What Is The Contrast Makeup Theory?

What Is The Contrast Makeup Theory?

So you have come across the viral trend - The Contrast Makeup Theory. The power of makeup allows you to highlight certain features to make them stand out, and this is what contrast makeup is all about. Experimenting with new products and techniques can be daunting - I know I always stick to my favourites because why fix what isn’t broken? But this new makeup trend helps you to determine which makeup looks are best suited to your features and personal style, because let’s be honest, there are so many different looks to create from light to dark.  

Now you may be wondering, what is my contrast level in makeup? Let’s dive into the three different types of contrast makeup so you can effectively enhance your natural features.

High Contrast Makeup

High contrast makeup is best suited to those who have a noticeable difference between facial features such as skin, hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, lip and eye colour. For example, if you have dark features and a lighter skin tone, creating a bold and striking makeup look will complement your standout features rather than blending them together with soft, neutral tones. If this sounds like you, you want to lean into your strong contrast difference with smokey eyes and dark lip colours to emphasise your features. 

What products do we recommend? For high contrast makeup, you want to look at darker makeup looks. To highlight your eyebrows, brow definers to add fullness and shape will definitely elevate your brow game. The Jane Iredale Pure Brow Powder is an easy-to-blend formula that nourishes your brows while adding more definition. No harsh lines or fall out, just simply the fuller brows you have always dreamed of. 

Moving on to eyeshadows, smokey eyes will add intensity to make your features pop even more. The Inika Organic Eyeshadow Quad - Wind is a perfect combination of dark brown shadows to create a seamless smokey eye with a pop of shimmer. For a little extra wow factor, liquid eyeliners are great at defining eye shapes and drawing attention to one of the most important features on your face. The Eye Of Horus Liquid Define Liner - Black features a precision tip pen for smooth and controlled application. As it’s extremely easy to use, if you’re a beginner wanting to test out high contrast makeup, this eyeliner boasts many benefits and will leave you with perfectly defined eyes. 

Lastly, for lips, bold and striking lip makeup is the way to go. A red lip or deep brown to further accentuate the contrast difference will flatter your features immensely. The Youngblood Mineral Creme Lipstick in shade Kranberry is a deep red lipstick that nourishes and conditions the lips, and with high pigment colour, you can complement your facial features rather than work against them.

Medium Contrast Makeup

Medium contrast makeup is a bit more complicated as you need to find the perfect balance between light and dark to not overpower your features. Facial features of someone who is medium contrast means you have intensity but it’s not all there, you have some facial harmony but there are particular features that are higher in contrast than others. For example, you may have darker eyebrows than the hair on your head, which makes it important to not draw more attention to that feature, but rather balance it out. Typically, medium contrast features include brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin.

Experimenting with softer, more neutral palettes to achieve balance is how you’ll enhance your features the best as someone who is medium contrast. Adding more colour to your complexion with bronzers will nicely bring more cohesiveness. The Napoleon Perdis Cheek Switch Creme Bronze Stick helps you to achieve that sunkissed glow. With a buildable formula, you can cater your individual features for the perfect medium contrast makeup look. 

In addition, you can subtly define your eyes with lighter, neutral and rosy shades. The Youngblood Weekender Face Palette is a face and eyeshadow palette that features a range of soft mattes, satins and metallics, as well as blush and highlighter for your complexion. You can create a multitude of makeup looks, all with subtle shades, perfect for those who are medium contrast. To finish off the eye look, opt for a brown mascara, rather than an intense black shade to truly soften and balance out your facial features. The MCoBeauty Xtend Lash Tubing Mascara in shade black/brown is an award-winning tubing mascara that guarantees length, curl and volume. If you’ve seen the hype, you might be wondering - does tubing mascara really work? The answer is, yes! The formula is long-wearing, smudge-proof and delivers definition and hold which means you can say goodbye to generic mascaras and false eyelashes.

Low Contrast Makeup

Low contrast makeup suits those who are fair skinned and have lighter hair and eye colours, meaning there is not much difference between their features. Creating a harmonious look is key to enhancing the natural features of someone who is fair. Less is more for this type of makeup, so subtle enhancements are where you are going to see the most effective result. 

Sheer coverage luminizers and BB & CC Creams act as skin tints to even skin tone without overpowering natural features with heavy makeup, making them perfect for those who are lower contrast. The MCoBeauty Super Glow Bronzing Drops deliver a radiant and even skin glow while hydrating and adding a warm bronze tint. A subtle skin enhancement that is perfectly complemented with the MCoBeauty Cheek And Lip Tint that can be used for your complexion and lips as a lip stain and tint. A 2-in-1 makeup product that provides a luminous pop of colour with sheer radiance for a natural look that effectively enhances low contrast features. 

Soft glam is the definition of low contrast makeup, which means taking a minimalistic approach in all steps of your routine is essential. For eyebrows, a simple clear brow gel will allow your naturally harmonious features to do their thing. The Lash Therapy Australia Growth Serum Brow Gel not only grooms and sculpts brows to perfection, but also nourishes and stimulates growth of the brow hairs. 

As you can see, these tips and tricks of the contrast makeup theory really do make sense. By focusing on contrast, you can effectively enhance your features and get the most out of your makeup routine.