by Lucy Goosey

I love pancakes. Nothing tickles my fancy more than arm fluffy circles of heaven doused in a bucket of syrup and decorated with a heap of golden yellow scrambled eggs and juicy sausages and… sorry I’m digressing into a #fatty moment. Excuse me while I wipe the slobber from my chin.

My point is I’d rather see pancakes on a plate than on women’s faces. I will never understand the pancake look – women apply heaps of powder to their faces, often in a much lighter shade than their complexion, in an attempt to appear…actually I’m not sure what the point of this look is. All I know is that it offends me. My theory is that when women started making pancakes, the flour would fly all over their faces and their young daughters, wanting to be like their mothers, emulated the trend and this has gone on for generations. Yes, I have put a lot of thought into this.  (Kanye Shrug).

So at the risk of breaking family tradition, I advise all women to take a seat and read my rules on how to achieve the exact opposite of the IHOP look; say hello to the dewy look.

The dewy look is about looking fresh and soft, like fresh dew on a beautiful blade of grass on a Sunday morning.  Yes I grew up in The Abroad. Let me point out that there is a difference between dewy and oily – the look should make people comment on how refreshed you look; not ask you if you have been doing heavy labor under the sun all day.

1. The Skin

To Do The Dew, your skin has to glow and have a slightly wet look.

To get a glow, dab a small amount of NARS illuminator on your hand and rub it all over your face. You can also mix it with your face lotion.

Next, use a creamy foundation such as Mac Studio Tech or Bobbi Brown foundation stick. Once you apply foundation, cover those dark circles with concealer; nothing says unrefreshed more than dark circles under your eyes.

2. The Eyes

I heard Vivienne Westwood has been criticizing Kate Middleton for her heavy dark eyeliner. First of all Madam Vivienne, take a look in the mirror before you give makeup advice.

and  second of all back off my bestie! (Don’t worry Kimmy K you are still bestie number one!) Infatuation with the royal family aside, black eyeliner has no place in the dewy look because it is too harsh.

You can highlight your eyes using an eyeliner that is a bit darker than your natural complexion. The trick is to smudge it. This can be tricky, you want your eyes to look soft not like you’ve been punched by Ike Turner. I use the brown Bobbi Brown Gel eyeliner (Sepia Ink) paint pot and smudge it with the soft brush that comes in the set.

Next, use a range of natural colors on your lids. I coat my lid using the creamy Constructivism Paint pot by MAC. Then I lightly apply a range of colors – baby pink eyeshadow by Bobbi brown in the corners of my eyes and on the lower part of my lid. I fill in the crease with any of my neutral eyeshadows from MAC and lastly Red Brick by MAC on by upper crease and brow bone.

Like I said before, eyebrows are the key to a pretty face. Use a soft brush and an eyeshadow that is close to your eyebrow hair color to gently fill in your eyebrows. Then apply an eyebrow gel over your eyebrows, so they do not appear harsh on your fresh soft dewy face.

3. The Cheeks

You cheeks should look flushed and healthy. (Like this one time, when a totally hot guy came up to me and I was like totally speechless and my cheeks went like bright red)

… Ok, I’m black so they weren’t exactly red but you get the gist. To achieve this “OMG he just looked at me” look, apply a cream blush to the apples of your cheeks. I recommend Laid Back by MAC for a reddish look; Montenegro by Nars or Sheer Blackberry by Bobbi Brown will give a purplish look.

When sun hits the dew, its breathtaking. When powder coats your face its nauseating. I’ll I prefer to make guys gasp rather than gag when they look at me, and Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick works just as good as sun on dew. Using a soft brush rub it lightly across your t-zone (your cheek bones and the center of your forehead). If the shimmer brick is slightly out of budget you can use Sweet as Cocoa by MAC.  Or you can rub more NARS illuminator along your cheekbones.

4. The lips

Nothing says dewy and fresh like glossy kissable lips. Honestly a clear lip is all you need to achieve this look, but if you are like me and you just cannot resist a hint of color, then use a shade that is close to your skin tone. I opt for either Hot Voodoo by Nars or Chintz by MAC. Here is a little trick; before applying lipstick rub a small amount of concealer across your lips. Try it now and thank me later.

5. Secret Ingredient

If you don’t have MAC FIX +, go and get it now! I am not really a stock market kind of gal, I prefer material investments like shoes and makeup. Even in a recession, my shoes make me happy. Anyway, MAC FIX + is an investment. It costs about 50 dollars but I have had the same bottle for 6 years. 1 or two sprays after you apply your makeup and I guarantee you people will take a double take when you walk by. (Ok, I might be laying it on a bit thick but really this stuff works like magic.)

6. If you can, pull your hair back into a loose pony tail. If you have no sides or if your hair only creates a stingy ponytail, forget what I said. A ponytail ain’t for everybody.

So ladies, no more excuses for that awful pancake look!  I declare this week the week of the Dew!

For a video on how to create this look check out www.theratedt.com