Danielle's Glow: What Did Danielle Smith Use The Notwithstanding Clause For?

The Sunshine Clause: Danielle’s Luminous Base

While legal buffs might be debating Canadian politics, we're focused on a different Danielle and her set of unbreakable beauty laws. We're talking about the radiant, sunshine-like glow of NewJeans' Danielle Marsh. Her look is defined by a fresh, dewy complexion that seems to be lit from within. This is her first and most important rule, a “notwithstanding clause” against the heavy, matte, full-coverage foundations that once dominated Western beauty.

So, how does she achieve this ethereal glow? It all starts with the base. The secret isn't about hiding imperfections, but enhancing your skin's natural texture and luminosity. This is where Korean cushion foundations shine. They are engineered for this exact purpose, offering buildable coverage with a lightweight, hydrating finish.

Curation: For a finish like Danielle's, you need a cushion that prioritizes a skin-like texture and a lasting glow. Our top picks are the TIRTIR Mask Fit Red Cushion and the Hera Black Cushion. The TIRTIR cushion is famous for its 72-hour staying power and featherlight feel, while the Hera Black Cushion provides a semi-matte finish that blurs pores beautifully without sacrificing radiance.

Interpretation: The goal is “glass skin,” a complexion so smooth and hydrated it looks reflective. This means prepping your skin correctly is non-negotiable. Danielle’s look works because it’s built on a foundation of healthy, moisturized skin. The cushion compact is the tool that perfects it, evening out skin tone while letting your real skin show through. It’s about looking like the best version of yourself, not a different person.

Execution: First, apply a hydrating serum or primer. Then, take your cushion puff and press it lightly into the sponge. Instead of swiping, use a gentle tapping or pressing motion to apply the product to your face. Start in the center and blend outwards. This technique builds coverage naturally and helps the product melt seamlessly into your skin, creating that signature Danielle glow that lasts all day.

The Pudding Pot Principle: A Soft-Focus Flush

Danielle’s look is the epitome of “soft glam.” Her cheeks and lips often share a harmonious, watercolor-like wash of color that looks effortlessly blended. This is her second clause: notwithstanding the sharp contours and defined lip lines popular in other styles, her rule is all about a diffused, soft-focus flush. It’s a youthful and romantic look that feels both modern and timeless.

The key to this aesthetic is using products with a unique, blendable texture that can be used on both lips and cheeks. This creates a cohesive look that is incredibly flattering. The texture shouldn't be a powder, which can look dry, or a traditional cream, which can sometimes be too greasy. It needs to be something in between, something...pudding-like.

Curation: Enter the FWEE’s Lip & Cheek Blurry Pudding Pot. This product is practically made for the Danielle aesthetic. Its unique, bouncy, pudding-like texture is a dream to work with. It applies with a velvety feel and dries down to a smooth, blurred matte finish that doesn't emphasize texture. The shade range, featuring soft peaches, dusty roses, and muted berries, is perfect for recreating this look.

Interpretation: The “Pudding Pot Principle” is about creating a seamless gradient of color. On the cheeks, this means the color looks like a natural flush coming from within. On the lips, it creates the “blurred lip” effect, where the color is more concentrated in the center and softly fades out towards the edges. This technique makes the lips look fuller and softer, avoiding any harsh lines.

Execution: For your cheeks, use your fingertip to pick up a small amount of the FWEE Pudding Pot. Smile slightly and tap the product onto the apples of your cheeks, blending upwards and outwards towards your temples. The warmth of your finger will help melt the product into your skin. For your lips, apply a small amount to the center of your top and bottom lip. Then, use your finger or a small brush to gently blur the color towards the edges. You can even apply a clear gloss on top for a different vibe, but the soft matte is quintessential Danielle.

The Gloss Mandate: Irresistible Jelly Lips

While she rocks a soft matte lip, Danielle and her fellow members in NewJeans are also credited with bringing back the high-shine, jelly-like lip. This is their non-negotiable mandate: notwithstanding the long-wear capabilities of matte liquid lipsticks, the juicy, plump, and reflective finish of a gloss tint is paramount. This look is all about dimension, health, and a youthful vibrance that is simply irresistible.

The modern K-beauty gloss is not the sticky, hair-magnet gloss of the early 2000s. Today's formulas are sophisticated. They are lightweight, hydrating, and often leave behind a beautiful stain of color long after the shine has worn off. This ensures your lips have color and life for hours, without the need for constant reapplication. It’s the best of both worlds, a beautiful fusion of a tint and a gloss.

Curation: To achieve this coveted “jelly lip,” you need a formula that delivers both vibrant color and a glassy finish. The Romand Juicy Lasting Tint is a holy grail product in this category. It offers a wide range of fruit-inspired colors and a shine that truly looks like a sugar coating. Another fantastic option is the Amuse Dew Tint, known for its watery texture and clean, vegan formula that feels incredibly comfortable on the lips.

Interpretation: The goal here is to make the lips look as plump and hydrated as possible. The high-shine finish catches the light, creating the illusion of a fuller, smoother pout. The underlying tint provides the color, so the look is never just a clear, flat gloss. It’s a multi-dimensional effect that adds a focal point to an otherwise soft and natural makeup look. It’s playful, fresh, and perfectly captures the NewJeans Y2K-inspired aesthetic.

Execution: Start with smooth, exfoliated lips. If your lips are dry, a quick swipe of the Laneige's cult-classic Lip Sleeping Mask can work wonders. Apply the gloss tint directly to your lips using the doe-foot applicator. For a more defined look, apply it all over. For a gradient effect, concentrate the color on the inner part of your lips and blend it out. A key trick is to apply the color, wait about 30 seconds for the tint to set, and then apply a second, thin layer of gloss right in the center of your bottom lip. This maximizes the plump, 3D effect.

The Natural Brow Override: Framing The Face

In the West, eyebrow trends have cycled through extremes, from pencil-thin lines to heavily defined, laminated “Instagram brows.” Danielle’s approach is a firm override of these dramatic styles. Her “notwithstanding clause” for brows is simple: keep them natural, full, and relatively straight. This style of brow is a long-standing staple in Korean beauty for its ability to create a softer, more youthful appearance.

Unlike a high, sharp arch which can sometimes create a severe expression, a straighter, fuller brow frames the eyes gently and balances the proportions of the face. It’s less about re-shaping the brow into a new form and more about enhancing what’s already there. The focus is on texture and soft definition, making the brows look groomed but not “done.” This requires a light hand and the right products to add dimension without adding harshness.

Curation: To get Danielle's brows, you don't need heavy pomades or waxes. A fine-tipped eyebrow pencil for filling in sparse areas and a tinted brow gel or mascara are your best friends. Look for pencils in ashy, natural-toned shades that mimic real hair. For brow gels, choose one that adds a bit of color and hold without making the hairs stiff or crunchy. The goal is feathery texture.

Interpretation: The philosophy behind the natural Korean brow is to enhance innocence and soften the overall look. By minimizing the arch, you shorten the vertical length of the face, which contributes to a younger look. It’s a powerful but subtle technique. For Danielle, whose overall vibe is bright and approachable, these soft, full brows are the perfect complement. They anchor her features without competing for attention with her signature glossy lip or dewy skin.

Execution: Start by brushing your brow hairs upwards and outwards with a clean spoolie. Identify any sparse areas. Using a fine-tipped pencil, use light, short, hair-like strokes to fill in these gaps. Avoid drawing a solid line. The key is to mimic the look of natural hair. After filling, take a tinted brow mascara and brush it through your brows, moving in the direction of hair growth. This will set the hairs in place, add a little bit of volume and texture, and blend the pencil work for a seamless, natural finish.

The Subtle Sparkle Edict: Eyes That Shine

Danielle’s eye makeup follows the same core principle as the rest of her look: less is more, but make it impactful. Her unwavering edict for eye makeup is to prioritize a subtle, eye-brightening sparkle, notwithstanding the trend of heavy, smoky eyeshadow or dramatic winged liner. Her eyes always look bright, awake, and captivating, often with just a wash of neutral shadow and a strategically placed pop of glitter.

This technique is a cornerstone of K-pop idol makeup. It’s about creating a “twinkle” or “aegyo sal” (the small pocket of fat under the eye that puffs up when you smile) effect that makes the eyes appear larger, rounder, and more expressive. It’s not about complex blending or multiple colors. It’s about one or two key products used with precision to catch the light and draw attention to the eyes in the softest way possible. This style is also mastered by other idols like IVE's Wonyoung, who is famous for her fairy-like sparkle.

Curation: The hero product for this look is a high-quality liquid glitter eyeshadow. Unlike pressed glitters which can have significant fallout, liquid formulas adhere to the skin and stay put all day. Look for ones with fine, multi-dimensional glitter particles for the most sophisticated shimmer. A simple champagne, rose gold, or pearly white shade is all you need. Pair this with a brown pencil liner to tightline the upper lash line for definition without harshness.

Interpretation: The purpose of this eye look is to make you look bright-eyed and youthful. The sparkle mimics the natural glint of a healthy, hydrated eye. By keeping the rest of the eyeshadow minimal, usually a simple wash of a matte, neutral peach or beige, the glitter becomes the star of the show. It’s an incredibly efficient way to look put-together and awake, even if you didn’t get a full eight hours of sleep.

Execution: First, apply a neutral matte eyeshadow all over your lid as a base. This will even out any discoloration. Next, take your brown eyeliner pencil and gently press it into the root of your upper lashes. This is called tightlining, and it defines the eye without creating a visible line. Now for the main event: take your liquid glitter. Apply a tiny amount to the very center of your eyelid, right above the pupil, and gently tap it with your finger to blend the edges. Then, apply a small dot to the inner corner of your eye and a thin line along the lower lash line, focusing on the center third. Finish with a coat of mascara, and you have Danielle's signature sparkling eyes.

The Skincare Precedent: The Foundation Of It All

We’ve decoded Danielle’s makeup rules, but the most important “notwithstanding clause” of all is this: notwithstanding all the incredible makeup products in the world, nothing can replace the precedent of a consistent and effective skincare routine. Danielle’s makeup looks so flawless because it’s applied onto a healthy, hydrated, and smooth canvas. In K-beauty, skincare is not a chore, it’s a ritual, and it’s the true secret behind the idol glow.

This philosophy prioritizes skin health above all else. It's about gentle cleansing, layering hydrating products, and protecting the skin from environmental damage. It’s a long-term investment in your skin that pays off every single day. When your skin is balanced and happy, you need less makeup to begin with, and the makeup you do apply looks infinitely better. It adheres more smoothly, lasts longer, and has a natural radiance that can’t be replicated with highlighters alone.

Curation: A foundational K-beauty routine for a Danielle-level glow should include a few key product types. A gentle double cleanse is essential to remove all impurities without stripping the skin. A hydrating toner or essence is next, to prep the skin for subsequent steps. The star of the show is often a powerful serum, like the iconic Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum, which uses a blend of traditional Korean herbs to boost hydration and radiance. Finally, a quality moisturizer seals everything in, and of course, a high-SPF sunscreen every single morning is non-negotiable.

Interpretation: The precedent set by a good skincare routine is that your makeup becomes an accessory, not a mask. You’re not covering things up, you’re enhancing what’s already there. This approach builds confidence and fosters a healthier relationship with your skin. When you focus on nourishment and protection, you create a positive feedback loop, your skin looks better, so you feel better, and your makeup application becomes a fun, creative process rather than a corrective one.

Execution: In the evening, start with an oil cleanser to melt away makeup and sunscreen, then follow with a water-based cleanser. While your skin is still slightly damp, pat in a hydrating toner. Next, apply a few drops of your chosen serum, gently pressing it into the skin. Finish with your moisturizer to lock in all that goodness. In the morning, a simple splash of water or a gentle cleanse is enough, followed by your serum, a lighter moisturizer, and most importantly, sunscreen. Committing to this ritual is the ultimate clause for achieving a glow that truly comes from within.

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