“Higher, definitely.”
“You’re probably lower.”
“Hmm, I think you’re lower …”
So went the office discussion as Style staffers attempted to work out exactly what type of face they had. No mention of the traditional heart, diamond, square or oval shapes, just “high” or “low”.
If you’ve never heard of this rather novel way to categorise your face, you probably haven’t been on TikTok in the past few weeks. Yes, the latest theory sweeping the social media platform is about how much high and low “visual weight” your face has. This refers to three things: how pronounced your bone structure is, how large or small your facial features are, and how full said features are. People with stronger, larger features have a high visual weight, while those with smaller, less prominent features have a low visual weight.
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Angelina Jolie? High visual weight. Hailey Bieber? Low. Michaela Coel sits in the high visual weight category; the Bridgerton stars Phoebe Dynevor and Simone Ashley have low visual weight faces. So far, videos tagged #lowvisualweight have been viewed over 63.5 million times on TikTok, and those tagged into the #highvisualweight category have had 164 million views. That’s a fair whack of people trying to fit their faces into this new rubric.
So might there be something in it? The point of knowing if your face has a high or low visual weight is, ostensibly, to know what sort of make-up will suit your face type best. “Knowing your visual weight is such a game-changer!” the YouTuber Aika Agustin (@aikaagustin) posted on TikTok. “Now it takes me less than 20 minutes to do my make-up.” Others have hailed it as the “cheat code” to great make-up. Those with high visual weight faces are supposedly able to wear bolder, more dramatic and glamorous products, while lower visual weight faces suit natural-looking make-up better.
Andrew Denton, a celebrity make-up artist with clients including Claudia Schiffer and Dynevor, says that there’s a lot of sense in the high/low debate. “Keep in mind that your make-up should enhance your best assets and also play up the parts of your face that need extra definition in a way that feels balanced and beautiful,” he says. But others are not so sure. “Faces are unique,” says the brand founder and make-up artist to the A-list Ruby Hammer. “It doesn’t matter how striking your features are or which ones stand out, you don’t want to look the same every single time.”
Of course, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to painting your face. But if you want in on the high/low trend, then here’s how to do it.
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High: go dark
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Dark colours — think inky blacks, deep blues and rich purples — will add definition as well as drama. Soft liners, like the brilliant Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liners (£30 each, victoriabeckhambeauty.com) are ideal for an intensely smudged, lived-in look, while liquid liner, such as On Stage Liner (£32, dior.com), looks sharp and crisp all day long. Denton recommends going OTT with your lashes too: “Don’t be shy — lashings of mascara will add depth and technically effortless drama to the eyes.”
Low: stay neutral
Choosing eyeshadow close to your natural skin tone will create the impression of a smooth, blank canvas, to which you can add light browns, taupes, beiges and white to widen the eye. Skip black mascara in favour of brown, such as Too Faced Better Than Sex in Chocolate (£28, lookfantastic.com), or opt for a tubing mascara for natural length and minimal smudging — try Blink Brow Bar London Iconic Tubing Mascara (£24, bbb-london.com).
High: line and then line some more
Overlining and vampy colours are going to be your friends here to define and add volume. With overlining, stick to within your lip line along the sides and then take it outside and around the Cupid’s bow and the middle of the bottom lip. This is the technique the celebrity make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic uses on Kim K to create a grid-worthy pout.
Low: low-key liner
“To add natural volume, avoid anything too pink, as this will read as ‘make-up’ and kill the illusion,” Denton says. Instead, reach for neutral or beige shades that will add undetectable fullness. “I tend to avoid any longwear products as they can dry the lips out. A softer, blurred lip liner will always appear more natural. Chanel Le Crayon Lèvres (£24, chanel.com) is my favourite.” Additionally, opt into the lip oil craze for hydrated, glossed lips that still look natural. Try the TikTok favourite Dior Lip Glow Oil (£32, johnlewis.com).
High: contour!
Sculpt cheekbones, jawline, chin and nose with a cool-toned contour that will mimic natural shadows. “Do not use bronzer — it’s far too warm and can make cheeks below the bone look muddy,” Denton advises. The Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand (£30, cultbeauty.co.uk) makes this a doddle.
Low: put blusher on your nose (yes, really)
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Stick with a blusher and soft bronzer for an annual-leave-esque glow. Apply blush in a W shape to create a convincingly natural flush. Think temples, high points of the cheeks and bridge of the nose. Et voilà!
1. The slicked-back bun
Dubbed the off-duty model bun, this polished style is as chic as it is practical, with one tutorial having racked up nearly 900,000 views. Can’t be bothered to wash, dry or style your hair in the morning but would still like to look put together? Cover your hair in mousse — Larry King My Nanna’s Mousse (£22, selfridges.com) is great, not remotely sticky or crunchy — then pull it into a tight ponytail, leaving two strands at the front. Making sure you still have a centre parting, add these to the ponytail before twisting it into a bun. This also gives a nice snatched effect — an instant facelift, if you will.
2. Contouring with fake tan (not as scary as it sounds)
Petrified at the thought of contouring but would quite like the sculpted results? TikTok’s time-saving, largely foolproof method could well replace your bronzer and last for days at a time. Yes, the trend that has had more than 52 million views on TikTok involves applying a fake tan mousse — with a make-up brush — under the cheekbones and jaw, across the forehead, below the bottom lip and, using a smaller brush, down each side of the nose. When it’s washed off you’re left with a sun-kissed and sculpted face. The beauty buff Elle McNamara (@bambidoesbeauty) swears by tantouring, her product of choice being Skinny Tan Self-Tanning Express Mousse (£25, boots.com), which as the name suggests, develops quickly (in our opinion the longer you leave it, the greater the opportunity for error).
3. Using highlighter as your base
Highlighter goes on last, and only on the cheekbones, collarbones and nose, right? Well, wrong actually, according to a host of TikTokkers who are advocating dousing your entire face with highlighter before you do anything else. It shines through anything you put on top, making it look as if you’ve simply got great skin, slept for eight hours and eat your greens. For maximum gleam try a pigmented highlighter like Vieve Nova Glow Liquid Light (£25, cultbeauty.co.uk). If you prefer a skin tint or just concealer, Tower 28 SuperDew Highlighter balm (£19, cultbeauty.co.uk) gives a glossy finish that will shine through a lighter base.
