Instagram’s Cutcreaser Talks Her Favorite Makeup Look And Taking Inspiration From Solange

Welcome to Favorite Follow, a series highlighting NYLON's favorite creators and the stories behind some of their most memorable content.

Before becoming the internet's resident expert on artful eyeliner application, Vanessa Funes was simply an eighth grader concerned with her makeup for junior prom. Known as @cutcreaser on Instagram, Funes has racked up an impressive following, posting videos and photos of her intricate eye-focused beauty routines. Before becoming a must-follow member of the beauty community, Funes was just another teenager taking makeup tips from her mom.

She credits her mother with helping her get into makeup, telling NYLON about that fateful prom. "I had watched my mom do her winged liner for years. That night, she taught me the old 'tug-your-eye-and-draw' method. I eventually stopped doing that whole tugging thing since it causes wrinkles supposedly," she recalled. "Now that I think about that question, I feel like one day someone will say they got into it because of me and I will probably cry about it."

Funes' continued dedication to wearing black liner to school was a further test of her skills, and she later discovered makeup videos on YouTube. "Watching my favorite beauty creators create looks and trying to mimic their hand movements and styles helped me shape my own way of doing makeup and tackling a creative look," she said.

Since then, Funes has only improved — and it all comes down to practice. Her finished Instagram looks require plenty of restarting. "Being patient with yourself is very important. I once woke up everyday at 5 a.m. for high school to recreate this basic halo eye look that I was obsessed with, but couldn’t quite get down. Eventually, I got the hang of it and I wore that look everyday to school because I perfected it! So practice as much as you can and try again if it didn’t work out the first time," she said.

When it comes to creating a cut crease, practice does make perfect, and it helps that Funes was given the chance to create a makeup kit with everything needed of the process. She couldn't say for certain whether the future of makeup would continue to be filled with cut creases and carefully drawn lines, but she does have hopes for a more inclusive industry. "There needs to be more makeup catered to deeper skin [tones]. It’s sad that some creators can’t use the blushes or bronzers that makeup brands come out with because those products are too light for them. It’s sad that we have to have this conversation over and over again. But brands need to be more inclusive on all fronts — for their paid content, advertising and marketing, and hiring in the industry. Black and other POC creators deserve to be heard. And that shouldn’t be a trend — it’s something that needs to be started up again and executed the right way," she said.

Ahead, Funes walks us through some of her favorite looks, including a particularly popular tutorial and the makeup that made the case for uni-liner.

On A Futuristic Look

I love this look because it's so futuristic. I'm always inspired by other people, and for this one I was inspired by some makeup looks Solange used to wear. Uni-liner should be a thing!

On Tramp Stamp Makeup

I had this look planned for months and I was scared to execute it. But it came out exactly how I wanted it to. Tramp stamp makeup? Hell yes.

On A Tutorial For Hooded Eyes

Informative tutorials are important. I really wanted to do that with this. It helped a few people who have hooded eyes. Mission accomplished!

On A Forever Favorite Look

This is my all time favorite look because it was an idea that was inspired by one of my favorite makeup artists, and she loved it, too.