The oneiric style essence might be considered lost, but it most certainly has not been overlooked in recent months.
Any quick Google search of the Kitchener style essences will show you seven major categories in which one might find their physical features represented, including the dramatic, classic, or romantic essences. In most cases, people will not fit into one sole category but rather identify various attributes represented by a few major categories.
As an avid beauty content consumer, I was first exposed to the style essences by the occasional YouTube recommendation. While I never drew too much advice from these types of videos, finding it difficult to categorize myself, I would see something pop up on social media every now and then regarding these essences’ attributes, styling hacks, and famous faces that fit each one.
Fast forward to mid-2024, I stumbled upon beauty content creator Evangeline Molly on YouTube. One of her major series towards the end of last year was to try out every style essence on her features, whether or not she felt she matched a given essence, and summarized her takeaways at the end of the process. However, she did not only explore seven essences. Instead, just before her wrap-up video, there was one more essence she explored: the oneiric, or “lost” essence.
There was something about this style archetype that caught my attention. The mysteriousness of its “lost” description drew me to it. Before Evangeline even dropped her video covering this aesthetic, I already tried to explore it on my own.
To my surprise, there was very little to go on from my search results on Google. There were a few Reddit posts and some Pinterest boards, but not much else. To make matters worse, the original Reddit post providing an in-depth description of the essence has been deleted, though the comments remain and provide valuable insights.
Why is the Oneiric Essence “Lost”?
Initially, I had assumed that this category was a part of the Kitchener style essence bundle and was just dropped off from major consideration at one point, either because it was uncommon to see as a major defining category for most people or because it was better summarized through a combination of the other archetypes. However, the essence actually originated through popular culture and has been largely defined by Internet users and beauty enthusiasts, hence the difficulty I experienced in attempting to find external sources to explore the essence.
In late 2023, Silkymochi, another YouTube creator, released a video offering styling advice for each of the seven essences but with a dark twist. This content stood out to me because it demonstrates the lack of the darker quality in the styling representation and advice offered by previous takes on the style essences. The development of the oneiric essence thus provides a category capturing the haunting, solemn spirit naturally embodied by some individuals that the original Kitchener categories “lost.”
What Characteristics Does the Oneiric Essence Capture?
The word “oneiric” itself is an adjective illustrating a dreamlike quality in something, according to the Oxford Languages definition. Several Reddit users across oneiric essence-related posts have described this essence to encapsulate elements of the dramatic essence in combination with one at the other end of the Kitchener scale, especially the ethereal essence. The ethereal essence lends itself to soft, angelic traits that align more closely with a dreamy nature, but the dramatic essence pulls in sharper and bolder characteristics. Despite these qualities, users expressed feelings of incompleteness in these categories, which did not fully describe the impressions left by their features. A major point raised by user jlaurw was that some people have an otherworldly look to them, but not in the luminescent way the ethereal essence captures. The oneiric essence provides a representation of that perceived missing category through mysterious, gloomy attributes that none of the other seven truly portray.
According to Reddit user alsonothing in their post, typical features of someone expressing the oneiric essence can include horizontal features (eyebrows lacking an arch, level jaw, lips without much of a curve), darker shadows (hollow cheekbones and eye sockets, dark under-eye area), and big eyes.
Mindless_Ratio_7241 and commenters contributed other ideas for styling characteristics aligning with this essence, such as neutral, muted, or dark color palettes, very little to no obvious makeup on a day-to-day basis, minimal accessorizing, silver jewelry (as opposed to gold), Victorian-style ruffles and lace in clothing, and other ideas.
Makeup Inspiration for the Oneiric Essence
Despite the general no-makeup recommendation given, there is still a time and place for a full glam look. As a makeup lover myself, I decided to compile a few ideas based on Evangeline Molly’s take on the oneiric essence and other information I have gleaned from my exploration of this style archetype.Â
Cool Toned Sculpting
Due to the hollow features attributed to this essence, using cool brown or even grey contour to create shadows can create dimension for those of us who do not naturally express these traits, particularly beneath the cheekbones. Using these colors as opposed warmer bronzers also keeps with the overall cool toned styling color palette described above, such as wearing silver jewelry.
Grey, Brown, and Black Eyeshadow
Even just a simple eye look incorporating some of these cool and dark eyeshadow shades can provide definition to the eyes and even imitate hollowness in the eye area as another form of contour. Doe eye makeup can also create the appearance of larger eyes, and with a little smoking out it will leave a moodier impression.
Matte Highlighter
Using a matte highlighter as opposed to a glittery or shiny one makes the appearance of makeup much less obvious. This product can be used to draw out some higher points of the face that will contrast the shadows or hollow features created with contour.
Muted, Rustic Blush
Blush is definitely not a necessity when it comes to the oneiric look, but I loved how Evangeline Molly was able to incorporate a muted mauve blush and still capture the dark aura of the essence. Applying just a hint of color that is not too bright can help bring life back into the features without straying from the gloomier qualities of this style.
Though I personally do not portray many of the features that this essence is composed of, I love darker makeup styles and will certainly take what I have learned to curate some future looks. Especially with recent trends of the femme fatale, black cat, and unrecognizable makeup looks, oneiric styling techniques can be a great addition to these dark beauty aesthetics.
While naturally eerie traits were previously missing from the Kitchener essence lineup, Reddit users have found a way to address this gap and increase inclusivity in categorizing diverse human features. As this essence appears more in digital media with different takes on outfit, hair, and cosmetic styling for it, perhaps this lost essence might become as widely recognized as its seven counterparts.