The biggest beauty trend on TikTok is not a trend at all.

The Contrast Makeup Theory, created by French makeup artist Aliénor, recommends applying products according to the lightness or darkness of your skin, eyes, and hair color. The goal is to create visual harmony between your features and create a more flattering look overall. Have you ever had a nude-colored lipstick that made your complexion look dull, or a smoky eye that accentuated your entire face? Too much or not enough contrast can cause your features to be overshadowed by your makeup.

Contrasting makeup is a balancing act that Alienor has perfected by creating unique looks for her bridal clients. She has now brought it to the masses as everyday wear: on TikTok, a video explaining her makeup technique has over 11.1 million views and 513.6 thousand likes! on TikTok.

“If you want to be a good makeup artist, you have to learn to observe as much as you do makeup,” Alienor explains.

“I like to have fun with colors and textures, but one of my favorite things about makeup is helping women feel beautiful as themselves.”

Her technique begins by classifying herself into three categories: low, medium, and high contrast. (The easiest way to determine your contrast level is to look at black-and-white selfies, but Alienor made the analysis process even easier by developing a black-and-white TikTok filter and comparing them side-by-side.) For example, if you have blonde hair and fair to fair skin like Gigi Hadid, or raven-colored hair and deep skin like Adut Akesh, you are almost certainly a low-contrast beauty, meaning that your skin color and hair color almost match.

The medium contrast category is defined by light to medium skin and honey, golden, or caramel brown hair. Daisy Edgar Jones and Jessica Alba belong to this group, as do many redheads like Jessica Chastain.

However, if you have fair, light, or medium skin and rich chocolate brown hair, like Anne Hathaway, Jenna Ortega, or Zoë Kravitz, you have high contrast, meaning that your hair color is much darker than your skin tone.

It is important to remember that these examples are for reference only, as everyone's hair color is different. However, choosing a contrast level will get you one step closer to the most flattering style.

Low contrast women should add subtle depth to their features by avoiding harsh colors like vampy berry lipsticks and bright coral blush, and instead leaning toward nude shades that reflect their skin tone, such as pink and beige. Medium-contrast queens balance this by subtly accentuating their features with colors that are two or three degrees darker than their natural skin tone, such as rose lipstick or blotchy espresso brown eyeliner. High-contrast hotties should soften the color difference in features by adding darker shades that make the eyes, lips, and cheeks pop, such as black eyeliner or red lipstick.

Simply put, contrast makeup is a shortcut to finding something that looks natural and cohesive on your particular face in a sea of viral trends and products. As a child and young adult, Alienor often tried to replicate the look of influencers she found online who looked nothing like her. When the finished product looked nothing like her, she assumed it was because she was “ugly” and “everyone else was gorgeous.”

She now knows the truth: she was not wearing products that matched her features or her daily life. Alienor adds, “Beauty can sometimes feel unattainable, and we question our own natural beauty.” Learning what looks good on you allows you to accept and embrace your look, and to adapt and use makeup that works for you rather than against you.”

And again, the creators of this viral theory understand that flattering makeup is not always the goal. Anyone can defy their own contrast level if they want to. She explains, “It's just a matter of being bold, and people will see your makeup before you do.” For example, Brigitte Bardot's iconic black eyeliner deliberately did not match her contrast level.

Offline, contrast makeup theory is another name for a set of considerations that experts have already made. For example, makeup artist Natalie Dresser always considers the differences in her clients' hair, skin, and eye color when creating a new look or tweaking a request to better suit a person's features.

“People with a strong contrast between skin, hair, and eye color can be bolder in areas of differing color,” she explains. Those with lower contrast will look more flattering with a similar “flat” color palette.”

To illustrate this, Drescher cites several examples from her portfolio.

“Bella's dark hair, white skin, and light eyes allow for an easy pin-prick approach to high-contrast makeup,” she says of the look below. 'Dark shadow on the crease, tight winged liner, ombre lips. All of these are textbook hallmarks of high-contrast makeup.”

But reality star Jessica Vestal's tanned skin and medium-toned brown hair lent themselves to medium-contrast makeup. Drescher notes, “The lighter eyelid color and warmer creases provide just enough contrast without over-emphasizing her features.”

For beauty publicist Monica Ehman's engagement photo shoot, Drescher chose low-contrast makeup to emphasize her light brows, bright eyes, and light tones in her hair.

“I kept the makeup effortless, light, and similar in tone to complement her coloring and not overpower it,” says Drescher.

“We tried to keep it as close as possible to the Victoria's Secret Angel look.”

Ultimately, of course, Drescher sees the theory of contrasting makeup as just that, a theory that can be followed or not followed depending on the look one wants to achieve.

“It can serve as a starting guide to what looks good on your coloring,” she concludes, “but there are many other factors involved.

“And she concludes. How you want your makeup to look and what effect you want it to have depends on all of these factors. I refer to the low-contrast/high-contrast theory every day, but it's definitely not a law for me.”