There's A Fascinating Reason Why Only Certain People Can Pull Off Certain Makeup Looks, And Now I Know Why I Look Incomplete Without Eyeliner

Isabella Stoller
·4-min read

It seems like every day there is a new beauty trend, and what's most frustrating is that for some of them, no matter how many tutorials you watch, it can be impossible to make the coveted look look good on your face.

Case in point: I love clean girl beauty and the idea of effortlessly natural-looking makeup. But the reality is, I can never make it look good on my super pale skin. I just look unfinished at best, actually sickly at worst.

Enter TikTok, which presented a solution to a problem I didn't even know I had with my makeup: I was applying the wrong style of makeup for my face "weight," or prominent facial features.

Scrolling on TikTok, there are hundreds of videos on the topic, which break down whether your facial features fall into low or high visual weight (though since it's a spectrum, you can also have middle visual weight). TikTok creator Julianna Lee (@juliiannalee) explained in a video that visual weight refers to analyzing how prominent your facial features are in comparison to the rest of your face.

Julianna Lee / Via tiktok.com
Julianna Lee / Via tiktok.com

High visual weight means you have large and prominent facial features, such as big lips or eyes. Sharp bone structure can also be an indicator of high visual weight. Angelina Jolie, Tyra Banks, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Anne Hathaway are celebrities commonly used as examples for demonstrating high visual weight.

Angelina Jolie on the red carpet, wearing a strapless gown and drop earrings, with wavy hair and a bright lipstick color
Kevin Mazur / WireImage

Faces with high visual weight can pull off dramatic or heavy makeup looks like bright lipstick or smokey eyes without being overwhelmed, and these looks can even suit your features better than softer makeup styles.

Low visual weight is when your facial features overall are less pronounced, meaning one feature isn't immediately noticeable over the rest of the face. Low visual weight facial features tend to be rounder and softer and a person might notice your general face shape before an individual feature. Examples include Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, Selena Gomez, Sabrina Carpenter, and Halle Bailey.

Halle Bailey stands on a red carpet wearing an elegant strapless dress with elaborate designs on the bodice
Kayla Oaddams / FilmMagic

Having low visual weight means that more natural makeup looks, like the "clean girl" aesthetic, will be the most flattering for your face type. While low visual weight can, of course, wear heavier makeup, it can just look slightly less harmonious with your facial features. If you do decide to go for a more glamorous made-up look, think soft glam, like a brown smokey eye, over a black or colorful one, or "kitten eye" winged liner, as opposed to a thick graphic winged liner.

Selena Gomez at a red carpet event wearing an elegant, strapless black dress with her hair styled in an updo
Selena Gomez at a red carpet event wearing an elegant, strapless black dress with her hair styled in an updo
Selena Gomez poses on the red carpet, wearing a white strapless top with a belted waist and a statement necklace, with photographers in the background
Selena Gomez poses on the red carpet, wearing a white strapless top with a belted waist and a statement necklace, with photographers in the background

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Even though Hailey Bieber's lips are one of the more prominent aspects of her facial features, you can tell she has a low visual weight because heavy eye makeup overwhelms her features, which makes sense since she's practically the poster girl for the "clean girl" aesthetic.

Hailey Bieber poses for a portrait, wearing minimalistic makeup and large hoop earrings. She has a short, sleek hairstyle and is dressed in a simple outfit
Hailey Bieber poses for a portrait, wearing minimalistic makeup and large hoop earrings. She has a short, sleek hairstyle and is dressed in a simple outfit
Hailey Beiber in an off-shoulder Alexander Wang top with a high ponytail, standing in front of mannequins
Hailey Beiber in an off-shoulder Alexander Wang top with a high ponytail, standing in front of mannequins

Marc Piasecki / WireImage, Paul Morigi / Getty Images

If you think you fall somewhere between the two (which is absolutely possible because it's a sliding scale), then you likely have middle visual weight to your facial features. Celebrities with middle visual weight include Kylie Jenner, Leighton Meester, and Zendaya.

Zendaya poses with her hair tied back, wearing a strapless outfit and diamond jewelry, including earrings and a choker necklace
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

The key to enhancing middle visual weight is balanced makeup looks, as seen here on Zendaya and Kylie Jenner. While the makeup looks vary in drama, both feature the eyes and lips being emphasized equally.

Kylie Jenner poses in a strapless, shiny dress with a neutral background
Kylie Jenner poses in a strapless, shiny dress with a neutral background
Zendaya wearing a sleeveless, low-cut dress with accents on the straps, at a public event
Zendaya wearing a sleeveless, low-cut dress with accents on the straps, at a public event

Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images, Marc Piasecki / WireImage

Another flattering makeup look for middle visual weight is when one feature is highlighted, such as a bold lip paired with lighter eye makeup or heavier eye makeup with a natural lip.

Leighton Meester smiles at an event, wearing a stylish blouse with intricate detailing along the neckline
Leighton Meester smiles at an event, wearing a stylish blouse with intricate detailing along the neckline
Leighton Meester is posing in front of a SiriusXM logo backdrop, wearing a simple black top and gold earrings with her hair pulled back
Leighton Meester is posing in front of a SiriusXM logo backdrop, wearing a simple black top and gold earrings with her hair pulled back

Paul Archuleta / FilmMagic, Ben Gabbe / Getty Images

If you're still unsure which category you fall into after these descriptions, there are several hacks to help you figure it out. Some users say that if you use the "Bold Glam" filter on TikTok (which features very heavy makeup) and it actually looks good on you, then that's a pretty good indication that you have high visual weight. However, since whether you like the filter can be a matter of aesthetic tastes, and TikTok creators like Jessie Chen (@aye.jessiee) also warn that the filter wasn't created with Asian features in mind, it could give misleading results.

Woman with dark, wavy hair comparing makeup styles. Text above reads "High visual weight" and "Low visual weight."
Jessie Chen / Via tiktok.com

Another popular way to figure out your visual weight is with the photo contrast test. Creator Rachel Lee (@princessrachiee) explains that the contrast photo test consists of taking a photo of yourself and converting it to black and white before adjusting the contrast of the photo. If your facial features appear more prominent when the contrast is turned up to 100, then you likely have high visual weight, but if your features appear more prominent or balanced at -100, then you have low visual weight.

So, will you be trying this makeup hack for yourself? Let us know in the comments!

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