Category: style

YOUR CONTRAST
LEVEL

Article by — Helene, Paris elopement planner, helping brides since 2012

When choosing accessories or dress details, we need to choose colors. Pink bouquet or green bouquet, right? Peach eyeshadow or brown? But not only this.

We should consider how DARK or LIGHT something should be.

For example, pink can be very light, almost like cotton candy. Pink can be hot and bright, like fuchsia. And of course, light pink flowers and dark pink flowers are not the same. They give absolutely different looks.

These are two examples of pink flowers. But we can agree that they don't look the same, right? Both are pink, but the left is light pink, and the right is dark pink:

These flowers have different contrast levels: left is light pink and right is dark pink

Here I will start adding some examples that I learned in art school, this whole part will be challenging to get from the first time. This is for level advanced brides. Please don't get discouraged if you can't figure the difference out, this is what professional artists and painters study. This takes time. But if you get it right, choosing your wedding details will be easy. You will know exactly if something is right for you.

Contrast is an obvious difference between the lightest tone and the darkest tone.

Everything has its personal contrast level. I prefer to categorize it into 3 contrast levels:

low contrast
medium contrast
high contrast

Here you can see some examples.

Low contrast. Light parts are gray and dark colors are not visible at all. We can say that this painting is flat or soft. There are hardly any highlights and shadows and the images are composed mostly in shades of gray:

No pure whites or blacks and a range of middle tones mean it's low contrast

Medium contrast is a range of tones that go from white to black. There is a difference between the two colors, but the effect is calmer to look at than high contrast:

Medium contrast is when there's a difference, but it's not extreme

High contrast is extremely bright and dark areas:

High contrast includes strongly contrasting elements

We all have our own face contrast value. It refers to the relationship between the light and dark areas of your hair, skin, and eyes.

Wearing contrast levels that match your own contrast levels is key to a flawless bridal look.

Your most flattering looks will be those that echo your own personal contrast level.

We all have our own face contrast value. It refers to the relationship between the light and dark areas of your hair, skin, and eyes.

Am I required to analyze my contrast even if I already know what I want to get? Of course, no. Contrast knowledge is just a tool. If you already know what type of bouquet or makeup to choose, you don't need to think about contrast. Go for whatever makes you happy. And you don't have to change your vision just because we said so. These are just our recommendations and tips.

But if you have no idea where to start, you can try to play this styling game and analyze yourself. Contrast knowledge is just a starting point for brides that don't have any vision yet.

Some faces have very sharp bone structures. For example, low contrast Margot Robbie can wear black and still look great. But not everyone has that superpower. I personally have to choose my contrast levels very wisely. Here is what happens to me if I choose the wrong contrast:

X If I choose a bouquet that is too low in contrast, my face might look washed out

X If I choose a bouquet that is too high in contrast, it will steal all the attention from my face. I might become invisible in photos, my face will be the last thing noticeable

V If I choose the right contrast for my face, the whole look will be in harmony

I have a medium-contrast face. Here are some comparison photos I did without makeup to illustrate better:

1. LOW CONTRAST

Low contrast face means that your hair, skin, and eyes are neutral to light. Overall lightness of hair, skin, and eyes. There’s nothing dark about your face. Here are some celebrity examples of low contrast, I found pictures without makeup. Analyze your face without makeup as well.

Low contrast faces:

If you look similar to Kate Moss or Amanda Seyfried, most likely you have low contrast face

What to choose if you are a low contrast bride?

1. Bridal dress

If you choose a classic white dress, that can be too contrasted for you. Since we remember that pure white is a high contrast color. The pure white dress might eat you up. So I would recommend choosing either soft off-white dresses or pastels. You will look like a Hollywood diva wearing a very light peach or light pink wedding dress:

Peach, almost white dress: Cate Blanchett in Armani Privé at The Oscars

Light pink dress: Cate Blanchett at Blue Jasmine premiere

Light pastels look very good VS compare these looks with when she actually wears pure white. Even with very dark makup pure white is too heavy for her soft face:

Cate Blanchett's face almost dissapears in this white dress

2. Makeup

Peach, brown, light pink. They will create a balanced look that flatters your natural beauty. I recommend avoiding bold makeup. Brown eyeliner, black only for mascara. No black eyeshadow. And especially I recommend not getting lash extensions since they are mostly black, too dark and heavy for your face.

Makeup fow low contrast

3. Flowers

Ideally, I would recommend a soft pastel bouquet. Not pure white. Minimal greenery, very light.

I would recommend ivory, peach and pink tones. All these bouquets have low contrast, soft feminine colors, but they are NOT white:

4. Locations

No high contrast locations like Paris streets where you can see dark colors. I would recommend locations that are light and airy:

Locations fow low contrast

5. What to avoid: deep saturated blue groom's suit.

To summarize: you have a low contrast face, that means soft pastel colors will be perfect. Avoid anything too dark or too white. You color is milk white. Add pretty pink and peach details. You face should be the most bright part of the look. Nothing should steal attention from it.

2. MEDIUM CONTRAST

Medium contrast face means overall medium tones in hair, skin, and eyes. You might have some light parts of the face, most features are medium in depth. No or few deep features.

If you are born with light to mid brown color, most likely your contrast level is medium.

Medium contrast faces:

If you look similar to Beyonce or Angelina Jolie, most likely you have medium contrast face

What to choose if you are a medium contrast bride?

1. Bridal dress

Your whole bridal look should be a combination of light and dark tones. When it comes to a wedding dress, it is easy. You can choose pure white, milk white, and other colors.

The only thing I would recommend is to get a formal dress.

Kate's dress featured a V-neckline, long sleeves, a fitted Victorian bodice

Jennifer Lopez wearing custom Ralph Lauren

2. Makeup

I would recommend using natural colors for your face and lips. But you can have a black eyeliner and brown eyeshadow. So basically, your skin is natural, but eyes are the darkest part of the face.

Makeup fow medium contrast

3. Flowers

Ideally, I would recommend a medium contrast bouquet. Not pure white. Some greenery, not very light.

Bouquet should be medium contrast. There are many wonderful options, but I especially recommend choosing between these two: antique rose or sage green.

Antique rose. First safe choice bouquet option is a single flower bouquet, just antique dusty pink roses:

WhatsApp Image 2023-01-10 at 17.47.48(1).jpeg

Antique rose perfect for medium contrast (this is just flower photo, we can create any shape bouquet)

Sage green is a color scheme when we mix all kinds of medium contrast greenery with ivory flowers. Here is how it might look like, less or more greenery:

4. Locations. I would recommend locations that are balanced:

Locations fow medium contrast

5. What to avoid: dress that is too sexy, dark bouquet greenery, locations that are too dark, lipstick that is too light.

To summarize: you have a medium contrast face. There should be a good balance between your face and the outfit to create the look that is harmonious. Eyes are the darkest in your whole look. Modest dress.

3. HIGH CONTRAST