Learn your beauty type: How the essence system can help you feel more yourself

Growing up in the digital age, many girls and young women struggle with the feeling that they can’t meet the ever-elusive “beauty standard.” We compare ourselves to models, actresses, and celebrities with perfect teeth, glossy hair, and hourglass figures, sighing and wondering why we can never look like them.

The thing about beauty standards, though, is that they are constantly changing. One year it’s full plump lips; the next it’s thin, narrow cheeks; One year slicked-back, simple hairstyles are in; the next, huge, ornate, textured locks are all the rage. 

But not every trend is going to suit every woman, and that’s where the essence system comes in handy. Instead of encouraging women to use cosmetic treatments and lots of makeup to match whatever face type is currently popular, it teaches women to identify their own unique features and dress in harmony with them.

The system was invented by John Kitchener, a stylist who was inspired by David Kibbe’s body type system. It explains faces in terms of lines and proportions, and the “vibe” that those proportions convey. It usually uses the term “yang” to refer to more angular features, and “yin” to refer to softer features. 

Most women usually have a combination of two or three essences. Read below to check out the different types.

Dramatic: Long and sharp

Dramatic types of beauty have long, sharp, and angular features, such as high, prominent cheek bones, almond or feline eyes, prominent and possibly aquiline nose, and a sharp chin. These features create a strong, powerful look – actresses with this essence often play queens or villains. Celebrities with this essence include Bella Hadid, Angeline Jolie, and Cher. 

Dramatics look excellent in long, sleek, and stiff styles of clothing, including blazers, collared shirts, and structured dresses. They also look great in bold choices like animal prints, slicked-back hairstyles, and big accessories.

Natural: Wide and blunt

Like Dramatic, Natural essence has some length and angularity, but its most noteworthy aspect of these faces are that they are wide and blunt. Features may include square face shapes, cleft chin, almond eyes, and a high forehead. These features create a “modelesque,” effortlessly cool, or girl-next-door effect, noted in celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Florence Pugh, and Heidi Klum.

Naturals shine in casual, toned-down styles, with lots of natural finish like denim, and loose, bohemian silhouettes. They can effortlessly pull off baggy T-shirts and unstructured dresses, and they look great in accessories with a natural finish, such as leather, wood, feathers, or shells.

Gamine: Short and sharp

The Gamine essence is also angular, but the features are on a smaller scale than Dramatics, creating a cute, mischievous, pixie-like, or tomboyish look. Gamine features include pointed, heart-shaped faces, feline eyes, and a sharp or pronounced nose. Celebrities with Gamine essence include Winona Ryder, Julia Garner, and Sadie Sink.

Gamines look great in small-scale, playful styles, or even tomboyish looks like a T-shirt and sneakers. They also suit bold patterns like plaid or stripes and fun, colorful accessories. They typically suit short, tousled hair.

Classic: Balanced

The Classic essence lies in the middle of the yin-yang scale, with medium, balanced features – no one feature is overly prominent, creating a sense of poise and harmony. Celebrities with classic essence include Grace Kelly, Princess Kate, and Kristen Bell.

These types look best in balanced, sophisticated, and polished looks, like a-line dresses, cardigans, ballet flats, and tailored trousers. Accessories, makeup, and hairstyles should be simple, neat, and timeless.

Ingenue: Small and round

The Ingenue essence features small, round features, including wide-set rounded eyes, full cheeks, and a low forehead. This creates a cute, sweet, or child-like appearance, noted in celebrities like Selena Gomez, Elle Fanning, and Nicola Coughlan.

Ingenues best suit girlish styles like ruffles or florals, pastel colors, and rounded silhouettes. They look great in curled hair and light, youthful makeup. 

Romantic: Large and round

Romantics also have round features, but their full lips, round, up-turned eyes, and low round forehead create a lush and sensual look rather than a cute, girlish look. Romantic celebrities include Sophia Loren, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Romantics look great in fitted silhouettes, rounded shapes like rose patterns and puffed sleeves, soft fabrics like silk or velvet, and anything feminine and glamorous. Red lips, high-end jewelry, and voluminous hair all look perfect. 

Ethereal: Long and round

The Ethereal is similar to both Dramatics and Romantics – they have length in their features, but there is also a softness to them. This creates an otherworldly, ageless look through their large, wide-set eyes, low-contrast coloring, and long faces. Ethereal celebrities include Anya-Taylor Joy, Halle Bailey, and Cate Blanchett.

Ethereals shine in loose, unstructured silhouettes with lots of draping and movement. Shimmering fabrics and light colors work best. Long, flowing hair, loose or in braids, shiny jewelry, and shimmery makeup look most harmonious. 

Dressing harmoniously

The point of the essence system is not to identify one face type as the most beautiful, or encourage everyone to strive for the same features. Instead, it helps women enhance their natural beauty by dressing in harmony with their features instead of trying to change them.

Dressing for your essence also helps you avoid wearing unflattering clothes. While an Ingenue would be totally overwhelmed by a long, sleek black dress, a Dramatic would look costume-y in a frilly pastel skirt. 

You can adapt the suggestions for different situations, too! If you’re an Ingenue, for instance, you probably won’t want to wear a pink babydoll dress to a job interview, but you can look for a blouse with delicate details like a Peter Pan collar. If you’re a Dramatic, not every situation calls for a blazer, but you know you’ll look your best in angular, structured pieces. 

If you have a combination of essences, dress primarily for your most noticeable essence, and add details from your other essences. So if you’re a Natural with some Romantic, you will still suit flowy, earthy pieces, but you can incorporate Romantic elements like floral prints. 

Hopefully these tips will help you to appreciate the unique features that you were blessed with and celebrate them through your clothing and styling.