Imagine the picture: you open the TikTok app, scroll through the videos, and almost every single one talks about this so-called visual weight.
Confusing, isn’t it? What is visual weight, anyway, and why does it matter?
In the world of never-ending beauty sensations that just keep popping up all over social media, it’s only understandable you can get lost.
But, you have the power to use this confusing trend to your advantage and have the ultimate glow-up.
Learn how visual weight affects your appearance and how permanent makeup can actually be a game-changer when it comes to enhancing your facial features!
What Is Visual Weight?
Visual weight, in its essence, refers to the prominence of specific elements within a visual composition, particularly your face.
It’s practically a combination of light and shadow, symmetry and asymmetry, where each facial feature contributes to the overall impression.
Still confused?
Imagine the face as a canvas, and every contour, curve, and line as brushstrokes that collectively shape your appearance. Visual weight determines which strokes stand out prominently and which gracefully recede into the background.
It’s the mix of these elements that creates a unique visual signature for every individual.
The phrases you probably have heard of are high visual weight and low visual weight, so it’s time to get into the good stuff and explain the difference between the two.
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High Visual Weight
This concept refers to features that naturally draw attention to someone’s eye and become focal points. These can include bold eyebrows, striking eyes, or fuller lips.
To make it simpler, high visual weight means that you have bigger features in comparison to your face size.
Let’s explore some prominent facial features that often hold high visual weight.
Defined Eyebrows
Bold, well-shaped eyebrows that catch your eye instantly are a certain sign you belong to this group.
Cara Delevigne is a great example of this. Her eyebrows frame her eyes and add a statement to her facial expressions.
Image source: Instagram @caradelevingne
Striking Eyes
Eyes, especially when enhanced with makeup or permanent eyeliner, can command people’s attention and make you stand out.
Celebrities like Angelina Jolie or Rihanna often emphasize their eyes, making them the captivating focus of their faces.
Image source: Instagram @badgalriri
Distinctive Lips
Full, well-defined lips with unique colors, especially those with lip blush, can hold high visual weight.
Think of personalities like Scarlet Johanson and Priyanka Chopra, whose lips become defining features, drawing attention and adding allure to their overall look.
Image source: Instagram @priyankachopra
Prominent Cheekbones
Well-defined, high cheekbones, like those seen in model Kate Moss, can possess high visual weight.
They create shadows and highlights that draw a lot of attention, adding depth and elegance to the face.
Image source: Instagram @katemossagency
Unusual or Unique Features
Some people have distinctive or unique features, like bigger noses or stronger jawlines like Zendaya.
These beautiful characteristics contribute to their charm, making them stand out for all the right reasons.
Image source: Instagram @zendaya
It’s important to remember that high visual weight doesn’t mean that all of these features should be bold or even present on one’s face. Rather, it’s about them becoming focal points and their attention-grabbing qualities.
Celebrities and their makeup artists always accentuate their bold features with different makeup techniques, bringing them to the forefront and enhancing their overall appearance.
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Low Visual Weight
This phrase refers to more subtle, toned-down features that don’t stand out as much but still are equally beautiful.
The combination of these muted characteristics allows your face to have balance and harmony with the right makeup choices.
These are some distinctive qualities of low visual weight you might have!
Softly Arched Eyebrows
These types of brows are soft, natural, and enhance your overall beauty without a lot of effort.
Actress Lily James rocks her gently arched brows that exemplify the subtlety and elegance associated with low visual weight, allowing other features to take center stage.
Image source: Instagram @lilyjamesofficial
Gentle Eyes
Eyes that have low visual weight are often characterized by a softer gaze.
Zooey Deschanel embodies this aesthetic perfectly, where her eyes, while expressive, don’t dominate the overall facial narrative, creating a more subtle and approachable look.
Image source: Instagram @zooeydeschanel
Subdued Lip
Lips with low visual weight showcase a more subdued contour, opting for softer shades that harmonize with your natural lip shape.
Natalie Portman is someone who is a great example of this style, allowing her lips to enhance her beauty, without being the focal point of her face.
Image source: Instagram @natalieportman
Delicate Nose & Jawline
A nose and jawline with low visual weight are characterized by softer contours.
Think of Selena Gomez, whose facial features possess a gentle grace, allowing other elements of her face to come forward without distraction.
Image source: Instagram @selenagomez
Low visual weight celebrates the beauty of discretion and balance. It’s an invitation to appreciate the nuanced elegance of features that, while not commanding immediate attention, contribute significantly to an individual’s overall charm!
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Visual Weight & Permanent Makeup
If you understand your facial qualities better, you will be able to strategically decide where to put your makeup! Or even better, permanent makeup can emphasize or balance your features to achieve desired aesthetics, catering to your preferences while maintaining facial harmony.
In both of these worlds, makeup and permanent makeup, it’s useful and important to understand your facial features so you can carefully decide and choose the right color palette, as well as treatments.
A skilled PMU artist has the power to sculpt your facial features and enhance them with the right technique and pigments!
High Visual Weight & PMU Techniques
Accentuate, accentuate, accentuate! This should be your mantra when choosing the right colors and PMU method if you have high visual weight.
Let’s talk a bit more about choosing the right technique and which one you should go for, depending on your visual weight.
Ombre Powder Brows
If you want bold, full brows that command everyone’s attention in the room, this is the best technique to opt for.
Ombre brows involve creating a gradient effect, where the color is softer at the beginning of the brow and gradually becomes more intense towards the arch and tail.
Image source: Instagram @pmu_evelina
Combo Brows
One of the best ways to get your brows looking like you have an Instagram filter on is by getting combo eyebrows.
By layering two techniques (surprise, that’s why the name is combo brows), microblading and microshading, you can look like Kylie Jenner in no time!
Lip Blush Tattoo
Creating high visual weight with lip blush tattoo involves techniques that enhance the shape, color, and definition of the lips, resulting in a fierce and impactful appearance.
There are various lip tattoo styles out there and almost all of them can accentuate your lips!
Permanent Eyeliner
If you want to enhance your eyes and make them more sultry, opt for permanent eyeliner. It will emphasize your overall looks, add definition, and contribute to a makeup-ready look.
Permanent eyeliner comes in different shapes and sizes and draws immediate attention to your eyes.
Image source: Instagram @courtney_stevens_pmu
Low Visual Weight & PMU Techniques
Achieving low visual weight with permanent makeup involves techniques that offer subtle enhancements, soft lines, and a more understated appearance.
Here are some effective PMU techniques for achieving low visual weight.
Feather Brows
This hair stroke brow style is the most popular one, and for a good reason. Also known as microfeathering, this technique results in a soft and organic look.
Feather brows add definition without the sharpness of more structured methods.
Image source: Instagram @salon17microblading
Nanoblading
Nanoblading is a form of microblading and it’s done with a thinner blade that does ultra-thin hair strokes with precision.
The goal is to create natural-looking, finer lines to mimic the appearance of individual eyebrow hairs.
Lash Line Enhancement
Tattooing a thin and subtle line along your lash line defines the eyes without creating a heavy look. It provides a subtle framing effect, contributing to low visual weight around your eyes.
This technique is perfect for all of those who prefer natural eye enhancement.
Image source: Instagram @lero.luxe.pmu
Fake Freckles
This is the latest trend in the PMU industry and a fast-growing one! Freckle tattoos involve the application of pigment to mimic the appearance of natural freckles.
Your subtle features can come to life with this treatment in no time!
Image source: Instagram @jette.scherzer
So..Do You Have High or Low Visual Weight?
If you took some time to study your facial features with the help of our detailed guide, it’s time to start upgrading your beauty choices!
Doing your makeup according to these features or getting a PMU tattoo will give you the glow-up of your dreams.
For those leaning towards high visual weight, bold brows, captivating eyeliner, and defined lips become the focal points of expression. Techniques like microblading, ombre shading, and dramatic eyeliner styles offer a chance for incredible transformation.
On the other hand, those with low visual weight will naturally gravitate towards subtle elegance with feathered strokes, nano brows, lash line enhancement, and fake freckles to create a nuanced and refined look.
Whether you have distinctive, bold features or more balanced and softer ones, this is the perfect chance to consider the power of permanent makeup!
