Understanding Tone & Contrast: Part 2

We started the discussion on understanding tone and contrast by diving head first into what undertone is and how to determine what tones best fit your complexion. Knowing about the undertones of your skin can provide insight on what colors contrast to either neutralize or emphasize your undertone, those tones also can determine the contrast between skin tone and hair tone and how those factors emphasize your features, which we’ll dive into today.

“The luminance contrast between the eyes and the surrounding skin and the lips and the surrounding skin has been termed ‘facial contrast’. Female faces have greater facial contrast than male faces, and facial contrast plays an important role in sex classification and the perception of masculinity and femininity and also attractiveness” (PLOSOne.org)

When we’re discussing contrast, we’re referring to the color difference between a mix of elements; taking into account our natural colors of: eyes, skin and hair.

People with very fair skin but with black or otherwise very dark hair, have a high contrast. If you have dark skin and very light hair, this is also high contrast. You can see that with Katy Perry, she has a pale skin tone with black, purple hair. Because the darkness of her hair lacks the red undertones that brunettes often have in their hair, Katy is able to wear the bold red lip without the red tones fighting each other. 

People with a light complexion and light hair, or dark skin and dark hair, on the other hand, have a low contrast. With Jennifer Aniston, her tan complexion and warm blonde hair leave her makeup to make the statement. Choosing a darker eye look allows them to be the main attraction. On the other hand, Kelly Rowland chose to go very low contrast, with her hair and skin aligning to a point where the focal point is her white outfit.

The most difficult transition I have seen from moving to high contrast to low for those who don’t change their hair often, is when those with naturally brown or dark hair move to gray. The reason this is difficult is because the contrast has changed! Think of someone who is blonde and fair skinned embracing gray, do you ever comment that they’ve embraced their gray so readily, and you couldn’t imagine that? 

Finding your contrast is all about determining whether there are distinct differences between hair and skin color or if they have distinct similarities. These combinations for low contrast:: 

“Dark or Heavily Pigmented Hair + Dark Skin Tone

Light or Desaturated Hair + Light Skin Tone 

Medium hair colors + Medium Skin Tone.”

Mixing up those combinations can determine where you fall on the contrast spectrum and also what colors you should wear and which colors could end up wearing you. 

Now let’s take someone who has played with their contrast:

Julia Roberts has tried out many looks, from haircuts to full color transformations. 

Low Contrast

Many have a blonde moment. Someone with a darker complexion going significantly lighter with their hair can result in higher contrast, but for Julia, it is the opposite. The warmth/lightness of her blonde hair paired with the warmth of her light skin tone offer no real contrast at all. Julia has such an angular face that the low contrast complements that and helps her features may blend, you can see that the darkness of her lashes are the focal point since there is no competition anywhere else.

Medium Contrast

Playing off her warm undertones with a more natural approach to darker hair, Julia’s red brown hair with lighter tones added for dimension creates an overall softness to her appearance. While gorgeous, less likely to work a bolder brow or bright lip, but a smokey eye and dark outfit make this color work even more.

High Contrast

In the last two examples, Julia’s features were able to blend or soften. With the significantly darker hair, her features are sharper and more pronounced. Her berry lips and cheeks are more noticeable and become the focal point of this look. The coolness of the dark hair clash with the undertones, neutralizing and creating a sallow look. Not my favorite on her, but love her boldness in trying new hair colors.

Nature is nature. For the average person, there are things that we can’t pay money to fix and are stuck figuring out how to make our naturally strong or not strong features make us feel beautiful. A way to navigate your features is to find the makeup routine that best fits you. Knowing your tones can allow you to pick the best shades of foundation, blush, bronzer… the list can go on. 

For example, as a high contrast individual, you add even more contrast with bold brows or bold lips. Having strong features like a strong nose and bone structure can make them too harsh. So adding a neutral lip can help create less contrast since it’s closer to your tone and create a more balanced look. Now if you’re low contrast, a bold lip can enhance your features and bring out a higher contrast by adding that pop of color. 

Let’s not forget that aging changes everything about our body, including our facial features and tones. It can be as simple as the sharpness of your features softening or the arrival of the dreaded dark circles. After menopause many women state they feel unrecognizable, this is because we lose bone, and face shape changes from a triangle to an upside down triangle (losing jawlines and a widening forehead.) Understanding how age can impact your face can allow us to transition our routines to complement the person we are becoming. 

There’s the old way of doing hair by going darker in the winter and lighter in the summer- this falls into the idea of low and high contrast. If we go lighter in the winter, sometimes we can begin to feel washed out, like our skin and hair are becoming one color. Adding a natural depth or darkness to the hair (if you have fair skin) can bring out those undertones and make you feel refreshed because those tones are now complemented by your hair color.

Nowadays with makeup and contouring and all the tips and tricks, these rules don’t need to be adhered to. Moral of the story: do what works for you. But if you find yourself lost and can’t seem to find colors that complement your undertones without the extra step to play up your natural features, studying contrast can be your next best bet! Rule of thumb: Low contrast = dark+dark or light + light. High contrast = dark+light. Starting there can set you on the right path!