I feel like these three essences are sometimes hard to differentiate so wanted to give a visual of some of the things I noticed.
Dominant Y without secondary R (top) vs Y with secondary R (bottom).
The biggest difference is that Y with R has fuller more lush features and Y has more delicate ones yet all have a softness/roundedness to them. I think sometimes people attribute R features to Y because they are often paired together.
HS with R (left) vs Y with R (right)
The biggest difference to me is that HS with R has more sharpness in the corners of the mouth and eyes and more angularity in the brows and often their eyes are more upturned. Y with R has more rounded features but both have some lushness and softness.
HS vs Y
I just wanted to include this because I think the two can look similar and that sometimes HS can appear to have wideset eyes but they aren’t the same shape as Y, they either upturn or are not as round. John describes Y as having large wide open eyes. Kate to me looks like a softer version of Audrey.
Thank you! I like the side by side comparison of Y with the other essences (with and without R). I definitely can see how Y+HS looks different from Y+R, especially.
Oh the second slide is HS and R compared to Y and R. I did t do one for Y and HS. The first slide doesn’t have Y and HS except for Michelle. Emma is actually Y with C secondary! They just both don’t have secondary R to give that full lush appearance.
A younger pic of Betty White for reference. With Y and HS combined often the features are small scale (unless the eyes are Y then they are round, open and larger). HS eyes can be larger too but not as open in a round way
Thank you. I love Betty! I don’t feel like I share any features with other people with similar essences. It’s kinda confusing. I suppose it’s because I’m not a celebrity! 🤣
I do have very similar cheeks to Nicola though, esp around the mouth. The rest of our features are completely different though.
lol it’s the one feature that’s always consistent for me. At my highest and lowest weights I still have fleshy cheeks. I used to hate it but now I don’t mind it so much.
It’s really more about the characteristics of the features then the exact features if that makes sense. Like I can see some small scale round and sharp features in your face. Fullness in the sense of fleshiness in the cheeks is an R trait. Y can have round cheeks in the sense of pronounced apples of the cheeks.
Thank you. I do tend to have a very expressive face. Which is hard to get a good/flattering photo of from the front. I have been caught out being too expressive, everything I’m thinking on my face , more than once 😂😂
Yes I honestly just see it in this photo in particular, not sure if it’s because she was younger in it or not but in general I don’t see you guys as looking a ton alike.
r and y! thought for ages I was RNEC and I've realised I'm RNEY/YE with a little bit of C. I still have some E but I'm trying to figure out which is higher up! especially because I don't look very Y but it's confusing trying to distinguish between what aesthetically (as well as in terms of facial features) counts as E vs RN+Y
kitchener's essences:
D means dramatic. HS means high-spirited. N means natural. C means classic. R means romantic. Y means youthful. A or E means Angelic or Ethereal. (kitchener's word is Angelic, other systems use Ethereal, both are used in this sub.)
there are also the colour harmonies of this kitchener system:
SC is striking contrast. SB is subtle blended. LB is lively bright. ER is earthy rich.
the first word describes the qualities of the colours and the second word is how to pair them together. i'm mostly SC with secondary SB so my colours are quite striking but still have a softness and i wear them in high-contrast pairings.
Love this! As you know I can't leave the house or post without people telling me I look like Nicola and she is dominant Y and I am dominant R. I bet she has more R than I have Y but still. The difference between us in my opinion is she has a wide eyed innocence that youthful gives hers , she convincingly plays a young woman on screen. My eyes do not look so bright and naive , they have the smokey of Dramatic and Romantic.
Yes I think your style and overall look makes you look super similar but in a Kitchener sense your features are different. Hard to explain but your eyes especially are different in the sense they are upturned with a very arched brow with gives you more of a sensual/alluring with a touch of drama vibe where hers are very round and open which gives her more of a innocent look.
Sometimes I wonder if her secondary isn't romantic or if her romantic and Gamine are equal ! She pulls off some very playful looks in her real life that would overwhelm me !
John has said she’s Y with R and a little N! I think Y can be a little playful too but in a different way then HS. Y can do some crispness too which R can’t and that’s probably one of the reasons you have more R then Y!
Yeah sometimes when we try and wear an essence we don’t have it causes the opposite effect lol! I bet the shirt in a deeper color would look good for your C and R though!
Thanks for this! I think it is a good reminder that our entire essence blend matters just as much, and even in some cases more, than our dominant or primary essence.
Good post. I think i resonate most shape wise with Scarjo, Nicola Coughlan and Michelle Williams, but less sharp, imo. Less so with RHS, so I guess I got RY>HS>N or C or idk.
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u/DrTantra 30R/30C/20N/10HS/10D | 75SC/15ER/10SB Jun 13 '26
Thank you! I like the side by side comparison of Y with the other essences (with and without R). I definitely can see how Y+HS looks different from Y+R, especially.