Contrast makeup.. what is it?
A few weeks ago I started to see videos circulating on Contrast Makeup. To be honest, I was instantly annoyed, at first glance I was like okayyyyyy so this is just a new variation of people applying soft, medium, and heavy makeup and giving it a new name. We could equate low contrast makeup to a “natural look’, medium contrast would be “soft glam”, and hight contrast is a “full beat.” In a nut shell that is essentially what this is. But! I will say when I read the full description of what the idea behind contrast makeup is, it actually seemed to take a very interesting approach on how we could analyze and decide which makeup look is the most suitable to enhance your natural features… let’s break it down..
First we’ll start with the definition of the word:
Con·trast
noun
1.the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association
LOW CONTRAST
The theory of contrast makeup is that one should look at their skin tone, compare that to the other tones in their features (lashes, brows, eye color, hair color, lip tone, etc) and decide the level of contrast between those to determine the intensity of makeup you should apply to be the most flattering for you. So, if you have a deep skin tone and dark hair that are close in shade, or fair skin and light hair, you’d be a low contrast girly.
The color of your hair and skin tone isn’t what’s important when figuring out your level of contrast, it’s the difference in the levels of shades between your features. We will use Beyonce as an example of the difference.
When Beyonce has blonde eyebrows and a brighter blonde hair color that’s very close in her skin tone, almost the same color, she is low contrast. There isn’t a huge difference in the depth of her features compared to her skin. Contrast makeup then implies that a softer more natural look would be the most flattering. If low contrast is what you need then a look that consists of soft neutrals won’t overwhelm or drown out your features. Think, a natural sun kissed look with a nude lip.
If our queen is showing off a look where her hair and brows are 4-5 levels darker than her skin tone, we are dealing with a medium contrast Bey. Therefore, a makeup look where the makeup has pops of shades that are 4-5 shades lighter and darker than the skin can be easily pulled off.
MEDIUM CONTRAST
Looking at her when her hair is a deep chestnut brown or even black, that’s a high contrast in the difference between the skin and her features. With this combo contrast theory states you could wear a bolder look and not have it feel too over powering. A soft smokey eye, with a power blush, and a more noticeable lip. color wouldn’t stand out as much as it would on someone else since your natural features align with a bolder color palette.
HIGH CONTRAST
HIGH CONTRAST
I think using this theory of a way to decide what kind of makeup look is best on you is really helpful and a cool way to look at it, but this is by no means a law of makeup! I personally am a medium contrast, my everyday and most flattering look in my opinion is a low contrast look. Although my natural hair color and brows are more of a dark sandy brown, my facial structure is strong af, so I prefer a softer look on me to avoid feeling like my makeup is “harsh” on my face. That’s my own analysis of the way I look, many could agree or disagree, I think you should do whatever makes you feel the most beautiful and take every trend you see with a grain of salt!