For beauty lovers around the world, towering cheekbones paired with a defined nose and jaw is considered to be an ideal look. Some woman find the act of sculpting the face with layers of powder a tad bit tedious and many end up looking more aged by the effect than was intended.

The less-fussy sibling of contouring, a technique known as ‘strobing’, was introduced a year ago. Its advocates apply highlighting powders to areas that the sun would naturally hit.

“It’s about using reflection on high planes and points of the face that catch the light to create spotlit areas,” Alex Box, creative director of Illamasqua, told the London Evening Standard, adding that it was a much more forgiving way to focus and shape the face.

The make-up technique inspired a team from professional haircare company Matrix to create the Rock ’N’ Strobe, a hair color trend that appears to be taking the Spring and Summer 2016 season by storm.

Matrix Indonesia Brand general manager Satri Bakti said that the Rock ’N’ Strobe was about freedom of expression, emphasizing that it was a global trend that could be used to the advantage of the local industry.

“Inspired by make-up strobing and American rock ’n’ roll style, this trend has momentum. It is perfect for salons and hairdressers in Indonesia to offer to loyal customers and can be used to expand their business as well,” he said.

Strobing involves the classic technique of highlighting and takes it to a new level with a gradation of colors. The application and placement of colors to trick the eye into focusing on specific parts of the face, said Patricia Lauretta Viola, the national education manager of Matrix Indonesia.

“We, Indonesian women, tend to ponder over our insecurities. We go to the salon to cover them up! We forget to focus on the positive, for example, our eyes — so let’s bring them to life,” she said.

Hair color techniques can highlight the best parts of our face. But, when it comes to your hair, it’s oft wise to invest in the services of an expert.

Mathew Johnson from Australia is not naïve when it comes to hair colour and style. With 10 years of experience, he made his mark in the hairdressing world by pushing through boundaries in hairdressing to achieve editorial looks.

The Cheek Strobe: Inspired by a recent makeup trend, strobing is now translating to hair, which emphasizes highlighting the best features of one’s face with contrasting colors to distract from the less prominent areas.(Courtesy of Matrix)

Hair strobing, according to Mathew, is incredibly adaptable when it comes to capturing the personality of a client and encourages hair salons to involve its clients to create unique, individual looks.

“When a client has a rounded face, we could definitely stick with highlights around the eyes and jaw. Because we want people to be proud of their best features, there is no single rule in terms of tone,” he said.

Due to the simplicity of this trend anyone can try it, regardless of profession and lifestyle. “With a bubbly personality, yes, we will strobe the surface of the hair with bright colors. If you prefer to opt for conservative elegance, we can focus on chocolate tones, positioned underneath so the color will show through in a subtle way,” he explained.

Perhaps the hair strobing trend is the perfect alternative to the heavy burden of a make-up routine.

— Cemara Dinda is an intern at The Jakarta Post