala’s Instagram feed Live Tinted. The online community is dedicated to inclusivity and features skin tones that are often underrepresented in popular media and makeup aisles. 29-year-old Mutyala unintentionally started her beauty revolution with a YouTube tutorial, (where she used a red lipstick to colour correct her dark circles) that kicked off a conversation on lack of diversity in make-up. Four years and 10.7 million views later, she created the Live Tinted community and her first product, Huestick. Inspired by the conversations on the community’s forum and her personal experiences with makeup, the multi-purpose Huestick can be used as a lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, and as a colour corrector.
Here, she tells us about her mission to change the beauty business.
ELLE: How did Live Tinted inspire Huestick?
Deepica Mutyala: I’ve always dreamt of creating my own beauty brand because I rarely saw one that felt catered to me. The overwhelming feedback to the Live Tinted community let me know that I wasn’t alone in feeling left out of the beauty narrative. We made our first product based on our community’s needs—a majority mentioned their struggle with dark spots, hyperpigmentation and dark circles. Huestick is a manifestation of everything I’ve wanted, and I’ve also been able to address the very beauty concern that surfaced from my video that went viral four years ago.
Deepica Mutyala
ELLE: Did you ever imagine your dark circles video would blow up like this?
DM: Not at all, I would have held the camera the right way if I had any clue! The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and it was the first moment I realised that hyperpigmentation and dark circles were something that didn’t discriminate by gender or race.
ELLE: What were your goals when creating Huestick?
DM: It had to be inclusive, that’s the core of Live Tinted. I also wanted it to be a clean product, so the ingredients and formula were thoroughly researched.
The multi-use Huestick
ELLE: What are your favourite ways to wear Huestick?
DM: Oh man, so many different ways! I love the unexpected versatility of Rise (orange), I turn to it as a lipstick time and again. I love using Origin (red) as a colour corrector and on the eyes. My favourite use for Perk is as a pretty pink blush. That’s the best part about these products—they are versatile and fun.
ELLE: What are your upcoming plans for the Live Tinted community?
DM: Live Tinted is a movement first, and our business decisions stem from our vision to progress the beauty space. In order to do that, I see international expansion, new products, and partnerships in our future. I’m excited to take our community along on this journey with us.
Photograph: Pooja Rudra; Make-up: Clarissa Luna; Hair: Valerie Vanessa
