Kitchener Essences 101
This is the education section from my Kitchener essence analyses, published free. It covers what stylists actually read in a face, all seven essences, and why almost everyone is a blend.
What a Kitchener Essence Actually Is
Have you ever tried on an outfit that looked amazing on your friend, but when you put it on, something just felt off?
Here is why. According to a stylist named John Kitchener, every face gives off a certain vibe or energy, and clothing that mirrors that energy feels harmonious on us. He called these vibes essences.
Picture two people. Person A has high-set cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and pointed brows. At first glance she reads as powerful and sophisticated, maybe even intimidating. Person B has a round face, rounded eyes, and soft cheeks. She reads as approachable. Kitchener says Person A looks best in sharp clothing that mimics her features, while Person B looks best in delicate clothing. Swap their wardrobes and it feels forced, like wearing a costume.
Too often, when a style does not work, we assume something is wrong with us. Spoiler alert: not true. Maybe we think "I'm not attractive enough to wear this," or "I just can't pull that off." John Kitchener agrees we should not think that way. Nothing makes Person A or Person B more attractive. They are simply suited to different clothing styles.
That costume feeling is what essence analysis aims to eliminate from your shopping. Your essences tell you which clothing energy matches the energy your face already projects, so every outfit you pick feels, in my clients' favorite phrase, "so me."
What Stylists Read in a Face
Three characteristics group facial features into essences.
Shape: yin or yang. Is the feature sharp (yang), rounded (yin), or in between? Stylists look at bone structure, meaning cheekbones, jawline, face shape, brow bones, and chin, plus eyes, lips, cheeks, eyebrows, and smile.
Scale: small or large, narrow or wide. Is the feature small, large, or moderate in size? Same features, this time for relative size.
Unique features. Some features carry their own essence signal: wide-set eyes, hooded eyes, high-contrast eyes, sanpaku eyes where the white shows beneath the iris, a cheeky smile, and features that visually lengthen or shorten the face.
Every essence face type is a recipe of these ingredients. Sharp features in a narrow frame read dramatic. Rounded features at large scale read romantic. Your face has its own recipe.
No essence excludes anyone. People of every race, ethnicity, and gender land across the whole spectrum, and there is no such thing as a bad feature here. There are only recipes.
Shape: Yin or Yang
Yin is Kitchener's term for soft or rounded. Yang means sharp or angular. A feature is moderate if it sits between the two. Stylists read it in the eyebrows, eyes, cheekbones, hairline, jawline, brow bone, and lips.
Scale: Large or Small, Wide or Narrow
Imagine the face is a canvas. A feature is large if it takes up a lot of space on that canvas and small if it does not. Moderate sits between. A feature can also be narrow, wide-set, or moderate.
Shape does not matter here. This is only about how much room a feature takes up. Note that narrow cheekbones are narrower than the width of the temples, and wide-set cheekbones are wider than the temples.
Unique Features
Some features are strongly associated with particular essences.
- Wide-set eyes. Eyes are typically set apart by about one eye's width. Further apart is wide-set; closer is close-set.
- Hooded eyes. The eyelid is not easily visible when the eyes are open.
- High-contrast eyes. Eyes that draw a lot of attention because of their color.
- A cheeky smile or dimples. The cheeks protrude when you smile.
- A particularly long or short face. This only counts if it is exceptional.
- Sanpaku eyes. The white of the eye is visible underneath the iris.
The Seven Essences, From Most Yang to Most Yin
Most faces hold two or three.
- Dramatic. Sharp yang features, narrow scale. Bold, powerful, intense. Their clothing wants structure and strong lines.
- Natural. Yang features, wide scale, sometimes hooded eyes. Relaxed, grounded, effortless. Their clothing wants ease and earthiness.
- Gamine. Small yang bone structure mixed with larger yin features. Playful, quirky, unexpected. Their clothing wants contrast and boldness.
- Classic. Moderate features, moderate scale. Polished and timeless. Their clothing wants clean lines and refinement.
- Ingenue. Yin features, small scale, sometimes a cheeky smile or wide-set eyes. Delicate and warm. Their clothing wants softness at small scale.
- Romantic. Yin features, large scale. Lush, warm, alluring. Their clothing wants drape, richness, and glamour.
- Ethereal. Lengthening features with unusual eyes, whether upturned, wide-set, or high-contrast. Dreamy and otherworldly. Their clothing wants flow and a touch of magic.
Credit where it is due: this is John Kitchener's system, and all credit for its creation belongs to him.
Why a Percentage Beats a Box
Almost nobody is one essence. Most faces hold two or three, in different amounts, and that mix is what makes a face look like itself rather than like a category.
That is why I give clients percentages instead of a single label. A face that is mostly Natural with a strong Romantic streak dresses differently from one that is mostly Romantic with a little Natural, even though a one-word answer would call them the same thing.
So what's your blend?
Reading the seven essences is one thing. Finding your own mix means reading shape, scale, and unique features off your own photos, feature by feature, which is what my analysis does.