Another day, another makeup trend – except – this one might actually be worth trying. Called the “contrast makeup” trend, the latest theory taking over TikTok is all about doing your makeup in a way that best suits your hair, eyes, and skin tone. The best part? You don’t need to purchase any new products to try it out.
The contrast makeup theory was first introduced in a video posted by TikTok user Ali Enor, a makeup artist based in France.
When I first saw the trend popping up all over my feed, I won’t lie – I was a little confused. However, after watching a few of Enor’s videos, I quickly became obsessed with testing it for myself. Keep scrolling to learn what the contrast makeup trend is, how you can try it at home, and to see how it worked for me.
What Is the Contrast Makeup Theory?
@alieenor My favourite glow up tip is playing with contrast to get more confidence ✨ #contrastlevel #mediumcontrast #highcontrast #emmawatson
There are three different contrast options: low contrast, medium contrast, and high contrast. If you don’t know yours, it’s easy to figure out using the TikTok filter that Enor created. To start, you select your skin tone level (the options are light, medium, and deep). From there, you try and find your contrast level by comparing your face to different filters (low, medium, and high).
Low contrast essentially means that the difference in tone between your skin and other features (like hair and eye color) is low. High contrast, on the other hand, is when you have a high difference between your features, such as very light skin and very dark hair or very dark skin and very light hair. Medium contrast is when there’s a slight difference between your skin tone and your hair, but nothing too dramatic. It was easy for me to figure out that I was a medium contrast based on the filter, but what exactly did that mean?
According to Enor, those with a low contrast typically look good with minimal, no-makeup makeup, whereas high contrast people look good with bolder makeup. Think heavier eye makeup and intense lip colors. Those with medium contrast are firmly in the middle, and should opt for a more subtle smoky eye or a colorful lip that isn’t too bold.
My Contrast Makeup Results
Even before testing out Enor’s theory for myself, I knew it rang true. I post a lot of my outfit videos on TikTok, and when I was rewatching recently, I realized that I looked way better when I had a bit of colorful eyeshadow on with a natural lip – something I only recently started doing; I typically love no-makeup makeup.
Essentially, what looks best for a medium contrast person is either a bold eye makeup look with a natural lip combo or a bold lip with a natural eye. To fully put Enor’s theory to the test, I decided to opt for a makeup look I felt comfortable with: heavier on the eye makeup but lighter on the lip.
I kept everything the same when it came to my base makeup. For my eyes, I used a couple of dark brown shades from the Makeup By Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette ($50) and a lighter color for the inner corner of my eyes. I also used the Ilia Clean Gel Eyeliner ($26) in a brown shade to line my top lid and smoked it out a bit, and added liner into my waterline. For my lips, I wanted to keep things as minimal as possible, so I lined them with the Refy Lip Blur Lip Liner ($24) in a shade that was close to my natural color, and then I went over everything with a clear lip gloss.
I was completely obsessed with my final look, and it’s one I’m going to continue doing, especially when I go out with girlfriends or on dates. Most of all, I love that I didn’t have to purchase any new products to test it out. I plan on continuing to try out different shades and combinations to see what works best for me.
Renee Rodriguez (she/her) is a staff writer and social producer for PS. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.
