The left brown armour (and face) is an old-style Contrast (TM) paint while the right is an old-style (GW) wash. The Contrast (TM) paint is supposed to dry so there's a (literal) contrast between the edges and the flat details. The washes have always dried more evenly.
For the Contrast (TM) system to work, the underlying white/grey paint should be MUCH brighter than what I've done here AND it should have a satin or glossy finish. I'm just messing around with an unloved elf while waiting to see if that red would dry quick enough to try something further.
At some point in the future, I'll finish both miniatures. My excitement was to see how differently the two paints acted. Both "seek recesses" but the Contrast paint is much more appropriate for doing that.
About a month after UKGE2022 the washes and contrast paint were all reformulated for some reason and I don't know if it means anything.
... okay I lied; here's what the Cultist looks like now - feel old yet?