Oprah says look around at these pictures of some of our most cherished viewers; mom age 34 and her daughter 16 from a few towns over, Wayne from Taylor Michigan who is clearly stuck in the 80’s and Cindy, God loves teachers, but should she be wearing this to lead our children into the future?, and Dawn… Dawn, Dawn. How did these folks  get this way? She knows we all know someone too overdone, too pooped, too painted. These folks don’t need a make-over, they need a make-under. They brought in the big gun who’s so much fun, with tons of experience toning down, come on in Carson Kressley.

So today they are going to have fun in the spirit of helping people look there best. Dawn is a 44 year old single  mother of two. As a child, Dawn was a girl next door; shy, reserved and not outgoing. High school was really hard, she was told she wasn’t going to make much of herself and it was a sad lonely time for her. At 21 she started to change her look and she started to get attention. She started tanning,  dieting, working out and coming into a different kind of look. She says her look doesn’t match her inside as much as people might think. She is a mother first and foremost. Her kids hate how she looks and she’d really like her son and daughter to be proud of her.

Carson hopped on a plane to Canada, which he says is more of a frozen tundra than Chicago, to knock on Dawn’s door. Oprah loves it when this happens; take a look. Edmonton Alberta in Canada in February, Carson says he’d do anything for Oprah. Dawn answers the door and starts shrieking. She takes him upstairs, and he asks if she’s had implants or if she’s naturally endowed. Dawn says they are natural implants. He says they got really big with silicone and she says yes. He asks about her hair- it is extensions. He asks if she’s had anything else done? She says her lips , botox, eyelash extensions. She was been doing this for way too long, over 20 years. Carson says is she asking who is this person and she says yes. Her daughter is 15 and she doesn’t want her to grow up in the same way. She says her daughter is beautiful and perfect the way she is and that Dawn does not want her daughter attracting the wrong kind of attention. Carson says that is what they should want for Dawn, right? Ok, they can do that. They talk outside her closet. Carson asks if there was a moment where she decided to change herself, her looks? Dawn says in high school she  overheard a guy she liked saying that Dawn was a nice girl but too fat so he would never date her. To this day she remembers that. Carson says wow. Looking in the mirror Dawn sees someone with alot of makeup on, someone that is overdone. Not someone that is really her. She thinks her kids see.. she breaks down… she doesn’t think her kids are happy with what they see. They see someone who is supposed to be a role model for them and they would just like to have a mom like everybody else’s mom.

Oprah says to  Carson that addictions affect people in all ways, and that he thinks Dawn has a beauty addiction. He thinks that a little beauty was good but that Dawn was doing as much as she could to be accepted. Just like a food or drug addiction, you do that to fill the void to make yourself feel better. Carson challenged Dawn to strip it all off and peel it down, not easy to do when you’ve had the same beauty routine forever, for 20 years. She gets up at 6am and she’s ready at 11am; Carson doesn’t do math but that’s a really long time. Oprah is speechless. This addiction was taking her away from her family and her job.

Carson asks if her look is a security blanket. yes, her hair has been a focal point, the little girl inside has always felt overweight and she felt that if she had the hair, then people wouldn’t look at the weight. They agree that’s pretty scary. He asks her to imagine how liberating it will be to get rid of it and not hide behind it. She removes her makeup, she’s nervous. Carson thinks she looks better without it, Dawn says it takes her back to the girl she was in high school. Taking out her hair extensions, they call in a reinforcement for help who says it will probably take 3 hours. Carson hikes up her top to cover her cleavage. Carson leaves her with the rules until they meet in Chicago- no makeup, tanning, bronzer, lipstick, eyeshadow, foundation, no bronzer, no hair extensions, false eyelashes and no outfit that show almost all of her boobs. He asks her to remove her false nails. She says that will be very hard. They hug. He is proud of her. He says they’ll discuss getting her nails back in Chicago. She thanks him.

Dawn’s 2 teenage  children are in the studio with Dawn’s best friend, Wendy. Oprah asks how they’ve felt about their mom’s look all these years? The daughter says its kind of hard because her friends look at their mom and judge- either she’s a porn star or… her brother’s friends think she’s a MILF. It’s been hard for her whole life- Oprah says she’s in for a big surprise. Dawn’ s children have been embarrassed for years. Troy, her son says that his friends at school call her a MILF. Oprah says if you don’t know what that is, then ask your children. The crowd laugh. Carson has been working around the clock with Dawn to set her free from the make-up which binds. The kids and wendy are really ready. Dawn comes out and the crowd go wild. The kids come up on stage and they all hug. Oprah says it’s great. Dawn did what Carson said and walked around stripped down- at first the lack of attention was hard. She’s so used to being looked at and asked if she was a celebrity, it was hard. Oprah says she was used to leading by her boobs, and Dawn laughs and agrees. Dawn says that you get so used to being a certain way that all of a sudden she felt naked that a piece of her was stripped away. She says that may not make sense as she used to walk around almost naked. Oprah says Dawn used to call her extensions her comfort food, and asks how she feels without all the hair. Dawn says it’s so freeing. Wendy says Dawn looks fantastic. Oprah asks if this look reflects who she is- absolutely she feels beautiful, pretty and classy. Oprah says she looks it. Carson explains what he did- Dawn’s look was so extreme- a stripper without a pole, but getting to know her she is a wonderful mother and a kind person. They stripped everything down, she has a great natural beauty. So many people with beauty addictions are hiding and they just wanted to reveal what was there- great bone structure, beautiful eyes, great body and legs. He says that you don’t have to show it all off at once, and this is a look to be proud of. The kids are beaming as much as Dawn is. Oprah says that’s a mom you can take to the PTA and Carson says she’s still a MILF.

34 year old Liz and 16 year old Vanessa are a mother and daughter from  Illinois. Carson stopped by their house a few days ago. He knocks on the door and they hug, Liz squeezes his bum and he says it’s better than a handshake. Carson says its 9.30am and they are done up like they are going to Caesar’s Palace. They say they always are. He says he sees a theme here, as the house is very, um… Liz says Soprano-esque. She does know that she’s a little much, she was a very, very poor child so she knew when she grew up she wanted the best of the best. He asks how long they invest a week in their beauty routine. Liz says alot maybe 20-25 hours a week. Carson says that’s more than he actually works a week. He asks what their friends think of their look. Vanessa’s friends think shes ridiculous and want to scrape off her makeup. her hair takes an hour a day or more based on the size of the look. They both have medium sized hair today; it can go bigger.

Liz and Vanessa haven’t seen each other since the transformation. Their husband/ father is in the audience along with some of their family and friends. Liz comes out and the crowd applaud. Oprah says it’s amazing, that she looks so much younger. Carson says that he told Liz that the photos with the make up make her look 45 not 34, and he says she almost stabbed him with a shoe-horn at that point. The make up was too heavy and ageing. Carson says make up should enhance your features not cover them up, which is aging. Liz feels freed and and is pleased that everyone else liked it as she wan’t sure they would like her this way. Vanessa who is only 16 comes out- and the crowd go crazy. Liz says she’s so pretty. Mom and daughter hug a little and cry a little. Carson and Oprah say it’s 16- young and fresh and dewey. Carson says for Vanessa, who he was calling Gosh Spice, it was about making her look age-appropriate, she’s so gorgeous. The husband/ father  says thethat they look hot, he likes it.

Cindy is a 48 year old mother of 2 and a professor at the University of Missouri. She says that  some of her students and coworkers don’t take her seriously dressed like this. She spends alot of time and money making sure that her hair, makeup and clothes make her look good. She is a professor in the journalism school and some of her colleagues say that some of the conflicts in her classroom may be because she dresses like the students. She likes to dress in unique clothes that you don’t see on everybody else, like this spotty dress where the sleeves join the skirt, which she loves because it’s different. Her favorite dress is a short sparkly number that she can’t understand why other people don’t like it like she does. She has evolved so many times from heavy to thin, she’d dress in the dark because she didn’t like the way she looked. She has kept her weight off for 19 years and her natural state will be interesting to see. Carson says alot of women who lose weight go too far showing off their bodies. Oprah loves CIndy’s biceps, Carson says she has Madonna arms. She comes out and the crowd applaud. Oprah says wow wow wow Professor. Cindy’s mom loves it. Cindy is getting used to it, getting rid of the nails was the hardest- Carson says she had eagle talons before with artwork on them. Oprah wants to talk about artwork nails- Carson is not a fan. Oprah says Cindy lookss fantastic and her students will love this.

Last fall they  had so much fun making over men, you can nominate your scruffy, shaggy-haired man right now on Oprah.com. For a little inspiration, meet Wayne. Wayne is an 80’s guy turned in by his wife. He has 20 sleeveless tie-dye shirts. He’s a software developer by day and a rock n’ roller by night. It takes him forever to blow-dry his hair to get the curl out. Oprah and Carson are speechless. Oprah says that’s why we love America, because there is room for everybody. Patty and her daughter Stephanie are here, and Wayne comes out now. The crowd applaud. Oprah says Wayne who are you? Wayne says he’s trying to figure that out too. Oprah says she couldn’t pick him out of a line-up. His family are stunned. Wayne is not used to it yet, it’s been a thrill, he hasn’t seen himself without facial hair since he was 14 years old. People have been encouraging him, saying his wife is gonna love him, so he’s thinking ok. Carson says Wayne had so many colors in his highlighted hair. He’d tried to hold onto his hair, his youth. Many guys have a Rip Van Winkle Syndrome when they haven’t changed their clothes in 40 years and think they look great like they did in high school. That was 3 decades ago. Carson recommends that men like this go shopping every Presidential election or something. Women are better at updating. Wayne’s family are stunned, he can change his identity, he doesn’t look like the same person. His wife loves it. Carson will be back with the man makeover show in July. Oprah says he is very funny with guys. He says men are his speciality, they are like puppies. Oprah thanks Bloomingdale’s, the Laura Mercier makeup team and Salon Buzz in Chicago.

From your look to your home, many people can use a make-under for their homes. Nate Berkus says edit edit edit. He says that everyone in the entire coutry who doesn’t feel good about themselves buys another trinket, another picture frame, another vase and shoves it on the bookshelf. They think that all gifts should be displayed. Christina wanted help with her mom Lois’ busy overstuffed outdated den. Nate met them in their home in Louisiana. He goes to their home. The den makes him say wow, what is this room? The den, gym,  greenhouse, trophy room and photographs share the space. He says it definitely needs a makeunder. They wanted a sunroom and a den. Nate says that they have the opposite, it feels like winter and death, quite honestly. He thinks there is too  much stuff; the texture of the panelling, the texture of the brick, the busyness of the rug, busy drapery, tons of stuff. He can’t see what he’s looking at and there’s too much furniture to move properly. They sit down, Nate says that they can’t figure out where the camera guys should go as there is too much stuff in the room. He asks what they would feel comfortable editing out- Lois says the table and the bookshelf. Christina says the entertainment center. Nate agrees that we no longer have the big TV’s that once needed such big furniture. He asks Lois if the photographs make her feel closer to her daughters? She says yes, in a sense, as they live so far away. Nate wants to take the focus off everything and on what really matters. He needs their help, which means with all due respect that they won’t help, they have done enough.

Oprah says she thinks that this is so great because everyone wants Nate to come to their house, but that everyone has too much stuff going on and the focus, what rises up to meet you when you walk into a room is important. Nate says that everyone can do that and the mistake so often made is that not everything is important. If a collection of statues are important and all the photos are important, rooms must be edited. It is a maintenance issue. We don’t load up our sink and leave it for 15 years, but people do that with their bookshelves until the Opra Show sends Nate. Oprah says she’s noticed that with photographs, people add and add. You need to edit.

Nate Berkus had 24  hours and a team to get this done. The crew dismantle the den while Christina and Nate pair down the photos, she uses post-its to indicate what can go in storage. In Lowe’s he gets a softer rug and some new curtains that he says are literally perfect. There’s so much going on in the den he will neutralise the space with a light paint color. They cover the brick with panelling and paint it all to get a backdrop. The photos will be reframed to be a focus. He uses paper cutouts to arrange the layout. He says focus the photos on one wall. He moves the bulky electric firplace to a new spot and paints it. He divides off some of the room with a screen which he says is a great idea for multi-purpose rooms. He turns the exercise equipment around and adds a small TV. He says it’s brighter, lighter and understated.

Oprah asks if you can paint over panelling? He says to ask an expert at a paint store as there is a base to go over almost everything. Oprah says that she’d never heard of Lowe’s before Nate started doing these shows but now she uses Lowe’s all the time.  Time for the big reveal- Nate tells Lois and Christina not to open their eyes until he says so. When they do open their eyes, they scream. They say it’s beautiful and pretty and they both have tears in their eyes. They couldn’t have imagined it. He shows them the moved painted fireplace to reorientate the room. He used alot of the same pieces and painted them. Lois says it’s elegant. Nate changed the background to be able to use their furniture. Now it’s calmer to the eyes, lighter and fresher and more like a sunroom. He kept the exercise room, added a TV, and screened it off to take the focus off the exercise equipment. He has edited down the plants and photos which used to go all around the room. Now Lois can really see the pictures and not a whole bunch of clutter. She’s blown away, her daughter is happy. Lois, live in the studio via Skype says the experience has inspired her to edit more rooms in her house, she is thoroughly enjoying it- she and he husband watched the superbowl in the den. She got so pumped up and excited that she decided to light up the walls in her other rooms. Christina says Nate did an excellent job in 24 hours and that he could hone in on what is important to their family was incredible. Oprah thanks Lowe’s.

Recently Nate took the No Phone Zone Pledge and he hasn’t broken it. He didn’t realise he’d have to reschedule his life- he used to call people in the car when he would have no other distractions. Which he sees now was stupid. Oprah won’t talk to anyone on the phone, God forbid someone gets into an accident and says I was on the phone to Oprah. Nate says he’d be seen on the expressway and someone would call Oprah to report him. They both say that they would turn the other person in. They laugh and high-five. Oprah says be like Nate, take the pledge. She then says when Carson comes back he’ll take the pledge. Carson says he lives in New York and calls people on the subway, even though it’s underground and doesn’t really work. Oprah says it’s a commitment to saving lives so we don’t have to keep telling stories about the 6000 people who got killed last year. Take the pledge. Thanks.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Just like a food or drug addiction, a beauty addiction fills the void to make people feel better.

If you don’t know what a MILF is, then ask your children.

Make up should enhance your features not cover them up, which is aging.

A lot of women who lose weight go too far showing off their bodies.

Oprah says we love America, because there is room for everybody.

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Too much make-up is aging, too much clutter is messy. Edit, edit,edit.