“Chill CEO”

“Print Model”

Dramatic Natural Classic (DNC) supermodel Christie Brinkley modeling a Romantic Ethereal look. Sports Illustrated may have concerns that take priority over style essences…

Dramatic Natural Classics have powerful, modelesque beauty.

These are the kinds of faces that are so striking, they can (almost) pull off essences outside their blend.

Does Christie Brinkley’s angular, down-to-earth beauty match her bedazzled, otherworldly suit?

From a style analysis perspective, no. It’s almost like she and the suit exist in two different, both aesthetically-pleasing, universes—the first a beachy paradise featuring undone Natural hair and minimal makeup; the second a glam, elaborate, alternate reality.

There’s a clear clash between them.

But her face is so strong, it doesn’t feel like she’s overwhelmed by the suit.

If anything, it’s more like the suit is overwhelmed by her.

That’s part of why so many supermodels have Dramatic: highly Dramatic faces almost always "pull things off.” As in, their faces feel at least as striking as what they’re wearing.

The harder part is finding fashion that’s exciting enough for their intense beauty.

Dramatic Natural Classic Celebrities

See more DNC celebrities here on Pinterest:

Angela Kinsey
Anna Gunn
Bar Refaeli
Behati Prinsloo
Bruce Paltrow
Bryan Cranston
Christie Brinkley
Gwyneth Paltrow
Harry Shum Jr
Heidi Klum
Holly Hunter
Jennifer Garner
Julia Styles
Kasia Struss
Kelsey Asbille
Lindsey Vonn
Lucy Liu
Madison Beer
Matt Czuchry
Michelle Phillips
Molly Sims
Natasha Liu Bordizzo
Olivia Munn
Rose Leslie
Ryan Reynolds
Yvonne Strahovski

Dramatic Natural Classic Fashion

For DNC fashion, you can channel a powerful leader, like a CEO, who’s simultaneously really chill and laidback.

If you have a lot of Natural, you can go for really, really laidback.

Your “Chill CEO” uniform needs:

Regal Dramatic. Literally and figuratively edgy:

Refined Classic. Polished basics like simple dress shirts:

Carefree Natural. Modern staples like baggy jeans:

As a DNC, you appear powerful yet down-to-earth.

And sometimes your casual Natural can even heighten your powerful feel—more on that below!

DNC Variations

If you’re highly Natural Classic, basics won’t make you look basic:

DNC Yvonne Strahovski

Is this a flawless match for Yvonne’s color season, maybe not. But focusing on line and shape—highly Natural Classic faces have the skill of making a casual updo and minimal makeup, plus simple blazer and tank, look special.
So DNCs with just a little Dramatic can embrace casual chic.

If you’re highly Dramatic Classic, you can embrace formality:

Dramatic Classics rock suits and heels like no one else. Add Natural by throwing on a roomy coat with an oversized earth-tone plaid.

And if you have mostly Dramatic and Natural, you’ll be gorgeous in loose tops, tall boots, roomy coats, and other oversized layers:

You can even layer your hair over your face. Casual yet avant-garde.

For DNCs, every day is powerful-professional-casual Friday.

Pair this with long dark leggings (Dramatic) and simple flats (Classic), and it might pass in a formal setting.

Dramatic Natural Classic Makeup

DNCs’ best makeup will completely differ depending on whether they have primarily Dramatic or Natural.

(Or Classic, though Classic isn’t most people’s dominant essence).

If you’re dominantly Dramatic, your best makeup is bold, like thick, graphic liner and dark lipstick:

Dramatics are less flattered by makeup that seems inherently safer, like soft blush, eyeshadow, or lipstick:

DNC Lucy Liu has striking bone structure and features.

This makeup is ok, but the hazy, gradient eyeshadow doesn’t connect to her vibe.

In contrast, matte, thick, unblended eyeliner looks like it was made for her:

If you’re strongly Dramatic, you don’t have to “play it safe” by relying on gentle applications. You have the talent of rocking the graphic textures that tend to overpower other faces.

In contrast, if you have a lot of Natural, go for subtlety:

DNC Bar Refaeli almost definitely has some makeup on her eyes, cheeks, and lips—but the light touch reads as Natural, “no-makeup makeup.”

Bar is a fascinating DNC. With her very low-contrast coloring, she could easily pass for having Ethereal.
But while it’s fair to say that her *coloring* is delicate, I don’t think delicate Ethereal styling—such as wavy hair or very shimmery makeup—connects with her face.

Ethereal is about softness and gentleness. But even in minimal makeup, Bar Refaeli’s resting expression doesn’t really scream “delicate.”

Her vibe appears strong (Natural), dignified (Classic), and intense (Dramatic).

Dramatic Natural Classic Faces

Like Dramatic Natural, DNC beauty feels powerful and confident:

Even in barely-there makeup, and even with the unorthodox hair accessories (assuming this was a behind-the-scenes shot prior to the actual shoot!), model Kasia Struss appears piercing and intense.

At least one psychology study revealed that people rate faces of women wearing makeup as appearing more “competent” than makeup-less faces.

Obviously it’s not fair to judge people’s competence based on whether they’re wearing lipstick and eyeliner.

But, what the study demonstrates is that for many style essences, makeup might be one way (though certainly not the only way) to look more “put together.”

And a viewer can be biased to assume that a person who looks externally put together is also more internally organized or competent.

But a skill of people with highly Natural + Dramatic beauty, like Kasia Struss, is that they don’t necessarily need much makeup to look polished and professional. Kasia has a naturally confident, take-charge, I’ve-got-this resting face.

Again—completely unfair to judge people’s actual, internal competence based on looks.

But it’s also not fair to claim that people never judge others by their appearance. That’s just obviously false.

Style analysis can help reveal biases others may have toward us, or that we may have toward them, so that we can use that knowledge in positive, productive ways.

Style Essences and Personality

Do style essences reveal our personalities?

Maybe sometimes! But not always.

For some people, their essences might happen to mirror their internal qualities.

For others, their essences might even be opposite to their inner selves.

But whether or not a DNC is confident and has stellar leadership abilities, that’s how they tend to appear visually.

And as noted, in fashion, Natural often makes things more casual.

But this isn’t necessarily always the case.

The Natural essence is characterized by large, confident-appearing shapes, including strong, chiseled bone structure.

So, while Natural often does have a friendly vibe, sometimes very high amounts of Natural, or Natural combined with the intensity of Dramatic, can actually make a face look even more intense, powerful, or intimidating.

So the exact vibe of your face as a DNC depends on your essence ratio.

Your vibe also depends a lot on your fashion choices, hair and makeup, and of course, facial expression.

On the left, very minimal makeup and a smile emphasize DNC Bar Refaeli’s friendly Natural beauty.

On the right, polished makeup and a closed-mouth smile showcase more of her intense Dramatic and sophisticated Classic.

A full smile and casual styling—like wearing minimal makeup and a sweater and jeans—might make a DNC appear welcoming and approachable.

Whereas a serious expression paired with bold makeup and a monochromatic power suit might make them look much less so.

Photogenic Faces

Do some of the essences photograph better than others?

It’s controversial, but I think so!

If I had to pick the two essences that photograph best—or at least photograph most true to how they look in real life—it would probably be Dramatic and Classic.

The disclaimer is that for a variety of reasons, some people photograph more true to life than others, and sometimes it’s due to factors other than style essences.

So you can certainly have no Dramatic and Classic and photograph quite well, or have high amounts of those essences but still feel you photograph poorly.

But, if I’m being honest, and if I’m describing a general tendency, then in my view, these essences tend to photograph most true-to-life.

Classic Photos

Why do Classics photograph well? Their faces are balanced and symmetrical, and highly Classic features tend to be moderate in size and shape.

So Classic proportions and features tend to be less distorted by the camera’s difficult task of rendering 3D faces accurately in 2D space.

In contrast, larger features can easily appear even larger in photos than in reality.

Dramatic Photos

Why do Dramatics photograph well? Straight shapes tend to be simpler to translate into 2D space compared to curving shapes—think about how much easier it is to draw a 3D box versus a 3D ball. It’s easier for curving shapes to appear flat in photos.

And it’s easier for shorter shapes to appear wider when flattened in 2D space—it’s actually true that the camera does add weight.

So with their sharp angles and length, highly Dramatic faces may photograph more true to life than other types.

Being photographed straight on with all your hair completely slicked back and a wide smile can be a tricky pose, but not for DNC model Heidi Klum!

Natural Photos

Naturals sometimes share Dramatics’ photogenic quality. After all, both essences are defined by long, straight lines.

Though in general, Natural’s blunt-edged shapes might not translate as accurately on camera as Dramatic’s sharp-edged ones.

But Naturals do have at least one huge photographic advantage over Dramatics: Naturals look extremely harmonious smiling. And because a smile is often the expected facial expression for photos—with many exceptions, like high fashion shoot, album cover, moody selfie—DNCs may be one of the most photogenic of all the types.

Model Faces

Dramatic Natural Classics illustrate the beauty of angles, straight lines, and symmetry—and how a face doesn’t need to have extremely voluptuous features to be extremely beautiful.

Dramatic Natural Classic