Tiktok is the realm of newness and novelty. Every week, something new emerges and it’s always something that I simply need to know about. A novel way to style my hair for maximum impact, a new homegrown brand I should shop from or just a fresh meme that will take over the Tiktok community—and Gen-Z digital marketing strategies—for the next month.
But it’s not every day that a trending topic on Tiktok forces me to rethink what I thought I knew. It all started with just one video that looked just like any other. A talking head, describing Tiktok’s latest beauty fixation: facial contrast.
@alieenor My favourite glow up tip is playing with contrast to get more confidence ✨ #contrastlevel #mediumcontrast #highcontrast #emmawatson ♬ son original – Alieenor 🧡
In the video, French beauty content creator Alieenor, as she is known on Tiktok, presents the photos of three familiar faces: Anne Hathaway, Emma Watson and Taylor Swift. Each celebrity is then given these titles: high contrast, medium contrast and low contrast, respectively. She goes on to detail how determining your facial contrast level might just be the next sure-fire way to find your signature makeup style.
The concept of contrast is, by no means, new. Film noir is characterised by its stark, high-contrast lighting. Renaissance artists employed the artistic technique of chiaroscuro, blending the Italian words for “bright” and “gloomy”. For his Fall/Winter collection in 1965, Yves Saint Laurent famously drew inspiration from the colour-blocking works of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. The result was a striking collection that highlighted both the artist’s and designer’s refined use of contrast in colour.
But how does that translate to makeup routines?, you might be wondering. Alieenor says that facial contrast is but just one practical application of the concept; it is all about creating harmony on the face. By taking the time to understand your facial contrast level, you’ll be wearing your makeup, not the other way around—your face, but better. She alludes that mastering facial contrast theory can not only help you find your signature beat, but it can also help to give a more balanced appearance.
Mastering it is simple, according to the Tiktok creator, who created a filter on the app just to determine your contrast level. First, situate yourself—devoid of makeup—in soft, natural light, before selecting your skin tone on the Tiktok filter. Is your skin light, medium or dark? Then spend some time comparing the relative darkness and lightness of your features, using your facial skin as a benchmark.
If you have dark hair and eyebrows on fair skin, like Hathaway, you belong to the high contrast category. By comparison, if your hair and skin are of similar values, your face probably falls under the low contrast category. If there exists some contrast but it’s not exceedingly obvious, you would probably fall in the medium contrast group.
@alieenor Réponse à @Ashleyvdk The best way you can feel like yourself when wearing makeup is understanding your contrast level #contrastlevel #highcontrast #annehathaway #maralafontan #inestazi #monicabellucci #highcontrastmakeup #darkhair #contrast #colorseasonanalysis @Mara Lafontan @INES TAZI ♬ son original – Alieenor 🧡
In her video, Alieenor also reveals certain makeup dos and don’ts for each category. The Tiktok content creator purports that people with lower contrast should steer clear of intense colours on the face. That means no bold lips, and minimising dark, smoky eyes. Instead you should opt for more minimal, “no-makeup” makeup. Think natural tones and lip glosses that will not pull focus from your features, as well as shimmers and glitters (with a restrained hand, of course). Those who belong in the high contrast category, on the other hand, can—and should—embrace strong makeup looks. If you do prefer a more natural beat for the everyday, Alieenor says that high-contrast individuals can diffuse a strong red multi-tasking product on the lips and cheeks, for a more blotted finish.
With the filter in hand, I conducted an inspection of my face. With light skin set against the backdrop of my ash-coloured hair, it seemed like medium contrast was the right group for me. That is, until I took a better look at my eyebrows. The deep tones from my dark brown eyebrows seemed to push me into high-contrast territory. Naturally, I was left confused about which was right. After all, I didn’t want to commit any cardinal makeup sins.
Alieenor’s original video and filter has racked up close to 12 million views on Tiktok, and there seems to be throngs of people on Tiktok who swear by the theory and its claims. But surely, I couldn’t be the only person who was struggling to work out my facial contrast level. I quickly found out I wasn’t alone. I stumbled upon videos of other people attempting—and unfortunately, failing—to determine their facial contrast.
Filtered Out
The limited success of the filter lies in its overt simplicity. With just three skin tones to choose from and only one point of comparison (which comes in the form of a cartoon face), the filter presents a finite number of potential outcomes. In the absence of other key factors, the filter quickly generalises a wide spectrum of faces, sorting them into three umbrella groups that lack clarity.
Therein lies the confusion that users are faced with. Singaporean makeup artist Kat Zhang attributes this uncertainty to our phones.
“A lot of different factors are not reflected on our screens,” says Zhang, who is also the founder of Singapore-based creative management agency Suburbs Studio. With black hair but very light brows, the filter proposes that she is probably someone with medium contrast. But Zhang says that a filter can only do so much. A number of external factors, such as lighting, the clothing we wear when using the filter and even the angles at which we hold our phones, can have monumental effects on the accuracy of such Tiktok filters.
And it’s not just the filter. Zhang suggests that the overarching theory of facial contrast may be oversimplified. “It removes the element of colour and tones, focusing solely on contrast between the features,” she contends. “Yes, it does help narrow down the spectrum of looks [that might flatter you], to determine how flexible you are in terms of how much makeup your features can carry. However, it doesn’t determine what’s best—that is subjective.”
Blind Spots
No matter how carefully we examine ourselves, a 2D image cannot capture the depth and dimension of human faces. According to Gwendolyn Janelle Tan, the principal colour consultant and founder of Style Forth, a local image consulting agency, facial contrast is but a small part of determining one’s most flattering look.
“The effectiveness of facial contrast theory may be limited because it doesn’t account for undertones, which play a significant role in determining suitable colours for makeup and clothing,” says Tan. The professional image consultant says that understanding facial contrast alone is not sufficient, it’s vital to take into consideration other tools such as colour analysis.
For her, colour analysis is absolutely essential. “Colour analysis identifies the colours that best suit an individual’s natural features, such as skin undertone, eye colour, and natural hair colour,” she says. “This is done through draping techniques to observe how different shades reflect on facial skin, categorising each person into a palette that enhances their appearance.”
For those unfamiliar, the process of colour analysis can be extremely thorough, more often than not taking hours and a seasoned professional, not unlike a sacred spiritual experience. As a trained colour analyst, Zhang says, “There are blind spots when you don’t have a trained eye or flair for understanding what suits you.”
Professional colour analysts can acutely distinguish one’s complementary colours and makeup looks with more accuracy and impartiality. These sessions are a far cry from the subjective self-assessments that Tiktok filters often call for.
The basic results of colour analyses typically splits the population into three major skin tone categories—cool, neutral and warm—before analysts take a deep dive into the different hues that complement one’s skin. In recent years, colour analysis has only grown in popularity, with more beauty brands using labels like “warm” or “cool” to differentiate shades of the same product, especially so in the foundation and lipstick departments.
A clear example of colour analysis takes shape in the form of the red lipstick. Who among us hasn’t carefully swiped on a red lip, only to find that it just looks wrong, before banishing it to the furthest corners of our vanity tables? Well, the good news is that not all reds are created equal. Even in a classic red lipstick, there exists a myriad of undertones that impact its final colour payoff. A warm-toned individual may find that reds with an orange undertone sit better on the skin, while those with cool-toned skin will likely see more harmony in their complexion when using a blue-toned red.
What’s more, colour analysis doesn’t stop at the three foundational classifications. What sets colour analysis apart from the more simplistic theory of facial contrast lies in the Munsell Colour System. Conceived by American painter Albert Henry Munsell in 1913, the system looks at colour in three dimensions: hue, value and chroma. These attributes allow us to not only identify colours by a clear standard, they also allow us to define colour in relation to one another with more accuracy.
Author Carole Jackson tapped into Munsell’s Colour System, to write her 1973 book Color Me Beautiful, which served as the foundation for many later adaptations of colour analysis. Jackson broke the science of colour analysis down further into the four natural seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The colour analyses of the 21st century now typically render 12 different results, with three subcategories per season. While nothing is inherently wrong with Tiktok’s obsession with facial contrast, it’s important to note that contrast is just a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to achieving facial harmony when applying your makeup.
Butterfly Effect
In addition to colour analysis techniques, one must also make sense of visual weights in order to truly grasp the concept of facial harmony. Visual weight refers to the prominence of one’s features—predominantly the eyes, lips, nose, and eyebrows—in proportion to the face. The placement, size and shape of these features are just some of the factors that can influence one’s visual weight.
Are your eyes and lips pronounced? Do you have high cheekbones and a sharp nose? If your answers to these questions is “yes”, you most likely have high visual weight, meaning your features allow you to carry off bolder makeup styles, like dramatic winged liners and vibrant lip colours. Conversely, if your facial features are softer and less defined, your visual weight is low. Makeup techniques for people with lower visual weight consistently lean into softer, more natural colours. Leave your black liners behind, and instead, reach for a dark brown that will bring attention to your eyes, rather than overwhelm them.
“Facial harmony is about optimising your features, [allowing them] to complement each other without one overpowering the others,” says Zhang, who regularly employs visual weights when dolling up her celebrity clients. When you correctly utilise colour analysis and visual weights in tandem, you’ll notice that your features appear more radiant and youthful.
Even with these methodical analytical tools, bear in mind that other elements may nevertheless complicate the process of finding your “best look”, as Tan shares. “Ageing, for instance, can alter skin texture, brightness, and pigmentation, which may change how colours appear on the skin. Hair colour—especially if it turns grey or is dyed—and changes in personal style can also influence the perception of contrast and harmony.”
Feeling Good
Ultimately, as much fun as these filters are, they are, quite simply, just preliminary online tools to bolster our knowledge. These theories and instruments, such as Alieenor’s video on facial contrast, serve merely as foundational guides formulated to untangle the growing complexities that exist within the beauty industry. “Online trends revolving around beauty offer frameworks to understand your features and preferences, making it easier to navigate beauty and style decisions. They are not absolute rules,” says Zhang. They are definitely not devised to define you or take away from the pleasure of experimenting with your own makeup.
This sentiment is shared by Tan, who says that the goal should be to enhance your natural features in a way that feels authentic to you, rather than completely transform yourself to match current trends. And when the trends that circulate online leave you with more confusion than clarity, it might just be the time to take a step back and focus on what fuels your confidence instead.
I often find myself at this crossroads: being constantly bombarded by beauty trends that offer seemingly simple solutions, but which often leave me feeling even more uncertain. On the surface, online beauty theories appear so effortless and easy to grasp, but in my experience, I usually walk away with more questions than answers. So after spending years dissecting countless theories, each promising to reveal beauty’s biggest secrets, I’ve put an indefinite pause on following these fleeting trends. In seeking the beauty industry’s “best” advice, I’ve realised that no one right answer exists.
Rather than spend my life trying to achieve perfection with online beauty hacks, I’ve decided to venture headfirst into the unknown. Instead of shying away from experimentation in beauty, I’ve elected to give in to every whim and fancy that catches my eye. No hair colour is too wild, and no lipstick too dramatic.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely made mistakes. I used to rock a deep plum shade on my lips every day in school, even though the sultry shade dramatically aged my appearance, by way of highlighting the grey undertones in my skin. But in the wake of each mistake lies a lesson that eventually guided me towards a deeper understanding of the colours and styles that truly flatter me.
By shifting my focus away from online filters, this personal journey of trial and error led me to a DIY colour analysis of sorts. Albeit more time-consuming, this undertaking has been immensely rewarding. Its intimate nature has allowed me to amass a wealth of tailored knowledge—one that will only become more refined with time. While trends and online theories may come and go, the enduring sense of fulfilment that stems from shaping your own beauty journey remains.
This story first appeared in GRAZIA Singapore’s February 2025 print issue.
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