Cynthia Erivo's makeup style is generally characterized by a "50-shades-of-brown" approach, focusing on highlighting her natural complexion with rich chestnut and chocolate tones for an "I woke up like this—but better" look. Her aesthetic often leans towards natural, warm, and sophisticated, frequently featuring bold nails and a focus on defining her eyes. 

Here are the key themes of Cynthia Erivo's makeup:

• All-Brown Palette & Warm Tones: Erivo frequently uses various shades of brown for her makeup, creating a monochromatic, warm, and cohesive look. She uses chestnut and chocolate-hued pigments for her eyes and skin, and she has noted using terracotta-coloured lip pencils, often applying them to both the lips and waterline.

• "No-Makeup" Makeup Look: Despite using multiple products, Erivo aims for a natural, glowing, and radiant complexion. She emphasizes using creamy, skin-matching foundations and concealers (such as Nares and Dior) to enhance her skin.

• Elphaba Green (Wicked Era): In her role as Elphaba in Wicked, her makeup theme pivoted to a, literal, "green" theme, which she chose over CGI to help her "live in that skin". This look involved using cream-based green, white, and black pigments (like Mehran makeup) to achieve a deep green, 3D effect, with special attention to making the skin look textured and real.

• Bold, Artistic Nails & Features: Erivo often uses her nails as a primary form of expression, favouring dramatic, long, and artistically designed manicures that often complement her outfit.

• Precision and Individuality: Known for her shaved head and strong brows, Erivo emphasizes a "show-stopping" look that combines, at minimum, a bold, styled, and intentional look for her hair, nails, and makeup.

• Complementary Colours: When playing with colour outside of her signature brown or green, Erivo's artists use colour theory to ensure, for example, that orange-toned blushes are used to complement her green Elphaba skin. 

For her daily or personal, non-character makeup, she is known to bring her own products to ensure the shades properly match her deep skin tone.