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Title: Romney spent $300 on makeup 'consulting'
Source:
The Politico
URL Source: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/4982.html
Published: Jul 17, 2007
Author: By: Kenneth P. Vogel
Post Date: 2007-07-17 19:31:28 by Zipporah
Keywords: None
Views: 10
What kinds of things do you think of when you hear "communications consulting"? 
Romney's makeup payment is just one example of the interesting nuggets that await those willing to dig through the thousands of entries in campaign finance reports. Photo by AP
Speechwriting? Message strategy?
Well, "communications consulting" is how presidential candidate Mitt Romney recorded $300 in payments to a California company that describes itself as "a mobile beauty team for hair, makeup and men's grooming and spa services."
Romney spokesman Kevin Madden confirmed that the payments -- actually two separate $150 charges -- were for makeup, though he said the former Massachusetts governor had only one session with Hidden Beauty of West Hills, Calif. That was before the May 3 Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., co-sponsored by MSNBC and The Politico.
"We used them once but booked time twice and still had to render payment for the appointment time," said Madden, who said the disbursement was listed as "communications consulting" because it was paid from the communications division's budget.
Romney's makeup payment is just one example of the interesting nuggets that await those willing to dig through the thousands of entries in campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
It's unclear if other presidential candidates paid for makeup services in the period covered by the latest round of reports, due Sunday night. If they did, though, it might not be obvious from a quick glance of the filings.
Politicians often wear makeup for photo and video shoots. Federal campaigns, on at least 26 different occasions since 2002, reported paying for haircuts and other primping -- services totaling $7,443, according to an analysis by The Politico of Federal Election Commission data. And Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards refunded $800 his campaign shelled out for two haircuts after he was criticized for them.
But Stacy Andrews, who made up Romney for Hidden Beauty, said he barely needs makeup.
"He's already tan," she said. "We basically put a drop of foundation on him … and we powdered him a little bit."
It's not wise for candidates -- or anyone appearing on TV, for that matter -- to scrimp on makeup, especially in this age of high-definition TV, she said, adding that she has seen pols "look orange" after bad makeup jobs.
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