Clean girl makeup, pearl skin, the so-called “morning shed”—to say TikTok has a massive influence on our daily beauty routines would be putting it lightly. But amidst all of the beauty trends popping up on our FYP right now (and there are many), the contrast makeup theory is the one we’ve seen garnering the most attention. Ironically, this TikTok makeup trend isn’t a trend, exactly: It’s a technique that involves assessing your features and tailoring your makeup choices—colors, products, even how much makeup you wear—accordingly. If you’re interested in learning more, keep reading. Ahead, we’ll explain the contrast makeup theory, share tips on how to determine whether you’re high contrast vs. low contrast, and reveal how to do makeup to complement your features.
The contrast makeup theory is a makeup application technique based on the level of contrast between your skin, eye, and hair color. Identifying how much your features stand out in relation to one another, proponents claim, can help you determine how to use makeup to enhance your natural beauty.
This is, of course, not a new concept: Makeup artists have long tailored their approach to complement their client’s unique features. The only difference is that now, the concept has gone viral (and, of course, gotten a hashtag-able new name).
While there are plenty of TikTok filters and online tools designed to help you identify your contrast level, you don’t need them—all you really need is your phone. Start by taking a quick selfie, preferably in a well-lit area during the daytime. Then, quickly use your phone’s editing tool to convert the image into a black-and-white picture. Already, this will help make it easier to see how much contrast exists between your features.
Next, use your editing app’s color-selection tool to grab color from the darkest part of your face and draw a line. Do the same with the lightest part of your face, drawing the second line beside the first. From there, you can compare the difference between the light hue and the dark shade to help narrow down your contrast level. There are three levels of contrast:
Once you figure out your contrast level, you’re one step closer to finding a makeup style that suits your features. Keep reading for makeup tips for each contrast level, plus product recommendations to get you started.
Editor’s tip: Certain factors can change your perceived contrast level. If you change your hair color, regularly wear colored contacts, or get a faux tan, you may want to reevaluate your contrast level to ensure you know where you stand.
We’ll start this off with the reminder that you should always feel free to do your makeup as you see fit—there’s no right or wrong approach to expressing yourself. But, if you want to know how to tailor your makeup routine to complement your contrast level, we’re sharing the need-to-knows below.
If you have low-contrast features—for example, fair skin and blonde hair or deep skin and black hair—you may find that natural-looking makeup suits you better than a full glam beat. That’s because your features are naturally soft; any makeup that’s too stark, harsh, or bold could overpower your complexion.
For a natural-looking finish, consider swapping out your full-coverage foundation for a glowy tinted moisturizer, like the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer for Face and Body. This TikTok-favorite formula comes in five shades that provide a soft wash of luminous color for a your-skin-but-better effect. You can wear it alone, layer it underneath a medium-coverage foundation, or tap it onto the high points of your cheeks for a lit-from-within glow. After blending out your base, add a soft wash of color to your cheeks with the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Liquid Blush. Each of the six shades in this lineup is buildable, blendable, and feels weightless on the skin. Then, apply some mascara (try brown mascara if black feels too harsh for your contrast level) and finish with a buildable tinted lipstick, like the L’Oréal Paris Glow Paradise Balm-in-Lipstick with Pomegranate Extract in Rose Mirage.
Having a medium contrast level gives you plenty of room to play in terms of how you wear your makeup. You can accentuate your eyes with sharp winged eyeliner, highlight your lips with a deep pink or soft nude lipstick, or play up your face’s natural harmony with natural, bronzy makeup. In terms of colors, those with medium contrast level tend to fare best with rich but not overly bright hues—think deep chocolatey browns, brick reds, and soft golds.
If you’re looking for a great everyday makeup look to complement your features, try pairing bronzed skin with a soft, shimmery eye. Sweep the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24H Fresh Wear Soft Matte Bronzer onto your cheeks, nose, and temples to warm up your complexion and help make your features pop. Then, pat a shimmery bronze shadow—we love the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Le Shadow Stick in Magnetic Bronze—onto your lids for a soft and glowy wash of color. If you want to add eyeliner for extra definition, feel free to do so—for this specific look, we recommend using a deep brown eyeliner, such as the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in Brown Denim.
Having a high contrast level means the contrast between the color of your skin and your hair, eyes, and eyebrows is significant. Because your features are bold, you can afford to play around with equally bold makeup looks. However, it’s best to keep the focus on one feature—such as your eyes or lips— to avoid overdoing it. Generally, you’ll want to steer clear of super light or pale colors, which could wash you out. Instead, lean into rich hues, such as plums, chocolates, and crimsons. One easy way to accentuate your natural features is with a classic red lip. Get a flattering look with a saturated matte lipstick, such as the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Matte Resistance Liquid Lipstick in Le Rouge Paris. If vivid crimson isn’t your thing, the shade Wine Not is a moodier—but just as impactful—alternative worth trying. Complete the bold-yet-balanced look by tapping a glowy highlighter, like the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Glass Highlighter Stick, onto the high points of your face.
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